. We knew it was a character game,

Nobody wants to atone for last years road-like WACA pitch more keenly than the curator Matt Page. However, circumstances of climate and schedule have conspired to increase the degree of difficulty for the ground staff commissioned to restore a slowing surface to its former glory.The New Zealand Test began on November 13 last year, 10 days later than this one, providing extra time for the surface to harden under the Perth sun. Additionally, this year, an unseasonably cold Spring has prevented the WACAs block of 10 pitches from baking in the sort of heat more commonly associated with the venue.Moving the WACA Test to the start of summer, after more than 20 years of opening Test matches at the Gabba in Brisbane, has complicated life for Page and his staff. That decision was based around Cricket Australias desire to hold a second day-night Test in the 2016-17 season while ensuring both visitors - South Africa and Pakistan - played one apiece. Perth is considered too late a time zone to host a match starting any later than a day Test.Nevertheless, Page has worked off the knowledge gained last season to try to produce a livelier deck. Weve done things a little bit differently this year, he said on Wednesday. Weve left a little more green grass on it, weve also adjusted our water.Being November, we dont usually get the high temperatures we need to bake that surface to try to give us every possibility to get something that will go through and give the bowlers a good crack at the batters. [The weathers] not been great, but weve tinkered with our prep to try to get a harder surface than we would normally see here this time of year and just try to help it go through a bit quicker. Unlike the WACA practice pitches, which have retained their traditional clay base and have thus remained arguably the quickest in the world, successive operations on the WACAs square have left it less settled than it should be. So some strips are faster than others, with the central one not necessarily so, to suit the commercial demands of television. This years pitch is the same as last years.The ones on this [east] side of the block seem to be a bit quicker, theyve all got their own little characteristics, the 10 wickets out there, they all do little things, Page said. There are some that are a little bit quicker than others. This one is a normal Test-match wicket. We saw a couple of one-dayers here a couple of years ago with South Africa when it went through really well.Last year was not so good, so were hoping that its more towards that South African wicket of a couple of years ago. Hopefully itll [also] be something very similar to the last Shield game we had. There was a bit of bounce there, there was a bit of seam, something there for the bowlers, something there for the batters, there were three hundreds. Thats sort of what were looking for this time of year, being November.Page was philosophical about the chances of getting things back to the old days, even as the construction of Perths new multipurpose stadium meant many major matches will be shifted elsewhere. Its something were working towards and weve seen wickets here since the wicket that was reconstructed that have really gone through well, he said. Our biggest issue is our consistency, theyre not consistently quick. Thats what were working towards to make sure it happens.Theres pressure with every wicket you produce at the WACA, theres that reputation of the pace and the bounce and getting it back consistently to the way it was in the 1970s. Thats what we try to do with all our wickets, sometimes we get there, sometimes we dont. Im pretty confident well have a wicket that will have a bit in it for both batters and bowlers.One form of pressure that wont be on Page is to tailor a pitch to the specific demands of the home team. 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They play with a lot of pace.Trailing 2-0 early in the second period on Saturday, the Flyers rallied for four straight before skating away with a 6-3 victory. While winger Jakub Voracek paced the offense with two goals and an assist, rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov came through with two key assists on goals that tied the game and provided Philadelphia with a lead it would never relinquish.It was a bounce-back night for the 19-year-old after some tough outings on both sides of the puck, helped along by a teammate just one year removed from freshman status.He was down after a few games, second-year defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere told CSNPhilly.com. I didnt really tell him much other than, Hey, weve got 79 more of these. I told him to keep his head up and hell get over it.Hes a hell of a player and sometimes you dont get all of the bounces. Hes a great player as you guys could see.The Canadiens extended their winning streak to three games with a 4-1 triumph over the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. But while names like Pacioretty, Radulov, Gallagher and Galchenyuk are the ones teams try to keep a close eye on, it was the unlikely sources who delivered on offense in the latest win.Philip Danault, Torrey Mitchell and Paaul Byron joined Brendan Gallagher on the scoresheet, giving Montreal 13 different players who have scored this season.dddddddddddd.We need that, Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said after the game. We knew it was a character game, and it really was outstanding (against Boston).While Montreal is putting the puck in seemingly with ease, opponents havent been able to do the same at the other end. Back-up goaltender Al Montoya held the fort through the first three games and Carey Price looks like his old self in two appearances since returning from illness. The result is a league-best 1.60 goals-against average.Its been a tougher road for the Flyers in their own end, averaging 3.8 goals against. Netminders Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth carry well-below average statistics into the week, with Masons 3.35 goals-against average and .882 save percentage holding a slight edge over Neuvirths 4.24 goals-against and .854 save percentage.If theres an area that could use improvement on Montreals end, its the power play. While the man advantage has looked better than years past under associate coach Kirk Mullers guidance, the team only connected three times on 21 opportunities, tied for sixth-most chances in the NHL.Former Canadiens forward Dale Weise wont get the chance to face his former team as he serves the second of a three-game suspension for a hit last week.The Flyers could have fresh legs coming into the line-up this week as defenseman Michael Del Zotto and forward Scott Laughton joined the team for practice on Sunday and will travel to Montreal and partake in the clu