Posted by: Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com
Lineup update: Tomas Plekanec and Matt D’Agostini will be healthy scratches for game two. Yannick Weber and Sergei Kostitsyn will play.
After a good start in Game One, the Canadiens will have to improve to win game two. I expect that the Bruins will be better. Claude Julien will see to it as he was not impressed with his troops after the first game.
In the last two games in Boston, the Canadiens have shown that they are a different team than earlier in the year. They can beat the Bruins.
So what will it take?
Defense:
It has been clear all season that Patrice Brisebois no longer has the skills to compete in the NHL. Never was that more evident than in game one of this series. He must sit for the remainder.
Francis Bouillon is not yet 100% but he may play. Bouillon is feisty and fearless. He would be a good addition playing limited minutes.
Mike Komisarek was very effective in game one. But, he can’t do it alone. Ryan O’Byrne could take some of the physical load from Komisarek. He can play well when paired with Roman Hamrlik.
Yannick Weber brought an instant spark to the power-play when inserted in game #81 in Boston. He held his own physically as well.
Josh Gorges must be much more disciplined than in his last two games against Boston. His recent bad penalties have been a liability.
Forwards:
Koivu’s line is still carrying the offense. Bob Gainey will likely use Georges Laraque less on the first line than in game one.
Andrei Kostitsyn played well with three hits and three shots in game one. Matt D’Agostini suffers from defensive lapses in his own zone. Max Pacioretty could be an impact player in this series through his physical play and willingness to drive to the net. (word is that Pacioretty is presently injured in Hamilton).
Metropolit’s line has been effective in their shutdown role. Chris Higgins was the Canadiens best forward in game one. Metropolit and Higgins have been outstanding penalty-killers. Dandenault is better on this line than Laraque.
The third line is one of the keys to the series. Lapierre, Latendresse and Kostopoulos have the potential to be impact players against Boston. A series against the Bruins should be tailor-made for this line. They have been very quiet in the last two games in Boston. They must be much more physical and take the puck to the net.
Special teams:
The Canadiens will win or lose the series on the performance of their special teams. A lethal power-play is a far better deterrent to Bruin thuggery than Laraque.
The Bruins power-play was ranked forth in the league this season. The first wave of penalty killers has been good but Lapierre and Kostopoulos must do a much better job covering the points.
Goaltending:
Carey Price was much better than Tim Thomas in game one. Expect Thomas to up his game for game two. Referees may try to clamp down on crease crashing after the Bruins ran Price all game long on Thursday night.
Intangibles:
Bruins fans were rather quiet and nervous in game one after the Canadiens tied the score. The lopsided playoff advantage for the Canadiens is a mystique that worries Bruins supporters, and perhaps players themselves.
Using Laraque on the first line is just harebrained. It means two RW (Kovalev, Laraque) on the top line, and two LW (Higgins, Tanguay) on the third (or fourth or whatever). I honestly think that Gainey slipped over the edge somewhere in all the personal tradgedies he has suffered. He is not playing with a full deck.
It will take a miracle.
Lets analyze the situation dating back to last season. The habs, single handedley took first by virtue of sweeping the B’s in the regular season. 16 points were handed to the habs, who actually didnt match up vs other eastern teams as well as the Bruins did, despite their regular season sweep of the B’s.
The Bruins, placed the habs in the first seed, but a most interesting thing happened the last regular season game. Despite an overtime loss, the Bruins realized they were better team.
Of course, after some horrible calls in games 1 and 2, the Bruins being the better team in the series found themselves in to deep a hole to recover.
Montreal sure did its best job to stage the Bruins for their home opener, for Patrick Roy night, and silly jersey 100th centennial day.
The Bruins lost in the shootout in your home opener, but not before tying the game with 3 straight goals and never looking back in what most consider real hockey. Shootouts are still a gimick, and a non-factor going into playoffs.
What I am trying to tell you, and you most likely will figure a way to think otherwise, is that the Bruins in these last 2 seasons always have been the better team. It took a regular season sweep and close series for the Bruins to realize that to its fullest, but they are by FAR a better team, and the habs will fall in fashion no where near the battle the Bruins gave them last season in 7 games.
The Bruins will complete the ultimate revenge season, beating the habs on Patrick Roy night, on the centennial celebration day, physically, offensively, defensively, in goal, and most of all, in the playoffs.
Bruins will sweep.
If I was prone to delusional meanderings, (replete with chronic grammatical errors), I would prefer to remain “Anonymous” as well.
Actually numbnuts, your grammar has suffered fairly well…I don’t think “replete” is a word, at least in the English dictionary. And aren’t you the dumbass that a few threads back, you spelled Bruins “bruns”, twice? Meaning you dont even know how to spell the name of the team that is absolutely kicking the shit out of your pathetic team?
You moron. You set yourself up big time with that one. Just like Bob Gainey with his brilliant first line combo.
Carey Price is a fuckin’ joke, and will be playing for Dallas in two seasons.
Have a nice day!
Well, shit! “Replete” is an English word. Thanks for the lesson; it’s the least I can do for the habs handing the Bruins an easy path to the second round.
So, we can say the the habs play thus far has been “replete” with errors, lack of heart, and most of all, crappy goaltending?
Of course this still still doesn’t explain your lack of knowing how to spell the “Bruins”. How long have you been watching hockey rob? Not very long, I suspect.
Here is a lesson for you; that’s B-R-U-I-N-S. Not “bruns” you silly habs fan.
Bruins rule.
Hey, Any ‘ol mouse, it is you and all those potato famine refugees you descended from that can’t spell “BRUN” properly. Some long lost Brit threw in an extra “I”, likely because he only had one of his own that worked. A “brown bear” from the French, “brun” bear.
From my perspective the word Bruin has come to represent those nasty brown streaks that show up in your shorts if you wear them too long.
Like that trailer trash goon who stole Kovalev’s stick in game 1. He was back in the same spot two days later, as fat and foul and drunk and ugly as ever, WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES. Which he probably hasn’t taken off even to go to bed.
All the other Bahstun fans look more or less like him as well. Take Claude Julein, add a dumb looking baseball cap, replace the suit with some cheap thrift store scrubs, and you have the typical Brun streak fan.
All I’m going to say is, this bigoted, moron named Rob would never be allowed to post onmy blog…EVER. Try having some class, or at least not fouling up what is actually a pretty well thought out blog. You want to spew hate and ignorance, yoou should find somewhere else. Now run along while the grown-ups talk.
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