Game 6

I chose to watch the Habs/Pens over the Bruins/Flyers. I figured it'd be more entertaining, and it certainly was. However, I thought the Flyers folding would be the reason, and it turned out to be the opposite. Here's what I saw...

- The crowd in Montreal was absolutely awesome! The Bell Centre was rocking. There was a mid 2nd period shift that led to the goal that tied it at 2-2, and from that point on, no matter where things were going, the Habs fans were incredible. They roared after Montreal goals, a driving force against the opponents, and they were inspiring after a late Pittsburgh goal, willing the minds of their players back on course. Towels were constantly waving. It was the epitome of a playoff atmosphere.

- Mike Cammileri is awesome. He scored his 10th and 11th goals of the playoffs. His first quick snap shot gave the Canadiens a very early 1-0 lead, setting the tone. He later touched a brilliant backhander a cross the crease, inside the post to tie the game at 2 in the second. The goal was aptly described as "artistic". He has been incredible throughout this post-season, joining Pavelski of San Jose as the offensive story.

- The Habs were without two big-time defenseman in Andrei Markov and Hal Gill tonight. However, they were lifted by the return of Jaro Spacek. Spacek was great against Alex Ovechkin in the 1st round, before falling to injury. He returned and was great again tonight. Spacek saved a huge scoring chance with a diving poke check early in the second, and then made the score 3-2 with a goal from the point later in the period. The line of Spacek and Roman Hamrlik was brilliant, start to finish, in their zone and influencing the offensive play. I was surprised to see them on the bench for the final shift, but expect the line to make another significant impact on Wednesday. Perhaps one or two of the Markov/Gill pair will rejoin the Habs as well.

- Sidney Crosby scored his first goal of the series. It was a great display of hand-eye coordination, though more a case of Montreal's defense adjusting early on. Crosby was left all alone in front of the Montreal net. I seriously doubt any coach would create a game plan that allowed for that when executed effectively. But Crosby sat there in a spot typically occupied by big Hal Gill and batted home a flying rebound. The Kid was bottled up for the rest of the contest, with a lot of the work done by Defenseman Josh Georges.

- The Canadiens made the most of their opportunities early on, scoring on their first shot and twice during a big momentum swing in the 2nd period. The only major missed opportunity was a puck that was shanked off the stick of Scott Gomez. A great pass from Brian Gionta, off a rebound, left Gomez merely having to firmly meet the puck to find a wide open net. That would have made it 2-1 at the time.

- Marc Andre Fleury continues to be the second best goaltender in this series. It is often the case that the second best goaltender is the one that goes home after a game seven. Despite being the superior team when the names are written down, the Pens are going to need Fleury to step up, and for the Igloo to be as booming as the Belle Center was tonight.

-APT