Eastern Conference Quarterfinal: #3. Boston vs. #6. Montreal

Two original 6 teams meeting in the playoffs is always interesting. When they have as much history as Boston and Montreal do, it makes it exhilarating. Here are my 3 keys to the series.

Number 1: Goaltending.

Two of the best in the NHL go head to head. Expect this series to be low scoring when Tim Thomas (Boston) and Carey Price (Montreal) go between the pipes. They were both so good that there was talk they would win the Hart trophy as MVP of the league. If both goalies play their best and I expect they will, this series will be incredibly low scoring.

Number 2: The Pacioretty Effect.

Everyone has seen the injury that sidelines Max Pacioretty for the season with a broken neck after the brutal hit by Zdeno Chara. Every Canadians fan hates Chara for doing that and, because Chara is a Bruin, they also hate the Bruins. The fans in Montreal will be louder then ever when Boston comes to town for games 3 and 4. Also, don't be surprised to see the Montreal players laying in some big hits when they get the chance.

Number 3: The Pacioretty Effect Aftermath.

After the Pacioretty injury, the Canadians played the Bruins with the look for revenge on the Boston Bruins by hitting them hard and shutting them down and scoring all over them to slap them right back in the face. They failed. Boston lit up Montreal 7-0 in the rematch. It was an even bigger slap in the face and without a doubt made Montreal mad. To most Montreal players in fans, this series would be the second most important series to them if they went all the way number one being the Stanley Cup finals. They want to destroy Boston. This could help or hurt them depending on how they use the anger.

Players to watch: Boston: Tim Thomas. Tim Thomas has been stellar this year. He's been the main man. Earlier in the season the Bruins wanted Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas to battle it out for the main goalie spot. Thomas won in a landslide. He has been huge for Boston this year and it's obvious his play determines how Boston will play.

Montreal: Brian Gionta. The captain needs to play well. Captains are the most important players on the ice. When their team is down, the pick them up and bring them back like Richards did against Boston not only when they were down 3-0 in the series but when they were down 3-0 in game 7. Gionta needs to produce points and help out his teammates for them to be successful.

Prediction: Montreal may be mad, but it won't matter at all. Boston in 5.