Game 42: Penguins Vs. Canadiens Preview
MONTREAL (KDKA) – The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking for their second win in as many nights when they take on the Canadiens in Montreal.
On Wednesday, the Penguins erupted for eight goals to bury the Tampa Bay Lightning 8-1.
Evgeni Malkin scored just seven seconds into the game to set the tone for a five-goal first period.
With eight goals in the game, one would think Sidney Crosby and Malkin teamed up to put on a show.
However, they only combined for a goal and an assist. Chris Kunitz had three goals, while two defensemen stole the show.
Alex Goligoski had a goal and three assists to earn second star honors. Kris Letang had three assists of his own to earn third star honors.
Marc-Andre Fleury saw his shutout broken just 2:25 into the third period by former Penguin Adam Hall. Fleury made 31 saves to secure his 18th win of the year.
Tonight, Pittsburgh will meet Montreal for only the second time this season. Montreal won the first game 3-2 on Oct. 9.
The Canadiens scored two goals in 24 seconds with about two minutes to play in the game to turn a one-goal deficit into a one-goal win.
Pittsburgh's blowout win over the Lightning could help them heading into tonight's game against Montreal.
The Canadiens have been idle since Sunday when they lost 4-3 in overtime to the Atlanta Thrashers. In their last five games, they hold a 1-3-1 record.
With a 21-16-3 record, Montreal is currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and second in the Northeast Division.
Tomas Plekanec (12 goals, 20 assists) leads the team in points by four over Michael Cammalleri (12 goals, 16 assists).
In goal, Carey Price is doing his best to silence the critics, who said trading playoff hero Jaroslav Halak away was the wrong move.
Currently, Price is 19-14-3 with a 2.37 GAA and .919 save percentage with four shutouts. Last year, Price struggled and finished the season with a 13-20-5 record with a 2.77 GAA and .912 save percentage.
Against Pittsburgh, Price is 5-4 with a 2.88 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
Crosby will be looking to add to his lead in the NHL scoring race and has done well against the Canadiens in the past. In 19 games, Crosby has 11 goals and 15 assists.
Malkin has also enjoyed success playing against Montreal. In 17 games, Malkin has racked up nine goals and 14 assists.
With Fleury starting Wednesday's game against the Lightning, Brent Johnson (8-3-1, 2.14 GAA, .925 save percentage) could get the nod between the pipes tonight.
Johnson is 0-4 with a 4.04 GAA and .874 save percentage against Montreal in his career.
The puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on FSN Pittsburgh.
