Tonight’s lineups against the Bruins and some thoughts

P.J. Axelsson – Marc Savard – Michael Ryder
Marco Sturm – Patrice Bergeron – Chuck Kobasew
Milan Lucic – Stephane Yelle – Blake Wheeler
Jeremy Reich n- Vladimir Sobotka – Shawn Thornton

Defense:

Zdeno Chara – Dennis Wideman
Andrew Alberts – Matt Hunwick
Mark Stuart – Shane Hnidy

Goaltenders:

Manny Fernandez
Tuukka Rask

With the above Bruins lineup, it could be a long night for the Habs defensive unit with the above combination of defensemen in the lineup. Yes, I realize it’s the pre-season but I wonder why Andrei Markov is sitting out a second consecutive game unless he has some small bump and bruises.

It should be fun to watch the top two lines together especially to see if there is any chemistry between Tanguay, Koivu and Higgins. My concern with this line is the lack of a finisher/goal scorer with two playmakers like Tanguay and Koivu. Granted, Christopher Higgins had 27 goals last season but he could have had another 10-15 goals if he had better hands around the net……we’ll find out soon enough once they have enough time to gel together.

The battle for the #12-#14 forward spots is still up for grabs with D’Agostini, Stewart and Chipchura all battling to avoid being cut before the Minnesota Wild game on Saturday.

Kyle Chipchura had a solid game against the Red Wings last night and was very noticeable with 3 or 4 quality scoring chances. He showed he can be a solid two way player and also went 6 for 6 in the face-off circle, a positive night for him in securing a roster spot. Needless to say, “Chipper” needs to have another solid game to secure his place on the roster…..especially in the face-off circle!!

While Chipchura had a good night’s work, I also thought Matt D’Agostini played very well and handled the puck extremely well in the offensive zone especially cycling the puck along the boards. He displayed some nice moves and skated very well throughout the game.

The same can’t be said for Greg Stewart who started off very slowly but got better as the game went along. He wasn’t as noticeable as the other two and tried to get into a fight with one of the Red Wings to show his value to a team without Georges Laraque to start the season. Stewart will have to be much more involved in the play with some hitting, solid forechecking and maybe a fight or two if the Bruins take some liberties with the Habs skilled players.

I was slightly impressed with Guillaume Latendresse extra half step of quickness but he didn’t stand out as much as a fellow by the name of Max (no, not Lapierre who was a disappointment last night!!). To Guillaume’s credit, he was strong along the boards and was credited with five hits. We’ll see how he fairs tonight playing along side Robert Lang and Matt D’Agostini.

While some players were noticed for their strong play, there were others who stood out for their poor play.

Ryan O’Byrne struggled terribly and looked slow because he wasn’t moving his feet most of the night and drew 2 or 3 penalties. Unfortunately, O’Byrne is a big guy who skates well but has a tendency to use his reach and stick to break up plays instead of keeping his feet moving and skating hard…..last night was a prime example against a high quality skating team. Tonight, he has to play harder and keep moving his feet to be successful otherwise he will be sitting in the press box to start the season or worst, playing in Hamilton.

Another player who struggled against a strong forechecking team like the Red Wings was Yannick Weber. Weber looked nervous to start the game and mishandled the puck in the defensive zone. He seemed to feed off of O’Byrne struggling ways (or vise versa) and had difficulties with down low one on one containment. By the third period, Weber seemed to settle down and looked more comfortable especially on the powerplay.