For the second straight series, the Habs have come back to force a Game 7 as
they beat the Penguins 4-3 on Monday night. The game got off to a perfect
start as Mike Cammalleri opened the scoring just over a minute in. His
strong night continued in the second with the game tying goal in the 2nd period.
Jaroslav Spacek returned to the lineup and made his presence felt with a goal
while Maxim Lapierre scored what turned out to be the winner midway through the
3rd. Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Bill Guerin replied for the Pens.
HW 3 Stars of the Night:
1) Mike Cammalleri: He was quiet at times tonight but when he had the
puck, magic happened. He scored on his first 2 shots of the game and his
second one really turned the momentum in Montreal’s favour. I said in
yesterday’s HW Recap that he needed to step up, and step up he did.
Statline: 2 goals, +2 rating, 5 shots (9 attempts), 0/2 faceoffs, 21:42
TOI
2) Jaroslav Spacek: No one really knew what to expect from him in this
one, given all the uncertainty around what virus kept him out of the lineup as
long as it did. I think it’s safe to say that everyone’s happy with his
game though, solid defensively and oh, a pretty important goal as well.
Statline: 1 goal, +1 rating, 2 shots (5 attempts), 3 blocks, 18:25 TOI
3) Maxim Lapierre: Honestly, if it wasn’t for the goal, he wouldn’t be on
here. But that goal turned out to be so important and let’s face it, it
was quite the individual effort to boot. He’s playing on the edge and for
the most part, hasn’t stepped too far yet.
Statline: 1 goal, -1 rating, 2 PIMS, 3 shots, 4 hits (tied team high),
2/5 faceoffs (40%), 13:55 TOI
HM) Andrei Kostitsyn: He’s not exactly known as the playmaker on that
line (that’s typically Plekanec’s job) but tonight he really stepped it up at
both ends of the rink. For the first time in quite a few games, he was a
difference maker out there.
Statline: 2 assists, +2 rating, 2 shots, 2 hits, 16:10 TOI
Stat(s) of the Night: A trifecta to make the 3rd victory of the
series:
1) Mike Cammalleri became the 1st player this postseason to hit the double digit
mark in goals; his 11 are the most by a Montreal Canadien since Vincent
Damphousse in 1993.
2) Jaroslav Spacek’s 2nd period goal was his first of 2010, he hadn’t scored
since December 4th (51 games).
3) P.K. Subban saw a career high 29:11 of ice time tonight and played at least 3
minutes more than anyone else on either team.
It was a winning night for the Baby Habs as well as the Hamilton Bulldogs beat
the Abbotsford Heat by a 4-0 score to win the series 4 games to 2. David
Desharnais, Aaron Palushaj, Brock Trotter, and Mike Glumac scored for Hamilton,
while Curtis Sanford got the win and shutout.