Sports Network | October 9, 2010
(Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will take a second shot at picking up their first win at Consol Energy Center when they host the Montreal Canadiens tonight.
The Penguins lost the first regular-season game at the new arena to the rival Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, dropping a 3-2 decision to the defending Eastern Conference champions. Pittsburgh had played at Mellon Arena, known more commonly as "The Igloo", since entering the league in 1967.
Tyler Kennedy and Alex Goligoski tallied in the loss for Pittsburgh, while Pens goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals on 27 shots.
"We all wanted to win the first game here in the new building and it is unfortunate that we didn't, but we have to get ready for the next one," said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby.
Both Crosby and his fellow Pittsburgh superstar Evgeni Malkin were held without a point in the season opener.
The Penguins are playing four of their first five games of the season at the new building, but will visit New Jersey in their next game on Monday night.
The Canadiens were also dealt a 3-2 loss by a hated rival in the season opener as they dropped a road game Thursday in Toronto. Clarke MacArthur scored the game-winner early in the third and Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 26 shots to lead the Maple Leafs to victory.
"He made the saves he needed to and made two big saves on me there at the end of the game," said Montreal forward Brian Gionta about Giguere. "We played a hard game out there, but of course we wanted to come away with the win."
Jeff Halpern and Dustin Boyd each had a goal for the Canadiens, who made it to the Eastern Conference finals last season, but fell to the Philadelphia Flyers. Montreal reached the conference finals after defeating Pittsburgh in seven games during the East semis.
Carey Price, who was questionable for Thursday's game due to a bout of the flu, stopped 21 shots in the loss. Despite an uneven first three seasons with the Canadiens, Price enters this year as Montreal's undisputed No. 1 goaltender since the club traded last year's playoff hero Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis over the summer.
The Canadiens played Thursday night without forward Mike Cammalleri, who sat out the contest due to a one-game suspension for slashing Islander Nino Niederreiter in a preseason game. Cammalleri is coming off a spectacular postseason for Montreal, scoring 13 goals in 19 playoff games for the Habs last spring.
Montreal is without top defenseman Andrei Markov to start the season as the Russian is still recovering from surgery to his right knee. Fellow Montreal blueliner Roman Hamrlik is also battling a knee injury and is questionable for tonight's test after missing the opener.
Before losing the postseason series to Montreal last year, Pittsburgh won three out of four regular-season meetings against the Habs in 2009-10. The Penguins have taken seven of 10 in the series and the Canadiens have lost three straight and five of their last eight in the Steel City.