The Montreal Canadiens will find themselves in familiar territory Monday night in Philadelphia: facing elimination.
For the sixth time in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, a team has the opportunity to put away the pesky Habs. Montreal, as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, is 5-0 in elimination games this postseason and already has toppled the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals and defending champion Penguins.
The question is: Do the Canadiens have another comeback in them? After Saturday’s poor showing at Bell Centre, it looks unlikely. The Flyers — with Ian Laperriere and Jeff Carter back in the lineup — played with a sense of urgency in Game 4. Meanwhile, the Habs looked sluggish. ESPN.com’s Scott Burnside described Montreal’s woes best when he said the Canadiens — who looked like a Formula One race car in Game 3 — played as if they had sugar in their gas tank in Game 4.
To rebound, Montreal needs to put more shots on goal. Mike Cammalleri had just one on Saturday. Scott Gomez had zero. It’s worth mentioning that four playoff series this postseason have gone the full seven games and the Canadiens have played in two of them. Their tank may finally be on empty.
