3 Things To Watch For In The First Bruins-Canadiens Showdown Of The Season
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Bruins would like to have last year's season series with the Montreal Canadiens back.
It wasn't the worst - they went 2-3 in five games against the Habs - but one of those losses happened to be a 5-1 blowout, at Gillette Stadium for the Winter Classic with the hockey world watching. The B's defeated Montreal 4-1 just 18 days later in Montreal, but the bad taste was firmly and irreversibly planted in the mouths of Bruins fans.
The Bruins-Canadiens rivalry hasn't had quite as much juice in the past two seasons. In 2014-15 the Canadiens were on a different level from the Bruins, and last season, neither team made the playoffs. But with new blood on each side, Bruins head coach Claude Julien thinks the rivalry is about to be reignited.
"I don't know if it's going to stay that way, but I think [the rivalry] has been more civilized the last few years and hasn't been as much of this sideshow as there has been," said Julien, according to Matt Kalman. "But I think there's still a lot of hatred between the two organizations when they meet."
On that note, let's look at three things to watch for as the Bruins take on the Canadiens for the first time this season. ...
1. One-line wonders. Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and whoever's centered them has been by far the Bruins' most productive line and the only consistently dependable group through the first four games of the season. The Canadiens have similarly relied upon their top line of Max Pacioretty, Alex Galchenyuk, and Brendan Gallagher.
This matchup will be must-see TV whenever they face each other. Bergeron has a tough task defending Galchenyuk, who has risen to the top of the Habs depth chart and has scored one goal and four points in the Canadiens' first four games.
2. From one defensive stud to another. Montreal made the most shocking move of the NHL offseason when they traded blue line stalwart P.K. Subban straight up for Shea Weber. The former Nashville Predator is older and more expensive than Subban, but he's also a strong leader and a very different player. His defense and physicality will make life hard for the Bruins' top line, and his powerful shot is something the Bruins need to limit, as well.
Weber has never really been a prototypical Canadiens defenseman with his size and physicality, but he can certainly bring that mean streak if necessary. Throw in free-agent addition Andrew Shaw, mercurial winger Alexander Radulov, and David Backes on the other side for the Bruins, and this game could get messy at some point.
3. What should be an epic goaltending battle. Carey Price has earned the title of "Best goalie in the world" since his transcendent performance in net for the Habs in 2014-15, but he's also had trouble staying healthy in the past two seasons. Tuukka Rask, meanwhile, is in a massive hole for his career against Montreal with a putrid 5-15-3 record and 2.69 goals-against average.
Something has to give, here. Price is playing in just his second game of the season and the Bruins need to solve him at some point. Rask needs to show he can hang with the Habs. The Bruins' first home game against the Habs just over a year ago was ugly, so Rask will have an extra bit of redemption to achieve there.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.