Bruins face arch-rival Canadiens

The Bruins (6-1-1) and the Canadiens (6-2-0) are both off to hot starts in the mini-season. The early success of both teams will boost the intensity of the game and will ignite a playoff atmosphere at the Bell Centre in Montreal. 

Boston owned Montreal last year winning 4 out of 6 games including the last 4 in a row.

After an embarrassing 7-4 loss at home against Buffalo the Bruins avoided a two game skid by squeaking out a win versus Toronto 1-0 on Saturday. A loss tonight would knock them out of first place and they could drop down to third in the division.  

The Bruins should be ready to play after having a few days off to rest and heal. Regardless of how good the Habs are or aren’t playing Claude Julien knows how tough of a game it will be and that his guys will need to be performing at their highest level.

"I think it's a great rivalry for us against that team, but you've got to acknowledge the fact that they are probably better than a lot of people had given them credit for," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "They give us good games all the time and that's the fun part about it. We go over there and we're excited about playing that team."

The Canadiens have added some big boys to their offense to beef up their lineup and compete with a tough hard-nosed Bruins team. Brandon Prust (6’2 200) and Colby Armstrong (6’2 190) will help Montreal wear down teams in a more physical manor this year. P.K. Subban has returned to the team after a contract dispute and will continue to be a force on the ice. (And a cry-baby diver).

Montreal is feeling good about themselves right now coming off two big wins including a 6-1 thrashing of Buffalo on Saturday and a 2-1 hard earned victory on Sunday against second place Ottawa. The Canadiens are on a roll and will be giving it their all trying to win their third straight game and move up in the standings.

The Bruins need an all-around solid game tonight to get this win. That includes goaltending, defense, and offense. They must be physical and avoid making costly mistakes including bad passes and defensive breakdowns. Taking advantage of a power play or two would definitely help the B’s tonight and could be the key factor to getting the win in Canada.

@Rivetts5