Montreal Canadiens will have to do without the services of their 2 top defensemen which, although will not hobble, will lessen their resurgent power play. Both Mathieu Schneider and Andrei Markov are on the shelf for the Habs vs Sens game tonight and might miss Montreal's next showdown with the Rangers who linger 3 points back in the playoff hunt along with the Florida Panthers.
Both players, who are Montreal's top point men, are likely out for some time. Markov is supposed to be gone for up to 3 weeks, but Schneider is done - out for the remainder with a shoulder injury. And to make matters worst, Montreal suggest fire in their bellies was snuffed out in the game against the Senators as Ottawa scored 2 goals about 30 seconds apart to beat Montreal 3-2. The Canadiens are still 3 points up on both Florida and the Rangers, making Tuesday's game against Montreal a season-breaker.
If New York squeezes 2 points out of the Habs and the Panthers somehow get past the Flyers (also on Tuesday), Montreal will have both teams breathing down their neck once again with VERY little wiggle room. If both Markov and Schneider are not part of the power play, will Koivu's line be able to work their magic? The Habs went 0-4 in the Ottawa game after going 11-33 in their previous odd man chances. Alexei Kovalev does have 17 points in his last 6 games, but one man cannot win you the cup unless that man is named Gretzky or Lemieux. This game was a home game for MOntreal and they are usually at their best at home. Tonight they were bested by the Senators who are not going to see the post-season, except on TV. With the injuries, how will the Habs fare against the hungry Rangers?
No comments:
Post a Comment