MONTREAL — Here are five questions, and my answers, concerning the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens as they head into tomorrow night’s Game 4 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Bell Centre.
1. Does Montreal have a better game than the one it displayed in Game 3?
The short answer: no. The longer answer (of course) is that the Habs’ best effort of the series produced the same result as the first two games — a defeat. Now that they’re down 0-3, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to muster enough energy for 60 minutes that’ll be strong enough to take down the Bruins. And while I find fault in a lot of the Habs’ roster as it’s constituted, you can’t really blame the team’s construction for its failures when you consider some of Montreal’s top players are on the shelf. Without Andrei Markov, Robert Lang, Mathieu Schneider and Alex Tanguay — or similarly skilled skaters — no team could be expected to win a playoff series against one of the deepest teams in the league. With unrestricted free agency waiting in the wings for 10 of these Habs, plus a chance that the team will be sold and/or head coach and general manager Bob Gainey will be shown the gate, Game 4 has the makings of a potential funeral and a bitter end to the 100th anniversary season of the most celebrated franchise in the NHL.
2. Now that Milan Lucic is back, who sits?
Head coach Claude Julien admitted he has a tough decision on his hands now that Lucic is back from his suspension and Byron Bitz has proven his nerves are as steel-strong as his play on the forecheck. There’s some media talk that maybe Blake Wheeler gets the seat in the press box. But that’s just nuts. Wheeler, who lacks the grit Bitz brings, still adds so much to the Boston cause with his speed and skill. He paid his dues for 81 games in the regular season and has done nothing to hurt his cause in this series. If anything, the only lineup alteration I would make from Games 1 and 2 is leave Wheeler on his Game 3 line alongside David Krejci and Michael Ryder, put Lucic on Marc Savard’s line and drop P.J. Axelsson back to the fourth line. But status quo works too.
3. Who gets the start in net for Montreal?
It might be hard for “kings of overreaction” here in Montreal, but Carey Price has not cost the Habs this series. And there have been glimmers of the championship-caliber goaltender Montreal thinks it will have in a couple years here and there against the Bruins. Most goaltenders would look bad playing behind an injury-ravaged, under-talented club like the Habs have right now. It’s time for the Habs to look toward the future, and one of the few players that will be back for years to come is Price. So to not let him finish what he has started in this series would be an unnecessary blow to his confidence. Even in defeat, Montrea has the chance to establish Price as its ‘man’ in the crease.
4. Does Manny Fernandez get the start in Game 4?
One reporter mentioned this to me today, and I won’t reveal his name for fear his inbox would be barraged with hate mail (not to mention the guys in the white coats would probably accompany him across the border tomorrow). Tim Thomas is in a groove. And if he wins Game 4, there’s a chance the Bruins won’t play again for as long as nine days. That would mean nearly two weeks without activity if he sat for Game 4. Fernandez has been practicing hard, keeping his head up and staying ready. He had plenty of practice preparing without playing in the regular season. So the bench is where he should stay. Basically, he should be behind glass that read ‘break, only in case of emergency.’ Thomas gives the Bruins the best chance to win regardless of the game differential in the series. Enough said.
5. Will Montreal try to physically leave the type of mark on Boston that could hinder the Bruins’ chances in future rounds?
Outside of the play between the whistles, I wouldn’t think so. Even though there were plenty of cheap shots in Boston, the Habs showed more restraint in Game 3 on their home ice. I have a feeling Gainey talked to his team about staying on the right side of that fine line between physical play and dirty tricks. If you’re around a guy like Gainey, some of his class has to rub off sooner or later. I suspect there will be hits galore for 60 minutes or more. If the Bruins win, as always, the post-series handshake will be cordial. And in a weird way the Habs might want Boston to succeed in future rounds because of the respect the Bruins have earned in this series.
Axelsson doesn’t put up the shiny pretty numbers, so it’s easy for hockey neophytes not to understand how valuable he is.
Just one other point, and this has been bugging me when I see how many Habs fans are using injuries as an excuse: Last year the Bruins were without Patrice Bergeron and Chuck Kobasew, Marc Savard was playing with a broken bone in his back, and Zdeno Chara played with a torn labrum. Peter freaking Schafer and Jeremy Reich were getting serious ice time. And the Bruins STILL pushed the Canadiens to seven games. So please, stop with the waaaah, we’re injured cries.
“He’s the epitome of a selfless player. He steps up. He’ll block any shot, except for Z in practice. He gets a free card there. But he’s a guy that when it comes down to it, his defensive responsibilities are
taken care of first. He’s a guy you can rely on. He’s a guy that sometimes gets a bad rep because as a forward, he doesn’t always show up on the game sheet. But if you ask players in this locker room, he’s
a guy that contributes in ways we understand. He’s one of the reasons why we’re here.” – Aaron Ward on Axelsson as printed in the Globe on 4/17.
Let’s see, Ward has won 3 Stanley Cups. How many have you won Billy?
“bitz is just as good on the pk”
Eleven years in the league and he’s no better than a 4th line rookie.
“so many people have blinders on”
“I think every coach that’s had him and had him day in and day out recognizes the stuff he brings to the table,” said Julien. “He’s one of those guys that will always be an unsung hero.
“The little things that make a big difference always go unnoticed. He’s not the biggest player. He’s not the most natural goal scorer. But he compensates in other ways . . . He blocks shots. He creates a penalty. Penalty kill, I can’t [say] enough. He’s probably our smartest and best penalty killer. This is what P.J. brings to the team.” (Boston Globe 4/19/09)
Wow, how has Julien coached a team tot he best record in the conference and a 3-0 series lead with those blinders on?
Get real.
axe sits,i dont know why so many people have blinders on when it comes to him,hes terrible te only thing he does good is on the pk and bitz is just as good on the pk and a hell of alot better overall sit axe for the rest of the playoffs
Bitz sitz. He’s lucky to be with the club at this time of year. It is great that we have depth but Looch has earned a seat on that bench tonight. Matt, I disagree with demoting Axe. The playoffs are where his skills shine. Kess and Savvy have enough firepower to make up for Axe’s inoffensiveness. Of course you are overlooking the great drop pass/screen that he made for Hnidy to score the other night. Same lineup as Game 2.
In my opinion, I’d keep Lucic out for Game 4 for the sole reason that, as exhibited in the games 1 and 2, he can easily lose his cool (and for good reason), but that could prove costly. Put him back in the lineup for the next round, but leave him out of Montreal – they’ll no doubt be targeting him in effort to get him to take a retaliatory penalty, etc. With how well Bitz played in Game 3, they can finish it off without having the Lucic/Komisarek/Laraque distraction.