A royal butt kicking

I didn't mind them in gold... just not that much gold

As a Hab fan, you've got to love having RDS.

Firstly, they show every Canadiens game live. Secondly, they repeat the game--in an hour-long condensed version--about an hour after the game ends. This means that on nights like tonight I get to see the game, even though I missed the game. And watching the replay has benefits over watching it live: in order to make the game fit an hour format, they cut out all of the boring parts.

Not that there were many boring parts in tonight's game; it featured two very evenly matched teams that are built on speed and great goaltending. But tonight, one team did most things better than the other.

After the Kings held the early edge in the game with tough, hard forechecking, the Habs got their skates under them and did pretty much everything that they didn't do over the last 40 minutes of their last game against Philadelphia: skate hard, go to the net, and make smart decisions both with and without the puck.

Price makes a spectacular lunging save to foil a Kings' 2-on-1. Photo:Allen McInnis/The Gazette

Halfway through the first period, Andrei Kostitsyn used his quick-release wrist shot, one of the best in the league, to beat Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier for the 1-0 lead. Scott Gomez went to the net with 2 1/2 minutes left in the period and was rewarded with his fourth goal to make it 2-0 after one period. ***Scoring Change: Mike Cammalleri was credited with the second goal, a one-timer from the deep slot.

In the second period, just under 2 minutes in, the Kings Alec Martinez scored his first of the season on the powerplay, though it wasn't without some controversy. After making the initial save, Carey Price was prevented from moving across the crease by a King to make the second save. The replay showed that there was a good case for a goaltender interference call, but instead it was a 2-1 game.

Showing their tenaciousness, the Habs answered right back with a Tomas Plekanec goal to make it 3-1, then with 2 minutes left in the period Lars Eller scored his first as a Hab when he picked up a rebound in the slot from a shot off the near post, then spun around to slide the puck in along the ice on the far side to beat Bernier and make it 4-1. Close checking and a willingness to take the puck to the King's zone prevented a third-period comeback to round out a very satisfying win.

Final shots were 33 for the Habs, and 25 for the Kings. Brian Gionta led the way with seven of them, while Roman Hamrlik played a very solid 23:31 to lead the way in ice time for the Canadiens.

Carey Price? Just another day at the office. 24 saves on 25 shots, and considering the play that led to the Kings only goal, it could have just as easily been his 5th shutout of the season and a GAA of under 2. As it is, after 21 games he's tied his win total from last year with 13, has 4 shutouts, a GAA of 2.00 and a SV% of .933. 

Their next game is in Atlanta on Friday night, in a week that sees them having to travel before each of their 4 games. Crazy schedule.

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Habs host cakemakers

Better call Saul! I think that someone should be lawyerin'-up

If I were the folks at Vachon, I'd be checking to see if any of my ex-graphic artists had been hired by the Canucks.

I know that there a lot of coincidences in this world, such as two people looking alike even though they're not related, but the Canuck's "Johnny Canuck" secondary logo bares an uncanny, almost spooky resemblance to Vachon's chef logo. Not that it's entirely surprising; the 'Nucks have a history of "borrowing" a good similarity. Heck, they even have two guys named Sedin on their team. Yeah, I know that they're twins, but Johnny Canuck and Mr. Vachon look like their from the same gene pool, too. And Vachon and Vancouver both start with the letter 'V'. There's definitely something fishy goin' on here. We'll get the crack Centre Hice research team to do some digging.

And yes, Centre Hice is well aware of the irony of ragging on some corporate hack graphic designer for pilfering a logo, while at the same time using someone else's kindergarten photoshop talents to illustrate our point. Hey, at least we're honest about it. 

The Canucks come into tonight's game riding a six-game winning streak, though six of their eight wins come on home ice. Vancouver hold the edge in both goals scored (40 vs. 34) and goals against (32 vs. 33), but the biggest difference is undoubtedly the powerplay, where the Habs sit dead last in the league at a minuscule 6.4% of crappiness, while Vancouver is humming along at 29.4%, good for first in the entire league. If I'm coach Jacques Martin, my pre-game comments include a stern warning about staying out of the penalty box. Interestingly, the Canucks are 4-0-1 when getting outshot.

2010-2011 Regular Seaon, Game 15: Vancouver at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• I'm not sure what to think of Price's Movember catepillar moustache. But he's the Molson Cup winner for October (presented before the game) so who am I to argue?
• Gomez: no points in the last 7, and Cammalleri none in his last 6. Yikes! Secondary scoring is nice, but Vancouver is a Cup threat. The big guys need to play a big game against a big team
• Subban with a nice hit along the boards to start. I want to see more the the physical part of his game
• I'd be surprised if Price doesn't see 40 shots tonight
• Luongo: ugliest mask in the league? 
• How did that go in? Markov with his 1st of the season, a rebound from a foot out shoveled past Luongo. Stinky, but I'll take it. 1-o Habs!
• What's this? Another ineffective Hab powerplay? 
• Even in a great shooting position, Gomez will still pass to a man who's covered.
• I've never seen a puck-over-the glass penalty for the puck going out of play at the far end of the rink.

Not a bad period be the Habs against a team that figures to play a prominent role in the Western Conference playoff race, holding an 11-8 advantage in faceoffs and a 10-6 lead in shots. Hal Gill lead the team with 7:33 of ice time.

SECOND PERIOD:

• Aaaand... the kill off the holdover penalty from the first period
• Ouch! Darche takes a blatant cross-check to the face. Check the ice for teeth! Four-minute powerplay coming up which means that the Habs will get to not score twice
• Price has to stone a short-handed 3-on-1. You'd think that with all of this powerplay practice that they'd actually get good at it
• No goal on the 4-minute powerplay, and dominated right after in their own end.
• Shots halfway through the game: 14-12 for the Habs
• Crummy passing from both sides. It's like watching the Timbits scrum during intermission.
• Price has had to come up big a number of times
• They've kept the #1 powerplay off the board... so far

No goals in the second period, with shots split at 9 apiece. Still, the Canucks have started to take the bulk of the action into Hab territory, helped by a couple of borderline penalty calls. Josh Gorges leads the way with 3 shots on goal for the Habs. Did Lars Eller get more than a shift that period? He's only played 3:44.

THIRD PERIOD:

• Just like the second, Habs will start the third period killing a penalty
• Why is the tint on RDS always so far off? I have to adjust my TV every time I watch a game
• Great! Killed it off, and the Canucks take a delay of game penalty. Can the Habs refuse it?
• A Cammalleri shot goes wide, But Hamrlik is there to slam it home as it comes out from behind the other side of the net... and a powerplay goal to boot! 2-0 Habs!
• Leafs losing 4-0 to Tampa Bay. Shame, that.
• Price has had to bail out his defense more than a few times tonight
• Getting pressure in the Vancouver zone would be a sound defensive strategy for the rest of the game
• Gio and Cammy are getting some chances, but 45-footers unscreened aren't high-percentage plays
• 'Nucks pull their goalie with 2:15 left
• Price snuffs 'em out with a couple of huge stops at the end, then loads up for a shot on the Vancouver goal. I'll bet my house that he scores at least one during his career



Markov's game-winning goal gets ready to cross the goal line. Photo courtesy Habs Inside/Out



Montreal was outshot 20-10 in the 3rd period, but Carey Price was the main story as he shut the door against a pressing Vancouver offence to earned his second shutout of the season while stopping Vancouver's winning streak at six games. Jaroslav Spacek also played a solid game. Gionta and Plekanec each accounted for 4 shots and an assist, and Andrei Markov, with his first goal of the season (and game winner) led the Hab skaters with 24:53 of ice time. Lars Eller was only on for 4:24, but his 2 shots we still more than the 0 of Kostitsyn and Pouliot, though AK46 generated a couple of decent scoring chances for himself. Hal Gill was the only other Hab not to register a shot on goal.

The biggest story of the night was the Montreal penalty kill, which held Vancouver's top-rated powerplay (35% on the road coming into the game) off of the scoresheet, going 0-for-4. What's odd for the Canucks is that even with such a smoking road powerplay, their record away from home has only been worth two wins.

Overall, a much better effort by the Habs tonight. Let's see if the same sort of effort makes an appearance Thursday night against Tim Thomas and the Bruins' stifling defense. In his career versus Boston, Price is 9-2-2 with a GAA of 2.39 and a SV% of 9.23. His corresponding road numbers this year: 4-2-0, 1.84 and .931. 

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Coyote (not so) ugly

Ugly?! They're kind of cute! Photo courtesy National Geographic


Tonight, the Habs begin their busiest week of this young season.

It'll include tonight's game against the 2-2-2 Winnipeg Jets Phoenix Coyotes, that rarely-viewed, endangered breed that makes its home by scavenging for scraps on the outskirts of desert cities. Tonight's game will be followed up with a Wednesday/Friday home-and-home against the surprising New York Islanders, and the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre on Saturday, which could mark the return of Andrei Markov.

That squeal you just heard was the Montreal powerplay jumping for joy.

Though the Habs' power play currently sits last in the league (30th, at a measly 4.2%) the 'Yotes efficiency with the man-advantage isn't much better: they're tied for 27th in the league. Could be a rough night at the rink if neither team fears plating shorthanded.

Speaking of rough, Phoenix captain Shane Doan won't play tonight; he continues to serve a three-game suspension for a blindside hit on Anaheim's San Sexton. Interesting fact: Doan is the last active player to have played for the Winnipeg Jets, having played all 14 of his seasons with Winnipeg/Phoenix.

On the road, Phoenix is playing .500 hockey, while the Habs are an average 1-1-1. at home. They'll need to bolster that record if they want to do more than just fight for 8th place in their conference. Their 3-1-0 record, good for 2nd in the conference, it's what's bolstering their ranking of 1st in their division and 3rd in the conference.

I'm really liking what I'm seeing of Carey Price, Andrei Kostitsyn, and P.K. Subban. To this point Carey's played every minute in goal (I wouldn't be surprised to see backup Alex Auld play Friday night in Long Island), AK46 is making use of all of his assets by leading the team in goal  scoring, and Subban is starting to focus his enthusiasm on the ice, more often than not making the right play instead of having to use his natural talents to dig himself of holes. He's also chipped in with 3 points in his last 4 games. Unfortunately, a streaky Mike Cammalleri is heading in the wrong direction. He's only been good for a point in his last 4 games. Tonight would be a good time to turn that around.

On the home front, my better half is off to Calgary for a two-day conference, which means that I get to watch tonight's game in my underwear. Hopefully the dog won't stare and make me self-conscious.


2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 8: Phoenix at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• Hate that commercial. If I ever Double Down, please slap me. Then pump my stomach.
• Coyotes/Jets haven't fared well here over the years. Let's hope that trend continues.
• I love Gionta's 3rd gear. Forced the Yotes into a penalty to prevent a breakaway
• Great hustle as Lapierre's speed generates another interference call. Sadly, a lot or razzle, no dazzle on the ensuing powerplay
• Some dude in a neon yellow shirts keeps standing up and waving when the camera pans across him. If you're at the game, please slap him for me.
• Habs seem to go into goal prevention mode in the last minute of a period a lot. I know that you don't want to get scored on late, but that system tends to generate scoring chances for the opposition

A fairly evenly split first period, though Phoenix probably had the better scoring chances. Both Price and Bryzgalov had to be sharp. But man, both teams' powerplays are struggling. Habs now 1-for-27 on the season. The Coyotes had a slight edge in shots, 11 to 10.


SECOND PERIOD:

• Bad defensive coverage leads to a Kyle Turris shot from point-blank range. Price gets a piece of it, but not enough as it slided through his pads. 1-0 Phoenix.
• Heavy pressure in the Coyotes' zone has them running around in their zone, and Pleks cashes from 15 feet. Tied at 1! And a quick powerplay to follow...
• Hey... a powerplay goal! Cammy all alone in the slot, wrist shot, blocker side. 2-1 Habs!
• Great stuff! Habs' speed (this time Pleks) nullifies another Phoenix powerplay
• I can't say that I mind hearing english interviews on RDS. It gives my french a break
• Aaaand... Moen takes a boarding penalty late in the period. 'Yotes'll start the 3rd period on the powerplay

Habs finally score their second powerplay goal of the season not long after Plekanec (who's having a great game, IMO) ties the game. Habs take a 2-1 lead into the third, but will start on the penalty kill. Considering how good that part of their play has been, that might not be such a bad thing. Shots that period: Coyotes 7 (18) and Habs 8 (18).


THIRD PERIOD:

• Moen's dumb penalty costs them. Morris smokes one from the point on the powerplay into the top corner; Carey completely screened. Tied at 2.
• Habs looking a little haphazard in the early part of the period. Phoenix coming on a little here.
• Price has had to be sharp this period.
• Spacek hasn't been his best this game. Markov back to take some of the high-pressure minutes will help.
• Definitely more energy in this period than in the first two
• Puck went into the crowd. I'm glad that the dude in neon didn't get it
• 2 minutes left. We're essentially in overtime
• At least a point!

Shots through 3 periods: Phoenix with a 29-28 edge. The game has been as evenly-played as the shots would indicate.


OVERTIME:

• Neither team has won in overtime this season (Montreal, 0-1 and Phoenix 0-2)
• Andrei flies! (literally). Doing his best Bobby Orr impersonation, AK46 cashes a rebound 1:25 into overtime to send everyone home happy
• Kostitsyn gets the 1st star selection, then takes a tour of the ice tossing a few pucks into the crowd.



Getting ready for takeoff: AK46 nets the OT winner just before Derek Morris (#53) gives him the Bobby Orr treatment. Photo courtesy Habs Inside/Out



Fantastic! These guys are really coming together, and it's nice to see it happen in the first month of the season instead of the last. :) 5-2-1, won four of their last five, at the top of the conference... and all without Andrei Markov available to quarterback a powerplay that up until now has only potted two goals in their first eight games.

And who's leading the way? The guys that you want to see: the core of the team for years to come: Kostitsyn, Price, Plekanec, Cammalleri, Gorges. Subban has been evolving every game, and even Lars Eller has been doing the little things right. The kid's got some good hockey sense; the goals and assists will come in time as he earns himself more minutes with the top-six forwards. Scratch that... he got an assist--his first point as a Hab--on AK's overtime winner.
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