There are a number of restricted NHL free agents unsigned for the coming season. The most prominent of those are Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, Anaheim forward Bobby Ryan and Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, all of whom were high first-round choices in the 2005 entry draft. Each is involved in tense salary negotiations with training camp starting up in less than three weeks.

The Canadiens finally hit the wall against Philadelphia. They scored the first goal of the game but it was one breakaway and odd-man rush after another through the rest of the first period and then the Flyers took advantage of a mistake prone Canadiens defence to eventually wear the Canadiens down for a 4-2 win and a 4-1 series win. The Flyers will play for the Stanley Cup starting Sunday in Chicago. .

The Canadiens came up totally flat against the Flyers in game four of their Eastern Conference final series against Philadelphia. Claude Giroux scored two goals, one of them into an empty net as Philadelphia blanked Montreal 3-0.

The Canadiens dominated the Philadelphia Flyers with their speed in recording a 5-1 win in game three of the Eastern Conference Final. It was the first game of the series at the Bell Centre. Michael Cammalleri, Tom Pyatt, Dominic Moore, Brian Gionta and Marc Andre Bergeron scored for the Canadiens. Simon Gagner for the Flyers who were outshot 38-26 in the game. (Read More)

For the second straight night goalscoring dried up as the Canadiens were beaten 3-0 behind Michael Leighton’s second straight shutout, Not only has Canadiens goalscoring disappeared, so has the special teams play that was so important to them against Washington and Pittsburgh.
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The Canadiens just don’t do opening nights very well. For the second consecutive series opener, the team laid an egg. Against the Penguins, Jaroslav Halak was pulled in favour of Carey Price with the score 5-2 and en route to a 6-2 defeat. Sunday night in game one against the Flyers it was 6-0.

The Canadiens were sluggish, undisciplined and uninvolved and paid a heavy price in losing to a Flyers team that only a day to rest after seven game series against Boston.

The Canadiens took it to the Penguins from the opening puck-drop. Brian Gionta scored on a power play thirty-two seconds into the game. Dominic Moore made it 2-0 against the rattled Penguins before the first period was over. Then it was Michael Cammaller with his 7th goal of the series and then Travis Moen with a dandy shorthanded goal. Pittsburgh did attempt to come back with two late second period goals but then Jaroslav Halak took over. The Penguins outshot the Canadiens 18-3 in the third period but the only goal was scored by Montreal.

Credit special teams again. The Canadiens were two four on the power play while the Penguins, even with Crosby and Malkin, were 0-for-6.

The Canadiens advance to the Eastern Final for the first time since their last Stanley Cup year in 1993. They’ll play either Philadelphia or Boston.

The Canadiens have faced elimination four times in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs and have won each time.

At the Bell Centre Monday night, Michael Cammalleri scored his 10th and 11th goals of the playoffs and Jaroslav Halak turned in his usual magic in the Canadiens nets as Montreal edged Pittsburgh 4-3 to force a seventh and deciding game in the series. The game will be played in Pittsburgh Wednesday night.

Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury re-established his presence and led the Penguins to a 2-1 victory over the Canadiens in the fifth game of their Eastern Conference semi-final series.

Both goals for the Penguins were scored by defencemen, Kris Letang on the first period power play and Sergei Gonchar in the second. Michael Cammalleri scored the only Canadiens goal with 31 seconds remaining on a power play with Halak pulled for the extra attacker.

For two periods it was all Pittsburgh and then their roof fell in. The Canadiens scored on their first and third shots of the third period for a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Penguins. The best of seven Eastern Conference semi-final series is now tied at two.

Maxim Lapierre scored on a wraparound to tie the game 2-2 at 2:07 of the third period. 1:38 later, Brian Gionta banked a shot off Penguins defenceman Kris Letang for what turned out to be the winning goal.