Habster:

Needless to say, this will be a huge blow to the Pittsburgh Penguins especially since they were on a roll, going 8-1-1 the last 10 games. The one omen is Evgeni Malkin has been playing great lately and will probably be moved to his nature position at center to replace Crosby……..if that is ever possible!!!
Not having Sydney Crosby in the Penguins lineup certainly makes it a lot easier for the Habs tonight as he always plays well ( GP-10 G-6 A-10 PT-16 ) against his favorite NHL team. The only concern I have without Crosby in the lineup is: Will the Canadiens players play soft and assume they have this game in the bag? I’m sure the coaching staff will emphasis to the players that the Penguins are still a formidable opponent with a solid team even without Crosby in their lineup.