Monday Musings: Rangers Shutdown The Habs

Greetings Habs Addicts,

The magical playoff run is over.

The New York Rangers proved to be too much for the Canadiens to handle as they fell 1-0 in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers limited the Canadiens to 18 shots on goal, including just 5 in the third period to win the best-of-seven game series 4-2. Obviously, losing Carey Price was a big blow to the Habs but their inability to generate any consistent offense five-on-five or on the powerplay was the real story. The Canadiens are a team built around speed, but the Rangers proved to be the faster and stronger team throughout the series. As such, they now have the opportunity to lose to face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup finals. The Kings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime of Game Seven of the Western Conference Final last night marking their third Game Seven win of this years playoffs.

Canadiens post-game salute to the fans.

- Michel Therrien was outcoached by Alain Vigneault throughout this round of the playoffs. Therrien was phenomenal against the Lightning and throughout the Bruins series. He must be commended for making the smart decision to insert Nathan Beaulieu into the lineup late in the Boston series. The kid had two assists in his two games as the Canadiens knocked off the Bruins. Therrien also made the risky decision to go with youngster Dustin Tokarski over veteran backup Peter Budaj after Carey Price was injured in Game One of the Rangers series. Tokarski matched up well with Henrik Lundqvist and was the only Canadiens player to truly show up on the ice in Game Six. But as I wrote in last weeks article:

The Canadiens are playing a tighter defensive system to shelter the youngster at the expense of the offense. The powerplay has been rendered irrelevant by the Rangers penalty-killing scheme and the ignorance of Michel Therrien to adapt has rendered the man-advantage useless. The Rangers are the best shot-blocking team in the NHL and the Canadiens continue to run the power-play through the point. Subban and Markov have not been able to get open for clean shots and most of their attempts have been blocked. The Canadiens should be trying to set up down low and have one of their defenders pinch into the slot for a similar shot, or continually cycle players around. Keeping P.K. Subban stationary at the point to hammer pucks at the Rangers shin guards is the hockey equivalent of trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. Adapt, Therrien.

Ultimately, Michel Therrien did not adapt his offense to counter the Rangers defensive schemes. He went back to playing the dump-and-chase style that did not serve the team well during the regular season. The Rangers would have a man on the boards to block the dump-ins or often were the stronger players on the back end and recovered the puck in the corner and in turn created offense breakouts of their own. For as well as he matched lines and created good strategies in the first two rounds, he failed to capitalize on opportunities against the Rangers. Alain Vigneault had his Rangers better prepared to shutdown the Canadiens attack. Whether Therrien would have adapted his game plan better if Carey Price was healthy in goal is unknown and ultimately irrelevant.

- Thomas Vanek did not help his free agent stock this post-season. Vanek finished up the playoffs as a member of the fourth line while continuing to see power-play time. Overall, he averaged only 14:53 of ice time; a number strengthened by his top-line minutes in the first two rounds. In 17 playoff games, Vanek contributed 5 goals and 5 assists. Four of those goals came in a pair of two-goal games against Boston. Vanek often looked lost against the Rangers and often displayed a lack of intensity and effort. Vanek battled hard in Game Six but that was it. The sniper also failed to shoot the puck on goal when the opportunity presented itself, preferring to pass to teammates who were either not expecting it or covered. After the series, Vanek attributed his playoff performance to the inability to find chemistry with his new linemates after he was removed from the Pacioretty-Desharnais line and not to injury or lack of effort. While the honesty is commendable, a superstar in the league should be able to create offense and make their linemates better. Vanek turned down a $50 million dollar extension from the New York Islanders earlier this year and is still the biggest name available on the market. But his inability to contribute when the stakes are at their highest might be enough to make Minnesota other teams pause about handing out the max-length contract the 30-year old is looking for.

- P.K. Subban is one player who certainly helped his stock this post-season. Subban was the best player on the ice on a nightly basis for the Canadiens. Subban led the team with a 27:26 in ice time throughout the playoffs and led the team with 5 goals, 9 assists in 17 playoff games. Subban has 10 goals and 30 points in 43 career playoff games and is one player who raises his game substantially when the stakes are high. Since signing his bridge contract - which expires this off-season - Subban won the Norris Trophy as the leagues best defender during the strike-shortened 2012/13 season and this year had a career-best 53 points. He experienced on growing pains and ended up benched or in Michel Therrien's doghouse a few times throughout the season and his shooting percentage was down this season. At times it looked like Subban should be clashing with Therrien over how he was being handled but always maintained a smile and positive energy as well as a level of humbleness that showed a level of maturity. Being the extra defender at the Olympics in Sochi was tough, but he handled it well and was proud to represent the country even if his role was more of cheerleader than scoring leader. This side of Subban certainly goes against the brash and cocky persona the media has labelled him with.

On the ice, teams keyed on Subban as the season wore on and the Canadiens needed to do a better job utilizing their asset. The Nashville Predators' Shea Weber has a very similar style to Subban as both have rockets from the point and both are right handed. The Predators did not boast the strongest power-play in the NHL, but Weber had 23 goals, including 12 on the man-advantage. They cycle their players around a lot and manage to get Weber open in various spots on the ice and in turn generate more scoring opportunities. As was evidenced against the Rangers, the Canadiens needed to adapt their power-play strategy as keeping Subban relatively stationary at the point is not going to work anymore.

Subban had an incredible playoffs and will certainly be receiving a huge payday this summer. As a restricted free agent, Subban does not have the leverage to go any place he chooses and there will not be a bidding war for his services like there will be for Thomas Vanek. However, general managers are not shy to give offer sheets to players of Subban's ilk. Shea Weber was signed to a huge offer sheet by the Philadelphia Flyers that Nashville matched and last season Avalanche forward Ryan O'Reilly signed one with the Calgary Flames that Colorado matched. If Marc Bergevin does not sign Subban to a contract close to his terms, the terms may be set for him by another NHL club. With lesser players making big money (Dion Phaneuf earns $7 million per year in Toronto) the price for P.K. will be high and deservedly so. The future captain (in my opinion) of the Canadiens wants to end his career in Montreal and will probably sign an 8-year deal worth around $60-64 million dollars.

With the season being over and the news surrounding the Habs begins to dwindle throughout the summer months, Monday Musings will continue to provide you with links and insight into developments that happen, including the NHL draft, free agency and player news and rumours. Thank you for reading this season, it was an enjoyable one. The Canadiens are just a few pieces short of their end-goal: A trip to the Stanley Cup.

Enjoy your summer, Habs Addicts!

---

Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Past Monday Musings 

• Habs Need To Dig Deep
• Subban; Price Have Habs Heading Home Tied
• Why The Habs Are Nearing A Sweep Of Tampa
• 82 Games Later, Habs Are Tampa Bound
• Subban is in Therrien's Doghouse
• How Sweep It Was

Read More

Monday Musings: Habs Need To Dig Deep

Greetings Habs Addicts,

Monday Musings is back after a two week hiatus where it was replaced by a recap of the Boston series as well as a preview of the New York Rangers series.

It looks like the Eastern Conference Final will have to go seven games this year for the Montreal Canadiens to win it. The New York Rangers currently have a stranglehold on the series 3-1. But as we have already seen in the playoffs this year, leading a series 3-1 is no sure sign of victory. Last round, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a 3-1 series lead against these very same Rangers, only to drop the final three games and lose. In the West, the Kings were down 3-0 to the San Jose Sharks in the opening round before rallying back to win the final four games.

The Habs are going to have to dig deep if they want to come back and win this series. After all their regular season dominance over the Rangers the past two years, this Rangers squad is challenging Montreal with tremendous speed through the zones and puck possession down low. For as well as Dustin Tokarski has played, losing Carey Price early in the series has been a difference maker in both the confidence level of the Canadiens as well as their style of play. The Canadiens are playing a tighter defensive system to shelter the youngster at the expense of the offense. The powerplay has been rendered irrelevant by the Rangers penalty-killing scheme and the ignorance of Michel Therrien to adapt has rendered the man-advantage useless. The Rangers are the best shot-blocking team in the NHL and the Canadiens continue to run the power-play through the point. Subban and Markov have not been able to get open for clean shots and most of their attempts have been blocked. The Canadiens should be trying to set up down low and have one of their defenders pinch into the slot for a similar shot, or continually cycle players around. Keep P.K. Subban stationary at the point to hammer pucks at the Rangers shin guards is the hockey equivalent of trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. Adapt, Therrien.

Dustin Tokarski makes a pad save.
Photo Credit: NationalPost.com

Some musings from the series so far:

- Thomas Vanek has been largely invisible for long stretches so far in the playoffs. The soon-to-be free agent sniper has not been playing a very inspired game this post-season. Through 14 games, he has 5 goals and 9 points with 3 of those goals coming on the power-play. In this round, Vanek has been held to only 1 assist through four games and has relegated to the fourth line. Michel Therrien and the team still have faith in Vanek to produce, but for a guy who is expected to command an eight-year/$60 million contract this off-season (Minnesota has been the rumoured destination all season long), his lack of production and effort on this big stage could be costing him money. Minnesota will free up cap room with the underperforming Dany Heatley coming off the books at season's end, do they want to risk taking on a potential Heatley 2.0 by giving a max deal to Vanek? Considering the money they owe Zach Parise and Ryan Suter and cash-flow being an issue already for the Wild, do they even want Vanek or would they try to sign a similarly skilled Matt Moulson who they traded for at the deadline. Only time will tell on that front. Meanwhile, Vanek is losing the fanbase and the media in Montreal. The Canadiens need him to put forth an effort. Max Pacioretty has struggled this post-season as well, but has been contributing hits, killing penalties and when he has scored, it has won games. Big difference in the effort level for a player with a similar stat line to Vanek. David Desharnais has struggled offensively as well, but has been putting forth tremendous effort and often times has been the best player on the ice. Its easy to forgive these two players because they are competing hard and contributing. Vanek is floating around and often looks lost without the puck. He is talented enough to take over a game (two two-goal games in the Boston series) but has yet to truly do so.

- With the news that Carey Price was lost for the series with a lower-body injury, the Canadiens turned to youngster Dustin Tokarski over veteran back-up Peter Budaj. The youngster has a big-game pedigree, having backstopped teams to a Memorial Cup championship and World Junior Hockey Championships as well as a Calder Cup win in the AHL. While none of this equates to the NHL level, pressure games are pressure games. Peter Budaj has been solid, but unspectacular as a backup to Price and has struggled when forced to shoulder the load for multiple games in a row. Michel Therrien felt there was more potential upside to starting the NHL-inexperienced kid over the veteran who has 8 career playoff wins in his 13 year career. The Anaheim Ducks turned to rookie John Gibson against the Los Angeles Kings over starter Jonas Hiller and nearly stole the series.

Tokarski had a solid debut in a 3-1 loss in Game 2, stopping 27 of 30 shots. Two of the goals went in off defenders. Game 3 was a different story as Tokarski stood on his head, stopping 35 of 37 shots in a 3-2 overtime win. The gamble was starting to pay off for Therrien. Last night was different, however. Tokarski stopped 26 of 29 shots in the 3-2 overtime loss. This loss cemented a 3-1 series lead for the Rangers. Most notably, the Rangers began to exploit the 5'11'' netminders tendency to go down early and give away the top part of the net. Both Derrick Brassard and Martin St. Louis in overtime had clear breakaways and both times opted to wire the puck top shelf. Tokarski had no chance to make the save on either attempt. This is the same weakness the Bruins thought they could exploit on Carey Price. If the Bruins thought they could capitalize by shooting high on a 6'4" goalie, no doubt the Rangers will be taking liberties on a 5'11" goaltender playing a similar style of game. And if the Canadiens keep allowing them clear breaks at Tokarski, Game 5 could be ugly.

Truth be told, the Price injury forced the Canadiens' hand with Tokarski. By adding him to the active roster for the playoffs instead of being one of the so-called "Black Aces" he would be on the 23-man roster at season's end. As such, heading into next season they would be unable to send him back down to Hamilton without him first clearing waivers based on his age/experience level at the professional level. He will never clear waivers, especially after performing as well as he has. As such, the future is now for the Canadiens and Tokarski is going to be the back-up goalie next season. Ever the consummate professional, Peter Budaj has continued to support the youngster and has not displayed any outward disappointment he may have over not being given the nod. Budaj will be dealt this summer and continue to thrive in a back-up role for another team.

- The veteran scorers have not been contributing any offense this round. On defence, Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin have been exposed by the Rangers. Markov has been disappointing thus far in the playoffs, failing to contribute much in the way of offense after another typically sound regular season. Markov and Emelin have a combined 1 goal, 9 points in 15 games and each have a -4 rating. The Rangers have been beating the two in one-on-one races for pucks. Up front, Thomas Plekanec is a team-worst -7 while contributing only 3 goals, 8 points in 15 games. Our best shut-down centre has not shut down anyone very effectively. Secondary scoring has been an issue after being the strength of the Tampa series.

• Thomas Plekanec: 1 goal in last 10 games (vs Bruins, Game 3).
• Rene Bourque: 1 goal in last 10 games (vs Rangers, Game 1)
• Brian Gionta: 1 goal in 15 games (vs Tampa, Game 1)
• David Desharnais: 1 goal in 15 games (vs Tampa, Game 2)
• Brendan Gallagher: 1 goal in last 10 games (vs Boston, Game 5)

The Canadiens have had a hard to time putting pucks past Henrik Lundqvist and the lack of offensive contribution from experienced veterans has contributed to this. Brian Gionta was expected to be a contributor in this series based on his experience playing the Rangers from his days with the New Jersey Devils. This has not occurred. Rene Bourque was a force for the entire Tampa series after a disappointing regular season but while the effort level has been there, the production has ceased. 

Brandon Prust's hit on Derek Stepan
Photo Credit: Modelsportsfan.com

- Michel Therrien needs to make some changes to his game plan. As touched on earlier in the article, the Habs have been forced to play a slightly tighter defensive scheme to shelter the young goalie in a way they do not need to do with Carey Price. Overall, Therrien has been outcoached by Alain Vigneault throughout the series and while he has made some big, risky decisions - inserting Nathan Beaulieu into the line-up against Boston; starting Tokarski in goal over Budaj - his in-game management has regressed as the rounds move on. His insistence of relying on dumping the puck off the boards as well as funnelling the offense through the point has allowed the patient Rangers to continually block shots and dump-ins along the boards while generating turnovers. This has in turn lead to fast breaks and scoring chances against. With Brandon Prust out of the lineup after being suspended two games for a late, violent hit that broke the jaw of the Rangers' Derek Stepan, the physical game that the Canadiens displayed against the Bruins has been largely invisible against the speedier Rangers. In Game 4, the Canadiens had only 18 hits which was essentially one period's worth against the Bruins. Therrien needs to change his game plan because after four games, he has not found any sustained offense, even when there has been sustained pressure.  

The pivotal Game 5 will be played on Tuesday in Montreal. Therrien needs to adapt and the Canadiens need to playing a strong 60-minutes or else next week's Monday Musings will be a season recap. 

---

Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Past Monday Musings 

• Subban; Price Have Habs Heading Home Tied
• Why The Habs Are Nearing A Sweep Of Tampa
• 82 Games Later, Habs Are Tampa Bound
• Subban is in Therrien's Doghouse
• How Sweep It Was
• Are We Winning Despite #TherrienLogic

Read More

Playoff Preview: Canadiens vs Rangers (Round 3, Game 2)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens are seeking redemption in Monday night when they host the Rangers at the Bell Centre for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Game 1 of the series was disastrous in more ways than one for the Habs. They were beaten 7-2 and Carey Price did not play in the third period after allowing 4 goals on 20 and potentially suffering a leg injury when Chris Kreider went sliding into the Canadiens' netminder late in the second period.

Monday's game starts at 8:00 and airs on CBC and RDS.

What to Watch:

Lars Eller continued to shine in the playoffs with a goal and an assist in Saturday's contest, bringing him up to 11 points in 12 games in these playoffs. The Canadiens as a team had their weakest start of the playoffs on Saturday, going down 2-0 by the end of the first period after being out-shot 12-6. Up to Saturday's game the Habs had allowed just 3 goals in the first period in 11 playoff games combined.

The Rangers looked a lot different in Game 1 of the third round than they had leading up to it. They scored 34 goals in the previous 14 games but put up a converted touchdown on Saturday. The Rangers got goals from 7 different players on Saturday, including Rick Nash who scored his first of this year's playoffs. On top of that, the New York power play converted 3 times in the third period, going 3-for-7 on the afternoon after going 6-for-55 in the first two rounds.

What's at Stake:

The Canadiens didn't simply lose Game 1, they were humiliated. Aside from a brief glimmer of hope in the second period when Rene Bourque cut the Rangers lead to 2-1, the Habs never looked competitive on Saturday. With Price's status uncertain for Game 2 the Canadiens may need to rally around Peter Budaj in order to draw the series even. Another poor showing by the Habs and this series could be over before it started.

Who's Out:

The big question mark heading into Game 2 is whether or not Carey Price will play, not just Monday night, but whether he'll play again this series. Alex Galchenyuk (knee) could be ready for action Monday night for the first time since April 9.

Derrick Brassard suffered either an undisclosed injury in the first period in Game 1 and is uncertain for Monday.

What Else:

This isn't Chris Kreider's first run-in with a goalie, it's not even his first run-in with a goalie in these playoffs. In February 2013, Craig Anderson was in Vezina Trophy form until Kreider was sent sprawling into him by Senators defenseman Marc Methot. Anderson's left ankle was pinned against his goalpost and the resulting injury kept him out of action for 6 weeks. Just over a week ago, in Game 6 against the Penguins, Kreider went barreling into Marc-Andre Fleury after Kris Letang bumped him en route to the Pens net.

Brandon Prust had this to say on Kreider's contact with Price, "He went skates-first right into [Price's] leg. We know how to slide, we know how to fall. We're in the NHL. We're taught how to fall when you're 5 years old...I don't think [Kreider] is a dirty player but he did nothing to slow-up or avoid him."

The Question Mark:

What type of response are you expecting from the Habs in Game 2 with or without Price?

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.

Read More

Keep Calm & Carey On To Face The Rangers: Third Round Preview

Greetings Habs Addicts!

It feels like just yesterday we were sitting back and saying "Bye Bye, Bruins!" We were spending the day basking in the glory of knocking out the big, bad Bostonians. Most likely we were sporting some sort of Habs paraphernalia to school or work; just absolutely loving life.

Today we look forward to the next challenge that awaits us this coming Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre: The New York Rangers and the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Habs have been in the Eastern Conference Finals in recent memory: Jaroslav Halak and the magical 2010 playoff run. That year the 8th seeded Habs stunned the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals in seven games in the first round. In the second round, they proceeded to knock off Sidney Crosby and the 4th seeded - and defending Stanley Cup Champion - Pittsburgh Penguins in another hard-fought seven game series. The Eastern finals was where the magic ended. The Philadelphia Flyers made short work of the Habs, winning the series in five games before being knocked down in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup final.

Carey Price & Henrik Lundqvist
Photo Credit: sportsinteraction.com

This year is different. This year the Canadiens are not the 8th seeded underdog. The Canadiens had the third best record in the Eastern Conference (tied in points with Tampa). They just finished defeating the President's Trophy winning Boston Bruins; the league's best regular season team and a perennial playoff favorite. During the regular season, the Rangers and Habs played 3 extremely close games. All three games were ended in shutouts, two in favor of Montreal (1-0, 2-0); one for the Rangers (1-0). Statistically, a total of four goals were scored in the three games combined. During the shortened 2013 season, the Habs and Rangers met three times. The results: Montreal 3, Rangers 1; Montreal 3, Rangers 0; and Montreal 3, Rangers 0. The New York Rangers have scored two goals against the Montreal Canadiens in 6 match-ups over the past two seasons. They have been shutout two times. They have one win to show for it, a 1-0 shutout of their own by backup goaltender Cam Talbot this year.

Carey Price has simply owned the New York Rangers over the past two years with a 4-1 with three shutouts against the New York Rangers. He has allowed only two goals on 151 shots for a 0.40 goals-against average (GAA) and a .987 save percentage (Save %). For his career, Price sports an 8-5-1 record with a 2.04 GAA and a .934 Save % with 5 shutouts in 15 career games.

Henrik Lundqvist has not had quite that same success against the Montreal Canadiens. In 28 career games, King Henrik has a 13-1-2 record with a 2.85 GAA and a .897 Save % and one shutout. In Montreal, Lundqvist has a 4-5-2 record along with a 3.87 GAA and .876 Save % and has not played in a game at the Bell Centre since January of the 2011/12 NHL season.

Going into the Boston series, Carey Price had better career numbers against the Bruins than Tuukka Rask did against Montreal. The way the series played out, it was evident that sometimes a goaltender does not match up well against certain teams. Goalies are interesting psychological specimen. Whether or not their past performances against the respective team played on their minds, the series resulted with Price looking stellar and confident while Rask was often shaky. Needless to say, the numbers heading into this series certainly favor Carey Price over Henrik Lundqvist in the rematch of Sochi Olympic Gold Medal Goaltenders. That was also a game won by Carey Price.

Teams At A Glance

Montreal finished 9th overall (4th in the East) in the NHL with 100 points on the season, tied with the Los Angeles Kings. The Canadiens were stingy in their own right, allowing only 204 goals against; 6th best in the league. Montreal's even strength offense was not good this year. Overall, the Habs scored only 215 goals which was only good enough to rank them 21st in the league. Montreal made quick work of the favoured Tampa Bay Lightning, sweeping the first round series 4-0. The Boston Bruins were a far more formidable challenge but the Habs prevailed winning the second-round series in seven games. 

The New York Rangers finished the year with a record of 45-31-6, good enough for 96 points and placing them 12th overall in the NHL (5th in the East). The Rangers defensively were stingier than the Canadiens, allowing only 193 goals against which was 4th best in the league. Offensively, the Rangers were slightly better than the Canadiens with 218 goals scored which places them 18th overall in the NHL. The Rangers faced the Philadelphia Flyers at home for the first round of the playoffs, alternating wins and losses before finally ending the series in seven games. In the second round, the Rangers rallied back from a 3-1 series deficit to stun the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games. The Rangers enter this round of the playoffs having played three more games than Montreal. 

Previewing Round Three

- Martin St. Louis lost his mother last week suddenly. He flew home to Montreal to be with his family and promptly returned to the lineup in time for Game 5, which the Rangers rallied to win 5-1. They carried this momentum over through Game 6 and 7 to stun the Penguins. Whether or not this emotion carries over to this series is hard to assess. It will certainly be emotional for the Laval native playing in his hometown to open the series. St. Louis had only 1 goal and 8 points in 19 games after being acquired by the Rangers from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline for Ryan Callahan. In the playoffs, St. Louis has reunited with former Tampa teammate Brad Richards to put up eight and nine points respectively in 14 games.

- P.K Subban is coming off a series to remember against the Boston Bruins. Subban has come into his own these playoffs and is back playing at the level that won him the Norris Trophy last season. He has been extremely responsible in his own end and has played a physical game as well. Subban leads the Canadiens in scoring this post-season with four goals and 12 points in 11 games played. Subban had four goals and seven points in the Boston series.

- This series marks the return of former first-round draft choice Ryan McDonagh to Montreal. Habs fans will remember that McDonagh was involved in the ill-fated Scott Gomez trade and has since blossomed into one of the NHL's top defenders. McDonagh is the Rangers answer to P.K. Subban as he finished the year with 14 goals and 44 points in 77 games. While Subban is one of the leagues best power-play quarterbacks, McDonagh scored more short-handed goals (3) than power-play goals (2) and is arguably the better all-around player when you factor in his penalty-killing abilities. 

- The Rangers top line of Benoit Pouliot - Derek Brassard - Mats Zuccarello had a dominant series against the Penguins. The trio has combined for ten goals and 23 points in the playoffs with three game winning goals between them. The Canadiens top line of Thomas Vanek - David Desharnais - Max Pacioretty has been quiet so far in the post-season, but stepped up in the pivotal games against Boston. For the playoffs, they have combined for nine goals and 20 points with only two game winning goals. Both of them were scored by Pacioretty and both ended up being the series winning goals. Montreal needs this line to outplay their Rangers counterparts at even strength as the Habs trio have five power-play goals between them while the Rangers trio does their damage at even strength with only one power-play goal between them. 

Summary

Offense: The Rangers and Canadiens were two of the weaker offensive teams during the regular season. Both made significant upgrades at the trade deadline with the Rangers acquiring reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Martin St. Louis while the Habs added Thomas Vanek. Vanek performed as expected and teamed up with Max Pacioretty to form a dangerous duo down the stretch while St. Louis found it more difficult to fit in to the Rangers lineup. Both have been average during this playoff run. Montreal has had balanced scoring with Dale Weise, Brendan Gallagher, Rene Bourque and Lars Eller all contributing offensively. The Rangers scoring has come primarily from their top line of Derek Brassard, Benoit Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello with support from St. Louis and Brad Richards. Sniper Rick Nash has been a bust this post season with zero goals and five assists in 14 games but can break out at any time. He is still dangerous even if he has declined over the past couple of seasons in New York.

Edge: Montreal; slightly due to balanced scoring.

Defense: Outside of Ryan McDonagh, the Rangers do not have any other true offensive options. Dan Girardi was the second-highest scoring defender for the Rangers with only five goals and 24 points in 81 games played. While they do not receive much offensive support from the blueline, the Rangers are one of the leagues best shot-blocking teams and players such as Girardi, Mark Staal and Anton Stralman can move the puck. The Canadiens are led by P.K Subban who unlike McDonagh (one goal, three points in 14 games) has increased his scoring output in the post-season. Andrei Markov has been quiet, but is still one of the more dangerous power-play specialists while Mike Weaver has contributed unexpected offense to balance out this shot-blocking and penalty killing. Josh Gorges and Alexei Emelin have been blocking shots and Emelin has been playing extremely physical with seven hits in the Boston Game 7 alone. Nathan Beaulieu entered the lineup and added a puck moving dimension to the third pairing that was lacking with Douglas Murray or Francis Bouillon in the line-up. Michel Therrien has limited the rookie to under ten minutes per game so far, but he has responded with two assists.

Edge: Montreal

Goaltending: Carey Price against Henrik Lundqvist is a battle of the leagues top goaltenders and an extended rematch of this past years Sochi Olympic gold-medal game. Team Canada and Price defeated Team Sweden and Lundvist and so far this season, Price has allowed only two goals in five elimination-game scenarios (three at the Olympics, two against Boston). Price has a better career record against the Rangers where King Henrik has struggled against the Canadiens, especially in Montreal. A hot goaltender can steal a series and both goalies got hot at the right time. Price stole one from Boston and Lundqvist stole the series from Pittsburgh.

Edge: Even

Coaching: Alain Vigneault has the Rangers playing solid hockey right now. Vigneault is no stranger to the post-season or the atmosphere of the Bell Centre and he will have his team prepared. The Rangers are a very defensive minded team, not as physical as the Bruins but will battle for pucks in the corner. He has some big bodies in Brian Boyle, Benoit Pouliot and Chris Kreider to win puck battles in the corners and get to the front of the net, much like the Bruins did with Lucic and Iginla. Michel Therrien has coached incredibly well this post-season and has made some question decisions and taken some gambles that paid off. Inserting Murray to the line-up probably will not happen again as Nathan Beaulieu should remain on the blue line. Both coaches have made it to the Stanley Cup finals; neither has won.

Edge: Even

Prediction: Both of these teams match up pretty evenly. They were pretty average offensively all season long. Defensively, both are extremely adept at killing penalties. The Rangers will need to find an answer for P.K. Subban and Max Pacioretty seems to be finding his scoring touch. When Pacioretty gets hot, it will be bad news for the Rangers as him and Thomas Vanek can take over a game. Defensively, the Canadiens are receiving far more offensive production from their blue line and that will be a difference. Ultimately, this series will come down to the battle of the goaltenders again. Carey Price shines against the Rangers and will continue to prove he's the best goaltender in the world and the Habs win the series in six games.

 ---
Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Read More

Series Recap: Bye Bye Bruins; Habs Advance

Greetings Habs Addicts!!

Wow, it has been a long time since the city had a buzz like this going on during the NHL playoffs!

Montreal beat the Bruins 3-1 last night in Boston to secure a berth in the Eastern Conference final against another Original Six team, the New York Rangers.

In my Habs Addict series preview - The Habs Are Shipping Up To Boston - I broke down the season series, looked at each team by position and indicated who I felt would be the winner. Yes, I admit I have a biased opinion on the result, but here is the my final paragraph and prediction from that article:

Photo Credit: Nationalpost.com

Prediction: Boston and Montreal physically beat each other up, score some fantastic goals and keep the fans on the edge of their seats all series long. A hot goaltender can win a series. Carey Price is that goaltender as Montreal wins the series 4-3 in another hard-fought, best of seven series. One for the ages is upon us. Enjoy it!

That statement could not have described the series more accurately.

This was a very physical series. The Bruins were targeting the Montreal defenders with body checks each and every time they could. Overall, the Bruins landed 269 hits on Canadiens players while the Habs returned the physical action with 247 of their own. On average the big, bad Bruins had 38.4 hits per game while the smaller, speedier Habs nearly matched them with a 35.2 average over the seven game series. The Bruins were bigger, but they were slower. Zdeno Chara was challenged often by David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher, both of whom showed tremendous grit and character this series. Gallagher was his true antagonizing self all series long. Dale Weise and Brandon Prust laid the body on Bruins every shift they played. On the Boston side, Milan Lucic was flexing his muscles - literally at times - battling with PK Subban all series long. Both players attacked each other physically, but Subban did more damage on the scoreboard. Brad Marchand was a non-factor offensively, but was often seen taking cheap shots at Habs players both during the action and after the whistle had blown.

The difference came down to a hot goaltender stealing the series. For all the talk about Peter Budaj having Boston's number, Carey Price has been extremely successful in his career against the Bruins. Tuukka Rask has not had any sustained success against Montreal. This carried over into the playoffs. Carey Price set the tone for the series in Game 1 when he made 48 saves during the Habs double-overtime win. Price was absolutely outstanding, making difficult save after difficult save. For the series, Price sported a 2.04 goals against average and a dazzling .936 save percentage. Boston rarely beat Price unless the puck was deflected or shot from the point through heavy traffic. Going into game seven, the Bruins had also hit ten goal posts. But the posts are a goalie's best friend, after all. Tuukka Rask was far from terrible, but when you watch game seven, Price was calm and composed as he always is while Rask was noticeably shaky at times, often battling himself to control the puck. Price also addressed the team in the locker room between the second and third period, telling them to 'remain in the moment, forget the past and focus on the now'. They responded.

After the game during the hand shake line - hockey's ceremonial show of sportsmanship - Milan Lucic exemplified the class we expect out of the Boston Bruins: He visibly stopped Dale Weise and said something to the effect of "I'm going to f**king kill you next year". Apparently he also said sometime similar to Alexei Emelin. Lucic and Emelin have a history between each other. Weise mentioned the incident to reporters after the game but declined to go into specifics. Lucic responded to Weise talking to reporters as Weise being a baby; "What's said on the ice, stays on the ice."

Clearly, Milan Lucic is an idiot. If you are going to stop someone on a televised broadcast and threaten them, you should expect someone in the media will be able find someone who can read lips and translate what you said. On TSN during the intermission of the Los Angeles Kings vs Anaheim Ducks game, Aaron Ward had harsh words for Lucic about his post-game behaviour. When a former team-mate calls you out, you should know what you did was stupid and immature. Way to stay classy, Milan.

Photo credit: Sportsnet.ca

(Note: If you want a good laugh, #WhatLucicToldWeise was trending on Twitter shortly after the game ended. There were some great tweets out there)

For those who only loosely followed this series, here is a brief recap of all seven games played.

Game 1: Montreal 4, BOSTON 3 (2OT) 
Boston had home ice advantage to start the series. Carey Price makes 48 saves and single-handedly kept an out-played Montreal team in the game. P.K Subban had two powerplay goals - carbon copies of each other as both occurred with Matt Bartkowski in the penalty box and both were set up by Andrei Markov - including the double-overtime winner. Habs blew both a 2-0 and a 3-2 lead in the third period. Rene Bourque and Francis Bouillon also scored for Montreal.

Game 2: BOSTON 5, Montreal 3 
Montreal blew a 3-1 lead with ten minutes to go in the third period, allowing 4 Boston goals including an empty-net capper as Boston drew even in the series 1-1. Thomas Vanek deflected in two Subban point shots for his first two goals of the series, both on the power play. Mike Weaver also scored for Montreal. Francis Bouillon had two Boston goals deflect off him and into the net. Boston out-hit Montreal for a second game in a row.

Game 3: MONTREAL 4, Boston 2
The series moved to Montreal. Douglas Murray was inserted into the line-up over Francis Bouillon to provide physical presence. Travis Moen replaced a banged up Brandon Prust for this one. Thomas Plekanec opened the scoring while Subban had a goal and assist as Montreal jumped to 3-0 lead. Dale Weise and Lars Eller (empty net) also scored for Montreal. Carey Price was sensational again making 26 saves.

Game 4: Boston 1, MONTREAL 0 (OT)
Call up Matt Fraser scored a fluke goal in overtime as Tuukka Rask was finally flawless against the Canadiens. Douglas Murray and Mike Weaver started the overtime and Murray was horribly out of position on the winning goal. Rask and Price duelled throughout the game, making 33 and 35 saves, respectively. Brandon Prust returned to the line-up in place of Travis Moen. Boston ties the series 2-2.

Game 5: BOSTON 4, Montreal 2
The Bruins finally displayed the game that earned them the President's Trophy as the top team in the NHL this year. Physically dominated the Habs by out-hitting them 39-29. Douglas Murray was exposed as too slow and could not clear the puck out of the defensive zone. Bruins jumped ahead to a 4-1 lead until P.K. Subban wired one home with 2 minutes left in the game. Again on the power play and again with Matt Bartkowski in the penalty box. Third time this series. Subban was squirted in the face with water by the Bruins Shawn Thornton late in the game. While no penalty was assessed, Thornton was fined by the NHL. Brendan Gallagher had the other Montreal goal. Daniel Briere was a healthy scratch for Montreal, replaced by Travis Moen. Boston leads the series 3-2.

Game 6: MONTREAL 4, Boston 0
The Canadiens returned to Montreal with their playoff lives on the line and responded with the best game they played this entire season. Complete and utter dominance of the Bruins. Nathan Beaulieu was a surprise addition to the line-up in place of Douglas Murray and made his professional hockey playoff debut paired with Mike Weaver. Beaulieu picked up an assist on Max Pacioretty's first goal of the series in the second period. Lars Eller opened the scoring in the first period and Thomas Vanek scored a pair of goals to ice the game. Daniel Briere returned to the line-up for Montreal. Carey Price stopped 26 shots - including many difficult ones - for the shutout. Series is now tied 3-3.

Game 7: Montreal 3, BOSTON 1
The deciding game in the series was played in Boston. Dale Weise opened the scoring just 2:18 into the game. Montreal dominated the action in the first period, relying on speed to go along with a punishing physical game. Max Pacioretty scored the series-winning goal for the second time in these playoffs midway through the second period. Daniel Briere iced the game late in the third period with a power play goal and Nathan Beaulieu had another assist, giving him 2 assists in just under 18 minutes of ice time in the playoffs. Total. Carey Price was sensational, making 29 saves while Tuukka Rask was visibly shaky and stopped only 15 of 18 shots faced. Alexei Emelin was a physical force with 7 hits on the blue line for Montreal.

There is no better feeling than defeating the Boston Bruins in a playoff series. The Bruins are bruising physical team. Players like Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic play the game with an often dirty edge. Shawn Thornton is a goon, plain and simple. Zdeno Chara is nasty. Claude Julien is easily the most unlikeable coach in the NHL. The Bruins are the Habs biggest rivals, with all due respect to the losers in blue and white up there in Toronto. Winning this series playing the Habs style of speed game gives them great confidence heading into the next round against the surprising New York Rangers (Series Preview will be available on Friday). Montreal is playing a complete game right now, with a hot goalie, solid defense and production from all four forward lines. Getting fourth line production is what helps win Stanley Cups. Ask Los Angeles. Ask Boston. Ask Chicago. Dale Weise, Daniel Briere, Michael Bournival and Brandon Prust are providing both the intangibles and the points.

Enjoy this victory, Montreal fans. Savour every moment of it. Because we just witnessed one for the ages.

 ---
Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Read More

Playoff Preview: Canadiens at Bruins (Round 2, Game 7)

 
Match Up:

Wednesday night, the Canadiens and Bruins square off one final time this season, for the 12th time this season and the 903rd time overall. Boston will host Game 7 for the third time in the last four meetings, dating back to 2004 when only Andrei Markov and Patrice Bergeron were in the lineups for Montreal's 2-0 win.

Max Pacioretty, Lars Eller and Thomas Vanek pitched in with the offense in Montreal's 4-0 win on Monday to force Game 7, while Price posted 26 saves for the shutout, with a little help from David Desharnais.

The game starts at 7 and airs on CBC and RDS.

What to Watch:

The Habs have found some serious production from their defensemen in this series. PK Subban has 4 goals and 3 assists, Weaver and Bouillon have both chipped in with goals, Markov has all of his 5 assists in the in these playoffs against the Bruins and even Nathan Beaulieu chipped in with an assist in his first ever NHL playoff game. The better news for the Habs was that in Game 6 the offensive stars kicked in, as Vanek, Eller and Pacioretty took care of the scoring. Vanek had his second two-goal game of the series on Monday.

The Bruins stayed true-to-form in this series, they haven't relied on one hero for success and spread the scoring around. Reilly Smith has led the way with 3 goals, as many as the top-line of Jarome Iginla, Milan Lucic and David Krejci have scored combined. Krejci led the Bruins in points this year with 69, but he has just 3 assists in 11 playoff games so far.

What's at Stake:

Game 7. Win and move on, lose and go home.

Who's Out:

Alex Galchenyuk (knee) might be just a few days from being game ready, but he'll miss his second straight playoff series for the Habs.

The Bruins won't get any of their wounded back for Game 7 either, Dennis Seidenberg (lower body), Chris Kelly (back) and Adam McQuaid (ankle) remain out.

What Else:

As they've done for several big games in the past, the Habs are opening the doors to the Bell Center to watch Game 7. Tickets went on sale at 10 dollars apiece with proceeds going to the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation.

The Habs and Bruins meet in Game 7 for a 9th time in their histories, the most in professional sports. Patrice Bergeron and Andrei Markov have both played in 3 of the 8 prior meetings, Carey Price and Tomas Plekanec have played a pair, as have Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Shawn Thornton and Zdeno Chara.

The Question Mark:

Who are your series MVPs picks and who will be the star on Wednesday?

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.

Read More

Playoff Preview: Canadiens vs Bruins (Round 2, Game 4)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens - Bruins series stays in Montreal for Game 4 Thursday night. The Habs took a 2-1 series lead with a 4-2 win at the Bell Centre on Tuesday. Game 4 is set to start at 7:30 and airs on RDS and CBC.

The Canadiens went up by as many as 3 goals in Game 3, and for the first time this series, they didn't give up their third period lead to the Bruins, hanging on for a 4-2 win. Dale Weise picked up his second game winning goal in these playoffs while Daniel Briere picked up his third assist on a game winning goal.

What to Watch:

PK Subban has racked up 6 points in 3 games versus the Bruins and 10 points career playoff points against the Bruins in 10 games. Lars Eller's strong playoffs continued with an assist and an empty net goal in Game 3 after being held pointless the game before for the first time this postseason. Eller is up to 3 goals and 5 assists in 7 games.

Milan Lucic comes into Thursday's match on a 5-game point streak, he has 3 goals and 3 assists in that span. Patrice Bergeron extended his point streak to 7 games with a goal on Tuesday, his 9 points put him 8th in playoff scoring.

What's at Stake:

The Canadiens are 3-and-0 in home playoff games so far. They'll need another win on Bell Centre ice Thursday to hold onto home ice advantage. While a win for the Bruins would tie the series at 2, it would shift the advantage back to them as the series returns to Boston on Saturday.

Who's Out:

Alex Galchenyuk (knee) is still out for the Canadiens. Brandon Prust missed Game 3 although if he is injured, he's played through the injury for 6 games already in these playoffs.

The Bruins are still missing Dennis Seidenberg (lower body), Adam McQuaid (ankle) and Chris Kelly (back).

What Else:

Goal celebrations have been a hot storyline in this series. It started in Game 1 with Milan Lucic and Torey Krug celebrating a third period goal by beating their chest and the Bruins logo on it. Dale Weise answered the celebration back on Bell Centre ice after his breakaway goal put the Canadiens ahead 3-0 in Game 3. Meanwhile PK Subban's celebration for his out-of-the-box breakaway goal has been replayed almost as often as the goal itself.

The Question Mark:

How do expect the Bruins to react in Game 4 and how will that affect the Habs' game-plan?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter. Tune in to the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show to hear the answers.

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.

Read More

Monday Musings: Subban, Price Have Habs Heading Home Tied

Greetings Habs Addicts,

After a one week hiatus where Monday Musings was replaced by my extensive Montreal-Boston series preview, it returns this week with the Habs and Bruins sitting tied at one-game apiece in their best of seven series. Montreal went into Boston and stole Game One on the strength of a 48-save gem from goaltender Carey Price, along with a two-goal performance from P.K Subban whose second goal was the double-overtime winner giving Montreal a 4-3 win. Game Two saw the Habs leading 3-1 with ten minutes to go in the third period before the Bruins stormed back with three goals in a five minute span to take the lead. They later tacked on an empty-net goal to ice the game 5-3. Montreal did earn an important split in Boston as the series heads north to Montreal for Game Three and Game Four, but the late-game collapse could have shifted the momentum over to the Bruins. Boston has absolutely dominated the play so far this series. Montreal has had issues with the size of the Bruins forwards, especially in the defensive zone.

- P.K. Subban had a fantastic Game One for Montreal. Subban scored two powerplay goals - carbon copies almost, as both times Matt Bartkowski was in the box and both times he took a feed from Andrei Markov before wiring a one-timer past Tuukka Rask. If you saw the first goal, you saw the second goal. Subban was also the target of racist tweets from a small number of Bruins' fans on Twitter. Subban handled the situation beautifully when he finally did address the issue a couple of days later:

Subban after scoring the overtime winner in Game 1.
Photo Credit: CBC.ca

“It’s completely unfair for anybody to point the finger at the (Bruins) organization or the fan base. They have passionate fans here, great fan base and since I’ve been in the league it’s been awesome. I’ve come to Boston many times. My family has come here, and it’s been great,” - P.K Subban, addressing the tweets after the Habs 5-3 loss.

The Bruins also issues a statement on the issue. Bruins' president Cam Neely addressed the tweets when the story broke, after game one ended:

"The racist, classless views expressed by an ignorant group of individuals following Thursday’s game via digital media are in no way a reflection of anyone associated with the Bruins organization." - Boston Bruins' President Cam Neely

There won't be much more added to this story here. There will always be people out there willing to express ignorant or racist views. In the age of social media, those views reach a far greater audience at a far faster pace. This story broke before the first period ended, although was never acknowledged on the air. P.K Subban handled the situation with great class, as did many fans of the Bruins and Habs who immediately denounced the comments and commenters on Twitter. Fans on both sides need not be reminded that P.K's younger brother, Malcolm Subban, is a former first round pick of the Bruins and currently a member of their farm-team in Providence. Its disappointing that racism still exists in this day and age. It's an issue that has been addressed and has progressed a long way but there will always be ignorant comments made by a select few attention seekers, especially on social media. As Cam Neely indicated, those views do not reflect the opinion of the vast majority of Bruins' fans nor the organization itself. P.K has addressed the situation and has moved on. So should we.

- The Canadiens were seriously outplayed in the first game. The Bruins came out flying and dominated the action, peppering Carey Price with 51 shots in the double-overtime thriller. Price stood on his head, with a little luck from his goalposts as well. The Canadiens stole a game they did not deserve to win. In game two, Price was just as stellar and the frustrations began to boil over. Until the late defensive collapse, Price had stymied the Boston shooters and were on the verge of taking a 2-0 series lead. The Bruins proved they are the best third-period team in hockey as they rallied to come back and steal the game out of the Habs clutches. In the series, 6 of the 7 Boston goals have all gone up and over Price. Aiming high seems to be the gameplan for the Bruins and Price will need to use his size more effectively to block the top part of the net for the rest of the series. Price is a talented goalie and coach Stephane Waite will allow him to make the adjustments he needs. The defenders have done a good job of blocking shots, but need to start playing more physical and clearing the front of the net to give Price a better view of the shots coming his way. Expect to see - much to the chagrin of almost everyone - the return of Douglas Murray to the lineup for game three. Hopefully at the expense of Francis Bouillon, who had two of the Bruins' goals deflect off him and into the net and has consistently been over matched physically by the larger Bruins' forwards.

- The top-line has been nearly non-existent in the playoffs this spring. Aside from the series-winning goal by Max Pacioretty against Tampa, the secondary scoring has been leading the Habs to victory. Thomas Vanek was called out by coach Michel Therrien prior to game two and admitted that he hasn't played well so far during the playoffs. Vanek responded with two powerplay goals, the second one giving Montreal a 3-1 lead before a defensive collapse allowed Boston to steal the game. David Desharnais has had a solid effort, despite often giving up 20-40 pounds on his opponent. Little Davey has not shied away from gigantic Zdeno Chara but has lost the battle more often than not when he has engaged him with the puck. Max Pacioretty needs to start skating hard into the corners and fighting for loose pucks. And most importantly, needs to start scoring. Knowing how Pacioretty is, once the first goal goes in, the rest often come in bunches.

- The Canadiens' best line so far in the playoffs has been the rejuvenated Rene Bourque, playing with an equally rejuvenated Lars Eller and the defensively-responsible Brian Gionta. Through six playoff games, Bourque has 4 goals and 5 points while Eller has 2 goals and 6 points. Gionta has added 1 goal and 4 points to the equation. Brendan Gallagher - a notoriously hated pest if you are a Bruin - has had an energetic playoffs so far, contributing 3 goals and 6 points so far. These players need to continue to produce at this clip, with the top line adding some scoring if Montreal has any hope of getting past this round of the playoffs. The renaissance of Rene Bourque has been nice. Hopefully it continues.

This week the Canadiens welcome the Bruins to the Bell Centre and the raucous Bell Centre crowd will be ready for them. Game Three is Tuesday night with Game Four scheduled for Thursday night. Game Five will be played Saturday night in Boston.  Montreal needs to win at least two of the next three games. All three would be fantastic. For that to happen, Montreal needs to start putting more pucks past Tuukka Rask.

Max Pacioretty: Your time is now.

 ---
Nick M. is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Read More

Habs Are Shipping Up To Boston: Second Round Preview

Greetings Habs Addicts,

The second round of the NHL playoffs is upon us.

The Habs are shipping up to Boston to take on their fierce rival: The Boston Bruins on Thursday. Why did I include a link to the famous Dropkick Murphy's song? Well the Boston-based band filmed the video following around hooligans, getting into street fights and running from the authorities. Basically, it musically sums up what we should expect in this series: It's going to be violent, intense and likely keep the referees quite busy.

Carey Price vs Tim Thomas. Sums up the rivalry.
Photo Credit: HabsAddict.com

It's going to be fantastic.

Montreal won the regular-season series 3-1 against Boston this year. All of them were intense battles. Three of those starts had Peter Budaj in goal (2-1) while Carey Price started the first match-up of the season (1-0). It goes to show it doesn't matter who is in net for Montreal against Boston. While there has been lot of talk in the past about Budaj's recent run of success against the Bruins, Carey Price owns a 17-8-3 record, with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage for his career against Boston. Don't think for a minute he's intimidated about facing the Bruins. Price was snubbed in the Vezina voting, arguably should have been named ahead of Ben Bishop or Semyon Varlamov. Carey does have one thing neither of those goaltenders have: An Olympic gold medal from Sochi. Price is ready for the pressure this series will produce. He needs to be. On the other side is Vezina nominee Tuukka Rask.

Is Rask confident about facing the Habs this round?

Rask has a career record of 3-10-3 with a pedestrian 2.63 goals-against average and .908 save percentage all-time against the Habs. He does own a shutout. He also owns this hilariously failed stick breaking attempt that lands him on his arse. For those who forget, this was the 2013 game where Peter Budaj relieved Carey Price in the third period and the Habs rallied back to take the game in a shootout.


Teams At A Glance

Boston won the President's Trophy this season, with an NHL-leading 117 points. Boston also finished 2nd in the league allowing a paltry 177 goals against. The Bruins had a strong offense, scoring 261 goals which was good enough for 3rd overall in the league. Tuukka Rask is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. Zdeno Chara is a finalist for the Norris Trophy. Patrice Bergeron is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the best two-way forward. This is his third straight nomination and he captured the award in 2012. Boston made quick work of the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, taking the series 4-1. Detroit won game one, before the Bruins won the next four in a row.

Montreal finished 9th in the NHL with 100 points on the season, tied with the Los Angeles Kings. The Canadiens were stingy in their own right, allowing only 204 goals against; 6th best in the league. Montreal's even strength offense was not good this year. Overall, the Habs scored only 215 goals which was only good enough to rank them 21st in the league. Montreal made quick work of the favoured Tampa Bay Lightning, sweeping the first round series 4-0.

Recap of the 2013-14 regular season match-ups

Game One: MONTREAL 2, Boston 1. - 12/5/13
Max Pacioretty scored the game-winning goal but also sent Bruins' defenseman Johnny Boychuk to a Montreal hospital after a nasty check in the boards in the first period. Patches received a two-minute penalty for boarding on the play, but no suspension. Carey Price finished with 32 saves. The win extended Montreal's unbeaten streak to nine games at the time. Both Douglas Murray and George Parros were dressed for this match-up.

Game Two: Montreal 4, BOSTON 1. - 1/30/14
Montreal was in the midst of a slump while Boston was on fire. Peter Budaj received the start and made 34 saves. Max Pacioretty had the game-winning goal again, while Alexei Emelin, Brian Gionta and Daniel Briere also scored for Montreal. Both Douglas Murray and George Parros were dressed for this match-up.

Game Three: Boston 4, MONTREAL 1. - 3/12/14
Boston came into Montreal and outplayed the Canadiens on their way to winning their sixth straight game. Tuukka Rask had a rare stellar evening against Montreal, stopping 35 of 36 shots faced while Peter Budaj allowed three goals in the second period while making 28 saves. David Desharnais scored the lone Habs goal. Carey Price missed the game recovering from his Sochi Olympic injury. Douglas Murray was in the line-up while George Parros was scratched.

Game Four: Montreal 2, BOSTON 1 (SO) - 3/24/14
Montreal ended Boston's 12-game winning streak. Peter Budaj was the surprise starter in the first of back-to-back games. Most people thought Price would start against Boston, while Budaj would play the following night against the Buffalo Sabres. The tight checking, physical game ended with Budaj making 28 saves and stopping all four shots he faced in the shootout. Alex Galchenyuk scored the shootout winner. Douglas Murray was in the line-up, while George Parros was scratched.

Previewing Round Two

Boston and Montreal are two of the leagues oldest rivals. This rivalry is in my opinion the best in hockey. What should we expect this round?

- Douglas Murray played in all four regular season match-ups. While Murray is not fleet of foot nor can he handle the puck, he plays a strong and physical game which he matches up well against the Bruins. Murray did not play a single game against Tampa and it will be interesting to see if he inserts into the line-up over Francis Bouillon against Boston. Murray did not have a bad series against Boston this year. He played arguably his best game in a Habs uniform in the finale where the Habs snapped Boston`s league-best winning streak.

- Milan Lucic should have been suspended for a nasty spear against the Red Wings' Daniel DeKeyser. Lucic was not penalized on the play, but did received a $5,000 fine afterwards. This was not his first time taking a cheap shot, as he did the same thing to the Habs' Alexei Emelin last season. The Bruins' are a physical and dirty team. Coach Claude Julien has made it a habit to complain to the media after games. Expect a lot of cheap shots from Bruins players, especially on noted pest Brendan Gallagher. Gallagher thrives against Boston and the Bruins loathe the sparkplug. Expect Julien to complain about Montreal receiving penalty calls and diving at least once during a post-game interview.

- Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara have a history with each other. Chara memorably drove Pacioretty hard into the stanchion on the boards, fracturing his neck during the 2010-11 season. This year, Pacioretty inadvertently injured Johnny Boychuck with a hard check into the boards. Both players are pivotal to their teams and Patches will have to battle Chara all series long to in order to produce offensively.

- The Bruins possess one of the leagues best shut-down forwards in Patrice Bergeron. The Habs' top line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek had a quiet series against Tampa and will be matched up with the Bruins top shutdown line and defensive pairing. The Habs need this line to perform at its strongest, while continuing to get the balanced scoring they received against the Lightning. Thomas Vanek is a noted Bruin-killer for his career, having amassed 30 goals and 62 points in 55 career games against Boston. Rene Bourque, Lars Eller and Brian Gionta will have to continue to provide the secondary scoring they did against Tampa to draw some of the defensive attention away from the top line.

- Brendan Gallagher made a name for himself as a pest in the NHL. The always-grinning Gallagher has been a thorn in the side of the Bruins since he entered the league last season and has a goal and six points in eight career games against Boston. The Bruins tend to take liberties against Gallagher, often drawing penalties. Montreal needs to capitalize on these penalties with a power-play that struggled mightily against the Lightning.

- P.K Subban was a beast against Tampa. Subban had a down year in comparison to his Norris Trophy winning 2013 season. Subban was rather invisible on the score sheet against the Bruins, only garnering a single assist in the four games played, while finishing -1. Subban also only had eight shots on goal in the four games. Subban needs to come out and have a strong, disciplined series. Bruins players will try and get under his skin and get him off his game and he cannot allow that to happen. However it seems when teams challenge Subban emotionally, he responds positively. Bring on Brad Marchand.

Quite obvious who CBC likes in this one.
Photo credit: AwfulAnnouncing.com

- Carey Price has solid career numbers against Boston and is coming off a very strong regular season. Goaltending coach Stephane Waite has calmed down excess movement and Price has a preternatural calmness about him in the crease. Winning a gold medal for Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics, to go along with his Memorial Cup and Calder Cup winning past. Price needs to continue his strong season for Montreal to have a chance against a strong offensive team. Tuukka Rask has struggled against Montreal for his career, even this season when he had one of his best seasons overall.

- CBC sports and Don Cherry finally have something to be happy about. Expect Montreal to finally get on Hockey Night in Canada this round simply because of their opponent (see photo).

Summary

Offense: Boston had one of the NHL's top offenses, possess a balanced scoring attack. Boston had two 30 goal scorers (Patrice Bergeron and Jarome Iginla) and five players total who scored 20+ goals. Montreal struggled at even strength all year long, but have since improved dramatically after acquiring Thomas Vanek. Montreal had only one 30+ goal scorer (Pacioretty) and two who scored 20+ (Vanek and Tomas Plekanec).
Edge: Boston

Defense: Zdeno Chara is one of the NHL's fiercest defenders. Chara had 17 goals and 40 points for the season. Torey Krug broke out this season for the Bruins with 14 goals and 40 points. Overall, Johnny Boychuk, Andrej Meszaros, Dougie Hamilton and Dennis Seidenberg (injured) provide a very tough match-up for the Montreal forwards. P.K Subban and Andrei Markov led Montreal defenders in scoring with 53 and 43 points respectively. Alexei Emelin and Douglas Murray provide a strong physical presence in front of the net. Josh Gorges and Mike Weaver are shot-blocking nightmares for opposing teams.
Edge: Even

Goaltending: Both Carey Price and Tuukka Rask had all-world seasons. While Rask is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, Carey Price arguably should be right there with him. In terms of the head-to-head match-ups, Price won his only one. Peter Budaj is a capable backup, should he be needed and will be ready if Price struggles. Rask has horrible career numbers against Montreal and it's clear that he has a hard time maintaining his composure against the Habs. While Rask could be named the leagues best goaltender at season's end, for this match-up the edge has to go to Carey Price.
Edge: Montreal

Coaching: Claude Julien is one of the NHL's best coaches. His teams are always near the top and he will do what he needs to do in the media to take the attention away from his club and put it on him. Michel Therrien has been embattled in the eyes of the fans and media all season long for his questionable line juggling, line-up changes and in-game strategy. But regular season Therrien has been replaced by playoff Therrien. The same Therrien that guided his Pittsburgh Penguins to a Stanley Cup final. He has his squad playing their best hockey at the right time, as Montreal entered the playoffs on a tear and have not eased up. His team does not give up on him at any time, often rallying in the third period to win games they did not deserve to win after 40-minutes.
Edge: Even

Prediction: Boston and Montreal physically beat each other up, score some fantastic goals and keep the fans on the edge of their seats all series long. A hot goaltender can win a series. Carey Price is that goaltender as Montreal wins the series 4-3 in another hard-fought, best of seven series. One for the ages is upon us. Enjoy it!

 ---
Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Read More

Monday Musings: Why The Habs Are Nearing A Sweep Of Tampa

Greetings Habs Addicts!

What a week for Les Habitants! The NHL playoffs began and the Habs went down to Tampa Bay to face the Lightning in the first round. Montreal struggled against Tampa this season, although they played four very close games. Tampa held the edge compiling a 3-0-1 record against the Habs. All but one of the games finished with 2-1 scores, the last game ended 3-1 as Tampa managed to add an empty-net goal. With home ice advantage, most hockey pundits were taking Tampa to move onto the second round.

Not. So. Fast.

Game One was absolutely dominated by the Habs. They out-worked, out chanced and drastically out-shot the Lightning. And after regulation, the score was tied 4-4. Carey Price allowed four goals on 16 shots, while Anders Lindback allowed four goals on 35 shots. In the case of Tampa's goals, it was quality over quantity as most of them came after bad turnovers by Habs defenders left him in a bad spot. Both teams fired nine shots on goal in the overtime, but the dominant team prevailed when Dale Weise fired home the game winner with just under two-minutes to go in the extra frame. Habs win 5-4 in overtime.

Dale Weise celebrates his OT winner with P.K. Subban.
Photo Credit: MontrealGazette.com

Everyone expected a stronger performance from Carey Price in Game Two. He was average at best in Game One before standing on his head in overtime. If Montreal came out with the same intensity, and Price was just slightly better, they should win easily. Game Two saw the Bolts come out strong early on, firing 11 shots on goal in the opening frame, five less than they managed all of Game One. Price stopped them all. The game remained scoreless after one period. In the second, David Desharnais got the Habs on the board before the much-maligned Rene Bourque tallied to give the Habs a comfortable 2-0 lead. In the third period, a terrible Tampa give-away landed on the stick of Brendan Gallagher and he made them pay. A few minutes later, Bourque tallied again to give Montreal a 4-0 lead. Tampa managed to get on the board with just under two minutes to go, with Teddy Purcell breaking the shutout bid. That was it for the Tampa offense. Price stopped 26 of 27 shots in a dominant 4-1 Habs victory. Montreal effectively took away home ice advantage by sweeping both games and headed home with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game Three saw the series shift to Montreal. After an incredible opening ceremony, Rene Bourque took a feed from P.K. Subban immediately after the opening faceoff and darted behind the defense and roofed one on Anders Lindback. 1-0 Habs after only 11 seconds of play. The rejuvenated Bourque played another strong game, going hard into the corners and the net and winning battles for the puck. The Bourque the Habs thought they traded for has finally arrived the past couple of games. Sure the sample size is small, but his play is reminiscent of how he played in Calgary when he had back-to-back 20+ goal seasons. The second period saw a weak penalty call on Daniel Briere lead to the tying goal, but an Bobby Orr-esque rush around the offensive zone by P.K. Subban ultimately resulted in Brendan Gallagher scoring his second goal of the series to give the Habs the lead. Subban lifted fans out of their seat and demonstrated why he is one of the best puck movers in the game. And demonstrated why you can accept the mistakes he makes. Overall, Subban has been on fire this series and this first game in Montreal was P.K. at his finest. Tomas Plekanec scored early in the third period, what proved to be the game winning goal in a 3-2 Montreal victory. The Habs now lead the series 3-0. En feu!

Coming up this Tuesday, Game Four of the series will be played at the Bell Centre with Montreal looking to complete the sweep. No one expected Tampa Bay to be in this situation. While the matchups during the regular season were close and ultimately dominated by Tampa Bay, both of these squads have a vastly different look to them during this series. Most notably:

• Montreal has an elite NHL playmaker and sniper in Thomas Vanek playing on a line with another elite sniper in 39-goal man Max Pacioretty. This top line has been on fire during the latter part of the season and makes Montreal a very dangerous - and balanced - offense. Vanek only played in only one previous matchup. 
• Martin St. Louis is now a member of the New York Rangers, with Ryan Callahan playing for the Lightning. While Steven Stamkos is back in the line-up, his elite playmaking setup-man is no longer on the team. 
• Ben Bishop led Tampa Bay all season long and is a dark-horse Vezina Trophy candidate this season. Bishop is out for this series and Anders Lindback has not been as strong in goal, nor was he at all this season. Lindback is a step down from what Bishop brings to the table for Tampa. 

There is no question that this Lightning squad is weaker than the one the Habs matched up with for most of the season. Injuries and personal issues have seen Bishop, Ondrej Palat, Ryan Malone, Sami Salo miss time. Trading Martin St. Louis - the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner - to the Rangers weakened the offense and has allowed teams to target Stamkos and let the rest of the roster try and beat them. While Ryan Callahan brings many leadership intangibles to the game along with grit, he's never scored 30 goals, nor posted more than 55 points in any regular season and he does not possess the on-ice vision and creativity that St. Louis brought to the lineup. The injury to Ben Bishop is far and away the deal-breaker for this playoff series. Montreal having to rely on Peter Budaj for this round would be competitive, but in worse shape than having All-World Carey Price in goal. You just simply don't replace someone of that talent level. 

This series is far from over but Montreal certainly has a stranglehold on it. Tampa made some lineup changes heading into Game Three to try and make themselves tougher, notably inserting tough-guy B.J. Crombeen along with the physical Tom Pyatt onto the fourth line while adding Mark Barberio on defense. While Tampa out-hit the Habs, they still had little answer for the skill that Montreal brought to the table. The rejuvenated Rene Bourque is making people forget about the lacklustre regular season he brought forward. P.K. Subban has been disciplined and setting up important goals and the Habs have received production from all four of their lines. Bourque (3), Plekanec (2), Gallagher (2), Desharnais (1), Vanek (1), Eller (1), Weise (1) and Gionta (1) have all scored during this series. Only Francis Bouillon, Andrei Markov and Michael Bournival have failed to record a point this round. Michel Therrien is confident in all four lines and this depth has allowed the Habs to remain fresh all game long. The way Montreal is distributing the puck and receiving production from all four lines, that should change next game.

Get the brooms out, Montreal. Let's sweep this!

 ---
Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

Read More