Here's how Canadiens could upset Penguins

Montreal coach Claude Julien and his staff have known for a while that the Canadiens will be facing the Penguins in a preliminary-round series this summer -- coronavirus permitting, of course -- and undoubtedly have been immersed in preparing for it. Poring over scouting reports. Breaking down video. Evaluating advanced statistics.

All with the objective of settling on the most favorable personnel matchups possible, of detecting vulnerabilities that could be exposed and exploited.

Nonetheless, the Penguins figure to enter the best-of-five as prohibitive favorites, and Montreal likely will need to have a series of variables -- beginning with the goaltending of Carey Price -- break perfectly for it to have a realistic shot at extending the series past three or four games, let alone to actually win it.

Still, there are plenty of precedents of lower-seeded teams winning in the postseason -- it wasn't so long ago that the Penguins lost to just such an opponent, including Montreal, in five consecutive springs -- and it's impossible to predict how different clubs will respond to being in a winner-take-all series immediately after going about five months without being in a meaningful game.

The Canadiens, then, have to believe they have a legitimate chance to earn a spot in the 16-team Stanley Cup playoffs field, and they could enhance their prospects of doing it if they embrace the following ideas:

1. AGITATE, AGGRAVATE

Passion -- and the intensity it creates and stokes -- is a key part of the game for most of the Penguins' core players, particularly Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

All three are ferociously competitive, which contributes to their exceptional performances and success, but that quality also has allowed opponents to occasionally get under their skin.

There is an obvious risk in trying to annoy players of that caliber, because if Crosby or Malkin or Letang is able to channel the emotions that are fueled in a positive manner, they just might be able to lift their game to an even higher level than usual.

But if the Canadiens could manage to distract one or more of those guys, leading to a loss of focus or even extended time in the penalty box, it could help to even out a talent imbalance that clearly favors the Penguins.

2. KEEP LETANG INVOLVED

It probably sounds counter-intuitive to some that the Canadiens' prospects of surviving the series would be well-served by getting the Penguins' best defenseman to be as active as possible, and perhaps that really would serve no purpose other than get Montreal an even earlier start on the offseason than expected before the series began.

But if the Canadiens consistently put pucks behind Letang and force him to retrieve them and, in the process, either absorb hits from forecheckers or regularly skate the puck out of his end, perhaps they'll be able to wear him down as the series progresses. Especially when Letang is inclined to play bigger than he actually is, and thus does not shy away from contact.

As with other facets of this season, the impact the extended time off between the March 12 suspension of play in the NHL and the start of the preliminary round would have on this strategy is impossible to predict.

It could be that being away from the wear-and-tear of games for so long means that Letang will be sufficiently rested that he might be able to fend off any attempt to grind him down for the duration of the Penguins' stay in the postseason.

Then again, his fierce commitment to conditioning is part of the reason Letang was able to average 25 minutes, 44 seconds of playing time during the regular season -- just 16 seconds shy of Thomas Chabot's league-leading figure -- and he didn't have access to the Penguins' training facilities during the pandemic, so perhaps his fitness and endurance won't be at quite their usual levels this summer.

3. STAY OUT OF THE BOX

Not exactly a revolutionary idea. Fact is, no team likes to be playing with one fewer guy than the other side.

Under any circumstances. At any time of year.

But that's particularly true in this series, partly because the Penguins' power play, while wildly inconsistent during the regular season, could blow the series open on its own if it would find its rhythm early. And with Montreal's penalty-killing being ordinary, at best, the possibility of that happening during the play-in round shouldn't be dismissed.

4. FEED SHEA WEBER PUCKS

Perhaps he doesn't have the hardest shot in hockey anymore -- although, if not, he's still pretty high on the list -- but seeing Weber wind up remains one of the most scary sights in the game for a defender. Even if that defender is wearing goalie equipment.

Weber's shot can break not only bones, but spirits. It takes real fortitude for a player to put his body, with nothing but a par of shin guards and a protective cup (and perhaps a thick layer of leg hair), in front of a puck traveling around 100 miles per hour.

And while a player isn't injured every time one is hit by a Weber shot, the pain those blocks (or saves) can cause don't go unnoticed. Hearing a teammate howl in pain before being led down the runway to have an injury assessed has to make an impression.

After a while, perhaps guys who would otherwise give up their bodies to stop a shot without hesitation will make a point of getting in Weber's lane just a split-second too late. Or maybe they'll "flamingo" when he shoots, lifting a leg that the puck might have struck, but still obstructing his goaltender's view.

Could Weber, who averaged 2.85 shots on goal per game during the regular season, launch enough pucks toward the Penguins' net to singlehandedly alter the course of a series?

Probably not. But he could create a little suspense -- and a lot of bruises -- by trying.

5. CHALLENGE JUSTIN SCHULTZ

Schultz revived his career after joining the Penguins at the trade deadline in 2016, and quickly made himself into an integral member of their defense corps.

He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, though, and between salary-cap concerns and his injury issues over the past few years, it seems unlikely that Schultz will be with the Penguins in 2020-21.

Those injuries, including a broken leg that forced him to miss much of 2018-19, have coincided with a decline in his overall effectiveness, and thats been particularly evident in his defensive play, which never was the strongest part of his game.

Schultz is the Penguins' most vulnerable top-six defender in his own end, so it won't be a surprise if the Canadiens focus their offensive efforts on his side when he's on the ice.