Winter Classic Preview: Bruins, Canadiens fighting for 1st on New Year's Day
It's tradition: On Jan. 1, to ring in the new year, we watch - and celebrate - hockey.
Most of us tune in on TV. But almost 70,000 will brave the elements in Foxborough, Mass., on Friday to witness the Winter Classic, this year pitting the Montreal Canadiens against the Boston Bruins in an Original Six matchup.
Puck drop - weather permitting, and ice conditions will always be an issue - is at 1:38 p.m. ET, on NBC in the U.S. and Sportsnet in Canada.
Free-falling Canadiens
The Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in October. They repeated as champions in November. Carey Price won the Vezina Trophy, and was in the running for the Hart before he was hurt. P.K. Subban won his second Norris Trophy, and Michel Therrien was the coach of the year.
What a difference a month makes.
Price made only three starts in November after a late October lower-body injury. He re-aggravated his ailment Nov. 25, three nights after Montreal lost Brendan Gallagher to two broken digits. Nothing's been the same.
Montreal was 17-4-2 heading into Nov. 27. It's 4-11-1 since.
Price will miss the Winter Classic. Gallagher, however, is back, and his return is massive. But Mike Condon isn't the answer in goal. He had a .906 save percentage in November, and followed that up with an .888 December. It's so bleak, Marc Bergevin was forced to trade for Ben Scrivens. But it'll be Condon in net to open 2016.
The Canadiens' problems are deeper than simply in goal, though. The offense has dried up, too. Montreal has scored only 28 goals in 16 games since Nov. 27, and the calls for Therrien's head on Ste-Catherine Street are growing louder with every defeat.
A coach has never been fired after losing the Winter Classic - that could change this year. And let's face it: Nothing, not even such a drastic measure, would be a shock in Montreal.
Tuukka's back
Any concerns about Tuukka Rask's slow start have been put to rest.
| Month | SV % | Record |
|---|---|---|
| October | .889 | 3-3-1 |
| November | .907 | 5-4-0 |
| December | .948 | 6-2-2 |
Rask stopped 272 of 287 shots he faced in nine December starts, posting two shutouts - he was all but unbeatable.
But what makes the Bruins a formidable team is their consistency. All they've done all season is score goals and win games. Even when Rask wasn't performing, he still had a better than .500 record thanks to his team's offensive prowess.
Boston ranks second in the league with 3.1 goals per game, boasts the league's best power play (29.4 percent), and its plus-18 goal differential is second to only the Eastern Conference-best Washington Capitals. And the Bruins have been absolutely dominant on the road, winning 11 of 16.
The Bruins sit third in the Atlantic, only a point behind Montreal with three games in hand, and two points behind the Florida Panthers, with a game in hand. The division is Boston's to lose. And the scary part is, Rask is only now rounding into form.
Fear Boston.
Star power
No Price, and David Krejci hit injured reserve Tuesday, but a number of stars will shine during the NHL's biggest and brightest showcase on New Year's Day.
While it's unfortunate Brad Marchand will miss the game, he was rightfully suspended. At least Gallagher, Montreal's Marchand, will play.
After a career-high 15 goals last season, Subban only has one this season. But you can bet good money P.K. will score No. 2 at Gillette Stadium, because if anyone should play in this game every year, it's him. Subban was made for it.
Patrice Bergeron, at 30, is as much a leader of the Bruins as captain Zdeno Chara, and the underrated center is on pace for the best statistical season of his career.
Canadiens captain and sniper Max Pacioretty was born and raised in New Canaan, Conn., only a three-hour drive from Gillette Stadium.
Torey Krug played an outdoor game as a Michigan State Spartan, and will now do so as a Bruin.
Alex Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, and grew up in Europe and Russia, and will now suit up outdoors in the bleu, blanc, et rouge.
Loui Eriksson has found "it" again, and the hockey world, for one afternoon, will be witness to his rebirth.
There are so many reasons to watch. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the most important one: Bruins versus Canadiens. Montreal against Boston. For the 910th time. Outside. It doesn't get much better than that.