( Photo credit: The Pensblog)
Boston Herald (Stephen Harris):
1. No turnovers
When the temptation to attempt a fancy, risky pass comes up, the B’s have to hold back. Those are exactly the kind of mistakes the Habs turn into goals by using their tremendous speed and transitions. This rule applies to defensemen moving the puck out of the B’s zone and forwards trying to cross the Montreal blue line. Make the safe, simple play, and when in doubt, just chip the puck out or dump it in. Ugly hockey? Absolutely. But it will prevent the Habs from playing the beautiful style they used to get to this point.
2. Stay disciplined
Habs coach Guy Carbonneau and players like Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos and Maxim Lapierre can get under opponents’ skin with their yapping and chippiness. If this is like past B’s-Habs series, emotions will run high and there will be the temptation to give someone a well-deserved punch in the nose. Choose pacifism. That punch might be satisfying, but not when you watch from the penalty box as the Montreal power play scores. Attempts to intimidate the Habs aren’t the answer, considering Montreal had the No. 1 power play in the NHL, including a 29.4 percent success rate (10-for-34) against the Bruins.
3. Get in Price’s head
One of the primary unknown variables in the series is 20-year-old Montreal goalie Carey Price. Canadiens GM Bob Gainey obviously thought he had something special in the youngster when he surprised the hockey world by trading Cristobal Huet to Washington. Price has seemed cool and calm, but he’s never been in a playoff game, and the B’s will be wise to put as much pressure on him as possible by sending shots and bodies to the goalmouth.
4. Don’t get rattled
During the games in Montreal, it’s a sure thing there will be stretches when all hell breaks out and the Bruins are on the receiving end. The Habs will be flying, the music blaring, the crowd going crazy. When the mayhem erupts – even if it results in a goal or two by the home team – it’s imperative that the B’s stay calm and stick to their plan. If they allow the game to open up and try to trade chances with the Habs, well, that’s not going to work.
5. Have fun
Julien realized a few weeks ago that his team was too tense, too worried about things that weren’t going well. He finally told them simply to relax and have fun again, and voila, the B’s started playing better.
They should take much of the same attitude into this series, one that nobody outside Route 128 expects them to win. All the pressure is on the Habs’ shoulders. Many teams in this underdog role have scored upsets, and there’s no reason the B’s can’t do it too if they keep things light.
Habster:
Stephen Harris is completely right with his analyst of what the Bruins have to do to beat the Canadiens…….easier said than done!!! They’ve had eight prior opportunities (11 if you count last season) this season to figure out a way to defeat the highly skilled Habs and haven’t had much success thus far.
Don’t get me wrong, the Canadiens shouldn’t take the Bruins for granted as they are definitely capable of beating the Habs but everything has to fall in place them.
If the referees don’t swallow their whistles and continue to call the hooking, interference and obstruction infractions, then the Habs will be able to use their speed and transition game without impediment from the Bruins. The Canadiens will also be able to put their top ranked powerplay unit to use against the 28th ranked PK in the NHL.
I make this point concerning the officiating because after watching the Devils/Rangers, San Jose/Calgary and Senators/Penguins series last night, I was slightly taken back by the referees turning a blind eye to numerous infractions especially the obstruction of forwards chasing the puck into the offensive zone.
1. No turnovers
When the temptation to attempt a fancy, risky pass comes up, the B’s have to hold back. Those are exactly the kind of mistakes the Habs turn into goals by using their tremendous speed and transitions. This rule applies to defensemen moving the puck out of the B’s zone and forwards trying to cross the Montreal blue line. Make the safe, simple play, and when in doubt, just chip the puck out or dump it in. Ugly hockey? Absolutely. But it will prevent the Habs from playing the beautiful style they used to get to this point.
2. Stay disciplined
Habs coach Guy Carbonneau and players like Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos and Maxim Lapierre can get under opponents’ skin with their yapping and chippiness. If this is like past B’s-Habs series, emotions will run high and there will be the temptation to give someone a well-deserved punch in the nose. Choose pacifism. That punch might be satisfying, but not when you watch from the penalty box as the Montreal power play scores. Attempts to intimidate the Habs aren’t the answer, considering Montreal had the No. 1 power play in the NHL, including a 29.4 percent success rate (10-for-34) against the Bruins.
3. Get in Price’s head
One of the primary unknown variables in the series is 20-year-old Montreal goalie Carey Price. Canadiens GM Bob Gainey obviously thought he had something special in the youngster when he surprised the hockey world by trading Cristobal Huet to Washington. Price has seemed cool and calm, but he’s never been in a playoff game, and the B’s will be wise to put as much pressure on him as possible by sending shots and bodies to the goalmouth.
4. Don’t get rattled
During the games in Montreal, it’s a sure thing there will be stretches when all hell breaks out and the Bruins are on the receiving end. The Habs will be flying, the music blaring, the crowd going crazy. When the mayhem erupts – even if it results in a goal or two by the home team – it’s imperative that the B’s stay calm and stick to their plan. If they allow the game to open up and try to trade chances with the Habs, well, that’s not going to work.
5. Have fun
Julien realized a few weeks ago that his team was too tense, too worried about things that weren’t going well. He finally told them simply to relax and have fun again, and voila, the B’s started playing better.
They should take much of the same attitude into this series, one that nobody outside Route 128 expects them to win. All the pressure is on the Habs’ shoulders. Many teams in this underdog role have scored upsets, and there’s no reason the B’s can’t do it too if they keep things light.
Habster:
Stephen Harris is completely right with his analyst of what the Bruins have to do to beat the Canadiens…….easier said than done!!! They’ve had eight prior opportunities (11 if you count last season) this season to figure out a way to defeat the highly skilled Habs and haven’t had much success thus far.
Don’t get me wrong, the Canadiens shouldn’t take the Bruins for granted as they are definitely capable of beating the Habs but everything has to fall in place them.
If the referees don’t swallow their whistles and continue to call the hooking, interference and obstruction infractions, then the Habs will be able to use their speed and transition game without impediment from the Bruins. The Canadiens will also be able to put their top ranked powerplay unit to use against the 28th ranked PK in the NHL.
I make this point concerning the officiating because after watching the Devils/Rangers, San Jose/Calgary and Senators/Penguins series last night, I was slightly taken back by the referees turning a blind eye to numerous infractions especially the obstruction of forwards chasing the puck into the offensive zone.
This situation didn’t just happen when the playoffs started as there have been regular season games towards the end of this season that also had the same problem.
