Pens To Face Habs in Second Round

Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

The Penguins will take on the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  The series begins Friday night.

The Canadiens managed to upset the top seeded Washington Capitals with a 2-1 Game 7 victory.  Montreal climbed back from a 3-1 series deficit despite being grossly out-shot, buoyed by a dominating performance from goaltender Jaroslav Halak.  The Habs' penalty-killing unit limited Washington, who had the league's top power-play during the regular season, to a single goal on 33 opportunities with the man advantage.

With the top 3 teams now eliminated, the 4th seeded Pens become the highest seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, ensuring home-ice advantage through the conference finals should they advance.  Pittsburgh won 3 of 4 against Montreal during the regular season.

Game 1 takes place at Mellon Arena on Friday night and will be televised on Versus.