Game preview: Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

November 5, 12:38 AMBoston Bruins ExaminerMark Marino

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With the biggest rivalry in the NHL coming to town, we could
see a lot more of this tonight.
Charles Krupa - AP

Another game and another shutout loss for the offensively-challenged Boston Bruins. The B's mimicked the 1-0 defeat from the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon with another blanking by the Detroit Red Wings, 2-0, on Tuesday night. The scoreless streak continues at over 132 minutes now.

Tonight, the Bruins host longtime rivals in the Montreal Canadiens at the TD Garden at 7pm. The Habs are coming off a 5-4 defeat from the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday night, snapping a five-game winning streak. To give us her inside scoop on the team north of the border, Montreal Canadiens Examiner Heather Engel is here to collaborate on this much anticipated game preview.

Home Team: Boston Bruins (6-7-1, 4th in Northeast - 12th in Eastern Conference)

Who's hot: Despite the team not scoring in over 132 minutes now, Shawn Thornton was the one player who really stood-out in the Bruins' 2-0 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday night. Thornton registered nine of Boston's 27 hits that night while logging nearly 12 minutes of ice time. He did his best to get the B's going with his high-flying-energy, unfortunately, no one else really followed his lead.
Boston Bruins goaltending: 3-3-1 record in the last seven contests, the Bruins' net-minders have been the best players dressed in Black and Gold as of late. Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask also have 185 saves combined on 198 shots during that span—including a 19-save shutout from Rask last Saturday against the Oilers.

Who's not: This could be a list of many things. But, for the sake of being too repetitive and long-winded, here are a few.
1. Power play: With another 0-3 on Tuesday night—with just two shots on goal—the Bruins are now 0-17 with the man-advantage; 2-39 in their last 12 games; and dead-last in the NHL with 6-52 (11.5%) on the season.
2. Michael Ryder, David Krejci, and Marco Sturm have a combined 1-4-5 in their last six games. Marco Sturm has four points in his last ten and hasn't lit the lamp since the third game of the season. Ryder has been scoreless in his last six, while Krejci has been held off the scoring sheet in his last four. Through 14 games, the trio have mustered just 6-12-18 on the season--well behind their capabilities and the expectations of many.

What to watch for: Goals! Well, hopefully. And watch for how the home crowd reacts tonight.
The Bruins had the Canadiens number last season (finally), going 5-0-1 during the regular season while outscoring the Habs 23-13. It's no secret that there is no love lost between these two organizations, so I expect the TD Garden to be louder than any of the other prior seven home games this season. If there's any momentum carrying over from last year's playoff sweep, the crowd will be the seventh player out on the ice tonight. Hoping to get in the head of the Habs net-minder with chants of, "Carey", the plentiful Canadiens' fans in attendance will look to even the chanting-field with their harmonious tune of, "Ole!"

Also, the Canadiens are the most penalized team in the NHL with 80 minor penalties. This could be a good time for the Bruins to take advantage and improve their abysmal power play.

Who to watch for: The Big Bad Bruins: Players in particular—the team's leading bangers in hits—Shawn Thornton, Steve Begin, and Zdeno Chara. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Bruins need to come out hitting—and hit hard. The Bruins have to play with that 'edge' to contain the smaller, quick forwards up front for Montreal—Cammalleri, Gomez, Gionta—while taking advantage of the Canadiens' with their larger defensemen sidelined—Gill, Markov, O'Byrne.
Other notables: Blake Wheeler, Daniel Paille

Unsung hero: As odd is it may sound, this has to go to Zdeno Chara. The reigning Norris Trophy winner had back-to-back 50-plus point seasons in Boston, yet has failed to hit the back of the net this year. Chara, 0-6-6 though 14 games, has been under the microscope as of late when it comes to finding his scoring touch. But when the focus is primarily on his offense, No. 33's true attributes easily go unnoticed. Aside from leading the team in shots on goal and hits, Chara, along with the B's goaltenders, retain a 2-0 game from being a blowout. I have yet to see Big Z be out of position during the opposition's goals, and he plays defense better than just about anyone in the league. While it would be an exclamation-point if he were to start lighting the lamp, the way he shuts down his opponents on a regular basis should be praised.
Other notables: Patrice Bergeron, Vladimir Sobotka

Line Combinations: (updated 10:49am) via thebruinsblog

Marco Sturm—Patrice Bergeron—Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler—Vladimir Sobotka—Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille—Steve Begin—Brad Marchand
Shawn Thornton—Trent Whitfield—Mikko Lehtonen

Zdeno Chara—Derek Morris
Matt Hunwick—Dennis Wideman
Andrew Ference—Mark Stuart

Tuukka Rask—Tim Thomas

Injury Report: Marc Savard (broken left foot) and Milan Lucic (broken right index finger) on LTIR. Byron Bitz has been scratched the last two games with a groin injury and is still day-to-day. Trent Whitfield was recalled from the AHL to fill-in on the fourth line for Bitz. Also, Mikko Lehtonen has been recalled from the Providence Bruins yesterday. He will skate with the team prior, and will be available for tonight's game.

Updated (10:41am):  David Krejci was diagnosed witrh H1N1 virus, will be isolated from the team until he is symptom and fever free for 24 hours.

Away team: Montreal Canadiens (7-8-0; 14 points; 3rd in the Northeast; 10th in the Eastern Conference)
By Heather Engel (updated 12:15pm)

Who’s hot: Step right up, Tomas Plekanec. Clearly, the Czech pivot was dealing with a case of identity theft in 2008-09 because this year’s version is not only the Plekanec of two seasons ago but an even feistier incarnation. The 27-year-old can be found along the boards, in the corners, in front of the net, and even getting physical in scrums. He has 14 points in 15 games this season and brings 20 points – including a pair of game-winners – in 30 career contests against the Bruins into tonight’s tilt. Additionally, Plekanec has 11 points in 15 meetings in Boston.

Who’s not: The defence as a whole. Though he has his team playing a puck possession game, head coach Jacques Martin fully expects his players to adhere to their defensive responsibilities, whether it’s back-checking or coverage in their zone. Failing to do so cost the Canadiens against Atlanta, whose last two goals were a result of a player left open.

The team has given up 20 goals in its last five games and has only held its opponents to two goals or less in consecutive games once this season; that was back on Oct. 20 and 22 against the Thrashers and Islanders, respectively.

Beyond the defence, the same old story continues with special teams. Marc-André Bergeron’s impact on the power play has subsided since his first few games and both the man advantage and penalty kill sit 24th in the league.

Who to watch: Defenceman Mathieu Carle. The 22-year-old rookie made his NHL debut on Tuesday night and acquitted himself well in 12:55 of ice time. After the friendly confines of the Bell Centre, he’ll head into hostile territory for his first NHL road game. The crest on his opponent’s jersey will bring back memories for Carle, who watched a lot of Raymond Bourque as a kid – he was his father’s favourite player – and styled his game after the Hall of Famer’s.

The NHL debuts will continue tonight as Tom Pyatt and Ryan White replace Kyle Chipchura and Gregory Stewart.

What to watch for: There may be plenty of new faces sporting the Canadiens jersey and two big parts of the Bruins’ on the sidelines but that shouldn’t hinder the intense rivalry that exists between the two teams. The holdovers from the Habs’ 2008-09 squad didn’t enjoy dropping nine straight matchups (five regular season, four playoff). to their long-time foe and it’s not a run they’re looking to repeat.

Chippy affairs have long been the norm between the two clubs and with both sides struggling for consistency, one shouldn’t expect any different tonight.

Unsung/under the radar: He’s not exactly “under the radar” but Roman Hamrlik has been nothing less than a workhorse for the Canadiens since stepping into the role of No. 1 defenceman. The 35-year-old has 12 shots on goal in his last four games, played a season-high 28:03 against the Thrashers on Tuesday, and has had an even or better rating in seven of his last eight games. Hamrlik has four goals already, just two shy of his previous high of six in Montreal, set last season. He also leads all Habs blue-liners with six points and is part of a three-way tie for a team-best plus-6 differential.

Expected line combinations and defensive pairings
Mike Cammalleri-Scott Gomez- Brian Gionta
Guillaume Latendresse-Tomas Plekanec-Maxim Lapierre
Max Pacioretty-Glen Metropolit-Travis Moen
Andrei Kostitsyn-Tom Pyatt-Ryan White

Roman Hamrlik-Jaroslav Spacek
Paul Mara-Josh Gorges
Mathieu Carle-Marc-André Bergeron

Carey Price-Jaroslav Halak

Injuries: How much time do you have? Defenceman Hal Gill (hairline fracture in his foot) joined fellow blue-liners Andrei Markov (tendon) and Ryan O’Byrne on the injured list earlier this week and will be out for two to three weeks; Mathieu Carle was called up in his place. Brian Gionta had a therapy day on Wednesday and didn’t skate at practice; he'll be a game-time decision. Also out of commission for Montreal: Matt D’Agostini (concussion) and Georges Laraque (back)

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