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Habs vs. Penguins game preview, Carr & Price out, Ice Caps news & 5 Q's |
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The Montreal Canadiens took three out of a possible four points in their season opening road trip without Carey Price in net or even having played their best hockey. Those results are encouraging as they prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night in their home opener at the Bell Centre although they will still be without the services of Price. He did skate before practice on Monday morning with goaltending coach Stephane Waite but left the ice just before his teammates took to it.
The conspiracy theories were running rampant as some could simply not believe that a flu virus has the ability to knock someone out for more than 48 hours. Most anyone with young children understands how quickly a virus can run through and affect an entire family, especially the first time that it happens. However, considering the Canadiens previous history with disclosing information regarding Price’s health, it is somewhat understandable that some had a hard time taking the organization’s word on this matter. The unfortunate thing for fans and Price himself, is that he will miss the home opener against the Penguins as it has been nearly eleven months since Price has played a meaningful game in Montreal. The important thing though is that he is given the proper amount of time to regain his strength and get back into game shape.
Part of the reason that there is little pressure to rush Price is the strong play of Al Montoya thus far. He has kept the Canadiens in games and given his teammates the opportunity to win. It is obvious how comfortable and confident the veteran is in the crease and that it rubs off on the rest of team. In an interesting twist of fate, former Canadiens and Penguins waiver wire pickup Mike Condon might get the start against his old teammates Tuesday night as Marc-Andre Fleury got the start Monday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As the Penguins will not skate in the morning, Head coach Mike Sullivan will meet the media at 5:30pm on Tuesday and will announce his starting goaltender at that time. When Condon left Montreal, he was a class act in expressing his sincere thanks and gratitude towards the organization for giving him the opportunity to play professional hockey:
While the Canadiens struggled to find their bearings against the Ottawa Senators in their 4-3 overtime loss, it was refreshing to see that at practice head coach Michel Therrien decided to revert back to his original lines rather than continue with the old blender. The top line of Max Pacioretty-Alex Galchenyuk-Brendan Gallagher needs a further opportunity to see if they can regain their dynamite form from the end of last season. Tomas Plekanec has simply been okay in his play through the first two games. His linemates of Artturi Lehkonen and Alexander Radulov have been the Canadiens most consistent and hard working forwards in the early season. Plekanec must match their determination and intensity on the ice. It seems that the World Cup of Hockey may have had an effect on certain players as they have not had as much time to gel with their linemates. It does not seem to be a problem though for Shea Weber as he looks quite comfortable playing next to new partner Nathan Beaulieu as well as Andrei Markov on the powerplay.
At the morning skate though, Therrien elected to mix up the bottom six as Paul Byron will replace Daniel Carr on the third line and Brian Flynn will play his first game of the season playing alongside Phillip Danault and Torrey Mitchell. Carr has certainly been far from the Canadiens worst player thus far and he does not deserve to sit. However, the coaches are likely looking for a little more speed on the third line with Andrew Shaw and David Desharnais.
The fact that the Canadiens are in games when they are not at their best is certainly a positive. They have been able to get scoring from all four lines and their defense has been quite solid. Associate coach Kirk Muller has already improved the Canadiens powerplay and they should continue to build off of their success against the Senators as they become more and more comfortable with the new system. They need to be ready to play the moment the puck drops and cannot afford to fall behind, especially against stronger competition. The Penguins will be without Sidney Crosby Tuesday night but they are still a very dangerous team without their captain. The Canadiens cannot afford to take them lightly.
The only lineup change for the home opener will be that rookie Mikhail Sergachev will get back into the lineup as he is being given the opportunity to play in front of his family who have made the trip from Russia to Montreal. Greg Pateryn will sit to make room Sergachev but it is in no way a reflection on his play to date. The Canadiens know what they have in Pateryn but they need to find out if Sergachev has what it takes to stay in the NHL. He will be playing on a grand stage Tuesday night and it will be an excellent test to play against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
In AHL news, the St. John’s Ice Caps have signed veteran and former Canadiens goaltender Yann Danis to a one year contract.
It will be crowded for goaltenders on the Rock once Charlie Lindgren returns back into the fold. One has to wonder what the signing means for Zach Fucale who has fallen down the Canadiens depth chart. Could he be bound for the ECHL or will the Ice Caps carry three goaltenders? Fucale struggled in the season opener as he allowed five goals in the Ice Caps 6-3 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack but rebounded with a stronger performance in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Providence Bruins. Sandwiched was another loss (4-2) at the hands of the Albany Devils with Bryan Pitton in goal.
Michael McCarron was involved in two fights over the weekend and while is physicality and refusal to back down is to be admired, the last thing that anyone wants is for the young man to get injured unnecessarily while playing in the AHL. McCarron was a victim of numbers as there was simply no room for him to stay in Montreal and management preferred that he play big minutes in St. John’s. Having to constantly defend his teammates in the minors though is not something that McCarron should be doing and he is not one to back down when challenged. Chris Terry scored three goals on the weekend and seems to have replaced Bud Holloway as the team’s scoring veteran. Mark Barberio is a -8 to start the season. He needs to rediscover his game and confidence in order to find his way back to Montreal.
5 Questions for the Canadiens home opener:
1) Who will score the team’s first home goal of the season? I’ll go with Shea Weber.
2) Will Sergachev fare better in his second NHL game? I believe that he will be stronger but he might still get overwhelmed playing against the likes of Evgeni Malkin. He should play closer to 15 minutes compared to his first game.
3) Who will pass and receive the torch to ignite the season at home? If the Canadiens continue with this recent tradition, I for one would love to see Madame Elise Beliveau pass the torch to captain Max Pacioretty. She is the matriarch of the team and this would be an incredible moment for all.
4) Will the Canadiens finish the game with the same lines that they started with? I expect a strong performance on home ice and the lines to stay the same.
5) What will be the final score of the game? If Fleury starts the game, I will say that he will rebound from his loss against the Avalanche and the Penguins will win 3-2. However, if Condon starts I think that his former teammates will have the edge knowing him so well and the Canadiens will win 4-2.
Player intros will be at 7:30pm and the puck will drop shortly thereafter.
Cheers & enjoy the game!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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