Untitled Document

Hamilton Bulldogs Vs. Montreal Canadiens

Hamilton Bulldogs		Montreal Canadiens
1st Overall Canadian Conference	107 Points	6th Overall Canadian Conference	90 Points
Losing record of 1-3-0 vs Candiens during season		Winning record of 3-1-0 vs Bulldogs during season

Top Point Getters in Round 1	Top Point Getters in Round 1
Mikko Koivu - 5 G - 8 A - 13 - +8	Andrei Markov - 3 G - 7 A - 10 - +4
Daniel Alfredsson - 3 G - 9 A - 12 P - +96	Nathan Horton - 2 G - 5 A - 7 P - +1
Duncan Keith - 2 G - 9 A - 11 P - +2	Radek Dvorak - 1 G - 5 A - 6 P - +4

Series Preview

Ouf. Exhale. Breathe. Relax. That about sums up the feelings of the Bulldogs and their fans after an excruciating 1st round series that saw them fall behind 2-0 to the underdogs Senators, only to rebound and win 4 of the final 5 games, including Game 7. The Bulldogs struggled to keep the puck out of their net and suffered a key injury when Willie Mitchell went down, hurting defensive depth. They remain a deep, complete team…but there is now some doubt. Can they pull themselves together and regain their elite form? Mikko Koivu absolutely set round 1 on fire, posting 13 points in 7 games. Alfredsson had 1 fewer point. Brooks Laich and Marian Hossa also had a tremendous series. Against a better defensive team in Montreal, such explosions seem unlikely. Hamilton will have to find a way to play stingier hockey and that could be a problem.

3 KEY FACTORS:

Goaltending. Simply put, the Bulldogs goaltending had issues in round 1. Martin Biron even made a start. Jonas Hiller must be better.
The Bulldogs offence against a brick wall named Halak. Who will win that matchup?
Bulldogs PP vs Canadiens PK. Both units excelled in round 1. Who comes out on top?

Few gave them much of a chance in round 1 against a Maple Leafs team with some serious star power. Especially when Saku Koivu missed the first 4 games of the series. Yet, here are the Montreal Canadiens in round 2. They are here because Andrei Markov put up 10 points in 6 games. They are here because Nathan Horton and Radek Dvorak produced point-per-game numbers. They are here because Brenden Morrow scored 4 goals in 6 games. They are here because Jaroslav Halak channeled the form of last season in real life. It was a great story to take down their original 6 rivals, now, can the magic continue against a deeper Bulldogs team? Round 1 taught us that counting these guys out is a foolish idea. They are one resilient bunch. Now they are healthier than they were against Toronto. It will be very interesting to see.

3 KEY FACTORS:

Improving the power play. It clicked a woeful 8.7% rate in the 1st round. That is awful. Atrocious even. It must get up to the 20% range.
Can Halak continue to play .922 save % hockey? Against the likes of Spezza, Koivu, Hossa, Alfredsson and company, he won’t have much of a choice.
More offensive contributions. Too many Habs were stuck at 2 points in less. The Bulldogs offence is too deep, Montreal will need more players stepping up.

Prediction: To count these Habs out would be foolish. Saku Koivu being there from the start will help. Hamilton will have to tighten up. In the end, Hamilton has home ice and more depth. Bulldogs in 7.