NHL Playoffs Preview: (1) Boston v (8) Montreal
NHL Eastern Conference Quarter Final Preview: Bruins vs Canadiens
Apr 14, 2009 Sebastian Egerton-Read
The NHL’s greatest rivalry will resume in round 1 of the 2009 playoffs as the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens face off in a highly-anticipated clash. The seedings are a reversal of the 2008 playoffs where the Canadiens ousted the Bruins in an intense seven game series. After losing all eight regular season contests in the rivalry last season, Boston won all six in 08/09 while dominating the Eastern Conference, however last year showed that regular season performances mean very little in the playoffs. A preview to the series came in the final regular season contest between the two sides as the Bruins defeated the Canadiens in a fierce encounter with a total of 76 PIMs handed out.
Boston Bruins Summary
The Boston Bruins enjoyed a superb 2008/09 regular season winning the Eastern Conference with the highest point since the Conference’s inception. Boston scored more goals and conceded fewer than any other team in the Conference; they were particularly dominant in November and December where they lost just 3 games. Claude Julien’s team plays a hard-working, two-way game and are at their best when they play with a physical edge. Marc Savard (88 points) and David Krejci (73 points) were the top-scorers in a deep group of forwards that has allowed Julien to roll four lines all season long. Tim Thomas had a very strong regular season in net and thanks to solid back-up goaltending from Manny Fernandez; he has remained fresh playing in just 55 games. Both goaltenders received good support from a defense led by the imposing Zdeno Chara. Chara is the team’s Captain and best player, he will be relied on heavily to log huge minutes in all situations if the Bruins are to progress.
Bruins Key Players
Patrice Bergeron- Bergeron has been playing better and better over the last few weeks but missed the final two regular season games through injury. He is the key to giving the Bruins three balanced scoring lines and has very much become the forgotten star player in Boston.
Phil Kessel- Kessel scored 3 goals in last year’s series and led the Bruins with 36 this season, he is key in making the Bruins offense more dynamic as his speed and skill make him a threat to score every time he hits the ice.
Dennis Wideman- Chara is the undisputed #1 defenseman on this team, but the sustained good play of the rest of the defense is crucial. An excellent puck-mover, Wideman continues to blossom in Boston posting 50 points this season, proving himself as a #2 defenseman playing 22-24 quality minutes per game.
Montreal Canadiens Summary
Montreal entered their 100th season as one of the favorites to lift the cup in 2009, however after a strong start the Canadiens faltered and only secured a playoff position in the 81st game. A poor run of form saw Bob Gainey fire Guy Carbonneau and takeover behind the bench himself, however mixed form continued under Gainey as they only managed a 6-6-4 record to finish the season. Montreal’s biggest issue will be goaltending where Carey Price struggled to make his mark as the team’s starter in his second season posting a sub-par .905 save percentage, Jaroslav Halak enjoyed a good season as back-up but the Canadiens are still likely to turn to Price to start Game 1. Gainey’s team has good forward depth and plays a fast-paced game. The line of Captain Saku Koivu, Alexei Kovalev and Alex Tanguay finished the season red hot with 32 points in the last 10 games of the season. Andrei Markov’s injury is a huge blow to the Canadiens defense and the possibility of him missing part or all of the playoff series will be a serious issue for Montreal. In his absence the bulk of burden on defense falls on Mike Komisarek, Mathieu Schneider and Roman Hamrlik who will likely log plenty of minutes.
Canadiens Key Players
Mathieu Schneider- Allegedly out for the season but apparently not based on his appearances playing over 20 minutes against Boston and Pittsburgh to finish the season. Montreal’s path to the playoffs was led by a power-play unit that improved in the last 20 games in large part due to the addition of Schneider, who becomes an even more crucial component in Markov’s absence.
Alexei Kovalev- Kovalev was able to pad his stats with a scoring streak to finish the season but it doesn’t mask a disappointing 08/09 effort particularly after his strong performance in 07/08. However, he is still the Canadiens true game-breaking offensive talent and has an excellent record in the postseason; Montreal badly needs him to be the team’s offensive leader.
Carey Price/Jaroslav Halak- Don’t rule out the mantle being handed over to Halak during the course of the series, either way Montreal doesn’t necessarily need dominant goaltending but they badly need a goaltender that can give them a chance to win.
Boston v Montreal Verdict:
It will undoubtedly be a hard-fought and intense series between two bitter rivals. Montreal cannot be under-estimated as under-dogs, but the Boston should have just a little too much talent and depth over the course of a long series.
Boston Bruins in seven games.
Boston vs Montreal
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