Canadiens, Bruins both struggling
Last Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009 | 11:23 AM ET
By Chris Iorfida, CBC Sports
Montreal Canadiens left-winger Guillaume Latendresse, left, and Maxim Lapierre each has points in the last two games playing with Tomas Plekanec. (Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)The Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins play the first of six games Thursday night in the continuation of a storied rivalry, but both teams are struggling in distinct ways.
The Canadiens lost nine straight to Boston last season, ousted in a playoff sweep by Boston.
They may have a great chance to snap the winless streak at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston. While struggling defensively, the Bruins simply aren't scoring of late.
Montreal defenceman Josh Gorges said on Wednesday that once the puck drops, the rivalry will supersede any issues the teams are dealing with.
"I don't think any of that matters when it comes to Boston-Montreal," said Gorges. "We know the emotion that takes over in these games. It's going to be a hard-fought battle. Both teams need the win and, I think, both teams have a respectful hatred for each other and that drives the game."
Montreal (7-8) is playing like one might reasonably expect from a team with a number of skilled forwards and a reed-thin defence missing two to three of its stalwarts, led by all-star Andrei Markov.
After a slow start, the Canadiens are starting to gel offensively up front while committing a number of breakdowns that often leave the puck in the back of their own net.
The number was bumped up to three defencemen after big Hal Gill took a shot off the skate in Monday's practice. He is expected to be out two to three weeks.
That has forced the likes of power-play specialist Marc-Andre Bergeron and Mathieu Carle to take on larger roles.
Montreal played catch-up on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Thrashers in a 5-4 loss. The Canadiens fell behind 2-0 and never led at Bell Centre, watching the Thrashers score the eventual winner 34 seconds after Tomas Plekanec of the Canadiens tied the game for the second time.
Plekanec now has points in six of his last seven games, and has helped awaken Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre offensively. Latendresse has points in consecutive games after going without any for 10 games, while Lapierre had been held off the scoresheet in three striaght games before getting no points in the last two.
Brian Gionta scored twice in the loss to Atlanta. He was held out of Wednesday's practice, but the club insists it's just a precautionary measure.
As usual, goaltending is a hot topic in town.
Nominal No. 1 goalie Carey Price was this week named Molson Cup three stars recipient for October.
Price won the honour based largely on a pair of outstanding outings in the first week of the season, but is now just 2-6 after bearing the brunt in Tuesday's loss.
Jaroslav Halak is 6-2 in net, but his save percentage (.890), is not much better than Price's. Focus seems to be an issue with Price — his best efforts have come when he has been peppered with shots.
Bruins thin up front
It couldn't have been lost on the signficant Bruins fanbase in Toronto that as former Bruin Phil Kessel was creating 12 or so decent scoring chances for the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, Boston was falling to its second consecutive shutout defeat.
The Bruins could not get any of 29 shots past Chris Osgood in a 2-0 loss to Detroit, which came on the heels of a 1-0 result against New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
Tim Thomas was in net for both defeats, stopping 46 of 49 shots to give his side a chance to win.
That puts Boston (6-7-1) on the brink of being shut out three times in a row, which hasn't happened to the franchise in over 80 years.
The trade of Kessel and the subsequent injuries to forwards Marc Savard and Milan Lucic have changed the tenor on the ice for Boston. A Bruins team that scored even more goals than Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals last season is now forced to try to grind out wins under Claude Julien.
Boston has scored just 33 times, putting the team 27th in the NHL.
Ryder not riding high any longer
While the Bruins received a generous package of draft picks from Toronto for Kessel, those picks are a lot more valuable when possessed by a Stanley Cup contender than one that may have to fight to squeak into the playoffs.
The restricted free agent they opted to sign instead of Kessel, David Krejci, is one of the Bruins off to a slow start. The Czech Republic native has just one goal and four assists through 14 games.
Longtime Canadien Michael Ryder has cooled off after a strong start, going without a point in six.
The Bruins may also have paid the price by weighing Mark Recchi's decent playoff performance over his age in deciding on a new contract. The 41-year-old Recchi has two goals and two assists in 14 games and went without a point in his last four.
Recchi has twice rebounded in recent years after poor starts, but only after being relocated.
Mikko Lehtonen on Wednesday was the latest in a number of forwards called up from Providence of the American Hockey League to deal with the issues up front.
The clubs will meet five more times, with the next date in Montreal on Dec. 4.
With files from The Associated Press
