Will The Pittsburgh Pengiuns or Montreal Canadiens Be Top Dog In the East?

John Delone — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:21:08 -0400

The Montreal Canadiens had high hopes going into the postseason last year. Their hopes were crushed in the second round when they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers. Could this year be the Habs year?

In the last years there have been many goaltending controversies in Montreal,(i.e,Theodore and Huet)too many too name. This year has the ability to be or not be, depending on what the coaching staff decides to do.

Price and Halak are both capable goaltenders, both have proven themselves as NHL starters. This is all good for Montreal, there biggest problem is, “which goalie is the best?”, of course they maybe getting tried of this kinda thing in MTL.

The Habs have a fully loaded arsenal, Koivu, Kovalev, the Kostitsyn brothers, Tangauy, Plekanec, and the -hopefully-soon to be healthy; Chris Higgins. These guys can bring a strong offensive weapon to this contender. With talent and leadership like this the Canadiens have the full capability to be the NHL victories.

But least we forget that the Habs have the streanght on the blue-line aswell. Dandenault, Briseboise,Komisarek and Markov. Well rounded on the defenisive side these guys have what it takes to be the Champs.

Looking all the Habs have that can lead to a winning season this year, is there a team that can challenge? The answer is, yes, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The young guns lead by thier Captain Sid Crosby.

The Penguins are the only team in the east that can match the fire power and Goaltending. The young skilled line up that includes Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Talbot has gained alot of experience in their playoff run that took them to the Stanley Cup final-where they lost to the Red Wings-have added some veteran experience to the line-up with the likes of Hal Gill and Miraslov Satan.

In the NHL, scoring goals won’t get you anywhere without a solid Blue line or at least a top goaltender. The pens aren’t the strongest team on the Blue line, especially now that Gonchar is out for what looks like the rest of the season.

However, the Pens make up for that by putting one of the best between the pipes. Marc-Andre Flury has reclaimed his name as one of the best with his play over the last two seasons, he further proved this while he dominated in playoffs helping propel his team to the finals.

With this in mind the facts seem to point to the season being very intresting. The top spot in the east will likely change multiple time over the course of the year. No one can say who will emerge victorious.

Happy 2008-2009 season hockey fans!

Bleacher Report - Articles by John Delone

Will The Pittsburgh Pengiuns or Montreal Canadiens Be Top Dog In the East?