PITTSBURGH, Penn – A little under 12 months ago, Pittsburgh Captain Sidney Crosby hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup above his head in triumph. This weekend they continue the defence of that trophy, though their next opponents are perhaps not the team most people would have expected. After a seven game thriller with Washington, it was the Montreal Canadiens who emerged victorious against the odds to book their place in round 2 of the 2010 play-offs.
Pittsburgh
The Penguins came through a tricky first round match up with Ottawa relatively unscathed. The Senators had their moments, Pascal Leclaire’s 56 save performance in game 5 as the Sens stole it in the triple overtime probable the highlight, but ultimately the Canadian side were beaten in 6 games as Crosby notched up 5 goals and 14 points during the series.
It is of course the depth up front, particularly down the middle, which gives the Pens such strength. Any team which boasts Crosby, 2009 Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin, and 2010 Selke Trophy nominee Jordan Staal as its numbers one, two and three centre men can’t complain about a lack of talent up the middle. The addition of Alexei Ponikarovsky near the deadline did not harm their chances either, adding to an already respectable set of wingers which includes veteran Bill Guerin, two time Stanley Cup winner Ruslan Fedotenko and the slightly underrated Pascal Dupuis.
Their blue line also holds some impress offensive talent. Sergei Gonchar has been when of the games premier offensive D men for most of his career, while Kris Letang has developed extremely well over the past couple of seasons. The Penguins defence isn’t all about helping rack up the score however, with defensive defenceman Brooks Orpik remaining one of the games toughest competitors with his no nonsense style of play.
Between the pipes, Pittsburgh’s #1 is Marc Andre Fleury. Despite a what some might describe as an off year, Fleury was a big part of the Penguins success not only during 2009, but also in 2008 when they were beaten in the Stanley Cup finals by Detroit. His play-off experience could play a big part in the coming series, and perhaps beyond should the team advance.
Montreal
Montreal’s path to round 2 was far less predictable. Facing Alexander Ovechkin and the Presidents Trophy winning Washington Capitals, many expected the Habs to be knocked out of the post season quickly, and many felt the writing was on the wall after the Capitals dominated games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. But Montreal dug deep and became the first 8th seed to turn over a 3-1 series deficit against the top seeds, with netminder Jaroslav Halak stopping a mind boggling 131 of 134 shots in the final three game of the series as the Habs took the series 4-3!
During the series against the Capitals, Montreals offence was relatively quiet, with much of the teams success stemming from strong play in their own end. However former LA and Calgary forward Mike Cammalleri, who joined the team as a free agent last Summer, popped up with a series of vital goals throughout the series to help propel the team in to round 2. While the Habs lack a bona fide star forward in the vein of Crosby or Ovechkin, their forwards did work extremely hard as a group in both ends against Washington, and players like Cammalleri, fellow free agent signing Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, who won a Cup ring with New Jersey, are all capable of making big plays.
The Canadiens defence surprised a lot of people against the high powered Capitals offence. They played a strong tactical game and had clearly done a lot of research on the Washington players, especially Ovechkin who they dealt with well. Veterans like Hal Gill stepped up when required, and few teams will have blocked as many shots as the Canadiens did in round 1. Coach Jacques Martin will also be pleased with the play of youngster PK Subban, who was called up as cover for the injured Jaroslav Spacek but barely put a foot wrong during his first play-off games.
Undoubtedly the Habs real chances in the series once again lie with Jaroslav Halak. The Slovak netminder was outstanding in all four of Montreals win against Washington and now Montreal face another opponent led by a strong offensive core, the key once again may lie in the Canadiens goalies hands. While it is not unusual to see players from the same draft year face each other, it is quite remarkable that Halak, who was selected 271st in round 9 back in 2003 by Montreal, has defied the odds and will now face Fleury, the #1 overall pick from that year!
Contact the author: rob.mcgregor@prohockeynews.com
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