Canadiens goaltender Carey Price displays his Vezina form twice this week
MONDAY - Blackhawks @ Kings - 9PM - Versus
This is a match-up of two of my favorite teams AND favorite teams to watch. Los Angeles is in 6th place with 45 points and the Blackhawks are in 10th with 43 points in a very tight Western Conference. The Kings are struggling and are in the midst of a three game losing streak after winning four in a row. Chicago has lost 3 in a row after their own four game winning streak. The Blackhawks have won all 3 meetings this year including a 2-1 win in LA back on the 19th. The Kings NEED this game for a psychological boost. These teams could meet in the playoffs and no one wants to be swept.
TUESDAY - Wild @ Devils - 7PM - Versus
Another marvelous job done by Versus in picking this game...not. Even at the beginning of the year, Tampa Bay @ Washington or Buffalo @ Colorado would have been better games to go with. The only salvageable storyline out of this game is that Jacques Lemaire is coaching against his old Wild team. Minnesota is coming off a wild 6-5 OT win over Phoenix while the Devils are coming off an ugly 6-3 loss at Carolina. New Jersey has lost 12 of their past 14 games. This will be their first and only meeting of the season.
WEDNESDAY - WORLD JUNIOR HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS - FINAL - 7PM - NHL NETWORK (winner of Sweden-Russia vs. winner of USA-Canada)
THURSDAY - Penguins @ Canadiens - 7:30PM - NHL Network
This will be the Penguins first national TV appearance since the Winter Classic. It happens to be the team that eliminated both them and the Capitals from the playoffs last year. Pittsburgh will get a tune-up the night before at home against Tampa Bay before heading north of the border. The Canadiens have cooled off as of late. Before losing in overtime to Atlanta last night, the Habs had lost 8 of 11. The Canadiens won their only prior meeting 3-2 back in the beginning of the season.
FRIDAY - NO GAME
SATURDAY - Bruins @ Canadiens - 7PM - NHL Network
The Bruins will get the Maple Leafs in Toronto and the Wild at home before heading up to the Bell Centre. This will be their 3rd meeting of the season (2nd in Montreal) and the Canadiens have won both matches so far. The best two goalies in the East and top 2 Vezina candidates should both be in the net for Montreal (Carey Price) and Boston (Tim Thomas). The Canadiens have dominated the Northeast with a 9-3 record while the Bruins are 4-4-2.
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