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Both teams in very good shape

Vancouver and Montreal started their season nicely, they're playing good in both segments and it will be fun to see them head to head

After being beaten by Colorado, Canucks again found their balance and won two great home matches which brought them to the fifth place in the conference after nine rounds played in which they have six wins. You have to say that's a pretty good start of the season considering this is NHL where there are literary no weak opponents.

Canucks' good game is a refreshment considering the last season where they played badly and under their level. It was frustrating to see a great team suffer so much. After the win over Caps they beat the weak Carolina with no trouble at all, which shows they are 100% dedicated to the game. They solved the match in the first two thirds and took the lead with 3-0, while in the third one they routinely, in the style of an experienced team, brought the meeting to an end and scored two points.

- My line showed what has to be done because we can't rely on the bothers Sedin's line all the time. They can't deliver goals every night; all of the real teams have four great lines - said Brad Richards, the Canucks' forward, who scored two goals against Carolina.

Today we are to again expect Miller on the goal who is in excellent shape and last match was his 300th victory of his career. They convincingly lost twice against Montreal last season, but it all comes down to the fact that this time it won't be like that and that they will throw a harder punch at their Canadian rival.

They're still missing only Sestito and Stanton like it was the case from the start of the season, so nothing else is troubling the team.

Montreal, on the other hand, also had a good start of the season. They're on the leading spot of the Eastern Conference with eight wins in the first 10 matches which speaks volumes of their power and quality. Last season they played in the conference finals, and this year they only continued with the good shape and are pulverizing everyone in front of them.

Before this match they played against Calgary who outshot them by a double, but the excellent goalie Carey Price brought Montreal victory by scoring an excellent 97% of defense. They celebrated after penalty shots, but we can't say they deserved the two points. But, one thing that goes for great teams is that they collect points even when they're not playing well, and Habs are doing just that.

- Everyone who was watching the game know that Price is actually the best player. He's simply like that, capable of destroying his opponents. But, we have to play better, we can't leave him out in the open like this anymore, he has to breathe - said Montreal's forward, P. A. Parenteau.

Traditionally, Montreal is good with their game against the Canucks, but this time the hosts look a lot better than they have the last two mutual meetings, and today's away team are not the convincing favorites. Not one outcome of this game would come as a surprise because this is a clash of two strong Canadian teams.

Montreal still have absolutely no injury problems, and we'll be expecting the excellent Price once more on the goal.