Omens
No team has ever looked less prepared to play in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup than the Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens have been expected to lose in just about every game and series of these Stanley Cup Playoffs, and yet, they are playing in their first Stanley Cup Finals since the 1992-1993 season. It's been a remarkable run, and one that shouldn't stop now just because they are playing another supposedly superior opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning.
However, if the Habs' Game 1 warmup was any indication, they definitely do not belong on the same ice as the mighty Bolts, who wound up thumping them 5-1 to take a 1-0 series lead with another game on home ice awaiting. Montreal couldn't have looked less prepared for what was about to come. Check out their pregame skate shenanigans:
I mean, what are we doing boys? Franchise's first Stanley Cup appearance in nearly three decades and this is how we come out of the locker room? Tough, tough scene.
The beauty of this? It's only one game, and the Habs have recovered from far worse in these playoffs. They trailed 3-1 in their first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and we all know how that ended. Then after sweeping Winnipeg, they lost Game 1 to Las Vegas, 4-1, then won the next two games, lost Game 4, then won the last two games to close them out. It's a resilient bunch, but this will be an extremely difficult test against the best team in hockey. First order of business: don't embarrass yourselves in the Game 2 warmup. Baby steps.