Penguins-Canadiens series debated by Armstrong, Carbonneau

The Stanley Cup Qualifiers will use eight best-of-5 series and two four-team round-robins to determine the field and seeding for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NHL.com will preview every series with an alumni roundtable, featuring a former player from each team debating key points.

Today, former Montreal Canadiens forward Guy Carbonneau and former Pittsburgh Penguins (and Canadiens) forward Colby Armstrong take a look at the best-of-5 series between Pittsburgh and Montreal, to be played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto beginning Saturday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, SN, TVAS).

Carbonneau played his first 13 NHL seasons with the Canadiens, scoring 547 points (221 goals, 326 assists) in 912 games. He won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986 and 1993 and again in 1999 with the Dallas Stars. A three-time winner of the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward, Carbonneau was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

Armstrong played his first three NHL seasons with the Penguins, scoring 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 181 games. He would go on to play for the Atlanta Thrashers (parts of three seasons) and Toronto Maple Leafs (two seasons) before finishing his career in Montreal, where he had five points (two goals, three assists) in 37 games in 2012-13.

RELATED: [Stanley Cup Qualifiers schedule]

GOALTENDING

Carbonneau: "I had the chance to win the Stanley Cup with Patrick (Roy) in Montreal and Eddie Belfour (in Dallas), and I've seen enough goalies around the NHL who know that when it's time in the playoffs, they'll stand and make you believe that you can win. This year is no different for the Canadiens. If Carey Price is on top of his game right from the get-go, you never know what's going to happen. I know Pittsburgh has two good goalies in Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry. If one of those two doesn't work, you put the other one in. Montreal doesn't have that luxury."

Armstrong:"Yes, there's lots to be made right now about Pittsburgh and their goaltending. Jarry had a great season coming in and really fighting for the No. 1 position. He looked the part for much of it. It was Murray early and Jarry pushed for it. Jarry really took over a significant amount through the middle of the season, and down the stretch they both were kind of average until the pause. Now, as Carbo mentioned, it's so unpredictable. But one thing the Penguins do know is Murray's proven track record in big-game situations in the playoffs. They have a tandem now, as Murray had with Marc-Andre Fleury during Pittsburgh's Cup run in 2017. By all accounts at camp, Jarry looked more solid in training camp before Murray started coming on when they moved into the bubble. My feeling is that because of Murray's record and performance in big-game situations when so much is on the line, he's the guy to get coach Mike Sullivan's nod to start. But with the luxury of two goalies, if something happens and the leash is short, especially early in a best-of-5, the Penguins have the option to go with another quality goalie in Jarry."

EXPERIENCE

Carbonneau:"Experience means a lot when you have it (laughs). If you don't, there's nothing you can do about it. When I started my career in Montreal, we had guys like Bob Gainey and Larry Robinson and a few other veterans who had won, but we also had some young guys who were eager to prove they could be part of a group to win a Stanley Cup. The mix is really important. Look at Pittsburgh's experience at every position (1,408 combined playoff games compared to Montreal's 400) and look at their depth. There's no denying it's a very high mountain for the Canadiens to climb. But youth sometimes makes you do things differently, stupidly, and that could be the case this year. Nobody knows what's going on. If they go in there and they believe in themselves and they're ready to let it all out … they just have to start the game the right way and go all out."

Armstrong:"Sid (Crosby) and Geno (Evgeni Malkin) aren't called the two-headed monster here without good reason. It can be a matchup nightmare. In the past, remember the (Nick) Bonino third line that was a real difference-maker with (Phil) Kessel and (Carl) Hagelin? They're hoping to have that with (Jared) McCann and (Patric) Hornquist and the acquisition of veteran Patrick Marleau. There's the experience of Sid and Geno, what they've been through and what they've accomplished … their preparation and leadership qualities that they bring to the team. There's been a sense of urgency in Pittsburgh for as long as those two have been around this team. Then look at their star factor, that they can blow games open and change games, their situational play, the way they can contribute. That's a luxury for Sullivan and his coaching staff. It's always a good sign for the Penguins when you've got 87 and 71, for sure."

DIFFERENCE-MAKER

Carbonneau: "I'd like to say somebody else for Montreal, but it's going to have to be [Price]. He's going to have to be really good in every situation. Because it's been four months off, I think there will be a lot of penalties, so special teams are going to have to be really good on both sides. But at the end of the day, when your opponent has a power play, you need your goalie to make the saves."

Armstrong:"Look as far as Pittsburgh's stars compared to Montreal's in the matchups. For me, there's a lot of checkmarks beside the Penguins. All the talk here is about how easily the Penguins should, on paper, get by Montreal. I'll give it to the depth of the Penguins. Not only do you have the star power and the return of Jake Guentzel to the top line, you also have four lines that can contribute equally to a 200-foot game and make it hard for Montreal to compete consistently. Do we know? I don't know! This is crazy. My brain is wrapped around [Montreal's] youthful legs and enthusiasm being an X-factor. But I look at the Penguins depth up and down the lineup and two goaltenders and this team looks hard to beat."