Canadiens Look to Continue Cinderella Campaign in Pittsburgh
Fourteen days after shocking the hockey world by beating the Washington Capitals in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Montréal Canadiens are going to try to shock the world again by beating the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins tonight in Mellon Arena. The Habs have been the story of the postseason thanks to amazing play by goaltender Jaroslav Halak, forward Michael Cammalleri and the ability to shut down the two best players in the league: Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby. Montréal has found a way to win against all odds. They have had to overcome injuries and have players step up in huge ways. They had to play tough hockey to end the regular season to earn a spot in the postseason. Oh, and did I mention they entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference? Through it all, they’re getting it done. Defensemen Jaroslav Spacek returned to the lineup in Game 6 after missing the previous 9 games, and made his return felt by scoring the 2-2 tying goal in the second period. Hal Gill, the big-bodied defensemen who is credited for stopping both Ovi and Sid the Kid is a game-time decision, and big-time defensemen Andrei Markov left the series in Game 1 and has yet to return. Enter PK Subban.
Subban was called up from Montréal’s AHL farm-league team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, for Game 6 against Washington, where he recorded his first NHL postseason point. Since then, he has come up huge against Pittsburgh, filling in for the Habs’ depleted defensive units, keeping Crosby in check and playing a physically tough game that Pittsburgh has had a hard time dealing with. He’s a scrapper of a player and played nearly 30 minutes in Game 6. Look for him to cause trouble in the offensive game plan of the Penguins. This series cannot be discussed fairly without mentioning the amazing play of goaltender Jaroslav Halak and forward Michael Cammalleri. Halak has been simply outstanding throughout the playoffs, and he has been able to keep his composure and focus while facing more shots than any other netminder, all against some of the best shooters in the NHL. Halak will need to continue his dominance for Montréal to advance. Speaking of shooters, no one has done it better in the playoffs this year than Michael Cammalleri. He has 11 goals in the postseason, and he seems to score every time he shoots the puck. He’s so dangerous on the one-timers that Marc-Andre Fleury is probably already sweating.
For Pittsburgh, Fleury needs to play like, well, Fleury. He has proven that he can step up and make amazing saves in important games, but he has been far too inconsistent this year in the playoffs. He is an emotional player, and that can be advantageous, but his frustration shows, and Montréal has capitalized on it. Sidney Crosby is going to have to find a way to make plays happen against Montréal’s stout defense. He has five points in this series, far less than the 14 he put up against Ottawa. Montréal has found a way to stop him up to this point, but he’s going to need to show the world that he can make it happen – again. Evgeni Malkin has played pretty solid hockey this postseason, but he will also be an intrical part to Pittsburgh’s success. He’s put up a mere three points against the Habs after his eight-point performance against the Senators. The key to this game will be goaltending and defense. Expect to see Hal Gill back in the lineup. Keep an eye on Gill and Subban’s work against Crosby. Watch the performance of Halak and Fleury. Keep an eye on Cammalleri and Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik. As much as I hate predictions, I have to give the edge to the defending champs. Pittsburgh is a tough, disciplined team and I look for a goal from the point from Sergei Gonchar or Malkin to give them the edge.
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