[Habs Eyes on the Prize]

This is it.  Who's nervous? 

Well I'm here to tell you; don't be.  The Pens bounced back in two game sevens during the postseason last year and will have to prove they can do it again.  This game is going to come down to raw skill combined with who wants it more.  No weak penalties (hopefully) for either side.  Let the players skate, goaltenders save (Halak a little less, please) and the shots fly.

I also must warn that while the Pens may be playing against the Habs tonight, we Penguins fans are going up against a few fan bases.  Detroit, Philly and Washington fans may all be posing as Montreal fans tonight, with others idling by waiting to pounce.  Can't deny we wouldn't do the same in their position.

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux

[SBN Habs Blog - Habs Eyes on the Prize]

It's far from over friends, but it's pretty damn close.

One more win and the Pens are off to the Conference Finals for the third year in a row.  One more win and they are one more series win away from a repeat effort in the Stanley Cup Finals.  But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's remember who we're going up against.  Jaroslav Halak, in my opinion at least, has not had "that" game yet.  You know, like MAF had in Game 3.  This is only part of the reason why you can't rule out this Habs team.

The other is of course the Bell Centre atmosphere.  I've said it once and I'll say it again - that place just strikes me as the last place you want to play a road playoff game.  I can't imagine how fired up Montreal gets skating into that arena on a regular basis before the postseason, but once the playoffs hit it must be ridiculous.  When I was up there for the 2009 Draft last summer the place was pretty crazy even for something as mundane as a bunch of names being announced over a loud speaker.  Since then, watching a Habs game in Montreal made it onto my bucket list.

But let's not forget that the Pens split the last series in Montreal.  They can win on Bell Centre ice and they're going to give it their best tonight. 

Sit back and enjoy the show.

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux

[SBN Habs Blog - Habs Eyes on the Prize]

At last the Penguins are back on Mellon Arena ice, returning with the same advantage (or lack thereof) they had heading into Montreal.  1-1 when they left, 2-2 when they returned.  Only difference is we're now looking at a best of three series instead of seven.  The matchup is getting intense and it's going to take a tremendous effort on home ice to edge out the win tonight.

The preview's short and sweet, mainly because I'm short on time.  So, until the puck drops tonight for the thread, you know what you have to do.  Once again, a public thanks to Alighieri for taking over the scoring duties:

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux

[SBN Habs blog - Habs Eyes on the Prize]

I think it goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway - this game is huge.  If the Pens can take two on Bell Centre ice then they have a chance to close it out at home in Game 5.  But I also don't think I have to remind you that the Habs, when down 3-1, are not exactly down for the count.  Let's stay positive though.

Good news all around for Pens fans the other day when news came out of practice that Jordan Staal is skating again.  The comments emphasized it best, but I'm going to say it again here - he's a beast.  He defies science.  He was manufactured, not born.

With that said, he likely won't make a return for this series.  Yet I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if he did.  OK, I'll be shocked, but given the fact that it's Jordan Staal and not Kris Beech, I won't be AS shocked.

My favorite part from Thursday night's win, other than the obvious winning part of it, was the post-game show on Versus.  Not the entire thing of course, but one particular line. One of the roundtable announcers said something about how the Pens can beat you any way they want.  Regular season I would have disagreed.  I'd have said something like, "Well, they will probably beat you, but the score will be something like 5-4 or 4-3."  It'd be offense leading the way, with the defense playing just good enough to prevent that one other goal. 

But with the way Marc-Andre Fleury played the other night, combined with how he's played over the past few seasons in the postseason, I'd say they are 100% right. The Pens can win it any way they want. 

Now they just need to do it.

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux

[SBN Canadiens Blog - Habs Eyes on the Prize]

If Scott Gomez is going to say he expected the Habs to split the series in Pittsburgh then I'm going to say I expect the Pens to split the series in Montreal.  The only difference is Gomez can actually do something to alter the outcome of the game.  Me?  I can just sit home chugging beer and pretending that if I finish a forty before the end of the first period the Pens will win.  That theory is 2-1 so far in these playoffs.

Playing at the Bell Centre is no walk in the park.  And even if it is, it's comparable to a walk in New York's Central Park around 2 a.m.  This crowd is going to be out of control and the Pens will be going up against the proverbial sixth man all night.  Is it a sixth man in hockey?  A seventh?  Whatever.  The crowd is tough.  That's my point.

During the regular season the Pens went 1-1 on the road against the Habs, so if you're looking for any indication of how they might play there during the playoffs then I guess you can use that as a gauge of sorts.  That was of course before Halak started playing out of his mind and the Habs were more likely to get a higher pick than a playoff seed.  My how things change.

I prefer the Pens not have the Gomez mentality of "Well, let's at least split the series."  Obviously it's much more beneficial if they skate into town thinking they'll win both and return to Pittsburgh up 3-1.  So let's stay positive folks.

You know what to do:

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux

Well the latest news out of Penguins camp surrounding Jordan Staal's injury isn't exactly ideal as they head into tonight's game.  However, the bright side of it all remains embedded in the fact that no one is saying his season is done.  Now it all depends on how far the Penguins can take the playoff run this postseason without Staal for the remainder of this, and possibly even the next series, should it go that far.

If last game was any indication of the team's future, than you have to confidently suspect they will skate into Montreal Tuesday night with a 2-0 series lead.  Whether or not that comes to fruition or not will depend on Pittsburgh's ridiculously good power play (yes, I said it) making a similar effort tonight.  I'd say repeat effort, but expecting a PP to go 3-for-3 in two consecutive games seems a bit unrealistic.  I'll gladly accept any and all surprises though.

The Penguins did in one game what the Capitals couldn't do more than once in seven.  They cracked Halak while up on the man advantage three times.  Washington, over seven games, managed to score only once while up a man.

Does this mean the series is a done deal for Pittsburgh?  Hell no.  Montreal didn't surpass a powerhouse like Washington without putting up a fight.  Not to mention, Montreal's "never say die" approach to the playoffs this year is a frightening motivator.  Confidence is key, but hopefully the Pens don't fall into a trap because of it.

On to the contest:

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux

[SBN Habs blog - Habs Eyes on the Prize]


It's been a while with the Pensburgh Pick 'Em Challenge, so if you're looking for a quick reminder on the standings then I got ya covered.

Now, on to the Habs.

The Canadiens are only a few days off from doing what so may have considered unthinkable.  They ousted number one seed Washington from the playoffs in the first round and now will look to do the same to the defending Stanley Cup champions.  Never mind the lack of rest Montreal may have after taking that series to seven games.  It's all adrenaline at this point in the season, and the Habs already have enough motivation heading in that could equal a week's worth of waiting anyway.

The Pens may have rested up a few days, but judging from reports around camp it hasn't improved things much.  Chris Kunitz and Tyler Kennedy both returned to practice yesterday, so that's a plus.  Whether that means they'll be game ready or not for tonight's game is still a skating question mark, as both Kunitz and TK are still labeled as "day-to-day."  Jordan Leopold is skating again, which is a great sign after suffering that head injury in the Sens series, but whether he'll be ready for this game, or even series, remains to be seen.

Hooks filled you in on all of the regular season matches between the Pens and Habs.  But if you caught any of the Habs/Caps games then you know this team is for real.  Jaroslav Halak is playing out of his mind and, much like Semyon Varlamov in Washington last season, could really put this team on his back and take them deep into the playoffs.

On a side note, I can't wrap my head around the fact that all division winners in the East have been eliminated and only 4-6-7-8 seeds remain.  Even funnier if you compare it to the West, where 1-2-3-5 remain.  However, home ice in the Stanley Cup Finals is already in hand for the West, seeing as how Detroit ended the season with one more point than Pittsburgh.  Something to consider I suppose in the later rounds.

Finally, I end on the contest/game:

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux

[SBN Senators blog: Silver Seven Sens]

Back to Ottawa the Pens go, hoping to close this thing out on Senators ice before it gets really ugly and they return to Pittsburgh for a Game 7.  Of course, that's all hypothetical at this point.  The real emphasis needs to be (obviously) on winning this game.  Win this one, and it's over for Ottawa.  Lose it, and return to Mellon on your heels in a quick first round scare.

Pascal Leclaire, for as aggravating as it was to see, was nothing short of spectacular for the Senators the other night.  But much like Craig Anderson in Colorado, he's going to need another outlandish performance to keep the Pens in line.  So how do the Pens solve this?  Do nothing different on offense.  Shoot.  Pepper him with shots just like on Thursday night.  Force him to make the big save and create rebound opportunities.  While it may not go to three overtimes again (please don't), there's no reason why the Pens can't toss 40 shots on goal tonight.

Ottawa's defense is black and blue.  They may be masters at blocking shots, but as I'm sure all of them are noticing in the dressing room, it sure doesn't feel too good.  Top that off with almost two games worth of hockey on Thursday and, hopefully, this is Pittsburgh's chance to get the best of them.  Padding or no padding, 100 mile-per-hour shots are still leaving a mark. 

Closing out with the contest:

Format: Winning team name - Score - First Pens goal scorer's last name

Give me the first Penguins goal scorer
Give me the final score (include which team will win)

Example: Penguins - 7-2 - Lemieux