The Montreal Canadiens held off Tampa Bay by two points to win the Atlantic Division during the regular season, an impressive accomplishment given what a thorn in the side the Lightning had been.
Turns out Montreal hadn't seen the last of high-scoring Tampa Bay.
''We may be the only team with home-ice advantage that is the underdog,'' Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. ''We're up against an offensive power. It's a big challenge but, from experience, we know the playoffs is a different season.''
Therrien wasn't just posturing with those remarks. As well as the Canadiens played this season, they lost all five games against a Tampa Bay team that led the NHL in goals.