Canadiens to watch
27 RW ALEX KOVALEV - My top pick in a game of shinny, no contact, no offsides . . . Can score from just about anywhere inside the offensive zone . . . Best hands in hockey? . . . At 35, had his best offensive season in six years with 35 goals and 84 points, both team highs . . . Long-held knock is his defense, although he usually has the puck when he's on the ice . . . He's your neighbor who has all the best tools in the shed, he just doesn't like to use them all the time.
31 G CAREY PRICE - The Canadiens showed great faith by shipping Cristobal Huet to Washington at the trade deadline, leaving the store to a 20-year-old rookie . . . Five of his 24 wins (and zero losses) came against the Bruins . . . Do the names Ken Dryden and Steve Penney ring a bell? Or will he be Patrick Roy, vintage 1992 (a Bruins sweep)?
14 C TOMAS PLEKANEC - A breakthrough season, although his offensive numbers are boosted by playing on a line with Kovalev . . . He was plus-15 on the season, plus-8 in eight games against the Bruins.
11 C SAKU KOIVU - The "C" on his jersey stands for courage . . . Yeah, sure, he was minus-4, but he'll win all the big faceoffs and he'll win the one-on-one battles for the puck . . . One game, winner take all, I'll pick Saku Koivu over Marc Savard.
79 D ANDREI MARKOV - The modern-day, trap-conscious, puck-moving defenseman (translation: He doesn't rush the puck, he advances it) . . . Quarterbacks the best power play in the league.
73 RW MICHAEL RYDER - Enjoys getting under the Bruins' skin . . . Had 13 shots in one game against the Bruins this season . . . You're going to enjoy hating this guy.
21 C CHRISTOPHER HIGGINS - He's shooting if he gets the puck . . . Had more goals (27) than assists (25), an unusual statistic for a center.
6 RW TOM KOSTOPOULOS - Had 50 penalty minutes in seven games against the Bruins this season.
JIM HOBAN 