2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: David vs Goliath II.

The Montreal Canadiens and Jaroslav Halak had another fantastic game in store Wednesday as they defeated the Washington Capitals by the score of 2-1 to win this Eastern conference first round best of seven series by four games to three.

Once again this year, Alexander Ovechkin with all his ''hype'' and individual efforts failed miserably during the playoffs.

The Canadiens had very little time to celebrate. Tonight, they open their second round with the defending champions Pittsburgh Penguins. Another impossible task at first glance.

The Penguins are more stable defensively and plays a better collective game. They represent a difficult challenge for the Canadiens who only managed to win once in four regular season games this season. Jaroslav Halak will have to bring a few more miracle saves in his suitcases to keep his team in the hunt.

Once again, I will be very impressed should the Canadiens wins more than one game in this series. I think that Pittsburgh has the tools to eliminate the Habs quickly and should win this one in five games.

Besides Halak, the only good news for Montreal is the fact that they feel like they have nothing to lose. A ton of unnecessary pressure should be off their backs, a good thing with such a difficult series ahead.

David vs Goliath II opens tonight in Pittsburgh.

(Picture: Sidney Crosby, Getty Images.)