An impossible task?

Do the Habs have what it takes to get the job done? 

The Philadelphia Flyers are looking like the beasts of the east.

Fresh of of their 3-2 victory last night over the Penguins, the Flyers have now gained top spot in the Eastern Conference; and in the process, they ended the Pens 12-game winning streak.

The Flyers are now off to their best start since 1986. The have a goal differential of +30, the best in the league. They've been exceptional on the road, posting a 9-2-3 record, and are riding a 3-game win streak. Their biggest asset is probably their team confidence, which has undoubtedly held over from last year's great playoff run. Being one goal away from elimination and turning it around to being one goal away from winning it all has to lead them to believe that they can beat any team on any night.

The Habs, on the other hand, have lost their last two. They've been off since Saturday, which doesn't bode well; they have yet to win a game after having 3+ days off between games (0-1-2). Their bright spots are their penalty killing, which is at 1st in the league at an 89.3 efficiency, home record (11-2-3, second in the league) and the ability to bounce back after a loss, going 7-2-0 after a defeat. 

Good news for the Habs: they'll have the experience of Scott Gomez and Jaro Spacek in the lineup, both of them returning from injuries. Max Pacioretty gets his first call this season for the Habs, having been called up from Hamilton after the Bulldogs' win on this past Sunday.

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 31: Philadelphia at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• Subban disrespects the Flyers on his first shift by throwing his weight around. Call the NHL!
• How does a puck cleared over the glass not be a Flyer penalty? Does that mean that the Habs get a gimme for their next puck over the glass?
• Hey! Subban didn't wind up for a point shot!
• Price has had to be sharp so far, coming up big on a couple of in-close attempts
• Damn! Cammy takes a feed from AK46 and comes REALLY close. They need to cash one of these early attempts before they get used to not scoring
• Ten days out form Christmas, and I'm already tired of the commercials
• I've liked what I've seen from Pacioretty so far. A line with Pouliot and Eller might be something to watch for
• That all started from a WEAK clearing attempt by Subban, and Jeff Carter is able to blow by Picard to go in alone in the last minute of the period against Price. 1-0 Flyers

It was a pretty evenly-matched period, with the Habs leading the shot clock by 12-10, and in the faceoff circle 13-11. But P.K. Subban is the goat of the first 20 minutes when he turned a simple zone-clearance into a primo scoring attempt for Jeff Carter, who was able to bury it for the 1-goal lead.

SECOND PERIOD:

• Subban on to start the period. A vote of confidence, perhaps?
• If it wasn't for bad luck... a harmless looking pass into the slot deflects off of Hal Gill and over Price. 2-0 Flyers
• To their credit, Habs are coming on strong after the Flyer goal. Gionta rings one off the post to come close
• Gionta gets another chance in close, and his stick breaks. Is anything going to go right for them today?
• Habs are 0-7-0 when giving up the first goal. Well, that doesn't bode well...
• Price has to stop a 3-on-1
• More push-back from the Habs, but nothing to show for it
• Philly assessed a penalty? Must be a mistake
• There you go, PK! A one-timer on a 5-on-3 powerplay brings the Habs within one. 2-1 Flyers

Just what the Habs ordered: aside from a fluke Flyer goal, the Habs played a great bounce-back period to pull within a goal, outshooting the Flyers 15-8 (27-18) in the process. And Subban learned that getting his shot past the first wave of defenders pays dividends. Habs are also leading the battle in the faceoff circle 22-19.

THIRD PERIOD:

• Habs start the period with the same kind of energy that they used to end the second period
• Well, they didn't need that. Zherdev walks through all defenders, cricles behind the net, and banks it in off of Price. 3-1 Flyers
• How about Pleks! A great rush by Pouliot never gets cleared from the zone, leading to an in-close goal for #14. 3-2 Flyers
• THERE'S the lucky break that they needed! Gomez passes to Gionta in the slot, which manages to find it's way through Bobrovsky's 5-hole. Tied at 3! The place is going nuts
• Wow... the Capitals have now lost seven in a row. Is this 1977? 
• Spacek pulls a Subban, and gets caught with a turnover at centre ice. Pleks with the penalty to foil the scoring chance
• Damn... van Reimsdyk with a powerplay goal, off a rebound, to retake the lead 4-3 Flyers
• Aaand Subban with another turnover to put the game out of reach. Another turnover sends Giroux in all alone against Price. 5-3 Flyers

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Sorry, Hal. No credit for goals scored on your own net. Photo: John Kenney/Gazette



'Tis The season, eh? The Habs led the way against the Flyers in most categories, including mental mistakes. Credit to the Flyers, who were able to cash in on three of their gift-wrapped chances, plus the Zherdev goal that Price would like back.

For the first time this season, the Habs have lost three in-a-row, and gave up more than three regulation goals in a game, minus empty-netters. They were the last team in the NHL to do so, taking until their 31st game for both of those to happen. That's a credit to a sound defensive style that's being preached by Coach Martin.

P.K. Subban. What else is there to say? Moments of brilliance, followed by plays that would be frowned on in a Saturday night beer league game. And too often, those turnovers are turning into the kind of prime scoring chances for the opposition that are ending up in the back of the net. Why is this kid not learning from his mistakes? Take the last Flyer goal: without a passing option, he turned the puck over with a bad pass to the blue line. It then comes back to him, and he makes the EXACT same mistake, 4 seconds later. That time the Flyers make no mistake with the possession, and are able to spring Claude Giroux in all alone for their 5th goal. Get the kid some Ritalin. Geez.

That said, there was plenty of brain-mush to go around this evening; P.K. was only one of the guys that needed their head screwed on a little tighter. It's games like this where they REALLY miss the calming effect of Andrei Markov.

The plus: they're mistakes which are completely fixable. Play smart defensive hockey, and the Habs can beat any team in the league. You couldn't say that about Hab teams from as little as three or for years ago.

Final shots: Montreal 41, Flyers 30. They also led the way in the faceoff circle, 33-28.

At least the Habs will get a chance to bounce back tomorrow night against a strong rival, the Bruins, who also lost tonight.

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Two months in; time to change the oil



Thanks goodness it's December

Tonight, questions will become answers. (tm)

And the biggest question of all: Was Carey Price's Mo-vember moustache the secret to his phenomenal goaltending performance for the month of November? 

Carey would be the first to tell you that he's not the least bit superstitious. Case in point: when the game puck is retrieved after a shut-out, Price promptly tosses it to an admiring fan instead of keeping it for his own pleasure. But when it comes to trimming hair when at the peak of your powers, well, you remember the story about Samson, right?

Coming into the season, Price's critics had him down as one big question mark. He answered with an excellent month of October, in which he won the Molson Cup. Then he started growing his Mo-vember 'stache.

In November, Price was otherworldly. In 12 starts, he was 8-4, with a minuscule 1.59 goals against average and a lofty .952 save percentage and three shut-outs. And when you take into consideration that in Price's four losses the Habs only scored a total of 4 goals... let's just hope that his mojo wasn't washed down the drain with the caterpillar.

The Oilers, meanwhile, are hoping to follow in the the footsteps of Pittsburgh, Washington, Los Angeles and Chicago as teams that have followed the formula of "sucking for success". Except that the Oilers haven't been quite as great those other teams have been at turning high draft picks into can't miss, franchise-level prospects. They've turned their picks into a decent crop of speedy forwards which works well on the fast ice of the Northlands Coliseum whatever their calling their arena nowadays. Next up: their defense and goaltending. Keep finishing low and bringing on those high draft picks!  

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 25: Edmonton at Montreal

FIRST PERIOD:

• Geez... anyone else having problems with the RDS audio? Am I going to instead have to suffer through McGuire on TSN?
• Odd bounce off of the boards; were they watching the game last night in Toronto?
• Habs' game plan looks to be to get a lot of rubber on the Oiler net
• With the extra days off, they must think that their penalty kill is rusty. 8 minutes in, 2 penalties
• Bruins/Flyers. Is it possible for both teams to get 0 points tonight?
• On the powerplay, Gomez centres a pass for Darche, but it goes in off an Oiler standing in the slot. Hey, I'm sure that he'll take it. 1-0 Habs!
• Aaand the Oilers come right back on their third  powerplay of the period. Pouliot off for high sticking, Foster with a slap shot up under the crossbar from under the top of the left circle. Tied at 1. 

In the first period back after a long layoff, the Habs came out skating hard to a 15-9 shot advantage. They also led in the faceoff circle, 9-6. Unfortunately the also led in penalties taken, 3-1, and it caught up to them.

SECOND PERIOD:

• Good pace in the early going, with not a lot of whistles. Entertaining
• Yikes! Kostitsyn takes a slapshot from Subban off the inner thigh, ans Plekanec literally pushes him to the bench
• Another powerplay goal! Darche taps in a Cammalleri rebound from the lip of the crease. 2-1 Habs!
• How about Hamrlik! Pouliot with some incredible puck posession then a shot on net... and the Hammer is there to tap in an easy rebound. 3-1 Habs!
• I'll give this to the Oilers: they're fast!
• Phew! Kostitsyn's back, and doesn't look any worse for wear
• Does any team get more short-handed odd-man rushes than the Habs?

If there's one thing that Edmonton does worse than anything else, it's kill penalties. The Hab powerplay has struck twice on two powerplays to jump out to a 3-1 lead, thought the Oilers had the edge in shots, 13-11.

THIRD PERIOD:

• I'd be happy to not see the Habs in the penalty box this period
• Taylor Hall does everything that he can to sell phantom high stick, and Hamrlik sits for two... and teaches the kid some Czech swear words on his way off
• 9 minutes into the period, and shots are just 3-1 for Montreal
• Josh Gorges bowls over Price, taking him out of the play and leaving a wind open net for the Oilers. 3-2 Habs.
• No penalty call on a trip on Cammalleri, Subban pinches, gets caught and the Oilers score shorthaded on a 2-on-1. Tied at 3.

OVERTIME:

• Subban puts a pass into Cammalleri's skates, turning the puck over to Dustin Penner who breaks in alone to score the winner.

The Habs played sloppy in that period, with turnovers turning into the tying and winning goals for the Oilers. Final shots: 39 for Montreal, 32 for Edmonton.

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Dustin Penner scores on a breakaway in overtime to seal a 4-3 win over the Habs. Photo: Richard Wolowicz/Getty



Great. Now I'm too angry to sleep. It wasn't quite as bad as the Leafs' collapse against the Lightning the previous night, but it was close.

Was it the three days off that had them unfocused? Unlikely, since they played an excellent first 40 minutes. Unfortunately, they followed that up with mental mistakes and bad choices, which allowed the young but talented Oilers to take advantage and snatch victory form the jaws of defeat. 

More likely, it was a case of the old "we're up by 2 against a bottom-feeder" syndrome. In essence, the took the Oilers too lightly, and in the end it hurt them. Up by one on the powerplay late in the game? Why, you dive, making an ill-advised pinch while taking yourself out of the play, sending the Oilers away on a short-handed 2-on-1, of course. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Subban. Make a poor, hurried breakout pass up the middle into the skates of the intended recipient, causing a breakaway in overtime? Subban's got that one, too.

True, the kid's going to make mistakes; but if he's going to accept the responsibility of critical minutes, then he's got to be better. This isn't to hang this game on PK (there were quite a few Habs that had 'checked-out' after grabbing the two-goal lead), but at the same time it's not too hard to imagine Markov not making those kinds of mental errors. But what are you going to do? Keep this one on file, learn from the mistakes, and take it before every game to remind yourselves to play hard for the full 60(5) minutes. 

Hey, at least it's a point, right?

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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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Puttin' on the foil



The Hab's 3rd line call-ups for tonight's game

It's time to do some disrespectin'.

Tonight's game in Philadelphia against the Flyers promises to be an interesting one. Already there are a number of sub-plots and questions to keep an eye on:

1. Will the Flyers still be upset that in their last meeting the Habs broke their 10-game points streak?
2. Will Philly Captain Mike Richards feel as though Hab rookie P.K. Subban is still disrespecting the veterans on his team?
3. If the answer to number 2 is 'yes', will the Philly goons try to do something about it?
4. Will Darroll Powe continue to recklessly thow his weight around?
5. If the answer to number 4 is 'yes', who will be his victim?
6. If the answer to number 5 is 'a Montreal Canadien', how will the Habs respond?
7. Did a member of the Canadiens' training staff go to the hardware store this afternoon to stock up on metallic hand-wrap?
8. Will the Philly fans continue to be boorish douchebags? (actually, we already know the question for that one)

Answers to these questions, and more, to be answered shortly after the 7:05 puck drop. 

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 20: Montreal at Philadelphia

FIRST PERIOD:

• Well that didn't take long. Pronger off for a cross check in the first 30 seconds.
• Habs have started out looking as though they could use some passing lessons
• We need two guys to go in on the forecheck
• Ok, starting to get a little chippy now. Briere spears Eller before the faceoff, no call. Where's Knuckles Nilan when you need him?
• There's the Flyer goaltending that we know and love! Lapierre, a light low wrist shot as he comes across blue line fools Boucher. 1-0 Habs!
• First Philly sustained pressure (1+ minutes on Habs zone) happens because the Habs are light in their attempts on clearing the puck, looking for the prefect breakout instead of simply clearing the puck and releiving the pressure
• To this point, the Habs' speed has created 3 odd-man rushes against Philly
• How about Max! His second of the game; Pouliot digs the puck out of the corner, and a shot from the slot is deflected by a Flyer right between Boucher's pads. 2-0 Habs!

A well-played road period--with some suspect Philly goaltending--gives the Habs the 2-0 lead after the first period. The game was almost seven minutes old before the Flyers mustered their first shot on goal, and only controlled the play in the Canadien's zone for one stretch of about a minute. The Habs have the edge in faceoffs (12 to 7) and shots on goal (15-9)... Max Lapierre has 5 of them.

SECOND PERIOD:

• Flyer powerplay to start the period, and ouch... Price stops the puck just under his mask but has the presence to cover up the loose puck for the stoppage
• Flyers starting to assert themselves in the Habs' zone again. Smart, quick clears are what's needed.
• Lapierre almost had the hatty as he rings one off the post... and another Flyer powerplay
• Flyers are definitely carring the play to this point in the period, and have a 16-2 shot advantage to prove it
• How to make Brian Boucher a good goalie: 3 shot in 14 minutes, though he almost flubbed the third one
• Dang. Ville Leino converts a nice pass into the slot, going against the grain high in Price. 2-1 Habs.
• Hal Gill's Mo-vember 'stache looks like vintage Larry Robinson

The Habs may have played a great road period in the 1st, but the followed it up with a horrible one in the 2nd. Outplayed for long stretches, the can thank Price for the 2-1 lead going into the locker room. Shots that period: Montreal 5 (20) and Philly 21 (30). Part of the problem is that Montreal only won 4 faceoffs that period; the Flyers now lead in that department 25-16.

THIRD PERIOD:

• I expect the Flyers to come out charging this period. Maybe it'll cost them a penalty or two
• Habs start the period like they ended the 2nd: a lot of puck chasing, and it cost them. Gill misses his check, and Giroux pounces on a rebound to tie the game at 2.
• Every powerplay the Flyers immediately send two guys to the front of the net. Habs, take note
• 4-on-4, and the Habs again miss a check in the slot leaving a shooter alone in the slot. 3-2 Flyers
• Price spectacular on a 2-on-1. Good thing he decided to stick around after the 1st period
• Habs have a little over 4 minutes to find their first period form
• Lose another faceoff, and they can't get Price out for the extra attacker

The Habs need to play that period like they did the first... and they didn't. They managed to get 11 shots at the Philly goal, but few caused any trouble. Final shot totals: Philadelphia 45, Montreal 31. And after handily controlling the faceoff circle in the opening period, the game ends with Philly dominating 38-23.

_________________________

And this would have been one of his GOOD saves.  Photo courtesy Habs Inside/Out

A completely frustrating road game from the Habs: Lots of skating, and doing the little things right in the first period to give themselves a 2-0 lead, followed by two periods of "what the hell was that?" to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Apparently, not enough disrepctin' was done after the first intermission.

In the first period, the Habs won 12 faceoff while losing 7. The only won 11 over the final two periods. The net result? Spending long stretches of time chasing the puck while trying to regain possession. The Flyers turned their possession advantage into scoring chances, throwing 36 shots at Carey Price over the last 2 periods. And they make good on their opportunities: two glaring defensive breakdowns led to open Flyers and their final two goals.

Five Flyers ended the night with at least five shots: Carter (6), Hartnell (6), Pronger (6), and van Riemsdyk (5). Leading the way for the Habs: Lapeirre (6) and Plekanec (5). Good on Lapierre on having a great game, but when he's leading your offensive charge, chances are that you're not going to end the night with two points. Tonight marked the first game that the Habs didn't win this season when scoring the first goal or when leading after the second period.

Price was, again, fantastic. Through 20 starts, he's het to be scored on more than three times in regulation. He deserved the win tonight, even if most of the rest of the team didn't. And what needs to be done to get Scott Gomez out of his season-long funk? 

As for the Centre Hive Loss-Severity Indicator, it gets bumped all the way up to "Star Wars Kid" for mailing in the last two periods. The Mood Indicator after this loss? A definite "Facepalm". 

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Canadiens apologize to Flyers

Centre Hice has learned that the Montreal Canadiens have sent an official apology to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The statement is in response to post-game comments from the Flyers’ Mike Richards about rookie defenseman P.K. Subban.

“That punk needs to get with the program. The kid has been in the NHL for, what… not even a year? And he’s got the nerve to be out on the ice actually looking like he’s the real deal? I mean, c’mon. When I came up, if I tried to push the envelope and show some skill, the veterans would have taped my ass cheeks together, not that I would have minded. But the kid needs to earn respect before he can make us look like chumps. Look at me. I had to almost kill that Booth guy to get mad props from my team, but I’m a better guy for it. And it’s bad enough that he’s encouraged by their coaching staff by giving him a lot of ice time, including on the powerplay. They’re a mess from the top down.”

Richards’ comments followed a whitewashing by the Canadiens, in which the Habs disrespected the Flyers by a score of 3-0.

“Originally we were going to let P.K. make the apology” said Habs captain Brian Gionta. “But we got together after the game and decided that P.K. wasn’t the only one at fault. I mean, (Carey) Price didn’t even allow one of those 41 shots to get past him, not even one of the really tough ones. If that isn’t thumbing your nose at the opposition, I don’t know what is."

(continued below)

Subban totally disrespecting Zherdev during Tuesday night's action at the Bell Centre

The apology, issued as an open letter to the Flyers and their fans, reads in-part:

“We the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club would like to offer our sincerest apologies for last-night’s debacle regarding our actions against the Philadelphia Flyers. We understand that it was wrong for us as a hockey team to make our opposition, who was 9-0-1 in their last 10 games, look like our bitches."

The apology went on to note that Jeff Halpern was “deeply upset that he didn’t bleed after hitting his head on the ice after the Powe hit” and that Maxim Lapierre “promises that next time he will take a fight more seriously, and not just use it as a way to get one of their douchebags to sit in the penalty box for five minutes.”

In post-game comments Gionta also addressed a discussion that he and teammate Scott Gomez had with Flyer defenseman Chris Pronger after the final siren. “With the shutout, we wanted to get the game puck for Carey. We might have been pushing it a little by making that request, but then for Pricey to toss it to a kid after the game, well… talking about rubbing salt into an open wound. The veterans will have a word with him about his selfless actions.”

As for Pronger, he noted that, “it’s not just the Subban thing. The Habs have been breeding this sort of thing for years… even back to the mid-70’s. I’m still hearing horror stories from Philly vets about how that Robinson guy totally disrespected Dave Schultz. I mean, making a guy cry on national television is just wrong.”

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Protective eyewear... check

The Man.

I still miss Saku Koivu.

Captain of the Habs for nine of his thirteen years in the CH (not counting that little lockout thingy) he bled for the Habs. Literally. When I think of Saku, I think of triumph over tragedy, including his return from having kicked cancer's ass, and the night of April 26, 2006. That was the night that Justin Williams of the Carolina Hurricanes attempted to remove Koivu's left eye without an anesthetic. The most obvious high stick in NHL history wasn't called, Saku spent the rest of the playoffs in the hospital with a detached retina, and the Hurricanes went on to win the Stanley Cup. And I've never forgiven them for it.

Tonight, the 8-8-0 Hurricanes again visit the Habs. The Molson Bell Centre has been kind to the 'Canes since the lockout: 8-0-2 isn't shabby regardless of how you slice it with the business end of a hockey stick. 

All indications lead to this being a tight game. The Canadiens sit 23rd in the league in goal scoring, while the Hurricanes are 23rd in goals against. Carolina is 5-2-0 after suffering a loss, and they were absolutely pummeled to the tune of 8 goals in their last game against the Flyers. They've been licking their wounds and will be looking for retribution. However, The Habs are a perfect 7-0-0 when playing after one day off. On Thursday the Habs played a fantastic road game in knocking off the Bruins, and earlier in the week a 2-0 shutout of the Canucks. 

Carey Price has been hot, with a 0.50 goals against average and a .986 save% over the last couple of games. Carolina goaltending over the last four games has posted a SV% of just .857. Both teams are healthy, with no injuries to report.

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 17: Carolina at Montreal

NOTE: I've either got to start leaving work earlier, or invent some sort of teleporting system. Once again I've missed the first period. Just switched on the game at the siren to find that Plekanec and Cammalleri have scored. The Hurricanes lead in shots 15-10, so I'm guessing that Price has had to be sharp in the period. Just checked the stats page to see that Montreal has dominated the faceoff circle, 16-5.

SECOND PERIOD:

• They've got to start the second period killing a penalty. Saw the replays of the goals; sweet passing!
• Not sure who the referee is, but that's one cheesy Mo-vember moustache
• Cam Ward fell pretty easily there to draw the goalie interference penalty against Lapierre
• Habs need to release their shots a little quicker. Too many telegraphed and getting blocked
• Man, those 'Canes fall easily. Cammy nailed for a featherweight cross-check behind the net
• Aaaaand... Hurricanes tic-tac-toe on their 5th powerplay. 2-1 Habs. Cammy has words for the ref on the way out of the box
• Damn. Kostopolous with a quick one from the slot. Did he pick a corner like that when we was with the Habs? Some weak coverage there by Georges. 2-2.
• Habs have had some shots this period, but they all meet to be from a distance and easily seen. And as I type that Gionta works a nice give-and-go in close an snaps one just inside the near post. 3-2 Habs!
• Lapierre breaks in alone, almost over skates the net, recoups with a spin-a-rama in front of Ward, and beats him along the ice. 4-2 Habs! Ward pulled, Peters in
• Free wings! Peters down an out on the powerplay, Spacek from behind the net finds alone in front, open net. 5-2 Habs!

The Habs came out pretty light in that period, and couple that with a two moments of indiscipline (one penalty, one missed coverage in the slot) and they found themselves back on their heels and in a tie game. But credit them for being opportunistic and not sitting back in a defensive shell, replying with three unanswered goals. Shots that period were 16 for Montreal (26) and 7 for Carolina (27).

THIRD PERIOD:

• 'Canes look like they're going to forecheck their little hearts out this period. Habs are going to have to play some disciplined defense, and that doesn't mean sitting back on their heels
• Both teams have had a couple of chances in close
• So far the Habs have dominated the faceoffs 32-17
• Not many whistles. Quick period to this point
• Price just made the best outlet pass of the night
• Holy SH*T!!! If that Price save isn't the highlight of the night...
• Uh-oh... Markov down in the corner. His knee again? At least he was putting a little weight on it as he came off the ice
• 4 minutes left in the game, and all I care about is that Markov, ain't hurt bad
• Game out of hand, not here comes the chintzy stuff. Habs with a 5-on-3 powerplay for 2 minutes
• And there we go! Pleks to Kostitsyn in the slot, PPG, 6-2 Habs!
• Did I just see a replay? Gomez from behind the net to Darche in the slot, another PPG. 7-2 Habs!
• Hurricanes have how given up 15 goals in their last two games

Lots of rough stuff towards the end of the period, as to be expected in a blow out. Lapierre and Kostopolous get misconducts a various other penalties which led to a Montreal 2-man advantage on the powerplay... and the Habs promptly potted 2. Shots in the 3rd were 8 for Carolina (30 and 7 for Montreal (33)... seemed like both sides had more.

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Cammy and Moen help Pleks celebrate his first period goal. Photo courtesy John Kenney/The Gazette

Save for the first 10 minutes of the 2nd period, the Habs dominated against the Hurricanes, ending off a tremendous three-win week in which tough teams Vancouver and Boston were also victims. Tomas Plekanec had another tremendous game with a goal and three assists. Brian Gionta had a goal and and assist, and after a slow start the captain has now scored in three straight. And how about that goalie? Carey Price ends the week going 3-for 3 with a GAA of 1.00 and a SV% of .970. And consider this: both goals against tonight were completely doe to a couple of boneheaded Hab plays; one poor penalty and one defensive breakdown in the slot. If those don't happen, Price numbers for the week would have been 3 wins (2 shutouts) a GAA of .333 and a SV% of .990. Awesome.

Sharing the love, Cammalleri, Gionta, Gomez, Kostitsyn and Spacek all ended the night with 2 points. Gorges, Hamrlik, Moen and Pouliot all chipped in with a point. Only two Habs--Gill and Georges--didn't register a shot on goal. Additionally, the Habs didn't have to do a lot of excessive puck-chasing tonight. They won 38 of 64 faceoffs, which translated into a high amount of time with the puck in their possession.

There's only one concern from tonight, and that's with the health of Andre Markov. He went down awkwardly on a knee after leg-on-leg contact with the 'Canes captain Eric Stall. The good news: Markov was putting some, if not a lot of weight in the leg as he left the ice. Hopefully it turns out to be nothing to serious; it would be devastating to again have him out of the lineup for any length of time. If that's the expectation, then we may have to move the Centre Hice Mood Indicator down to a Code Orange.

Geez... is it too late to get O'Byrne back, just in case?

Next week the home stand continues with games against the Flyers, Predators and Maple Leafs.

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Bears and bowel movements



Your mama always warned you...

Ahhh... the big, bad Bruins.

A team whose fans will urinate on you in the stands, or gang-jump you outside of the arena and kick you in the head and leave you lying bleeding and unconscious in the gutter if you're not wearing black and gold.

A team whose 37-year Stanley Cup drought includes some of the biggest, most spectacular meltdowns in playoff history, including the biggest one of all last spring against the Flyers. It's saying something for the choking ability of your team when you're able to out-do that infamous "too many men" game from 1979.

A team that waited until its best-ever player, Milt Schmidt, turned 92 before giving him the honour that he so rightly deserved the moment that he took off his skates for the last time: having his number retired. And then they made the poor guy do the dirty work and haul it up to the rafters. Poor Milt looked like his arms were about to fall off. Maybe they had him haul a few kegs up to the concessions once he was finished.

But in spite of it all, the Bruins head into tonight's game against the Habs playing some really good hockey. Tim Thomas has been off to an other-worldly start, though he got lit up for four goals last night by the Penguins. But his teammates came to his aid has scored 5 in the third period--on just 12 shots--to get not-so-tiny-Tim the victory.

Boston currently sits two points behind the Habs, with three games in hand. The Habs are coming off of an excellent home effort in shutting out the Canucks 2-0. With Thomas having played last night, look for Tuukka Rask to get the start tonight against Carey Price.

And in case you missed it, this morning the Habs traded defenseman Ryan O'Byrne to the Colorado Avalanche, where first indications are that he'll drop the "Rhino" nickname in favour of "Bigfoot". In return the Habs get prospect Michael Bournival, who's currently got 10 goals and 14 assists in 17 games for Shawinigan in the QMJHL.

Honestly, even a blind man could have seen this move coming. The Habs could use the cap space, and O'Byrne had been a healthy scratch since forever; even Ryan must have known that something was afoot when the photographer at the team photo shoot a couple of days ago kept telling him, "Number 20, please step back... back up... Ok, a little more..." 

Overheard in the photo lab this morning: "What? Traded?! Is anybody here good at Photoshop?"

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Andre Markov helps P.K. Subban celebrate his first NHL regular season goal

Ok, at first I was bummed by having to sit in traffic, figuring that I wouldn't get home for the start of tonight's game. Then my wife called, asking me to get take-out, which meant that I definitely wouldn't get home in time for tonight's game. Thankfully, the Habs decided to reward my patience with a well-fought 3-1 road win against the Bruins.

The Habs did a lot of things right tonight, including using their speed to wear down a Bruin team that played last night in Pittsburgh. Their hard skating really started to pay dividends in the third period, when Boston couldn't find the energy to keep up with the Montreal forecheck.

More good:

• Two power-play goals tonight, the first time since February that they've scored more than one power-play goal in a game.
• PK Subban scored his first regular season NHL goal, a power-play one-timer from the top of the left circle. There'll be many more of those before the kid hangs 'em up.
• Brian Gionta scored on a neat tap-in (the second PP goal) off a nice flip pass cross-ice feed from Mike Cammalleri, who had two assists on the night.
• And for insurance, Scott Gomez rounded out the scoring with his first goal in his last 14 games. In a great second effort, Gomez made a nifty pass to set up a scoring chance, then headed to the net to pounce on the rebound and flip it high on Tuukka Rask, who bobbled the puck as it dropped over the goal line.
• At the other end of the ice, Price was fantastic. He stopped all but one Boston shot, a Zdeno Chara seeing-eye wrist shot into the top-left corner past a hard-charging Price who came well out into the circle trying to cut down the angle.   

All in all, a terrific road game which was pretty much an extension of the effort that the Habs put up against the Canucks. After owning the Bruins last season with 5 wins in 6 games (Price going 3-for-3) they take the first of this season's series against a very hot Boston team to remain atop of the Northeast division, and remain third in the Eastern conference.

If the Habs can continue to roll out efforts like tonight's game, they'll do a LOT of damage.

Oh, and one more thing: Carey Price is looking pretty bad-ass with that Mo-vember facial hair.

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Marty sucks, but he's great. I'm so confused...



The net's the other way, Cammy


Tonight, the Canadiens take on the slumping Devils at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

We know this because there will be more than 8000 asses in the stands. And it's no wonder that those forked-tail bastards aren't drawing crowds at home; with a 1-4-1 record they sit 29th overall, and they rank 27th overall in both goals for (10) and goals against (21).

Interesting stat: though the season is still young, the Devils have yet to win on a weekend (0-2-0) while the Habs have yet to lose on a weekend (2-0-0). Unfortunately, today is Thursday. Both of the Hab losses--one regulation and one overtime--have come on a weekday. And the Devils only win? Yep... a weekday. Additionally, the Devils' only win has come on a road game. Someone beer me; this could be a long night.

The Devils' record is borne from a number of problems, the biggest of which may be the contract of Ilya Kovalchuk. With the cap money that his contract is sucking up, New Jersey has found themselves having to play bodies short just to fit under their daily cap allowance. Undermanned is never a good thing, especially if you can't afford to call up replacements for your injured players (Bryan Rolston, Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov being the most notable). The've also been forced to fill out their defence corps on the cheap, which leads to probably their biggest hurdle: adequate protection for Martin Brodeur.

Marty isn't getting any younger, and a heavier workload during games has exposed some cracks in the armour of a goalie who up until now has had the benefit of playing behind a stifling defense. That said, you can't discount the fact that he's 38-16-5 all-time against the Canadiens, with a measly 1.78 goals against average. What it comes down to is this: he's still got the talent to will a win, especially against a team that he wants to beat more than any other.

With the benefit of a four-day layoff, Carey Price will again start in goal, meaning that Alex the Bald Auld will have after tonight (hopefully) not played a minute this season. And the revolving door continues on the Gionta/Gomez line. Tonight Tom Pyatt gets to play with the (little) big boys to see if they can generate some chemistry.


2010-2011 Regular Season, Game Six: New Jersey vs. Montreal

First Period:

• The dog's crapping everywhere, wife is suffering from mondo morning sickness in the evening... commenting could be quite sporadic tonight
• Will Pyatt be the spark that Gomez and Giona need on their line?
• Hey, a fight! Moen spent the entire thing trying to set up for the knockout instead of landing points. Lapierre's got to pass along some of his new-found knowledge
• Oops. Price doesn't hug the post, and is surprised by Parise coming out from behind the net. 1-0 Devils. Will that be all that Marty needs?
• Defensemen swatting at the puck scares me. Miss, and you're screwed
• When a player puts up his arms to say "I didn't do it", he probably did
• 20 minutes of pretty sloppy hockey. Hopefully they're shaken off the rust

Second Period:

• A slimy, greasy goal due to hard work would do the Habs good right about now. They've got to make life difficult for Brodeur
• Decent penalty kill. Will it bring some momentum?
• Good gap control by the Devil's defense. Need some quick passes to open up some skating room
• Devils are making it look like the Habs are playing on a smaller rink
• To stay competitive, Marty's girth will continue to grow in proportion to his diminishing mobility
• NJ powerplay expires, Hab defenseman deflects a point shot between Carey's pads. 2-0 Devils.
• After all these years, Brodeur really knows how to sell a goalie interference call
• 2 slimy goals for NJ, and two really boring periods of hockey. I could have been at Rock Of Ages tonight.

Third Period:

• Showing more energy in the first 2 minutes. Guess that JM reminded them between periods that they're wearing skates
• Price screened on a knuckler from the point. 3-0 Devils
• Powerplay. Pot one... please?
• Marty's seeing everything, and Habs are second to all rebounds
• NO bounces going Montreal's way tonight. They're even missing open nets
• If the Habs don't start cashing in on a few powerplays, teams will willingly start taking penalties. When's Markov back?
• Price with a great stop point-blank. He's had to make some great saves tonight, could've been 6-0
• The three shots against in the last 15 seconds will help Price's save% a little 

Zzzzzzz.... huh? what? The game's over? Next time the play the Devils, I'm puttin' toothpicks between my eyelids.

Well there you have it... the Devils easily played their best game of this young season, and it was prototypical New Jersey hockey: clog the neutral zone, forecheck just hard enough to make it difficult for the other team to exit their zone with any speed, and keep the the shooting lanes clear and the shots to the outside to make life as easy a possible on Martin Brodeur. After a game like this, it's easy to see why he's the all-time leader in shutouts.

So far this season, the Devils have two wins. Martin Brodeur has two shutouts. I'm starting to see a pattern here...

As for the Habs, they never looked like they shook of the rust that had gathered from a four-day layoff. In a nutshell, they didn't look ready to play. Price got caught napping on the first goal by not completely hugging his post, and the rest of the team couldn't get anything going in the periods that followed. It didn't help that the second goal was the result of not being able to exit their zone after coming back to full strength after killing off a powerplay, then having a defenseman thoroughly redirect a long shot between Price's pads. A screened Price couldn't do anything about a knuckler that floated under the crossbar for the nail in the coffin.

Oh, and the Habs powerplay? Don't even talk to me about it. It's been mentioned that Andrei Markov may return from ligament surgery next week, which should help them score with the man advantage. We can hope, anyway.

Ok, now for the good:

Haha. Ok, well, um... aside from that first goal, Price stopped everything that he should (and could) have, including a couple of beauty glove saves and a couple in from point-blank range. You know, the kind that the Habs couldn't muster against Brodeur all night.

All in all, meh. If you can't score, you can't win, and the Habs simply weren't able find a way to do enough to force the issue. Full credit to the Devils, though the Habs definitely owed a WAY better effort for the 21,273 in the stands what came to see then this Thursday night. At least I was only out my time and the seven bucks a month that I shell out for RDS.

I look at it this way: one game can be a fluke. If they turn in two stinkers in a row, then it's a trend, and something to worry about. Unless you're the '76-'77 Canadiens (and these guys aren't), no matter how well (or how poorly) they play, they'll probably lose 1/3 of their games. And the opposite is true: no matter how well (or how poorly) they play, they'll probably win 1/3 of them, too. It just so happens that tonight was one of the former. When they start pissing away the other third, then I'll start to lose sleep.

Next game (not that the Canadiens really played one tonight) is against the Senaturds. Let's hope that the Habs can find their skating/passing/hitting/effort between now and 7pm Saturday.
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I'm Baaaaaack!!!

Where's the beer?!

There's something pretty cool about a blog.

It's one of those things that you can put down when life becomes hectic, and when you finally manage to clear your plate, it's still there waiting for you as though you've never left.

In short, a blog is like a good dog. Except that you wouldn't leave a dog for two years without feeding it, but you know what I mean.

I've got high hopes for the 2010-2011 NHL season for the Canadiens. Last spring's run into the third round, all the while knocking off the Capitals and the Penguins with a team that barely knew each others first names under a year earlier bodes well for this campaign. That said, I'll temper my expectations with a dose of reality and will be pleased if the Habs turn in a 6th-8th place finish in their conference. I'll also make note of this prediction so that when they've lost four in a row in late February to drop into a tie for seventh, I can return to it to read it and quell a bit of my anxiety.


2010-2011 Regular Season, Game One: Montreal vs. Toronto

We had the pleasure(?) of taking in the first game of the season as the Habs met the Leafs at the A.C.C.. We almost didn't make the opening ceremonies because of the horrendous traffic, but that's another story.

Did I mention that I hate the A.C.C.? And not just because it's the home of the Leafs... it has something to do with the smugness that oozes out of every pore of the building. Sure, the facilities and features are nice enough, but there's an air of entitlement that seems completely out of place, especially since their team has really only been good twice since they last won the Cup in 1967. There's nothing like "legends" introductions at a Leaf pregame ceremony to hammer home just how inept that franchise has been for the last 40+ years.

As for the game itself, well, let's just say that it wasn't a classic. Lots of turnovers and broken plays from both teams as they continued to find their legs. The Habs' defense didn't do goalie Carey Price any favours, with three big miscues allowing Leafs players to find themselves alone in front of the Montreal net. The Leafs did well to hold off a final charge by the Habs. Final score: 3-2 for the bad guys.

By the way, if you have young kids and are thinking of taking them to the game, do the fans around you a favour and hire a babysitter for the night. If they can't concentrate on the action on the ice for 20-minute periods, leave them at home. Yes, this means you, mister "I see nothing wrong with my kid standing on his seat even though he's blocking your view" that was sitting in front of me.


2010-2011 Regular Season, Game Two: Montreal vs. Pittsburgh

Tonight's opponents: Sydney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who we knocked off last spring to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Needless to say, they were probably still quite pissed with us. Cammy scored two goals. Price was spectacular, including an incredible save on Crosby during the first period:
                                                                                                                                                                                                 



See? To all you naysayers: the kid doesn't suck. Let him play his game, and he'll return to the form that he displayed when he broke into the league.

Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't so great, with Scott Gomez being able to jab the winning goal through his pads from a sharp angle late in the game, less that 30 seconds after Cammy had tied it. Final score: 3-2 Habs. And they still hate us.

By the way, Sidney still is one heck of a hockey player sucks. Though I'd take him on my team any day... in a freakin' heartbeat.
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