The Montreal Canadiens were reeling in mid-February even though they were in first place in the Atlantic Division.Their lead was slipping away, and games they were winning in the first half of the season were turning into losses. General manager Marc Bergevin had seen the Habs go through this the previous year, and he decided that he didn't want to go through it again.Bergevin fired head coach Michel Therrien and brought in Claude Julien to right the ship. The move worked, as Julien imposed a tough defensive system and the Habs started winning again. Montreal won the Atlantic Division, and the Canadiens were feeling confident as the season ended.But while the Canadiens steadied the ship and played consistent defense, offense was still an iffy proposition. Montreal was scoring enough to win 2-1 and 3-2 games, but the Canadiens were not lighting up the scoreboard.Their lack of offense hurt them in the first game of their playoff series against the New York Rangers. New York scored an early goal on Carey Price, and the Habs were never able to dent Henrik Lundqvist's force field in the New York net. The Rangers came away with a 2-0 victory at the Bell Center.The two teams meet again in Montreal Friday night, and the second game of the series is nearly a must-win for the Canadiens. While they are fully capable of winning on the road when the series shifts to Madison Square Garden, they don't want to open the series by losing two games on their home ice.The two teams will face off at 7 p.m. ET, and the Canadiens are minus-145 favorites to square the series, according to OddsShark. Montreal backers must risk $145 to earn a $100 profit. Those betting on the Rangers will get the Broadway Blueshirts at plus-131 odds.Montreal needs to put a score on the board early to lift the team's confidence. The key may be left wing Max Pacioretty, who led the Canadiens with 35 goals during the regular season. Pacioretty has a wicked wrist shot that he can get off in a split second.Outside of Pacioretty, the Habs are looking for some production from right wing Alexander Radulov and centers Alex Galchenyuk and Paul Byron. There are no questions about Galchenyuk's talent, but there are many issues about his consistency. He has been an up-and-down performer throughout his career.If Montreal can put a goal or two on the board early, Price can make an early lead stand up as well as any goaltender in the league.Prediction:The Rangers will not be pushovers, and they will not be satisfied by splitting the first two games on the road.While the Canadiens are likely to come out flying, the Rangers have the edge in speed, and Mats Zuccarello, J.T. Miller. Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider can make plays in the offensive zone and counterattack well.The Rangers have been the best road team in the league this year, and they have struggled at Madison Square Garden. That's a key reason the Rangers can't afford to let the Canadiens impose their will here.This is likely to be a tight game, but look for the Canadiens to play with more desperation and assert themselves in the third period. That's why they will come away with the win and square the series.San Jose Sharks at Edmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers came into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league, while the San Jose Sharks were one of the coldest.When the two teams met in their first-round series opener Wednesday night, the game appeared to be going the Oilers' way.Playing in front of their raucous home fans who were thrilled to see their team in the playoffs for the first time since 2006, the Oilers jumped to a 2-0 lead and looked like the much sharper team.But as the game progressed, Edmonton appeared to run out of gas, and the Sharks sapped their momentum. The Sharks scored in both the second and third periods, and Melker Karlsson tallied in overtime to give the Sharks the 3-2 victory and the early 1-0 advantage in the series.The Oilers will need to pace themselves better in the second game if they want to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole. Edmonton is a minus-146 favorite, while the Sharks are plus-132 underdogs, per OddsShark.The Oilers certainly have the firepower to assert themselves in Game 2 of the series. Connor McDavid, the NHL's leading scorer with 100 points, can take over with his speed and skill at any time. Leon Draisaitl is also a brilliant offensive talent who can score clutch goals for the Oilers.However, the X-factor in this series may be veteran power forward Milan Lucic, who scored a goal and an assist for the Oilers in the series opener. Lucic is a well-known playoff performer who won a Stanley Cup in 2011 and also reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 with the Boston Bruins.Lucic is big, strong, powerful and fast. He looks like a motivated performer.The Sharks reached the Stanley Cup Final a year ago, but they fell short of winning the title when they dropped a six-game series to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite their slump at the end of the season, they are fully capable of getting hot again.Defenseman Brent Burns and center Joe Pavelski can score clutch goals and help the Sharks win a second straight road game.Prediction: The pressure is on the young Oilers to break through at home and avoid getting into an 0-2 hole before the series moves to the Shark Tank in San Jose.Look for McDavid to carry the team on his back and get the Oilers off to another sharp start. This time they will add to their lead and pull away for a confidence-building win.Edmonton should dominate here and send the message that their lack of playoff experience won't hurt them.
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