Goaltending and toughness will be in the spotlight when the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs open the National Hockey League regular season tonight at the Air Canada Centre (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, CJAD Radio-800).
For the Canadiens, the big question will be: can goaltender Carey Price bounce back after a disappointing finish to the 2008-09 campaign?
Head coach Jacques Martin said he would wait until this morning to announce his starting goalie, but Price is expected to get the nod over Jaroslav Halak.
Martin and general manager Bob Gainey both defended Price's performance last season, insisting he had a good year for a goaltender of his age. But their attempts to pump up the 22-year-old fly in the face of the statistics - Price's numbers across the board were worse than they were in his rookie season.
"I think it was a pretty good season, but it was a tough second half and people remember the second half," Price said when asked to evaluate last season's performance.
Price, who conceded he might have come back too soon from an ankle injury, was swept by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs and his last 21 starts produced only seven wins.
But there's cause for optimism because a) Price had a good start last season, b) he's young, c) he has been working diligently in practice, and d) his supporting cast may be better.
After Price gave up four goals in two periods during an exhibition game in Ottawa two weeks ago, he said it would take him some time to get into midseason form.
When asked about his form yesterday, Price said: "I feel a lot better than I did in Ottawa. We've been working hard and spending extra time on the ice pretty much every day. We've been working at it and working at it, and we're pretty close."
Price and Halak also should benefit from Martin's system, which stresses puck possession and defensive responsibility.
Price wasn't the only Canadiens player who slumped during the second half last season. Glen Metropolit, who arrived from Philadelphia off waivers last February, put the Canadiens' woes in perspective when he said:
"When I got here, it was crazy times. Everyone was getting the coach (Guy Carbonneau) fired. ... This year, there's a really great group of guys here. I don't want to say there's more character than last year, but the guys here are talking more and there's a big difference."
The Maple Leafs have goaltending issues of their own. Vesa Toskala is No. 1 and has received a vote of confidence from head coach Ron Wilson and general manager Brian Burke. But Burke also went out and signed heralded Swedish free-agent Jonas (The Monster) Gustavsson, who
became an instant fan favourite after posting three shutout periods in exhibition games after a procedure to correct a minor heart problem.
Burke's biggest and most controversial move was to add size and toughness on defence in Mike Komisarek and Fran-?ois Beauchemin, while adding some goonery in Garnet Exelby, Colton Orr and Jay Rosehill, who had 275 penalty minutes last season in the AHL.
Gainey said the Leafs' moves are "a little out of character with the way the NHL is going, but hockey is a tough physical sport."
Gainey added: "The players who play, they enjoy it, they like the robust play, and our team won't be any different."
Said Martin: "The bottom line is you have to win the hockey game. What you're looking for is your ability to compete. Sure, they play a physical game. Some teams are more physical than others, but you have to find ways to win games and play within your strengths. You have to focus on your team and not worry about the other team."
That being said, Martin is concerned enough to dress Georges Laraque tonight, even though the tough guy - who has a 2-0 record vs. Orr when dropping the gloves - hasn't played an exhibition game.
After tonight's game, the Canadiens shuffle off to Buffalo, where they play the Sabres on Saturday night.
