Conference Finals- Game 2 Preview: It's All About Net Presence

Key Matchup: Jaroslav Halak vs. Michael Leighton
Montreal has to find a way to give Halak a chance to see the shots.  In game 1, there was a Flyer parked in front of the net at every opportunity.  The Canadiens D has to make life miserable for any Philedelphia player who wants to stand at the top of the crease.  At the other end, Leighton has to get a little of what his team is giving.  The Habs don't have any typical power forwards (Benoit Pouliot looks like one, but refuses to play like one) but that hasn't stopped them from getting the majority of their goals from within 6 feet of the net in these playoffs.

Key Stats: 2 Wins
Halak has been pulled two times in these playoffs prior to last nights loss.  Each time he has responded with a win in the following game.  There is no evidence that Halak's confidence will suffer from getting the hook in game 1.

Injuries:
Canadiens: D Andrei Markov (knee), D Paul Mara (shoulder)
Flyers: G Brian Boucher (knee), C Jeff Carter (foot), G Ray Emery (hip), RW Ian Laperriere (conncussion)

Notable:
Andrei Markov will not play in this series against Philadelphia.  Jeff Carter could see action for the Flyers though, and that would be bad news for a Montreal team that had a tough time containing Philadelphia's forwards in game 1.

Quote:
"They didn't have the same net presence as the Bruins, I could see over some of the guys." - Michael Leighton

Round 3- Game 1 Preview: Who's Got Richards?

Key matchup: Mike Richards vs. Anybody

Will the Canadiens be able to match up anybody effectively against Mike Richards? During the Boston series Richards contained Marc Savard, took out David Krejci, and frustrated Zdeno Chara.  If Montreal can find someone to keep Richards busy, will Daniel Briere, Simon Gagne or Claude Giroux bust loose?

Key Stats:  1.55 GAA, .943 SV%

Michael Leighton hasn't had anyhere close to the workload that Jaroslav Halak has, but his average numbers are actually better when compared with Halak's 2.42 GAA and .930 SV%.

Injuries:

Canadiens: D Andrei Markov (knee), D Paul Mara (shoulder)

Flyers: G Brian Boucher (knee), C Jeff Carter (foot), G Ray Emery (hip), RW Ian Laperriere (conncussion)

Notable:

Bob Gainey's plan to put together a team that knows how to win in the playoffs could become even more apparent in this series.  The Habs have a combined 5 cup rings on their roster (Scott Gomez (2), Brian Gionta, Travis Moen, Hal Gill) compared to only Chris Pronger's ring for the Flyers.

Quote:
"In your face, ugly and obnoxious" – Gill on the Flyers.

Markov In For Game 1?

Will Andrei Markov return for game 1 on Sunday?

Markov was out for the entire Penguins series with an injured knee. He did take part in Montreal's morning workout at Mellon Arena on Wednesday. Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin has not committed to the return of his impact defensemen, but it seems Markov is committed to play again in these playoffs.

Would he be effective?

Hal Gill, who suffered a cut on his leg in game 5, hobbled around and took penalties because he couldn't do the things he normally does on the ice. Would Markov be able to lead the defence to another series win, or would he have to take a back seat to Josh Gorges and P.K. Subban who were outstanding against the Penguins?

The best case scenario would probably see Markov return and play limited minutes until he can show he can handle a larger workload. Having Markov at less than 100% playing on the last defence pairing would be better than having Marc-Andre Bergeron back there. Bergeron can always take a wing on the 4th line and still get his powerplay time.

One Hole Filled...

No matter who the new owners are, they're gonna need a coach. So before he starts on attracting players for next year, Bob Gainey has hired Jacques Martin as Montreal's 29th head coach.

So the best we can hope for is a team that racks up 100+ point seasons, like Martin's Senators did. And the worst we could get is a team that chokes repeatedly in the playoffs, like Martin's Senators did.

One appearance in the Eastern Conference final is the current peak of Martin's playoff performance, but Jacques can shuffle lines with the best of them during the regular season. His 517 wins put him 10th on the all-time list. Ask Mike Keenan (4th all-time) if that helps your job security after 1st round losses.

A lot can be said about Martin's defensive system and the lack of excitement it produces. Although Ottawa did fill nets, he has been criticized for being too safe and boring. To me, the style of play Martin employs is irrelevant as long as it wins games, and then wins the important games.

Jacques Martin coming on board does raise some other questions though:

1. Can he give the Canadiens an inside track on any free agents? Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, and Jay Bouwmeester have all played three or more seasons under Martin, and the Habs would love to land any one of them.
2. Who are the other coaches next year? Rollie Melanson is already gone, and Kirk Muller was Carbo's pick. Doug Jarvis is close with Gainey, so he may stick around. Don Lever will hopefully get an opportunity with an organization that places more importance on ability than language. Rumours have immediately started to swirl about the return of Mario Tremblay and Jacques Lemaire.
3. Does the hiring of a defensive coach mean that Gainey is about to drag the club through a rebuilding phase focused on Price and Markov? With the goaltending coach gone and a new defensive system, nobody will be affected more than Carey Price by the coaching changes. Markov will also benefit greatly from not having to do almost everything by himself to get the puck to the red line.