National Hockey League preview roundup for Tuesday, February 7, 2012 (Part IV)
Continued from part III...
Pittsburgh at Montreal (7:30 p.m. ET)
Montreal Canadiens snapped its three-game losing streak by impressively defeating Winnipeg Jets (3-0) in the last game, and it is a good time for this team to build on the momentum against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins in a National Hockey League (NHL)
game on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Montreal is currently placed at 14th spot in the NHL Eastern Conference with 49 points after 53 games.
Against Jets, Montreal’s goalie, Carey Price, registered his third shutout of the season after saving 23 shots.
Canadiens’ centre, Tomas Plekanec, thinks that this is a good opportunity for Montreal to get on winning ways and get some points to ensure entry into the playoffs.
He said:
"There are a lot of games to go and there's a lot of character in this room.”
He added that:
“I'm sure we'll do our best and we'll win some games together and get back into the picture and get somewhere where we know we can still make it."
On the other hand, Pittsburgh is also desperately searching for victories.
After a remarkable eight-game winning streak, Pittsburgh has lost two of its last three games.
Pittsburgh is ranked at fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with 64 points after 53 games.
Montreal will certainly need to press hard and give its best shot if it wants to beat Penguins.
St. Louis at Ottawa (7:30 p.m. ET)
It’s been a while since Ottawa Senators tasted a victory. One wonders how many more games it will take for the team to snap its losing streak, but the players are confident that they can register a victory against St. Louis Blues at Scotiabank Place, Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada.
Ottawa has lost six straight games in a row and the last defeat came against Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-0.
Ottawa is placed at eighth spot in the NHL Eastern Conference with 61 points after 55 games and if the team does not end the drought, it can hurt its playoff chances.
“We've still got ourselves in the cluster of teams in the playoffs so it's no time to quit or get real down on ourselves,” Senators’ John Spezza said.
On the other hand, St. Louis is placed at fifth spot in the Western Conference with 67 points after 51 games.
The Blues are also not having very ideal time. They have lost three of their last four games with the recent loss coming against Nashville Predators, 3-1.
The Blues still have an upper hand, but who knows if the Senators get back in form.
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