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Hockey GAF

Someone explain this to me...

I watched the end of the first and the start of the 2nd period of the Sabres game last night and Buffalo looked like the effortlessly better team. A solid 10 - 15 minute stretch where I'm like "Oh, the Canadians look like some Div III team." Then they score 4 unanswered goals on Buffalo.

WTF is up with long stretches of wildly different levels of play? I've watched a lot of basketball and football and I feel I never see that in those sports.

Habs are the youngest team making the playoffs and a rookie goaltender

They can be shaky. They can make mistakes.

BUT

Anyone who has watched the Habs in the season, knows to never underestimate them, they can come back, they can clutch, they rarely give up. There's a reason there's a meme around that Habs are heart attack games



All fucking season :

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They're rookies but they have the mental resilience of veterans. Suzuki as captain is almost flawless. The guy is emotionally solid like fucking titanium.

Also Martin St-Louis made a hard choice and the good one to keep Dobes in the net. Dobes was not satisfied with himself but a 2nd chance made all the difference for the rest of the game. Flip flop of goalers is now Sabres' problem.
 
Habs on a roll. But I think it'll be Avs/Canes.

I fear the Canes, but Habs might be the kryptonite against Canes. In the season they swept them 3 times.

  • January 1, 2026: Canadiens 7, Hurricanes 5
  • March 24, 2026: Hurricanes 2, Canadiens 5
  • March 29, 2026: Canadiens 3, Hurricanes 1
Even the previous season they won 2, lost 1 against Canes.

While Sabres won 1, lost 2 against Canes this season

Insert usual playoff is different than regular season and blah blah, but Canes probably had a lot more chances against Sabres than Habs. The only problem I see is that Canes are healing for over a week. They might have a few cobwebs in the first game or two, but after that, Habs might run out of gas. Difficult series Habs are going through. At the same time, the top Habs players are starting to score.

Canes swept two wild card teams. Habs fought the eastern conference favorite, Tampa, the the currently the #1 team in the atlantic division where it was an insanely tight battle this year with 4 teams above 100 points. I wouldn't count Canes as having an easy time to say the least. They can win but I really doubt it'll go like their first two rounds.
 
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What a play from Marner

If only Leafs could get a winger like him, imagine pairing him with Matthews, it would be unstoppable

What do you think Represent. Represent. ?

Pisses me off because I was one of the Leaf fans that loved him and never saw him as the issue. He was our best player overall. Guy has some of the best vision in the world. Lowkey happy for the kid...

Bring on McKenna
 
My hot take: Habs will dust the Canes in 5 or 6. Those 11 days off are going to have them rusty as shit I can just picture it.

In the final, Avs over the toilet seat logo franchise in 5
 
My hot take: Habs will dust the Canes in 5 or 6. Those 11 days off are going to have them rusty as shit I can just picture it.

In the final, Avs over the toilet seat logo franchise in 5

Yea

Round 2 Habs in 6 (I am biased I know)

Round 3 Habs in 6 against Canes

Final Avs in 5

I don't think the team is ready to win the cup, realistically, too young, talent is still developing. But we'll be a huge threat in the coming years with all that talent signed for like 6~8 years at bargain prices. Fucking masterclass signing and recruitment from the Habs managers. I would be SHOCKED they don't win a cup during that contract range. There's also a lot of talent in pipeline.
 
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Yea

Round 2 Habs in 6 (I am biased I know)

Round 3 Habs in 6 against Canes

Final Avs in 5

I don't think the team is ready to win the cup, realistically, too young, talent is still developing. But we'll be a huge threat in the coming years with all that talent signed for like 6~8 years at bargain prices. Fucking masterclass signing and recruitment from the Habs managers. I would be SHOCKED they don't win a cup during that contract range. There's also a lot of talent in pipeline.
Yea... Habs are set for really the next 7-10 years. They will all grow together. Im actually quite jealous of them
 
My hot take: Habs will dust the Canes in 5 or 6. Those 11 days off are going to have them rusty as shit I can just picture it.

In the final, Avs over the toilet seat logo franchise

Yea

Round 2 Habs in 6 (I am biased I know)

Round 3 Habs in 6 against Canes

Final Avs in 5

I don't think the team is ready to win the cup, realistically, too young, talent is still developing. But we'll be a huge threat in the coming years with all that talent signed for like 6~8 years at bargain prices. Fucking masterclass signing and recruitment from the Habs managers. I would be SHOCKED they don't win a cup during that contract range. There's also a lot of talent in pipeline.
What the season series at between avs and habs? I know playoffs are a different beast but so far the season series and playoffs have been pretty accurate I think.

Edit: played them twice with each team winning one. If Habs make final I don't think they are gonna be a pushover
 
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Nope, not over yet. I'm trying to keep level headed cause anything can happen with this team. Lol

With any team... I remember my other favorite team (Calgary) losing game 6 of the Stanley Cup final at home in double overtime, then going on the road to lose game 7. 😭 Never over until it's over.
 
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