The game everybody has been waiting for!

On this international women’s day, the game everybody has been waiting for has arrived. The Big bad Bruins are in town. And let me assure you, the habs are ready and will play a good game tonight. Before I go any further, I just would like to comment on a little point the Montreal media has been talking about for a month, they keep on
saying that the bruins embarrassed the canadiens on February 9th, but in my opinion that wasn't the case, the canadiens battled the whole game and kept it close the whole 60 minutes. When it comes to the fights, the habs never backed
down and showed they weren't going to be intimidated, yes there were some assaults on habs players but I never saw Montreal players after a fight having their head down. There’s nothing embarrassing in losing a fight or getting
assaulted when your Tom Pyatt or Spacek. And in a game where the goalies where letting every other shot in, a 8-6 loss is also not embarrassing.

      That being said I don't see any need to call up an AHL player like Henry, like a lot of fans and media have been asking for. All they need to do is put in Mara so he can defend Price when the Bruins try to charge him or hit him. Put in White instead of Pyatt and that will be good enough, because I don't see this game getting out of hand like the last one. Both teams need the 2 points and the bruins are trying to finish first in the eastern conference. The habs are right behind trying to get home ice advantage in the first round.

     I really don't see what's so scary about the Bruins; the canadiens beat them 5 out of 6 last season and 3 out of 4 this year. If the habs play their game, utilize their speed, be disciplined, play well defensively and don't fall into the bruins' games, I don't see the Bruins beating the canadiens. Of coarse the habs will need Price to be at his best, but hasn't he proven, that he is one of the best goalies in the league if not, the best. So in Price we trust, after allowing 8 goals in
the last one, I have no doubt that he is ready for this game and will have one of his best games of the season.

     Claude Julien said yesterday after Bruins' practice that the habs players like to start fires and run away. Is he serious? That is just him trying to send the refs a message, but I don't think it's going to work. Yes the canadiens get under the skin of opposing teams, because they're fast and players can't catch up to them, they try to finish their checks and of course they don't want to fight, that’s not their style they don't have the players to do so and that might frustrate other teams, but that’s what they want, because in doing so the other teams lose focus and get stupid penalties, and that gives the habs an opportunity to take advantage of their powerplay, which is one of their most dangerous weapons.

      Look for the crowd to be loud and play a factor in frustrating the Boston players. Scoring the first goal will be very
important for the canadiens, so they can play their style and impose their tempo. But knowing Claude Julien and the Bruins philosophy if the Habs take a 3 or 4 goal lead, that’s when it could get dangerous and the lack of class of the bruins might come to the surface. But as long as the Canadiens don't fall into that game, they will be ok. Because the habs can't afford\, for a key player to get injured, because for sure those are the players the bruins will be targeting. And that’s when Mara, Moen and White come into play, they will have to sacrifice themselves and show they won't accept the bruins target our best players.

      So tonight is the night we have all been waiting for and it is going to be a good one. To quote the last coach to win a Stanley cup in Montreal Jacques Demers “Tonight is going to be a game played like if it was a game 7 of the Stanley cup final" What more can we ask for than that.

     I'll go against the norm and predict a habs victory 4-2 with 3 of the 4 habs goals scored on the powerplay.

     So enjoy this playoff type hockey and the best place to watch it in Montreal is at Chez Serge on St Laurent where you
come to watch the game and stay for the party!