It's been the most highly anticipated match up in this first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and on Thursday night, Game 1 between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens kicks off at Boston's TD Garden.
Canadiens Vs. Bruins, Game 1: Highly Anticipated First Round Matchup Starts Thursday
It’s no secret that these teams absolutely despite each other, and it’s possible that each fan base hates the other more than the players on the ice do. That makes for good banter, good theater and of course, strong ratings, but will it lead to a blood bath on the ice, as we saw more than once in the regular season between these teams?
The Bruins should hope not. On paper, they hold the edge over the Canadiens in just about every single department. Carey Price is a fine goaltender and is having a spectacular year, but is his year better than Vezina Trophy front runner Tim Thomas? Probably not.
On defense, the Canadiens have experience, but do they have guys that can match with Zdeno Chara and Tomas Kaberle? Probably not. And up front, the Bruins have the secondary scoring needed to win in the playoffs. The one way Montreal can steal an edge in this series is with emotion -- by getting Boston off their game.
Of course, that’s not all that far fetched. This is Bruins vs. Canadiens we’re talking about here. Anything can happen.
As mentioned, it’s Price vs. Thomas in goal in Game 1 at TD Garden. For more on the game, check in with SBNation.com’s continuing coverage of the series, as well as coverage from our blogs: Stanley Cup of Chowder and Habs Eyes On The Prize.
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