Wilde Horses

- Plekanec with all of the smarts and defensive prowess he has always has the smart play and the smart plan in his head. Plekanec played against the best all year and succeeded. He picked it up in game one. He scored a beauty. He showed experience is worth so much.

- Gionta as well made his remember that experience is important as it pertains to defensive hockey. The ability to predict the play and get into safe spots. We don't always appreciate this from a player as much as we should yet there is something about the playoffs that makes one think of it. An excellent shorty as well making sure he stayed with the rebound.

- Lars Eller. For all you detractors, that is what Eller does. He wins pucks. He gets on the correct side. He has offensive zone time. Sure the hope is he turns it in to goals more regularly, but the battle a defender has all the time defending the puck-winning skills of Eller sets the stage for others. Then in the third, he went and actually finished a play with the help of a poor goalie. Nice move around the D-man to create space. Should have been stopped, but Eller doesn't care if Lindback can't catch.

- Markov. Big minutes. Big time control of the game when on. A wonderful thing to watch a defenceman execute so many tough and smart decisions. Didn't feel the weak moments that surrounded him in the third were his fault at all. A couple suspect pinches in OT considering his foot speed but you play all night you're going to have some errors. He is a big time D.

- Vanek just scores goals. That's what he does. He finishes plays. He knows how to pounce. That was the classic goal scorer to the net bursting to a hole. This time leaving Brewer watching. Vanek also had an awesome back check early to save a sure goal. In OT, Vanek put the winner on Pacioretty's stick but Max didn't finish.

- Dale Weise because he scored the biggest goal of the year for this team. Briere with an excellent game and this was a just result for him to get a helper.

- Desharnais with a far more impactful game than anything he did in last year's playoffs. Keeps that up and the organization will be thrilled. If he can battle like that here, then the Habs have a chance going forward. I have always believed organizationally they had no cup hope with a small centre leading the way but if he keeps competing like that then I will have been wrong.

Wilde Goats

- Price likes to face a little rubber it seems because with only 10 shots for more than a half a game he was just not aggressive enough on the Stamkos goal. The shot was from a horrible angle. It was an awesome shot sure but Price aggressively cutting down the angle saves it without moving.  Price needs to put together a playoff game soon that resembles either the Olympics or the regular season. 4 goals in 16 shots for three periods whether you believe they were his fault or not sets the stage for anxiety and second guessing for everyone from Carey himself to his head coach. Not a good scenario. Carey can be better. He has to call on that Olympics calmness. Sochi felt like he tracked every puck perfectly. They'll need that Price. Perhaps the OT breakaway save off Thompson will pave the way as the overtime was his best period. And in the end a win is a win and that will carry Carey to a game that he has to eventually steal and not have it stolen from him.

-Prust won't be happy at all how he was stripped of the puck on the third Tampa goal. He didn't feel the pressure and lost it clean. Also felt like Prust was a little tentative perhaps protecting his injury but I could be just looking for it and fulfilled my own desire to see it. Something to watch for.

- That powerplay is just awful right now. You can see the lack of faith in it. Each guy waiting for another guy to do it. No options. No movement. It was late March the last time the Habs scored with the extra man.

Wilde Cards

- You can talk a lot of heroes and goats in this one but it really felt like heart rates and anxiety was up for everybody and therefore no one could make smart decisions. It is hard to explain if you haven't competed in an important sporting event but when the heart and the brain and working fast and anxiously there are mistakes that can look so elementary. Game one featured so many odd plays in it with such simple mistakes. Mistakes none of these guys would make in the regular season in the same situation. Let's see what the rest of the series brings. One of these teams is going to figure it out and play with control and smarts. The other team is going home.