Stanley Cup Playoffs: Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers series preview

The Montreal Canadiens face the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a matchup between two possession-heavy teams.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially underway. In the opening round, the Philadelphia Flyers will be facing the Montreal Canadiens, a team no one expected to make it past the play-in round. Though the Habs were able to pull off a massive upset over the Pittsburgh Penguins, it would be even more of an upset if they did it to the Flyers, who are the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

To be fair, the same thing could be said about Philadelphia. They came into the Eastern Conference round-robin tournament as the fourth seed.  Three points separated the Flyers and the Penguins, who had to play in the play-in round. Philly clearly took the round-robin tournament seriously, as they blasted through the Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, and Tampa Bay Lightning to earn the top seed.

These two unlikely opponents are going to be squaring off. Though it’s a best-of-seven series instead of the more chaotic best-of-five, this postseason has already proven that anything can happen. Here’s a quick refresher on how both teams got to this point.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens were the last team to get into the postseason. Literally, they were the 24th ranked team in a postseason that had 24 teams in it. But just as in March Madness, the dreaded 12 seed upset the heavily favored fifth seed. Carey Price was phenomenal in goal, especially in Game 1. The Habs overcame a 3-1 deficit in Game 3, which took the wind out of Pittsburgh’s sails.

Montreal relies heavily on possession, but they don’t have as much skill as other teams. But as they showed against the Penguins, if you let them control the puck, they can take over the game and frustrate defenses.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers showed up to Toronto motivated, and it showed in the round-robin tournament. They outscored the Capitals, Bruins, and Lightning 11-3, including a shutout of the Bruins. Philadelphia got goals from eight different players, which is a testament to their depth.