What Went Wrong: Les Habitants Ousted in Five

On the eleventh day of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we finally saw an elimination, and it was the New Jersey Devils who were eliminated on Tuesday by the Carolina Hurricanes. One elimination down, 14 more to go. So who would be #2? Maybe I should just give it away and say "deux." Game Five saw the Montréal Canadiens back in DC looking to extend their series against the Washington Capitals. When this series matchup was made, my mind shifted back to 2010. We all remember that year. Caps were the Presidents' Trophy winners, and the Habs were pretty much "also rans." Yet Montréal took out Washington in seven games and went on a wild and long run.

Unexpected runs had been a thing for the Canadiens. 2010, 2014, and of course, 2021. Would we see this in 2025? Sadly, no. Though Game One went to OT, the Habs won it, and would not even come close in Game Two. Game Three was a huge 6-3 win on home ice, but all that did was piss of the Caps. Dominant wins in Games Four and Five, and that was all she wrote for Les Habitants.

The answer to "What Went Wrong?" is simple: this was classic case of a team just being happy to be there. That's all. Teams like that have no expectations and live in the moment, mainly because they exceeded expectations by making it. Out of the East's down and out teams, many expected the Sens, Sabres, and Red Wings to get in. Sens did, but the other two didn't. Nobody had the Canadiens making it, yet here they were, and they did make the most of it. First postseason appearance since that crazy run in 2021, and they did play quite well and could have won at least one more game than the one they actually won.

The Canadiens scored 12 goals in the five games played, with half of them scored in Game Three, the lone game they won. Of the 12 goals scored, the top pair consisting of Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki had five of them, so they did their share per usual. Caufield had three goals and a helper, while Suzuki's two goals were all of the points he had. So who was the points leader in the group. None other than the team's rookie defenseman, Lane Hutson. Hutson gained a hell of a lot of buzz in his rookie year, and he continued to do so in his first postseason. Hutson had five points in the five game series. All assists, but the five points led the team--just one ahead of Caufield.

Juraj Slafkovsky, who was drafted #1 overall by the Habs in 2022, had two goals in his playoff debut. And I have to mention Alex Newhook--a 2022 Cup Champion with the Avs. He found the net in the series as well; one goal and one assist.

Overall, the Canadiens have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. They were not expected to be part of the NHL's Sweet 16 this year, but yet, they made it. It was a great season for the Habs. An interesting offseason starts now, and we'll see what moves the Canadiens will make. This appearance may be the start of something. We may see Les Habitants making quite a few playoff appearances for years to come, at least I hope so.

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