Montreal coach calls division champion Canadiens 'underdogs'

Published May. 1, 2015 12:14 p.m. ET

foxsports

The fact that Montreal won the Atlantic Division and has home ice in the series against the Lightning apparently does not make the Canadiens favorites, at least not according to coach Michel Therrien.

"We've been underdogs since the start of the preseason," Therrien told reporters Thursday. "But this group perseveres and works hard. They find a way. We're probably the only team in the playoffs with home-ice advantage that's the underdog."

People picking the Lightning over the Canadiens in the second round do have a good basis for their choice; the Lightning went 5-0-0 against the Canadiens this season and outscored Montreal by a 21-8 margin in those games.

But playoffs are a different story. The Senators, who played Montreal in the first round, were 3-1 against the Canadiens in the regular season but lost the opening series, four games to two, to the Canadiens in the playoffs.

(h/t The Score)

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