No. 3: Physicality
The Toronto Maple Leafs added size and physicality this year, but it’s hard to say if it’ll be enough to match Montreal’s.
If you look at the Canadiens roster, they’re built for a long grueling playoff series. Their defensive core is filled with monsters and they have two pests up front.
Corey Perry and Brendan Gallagher are two guys you want on your team, but hate to play against. They can score, but they can also get under your skin. Perry showed that he still had some juice left in the tank during the Dallas Stars Stanley Cup run last year, so it’ll be interesting to see if that same player shows up for Montreal.
Joel Edmundson, Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot are four defenseman that are very tough to battle against in the corner, or in front of the net. They’re huge players that aren’t afraid to play with an edge, and will get away with more pain in the playoffs.
If Montreal uses their physicality and knocks Toronto around, it may be too much for them to handle. Not too mention that these hits could lead to injuries that will slow the Leafs down.
Toronto should be able to combat this and make it past the Habs in the first round, but crazier things have happened.
Let’s hope none of it is true and the Toronto Maple Leafs win the series, but be prepared for a harder matchup than it should be.