Dec 17 5 Habs Questions Vs Wild - Statement Game

After dominating Boston, Philadelphia and Ottawa by a combined score of 12 - 3, the Canadiens have gone on to lose their next 4 games by a margin of 1 goal in each and every game. To add insult to standings injury, the Habs have lost 3 of their last 4 games late in the 3rd period, including a real heartbreaker in New Jersey last night. Tonight, the Montreal Canadiens are back at home as they welcome back Guillaume Latendresse and the Minnesota Wild. For his part, when Latendresse has not been contributing on the scoresheet, he has made his presence felt on the ice with solid hits. Montreal is playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, while Minnesota is only playing in their 2nd, and had yesterday off. The Wild have also won 3 of their last 4 games, with 2 wins coming on the road.

Question 1

All eyes will be on Latendresse tonight, of that, there is no question. But will Guillaume be adding to his 3 goals and 1 assist total with the Wild, one more goal than he scored for the Canadiens? This is a statement game for the Canadiens who not only have to ensure Latendresse is contained, but the Bell Center may also get on the Habs early of Saku's younger brother Mikko gets on the scoresheet.

Question 2

Will Price take out yet another defenseman? Last night marked the 2nd time Carey Price was involved in injuring his support, when Hamrlik appeared to accidentally trip over Price's pad. Price was also involved in taking out Andrei Markov in the first game of the season

Question 3

How long before Georges Laraque decides he wants to be packaged with Halak, after playing less than 5 minutes last night against the Devils. While this was almost double the amount of playing team he had in his last 3 games since Pittsburgh, you would have to think that Laraque has got to be fuming about his lack of ice time. He has played in 17 games so far this season, and is now averaging 6 minutes per game.

Question 4

Price is starting again, but is he mentally still as sharp as he was earlier this season when he claimed his spot as the Habs number 1 goaltender? While Price is known for letting in a few easy goals, that goal he allowed from Pikkarainen was just brutal.

Question 5

I think the biggest question is, is there simply anything left in the tank? The Canadiens only managed 3 shots on net in the 3rd period against New Jersey. Penalties, especially late, are playing a big factor in the lack of shot production, but when you have 4 skaters that have to play against 5 players late in the game, this has got to tax the players more than usual.

Tags: Carey price \ Guillaume Latendresse \ Minnesota Wild \ Montreal Canadiens \ NHL \ Roman Hamrlik