Armed with a perfect 4-0 record to start the season, the Montreal Canadiens will open the Bell Centre tonight against the New York Rangers. Fans are ready to applaud the players for their hot start and the enthusiasm should be contagious. What is most impressive is the way the Canadiens are winning games. Pushing the pace, winning the puck possession battles, rolling 4 lines and 3 defence pairing, not to mention not even having to rely solely on Carey Price to bail them out. Is this 2015-2016 edition of the Montreal for real? They will face their biggest test tonight against the Rangers who are coming off their first loss of the season but record stands at 3-1.
The Canadiens are known for having the classiest and best ceremonies in the NHL. It is expected that tonight the torch will officially be passed to the new captain - Max Pacioretty. The question is, will a former Habs captain be the one to pass the torch to Pacioretty? Or will the Bell Centre change up their traditional opening ceremony from the past few years and do away with it? The ideal captain of course would have been the late Jean Beliveau. The epitome of the greatest captain ever who is in a class all by himself. However, would it be so far fetched to imagine Mme Elise Beliveau passing the torch to Pacioretty in his place? Personally, I don’t think there is a better candidate. Mme Beliveau has become a central part of this Canadiens team. They have drawn strength from her on and off the ice. When Jean Beliveau passed away, it was Elise who was seen comforting the players as they paid their respects. Tomas Plekanec made sure that Mme Beliveau received the game puck in the Canadiens first game and win after the funeral. Max Pacioretty and his wife sent flowers on her first Valentine’s Day without Jean. During the playoffs against the Ottawa Senators, it was Mme Beliveau who imparted her calmness and wisdom to P.K. Subban when he lost his cool and got ejected from the game. It was no coincidence that the next game was Subban’s best of the series. When Subban announced his generous contribution and commitment to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, it was important to him that Elise be in attendance. Last Spring she was quoted as saying that Pacioretty reminds her of Jean:
"Max Pacioretty is a true captain. He's got a beautiful voice and is always smiling, but he has a real presence. He makes me think of Jean, they're the same type.…
C’mon Geoff Molson, make it happen…
As for the hockey game itself, tonight could very well be a trap for the Canadiens. There will be pressure as they are coming home undefeated in 4 games, with the well discussed stat that every time the Canadiens have started the season 4-0 they have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. Emotions will run high and the players will have to be sure that they do not to get carried away and try to do much. The Canadiens have to stick to their game plan and focus on the task at hand.
"This will be our biggest game of the year so far. We've got to be ready." - P.K. Subban #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/brDJnrf8NJ
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 15, 2015The Rangers will present a formidable challenge. They play similar styles and it should be an exciting game. Interestingly enough, the Rangers have been struggling on special teams so far this season. On the powerplay they are even worse than the Canadiens at 11.1% compared to the Habs 12.5%. On the penalty kill, the Rangers are at 75% while the Habs are noticeably stronger at 84.6%. In the last game against the Penguins, the Canadiens scored their powerplay goal with Jeff Petry and Nathan Beaulieu on the 1st wave. It will be interesting to see if this will be repeated or not tonight.
"It's always a challenge playing the Rangers, but it brings out the best in us." - Lars Eller #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/JM1SLRRpIo
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) October 15, 2015There will not be any changes to the Canadiens lineup tonight. The coach is going with the same lines that has earned them four wins and you can’t argue with that logic. Each member of the team is contributing and earning their time on ice. At some point Paul Byron, Greg Pateryn and Jarred Tinordi will get in a game but not tonight, not at the home opener. Yesterday was an optional practice for the Habs and the only regulars on the ice were Nathan Beaulieu, David Desharnais, Brian Flynn and Devante Smith-Pelly. Beaulieu is showing that despite his strong start, he is taking nothing for granted. After calling out Desharnais as having one of the weaker players in the win against Pittsburgh, I’m happy to see him out there and pushing himself. Flynn and Smith-Pelly have anchored the excellent fourth line but they know that one bad game by either of them could crack open the door just enough to let Byron in for a game. This team is taking nothing for granted and that attitude has to be admired.
A number of Canadiens centermen have struggled in the faceoff circle during various points through four games. It is good to see that they were focusing on it this morning:
#Habs expanding faceoff drills to include winger support off the draw. pic.twitter.com/aXBq71AUtq
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) October 15, 2015The Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault cancelled their morning skate and so their lineup will only be announced later today.
5 Questions heading into tonight’s game:
1) A Habs player has scored two goals in each game so far (Pacioretty 2x, Eller, Plekanec), does that streak continue tonight?
2) Will Alexander Semin score his 1st goal as Hab tonight?
3) Can the powerplay score in consecutive games for the first time this season?
4) Which Canadiens defenceman be the first to score a goal this season?
5) Who do you think will pass the torch to Pacioretty?
Opening Ceremonies will start at 7:30 followed by the puck drop.
Enjoy the game & follow along! Follow @Jenbcutler