Tuesday March 26th, 2013
Game Recap: A bad line change, a perfect shot and the Penguins had their 13th straight win.
| PITTSBURGH PENGUINS 26-8-0 52 POINTS 1st in the East |
MONTREAL CANADIENS 20-7-5 45 POINTS 4th in the East |
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1 |
0 |
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
| Penguins | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Canadiens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Top Scorers:
| PENGUINS | CANADIENS | ||
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Scoring Summary:
| G | Per | Time | Str | Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| 1 | 2 | 13:19 | EV | PIT | 87 S.CROSBY(15) | 14 C.KUNITZ(23) | 44 B.ORPIK(8) |
Shots on Goal:
| FINAL | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
| Penguins | 5 | 7 | 13 | 25 |
| Canadiens | 10 | 15 | 12 | 37 |
Goaltending:
| PENGUINS | CANADIENS | ||
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Record: 18-5-0 SA: 25 Sv%: 1.000 |
 LOSS |
Record: 16-6-4 SA : 25 Sv%: .960 |
Lineup Notes:
- Habs starting six: Tomas Plekanec, Michael Ryder, Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges, P.K. Subban, Carey Price
- Scratched: Tomas Kaberle, Mike Blunden, Ryan White (lower body)
- Jeff Halpern was in the lineup after being claimed off waivers last Saturday.
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Brenden Morrow made his Penguins debut after being acquired from the Dallas Stars.
- Habs nemesis Chris Lee donned the referee stripes.
What you need to know:
- Canadiens played a good road game but good was not enough against the team that entered the night riding a 12-game winning streak.
- A bad Montreal line change gave Sidney Crosby a clear lane to the net. His perfectly-placed shot was the lone goal of the game.
- The Habs power-play was ineffective particularly when given an opportunity at the beginning of the third period with Matt Cooke in the box for roughing.
- Good energy from fourth line; rare this season. They were able to pin the Penguins in their own zone for stretches.
- Jeff Halpern with an impressive return to the Canadiens. He led the team with four hits, was 61 percent at the face-off dot, and perhaps surprisingly, received almost 15 minutes of icetime.
- Michael Ryder came the closest to scoring for the Habs hitting the crossbar twice behind Marc-Andre Fleury.
- Carey Price was brilliant facing the best offensive team in the league particularly during Penguins power-plays making several big saves.
- Lots of post-game discussion about the Habs lack of scoring; one need not look any further than the ineffectiveness of center David Desharnais. In two games against the Penguins this season, the the Habs so-called number one center has one point and has a minus-2 rating despite plenty of power-play shifts, ice-time and prime linemates.
- Brian Gionta and Brendan Gallagher were the two players consistently causing havoc in front of the Pittsburgh net; not an easy task for two diminutive players.
- Newly-acquired Pens forward Brenden Morrow said it was like a playoff game. Credit the Canadiens for doing a good job ensuring that the potent Penguins attack wasn’t able to fully get on track.
Injury/Roster Report:
- No new Habs injuries.
- Thomas Vokoun replaced Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at the start of the third period. Fleury collided with teammate Tyler Kennedy near the end of the second frame.
| NHL 3 Stars: | |
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| Post-game Chatter: |
Coach Michel Therrien:
- “We played the hottest team in the NHL. I thought we did a lot of good things. Certainly we didn’t have any breaks tonight. We twice hit the crossbar. It’s a matter of inches.”
- “We got beat tonight by the best player in the world with a perfect shot. [Crosby] is tough to contain. I thought we played solid 5-on-5. They didn’t generate many chances. When they did Price was good.”
- “I don’t think that Gionta had a purpose to hurt Marc-Andre, that’s for sure.”
- “I would have liked our power-play to capitalize or bring some momentum. We didn’t.”
- “[Halpern] won some key faceoffs. He was good on penalty-killing. I liked the way he played 5-on-5.”
Brian Gionta:
- “If you watch the replay, their own guy falls on Fleury. It’s pretty much self-explanatory.”
Carey Price:
- “Obviously, [Crosby] is the best player in the world. About five millimeters was the difference in the game tonight.”
Penguins forward Brenden Morrow:
- “It kind of felt like a playoff game. Every shift mattered. You’re up on your feet every time there is a scoring chance. It’s a fun feeling.”
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby:
- “There are times we haven’t played our best, but our focus has been on being strong defensively. To win that many, your goaltenders have to steal a game or two over that time period.”
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