The NHL just tipped its hand. David Pagnotta reported Wednesday night that the Stanley Cup Final is locked to a calendar that hinges entirely on whether Martin St-Louis can keep the Canadiens alive.
If Carolina closes out the series in five, the Cup Final starts June 2 in Raleigh. If Montreal forces a Game 6 or 7, the Final shifts to June 4 in either East city.
Read the room. The league is openly planning around a Hurricanes coronation.
That is what happens when you trail 3-1 and just got steamrolled 4-0 at home in Game 4 on Tuesday night. Rod Brind'Amour's group has Montreal squeezed.
The series numbers are ugly for the Habs. Two straight overtime losses sandwich a Game 4 that never had a pulse. Carolina has outscored Montreal 12-10 since the opener.
Montreal won Game 1 on the road 6-2. Since then, nothing has gone right. The power play has stalled, the forwards are unable te create offensively, and the Bell Centre crowd watched a shutout walk out of their building.
Why Game 5 in Raleigh is a closeout, not a comeback
Carolina was a 53-22-7 wrecking ball in the regular season. A plus-56 goal differential, a 29-10-2 home record, and the Metropolitan Division crown. Now they get an elimination game in front of their own crowd.
Montreal finished 48-24-10, sixth overall, and rode a wild 7-game first round against Tampa Bay just to get here. The tank is not full. The legs are heavier than Carolina's.
The scheduling leak isn't a coincidence. The NHL builds these contingencies all the time, but the optics matter. Pagnotta posting it publicly tells you which scenario the league office considers the base case.
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St-Louis has been a magician in spots this spring. He pulled Montreal through seven games against the Lightning, then handled Buffalo in seven more. But magic runs out, and Brind'Amour does not give it back once he has it.
The only issue with that schedule is if Canadiens can win next 2 Games, the last one will be on June 2. How can NHL just put the first Game of the finals two days later?
Saying they believe Carolina wins this series Friday is an understatement.
Will the Canadiens force a Game 6 back at the Bell Centre?
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