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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Ottawa or Nottawa?

Max Lapierre puts those boxing lessons to good use

Which Alex Kovalev will we see tonight at the Bell Centre?

Fresh off of their 2-1 win in Buffalo, the Habs will continue with their first of 15 back-to-back games as they host the Ottawa Senators tonight at in Montreal. Ottawa will me missing the services of Pascal Leclaire, who will probably be out for another week with a tweaked groin. They may also be without the services of the enigma wrapped in a riddle, Alex Kovalev. Oh, he'll be in the lineup; whether or not he chooses to contribute in any meaningful way is another matter.  

The Senators have discovered what the Habs already knew from Kovy's stint in Montreal: though immensely skilled, he's prone to floating like a body in New York's East River. Kovalev loves the city of Montreal, and has made no secret that he'd love to come back to play for the Habs. Tonight he might be on a mission to show Hab management that he should be on their wish list when considering the makeup of next year's team. That said, a little birdie tells me that Kovy could be starting the game on the fourth line.

The "stream of consciousness" entry from the game against Tampa was fun, so what the hell... let's do it again tonight.



2010-2011 Regular Season, Game Five: Ottawa vs. Montreal

First Period:

• Why does the CBC always get a shot of hot Montreal women on the screen during the anthems? Not that I'm complaining...
• Gionta with killer wheels to break in alone 1:06 in. Great deke and backhand. 1-0 Habs!
• AK46 backchecks to foil a 2-on-1. He's playing great without having to worry about little brother
• Good penalty killing as the Habs kill off a 5-on-3
• Some chances on the powerplay at the midway point of the period. No goal, though
• 4-on-2 rush, Price with the glove save, off the crossbar, Michalek gets the easy tap in. Tied at 1.
• Gionta almost cashes an easy one from in close. No dice.
• Entertaining period. Dens had the edge, though...

Second Period:

• Sens starting the period carrying the play where they left off in the 1st
• Wife rattling dishes in the kitchen. Might have to turn up the volume.
• Pouliot almost cashes one. Man, a goal would be great for his confidence
• Subban's got to start getting that point shot on goal
• Gomez drops 'em with Ruutu. More of a wrestling match than anything. He should stick to playmaking.
• Sens first shot comes halfway into the period. Bullet shot up under the crossbar. 2-1 Senaturds.
• Second shot, second goal. 3-1 Ottawa. Habs need to start doing the little things right.
• Halpern throws one out from behind the net, off a defenseman and in. Now 3-2...
• AK46 with hands of silk. The guy's come to play this year. 3-3!

Third Period:

• Ottawa's back-up to start the 3rd?
• Lots of weird bounces tonight, both from the boards and ice
• Elliott back in goal. Skate problem, methinks
• Some chances on the powerplay, but their goalie is seeing everything and no one to cash a rebound
• Did I just see Kovy backcheck? I've got to lay off of the hard stuff
• Pleks cashes a rebound of an AK46 shot. 4-3 Habs!
• Never mind the goal, Pleks has also been dominating in the faceoff circle
• Sens with an empty net, but the Habs do a great job of killing the clock. Habs win 4-3!!!

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Nice. Don Cherry on the post-game bit called Plekanec "platonic". Or at least that's what I heard. Does someone what to give him vocal lessons, or is it too late to teach that dog a new trick?
 
Good signs: Habs dominated in shots and possession; the Sens mustered only 8 shots after the first period, with only two in the third. Habs outshot them by a better than 2-1 margin. After taking the lead with four minutes to play, Habs played hard on the puck and didn't allow a shot for the rest of the game, even after the Sens pulled their goalie in favour of the extra attacker. They didn't get discouraged when down by two goals and showed a lot of mustard with the comeback win. Picard and Subban were both +3 on the night. Subban didn't make as many ill-advised forced plays this game, either. Carey Price won his first regular-season game at the Bell Centre since February.

And how about our new captain? Talk about leading by example... was ANYONE going to dog it after seeing Gionta's huge burst of speed to break in alone for that first goal early in the game? He certainly set the tone for the team effort that followed.






Price gets ready to rob The Enigma. Photo courtesy Habs Inside/Out



After five games, the Habs have now earned points in four straight games (3-1-1) for seven points, with a four day rest before meeting the Devils at the Bell Centre Thursday night. And there's a possibility that Andrei Markov could return that night (that sound you heard was the powerplay saying thank-you). A big concern was how the team would weather his absence. Save for the powerplay, so far they've done fine. Maybe they can practice it with Markov during their off days so that they can hit the ground ice running when he returns.
 
As for The Countinuing Saga of Kovy, well, he was pretty non-existent for most of the game. He managed a couple of shots on goal, but looked like he was skating in mud and did nothing to silence his critics. Was tonight an audition for a possible return to Montreal next season? He'd hardly be worth the $1 that he said he'd play for. Give me the 'Kovy who Kares', and we'll talk.
 
Yikes... the "Leafisation" of the CBC continues. First Bob Cole is introduced as a Leaf during their opening night ceremonies, now they're going to be airing Toronto Marlies games. To be fair, they must have some dead air to fill because even the bigwigs at Mother Corp must realize that NOBODY goes to Marlies games. What makes them think that they'll watch on TV? 
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Team Canada realizes that Norway is... well... Norway

They like their Norwegian wood

Granted, it took until about the mid-point of the game before someone on the Canadian bench had a revelation: "Hey, we're not playing the Russians... this is f'n NORWAY. They've got, like one city and a population of something like 32-thousand. Granted, Norwegian chicks are primo, but a hockey power thay ain't."

And with that, Team Canada woke up and decided to play some hockey, eventually running away with an 8-2 win in their quarter-final game.

Derek Roy scored two of his three goals in a span of 2:42 late in the second period to turn a close 3-2 game into a 5-2 runaway to help Canada to an 8-2 quarterfinal victory over Norway on Wednesday and set up a semi-final date with Sweden at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.

The Canadians and pesky Norwegians were knotted at 2-2 when the defending world champions sealed their seventh straight win on home soil by scoring three unanswered goals in the second period.

Johathan Toews put a quick wrist shot past goalie Pal Grotnes at 9:57 of the second, beating him high to the glove hand while Canada was on the power play.

Roy made it 4-2 at 14:08 on another power play, beating Grotnes from close in, and the Buffalo Sabres forward capped a great effort at 16:50 with another close-in shot that beat Grotnes, who again was Norway's best player. Grotnes caught Canada's attention six days earlier in a 2-1 loss to the home side, a game in which he made 50 saves.

Roy completed the hat trick at 11:40 of the third period, swinging around in front of the net and tucking a wrist shot under the crossbar for his fifth goal of the tournament.

Dany Heatley scored his 10th goal in seven game 37 seconds after the game’s opening face-off, giving Canadian fans visions of a runaway victory, much like the 10-1 win over Germany on Saturday.

But the Norwegians play a gritty style of hockey, and gave the Canadians all they could handle for the first half of the game, pulling even at 2-2 on a Mathis Olimb goal 5:32 into the second period.

But the Canadians kept coming in waves and wore down their opponents, controlling the play for much, if not all, of the second half of the game. Rick Nash, with a pair of goals, and Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who now head to Quebec City for Friday's semi-final against the Swedes, who beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in overtime.

The Getzlaf-Nash-Heatley line combined for seven points and now has 39 points in seven games.Cam Ward made 22 saves in goal for Canada. The Canadians take a 16-game winning streak into Friday’s game and are looking to become the first host country to win gold on home soil since the Soviet Union in 1986.

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As far as the Canadien content in yesterday's action, TurtlePlek had an assist for the Czech Republic in their 3-2 loss to Sweden.

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That sound you heard was the Flyers coming back down to earth

This one might go four.

Last night the Penguins showed why they deserve to be in the Stanley Cup finals, and the Flyers do not. My obvious bias against the Broad Street Wannbes for disposing of the superior Canadiens has nothing to do with either.

Evgeni Malkin scored twice, including one on a short-handed breakaway slapshot to show why he's the most dangerous Penguin in the lineup, Sid the Bib included. He also had an assist. Moments later, Malkin clobbered Flyers defenceman Braydon Coburn with a clean but thunderous hit. Final score: 4-2. And it wasn't that close.

The Flyers lack of overall team speed was very apparent. They showed the Pens way too much respect, and they got burned. And Martin Biron looked human.

Not a great combination if you're a Flyer's fan.

Mike Richards scored both goals for the Flyers, who didn't look like they could cope with the loss of Kimmo Timonen. The Flyers' top defenceman is out for the series to a blood clot. Considering the way that his team played last night, he should consider himself lucky.

In the World Championships, Team Canada returns to the ice this afternoon against Germany. Canada has owned the Germans at past IIHF World Championships, winning 37 of 40 games and outscoring them 234-61. That's what we said about Norway, too.

Canadien content in the tournament yesterday:

Andrei Markov had 1 shot and 4 PIM in a 4-3 win vs. Belarus;
Saku Koivu had 3 shots and 2 PIM in a 2-1 win over Latvia;
D-Cup had 3 shots and 2 PIM, B-Cup had 1 shot, and Mikhail Grabovski had 2 assists and 1 shot in their 4-3 loss to the Russians.

TurtlePlek's Czech Republic didn't play.

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