Pluses, minuses for Canadiens, Bruins

Each Wednesday throughout the regular season, Kevin Weekes will be offering his pluses and minuses for the teams competing in the NBCSN Wednesday Night Rivalry game in his Weekes on the Web blog. Weekes also will assist fans with three must-watch elements of the game.
The Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins, two Original Six teams, have one of the longest and most intense rivalries in the NHL. The Canadiens have 24 Stanley Cup titles and has made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in eight of the past 10 seasons, including two trips to the Eastern Conference Final. The Bruins have won the Cup six times and made the playoffs eight times in 10 seasons, including two trips to the Final and one win (2011).

Boston defeated Montreal 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday and have won the past three meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals. The Canadiens (18-20-6) visit the Bruins (24-10-8) at TD Garden on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, RDS, NHL.TV). Here's my breakdown of the game:

Canadiens

Pluses: After beginning the season 1-6-1, Montreal could have thrown in the towel, but didn't. The Canadiens are 2-0-2 in their past four games following a five-game losing streak, and their compete level is still strong.
That was evident in the overtime loss to the Bruins on Sunday and a 5-4 overtime loss against the New York Islanders on Monday, when they came back from two goals down twice.
There are jobs to be won and positions that need to be solidified, and it's nice to see players noticing and taking advantage of that; center Andrew Shaw and forward Brendan Gallagher are two Canadiens who will always make opponents keep their heads up.

Montreal has 42 points, 12 behind the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.
Claude Julien, who coached the Bruins for 10 seasons before being fired on Feb. 7 and hired by the Canadiens one week later, knows a thing or two about Boston. True, the team may be different since he left, but he knows coach Bruce Cassidy well from having him on his staff. It should be an emotional homecoming for Julien, whose 419 wins are the most in Bruins history.
Minuses: Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has had such a high bar of being so good for so long, and when he's not able to erase a lot of Montreal's mistakes, I think we see the reality of what the Canadiens are. It has been a difficult first half of the season for Price, who missed three weeks with a lower-body injury in November and is 13-14-4 with a 2.95 goals-against average and. 908 save percentage. He needs more help in front of him and he hasn't received it to this point, which has been a huge challenge.
The Canadiens are a team in flux; I don't know what they are or who they are. I know when they were at their best three seasons ago, they were a skating team that played a speed game with skill. They have tried to become more physical, but aside from defenseman Shea Weber, there is nobody on the roster with as intimidating a presence, and he's out with a foot injury.
Lastly, the Canadiens have not been able to adjust without a No. 1 center. They had a No. 1 defenseman in P.K. Subban and traded him to the Nashville Predators for Weber prior to last season; they have a No. 1 goalie in Price and a No. 1 forward in Max Pacioretty, one of two NHL players (Alex Ovechkin) to score 30 goals or more in each of the past four seasons. But they need a No. 1 center. Forward Jonathan Drouin, acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 15, 2017, was tried at center but has been more productive on the wing, and Alex Galchenyuk is more of a No. 2 center. They've had too much turnover and changes on defense. Can they really replace Andrei Markov, who signed in the Kontinental Hockey League, or Alexi Emelin, selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL Expansion Draft before being traded to the Predators?

Bruins

Pluses: It starts with goaltending for the Bruins, who are 9-0-4 in their past 13 games. Tuukka Rask, who struggled to start the season, is 12-0-2 with 24 goals allowed and two shutouts in his past 14 stars, and has not lost in regulation since a 4-2 defeat against the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 26. He has a 2.25 GAA and .919 SV% this season. Backup Anton Khudobin is 9-2-4 with a 2.40 GAA and.924 save percentage, giving the Bruins a backup goalie they can count on.
Boston is playing much faster. Its top line of Brad Marchand, with 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists), Patrice Bergeron, with 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) and David Pastrnak, with 39 points (17 goals, 22 assists) is one of the best in the League. They've combined for 51 goals (17 on the power play) and are plus-40.

Lastly, the Bruins young players, including forward Danton Heinen, 22, with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists), forward Jake DeBrusk, 21, with 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy, 20, with 24 points (five goals, 19 assists) and 22:50 of ice time per game, have made a big impact this season. They have been counted on and have delivered, and in some cases, maybe even over-delivered.
Minuses: Playing in the Atlantic is a blessing and a curse this season. The Bruins are 7-1-2 against divisional opponents; I'd like to see them play against tougher competition, like what the Metropolitan Division has to offer; Boston is 7-3-4 against Metropolitan opponents.
The Bruins could use a little more production from their fourth line. Tim Schaller, with 11 points (five goals, six assists), Sean Kuraly, with eight points (three goals, five assists) and Noel Acciari, with seven points (six goals, one assist), are good at their roles, but more offense would be nice.

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Will the Bruins' speed and pace give them an advantage?
   2. Will the Canadiens try to be physical?
   3. Who will win the matchup between two of the League's elite goaltenders?