Game 5 - Canadiens vs Bruins

#MTLHockey Preview

Match Up

After a week on the road, the Canadiens (3-1-0) will finally play their home opener Thursday night when they host the Bruins (2-3-0). The game is set to start at 7:30 and the Habs' home opener will be shown on RDS, Sportsnet 360, NESN and NHLNetwork-US.

This is the first of four matches between the Canadiens and Bruins. They Habs won three of four meetings during the regular season last year and beat the Bruins in the second round of the playoffs, winning Game 7 in Boston. At the end of the series, Milan Lucic had a few choice words for Dale Weise and Alexei Emelin.

Where we left off

 

What to Watch

The Canadiens have yet to score their first power play goal of the season and not that's it been for a lack of opportunity. The team has managed just 13 power play shots while going 0-for-14 with the man advantage.

Carey Price has had a slow start to the year despite a 2-1-0 record. He's given up three goals or more in each of his first three starts, including four in two periods on Monday against the Lightning.

While the Canadiens have struggled to score on the power play, the Bruins have struggled scoring altogether with just six goals in five games. Reilly Smith has two goals playing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, he's the team's only multiple goal scorer. The Bruins responded to their lethargic start by signing Simon Gagne to a one-year deal worth $600,000.

What's at Stake

The Canadiens were handed their first loss of the season by the team they knocked out of the first round of the Playoffs last spring, they'll be trying to avoid losing their second game to their second round victims.

It feels a bit strange that the Habs have not yet played a home game with the season more than a week old, but the 2014-2015 Montreal Canadiens will be greeting their faithful for the first time on Thursday.

Who's Out

Marc Bergevin sent Michael Bournival down to the Bulldogs prior to the weekend, but indicated he'd be brought back to the team before next week. Alexei Emelin has missed the last two games with an upper body injury, but could be ready for action on Thursday.

The Bruins are missing Gregory Campbell (upper body), he has yet to play a game for the Bruins this season.

What Else

On Monday, Tomas Plekanec was named the NHL's First Star of the week for the first week of the season, it was the first time of his career he was named to the three stars of the week. Last season, Lars Eller was the league's Second Star in the first week of play. Only Carey Price earned First Star of the week honors among Canadiens players last year. Max Pacioretty earned Second and Third Star nods during the season.

The Question Mark

With the way these two teams ended last season, how should Michel Therrien set his line-up for Thursday's game?

Tonight's Show

Join myself, Rob Elbaz, along with Kosta Papoulias and Corey Collard for the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show as we go live at 6:30. Jimmy Murphy from Sirius XM and Web Sports Media's Top Shelf Radio will join us to break down the game from the Bruins perspective.

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

Match Up:

The Canadiens welcome the Bruins to the Bell Centre Tuesday night when they host just their third home game of the playoffs, the fewest of any team still fighting for the Cup. The game starts at 7:00 and will air on RDS and CBC.

The series is tied 1-1 after the Bruins once again overcame a 2-goal deficit in the third period Saturday afternoon. This time around the Bruins were able to complete their comeback when Riley Smith beat Carey Price with a wrist shot after receiving a cross-ice pass from Torey Krug. An empty-net goal from Milan Lucic pushed the final score to 5-3.Zdeno Chara had 1 assist in Game 2 and finished the match with a plus-5 rating.

What to Watch:

For the second straight game, the Canadiens tallied a pair of power play goals on Saturday, both were Thomas Vanek deflections of PK Subban shots. The Habs are 4-for-9 with the man advantage in 2 games against the Bruins after going 2-for-13 against the Lightning in Round 1. On the penalty kill side of special teams the Habs have not only shut down the Bruins through 2 games (thanks largely to some stellar play from Carey Price), they've also been well-disciplined. The Canadiens have allowed just 12 power plays against in 6 games, less than any other team so far this postseason.

The Bruins were shut out in their first playoff game this year, a 1-0 loss to the Wings, but Patrice Bergeron has found the scoresheet in every game since. Bergeron has 2 goals and 6 assists in his last 6 games, picking up a helper in each. Brad Marchand was held pointless in the opening round but has 4 assists already in 2 games against the Canadiens.

What's at Stake:

By splitting the first two games in Boston, the Canadiens return to Montreal with home ice advantage but they'll need to win the next 2 games to keep it. Both teams will be looking to improve after the opening two games, the Bruins found themselves trailing by a pair in the third period of each game while the Habs were unable to hold onto those 2-goal leads despite stellar goaltending.

Who's Out:

Alex Galchenyuk (knee) has started skating on his own but does not seem close to a return. Rene Bourque (flu) missed Monday's practice, there's been no word yet on whether he's expected to miss Tuesday's game.

Michel Therrien will have some choices to make in terms of healthy scratches for Game 3. On defense, Douglas Murray skated in Francis Bouillon's spot during Monday's practice. Meanwhile Travis Moen was scratched in Game 2 after playing his first game since returning from injury in Game 1, and Ryan White has yet to play in the playoffs, both were on the fourth line in practice. Brandon Prust was skating as an extra forward in the latest practice, there's speculation that he's been playing injured throughout the playoffs.

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

What Else:

After getting called for icing a stunning 12 times in Game 1, the Canadiens improved dramatically in Game 2 icing the puck just 3 times. For their part, the Bruins have hardly had trouble in that department, they've iced the puck just 5 times in two games against the Habs. The Canadiens will  want to avoid defensive zone faceoffs as much as possible, they've been out-dueled at the dot 88 to 68 so far in the series. That's a mere 43.6% success rate for Montreal.

The Question Mark:

We want to hear from you: Has this Habs-Bruins series lived up to your expectations so far or has there been something missing?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet 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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The NHL Needs To Stop The Violence, Or Expect The Inevitable

By: Tony Padula

Even by UFC standards, the knee to the head by Penguins' forward James Neal on the Bruins' super pest Brad Marchand in the Boston's 3-2 victory over Pittsburgh last Saturday night is considered a viscious and calculated blow. Neal took advantage of Marchand's vulnerability, and it is one of the most cowardly and unmanly cheap shots ever in recent memory. That was followed up by an equally heinous retaliatory slew foot and face pounding by Shawn Thornton on a prone and defenceless Brooks Orpik.

The NHL, and its officials, have allowed this situation to escalate, and has moved one step closer to reporting its first death as a direct result of a violent act since Bill Masterton died in 1968.  Former NHL referee Wally Harris characterized the Masteron hit by saying, "he was checked hard, but I'm sure it wasn't a dirty play." That argument sounds vaguely familiar to some of the asinine explanations we have been provided in recent years by many NHL media outlets and "old school" thinkers.

So long as the discussion of fighting keeps getting bastardized with acts of violence that fall outside a conventional dropping of the gloves, the NHL will never turn the pendulum away from barbarism and towards beautiful skillful artistry.

If violence was a successful strategy to glory, then explain why these acts of violence do not take place in the playoffs? Explain why the Montreal Canadiens have 24 Stanley Cups, and Boston and Philadelphia, teams known for their brutish styles of play, only have a handful?

When five year old children register to play hockey for the first time, do we teach them to skate, stop, and pivot turn, or do we teach them boxing and wrestling moves?

The day is coming when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will have to look the NHL's Chairman of the Board of Govornors, and Bruins' owner Jeremy Jacobs in the eye and tell him that violence needs to be reduced for the sake of the game, and that a cultural shift needs to start happening in cities like Boston and Philadelphia. 

This is exactly what it is...a cultural gap that exists between our two countries. 

In Canada, we see spots of societal devastation that involve mass murder. It hits the nation’s citizens hard, and we reject it as being tolerable. 

In the USA, they hide behind the constitution and learn to accept the almost daily occurrence of such inexplicable destruction of human life, and it is only inevitable, and somewhat expected, that such inner feelings carry over into the field of sports.

Fighting in hockey was nothing more than a policing measure to make up for the pathetically inept and biased officiating that existed in the game today. And now, we find ourselves one step closer to a ferocious beating, an unexpected clubbing or a senseless kneeing of a hockey player when in a defenseless position that will not only knock a player out or end his career, but will no doubt kill him. 

 

Mr. Bettman, I hope you have a R.I.P. message ready, because it will be needed sooner rather than later unless you put an end to this garbage goon mentality pushed by a few, but powerful owners.

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Marchand Signs, Subban Next? Leaf Dubbed Worst Team, Northeast Preview & More...

Good Morning Addicts!

It seems there is no actual season necessary for the P.K. Subban, Brad Marchand rivalry to flourish. Marchand signed a four year extension today and right away the focus shifts towards Subban.

While Marchand is a skilled player who has shown what he can deliver on the ice, Subban also displays tons of talent but in a position that is in higher demand. With that being said, many people - okay, many people in Montreal - feel that Subban will be rewarded with a more luxurious contract.

TVA however, has reported that Subban will possibly sign before September 15th at a price very similar to Marchand's.

Habs And Hockey News

- As if it wasn't good enough that the weekend has arrived, ESPN ranked the Toronto Maple Leafs the worst team in professional sports. That's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

- Our own Fred Poulin takes a look at the Northeast division in his latest fantasy hockey preview.

- Shane Doan has apparently come to a verbal agreement with the Phoenix Coyotes.

- The Hockey Writers picked the five best value picks in each round of the 2012 NHL entry draft. It's very refreshing to see just how many of those picks belong to the Montreal Canadiens.

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Canadiens - Bruins: Price Holds the Fort, Habs Drop Boston to Last in East

Don't look now, but your Montreal Canadiens are on a winning streak. Albeit a modest two-game streak, but it is a streak nonetheless.

And isn't it refreshing to have the streak be on the positive side instead of the negative?

After blowing out the Flyers on Wednesday in their first home win of the season, Montreal played an excellent road game to down the Bruins yesterday in Boston.

Neither team had been playing well and they were both tied with six points in the standings.

After the Canadiens win, Montreal moved from 14th to 12th overall in the East while the Bs dropped to last place.

Yes, that's right, the defending Stanley Cup champions are currently last place in the East and 29th overall in the league.

Stanley Cup hangover indeed!

Final score: Habs 2 - Bruins 1

Game Notes

Return of the Patch - The big storyline leading into this match was that Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara would be facing each other for the first time since "the incident". There was a lot of emotion leading up the puck drop but, at the end of the day, it turned out to be a non-event.

Both players went about playing hockey and finally (I think), put the incident behind them.

The Price is right - Carey Price was the man of the hour last night, stopping 29 of 30 shots to earn the win.

Moreover, if it wasn't for Plekanec's own-goal marker, Price would have had a shutout.

Montreal played a good game but still gave up too many scoring chances from prime locations. None was more evident than when Nathan Horton was left all alone to shoot on Price from five feet out. Price made the save, and many others, to keep the score low and allow the Habs to comeback and win.

You can tell the team in front of him wanted it badly too, blocking 21 shots for Price en route to the victory.

Owned - On their first shift of the game Milan Lucic, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin absolutely dominated their Canadien counterparts.

On the ice for Montreal was Lars Eller, Andrei Kostitsyn and Travis Moen and they were completely overpowered by the Bruins aggressive forecheck. It was a thing of beauty to behold.

And man is Seguin ever good. And fast. Wow.

Dumped - Early in the first period with Erik Cole and Chris Kelly fighting for the puck in the Bruins zone, Cole hit and dumped Kelly on his posterior. It's the type of puck battle the Bruins tend to win far too often against Montreal and, last night, it was nice to see the shoe on the other foot.

Oh, that one hurts - Boston got on the board when Tomas Plekanec won a defensive zone faceoff, shuffling the puck straight at Price. Price didn't look completely set on the play and, as a result, whiffed on it, leading to a 1-0 Boston lead.

Ugly.

That was Plekanec's first goal of the night. The other, thankfully for Montreal, went into the Bruins net and ended up being the game winner.

Now that's a battle! - Milan Lucic and P.K. Subban fighting for the puck in the Habs zone during the second period. Wow, that was awesome!

Subban is one of the few Canadiens who has the strength to actually fight and win a puck battle with Lucic. It was a bit of stalemate, but it was something to see them go shoulder to shoulder and bounce off of each other with no clear winner.

Change up - The Canadiens had a 5-on-3 powerplay early in the second but failed to convert. Strangely, on the first wave of the PP was Michael Cammalleri, Yannick Weber, Brian Gionta, Eric Cole and Tomas Plekanec.

Really? 5-on-3 and that's who you put out there?

It's not that those are bad players or anything, but how about Subban, Cammalleri, Pacioretty, Cole and Plekanec? You figure you want to make sure to capitalize on the 5-on-3 and, at least in my mind, having your two power-forwards swarming the net would help in that department.

No? Is it me?

Be very, very quiet - Did anyone see David Desharnais last night?

The player who has been one of the few revelations of the first few weeks of the season, was a complete non-factor last night. It looked like he wasn't able to handle the big, physical Bruins.

The only time I really noticed him was when he was surrendering the puck in favour of not getting plastered by a Bruins player.

Unfortunate, but to be expected considering his 5'6 frame. Despite him being relatively invisible, he still managed to finish the night with an assist and a plus-1 rating.

Save of the night - With the Bruins on a late second period powerplay, Price went behind the net to play a dump in. Instead of being able to corral the puck, it bounced off of his stick and out front, giving the Bruins player an empty net to shoot at.

With Price scrambling to get back in the net, Raphael Diaz slide across just in time to block the shot. That kept the game tied at one and, ultimately, allowed the Habs to grab the victory.

Fight of the night - Well the only fight actually, was when P.K. Subban and Brad Marchand threw down near the end of the second. They had previous tried to fight two other times before the refs finally let them go.

While I originally thought Subban would get the better of Marchand due to his size and strength advantage, I was totally wrong.

I wouldn't call it a clear victory either way as both players got shots in, but it became clear to me that Subban just has no idea how to fight.

It's probably better that way, since the Habs can have him breaking a hand or something!

If you didn't see it, here it is in all it's sad, sad glory:


That was a bit sad now wasn't it? Especially that see-it-coming-a-mile-away haymaker. It kind of reminds me of his wind up for a slapshot.

Shorten your swing my friend!

Oh, and do you think Marchand was trying to exact revenge for Subban's clean but devastating hit on him from last season?

No pushback - Ok, ok, Subban and Marchand fighting was pretty harmless, except for the risk of a broken hand.

But then, in the third period, every Bruins player—with enforcer Shawn Thornton at the front of the line—decided to take runs at Subban. Thornton, in particular, must have got Subban two or three times with borderline hits on one shift.

The problem is that Subban, as one of the undisputed stars of the team, should not have to deal with that garbage. He should be able to focus on playing hockey and helping the Habs win. Unfortunately there is no one on the Canadiens squad who could or would step up in Subban's defense.

I still maintain that, while I'm not a fan of having a goon on the team, having someone who can "take care of business", when needed, is an absolute must.

Love him or hate him, Georges Laraque kept the opposition honest. You wouldn't have seen any of that with him in the lineup.

Question of the day - Did the Habs just save their season? A two-game winning streak does not necessarily mean that all the Habs troubles are behind them.

But it could.

Especially if that two game streak turns into three with another win over the Bruins on Saturday.

They say that every team has to go through their bit of adversity during the season in order to put together a solid year.

Has Montreal, less than 10 games in, already dealt with and overcome theirs?

Up next - The Canadiens return home for the second of a home-and-away against the Bruins tomorrow night at the Bell Centre.

The two teams renewed their rivalry last night in what seemed a lot like a playoff game. Considering that the plot seems to thicken each time these teams play each other, Saturday night's game should be a doozey!

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Kamal is a freelance writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com and Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on TSN Radio 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 9 - 10 AM. Listen live at http://www.tsn.ca/montreal/

Follow Kamal on Facebook and Twitter

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images North America)

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Montreal-Boston: Habs Down Bruins to Snap Losing Streak

by Kamal Panesar

The Boston Bruins were in Montreal last night for a highly anticipated match between two teams that are dueling for the top spot in the Northeast Division.

Despite their strong records in the standings, both teams have had their share of problems lately. The Habs, 5-3 losers the night before against the Flyers, were on a three-game losing streak and have gone 6-7 in their last 13 games. The Bruins too have been having trouble finding consistency, losing two straight including a 3-2 loss the night before against the Sabres.

All this to say that in an all important "four point" match, something had to give.

The Canadiens opened the scoring when Michael Cammalleri was awarded a penalty shot only 1:04 into the game. Cammalleri did a little dipsy-doodle-how-do-you-do tap dance on Tim Thomas to make it 1-0.

The Canadiens continued to press, getting another marker from Maxim Lapierre before the 10 minute mark, as their aggressive forecheck continued to pay dividends.

Tim Thomas kept his team in the game long enough for Blake Wheeler to get one past Carey Price to make it a one goal game. The goal shifted momentum to the Bruins who started to control the play until P.K. Subban absolutely leveled Brad Marchand with a clean open-ice hit.

The hit got the crowd and his teammates back into it.

Max Pacioretty put his first of the season past Thomas to give the Habs a 3-1 lead going into the intermission on 17 first period shots. The teams passed the momentum back and forth over the next two periods on great body checks, solid goaltending and timely goals. With the Habs outshooting the Bruins 41-37 on the night, Tim Thomas was the only reason this one wasn't over early.

Despite the Habs leading by two goals twice during the game, the Bruins kept the things close by capitalizing on bad turnovers and poor defensive coverage to make the score 3-2 then 4-3.

Ultimately, the Canadiens were able to come out on top by using their speed, chipping pucks behind the Bruins defenders and winning the 1-on-1 battles.

Hit of the night: P.K. Subban absolutely obliterated Brad Marchand midway through the first period with a clean open-ice hit. On the play, Subban saw Marchand headed towards the Habs' zone with a full head of steam. P.K. swooped from the middle of the ice to the right side, slamming into Marchand with his back. Marchand, bell clearly rung, slowly made his way back to the bench and it took him a few minutes to shake the kobb-webs out of his head.

Fight of the night: Michael Cammalleri and David Krejci dropped the gloves after exchanging pleasantries near the Habs' blueline. Krejci got more shots in but Cammalleri landed a few too. Both players came up with cuts on the face but where otherwise no worse for wear.

Final score: Habs 4 - Bruins 3

Habs' scorers: Michael Cammalleri (11), Maxim Lapierre (5), Max Pacioretty (1), Brian Gionta (11)
Bruins`scorers: Blake Wheeler (7), Marc Savard (1), Milan Lucic (16)

Three stars: 1. Max Pacioretty, 2. Michael Cammalleri, 3. Brian Gionta


Game Notes

1. Max Pacioretty is Pacio-ready.

OK, I stole that from RDS, but it's true!

Again, he has only played two games but so far Pacioretty seems to be missing ingredient from the second line. All of a sudden Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez have so much more room to skate and it makes the trio that much more dangerous.

Pacioretty is creating scoring chances every time he is on the ice as his size and nose for the net open up lanes for his linemates.

The most surprising part of his game, however, is his incredible foot speed. At 6'2" and 208 lbs, he moves fast for a big man which is good because he is playing with two of the fastest skaters on the team.

MaxPac finished the night with two points (1G, 1A), a plus-one rating, four shots on goal and 15:18 of ice time. That sounds pretty good to me!


2. Carey Price again let in a weak goal.

There really isn't a lot to complain about with Carey Price since the beginning of the season. That being said, over the last few games he has let in a few softies.

On the Blake Wheeler goal, for example, Price was slow moving post-to-post and Wheeler was able to put the puck into a mostly empty net as a result. I am not sure it is a momentary lack of focus of if perhaps a little fatigue is starting to creep into Price.

The Wheeler goal was exactly the kind of save that Price was making on a regular basis, only a week or so ago.

Overall, however, Price still looks solid. Maybe it is just time to give Alex Auld a few more starts so that Carey doesn't start to break down over the back half of the season.


3. Subban played a much better and seems to be finding his game again.

From the start of the game you could see that Subban had more jump in his stride and more confidence in his abilities.

He wasn't all the way there but was much closer to the exhilarating player who has been pulling fans out of their seats since the beginning of the season. As a result, he was making better decisions on the ice, better first passes and was fully engaged physically.

Yesterday was the second game in a row where Subban threw a thunderous first period hit and on both occasions it got his team into the game.

The more I see him play the more he reminds me of a smaller Larry Robinson or Chris Chelios.


4. Cammalleri is much better suited to playing with Tomas Plekanec.

When he was playing with Gomez, Cammalleri was trying to do too much by himself largely due to Gomez's lack of production. But he is a goal scorer and needs someone to set him up, like Martin St. Louis does with Steven Stamkos.

But when Gomez was sputtering Cammy took it upon himself to carry the puck down the ice and he was often trying to beat defenders, causing turnovers as a result. In addition, he was moving around too much on the ice and it was harder for Gomez to find him.

Playing with Plekanec you can see the difference instantly. Plek will dangle through the offensive zone and suddenly pass the puck out to a stationary Cammy who fires it on net. That is when Cammy is most dangerous. He and Plek just fit naturally together and with the Gomez line awake again, I don't think Martin should ever put Cammy with Gomez again.

Cammy has seven points (4G, 3A) in his last six games. At the same time, Scott Gomez has four assists in his last two games so maybe JM has finally found a solution that can work for everyone.


5. The Habs defense needs reinforcement.

As much as the Canadiens had success when Markov was initially out of the lineup, they are playing .500 hockey over the last 14 games (7-7). The more the season advances the more apparent it is becoming that the Canadiens defense needs help.

Alexandre Picard, who has filled in admirably, is turning the puck over more and more and showing why he has basically been a journeyman player for most of his career in the process. He is an acceptable depth guy but not too much more than that and right now he is being counted on as the No.4 defenseman on the team.

That is far more responsibility than he is realistically capable on handling.

In addition, guys like Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill are all over 35 years of age, not exceptionally mobile and playing far too many minutes. Only P.K. Subban and Josh Gorges have any real mobility to speak of and while there is a high ceiling for Subban, he is a rookie and, as we have seen lately, it will take some time for him to truly come into his own.

If Max Pacioretty continues to play well up front the Canadiens should be able to focus their attention on finding a minute-munching, big, strong defenseman.

Kevin Bieksa is a name that has been thrown around in the rumour mill, but all indications are that he comes with baggage and does not always give it his all. As such, I would look elsewhere for a solution.

The player who I like and who the Team 990 mentioned yesterday, is Calgary`s Robin Regher. At 30 years of age, Regher is 6`3`and 225 lbs, plays with a mean streak, routinely ices 20-plus minute games and is exactly the kind of had hitting defenseman that they desperately need. Given the problems in Calgary this year, Regher is a player that could be acquired through trade and he would make a great complement to Subban.

That duo would eat up significant minutes allowing Hamrlik and Spacek to play less minutes and have more left in the tank for a potentially long playoff run.


Standings and Next Game

The win snaps the Canadiens' three-game losing streak, moving their record to 19-11-2 with 40 points in the standings. The Habs now have a four point buffer on the Bruins who have 36 points in the standings and two games in hand.

The Canadiens now embark on their most challenging road trip of the season, playing in seven different cities starting Sunday night in Colorado and ending on December 31st in Florida.


Note

Don't forget to listen to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 this Sunday from 8 - 9 AM with Nick Murdocco, Gary Whittaker, Amanda Stein and yours truly.



(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)

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