NHL Preview Roundup: Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Four games are set to be played on Friday, January 20th 2012 in the National Hockey League (NHL) as eight teams’ battle it out for the coveted playoff positions.
We will preview two of the biggest fixtures of the night, starting off with Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Montreal Canadiens.
1. Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh (7:00 PM E.T.)
The Montreal Canadiens struggle with consistency this season, showing no signs of ending as promising victories are followed by ignominious defeats. Canadiens seem to perform at their best when facing some of the big sides in the NHL but seem equally ineffective
against seemingly easy opponents.
The Canadiens won 4-1 against the Eastern Conference table toppers, New York Rangers, at home on Sunday but went down 3-0 to the Washington Capitals in the follow up game on Wednesday.
This inconsistency with form keeps the Canadiens near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a poor 17-21-8 record and 42 points.
The Pittsburgh Penguins on the other hand have found their form back after a miserable six game losing streak after the loss of Captain and talisman Sidney Crosby.
The Penguins are now unbeaten in their last four games and on Thursday put in an impressive performance pounding the New York Rangers, 4-1.
The Penguins are now up to sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 25-17-4 record and 54 points. They will be favourites to win at home due to their recent form and scare the daylights out of Canadiens’ goaltender, Carey Price.
"Probably because they scare the daylights out of me", Price told the Canadiens official website. "They've got a lot of high-level talent and they always have, so whenever you roll into Pittsburgh you're aware that you're probably going to face over 30 shots
and a few quality chances, so you know you have to be ready".
The Penguins should however, not take the game lightly as this season’s Canadiens can perform and should be wary of an unpredictable Montreal side.
2. Florida Panthers vs. Chicago Blackhawks at United Center (8:30 PM E.T.)
The Florida Panthers have not won a single game in their previous three encounters and have lost five of their previous six games after some really poor performances.
Panthers have lost their last two games in close encounters with a 3-2 shootout loss on Monday against the Boston Bruins while following up that result with a 4-3 overtime defeat to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Panthers are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 21-14-10 record and 52 points and are looking to secure a first playoff spot in nearly a decade.
Florida will not have an easy shot to end their three game unbeaten run as they will take on a surging Chicago Blackhawks club who have regained the initiative after a four-game losing streak earlier in January.
The Blackhawks have won four out of their previous five games and are currently on a two game winning run. Chicago is fifth in the Western Conference with a 28-13-6 record and 62 points and will be favourites to win over the Panthers tomorrow.
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