The Montreal Canadiens continue to give the Washington Capitals everything they can handle in their opening round postseason series, their first meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2010.
Unfortunately for the Habs, they find themselves trailing two games to none folioing Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory by the Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington DC.
They now face the daunting task of having no choice but to win four of the next (potential series) games in order to avoid elimination.
Canadiens Fans Cautiously Optimistic Despite 0-2 Hole
Some fans of the Canadiens are holding out hope that their beloved team can somehow dig its way out of the hole they’ve found themselves in after the opening two games of the series.
One fan kept his outlook simple, saying, “Gotta make some changes.”
Another Habs fan tipped his cap to the performance of goaltender Logan Thompson, saying, “Good effort but man, Thompson made some crazy saves in the end. Need some calls too. Give me Xhekaj, and put Laine on the 4th line and PP2. Ship Matheson to Laval.”
This Habs fan had a simple request, saying, “Please play like it’s the 3rd period every period next game!”
Speaking of optimism, this fan was full of it, saying, “Great effort, and an improvement from the first game. A few missed calls, a couple bounces, and it could’ve been different. Valuable learning for the young guys #GoHabsGo”
Finally, this fan decried the team’s performance in the second period, saying, “Overall amazing effort, just can’t shit the bed for 15 minutes in the second and we win that.”
Former NHL defenseman Chris Pronger even weighed in, saying, “#habs need to take a breathe. Playing well but they don’t need to get too frenetic and force it. They are generating ample opportunities. Patience young jedis. It will come.”
The Canadiens and Capitals will face one another in Game 3 on Friday night.
Despite the disappointing loss, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was happy with his club’s overall effort and tipped his cap to the performance of goaltender Logan Thompson for the Capitals.
“It’s can you maximize those touches, those scoring chances — they’ve done that better than we have so far,” St. Louis said. “I believe in the group. I think both goalies were great tonight. It’s a fine line between winning and losing.”
Can the Canadiens force their way back into the series in their must-win Game 3 on Friday night?