Canadiens Showed Shades of 2010 in Gutsy Game 7 Win – The Hockey Writers –

Immediately after the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7, it was time to celebrate and take it all in. Whether or not it actually happened, the day after it should have been back to the drawing board, because what transpired in that game should not be allowed to happen again, that is, if the Habs have any hope of beating the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2.

Dobes vs. Halak

There have been comparisons made between goalie Jakub Dobes and his 2010 Canadiens counterpart, Jaroslav Halak, who stood on his head over two straight series to beat the Presidents Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in Round 1 and the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2 (before losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 3). And, while there aren’t perfect parallels to be drawn, in that, in 2026, the Habs arguably held the edge in gameplay over the Lightning over the course of the series as a whole, the degree to which Dobes saved their collective bacon in Game 7 on Sunday should not be diminished.

As has been well-documented, the Canadiens became the first team in NHL history to win a playoff game with fewer than 10 shots on goal when they beat the Lightning 2-1. They set that record on the “strength” of a shotless second period, the first time in team history they “accomplished” the feat. While Dobes didn’t necessarily have to channel a Cirque du Soleil acrobat on many if any of his saves, he nevertheless showed incredible poise in limiting the Bolts to a single goal (on a deflection right in front of him) on 29 shots in a Game 7 situation.

Were it not for Dobes and his .923 save percentage over the seven games, it’s hard to envision the Canadiens moving on to face the Sabres. That should be obvious, and it’s fair game for a goalie to steal a game here and there in a playoff run. As a member of the team, their contributions are just as valid as, say, Brandon Hagel’s two-goal Game 4 that helped erase a two-goal Habs lead, when they had been in position to pull ahead 3-1 instead of having the Lightning tie the series 2-2. So, no one has a leg to stand on, trying to make the Habs feel guilty for winning in the fashion they did. The issue should instead be whether or not that fashion of victory is sustainable.

Spoiler, in case everyone chooses to look back at 2010 wearing rose-coloured glasses: It isn’t.

Canadiens Get Revenge Over Lightning

Now, however exciting Halak’s run was, as previously mentioned the eighth-seeded Canadiens ended up losing to the seventh-seeded Flyers in Round 3, which was actually the most winnable series on paper. They still got shut out the first two games en route to a five-game exit. So, lessons needed to be learned. And, they were… eventually. It just took the remainder of then-general manager Pierre Gauthier’s tenure and successor Marc Bergevin’s near-10 years on the job for the organization to realize overly relying on your goaltending isn’t a way to build a championship-calibre team.

Oh, the Canadiens came close in 2021. However, a run-in with in the Final against the Lightning, in which they were similarly dispatched in five games, and outclassed in just about every which way, goes to show you need elite talent throughout the roster, not just in net… and, as history has shown, elite talent throughout the roster should take priority over elite talent in net. It just so happens, as Dobes proved, every once in a while you do need an elite goalie, or at least someone in net who plays like an elite goalie.

First the good news: A performance like Dobes just had reinforces his worth to the organization. He has adequately proven himself as a No. 1 goalie, and, while there will inevitably be calls for the Canadiens to stick with one between him and Jacob Fowler, similar to in 2010 with Halak and Carey Price to show further shades of a postseason from over a decade and a half ago, it’s fair to say goaltending is no longer a position about which they need to worry.

Secondly, every team has bad games, even in the playoffs. It’s unfortunate the Canadiens chose Game 7 as the time for theirs, but, up until that point, they had proven themselves as worthy of moving on to Round 2. And, as cannot be overstated, they won, even if only in spite of themselves. Furthermore, if you conveniently take away the period in question, it’s worth noting the Habs actually showed up in the final period, during which they mustered five shots on net (to the Lightning’s eight), one of which obviously resulting in Alex Newhook’s game-winning goal.

The Team Price Deserved?

It’s hard to determine why the Canadiens played as badly as they did in Sunday’s second period. However, they also played a horrible overtime in Game 2, leading to Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser’s game-winning goal. So, glass half-empty: This isn’t an isolated incident. Glass half-full: Seeing as they won Games 3 and 5 and also played well enough to win Games 4 and 6, they can adequately rebound. They need to, because consistently playing rope-a-dope only works with exhausted opponents. After a hard-fought, physically brutal series against the Lightning, it’s hard to believe the Sabres will be more tired than them. And, even if they are, what’s the end game? Doing the same all the way to a championship this year?

That just isn’t the way to find success.

This is an extrapolation, but it seems like there are about as many gleeful Canadiens fans making the comparison to 2010 as there are who are saying this is the team, the way it’s been impressively constructed with offensive depth throughout, that Price, the goalie the Habs chose over Halak, deserved.

To be fair, there’s no reason to suggest they’ll continue to play as badly as they did on Sunday, but, if they do, there’s no reason to believe it’s a team even Price would have been able to carry to a championship. Again, he came close in 2021, but everyone remembers more clearly than they do 2010 how much that ended in disappointment.

It’s almost sweet how this is the way the Canadiens got their revenge over the Lightning five years later, winning despite being severely outmatched. It’s high time they move on, finally, though. The Sabres await.