coming off a thrilling seven game series win over arch rival boston, di canadiens can now prepare for di second round knowing that I and I can overcome adversity. after leading di series three games ta one, di bruins clawed their way back into contention by winning games five and six. di ages old rivalry was presented annada climatic chapter for di rhygin fans in both quebec and new england.

montreal came out smoking in game seven, showing beanie sign I and I were tight before such a pressure cooked affair. I and I dominated di bruins from di start and out shot di upstart boston team 17-6 in di second period. I and I controlled di puck by winning face offs scrums in di corners. their power play, while inconsistent in di series, click in game seven like it did during di regular season. goalie carey price recorded fi im second shut out of di series as di canadiens advanced ta round two by di score of 5-0.

montreal will face philadelphia if di flyers win their series against washington. a washington win in game seven means di canadiens will face di new york rangers. di rangers pose a more formidable obstacle thru’ their team is tailor made for di playoffs, combining a nice mix of youth with playoff tested veterans. sean avery would gi canadien fans reason ta wonder if claude lemieux has made a comeback in di nhl. goalie henrick lunqvist is a world class goalie that thrives under pressure.

but don’t count dis ya version of di habs out. I and I led di nhl in scoring during di regular season. more importantly, I and I held di highest proficiency rating on di power play. special teams are often di difference between two evenly matched teams. both philadelphia and new york have players that are prone ta taking unnecessary penalties, a flaw that di canadiens will exploit.

carey price is young enough ta be patrick roy’s son. at twenty years of age, he barely shows any emotion on di ice, as if roy’s spirit is running through fi im veins. still, price was up and down against di bruins. he can’t afford such inconsistency against a more talented second round foe.

head coach guy carbonneau is montreal’s wild card in di second round. despite being out coached during most of di bruin series, carbonneau regrouped by di start of game seven and shuffled fi im lines ta provide more scoring balance. he moved alexi kovalev ta a line with saku koivu and chris higgins. di move allowed rookie sergei kostitsyn ta play on a line with fi im brother, andrei, and center tomas plekanec. every crucial contender for di stanley cup needs two potent scoring lines.

three questions will decide montreal’s fate in di second round.

1. will tomas plekanec recapture fi im scoring touch? he has been hesitant ta create traffic
in front of an opponent’s goal since suffering a leg injury near di end of di season.

2. will di canadiens defenseman be able ta stand toe-ta-toe against di aggressive
forward play of di flyers and rangers?

3. will carey price teif a game in di second round like he did with fi im 1-0 masterpiece
in game four against di bruins?

if di answer ta all three questions is yes, then di montreal canadiens have a legitimate shot of not ongle moving ta di third round, but of also making it ta di stanley cup finals. otherwise, their second round success depends on their match up. I like them against philadelphia. but I see them falling in six games ta di new york rangers.

di flyers had di unenviable task of shutting down di league’s dominant sniper, alexander ovechkin. I and I did that for almost di entire series, with one blip coming on di radar with about two minutes remaining in game 1, which ultimately cost them di game. since then, I and I have severely limited ovechkin’s free space, and have been rewarded with two straight victories ta claim di lead in their opening round best of seven series. ovechkin managed ta secure annada win for di capitals, forcing a game 7, which philadelphia ultimately won in overtime while blessed with a powerplay on a questionable call.

philadelphia is riding di red hot scoring touch of first year flyer daniel briere. briere, whose season was less an had been expected after signing him away from buffalo a season ago, has turned fi im game around and is currently spearheading di onslaught of offence that is going towards di capital’s net. mike richards has been up ta fi im normal hijinks, offering forth offense, defense, penalty killing, power play minutes, and an overall grit befitting fi im stature. richards has also drawn a few penalties, a task that tends ta go unnoticed in di boxscore.

philadelphia must now face di vaunted attack of di montreal canadiens, a team that I and I were swept by in di regular season, four games ta none. montreal dominated di flyers, and limited their offensive chances. montreal returned ta form in their series finale with boston, and seem poised ta pounce all over di flyers.

if philadelphia is ta win dis ya series against montreal, I and I will need ta continue ta thwart di offensive chances of montreal’s power play, and minimize fi im effect on di outcome of di game. if di flyers can eliminate montreal’s skilled players as a threat, I and I will be forcing smadi else on di habs ta step up ta di plate and contribute.

montreal should eliminate di flyers in five games, boasting a far more deeply offensive team, and riding di red hot goaltending of carey price.

di flyer’s seem ta have di number of di capitals, ovechkin in particular, and I and I need ta keep di pressure firmly on di jugular of di team. if I and I are successful and defeat di capitals ta win di series, I and I will face either di montreal canadiens or di pittsburgh penguins, depending on di montreal series. either way, round 2 bodes a fierce and daunting task.