The Montreal Canadiens enter the series having finished first in the Atlantic Division with a 47-26-9 record, good for 103 points. The Habs, in somewhat surprising fashion, decided to relieve head coach Michel Therrien of his duties in the middle of February while replacing him with ex-Bruins coach Claude Julien. Funny thing about that is back in the 2002-2003 season, the same exact situation had played out in which Therrien was fired only to be replaced by Julien.
Therefore, the middle of February definitely had some Habs fan saying déjà vu.
However, to the excitement of the fans, Julien was able to revitalize the club, a squad that was floundering towards the end of Therrien’s reign, as they finished with a 16-6-1 record en route to an Atlantic Division title.