Can the Canadiens keep their season alive?

The Montreal Canadiens will have their backs against the wall Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes as they try to keep their season alive in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Down 3-1 in the series, the Canadiens have been thoroughly outplayed by the Hurricanes for most of the third round, outshot by at least 12 in Games 2, 3 and 4. In fact, Montreal only has 65 total shots through four games, which averages out to around 16 shots per game.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL video coach Steve Peters discuss what the Canadiens will need to do to win Game 5 and send the series back to Montreal for Game 6.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Do you think the Habs keep their season alive Friday night?

Steve Peters: I mean, they can. You’ve seen how tight these games have been, other than Game 4. They’ve been in these games, they’ve pushed them to overtime. I know Carolina is dominating the shot category, I get it.

If the Habs are going to win, it’s going to be Dobes who will be their best player. He can’t just be good, he can’t just be great, but he’s got to be above and beyond. He has to be the star of this game.

More importantly, Montreal has to do what they did in Game 1 and 2, and that’s keep the puck along the wall and make little gains. Chip and chase, chip and chase, chip and chase along the wall. Keep it along the wall and try to capitalize on any opportunity you get on the power play.

It’s a huge task for Montreal, let’s face it. They’re going back to Carolina, and they are buzzing. But, you never say never.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…