MONTRÉAL - Here's a numerical look at Game 4 between the Habs and the Bruins on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. 1.57 - P.K. Subban starts Game 4 with 11 points in his previous seven playoff games this spring. No other NHL defenseman has scored at a similar rate in a single playoff year since 1994. That year, playoff MVP Brian Leetch put up 34 points in 23 games (1.48 PPG) en route to a Stanley Cup...
Eastern Conference Second Round Series : Game 4 Canadiens lead series 2-1 On Thursday night, the Canadiens, playing at the Bell Centre, will have a chance to push the Boston Bruins to the brink. The Habs jumped to an early lead in Game Three on Tuesday night. Tomas Plekanec took a back-door pass from new linemate Thomas Vanek and put the puck past a helpless Tuukka Rask at the half-way mark of the...
1 - Lady in red : Rabbit’s feet, horse shoes and four-leaf clovers, anything’s fair game for good luck in the playoffs. The Canadiens now have their very own lucky symbol in singer Ginette Reno. Having sang for Maurice Richard many years ago, Madame Reno is now best known for helping the Canadiens to a perfect 3-0 postseason record at the Bell Centre in 2014. It’s not just her voice which has been...
MONTREAL – Since 1960, Ginette Reno’s powerful voice has resonated in the hearts and minds of French Canadians. In the spring of 2014, to the joy of the Bell Centre faithful, Madame Reno accepted the invitation to belt out the national anthem before the home games of Quebec’s other great cultural icon, the Montreal Canadiens. Becoming the official voice of the team for the postseason, Reno has proven...
BROSSARD – Depth and playoff success go hand in hand in today’s NHL. With that concept in mind, general manager Marc Bergevin made several acquisitions over the course of the 2013-14 campaign that are paying immediate dividends for the Canadiens at a time of year when unsung heroes rise to the occasion and make the most of the opportunities they’re given. Acquired on Feb. 3 in exchange for defenseman...
MONTREAL - Here's a numerical look at Game 3 between the Habs and Bruins on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. 11 – Number of points racked up by P.K. Subban so far in the 2014 Playoffs, now tying the Habs blue-liner for second in NHL postseason scoring after springing out of the penalty box to add a goal to the assist he picked up on Tomas Plekanec’s opening marker. 3 – Number of goals scored by Subban...
MONTREAL – The Canadiens took the lead early on Tuesday night and held on right to the final buzzer. Every spring, trends begin to emerge as the playoffs roll along and so far in 2014, the most common storyline across the league has been that of the blown two-goal lead. After building up a 3-1 cushion in Game 2 only to see it disappear in the last 10 minutes, the Habs became the 20th example of a team...
MONTREAL – The Habs’ second-year right winger turned 22 on May 6th. In all aspects of the game, he’s quality you can see. Listed at five-foot-nine, Brendan Gallagher has not grown much height-wise since turning pro in the fall of 2012. However, that would be overlooking the tremendous strides he has taken in terms of his on-ice development. Coming off 280 points in 244 games for the Vancouver Giants...
Eastern Conference Second Round Series : Game 3 Series tied 1-1 On Tuesday night, the Canadiens will look to take a series lead against Boston in front of their fans at the Bell Centre. Once again, P.K. Subban will be front and center for the Canadiens. In the second round, the defenseman leads his team in points (4) and ice time (30:23 per game). Meanwhile, Tomas Plekanec leads all Habs forwards in...
BROSSARD – In today’s notebook, Carey Price says the Bruins can talk all they want, Ryan White discusses a possible return to the lineup, and Michel Therrien praises the Bell Centre faithful. Par for the course: Bruins defensemen Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton say that after two games of their Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Canadiens, they’ve got netminder Carey Price all figured out....
1 - T.G.I.T.: After playing at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday – a time more familiar to the Bruins, who played 18 matinees in 2013-14 – the Canadiens will be back in their comfort zone for Game 3 with a Tuesday night affair on tap. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays have long been days reserved for gathering friends together around a TV with a couple of Molsons to watch the Habs beat their opponents. That trend...
MONTREAL – With the series against Boston deadlocked at one heading into Game Three, the present serves as a reminder that there are two way to look at everything. There is little doubt at the outcome of Game Two, played at the TD Garden on Saturday afternoon, left a sour taste in the mouths of Habs players, coaches and fans. Leading 3-1 at 10:56 of the third period on the strength of a Mike Weaver...
BOSTON - Here's a numerical look at Game 2 between the Habs and the Bruins on Saturday afternoon at the TD Garden. 5 – Numbers of times, including Saturday’s tilt, in which the Bruins have contested a game at 12 :30 p.m. during the 2013-14 campaign. For their part, the matinee affair marked the earliest game the Habs have played all season. Michel Therrien’s troops previously suited up for a 1 p.m....
BOSTON – Winning in the playoffs isn’t easy, especially when you're up against a perennial powerhouse like the Bruins and fail to keep your foot on the gas from start to finish. On Saturday afternoon, Claude Julien’s troops proved once again why they claimed the Presidents’ Trophy during the 2013-14 campaign, rallying from 3-1 down in the third period to best the Canadiens 5-3 at TD Garden. With the...
Eastern Conference Second Round Series : Game 2 Canadiens leads series 1-0 The Habs will try to leave Boston with two wins in the bank when they take on the Bruins at TD Garden Saturday afternoon. Playing their first game in ten days, the Habs came into Game One with the intention of standing tall against the NHL’s regular season champs. Michel Therrien’s squad drew first blood in the series in the...
1 - Instant Chemistry: Sometimes when a coach rearranges his lines, he just has a magic touch. That’s been the case for Michel Therrien since the playoffs kicked off with the explosive play of the recently-formed line of Rene Bourque, Lars Eller and Brian Gionta. At least one member of the trio has been involved in just under half of the team’s goals in the postseason to date – nine of 20 – racking...
BOSTON – While social media platforms have undoubtedly enhanced the playoff experience for hockey fans worldwide, sometimes users can take things one step too far. In the aftermath of the Canadiens’ 4-3 double-overtime victory over the Bruins in Game 1 on Thursday night at TD Garden, that’s exactly what materialized in cyberspace. After lighting the lamp in the second overtime period to secure a Habs...
BOSTON – If goaltending is the backbone of any successful playoff team, it’s safe to say the Canadiens are in good hands with Carey Price between the pipes. On Thursday night, the 26-year-old netminder stole the show at TD Garden, turning aside a season-high 48 shots in the Canadiens’ 4-3 victory in double overtime over the Bruins. It was Price’s fifth straight win in as many starts this postseason,...
BOSTON - Here's a numerical look at Game 1 between the Habs and the Bruins on Thursday night at the TD Garden. 72.7 – All-time winning percentage (on a per series basis) owned by the Canadiens in postseason play against the Bruins, having come out on top in 24 of the 33 previous series contested between the two clubs. The 34 playoff series featuring Boston and Montreal is the most by any two opponents...
Eastern Conference Second Round Series : Game 1 Canadiens (0-0) vs. Bruins (0-0) On Thursday, the Habs will revisit a historic rivalry against the NHL’s top regular season team at the TD Garden. Having finished the regular season with 100 points (46-28-8), the Canadiens are pegged as the underdog team in a playoff match-up against the Boston Bruins, who compiled a 54-19-9 record for a league-leading...