Could the Montreal Canadiens shock the world and upset the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round?
That’s the last thing we want to think about as Toronto Maple Leafs fans, but the Montreal Canadiens did it to the Pittsburgh Penguins last year, so why can’t they do it again?
The rivalry between the Habs and Leafs is 104 years old, dating back to 1917. Although they’ve had a number of classic games in recent memory, they haven’t played a playoff game since 1979.
Toronto and Montreal played in different conferences from 1981 to 1998, so it’s easy to see why they never played during that timeframe. However, the dream Stanley Cup Final matchup almost happened in 1993 but Kerry Fraser Wayne Gretzky unfortunately denied that from happening.
Having played in the same division since 1998, it’s surprising that it’s taken 23 years for them to finally match up. Although it would be way better if they could play in front of a full building, it’s at least happening, which is a positive sign.
Toronto is the heavy favorite and it makes sense why. They have the superior team from top-to-bottom and have a lot more firepower than Montreal. The Leafs core-four should be able to dominate and outscore them more often than not.
Although the Leafs are favorited, we’ve seen the superior team falter before. Tampa Bay lost to Columbus a few years ago and Montreal played spoiler as recent as last year to Pittsburgh.
Playoff hockey is completely different than the regular season, so anything can happen in a seven-game series. As much as we’d hate to see it, as Toronto Maple Leafs fans, here are three reasons why the Montreal Canadiens could upset them in the first round.