Oct 10, 2008 - 6:21 AM
0 shoutsMontreal (0-0-0) at Buffalo (0-0-0), 7:30 pm EDT
BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) -- The Montreal Canadiens hope to celebrate their centennial with another Stanley Cup championship. That quest begins Friday.
Armed with plenty of offensive threats and a promising goaltender, the Canadiens begin the 2008-09 season when they visit HSBC Arena to take on the Buffalo Sabres.
Alexei Kovalev and netminder Carey Price helped Montreal gain the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season before it fell to the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference semifinals.
Kovalev headlines one of the league's most prolific offenses. He recorded 35 goals and 49 assists as the Canadiens ranked second in goals per game (3.13), and first in power-play goals (90) and percentage (24.1).
Newcomer Alex Tanguay was obtained via a draft-day trade and center Robert Lang was acquired in another deal just before the preseason began.
Tanguay is coming off his worst statistical season in six years, as he notched 18 goals and 58 points in 78 games with the Calgary Flames in 2007-08. Lang, who registered 21 goals and 54 points last season for the Chicago Blackhawks, provides the Canadiens with plenty of experience.
Brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn also figure to be major offensive contributors.
The 21-year-old Price took over the starting job once Montreal dealt Cristobal Huet to Washington in February and flourished right away. As a rookie, Price posted a 24-12-3 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and three shutouts in 41 regular-season games but softened a bit in the postseason.
There's little doubt that the Sabres also are trying to build their team around their goalie.
Ryan Miller, who signed a lucrative five-year contract in the offseason, once again will be a workhorse. He started 75 games in 2007-08, posting a 36-27-10 record with a 2.64 GAA and three shutouts.
Oddly enough, though, Buffalo's strength lies in its offense. Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy lead its attack, which ranked fourth in goals per game last season (3.06).
The Sabres are 20-14-3 in regular-season openers, while the Canadiens are 48-26-16.
From the Bleachers
-
MONTREAL: 1
BUFFALO: 2
Final - 2OT
Oct 10 10:16 PM -
NHL
FINAL IN SHOOTOUT 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MONTREAL 1 0 0 0 (0) 1
BUFFALO 1 0 0 0 (2) 2 FINAL IN SHOOTOUT
GOAL SCORING:
1ST PRD: MON - ROBERT LANG 1 (TOM KOSTOPOULOS, ANDREI MARKOV) 2:58
BUF - THOMAS
Oct 10 10:16 PM -
MONTREAL: 1
BUFFALO: 1
End of OT
Oct 10 10:11 PM -
MONTREAL: 1
BUFFALO: 1
End of Regulation
Oct 10 10:01 PM -
MONTREAL: 1
BUFFALO: 1
End of 2nd
Oct 10 9:07 PM -
MONTREAL: 1
BUFFALO: 1
End of 1st
Oct 10 8:17 PM -
NHL
MONTREAL 1
BUFFALO 1
1ST PRD: BUF - THOMAS VANEK 1 (TEPPO NUMMINEN) 7:40
Oct 10 8:00 PM -
NHL
MONTREAL 1
BUFFALO 0
1ST PRD: MON - ROBERT LANG 1 (TOM KOSTOPOULOS, ANDREI MARKOV) 2:58
Oct 10 7:52 PM
