On Sunday, the first round series of the NHL playoffs opened for the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Habs won it in overtime with a final score of 4-3.
Here’s what I noticed.
Playoff Josh Anderson is worth every dime of that contract.
Remember the days when fans wanted him traded for a bag of pucks? To be fair, Anderson wasn’t very good that first year of the rebuild, and that was hard to watch while aware of his contract. But you have to admire how he’s turned it around and found his role on the rebuilt Habs.
Anderson has consistently elevated his game in the playoffs, and Game 1 was no exception. His speed and physicality combined with his size are playoff tools and Andy used them well. His goal to open the scoring set the tone for the game.
And by the way, that charging penalty was horseshit.
Defending Caufield leaves Slaf as free as a bird.
The top line didn’t do much damage five-on-five, but on the first wave of the power play, along with Hutson and Demidov, they were lethal in Game 1. The defenders have to respect Caufield and that opened ice for Slafkovsky. Three times.
That timeout in overtime was smart coaching, and that pick in 2022 was smart drafting. What a night for Slaf.
The D group held up.
They weren’t perfect. I would have liked to see Guhle handle Hagel differently on his two goals. Hutson is still adjusting to the Lightning pressure. But overall, they held Tampa enough to clinch the win.
I thought Xhekaj looked great in Game 1. His point shot can cause chaos, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it more.
It’s early, but some line-up changes for the Newhook and Kapanen lines on Tuesday wouldn’t shock me.
Hab At Her 