It’s impossible to beat the atmosphere at the Bell Centre for an NHL playoff game — and it seems to reach a new level with every game this year.
The “Olé! Olé! Olé!” chants start before the players even hit the ice with rally towels waving and the fans anticipating which former Canadiens great will bring the famous torch into the building. Then the 20,962 fans drown out the anthem singer by belting out O Canada together in French and English.
It’s really something special.
It can also be a bit overwhelming for the Canadiens players and even head coach Martin St. Louis.
“I feel that’s a couple of minutes that you can really take it all in, and those are moments that you’ll remember forever,” St. Louis said after Sunday’s morning skate at the Bell Centre ahead of Game 3 in the second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. “That feeling is unbelievable. It’s hard to describe. I think you have to be in the building. And for me, it’s hard to describe on the bench what that feels like. I think you have to be on the bench, but you got to take those moments in.”
Captain Nick Suzuki said the pre-game reception ahead of Game 3 — which included former Canadiens captain and 1993 Stanley Cup champion Kirk Muller carrying in the torch — gave him chills.
“The six of us (in the starting lineup) are standing on the blue line, and the place is going nuts,” Suzuki said after the Canadiens beat the Sabres 6-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. “You can just feel the energy and I was kind of shaken from it. It’s the best place to play in the whole league and we never take these atmospheres for granted.”
The Canadiens looked like they were shaken by the fans when they fell behind 1-0 only 53 seconds into the game on a goal by the Sabres’ Tage Thompson. But the youngest team in the playoffs bounced back yet again, getting the next four goals from Alex Newhook, Cole Caufield, Zachary Bolduc and Juraj Slafkovsky.
Rasmus Dahlin cut the Canadiens’ lead to 4-2 before the end of the second period, but third-period goals by Kirby Dach and Newhook (empty-netter) sealed the deal.
“Olé! Olé! Olé!”
The Canadiens outshot the Sabres 36-28 and continue to show that they will physically stick up for each other when the going gets tough. There were 50 minutes in penalties handed out in the last three minutes of the game, including 10-minute misconducts to the Canadiens’ Bolduc and Kaiden Guhle and the Sabres’ Zach Benson and Logan Stanley.
“I said before this (series) started: They’ve beat a hell of a team (the Tampa Bay Lightning) in the first round,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said about the Canadiens after the game. “They are a hell of a team. Don’t take them for granted. If we don’t realize it now, we’re never going to realize it.”
Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes made 26 saves to earn the first star, improving his playoff goals-against average to 2.13 and his save percentage to .918. Dobes has not given up a third-period goal in the last six games while making 58 saves.
The decibel level in the Bell Centre during a third-period TV timeout Sunday night hit 112 decibels on the scoreboard, which is the equivalent of a jet plane flyover at 300 metres or a chainsaw at three feet.
The fans wouldn’t let Dobes speak for almost two minutes during his on-ice interview after the game with more chants of “Olé! Olé! Olé!” followed by “Do-by! Do-by!” When Elizabeth Rancourt of TVA Sports was finally able to ask Dobes what he had to say to the crowd, the goalie responded: “Ça va?”
“Merci … merci beaucoup,” he added. “Thank you guys so much. Obviously, you guys don’t want me to talk. So just be ready for the next game. We’ll come hard. You guys give it your all, we’ll give it our all. We’ll put our heart into it and we’ll see you guys next game. Thank you! Merci!”
Game 4 will be Tuesday at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports).
The fans gave veteran Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson goosebumps before Game 3 started.
Editor’s Picks
“It’s hard to avoid that,” said the 32-year-old Matheson, who grew up as a Canadiens fan on Montreal’s West Island and is in his fourth season with the team. “But you kind of keep trying to bring it back in, bring it back in. I don’t allow myself to really look up and take it all in, but it’s still pretty special.”
Bolduc is from Trois-Rivières and also grew up as a Canadiens fan. He’s only 23 and is in his first season with the Canadiens after being acquired from the St. Louis Blues last summer.
“It’s amazing,” he said about the fans. “I grew up watching it and now I have the opportunity to play for the Montreal Canadiens. It’s a dream come true for me and I’m happy to be here. Happy for my family. Everyone can be there and enjoy it as much as they can. It’s been a fun season and we just got to keep going in the playoffs.”
“Olé! Olé! Olé!”