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.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Bruins (Game #54)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (28-20-5) are headed to Boston to take on the rival Bruins (34-15-3) Thursday night. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS and TSN-Habs.

This is the second of four games between the Habs and Bruins this season. The Canadiens already earned a 2-1 victory over the Bruins on home ice at the start of December. Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty each scored in the second period to put the Habs ahead and Carey Price shut the door with 32 saves on the night, including 16 in the third period.

What to Watch:

Brendan Gallagher, Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais combined for 2 goals and 5 points against Carolina on Tuesday in Montreal's 3-0. Each of the three finished the night at +2, while Gallagher led the Canadiens with 5 shots. Carey Price was the game's first star, earning his third shutout of the season.

The Bruins are coming off a 6-2 win over the Panthers on Tuesday, David Krejci led the way with a goal, 2 assists and a +5 rating in the game. Krejci now has 7 points in his last 4 games bringing him up to 45 points on the year to lead the Bruins. After scoring 9 points in 37 games with the Stars last season, Reilly Smith already has 40 this year with the Bruins. The 22-year old is in the midst of a 7-game point streak, with 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points over that span.

What's at Stake:

The Habs should have plenty of motivation heading into Thursday's game against the Bruins. Aside from the fact they're facing off against one of their oldest rivals, Boston is also atop the division and a win would be a big confidence boost after a rough stretch. The Canadiens will be looking to win back-to-back games for the first time in January.

Who's Out:

The Habs are still missing Alex Galchenyuk (hand), Ryan White (upper body) and Davis Drewiske (shoulder).

The Bruins are without Dennis Seidenberg (knee) and Adam McQuaid (leg).

What Else:

When the Habs beat the Bruins in December, the victory vaulted them into first place in the Atlantic division. Now, less than two months later, the Bruins have a 10-point lead over the Canadiens. The Habs have dropped to fourth in the division with the Lightning and the Leafs both sitting between them and the division leading Bruins. Montreal has gone 10-11-2 in the 23 games they've played since beating the Bruins, while Boston has 16-7-1 over 24 games in that same span.

The Question Mark:

Unless they're re-signed beforehand, Brian Gionta, Andrei Markov, George Parros, Raphael Diaz, Francis Bouillon and Douglas Murray are all slated to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Who among those should Marc Bergevin be trying to move before the trade deadline and who should he be focused on re-signing?

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

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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