The Montreal Canadiens are officially in upset mode. On Saturday, they will begin their run for a Stanley Cup against a team that everyone has as a cup favourite in the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Canadiens head coach Claude Julien has decided to go with a youth movement to handle the center position. He has also decided to have a system where he will be rolling all four lines which is something that will be interesting to watch.
The lineup hasn’t been confirmed yet and will most likely be released close to around 5:00 or 6:00pmET. Look for Philip Danault to shut down Sidney Crosby while the task of taking Evgeni Malkin will be given to young rookie Nick Suzuki.
Once again, the task of shutting down the Penguins will come to Carey Price who will once again have to play lights out if Montreal wants a chance at forcing the upset.
Look for the experience on the blue line from Shea Weber, Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot who also have the heavy task of stopping a Pittsburgh team with a lot of offensive weapons.
Players To Watch For Montreal
Carey Price: He is the backbone of the team and everyone keeps saying the Habs will go as far as Price takes them and that is so true. Stat wise, he didn’t have an amazing season, but is always up to the task come playoff time.
Tomas Tatar: Tatar had a great year offensively, having another year when he scored more than 20 goals. He has the ability to score goals when goals are needed in a game.
Players To Watch For Pittsburgh
Sidney Crosby: One of the NHL’s top superstars will be tasked with leading the offence. He will be looking to carry his team all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Jake Guentzel: Guentzel had an amazing season before getting injured and didn’t know if he would return. Now that he is back, he will be one of many in the Penguins lineup that can score.
Where To Watch:
This game is available for viewing on Sportsnet Ontario, CBC and NBC. It will also be carried in Canadiens region on TVA Sports for viewing in French. The game can be heard via radio on TSN 690 and 98.5fm.