Judging by Montreal's 7-4 performance last night against the Hurricanes, it's more than obvious that Christobal Huet can give up a few goals. More importantly though, is that number seven, the number of goals an otherwise low-scoring team managed to put up against Cam Ward, one of the beat netminders in the league, to secure Huet's win for the night. Clearly, the Habs can pack a punch too.
The last time the Pens and Canadiens faced off, Huet was on the bench in favor of Carey Price's first NHL start. If you're a Penguins fan, then you know how that went. If I have to hear about how Dryden, Roy and Price all won their first career starts against Pittsburgh one more time I'm going to flip a sh*t.
With that being said, at least Price's first start is out of the way. Die hard Montreal fans have been hailing him the "Savior of Montreal".
I could care less who starts in net. Huet and Price are both beatlable, and if it weren't for Price having his toe in the right place at the right time last game Sid would've notched his first goal of the season and the score would've been tied at 3. Of course, that's just me being positive in my hindsight. Crosby was still 'warming up' at this point, so I think tonight's game is going to be entirely different.
Speaking of, this is the last chance for the Pens to snag a home victory before they embark on a nice little four game road trip, a trip that includes visits to Minnesota and Colorado before returning back to the east coast against the Islanders and Devils.
Both teams played a very disciplined game as far as penalties run in their last match. Not many powerplay opportunities were given to either team. After only giving the Habs two chances on the powerplay, the Penguins' penalty kill still managed to let one in, putting the Canadiens' PP unit at 1-2 on the night. The Pens' powerplay on the other hand managed only one goal on five chances. A powerplay goal tonight would make it the eleventh consecutive game in which the Penguins have notched a goal with the man advantage.
Some concern happens to also be on the Penguins and their scoring. The 5-4 win against the Ducks in the home opener and the 6-4 win over Toronto two games later were direct examples of the Penguins' offensive assault. Outside of those games, the Pens have been on a bit of a decline. Not to mention, the Pens also have this insatiable ability to only win games by one goal. Five of their nine games have been won by one goal, while two have been lost by the one. Needless to say, it's a bit stressful being a Pens fan and watching the clock tick down in the closing seconds of the third while holding a one goal lead.
Max Talbot practiced with the Pens the other day but is not expected to start tonight as he still has some soreness in his neck from the crash into the boards Thursday night. With that in mind, the Pens have called up Tyler Kennedy from the Wilkes-Barre Scranton club. Kennedy was a prospect hopeful during the preseason and now has his chance in the parent club. In six games with WBS, Kennedy is second on the team in scoring with three goals and two assists. Last season, Kennedy practically scored a point a game, tallying 37 in 40.
I really hope tonight's game is not another close one. I'd like to see the Pens hand the Canadiens a loss similar to the one the Leafs gave them the other night. If the offense wanted to hit the gas some time soon, then now wouldn't be a bad time. Winning at home before hitting the road is a nice boost to any team. Hopefully that is the boost the Pens can get after tonight's win.
