Deep in the throes of the regular season all over Montreal and beyond, the talk radio shows and bloggers were evaluating the Habs talent based on a misconception.

Every January it is the same. There is a forgetfulness in the thought process that comes to light every April and it is this: The playoffs are different.

Those that shine in February are by no means anointed with the same ability to shine when the playoffs start.

If you are a GM and you're building a team, because this grand battle is about the playoffs, construct one that's good enough to get there and great enough to win there.

If you build a regular season champion, you just might be surprised who can give you what when the playoffs begin.

Boudreau said it himself

Don't agree with me? No worries. Argue with the Caps head coach then. His words carry more weight, and here's what he had to say after a stunning Game 5 defeat from his players who were supposed to roll the Habs.

Bruce Boudreau, said referring to his boys, "they played like crap!"

He said, "13 guys were going and another six or seven were passengers."

And just so no one would be confused, he singled out Alexander Semin saying: "No goals. No assists. He hasn't scored in 12 games in the playoffs. Not good enough."

So by the admission of their own coach, the Caps who dominated the regular season now have seven passengers and a superstar in the doghouse.

The regular season is not the playoffs. It never has been. It never will be. It is by no coincidence that hockey has more upsets than any other sport. For example, an 8 beating a 1, or a 7 over a 2 in the NBA is basically not possible. Check the history books. Regular-season NBA is ostensibly the same as playoff NBA. But in the NHL, it is completely different.

I admire Boudreau's honesty in evaluating his Caps, but I question the longevity of the strategy. If he is calling out his players up a game in a first round series, where does he go from here? What about when they are down in the next series? What if they lose early in the playoffs? What does next year look like? Will they play for him, if he calls them out? I wonder what Alexander Semin is thinking today. I wonder how Mike Green is feeling today considering his fans were soundly booing him on the same day that he was announced as a Norris Trophy candidate as top defenceman.

Again you don't agree with me? How about agreeing then with former coach of the year in the NHL and a Stanley Cup winner Jacques Demers who I met in the hotel lobby in Washington this morning, who on the topic of Boudreau's public anger said, "You've gotta stand behind your guys. I was down two-nothing in a series and I supported my guys."

With all that said, I am not saying Boudreau is wrong in what he is saying. He is totally right.

But what are these regular season champions going to do with seven passengers? Learn quickly or go home soon.

It's Knuble, not Ovie, who shines

The best Capital is Mike Knuble. Sorry, Ovie. You are close behind, but the player that the Habs don't have an answer for is Knuble. They have neutralized Ovechkin at times and feel they have a strategy. Ryan O'Byrne went from the press box to taking on shift after shift the world's best player Friday and did an outstanding job. If that isn't an example of the fickle and ever-changing ways of this life, then what is? Imagine his mood today. Outhouse to penthouse for O'Byrne.

Knuble, though when he parks in front of the net, is unstoppable. They chop and hack and cross check and hit and they can't move him. He is a force.

Was Knuble the best player in the regular season? Of course not. And that's why the pundits evaluating in January without an eye for April are amateurs.

Gionta, Gill, show strength

Take the Habs now for an assessment of what works in April. The best player on the team is Brian Gionta. I always argue that you have to have size to win in the playoffs, but this guy listed at 5'7", who surely is less, plays with the strength of someone 6'7". He goes to the high-traffic areas, receives his punishment, then comes back for more because he knows the low slot is where success lives.

Hal Gill is another example. In October, booed and questioned. In April? A rock. Bob Gainey must have a wry smile on his face somewhere lurking in the shadows of this organization when he thinks of Gill.

It is about courage in the playoffs. If you can't take a hit to make a play, then you are a January man. If you don't care what amount of pain someone will make you suffer to go into the boards first to get the puck, then you belong in April.

So here we are at Game 6. It seems hard to imagine that a team could lose all three games at home.

An eight seed has never come back from a 3-1 deficit against a one seed to win.

It's still a daunting task, but in this trilogy of final chance, the first chapter has been successfully written. The underdogs are still alive and gaining in stature, and the favourites are fighting amongst themselves.