First off, what an effort by the Montreal Canadiens last night. The team had an awful week and things didn't look good heading into centennial night last night at the Bell Centre. The team came out, destroyed the Bruins, and made themselves look like a very good hockey club. The question now is, can the Habs keep this momentum up and turn it into something productive? The next few games are key for the Habs.
As for the Bruins, they head home to play a surging Toronto team tonight. As a Leaf fan, I am excited for this game, but I feel the Bruins will take it. The team will be looking to rebound tonight, Rask is playing the team that gave up on him, and the Bruins are playing Phil Kessel, a player their fans truly miss. While I think it will be a great game, I feel like Joey Mac's luck is going to run out eventually, and tonight seems like a fitting night for that to happen. As a Leaf fan, I hope I'm wrong. Either way, should be a great game in Boston tonight. Toronto's motivation for tonight? I win could put them as close as four points back of a playoff spot, with a game in hand. There's still a lot of hockey to be played this season.
Do the Western Conference standings scare anyone else? LA, Colorado, Nashville and Phoenix currently sit 4,5,6,7. Did anyone expect ANY of these teams to compete this season? With that said, Colorado seems to be coming back to earth, winning only three of their last ten. My prediction: Only one of those four make the playoffs when all is said and done.
The bottom half of the West is just as disturbing as the top. Detroit and Vancouver are both on the outside looking in, while Anaheim sits in dead last. Changes could come in all three of these cities if things don't turn around pretty soon, maybe save for Detroit, who has been crippled with injuries, though this team's weak goaltending is finally being exposed.
Nobody was surprised when Stevens was fired in Philly, but was Laviolette the right choice to replace him? I'm going to say no, I feel there were better options out there. Either way, there is no excuse for Philly being out of the playoffs, this team is stacked and should be a Stanley Cup favourite. The next move for this team is to move a centre, they're trying.
Afternoon action today has Vancouver and Carolina currently tied at one. That goaltending battle of Raycroft vs. Legace is going to make for a great game...
The puck is just about to drop on the Oilers/Dallas game, what a rivalry that used to be.
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