On to Montreal...

So those crazy Canadians bested the Caps to get the right to face us; I know, I'm as shocked as you are. But as much as I would have liked to have seen us beat the hell out of Ovy and his crew of "skilled" players, I think this is just about the best possible match up the Pens could have asked for.

Montreal is one of those teams that doesn't do anything poorly, but also doesn't do anything extraordinary. They're an OK offensive team, with Mike Cammalleri leading the way, and some of their forwards are pretty darn good two way players, guys such as Dominic Moore (former Pen). But they're certainly not on the same level as the Pens skill or speed wise, so you'd have to give the edge to the good guys.

Their defense is also unspectacular, but former Pen Hal Gill has proven to be a very tough opponent, and his size and strength are something to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for the Habs his pairing is the only one you could really call a "shut down" pair, and unlike Washington, we have two (or three depending on who you talk to) lines that can score, so one strong defensive pairing doesn't bode well for our neighbors to the north. Once again, advantage Pens.

While Gill may compete with Brooks Orpik as the best defensive defenseman in this series, the firepower of the Pens offense has a chance to overwhelm the Habs. Our defense isn't much better then theirs, but the way we spread our offense around and all of the talent we have certainly point to us winning this battle.

The goaltending matchup would tend to lean towards the Pens, just because Marc Andre Fluery has so much "big game" experience and his counterpart has been a part time starter. But don't sleep on Jaroslav Halak. He's been very, very strong the past three games, and is pretty much the sole reason the Habs are where they are. The only problem is he, much like the Penguins themselves, can be maddeningly inconsistent. He actually got pulled from Game 3 of the first round series, gave up a three goal lead in Game 2, and didn't even start Game 4.

So give the nod to The Flower, but remember that Halak is standing on his head right now and if that continues it will certainly be hard for the Pens to put the biscuit in the basket.

Let me be very frank with you - the Pens should win this series. We are by far the more talented and experienced team. But as we learned in the Canadians' last series, skill and talent will always lose to heart and will. The Pens better play desperate, desperate hockey or they could find themselves on the wrong side of this series.

Go Pens!

Until lata...