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Wednesday Habs Links: PLAYOFFS! PLAYOFFS! PLAYOFFS!

Your open thread and links for the day, including everything you need to know before game one of the 2014 NHL playoffs.

By Marc Dumont@MarcPDumont Apr 16, 2014, 6:00am EDT

Montreal Canadiens News

Thomas Vanek shared his fondest playoff memories growing up.
Another "Daniel Briere wasn't signed to play hockey during the 82 regular season games every team had scheduled by the NHL" piece. What kind of crazy GM would sign a player primarily for their playoff prowess anyhow? An old and tired narrative, but let's hope that Briere gets the opportunity to shine in the playoffs. 'Clutch' or not, you can't score if you don't play.
Canadiens.com took a look back at the 100 point season with a month-by-month breakdown.
The ever excellent Christopher Boucher examined the Habs defensemen turnover rate in the defensive zone. Considering how often he handles the puck, Subban's numbers are excellent.
The Habs produced a thank you video for all their fans, you can watch it here.
The team spoke to the media after practice, and before heading to Tampa Bay. I bet they were sad to leave snowy mid-April Montreal for a few days.
Lars Eller is a man on a mission. After being knocked out of the playoffs last year by an ECHL defender, Eller looks to redeem his terrible season with a strong playoff performance. (French)
Travis Moen practiced with a no-contact jersey yesterday, as he's still dealing with concussion issues. He did travel with the team to Tampa, although there's no word whether or not he'll be able to play in either games.
Brandon Prust on the other hand is nearing a return, although Therrien was tight lipped when it came to discussing his exact return date. He should be considered a game time decision for game one.
There are rumours floating around that Ben Bishop will miss up to 4 weeks of action, effectively handing the starting duties over to Anders Lindback for the entirety of the series versus the Canadiens. All we know for sure is that Bishop will not start game one. Jon Cooper however, still has faith in his back up goalie.
Carey Price is not ready to reflect on the season quite yet, which is a good sign.
Ondrej Palat and Valteri Filppula returned to practice for the Bolts. You should expect them to be in the lineup tonight as the series gets underway at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Joonas Nattinen scored a beautiful goal last night for Hamilton, it's worth a look.
Sportsnet sat down with sniper Max Pacioretty ahead of the series versus the Lightning. He spoke about his contract and how he doesn't care that he's not making a ton of money, his goals (hint, it's big and silver....not Brian Burke's hair though) and the challenges ahead.