The Montreal Canadiens are back in action tonight as they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens are hoping to win consecutive games for the first time since November 25th (5-1 W vs. NYR) and November 27th (3-2 SO W vs NJD) while the Penguins are coming off of a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Only six points separate Montreal and Pittsburgh in the standings but if the playoffs were to start today, Montreal would be the 3rd seed in the Atlantic (5th overall in the East) while Pittsburgh would be on the outside looking in, sitting 11th in the conference and out of the dance.
Heading into the season, few could have predicted the struggles that the Penguins would experience on offence. The acquisition of Phil Kessel was supposed to boost the offence and provide a legitimate 1st line winger for Sidney Crosby. You knew something was really wrong when Dale Weise was outscoring Crosby through the first 15-20 games of the season. Many were openly questioning if Crosby had already peaked and this was the start of a decline. However, it became obvious that the problem stemmed more from coaching than the players themselves. While there are real question marks and needs on Pittsburgh’s defence, the bottom line was that the players were not scoring. Enter head coach Mike Sullivan who replaced Mike Johnston on December 12th and the Penguins have been a much better team, led by none other that Crosby who has 12 points in the 11 games played since the coaching change. This will be a different Penguins team that shows up tonight at the Bell Centre compared to the two previous games between the two teams. The Canadiens will have to be ready for battle. The Penguins lines should look like:
#Pens lines today at practice:
Kunitz-Crosby-Perron
Hornqvist-Malkin-Kessel
Rust-Bonino-Kunhhackl
Porter-Cullen-Fehr
— Jenn Menendez (@JennMenendez) January 8, 2016For their part, the Canadiens must try to build on their previous win against the New Jersey Devils. That task just got even harder as it was announced post yesterday’s practice that defenceman Jeff Petry would be out for tonight’s game as he is out day-to-day with a lower body injury. Without Petry, Therrien has decided to reunite Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban to form the Canadiens top pairing:
Michel Therrien said Habs D pairs v Pittsburgh will be: Markov-Subban; Beaulieu-Pateryn; Emelin-Barberio.
— Ðrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) January 8, 2016The loss of Petry will be tough on the Canadiens. Therrien has come to depend on him in all situations, even if he has not been playing his best hockey as of late. Perhaps the slight drop in play is due to his injury as he missed a few games on the Canadiens recent road trip. I fully expect Subban to play close to 30 minutes tonight and Therrien will likely depend on Markov for 25-27 minutes. With the Canadiens off until Thursday night, I can somewhat understand this strategy. However, the problem is that Pittsburgh has 2 top lines as Evgeni Malkin and his linemates are just as dangerous as Crosby. Will Therrien turn to youngsters Nathan Beaulieu & Greg Pateryn to play these hard minutes or will he ask Alexei Emelin and Mark Barberio to step up? The temptation is probably to lean on Emelin but he has been playing well in a reduced role alongside Barberio. I would be hesitant to change that, especially as Barberio has only been averaging 13:30 minutes of ice time in the 5 games that he has played. I would prefer to see Beaulieu and Pateryn given the opportunity to rise up and play those tough minutes against Pittsburgh’s best.
The Canadiens forward units remains the same as Tomas Fleischmann will be a healthy scratch for the second game in a row. Mike Condon will get the start in goal and hopes to win his fourth consecutive game.
Of course the biggest news coming out of yesterday’s practice is that goaltender Carey Price will not return before the NHL All-Star break. This is the most information that the Canadiens have given out in regards to Price’s injury and it was probably released just to stop the incessant questions and rumours, especially as it can be a distraction to the players themselves. With just 8 games to go until the break, the Canadiens have to believe and hope that the tandem of Condon and Ben Scrivens can hold down the fort.
If you were looking for more information regarding the newly acquired Max Friberg, I suggest reading this article and interview from the Canadiens.com:
ICYMI: @Friberg12 is eager to make his mark in the Canadiens organization. READ -> https://t.co/rOEFdJ0FkA pic.twitter.com/0qHgluNo8g
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 9, 2016One word that stands out is “character…. Friberg certainly sounds like ‘Marc Bergevin’ type of player but his offensive potential as a two way player is intriguing.
5 Questions for tonight’s game:
1) Will the Canadiens score a powerplay goal for the second game in a row?
2) With Petry out, will Beaulieu and Barberio get 2nd PP unit time or will the temptation be to play Markov and Subban as much as possible?
3) Did Therrien have no choice but to reunite Subban & Markov? What would your pairings be with Petry out?
4) Max Pacioretty is on a 5 game point streak, is it safe to say that he has rediscovered his touch?
5) Can Mike Condon hold the Penguins to 2 goals or less tonight?
Puck drops at 7:00pm tonight!
Cheers & enjoy the game! Follow @Jenbcutler