Sweep caps sad spring in Montreal
Friday, 04.24.2009 / 2:01 PM / 2009 Playoffs Conference Quarterfinals
By John Kreiser - NHL.com Columnist
Suffice it to say that this was not the ending the Montreal Canadiens or their fans had envisioned for the franchise's centennial season.
Struggling down the stretch, barely making the playoffs and losing in the first round were all bad enough. Being swept in a best-of-7 series for only the fifth time in franchise history was even worse. But having to line up and shake hands after the archrival Boston Bruins celebrated a Game 4 victory at the Bell Centre had to be galling for anyone who bleeds bleu, blanc et rouge.
Of all the endings to all of the Canadiens' 91 NHL seasons, this one might be the hardest to swallow.
Not only did the Canadiens not win a game against Boston, they were outscored 17-6 and lost all four by two goals or more (the Bruins hit an empty net in Games 1 and 3). It was also the first time since the NHL began using the best-of-7 format in 1939 that the Canadiens made the playoffs but were knocked out without winning a game -- the other four sweeps all came after Montreal had won its first-round series.
The Canadiens, who dropped the last four games in last year's second-round series to Philadelphia after beating Boston in seven games in the opening round, have now lost eight consecutive playoff games -- a franchise record. The sweep by the Bruins was only their second against Montreal in the Habs' 107 best-of-7 series (the Canadiens have four against Boston), and the first in which they were outscored by two or more goals in all four game. It also marked only the fifth time the Bruins had won the first three games of a series against the Habs.
All in all, this is not a springtime the Canadiens or their fans will remember fondly.
