With the regular season finally coming to an end on Thursday night, the NHL released the schedule for the first round of the playoffs shortly after midnight. As had been heavily rumored over the last few days, the Montreal Canadiens will kick off their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, and it’s fair to say that the schedule leaves something to be desired.
There are three Canadian teams in the spring dance: the Habs, the Ottawa Senators, and the Edmonton Oilers, and none of them will be in action on Saturday night. In a country where hockey is pretty much a religion, with its faithful expecting their weekly sermon on Hockey Night in Canada, the masses will have to make do with a Saturday matinee, a Sunday almost-night, and a late Monday-night game.
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The commissioner and the NHL are well aware that Canadian viewers will watch the games whenever and wherever they are set, which means they are focusing their energy on courting the American market; that is why the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins get the primetime Saturday night slot. While it was to be expected, after all, the only two playoff games in Montreal last season took place on a Friday and a Sunday night, it’s still disappointing.
In any case, here is the Canadiens’ (and yours) schedule for the first round:
Game 1: Sunday, April 19, Tampa Bay 5:45 PM
Game 2: Tuesday, April 21, Tampa Bay 7:00 PM
Game 3: Friday, April 24, Montreal 7:00 PM
Game 4: Sunday, April 26, Montreal 7:00 PM
*Game 5: Wednesday, April 29, Tampa Bay TBD
*Game 6: Friday, May 1, Montreal TBD
*Game 7: Sunday, May 3, Tampa Bay TBD
* if necessary
Even if the series goes the distance, there won’t be any Saturday night games for the Habs faithful in this first round.
The complete first round schedule
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