Theodore Can Take Canadiens Higher

Not many outside the province of Quebec are giving eighth-seeded Montreal much of a chance to upset top-seeded Boston in the Eastern Conference, setting the stage for a potential first-round upset in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Under Coach Robbie Ftorek, who has an 8-15 playoff record, the Bruins barely hung onto the top record in the east, going 3-5-1-1 in their last 10 games at the FleetCenter. Despite strong seasons from former King Glen Murray and Bill Guerin, each of whom finished the regular season with 41 goals, Boston played like a team trying not to lose, instead of concentrating on winning down the stretch. Even Boston fans don’t seem sold on the Bruins, who were 22nd in the league in attendance. Boston averaged 15,404 a game, under the league average of 16,475.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, were third in attendance at 18,990. And with the emotional return of captain Saku Koivu, who missed the first 80 games of the season because of cancer, Montreal became the feel-good team of the league when it held off the high-priced Washington Capitals and New York Rangers for the last playoff berth in the East.

Coach Michel Therrien has done a masterful job of turning the Canadiens into a responsible defensive team, spearheaded by the play of goaltender Jose Theodore.

Theodore not only played in nearly 70% of the Canadiens’ games, but also led the league in save percentage. Theodore was at his best when Montreal needed him most. He started all but two games after the Olympic break and posted a goals-against average of 0.75 over a late-season 4-0 stretch, helping the Canadiens clinch their first playoff berth since 1997-98.

“We [had to fight] for a playoff spot all year ... so every night, I just push myself to be ready,” Theodore said of his many starts. “Knowing [that if] you push yourself hard enough, you can get through without a problem.

“Sure, it’s not easy, with all of the pressure and everything, but that’s what you’ve been dreaming of since you were a kid.”

After getting spotty playing time his first few seasons with the Canadiens, Theodore got a chance to play every night last season and made the most of it.

“Last year was a big breakthrough for me,” he said. “I played in 59 games [and had a 2.57 save percentage].”

When Jeff Hackett went down because of injury early this season, Theodore became the Canadiens’ rock and he’s the reason they will have a chance to advance to the second round.

Burke Better With Age

Another goaltender who helped his team into the playoffs is Phoenix’s Sean Burke, who has resurrected his career with the Coyotes after having played for five teams from 1997-2000.

Burke, in his 14th NHL season, had a single-season high 34 victories and ranked third in the league in save percentage. He credits Phoenix goaltending coach Benoit Allaire for turning his career around.

“When I got here to Phoenix, [Allaire] took me aside and basically said that he felt I could be the best goaltender in the league, or at least one of the best goaltenders, if I was committed to working on the technical part of my game day in and day out,” Burke said.

“I think that’s been a big difference for me. It’s just working on the little things every day. Positioning, being square to the puck, and just making sure that those things become second nature. After that, you let your athletic ability kind of take over and you compete hard, and then you see where the chips fall.”

With construction of the Coyotes’ new arena finally underway, Burke likes the franchise’s direction. He played for New Jersey when the Devils began turning things around and finds a lot of similarities with Phoenix, which will play San Jose in the first round.

“It’s strange, because when the season starts, there’s so many unknowns,” Burke said. “I think as a team, from Day 1 of training camp, we read the things that had us being picked to finish last and a lot of those other things.... I don’t think it sat very well with most of us.”

One of the Coyotes’ top offensive players since the Olympic break has been 5-foot-10, 170-pound center Daniel Briere, who’s second on the team in scoring. “He’s a guy that probably had been counted out by a lot of people at different times because of his size,” Burke said of Briere, who split time in the minors the last four seasons. “He’s kind of come in here this year, and from Day 1, he’s been consistently our best offensive player.... You know it’s important for him to make sure that he’s capable of proving to people that he can get through a full season at his size and be successful.”

Detroit’s Big Challenge

Thanks partly to Coach Scotty Bowman’s decision to rest so many players after clinching the President’s Trophy for the league’s best record, the Detroit Red Wings ended the regular season in a slump, winning only one of their last 10 games, going winless in their last seven.

Bowman is now hoping that his team can regain its form against the Vancouver Canucks, the Red Wings’ first-round opponent.

“In the playoffs, you have to play at a higher level than the regular season,” Bowman said. “We know that we can’t loaf around.”

According to Bowman, two of the driving forces for the Red Wings’ playoff hopes are veterans Dominik Hasek and Luc Robitaille.

“They are both very motivated players right now,” Bowman said. “They know that their chances are lessening each year. A big part of our confidence is that Luc and Dominik have never won.”

But Detroit will be facing one of the league’s hottest teams in the Canucks, who have won 28 of their last 43 games and ended the regular season on a nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1).

“This team is destined for greatness and I hope it’s going to come soon,” said Canuck captain Markus Naslund, who finished second in league scoring with 40 goals and 90 points. “We’ve shown that when no one believed in us, we still stuck together and have got the job done in really some troubled times.

“We’re going to face a tough opponent but we’re coming in with lots of confidence and we feel good about ourselves.”