Monday, May 12, 2014

Playoff Preview: Canadiens vs Bruins (Round 2, Game 6)

8:35 AM  Unknown  2 comments

HabsBruinsPlayoffs 
Match Up:

The Canadiens play host to the Bruins on Monday, down 3-2 in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The game is set to start at 7:30 and can be seen on CBC and RDS.

The Habs are coming off a 4-2 loss on Saturday in what might have been their worst performance so far in the playoffs. Tomas Plekanec took 3 minors in the game, including a pair of consecutive penalties that led to two Boston goals, putting the Habs behind 3-0 less than 2 minutes into the second period.

What to Watch:

With the Habs down 4-1, PK Subban scored a power play goal to give his team some life in Saturday's game, his fourth goal in 5 playoff games against the Bruins. Subban now has 12 points in 9 games during these playoffs and a total of 28 points in 35 career playoff games. At the other end of the spectrum, Max Pacioretty earned an assist Saturday, giving him 1 goal and 4 points in 9 playoff games this year, a total of 4 points in 13 career playoff matches.

Tuukka Rask had a shaky start to the series but he's played a big role in Boston's last 2 wins. Rask had a 33 save shutout in Montreal Game 4 and made 29 stops on Saturday, giving up 2 power play goals. Rask and the Bruins haven't given up an even strength goal since around the 14 minute mark of the second period in Game 3.

What's at Stake:

For the first time in these playoffs, the Canadiens are fighting for survival. This will be game 10 for the Habs in this postseason, and not only is it the first time that they're playing to stay alive, it's also the first time that they trail in a series this year.

Who's Out:

The Canadiens are still missing Alex Galchenyuk (knee), although he has been skating. Daniel Briere was a healthy scratch in Game 5 to make room for Brandon Prust.
The Bruins are still missing Dennis Seidenberg (lower body), Chris Kelly (back)and Adam McQuaid (ankle).

What Else:

Some good news for the Habs is that Boston has had trouble closing out playoff series in the past. The Bruins have not closed out a series in 6 games since they beat the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the 2010 playoffs. After that they lost Game 6 to the Flyers in the next round on their way to blowing a 3-0 series lead. They also lost Games 6 in the 2011 Playoffs to the Habs in Round 1 and the Lightning in Round 3 with chances to close out the series. Last year, the Bruins dropped Game 6 in the first round to the Maple Leafs and then needed 3 goals in the third period to force overtime and stay alive in Game 7.

The Question Mark:

If the Canadiens season ended Monday night, would you be satisfied with team's performance this year?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

The Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show starts an hour before puck drop, join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter. And don’t miss the Post Game Show starting 5 minutes after the final siren.

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2 comments:

Hello!

I have mixed emotions, as Therrien really should have benched Pacioretty instead of Brière. Brière is a proven playoff performance, and he was brought in for that reason. It's clear that Patches, while a strong regular season performer, is not ready to play in the playoffs.

Since the main core of the team is fairly young (<26 or so), I think this is an improvement on last year, if they lose to the Booins. Still... if the Rangers can take two from Pittsburgh after scoring 1 goal in 3 games, the Habs can win back to back games against Boston.

Go Habs!

Thats the way u play to win hockey games. INTENSITY!!!!! SPEED!!!!! GRIT!!!!!! Where the hell was that in GM 5?

It takes an elimination game to bring out the best? Let's see if they can match it in GM 7.

Good to see Murray getting benched. Weiss & Weaver never backed down.

Finally Pacoretti!

Now all we need is Gionta to get his act going.

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