Do-or-Die Seems to Be Old Hat for Canadiens

It would appear to be do-or-die time for the Montreal Canadiens as they head into Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Then again, maybe not.

The Habs already proved they have what it takes to climb out of a 3-1 deficit against one of the top offensive teams in the league. They took down the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals that way last month.

Montreal, which trails Pittsburgh 2-1 in this Eastern Conference semi-final series, will try to avoid having to repeat that historic feat by pulling even with the Pens at the Bell Centre Thursday night.

It's clear by now what they'll need to do to pull it off: shut down scoring lanes, block shots, frustrate Sidney Crosby, elicit more brilliance from goalie Jaroslav Halak and get the puck to Mike Cammalleri, who has been on fire this post-season.

Penguins lead series, 2-1
Penguins 2, Canadiens 0: Recap | Box Score | Series Page

Cammalleri's eight goals in the playoffs are second only to Joe Pavelski's nine, and he nearly caught up when he clang one off the post in the first period of Tuesday night's Game 3.

But neither Cammalleri's inspired play nor the inspiring presence of a significant contingent of the Habs pantheon -- Jean Beliveau, Guy Lapointe and Guy Carbonneau were all in attendance Tuesday -- was enough to put Montreal on the board in Game 3, as the team finally succumbed to a very determined Evgeni Malkin, who buried a slap shot on the power play to give the Pens the edge.

The goal revealed what could turn out to be a chink in Montreal's armor: it's all well and good to gang up on Crosby, but that leaves Malkin clear. Until Tuesday night, this didn't seem to be a problem, as last year's playoff MVP had been goalless in the last four games, but Malkin came alive as he made a game-high seven attempts on Halak.

Still, the Habs showed few weaknesses Tuesday. They dominated the first period with P.K. Subban, Cammalleri and Maxim Lapierre pulling out great scoring chances early on. They lagged in the second, taking only three shots, too few, on Marc-Andre Fleury, but returned to haunt the Pens with more scoring chances in the third.

The Canadiens' stamina in these two series has been incredible, so the raucous Montreal crowd will have good reason to expect another strong showing Thursday.

The Habs, meanwhile, will try to improve their home playoff record. The team has lost seven of its last eight post-season games at the Bell Centre, despite having one of the most supportive - and famously loud - fan bases in the league.