Event: Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
Date/Time: Thursday, October 27, 2011 - 7 p.m. EDT.
Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 17,565), Boston, MA.
Broadcast Info: Tuesday's game between the Bruins and Canadiens will be broadcast live on NESN, as well as the NHL Network and RDS in Canada. The game can also be heard on the 98.5 the Sports Hub Radio Network, with Dave Goucher providing play-by-play, and Bob Beers providing analysis.
Last Time Out: This will be the third time this season the Bruins have played against a team that played another game the night before. The Canadiens went head-to-head against the Philadelphia Flyers last night where they came out on top 5-1. The expectations have grown for the Habs, even after that one game--their second win of the season.
As for the Bruins, they haven’t seen game action since Saturday when they played against the San Jose Sharks. They lost that game and took a "mental break" these past four days to try and get back on track. According to Bruins forward Shawn Thornton, while it will show on the ice whether the break was helpful, he feels good and ready to play.
"I can only speak for myself, but I’m feeling good," Thornton said. "We got rest when we needed and worked hard when we needed so hopefully we’re all refreshed for this big weekend."
Storyline: For the first time since March 8, players were ready to put the Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara incident behind them. They, as well as head coach Claude Julien said they are very happy he is healthy, and now that he is, they want to put it behind them and move on. But still, it will be the first time Chara and Pacioretty will meet since the incident.
Just in time to talk about another player with connections to Montreal.
Former Habs forward Benoit Pouliot will be playing in his first game against his former team, and will still be looking for his first goal of the season. Pouliot said it’s always exciting to play against a former team, and while he is anxious to get out there, knows that he has to keep his emotions in check.
"I think there is obvious motivation when you play your former team," Pouliot said. "You obviously want to prove to them ‘Hey you don’t want to keep me, I’ll show you.’ But no, it just pumps you up even more.
"You don’t want to run around and try to hit everyone and be out of position all the time obviously keep playing the way the Bruins are supposed to be playing. I’m not going to be doing that, I’m just going to play my game. If the hit’s there, the hit’s there, and I’ll just try to help my teammates out as much as I can."
Adam McQuaid has been cleared by doctors and the likelihood of him playing is "probably very good." According to Claude Julien, he will skate seven defensemen in the warmup just in case, but it looks like McQuaid will be a go.
Players To Watch: While the Bruins are seemingly over the Pacioretty/Chara incident, it’s tough to say if the Habs are or not. Keep an eye on the Habs leading scorer, Pacioretty and watch for any overly physical play. If the Canadiens think it too rough, and the Bruins are just playing their game, expect some repercussions, and things could get a little ugly. Pacioretty has nine points this season (4 goals, 5 assists), which is saying something due to the lack of performance from the Montreal team anyway so far this season.
The third line for the Bruins--David Krejci, Pouliot and Horton should also be fun to watch. Not only because Pouliot’s on that line, but because watching the dynamic of those three together could be interesting. Krejci and Horton have already had success together, and adding a pumped up Pouliot to the mix could make that third line a force to be reckoned with.
Prediction: This is going to be a great first game between the two teams. Though they have many more this season, you will want to tune in to see this one. Final Score: Bruins 3, Canadiens 2.
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