Strategies for Canadiens, Bruins before Game 7
Monday, April 21, 2008 | 11:00 AM ET
No matter what happens tonight between Boston and Montreal both teams should be able to walk away feeling pretty good about themselves and their future fortunes.
Let’s face it; both teams have essentially been playing with house money. Neither expected to do much at the start of the season, in fact many (yours truly included) had Boston finishing dead last in the East and the Canadiens settling in anywhere between seventh and twelfth in the conference.
Having said all that both teams would, naturally, love to be the ones with the smiles during handshake ally. So let’s paint the two scenarios but before we do here’s some stats you can discard as soon as you read them.
The Bruins are 0 for 20 in series they’ve trailed 3-1, while the Canadiens are 26-0. If the Bruins can pull this off tonight it would be the biggest comeback in the franchises 84-year history.
For the Habs to win ...
They have to get the power play working again. As Scott Morrison pointed out in his blog today this is a team that over the course of the last two seasons has dined out on the leagues best PP but in this series it has gone silent. 2 for 29 isn’t going to cut it.
Carey Price needs to play better. Ten goals in two games is not a stat we normally associate with the young standout netminder but there it is. And much like Miikka Kiprusoff did for the Flames last night against the San Jose Sharks, Price needs to stand on his head and steal one.
Alex Kovalev needs to be the Kovalev we saw all season long and the one we’re used to seeing turn Zdeno Chara inside out. Playoffs are all about results and four points in six games isn’t getting it done. Furthermore troubling for Habs fans, he’s a minus 3.
Match Boston’s will. The Bruins are not the better team on paper but just seem to want it more. You can get through a round based solely on will. The Bruins have it right now, the Habs need to find it.
For the Bruins to win ...
Tim Thomas needs to continue to out-duel Carey Price. Thomas plays on emotion and while he may not be the most technically proficient netminder (sometimes called the “road hockey goalie”) he’s kept his team within striking distance. He didn’t play particularly well Saturday but made a couple of big saves in the third period and it’s not always how many saves you make but when you make them. Let’s call this the Grant Fuhr/Gerry Cheevers rule.
Would be nice if Glen Murray showed up and chipped in …oh, I dunno …a goal? Six games, no goals, no assists and a minus 3. At any rate, Phil Kessel needs to continue his hot streak (three goals in two games) after getting scratched for three games in the series.
Stay loose. The Bruins need to play as if they have nothing to lose, because they don’t. The pressure is on the Habs not to choke.
Patrice Bergeron. If he receives medical clearance today Boston head coach Claude Julien say’s he’ll dress for the Bruins tonight. Is this legit or just a tactic to keep Montreal guessing? Risky, risky, risky if they play him. I’m not sure that its wise to break up a winning lineup but how do you keep someone with Bergeron’s skill set out of the lineup?
Watch the bench. The last time these two teams met in a game seven in Montreal was 1979 the scene of the famous “too many men on the ice” saga with Don Cherry. Let’s hope Claude Julien doesn’t have Stan Jonathan in the lineup tonight.
Enjoy the game tonight. It should be a good one.
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About the Author
Jeff Marek, one of sports talk radio's brightest stars, is the host of the all-new HNIC Radio on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. A twelve-year sports-talk radio veteran, the Toronto native provides intelligent hockey talk, insight and debate during the two-hour national daily drive-time hockey program.
Well known for his previous work on Leafs Lunch on AM 640 Toronto Radio, Marek is one of sports talk radio's most respected personalities. He joined AM 640 in 2000, hosting The Jeff Marek Show, a nightly open-line talk show, while working as the stations' morning news anchor. He quickly became the director of sports news and joined host Bill Watters on Leafs Lunch.
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Comments
Mark Favreau
Kenora
I will agree that this should be a great game. My questions is this: Why has Montreal looked so normal? The Boston Bruins certainly are not an intimidating force and yet they are poised to take this series. How have they done it? If Montreal does get by the Bruins, it looks like they will play Philadelphia...can they beat them? Montreal seems to have an identity crisis....Which team are they... Conference champs or conference chumps?
Posted April 21, 2008 04:05 PM
SAR
I think Kovalev's performance the other night was affected by Koivu's return. He seems to me to require alot of pampering to get the right performance out of him. Like when he was wearing the "C", he performed great. They must have given it to him when Koivu was hurt to get him to take more ownership of his play and the team. Koivu's return has somehow screwed that up.
I hope Kovalev gets over himself for at least one more game.
Posted April 21, 2008 02:26 PM