Montreal merchants say they are concerned about the way some rowdy city residents may behave in the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals, after a second-round Habs playoff win led to looting and confrontations with police.

Thirty-two people were arrested following the Montreal Canadiens' defeat of the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. Two police officers were injured.

The damage caused by the people on the streets prompted a cleanup on Thursday morning. At least one liquor store and a Foot Locker outlet were looted, events that were captured by TV cameras in the hours after the big win.

As a result, some business owners are now facing costly repairs and others wonder what could happen the next time around.

"We are very concerned about what is happening right now," Jean Jacques Trudel, the manager of a local audio store, told CTV Montreal on Thursday morning.

Police have said they will review their playoff security procedures in the wake of Thursday night's events.

From celebration to confrontation

After Montreal's victory was complete, thousands of hockey fans poured into the streets, some with homemade Stanley Cup replicas they were waving in the air.

"We've been waiting for this Cup for a long time," said long-time Habs fan Ronnie Cukier, who accompanied his daughter and her friends to the impromptu street celebrations.

"I've seen a few already. But let the kids see a few of their own. Now's our time. This is our year to win the Cup."

CTV Montreal's Herb Luft said that the 21,000 fans who watched the game live on a screen at the Bell Centre had an energy that made it seem like they were at the rink in Pittsburgh.

"They treated the game at the Bell Centre like they were there live," said Luft, when describing the atmosphere in Montreal to CTV's Canada AM.

But within a few hours of the Habs' victory, the mood on the streets of Montreal turned ugly and police became involved.

"They started throwing bottles, they started looting stores downtown…and the riot police had to move in."

Police used tear gas to dispel the mob that remained Thursday morning, using batons to prod people along.

After it was all over, 19-year-old international student Si Si Gow walked the area with her boyfriend.

"I was at Crescent (Street) just now, which is really crowded and dirty with all the garbage that was thrown. I understand everyone is happy about what happened -- the victory -- but it's a little bit too much. Look at the street -- it's all messed up."

Prior riot problems

Montreal has seen rioting in the past when the Habs have been in the post-season, including the 2008 playoff run that saw cars set on fire and downtown stores trashed.

But police say the problems seen in the playoffs are caused by a small number of people.

"More than 50,000 people co-operate with us and everything is run well," Montreal police assistant director Sylvain Brouillette told reporters on Thursday morning.

"It's only 500 people who become criminals, that's the problem."

Meanwhile, prosecutors are still sorting out what charges the 32 arrested persons will face, said CTV Montreal's Stephane Giroux.

Habs exceeding expectations

No one had expected this year's Habs to make the playoffs, let alone to knock the top-two NHL teams out of the playoffs.

In the first round, the Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals in an exciting seven-game series.

Last night they followed up that series win with a defeat of Pittsburgh in another Game 7 showdown.

"We played Washington and we were supposed to get killed and we played these guys and we were supposed to get killed," Montreal defenceman Hal Gill said after Wednesday's win. "It's nice to be part of a team that gets things done."

The Game 7 loss was a tough one for Pittsburgh players to swallow, thought they gave the Montreal squad its due respect.

"They beat Washington, now they beat us," Pittsburgh defenceman Brooks Orpik said. "I think it's time to give this team some credit for what they've done, rather than picking apart why we didn't do what we were supposed to do."

Crosby said that in "Game 7, anything can happen and, unfortunately, we weren't at our best."

When Montreal takes to the ice in the next round, it will be the team's first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 1993 -- the year the Canadiens last brought home the Stanley Cup.

A Friday night playoff game between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers will determine who the Habs play in the next round.

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press