Playoff Preview-Round 1 Caps

The regular season is officially in the books and when the dust settled the Montreal Canadiens found themselves with the number 8 seed in the Eastern conference. Their reward? A 1st round match up with the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals. The Capitals lead the NHL with 121 points and a total of 318 goals scored, 101 more than the Habs. They also sported the league's top power play along with 7 20+ goal scorers and a pair of players with over 100 points. Scoring hasn't been a problem this season for the Capitals, but despite a hot run by former Hab Jose Theodore, keeping goals out remains a bit of a question mark.

The Canadiens went 2-1-1 against the Caps this season and held Ovechkin in check....or at least as in check as can be expected. There will be a ton of speed in this series and the Canadiens can't get into a track meet trading chances if they want to have a chance. Against a team like the Capitals, you will get scoring chances, that's for sure. But the key is to capitalize on these chances and minimize the opportunities the other way. Halak and/or Price will be one of the, if not the biggest key to the Canadiens success. Here's hoping the Habs can give the Caps a run for their money.

Schedule:

Thursday April 15 @ Washington

Saturday April 17 @ Washington

Monday April 19 in Montreal

Wednesday April 21 in Montreal

Friday April 23 @ Washington (if necessary)

Monday April 26 in Montreal (if necessary)

Wednesday April 28 @ Washington (if necessary)