Interesting game tonight between the Blackhawks and the Canadiens. The Blackhawks lost against Toronto on Saturday and aren't used to losing much. The Canadiens have lost their last three and got bombed at home by Calgary on Sunday night. The fans are already getting restless & habs nation is approaching panic mode.
I say this is a must-win for the habs simply to get the monkey off their back. Another loss means that the pressure will be bulding up more and more. Anyone can lose a game at any given time, but the way they lost against Calgary on Sunday night could be concerning.
For whatever reason, coach Therrien has benched promising young forward Mikael Bournival all season long in favor of chronic underachiever Rene Bourque. Lars Eller is also once again off to a very slow start. Will he give in to the fans and dress Bournival tonight?
As far as i see it, Bournival could give the offense a boost. But defence remains the team's achilles heel once again this season. In my opinion it's one of the worse defence units in hockey. There isn't much after PK, Markov & Emelin. PK's in a slump and had zero shots on goal in his last game. Markov is steady, but he's in his 30's. Emelin isn't durable and often seems to get hurt, although many of his current short-term 'injuries' appeared to be greatly embellished after watching the replays. The referees are now aware of this and they hate to be made fools of.
Once again, the team's success depends on Carey Price's play. But there's so much he can do. He can't score goals, and let's be honest: he plays behind a mediocre defence.
In the past, the habs could overcome their goal-scoring droughts by scoring on the powerplay. But teams have become wiser & defend better. For the habs powerplay to work, it's always about PK's big shot from the point. He usually gets set up by Markov's pass. But teams now either block their passing lane or put a guy on Subban at all times.
My pick for tonight's game: Chicago in a close one.
