Pittsburgh Penguins Battle Log: Game 3 – Montreal Canadiens
By Tyler Dunton
It’s A Hockey Night in Pittsburgh! The Pittsburgh Penguins faithful have been waiting months to hear those words. Tonight, the Penguins take on the speedy Montreal Canadiens at Consol Energy Center. This game certainly looks to be a huge one for the Pens, even if it is just game three of the regular season.
Pittsburgh has started the season off alarmingly slow. The fact that they have only scored one goal in two games and Sidney Crosby has recorded zero shots on goal, some fans are under distress already. I believe it is more of a chemistry issue right now than anything else. Let these new lines get some games under their belt before we start yelling, “Fire everyone!”
Montreal’s Numbers
The Montreal Canadiens come to town with a 3-0 record, beating two of their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 and the Boston Bruins 4-2. The Canadiens are playing just as expected going into the season, playing great defensive hockey and capitalizing on scoring chances.
- P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk lead the team in scoring with 4 points.
- The Canadiens will likely start Hart Trophy winner Carey Price who is 2-0 with a 1.50 GAA and a .948 SV%.
- 11 out of Montreal’s 18 skaters have at least one point, showing how deep their team is this year.
- Only one power play goal in 14 opportunities.
Canadiens Player to Watch For: P.K. Subban
One of the best offensive-minded defensemen in the league is coming off a career high 60-point season in 2014-2015. Subban is already off to an incredible start this year with 4 assists and a +5, just three games into the season. Sidney Crosby’s line will likely be dealing with Subban all night as I am sure former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michael Therrien already has the match-ups planned out. Watch for P.K. to be physical, especially on Crosby and Phil Kessel. He will move the puck to his wingers in the defensive zone in order to utilize Montreal’s speed in attempt to catch the Pens’ struggling defensemen flat-footed.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player to Watch For: Sidney Crosby
Apr 5, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) at a faceoff in the first period against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota Wild wins 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
There are about 20 other names I could think of to nominate for this, but none are as important as Crosby. Sid the Kid has yet to produce a shot on goal. Who would have ever predicted that after watching the pre-season, that one of the best players in the world wouldn’t even have a shot on goal through two contests. If the Penguins want to get anything going offensively, it has to start from the captain and arguably one of the most offensively powered lines in hockey. Crosby was recently quoted in saying, “This is our first home game. We want to make sure we are good here all year long…you definitely want to make sure you respond.” To that Mr. Crosby I say, actions speak louder than words, show us what you’ve got.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Penguins – 3 Montreal Canadiens – 2
I think we will see a much better Penguins team tonight than the past two games. The guys will be ready to go but goals will be hard to come by. I believe this will more than likely be a goalie duel with two of the best between the pipes.
Home Opener
Since tonight is the first game in Pittsburgh for the Penguins, I wanted to touch on a topic that was brought up this week regarding Consol Energy Center that has bothered me for years now. New York Islanders goalie, Thomas Greiss took a shot at his old fan base by saying how fun it was to play in front of an Islanders crowd because “it’s pretty dead there” referring to the Pittsburgh crowd.
You can’t really be mad at him for saying that because it’s true. Other than the few times Greiss was pulling 4 or 5 pucks out of the net behind him, Consol Energy Center is indeed a very quiet place to play. I witnessed a game last season in which a nearby spectator read a book throughout the entire game, did not even look up for a goal. Now, I am not saying Consol is filled with people reading books but come on people, make it loud. Get off your cell phones and get loud for the team you paid to see. Make it louder than the old Mellon Arena.
Next: Pens are Losing at Their Own Game in This Young Season