[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