Montreal devises recipe for second-round success
The Canadiens do not know who their second-round opponent will be yet, but the Habs do have enough information from their first-round series to draw up a recipe for success for the second round.
According to SportsNet CA, the Canadiens need to achieve three key feats in the second round to keep their season alive. First on the list is improving primary scoring. Five of the Canadiens' 12 goals in the first round came from bottom-six forwards, and another goal came from a third-pairing defenseman.
Next, the Canadiens must convert more frequently on the power play, SportsNet CA said. Montreal was 1-for-20 on the power play in the first round.
"If the Canadiens draw the Red Wings in Round 2, they’ll have to face a penalty kill that’s running at 92.3 per cent," SportsNet CA reported. "If they draw the Lightning — who dominated them in the regular season matchup winning all five of their games by a combined score of 21-8 — a power-play goal or two would go a long way towards allowing them to keep up on the scoreboard."
Finally, SportsNet CA suggested that the Canadiens need to get off to a good start by winning Game 1. Only one team in the first round (Washington) advanced to the second round after losing Game 1.
So the Canadiens continue to practice with a focus on what went wrong in the first round as they wait to find out who their second-round opponent will be. That final piece of the second-round puzzle will be in place after Wednesday night, when Tampa and Detroit face off for their Game 7.
(h/t SportsNet CA)
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