National Post

North Division playoffs low on drama

PENT UP, DECADES-OLD RIVALRY SPUTTERS AS LEAFS LEAD HABS 3-1 IN ONE-SIDED SERIES

- Michael traikos Postmedia News mtraikos@postmedia.com twitter.com/michael_traikos

We were promised a rivalry. What we got is a rout. What the Foster Hewitt is happening?

Toronto and Montreal had not played each other in the playoffs since 1979. And the thinking was that the time apart would add fuel to a fire that has been burning for more than four decades. We expected raw emotion, pentup passion and bad blood. Hatred. More than anything, we expected a close-fought, seven-game series that would take us back to the glory days of Bower and Keon and Dryden and Lafleur, back when the two Original Six franchises divided the country’s fandom.

Instead, with the Leafs leading the Habs 3-1 in a one-sided series that already feels like it’s over, the hockey has been kind of boring and uneventful.

There have been no overtimes. No stirring comebacks. Aside from the nasty — and accidental — knee to the head that John Tavares received in the series opener, there’s been no bloodshed or anything resembling hatred.

Honestly, we waited 42 years for this?

I don’t know if any of us actually thought that the Canadiens would upset the Leafs in the first round. But most of us anticipate­d a closer matchup than we’ve seen so far. At the very least, we expected some level of pushback.

Four games in, there’s been none of that. The Habs don’t have anyone who can match the Leafs’ firepower, much less their depth or desire. They can’t score. They can’t defend. Tyler Toffoli has no goals. Brendan Gallagher has no points. Shea Weber has made no impact, whether on the scoresheet or in the trenches.

Since scoring twice in a 2-1 win in Game 1, Montreal has lost 5-1, 2-1 and 4-0.

That’s not a series. That’s a shift-kicking.

The good news is that this will probably be over in five (forgettabl­e) games. At least, it lasted that long. It’s more than the Edmonton Oilers can say after being swept by the Winnipeg Jets in the other forgettabl­e North Division series where Connor Mcdavid and Leon Draisaitl went without a point in half the games.

Talk about anticlimac­tic. When the NHL was forced to rearrange the divisions based on geography, we assumed that an all-canadian division would be the best thing since Canada received a seventh team. But then the season started and it turned out that seeing the same seven teams play each other over and over again was good for a couple of weeks. After that, it became like Groundhog Day.

Nearly five months later, the days keep repeating. And despite it being the Stanley Cup playoffs, the games are not getting any better or more heated. It turns out that familiarit­y does not always breed contempt. In the case of Toronto versus Montreal or Winnipeg versus Edmonton, it breeds boredom.

Credit goes to Toronto for how responsibl­y the team has played at both ends of the ice. But the fact that the Canadiens haven’t figured out how to stop the Leafs offence — or even limited it in a series where their opponent is without two-thirds of its second line — has to be troubling for Montreal fans who used to own bragging rights when it came to the playoffs.

If not for Carey Price, who once again is reminding everyone why he is the highest-paid goalie in the NHL, this series would have been over in four. And it wouldn’t have been this close.

The thing is the other North Division series was even worse. Sure, the Oilers and Jets went to overtime in three of their four games. But if you were a casual sports fan hoping to see the best hockey player on earth, you were better off watching Colorado’s Nathan Mackinnon score six goals in a fourgame sweep over St. Louis.

In fact, pretty much all of the other games that have been played south of the border have been much better than what Sportsnet has been forced to air.

Maybe it’s the lack of fans in the building. Or maybe the parity in the North Division wasn’t quite as close as we imagined it was. But Toronto versus Montreal has yet to live up to the hype.

Who knows, it could all change in Game 5. With their backs against the wall, we might finally see what made the Habs so dangerous in the regular season. Perhaps Cole Caufield will have his coming out moment. Maybe Jeff Petry will show everyone why he is considered a longshot Norris Trophy candidate.

Or maybe this series will come to a merciful end and we can get to the North Division final, where Winnipeg is waiting for Toronto in what we can hope will be a battle of two heavyweigh­ts.

On paper, it looks like it could be a great series, with not much separating either team.

The Jets might have struggled in the regular season, but they seem to be built for the playoffs. They are big, physical and defend well. They are deep down the middle and have a ton of scoring options on the wing. They also have a goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck who has regained his Vezina Trophy-winning form and has been standing on his head.

As much as fans wanted to see Mcdavid versus Auston Matthews, pitting Matthews against Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele might be even better considerin­g how effective Scheifele was against Mcdavid. The matchups don’t end there. Whether it’s Mitch Marner and William Nylander versus Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers, or Jack Campbell against Hellebuyck or Paul Maurice versus Sheldon Keefe, the battle for the North promises to be a good one that could go the distance.

Then again, don’t hold your breath.

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 ?? ERIC BOLTE / USA TODAY SPORTS ?? Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell takes a breather in the second period against Montreal on Tuesday.
ERIC BOLTE / USA TODAY SPORTS Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell takes a breather in the second period against Montreal on Tuesday.

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