Ann 22008 NHL Playoffs - Round 1: Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins Game 3 Preview
April 13th 2008 18:49
Guy Carbonneau has decided to make no changes to his lineup which means that 37-year-old soft defenseman Patrice “the Breezer” Brisebois will play in a game that promises to be extremely physical.
Okay. Now I'm scared.
Last night, the Canadiens won largely because of Carey Price's poise and Kovalev's perseverance. Even though the Canadiens outhit the Bruins once again, the Bs have made the life of the smaller Habs defensemen (Brisebois, Streit, Georges, Markov) a living hell. There's no telling how accumulated fatigue will influence this game.
Markov had a bad game last night. After a strong perfomance in the first game, the General's head didn't seem to be in the game. He made a couple of bad passes, including one suicidal pass in Carey Price's slot. He'll have to raise the level of his game since Komisarek doesn't seem to be completely back.
In offense, the powerplay has to start clicking. The players have taken the bad habit to simply stand there and watch Kovalev play with the puck. Kovy needs options, so everyone has to move and the Boston PK team move. This is where the Habs miss Saku Koivu. As the playmaker of the second wave, Saku's style is vastly different from Kovalev's, usually forcing the opposing defense to quickly try to adapt; something easier said than done. So the key to the powerplay will be movement.
For Beantown's team, the plan is simple. Same effort as yesterday minus the indiscipline. Claude Julien will also keep the same lineup. The Bs also hope that Tim Thomas will bring his A-game once again.
Honestly, I'm worried. I know that the Habs are the better team but the Bruins will be emboldened by last night's effort. Plus they're going back to their own building. There are usually a couple of thousands Habs fans at TD Banknorth Garden. Let's hope that they will be back and endlessly boo Chara as they did in the regular season. It would give the Habs some support and they won't have to face a completely hostile crowd.
In my Game 2 preview, I talked about Carbo's lucky tie. He didn't wear it for the game so I have no idea if he'll wear it again in this series.
Okay. Now I'm scared.
Last night, the Canadiens won largely because of Carey Price's poise and Kovalev's perseverance. Even though the Canadiens outhit the Bruins once again, the Bs have made the life of the smaller Habs defensemen (Brisebois, Streit, Georges, Markov) a living hell. There's no telling how accumulated fatigue will influence this game.
Markov had a bad game last night. After a strong perfomance in the first game, the General's head didn't seem to be in the game. He made a couple of bad passes, including one suicidal pass in Carey Price's slot. He'll have to raise the level of his game since Komisarek doesn't seem to be completely back.
In offense, the powerplay has to start clicking. The players have taken the bad habit to simply stand there and watch Kovalev play with the puck. Kovy needs options, so everyone has to move and the Boston PK team move. This is where the Habs miss Saku Koivu. As the playmaker of the second wave, Saku's style is vastly different from Kovalev's, usually forcing the opposing defense to quickly try to adapt; something easier said than done. So the key to the powerplay will be movement.
For Beantown's team, the plan is simple. Same effort as yesterday minus the indiscipline. Claude Julien will also keep the same lineup. The Bs also hope that Tim Thomas will bring his A-game once again.
Honestly, I'm worried. I know that the Habs are the better team but the Bruins will be emboldened by last night's effort. Plus they're going back to their own building. There are usually a couple of thousands Habs fans at TD Banknorth Garden. Let's hope that they will be back and endlessly boo Chara as they did in the regular season. It would give the Habs some support and they won't have to face a completely hostile crowd.
In my Game 2 preview, I talked about Carbo's lucky tie. He didn't wear it for the game so I have no idea if he'll wear it again in this series.
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