Habs and Bruins in the first round?

The NHL Playoffs are around the corner and the Canadiens are entering the fray with some very mixed results over the last month. They went a week without scoring and then in their next game scored two goals in 11 seconds - bizarre. But that's been the signature of this team all season - inconsistent (except in goal) and tough to figure out from game to game. Now the playoffs are here and it looks like the Habs could be facing the old enemy, the Boston Bruins.

Games between Boston and Montreal this season have been intense, especially the last three contests in which two of them could be designated as "statement" games. Kind of interesting that each team had very sub-par performances in the other club's building in those contests. Regardless, a first round series between these rivals will have a physical and emotional intensity that goes beyond that which simply comes with competing for the Stanley Cup. That's bad news for both teams. Whichever team emerges from this match up will in all likelihood be physically and emotionally spent from a tough series, and that's bound to have a carryover effect into the next round. Anytime you're in a tournament atmosphere, you want to take the path of least resistance to the final. For the most part, the Habs and Bruins have been closely matched this season so even without all of the extra baggage between these teams, this is going to be a tough series. It should be interesting if it happens.

Do either of these teams have a chance of winning the Cup? Doubtful. The Canadiens don't score enough and they give up too many shots. That worked for a while last Spring, but I don't expect a repeat of that. As for the Bruins, they can play with any team on a given night, but in the long haul of a playoff series, I can't see them beating the top teams in the league. "Bruins hockey" as defined by its fan base and by club management over the years simply isn't the formula for capturing Lord Stanley's Cup. I recently attended a B's game and was a bit taken aback by the highlight video on the big screen that was played prior to the game. For every goal highlight, there must have been about 7 fighting highlights. Memo to Bruins management - fights don't win Cups. And this Bruins team isn't necessarily that much of a goon squad to begin with although they can play that way if motivated.

Teams that win the Stanley Cup seem to have 2 legitimate offensive superstars. Just look at the last 3 years and you see Chicago with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Pittsburgh with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and then Detroit with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk (to name just two). Sure, there are exceptions to this pattern, but if you keep going back through the years, you see that the majority of Cup winners have offensive superstars. When the Bruins last won in '72 and '70, they were an offensive juggernaut with Phil Esposito and Bobby Orr. That talent level isn't present on the 2010-11 edition of the Bruins which leads me to believe they won't seriously challenge this year. The drafting of a player like Tyler Seguin is a good sign for B's fans in this regard. It demonstrates a shift in the defense first mentality that has gripped this club's approach to talent since Orr left in '76.