All Habs News: Wednesday April 13, 2011
Happy Birthday!! All Habs community: tell us! NHL: Patrik Elias. Sergei Gonchar, Jeff Tambellini, Arron Asham
►Bittersweet night in the Q: While the Shawinigan Cataractes, led by their captain Michaël Bournival, were down 3-1 in Game 3 only to score five unanswered goals against the Quebec Remparts to narrow their games-deficit to one in the series, the Montreal Juniors saw regular-season leading goal scorer Étienne Brodeur score with 5.2 seconds left in regulation to secure a 2-1 win for the Lewiston MAINEiacs, bringing the series to the same score. Philippe Lefebvre assisted on the lone marker for the Juniors, Trevor Parkes’ fifth goal of the postseason. Both series resume action Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. EST.
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►Chara dials Max: Zdeno Chara, public-enemy number one in Montreal, tried to calm the waters by telling reporters that he spoke to injured Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty. It’s not likely to lower the decibel level on the booing every time Chara touches the puck in the Bell Centre but at least one person thought the call eased tensions.
“It was a private conversation so I’m not privy to exactly what was said. But, when it was over, Max indicated he felt relieved. They may never go for lunch together, but the hard feelings between them are definitely over.” — Pacioretty’s agent, Alec Schall
This may also be a very savvy move by Pacioretty and his agent to remove any pressure from his teammates to exact retribution. If Pacioretty is seen as not harbouring any ill-will, Canadiens players are free to focus on playing their game to beat the Bruins.
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►Playoff viewing: The best place to watch Game 2 of the Bruins — Canadiens on Saturday night is at McLean’s pub in Montreal with the All Habs crew. Be sure to RSVP here to reserve your seat.
But if you can’t be at McLean’s you are probably looking for ideas for game night food. A visit to HabsTweetup.com will give you ideas for snacks, finger food or full meals. You can find recipes or demonstration videos for everything from pizza and chicken to international fare.
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►Mighty will fall: The Capitals are test-driving a new system, Philadelphia stumbled into the playoffs and has concerns in goal, Pittsburgh is missing the best player in the world from their line-up, and the Bruins have only eight playoff series wins in 32 tries against their opponent.
So which of the favorites in the East will fall? Or put another way, which team(s) will provide the upset(s)?
Montreal Canadiens: “If P.K. Subban, who rode the momentum of last year’s playoffs to a strong rookie season this year, and Mike Cammalleri, who continues to grow as a team leader in his second season in Montreal, can repeat their playoff performances of a year ago, the Canadiens could be looking at another prolonged run in the post-season.”
