Goaltending: Moscow. Not only do they have the better No. 1 goalie, they have a better back-up and No. 3 as well. It's not as clear-cut as one might think, but it's definitely one Moscow has to exploit. Hall’s one of the top five ever, Thompson is one of the top 5 back-ups in the draft, and Connell’s the top No. 3. That’s not to say Montreal’s goaltending is suspect – Johnny Bower’s on the outer periphery of the top 10, and Gump Worsley’s a great back-up. While Bower does hold the 4-1 edge in rings, Hall had several great playoffs, especially late in his career in St. Louis.
Defence: Montreal. Still the best 1-2-3 punch in the draft. Any team facing the Habs will have to prepare to have one of Chelios, Park or Claguehorn on the ice for the entire game. At least until Chelios or Claguehorn flips out and gets suspended. Until that time, it’s going to be a long night for Moscow. Moscow has a steady, unspectacular defence, but their best – Laperriere and Quackenbush – would be the No. 4 on Montreal. Moscow might actually have a slight edge in terms of depth in the 4 to 6 spots, with solid players like Talbot, Gardiner and especially Mantha. But it still doesn’t overcome Montreal’s terrific trio. Both teams have an excellent array of two-way forwards. Montreal’s defencemen will get a lot of help from scorers like Howe, Gilmour and Oates, and Montreal can toss out two strong checking lines. Outside of Mike Bossy, the entire Moscow forward corps knows the way to the defensive zone. Patrick Elias’ defensive abilities are horribly underrated.
Offence: Montreal. I have reservations about Moscow's ability to get scoring from beyond their first line. The first line is awesome - a reunion of the best line from one of the best teams in hockey history. I love their collection of gritty, two-way forwards on the next three lines, but I don't see that game breaker who'll get two and two if the Trottier line is shut out. Also, Moscow doesn't have that dominant offensive defenceman. Quackenbush would likely be the best, and while he's a slick puck-move, he isn't a top 10 offensive guy. Montreal went with the two scoring line system (which seems to be the ticket to success in this draft). The first line is very well built. Bucyk and Gilmour will be a very potent second line. Hooley Smith should generate offence on the third line. The Big 3 on defence are all offensively capable, and Persson is a very good puck-mover, too.
Coaching: Moscow. If Moscow is going to win this series, Al Arbour will have to be at his best. If Moscow does win this series, Arbour should be the first star. He's going to need a performance on the level of the Pittsburgh/NYI series in 1993, when he outcoached Bowman. Ivan's an all-time great, don't get me wrong, but Arbour is one of the top three, ever.
Intangibles: Moscow. Very tough call here. Went with Moscow because of the Islanders factor. It's one thing to reunite the top line and a coach. It's another thing to reunite the top line and a coach from a dynasty. Nobody in the draft can say that. Chemistry won't be as much of a factor in the playoffs as it was in the early stages of the regular season, since players have had the full year to adjust to their surroundings. Both teams have an excellent assemblance of character players, leaders and winners. You realize how much character is in Moscow's room when you see that Dale Hunter, one of the best leaders of the last 25 years, isn't wearing a letter.
Grit: Montreal. Another very tough call. Both teams have plenty of grit up and down the lineup. They have two solid checking lines. I went with Montreal partially on the defence - again, the Big 3, combined with the shot-blocking of Schoenfeld and the superb defensive play of Charlie Huddy - and the collection of forwards. With the exception of Bucyk, Kariya and Bondra, they're all solid. Adam Oates was great in the faceoffs and on the penalty kill. Guys like Smyth and Smyl are definitely the types you want on your team at this time of year.
I think this series goes the distance. The deciding factor is how does Moscow get around Montreal's Big 3. If they find a way, or if someone gets hurt or suspended, they've got a great chance. If they don't, HO survives the challenge.
