MONTREAL - The upside to chewing your fingernails down to the second knuckle every time you watch the Canadiens try to protect a lead is that eventually, you should develop calluses.
However, that doesn't address the mental anguish associated with investing your emotions in a team coached by Jacques Martin.
There's a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose, and if ever there was an illustration of how Jacques Martin plays not to lose, it was Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens dominated the New York Rangers for most of the first two periods, and the hometown crowd was into it in a big way.
But instead of riding that momentum, Martin had the Habs regress into a defensive shell that almost cost them the game.
The atmosphere in the building went from festive to one of impending doom, because we've seen this movie before.
Fortunately, this one had a happy ending, with the Canadiens escaping with a one-goal win thanks mainly to goaltender Carey Price, who was under siege for the entire third period, including a Rangers' power play in the final 65 seconds.
It didn't have to be that way.
The Canadiens' strength, besides Price's goaltending, is their speed, which they used to their great advantage in the first 40 minutes.
But it's impossible to capitalize on speed when you're deliberately playing on your heels.
There's a method to Martin's madness.
He's not the only hockey coach who believes in defence first, but there's also something to be said for pressing the advantage when the opportunity presents itself.
Nobody ever won the Stanley Cup by playing not to lose it.
