Philadelphia at Montreal

The Canadiens got a scare from Boston in round one but finished strong in game seven, winning 5-0. Philadelphia also took seven games to get past Washington. Despite both going to seven, these teams are far from even. Montreal seemed to let down after getting out to a 3-1 lead. When they had to win, they did it in convincing fashion. After that series we expect them to be much more focused here. Philly needed overtime in game seven to squeak out a win. Montreal won all four of the meetings this year between these clubs and they have won 10 of the last 12. Their defense has stepped up as they allowed just 2.1 goals per game to the Bruins. They were 30-15 this season vs. teams that allow 30+ shots on goal per game and 8-2 in their last ten vs. teams scoring 3+ goals per game. We like Montreal to take game one.