THE TEAM 990 SHOW HOST BLOGS

Here we are, past the ides of February, and Montreal is tied with Ottawa atop the eastern conference. They've mixed in two distinct styles of play to reach this point. At times, they appear to be an elite team...working on the premise that they can outscore their opponents. Often, they haven't even needed their goaltender to be good. That is something we haven't seen here in decades. Traditionally, the Canadiens need their goalie to be dominant in order to have a chance to win. That isn't always the case anymore. However, the playoffs are a completely different matter.

Only 3 teams in the league have scored more goals than Montreal. But history has shown us that in the two month grind from mid-April to mid-June, goalies are the most important players on their teams. Although there have been a few rare exceptions (notably Detroit), you can't expect to average over 3 goals per game during the playoffs.