Well well well, two games into this best of five series between Montreal and Pittsburgh, and it has been an entertaining one to say the least. Who would’ve thought it’d be tied at one a piece? I certainly didn’t, and I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one.
Montreal surprised everyone by edging Pittsburgh in game one, with a 3-2 overtime win. They came out hard, and didn’t give the penguins two headed monster of Crosby and Malkin any room to maneuver on the ice. Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are showing why they are highly thought of in the organization. They have shown a lot of growth in these two games, with their vision, skating and two way play, and regardless of the outcome in this series, they are getting huge exposure in these playoffs, which should help them in the long run. Game 1 was solid all around for the Canadiens, everyone played their role and it worked to mostly perfection. Game 2, not so much. Carey Price has been other-worldly in these 2 games, but he still needs help in front of him if Montreal is going to have a chance in these next couple of games.
It was evident that Pittsburgh would come back even harder in the second game, and Montreal knew that going in, but in the end it was too much as Pittsburgh took 3-1, with Crosby taking over and shutting down the Canadiens. Montreal could not get into a rhythm, and it hurt them. Playing Max Domi on the 4th line is wasting his talents, and with Claude Julien hinting today that changes are on the horizon, we could see Domi back in the top 6, potentially on a line with Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin. That way, it gives more flexibility in the bottom 6, with Jake Evans and Ryan Poehling waiting for the opportunity to put their mark on the series.
Jonathan Drouin is another player who should look in the mirror right now. Of course, it’s tough for most players right now to regain their mojo that they had before the season was paused, and Drouin had that mojo at the beginning of this year, with 15 points in his first 19 games before getting sidelined with a wrist injury. He is the one player on the Canadiens that has the capability to turn a game on its hinges with his skill and talent. Claude Julien called out his team to be more competitive, and hopefully Drouin and co. will demonstrate that in game 3.
It is going to be a big one tonight, with both teams itching to take the lead in the series. Expect a high tempo game with a lot of physicality, and both Price and Murray will be put to the test once again to see which team will have the edge the rest of the way.
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