Habs Notebook: Taking On the Pens Edition

I like that the Habs aren't flipping out about beating the Caps. They celebrated their victory on the ice, but they've been all business with the media ever since. They're not satisfied and they really believe they can do more in these playoffs. That's such a refreshing attitude for a Habs team, it's making me believe in them too. They're looking forward to tomorrow night and by now are already deep in preparation for the defending champs. A few notes as we wait:

-Kris Letang told RDS he thinks after the Caps upset, the Habs are now the favourite in the series versus the Pens. Obviously, that's total crap. The Habs are the lower seed, barely made the playoffs and have nowhere near the star power of the Pens. The Penguins are the defending champions. I just wonder why Letang said it. Is he trying to put pressure on the Habs? Is he actually feeling some nerves, or was it a gesture of goodwill to show some respect to the opponent? Either way, I thought it was an odd thing to say, considering the unquestionable falseness of the statment.

-I'm a bit concerned about the number of shots the Habs blocked in Round One. There were 182 of them, to be exact, and 31 by Hal Gill alone. Those things hurt, and with Round Two starting so quickly, there's no time for the bruises to heal. Bruises on top of bruises are going to hurt even more, and will push the guys' dedication to the limit. On the plus side, though, the number of shots they blocked is proof the dedication is there to begin with. As Mike Keenan said on TSN tonight, "It's a culture of your group and shows how committed you are to that game or that series." The Habs proved they're willing to sacrifice...a lot...to advance in the playoffs.

-I'm also a little worried about Halak. He looked tired at the end of the regular season, and in Game Two of the Caps series. When Price got a start and gave Halak a few days off, he came roaring back to take the last three games of the series in spectacular fashion. In light of the workload Halak's handled this week, there's a risk of exhaustion on his part. On one hand, I think maybe he should just ride the wave as long as he can. On the other, I think perhaps he should go in Game One and, if the Habs win, maybe the coaches should start Price in Game Two to give Halak a breather. If the Habs lose, however, all bets are off and you ride that pony until he drops in the traces.

-Strategy will have to change against Pittsburgh. In terms of the superstars, Crosby is by far the more dangerous player. Ovechkin does everything one way: by brute force. He hits, skates and shoots at top speed all the time. That's effective in the regular season because teams don't have time to develop a strategy just to deal with him. The Habs had time to do it, and as you probably saw in the replays, Ovechkin looked like he had one approach to the offensive zone. He barrelled down the wing and cut to the middle for the shot. The Habs defencemen were able to either ride him off on the boards, or block his cut to the slot. On every Caps rush, the backchecking centreman and one defenceman converged on Ovechkin right at the blueline. Sometimes, it was even as simple as poke-checking him. Failing that, Halak was ready for his shot. Crosby's a different cat altogether. He proved this year he can score tons of goals. The problem is that, unlike Ovechkin, if you try to keep him from shooting, he'll kill you with a pass to the open guy you're not watching because you're guarding against Crosby. Crosby uses his teammates like Ovechkin doesn't. The other difference between him and Ovechkin is Crosby has incredible vision and never, ever quits on a play. When you think you've got him down on his ass, he'll reach out and flip the puck to a guy you didn't even see coming. Crosby's much trickier than Ovechkin, and the Habs' D, which excells at blocking shots, isn't as good in dealing with shifty guys who wait you out before they shoot.

-The supporting casts of Washington and Pittsburgh aren't terribly different, in my opinion. Sure, the Pens have Malkin, but I thought Backstrom was just as dangerous a player in the Caps series. The various top-line wingers and third and fourth lines aren't that different. I think the Habs can compete.

-On a personal level, I'm wondering if I should change superstitions for the Pens series. In the last three games agains the Caps, I wore my Pleky shirt and had one German beer in the second period. I'll try it in Game One and see what happens. What do you all do to get ready for games?

-I'm curious to see how the reffing plays out in this series. With the retirements of several good, experienced officials in the last couple of years, we're starting to see the playoff debuts of very, very iffy refs like Chris Lee and Tim Peel. I give full credit to the refs in Game Seven for calling a fair, reasonable game. I'm not sure that will continue with the defending champs involved. There's a PhD paper out there that proves statistically that refs tend to favour the home team and/or the higher-ranked team. I don't necessarily buy into league conspiracies, but, on the other hand, we've all seen Crosby et al. benefit from some very questionable calls.

-The biggest advantage the Habs may have is in goal. Not because Halak is so great, which he undoubtedly has been, but because Fleury has sucked. He looked horrible against Ottawa. Long shots beat him over his glove, pucks he thought he had stopped trickled through his five-hole and his adjustment on tips and deflections was non-existant. He can also be counted on to mishandle the puck outside his crease when under forechecking pressure. It's not just these playoffs either. He's allowed three-and-a-half goals a game against the Habs through his career. Our guys have to take advantage of that and shoot way more often than they did against the Caps.

-I think the schedule is tricky. The Pens have had several days' rest now. The Habs are coming straight out of a seven-game series. This could work two ways in Game One. It could let the rested, healed Pens team crunch the Habs, or it could mean the Habs are riding the incredible wave of adrenaline and purpose they're riding since beating the Caps. Either way, the schedule has to play in the Pens favour long-term, which means any win the Habs can grab early is that much more important.

-One thing I'm dreading in this series is "Sid." Not Crosby himself, mind you, but the overly-familiar announcers who refer to Crosby as casually as they would a younger brother. The NBC crew, in particular, loves to say "Sid with a fabulous pass," or "Sid brilliant on the two-on-one." I hate that. If you're calling "Malkin," "Cammalleri," "Halak," "Staal," and "Markov," then call "Crosby" as well, for God's sake.

-I'm finding it easier to dismiss all the negative, go-with-the-numbers predictions this time around. Everyone in the world called Caps in Round One. Now they're calling Pens. That's normal. They're hedging their bets because the Pens, Letang's pronouncement notwithstanding, are the favourites. But we Habs fans know when something special kicks in in Montreal, strange things happen. I'm going to hold off on predictions this time.

-One thing I'm wondering is if some enterprising person from the Dairy Producers of Canada will snag Jaro for a chocolate milk ad. If they don't, they're missing a golden opportunity.

-Intangibles are always hugely important in the playoffs. In terms of experience, the Pens have a Cup under their belt. So do the Habs leaders, Gionta, Gomez, Moen and Gill. Crosby's intangible is his history as a Habs fan. He would love more than anything to beat the Canadiens, especially in the Bell where he's been booed, so he'll push extra-hard. On the flip side, the Habs have an intangible in Gill, who spent a lot of time practicing against Crosby and watching him up close. He knows how to shut the Penguins captain down. Whether he can do it is another story. Desire is also in the balance. The Pens have already been to two consecutive finals and won a Cup. A lot of guys start to think maybe they've met their goals after that, and don't want to sacrifice again. Plus, two straight years of hockey until June can mentally wear down a lot of players. Crosby, no, but others, perhaps. Maybe the Habs are hungrier. The ultimate intangible, however, is team unity. The Habs have come through a crucible of adversity. That makes guys pull together like nothing else. They've also got a David complex now, after beating Washington, and will be willing to do whatever it takes to pull it off again. It'll be interesting to see which group's desires win out.