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Canadiens confident underdogs heading into series against Golden Knights

Brendan Gallagher grew up hearing a constant chorus of doubt surrounding his dream of making it to the National Hockey League – mainly due to his lack of size and, later, draft pedigree.

The Vancouver Giants product refused to waste energy on his critics, choosing instead to focus on proving correct the people who believed in him.

Now an alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens, Gallagher espouses the same philosophy when it comes to facing the Vegas Golden Knights starting tonight in the Stanley Cup semifinals.

Sure, the Canadiens qualified for the post-season with the worst record of any playoff team. And sure, Montreal won just 24 games in the regular season compared to a league-leading 40 for Vegas.

And yes, the Golden Knights are a perennial contender – advancing to the NHL semifinals in three of the last four seasons – compared to the visiting Canadiens, who last made it this far in 2014.

Vegas is the favourite. Montreal is the underdog. Again.

“That would be a problem if we didn’t have the belief in our locker-room,” Gallagher says. “The perception of our group doesn’t mean a whole lot outside the locker-room. It’s more so just how we feel inside of it. “As of now, we have a lot of belief, and we hope that continues.”

Montreal centre Nick Suzuki echoes those sentiments. “I don’t really care too much about what other people say,” he told reporters before boarding the flight to Vegas. “I have all the confidence in the world in this group and how we can play.”

WATCH | Habs’ Carey Price making shooters feel ‘inadequate’:

Rob Pizzo takes a deep dive into the Habs playoff run with the Athletic’s Montreal correspondent Arpon Basu. 9:47

Buoyed by vintage goaltending from Carey Price, the Canadiens overcame a 3-1 deficit in the first round to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games. They then proceeded to sweep the Winnipeg Jets in four games to claim the North Division crown.

“You’re foolish if you look at their record and make a judgment,” said Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer. “We have a lot of respect for their game and how they’re playing.

“They’re playing with a lot of confidence. They’ve got a world-class goalie. It’s going to be a great test.”

Much like the Canadiens, the Golden Knights score by committee, but they possess more star power up front in Mark Stone and former Montreal captain Max Pacioretty.

The Golden Knights – fresh off eliminating Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche in six games – attack in waves off the rush and punish the opposition with their bruising style of play.

“We expect it to be a hotly contested series,” says Montreal interim head coach Dominique Ducharme. “When you get to the semifinals, you’re facing teams that have good momentum and confidence. It’s expected.

“We like our team. We like the way our team was built. We like the mix of speed, size, experience, youth, and enthusiasm. Regardless of the team we’re playing, you need to be at your best.”

Goaltending battle

In goal, Price has the best save percentage (.935) of any netminder in the playoffs. In this series, he will clash with another legend in Marc-Andre Fleury, a Vezina Trophy finalist for the league’s top goalie.

The only knock on Fleury? His tendency to surrender rebounds. That presents an opportunity for Gallagher and fellow Montreal veteran Corey Perry , who are both known for scoring greasy goals in heavy traffic.

Meanwhile, Gallagher and Price are the only players remaining from the Montreal team that lost the 2014 Eastern Conference Final to the New York Rangers.

“It took a lot to get back here,” Gallagher says. “You don’t know when your next opportunity is going to be, so you need to take advantage of these things.

“We have a good group of guys – a good mix of veterans and youth – that are very excited with this opportunity. And I think we’re going to take advantage.”

WATCH | Canadiens continue improbable playoff run:

Rob Pizzo breaks down the team’s shocking run to the final four. 4:59

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