Montreal Canadiens v Pittsburgh Penguins Live

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Considering that the Pens could very well have faced Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in the Conference Semifinals, the franchise from Pennsylvania is certainly content that the Habs were able to upset the Caps in the first playoff round. Hoping to make another step towards the Eastern Conference Finals, Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at 11 p.m. GMT.

Unlike the Penguins, there is hardly any pressure on the Canadiens, after all, coach Jacques Martin's squad entered the post-season as eight seed in the East and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NHL history by knocking out the number one overall seed in the first round. That said, the Habs are only down 2-1 after three games with the Penguins and could very well stay in the series if they manage to steal one on the road on Saturday night. Most importantly, Mike Cammalleri and the Habs will have to find the net more consistently, as they average just two goals per contest versus the Pens so far.

Pittsburgh on the other hand will inevitably try to defend their Stanley Cup title and has shown that they are up to the challenge over the past few weeks. More precisely, Sydney Crosby and company were able to defeat the Ottawa Senators in six games in the first round and have been playing well at both ends of the ice in the playoffs thus far. Once again leading the team are All-Stars Evgeni Malkin and Sydney Crosby who combined for no less than 10 goals and 16 assists for a total of 26 points in just 9 games. Therefore, the Penguins will enter their encounter with the Canadiens as favorites to come away with a win at home, yet they will have to find a way to break down Montreal's defense that has made life difficult for opposing teams all season long.

You can watch all games of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.

Posted: 28th October 2009

Leading the league with 9 wins in 11 games, the team around Evgeni Malkin and Sydney Crosby has been the hottest team in the first month of play. Although the Penguins dropped one versus the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, Pittsburgh is looking forward to getting right back on track when the game versus the Canadiens gets underway on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. GMT.

In contrast, the Montreal Canadiens are holding on to a three-game winning streak after going 2-5-0 at the start of the season. However, Mike Cammalleri and the Habs took advantage of their homestand at Bell Centre as they beat the Islanders, Rangers and Trashers while allowing only 2.0 goals per contest. So far, Cammalleri led the Canadiens’ scoring sheet with 5 goals and 11 points in 10 appearances. Although Montreal played with a higher energy level at the defensive end of the ice, they will have to keep up their effort since their overall defensive performance is still somewhat unsatisfying.

Despite the recent improvements of the Habs, they are still entering the match-up with the Penguins as underdogs hoping to steal one on the road. More specifically, Pittsburgh did not only rely on their heralded offense around Crosby and Malkin, but also elevated their level of play defensively. So far, Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins’ defensive lines only allowed 2.5 goals per contest while their offense took care of business. One key aspect for the Canadiens will be to keep up their defensive intensity and keep the opportunities for Malkin and Crosby to a minimum. That said, it will not be an easy task given the fact that the Penguins’ dynamic duo already combined for 24 points in 11 games. 

You can watch all games of the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.