Playoff Preview Round 2-Pens

After knocking off the Presidents Trophy winning Washington Capitals in round 1, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves with a spot in the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. Things don't get any easier for the Canadiens as they will enjoy a night off followed by a Friday night date with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. So much for things getting easier. The Pens defeated the Ottawa Senators in round 1 4 games to 2 after picking up 101 points in the regular season, good for 4th in the East. They also scored the 2nd most goals in the Eastern Conference, led by Crosby with 51. Surprisingly, the Pens power play ranked 19th in the league during the regular season, while the penalty kill was 9th.

The Penguins won the season series 3-1, with the Canadiens only win coming in the final matchup at the Bell Centre. Like in the Caps series, controlling the Pens big guns will be a huge key to the series. Crosby and Malkin give the Penguins two of the more skilled centres in the league. The Canadiens defence and Halak will have to continue their strong play. Probably the biggest question mark for the Pens is goaltending, where despite Marc Andre Fleury having a cup ring, he still is considered beatable on some nights. Strong goaltending and timely scoring will be the recipe for success once again in this series. The Habs will once again be massive underdogs but I'm sure they have some confidence after taking out the Caps in round 1. Here is the schedule:

Friday April 30 6:00 pm @ Pittsburgh

Sunday May 2 1:00 pm @ Pittsburgh

Tuesday May 4 6:00 pm @ Montreal

Thursday May 6 6:00 pm @ Montreal

Saturday May 10 6:00 pm @ Pittsburgh (if necessary)

Wednesday May 12 TBD (if necessary)

Game 7 TBD (if necessary)