Taking out the trash

What day is pick-up?

Man, the Ottawa Senators suck.  

You know, it wasn't that long ago that Hab fans (especially this one) would dread games against the Senators. For a number of years, playing a game against Daniel Alfredsson and company would give the feeling that another loss was merely sixty minutes away... and that was often the case.

My, how times have changed. For the fourth time in five meetings this season, the Canadiens defeated the Senators. Actually, 'defeated' isn't the right word. Let's try "annihilated". Or "obliterated". Kicked the tar out of. A 'sand in the Vasoline' type of win. A 7-1 spanking, and it wasn't even that close. And there's always something quite satisfying about hearing Hab fans cheering, singing, and booing the opposing goaltender in their building.

Save for a post, two flubbed 2-on-1's and a broken stick with a wide-open net in the first period, this one could have just as easily ended up in double figures. Tomas Plekanec led the way with two goals, and Brian Gionta, Andrei Kostitsyn, Benoit Pouliot, Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban had the others. Only a horrible defensive breakdown off of a faceoff kept them from getting Carey Price, who had another great game, his fifth shutout of the season. For Price, his 24th win ties a season high for him, in only game 48 of the Habs' season.

As for the Senators goaltending? It hasn't been their biggest problem, but get a load of these numbers: Pascal Leclaire has been their best guy between the pipes, and he leads the team with just a .908 save percentage. He's 4-7-1. Their other three goalies all have save percentages of under .900. That ain't good.

Tonight, the Habs chased starter Mike Brodeur after 4 goals on just 15 shots. Enter Brian Elliott, who fared a little better, but not much: another 3 goals on 20 shots.

The win sits the Habs second in the Northeast Division, one point behind Boston. The Canadiens are now 7-1-2 in their last ten games. Tomorrow, Saku Koivu returns to Montreal. If he scores the winner in overtime, I'd be happy with the Habs being 7-1-3.

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Time to stop the bleeding

Visual repesentation fo the Habs' recent road trip

Anybody got a tourniquet?

I don't remember much of what I had to learn to get my boy scout first aid badge, but I do remember that to stop the bleeding you've got to elevate the wound. Elevating their game would probably be the best thing that they could do to turn around their recent road trip. 

If the Habs can play the stingy kind of defense in front of Carey Price that gave them their early-season success, they could very well skate out of Tampa Bay with two points. On the season, the Canadiens are third overall in goals against (86), while the Lightning have had troubles keeping the puck out of their own net; they've allowed 120, good for 29th in the league.

The Habs will be down two defensemen for tonight's game with the usually-reliable Josh Gorges joining Andrei Markov on the sidelines as he gives some rest to a nagging injury. The Lighting have fared better in avoiding the injury bug, as 10 of their players have been able to suit up for every game this season; only five Habs (Gill, Spacek, Gionta, Halpern and Lapierre) have perfect attendance.

Oh, and the Canadiens have that pesky Steven Stamkos to worry about. He's already potted 29 goals. Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri lead the Habs with just 12 each.

Defenseman James Wisniewski, aquired a couple of days ago from the Islanders for a couple of contitional draft picks, makes his Hab debut tonight. Hopefully he brought his first-aid kit.

2010-2011 Regular Season, Game 38: Montreal at Tampa Bay

FIRST PERIOD:

• Lots of Hab fans in Tampa tonight, as usual. Ex-Hab goalie prospect Cedrick Desjardins gets his first NHL start tonight
• And lots for them to cheer about right off the bat. Pacioretty cuts in from the left side and centres a pass for Gionta that goes in off the defenseman's skate. Wisniewski, with the assist gets his first point with the team. 1-0 Habs!
• Wisniewski wearing #20
• On the powerplay, the new guy clangs one off the post from the point. Hopefully he'll give shooting lessons to Subban
• 10 minutes in, and the Habs have already taken two minor penalties. My dog has more discipline in front of the food dish
• Not a fan of watching games form this arena. The rink lighting sucks for TV
• Boo! They've taken the assist on the goal away from Wisniewski and have given it to Gomez

Well, whattaya know? A good first period from the Habs, which is great, considering that they've yet to win a game when trailing after either the first or second period. Aside from being up by 1 on the scoreboard, the Habs also lead in the faceoff circle 11-9 and on the shot clock 8-6. 

SECOND PERIOD:

• Is it wrong for me to hope that it rains in Pittsburgh on New Year's Day? It would serve the NHL right for shoving Crosby and the Penguins down our throats--again--in the Winter Classic game. The forecast? 11 Celsius with rain
• A too many men penalty isn't a great way to start the period
• And they take a SECOND too many men penalty to go down by 2 men. The Lightning don't take long to take advantage, Martin St. Louis sniping the goal from the right circle. Tied at 1
• After a decent first period, the Habs are playing some pretty jittery hockey
• Huh? A 4-on-1, and Lapierre decides to shoot from the goal line?
• Strange play... Spacek was going to be called for tripping, but the puck deflects off of the falling player to negate the delayed penalty. 2-1 Tampa.
• For my money, Pleks is the best player on the team not named Carey Price or Andrei Markov
• Looked to me like the Habs just got away with what could have been another too many men penalty

Some horrible indiscipline and a bit of bad luck conspired to take the Habs' one-goal lead into a one-goal deficit in the span of 20 minutes. They've yet to come back to win a game this season, so they'll have their hands full... but they've got no one but themselves to blame. Shots were 8-5 for Tampa that period; faceoffs are split down the middle at 15 apiece.

THIRD PERIOD:

• Hopefully they have their heads in the game for this period
• That was pretty weak to award a penalty shot. And Stamkos pulls a move that by the rulebook shouldn't be allowed, but it'll make it onto all of the highlight packages tonight anyway. 3-1 Lightning
• Spacek pins Price up against the post, allowing Stamkos to circle behind the net and dump it into the yawning cage. 4-1 Lightning. Ugly
• I've got to look up the penalty shot rules. I don't think that Stamkos' attempt should have been counted, and Price doesn't, either
• The poor little Hab fan behind the bench looks like he's had his Christmas stolen
• Price given the rest of the night off as Auld comes in
• That should do it. Hamrlik with another Hab penalty, their 7th, with under 2 minutes to play

Another horrible road game for the Habs, as Cedrick Desjardins earns his first victory in his first NHL start, though he didn't have to face many quality scoring chances. Final shots were 38-28 for the Habs. Hey, at least the Leafs lost, too.

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James Wisneiwski played 21:48 in his debut for the Habs

Where to start? The Canadiens' road trip from hell continues with another loss, this time by a 4-1 margin to the Lightning. Discipline--or rather, the lack of it--cost the Habs big time as the took another seven penalties, which Tampa Bay used to blow the game open.

A too many men penalty is the sign of a team whose heads aren't collectively into the game, and usually serves as a wakeup call to get their acts together. That wasn't the case tonight for the Habs, who while they were killing off that penalty apparently forgot that they were supposed to be playing shorthanded and got caught for ANOTHER too many men penalty. Down by two men, they gave up the first of four unanswered goals and after that point were never really in the game.

Florida tomorrow night. Will it be more of the same?
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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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Sadly, they don't award points for moral victories



Hands up, who thinks the Habs could have won?

Could've, would've, should've.

They could've won, had they played the first two periods like they did the third.

They would've won, had they played the first two periods like they did the third.

They should've won, but they didn't play the first two periods like they did the third.

Unfortunately, after a good start to the first period which included a Travis Moen goal banked off of Wing goalie Jimmy Howard from behind the net, the Habs got into penalty trouble (not all their own doing) which took all of the flow out of their game. And against a veteran, skilled team like the Red Wings, that's lethal.

Six straight penalties, including an almost full 5-on-3 to end the period, was just what the doctor order ordered for the Wings to swing the momentum in their favour. 

The refereeing was inconsistent at best. A call against Tomas Plekanec that led to the 5-on-3 and the Wings' first goal was a prime example: called for holding, Plek's biggest offence was what would have more appropriately been deemed a slash, and a light one at that. Rafalski went down easy, and the ensuing penalty being called a hold would lead you to believe that the referee didn't see the initial infraction and instead ruled on the result of the play. The guys in stripes simply need to be better than that.

To the Habs credit, they didn't give up. Faced with a 2-goal deficit going into the third period and playing a divisional rival the following evening, it would have been easy for them to mail in the final 20 minutes and look forward to Saturday's game against the Leafs. But then a funny thing happened: they kicked the Wing's asses.

Montreal dominated one of the strongest teams in the league for long stretches of the final frame, outshooting the Wings by an 18-2 margin... and one of those two shots was an empty net goal by Detroit. To their credit, the Habs served noticed that this isn't the same team that might have (read: would have) packed it in under the same scenario just a couple of seasons ago.

It's tough to feel bad about a loss like this one. Could they have played more responsibly to help keep the Wings from grabbing momentum, and a 3-1 lead? Yes, but as a Hab fan I still have to feel good about what transpired over the final 20 minutes.

On the strength of their third period, and the overall level of their play to this point in the season, we'll leave the mood-indicator at "fist pump", and bump the loss-severity indicator to just "rickrolled".

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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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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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Moving sucks without the beer

Ok, I'll come right out and say it: moving sucks. Or more specifically, it's the packing before the moving that I don't have a fondness for.

As you go through the pile of crap that you've accumulated since your last move you end up having to ask yourself, "Is this worth spending the time end effort packing, or would it simply be easier cutting the ties and tossing it in the trash?"

Yesterday was moving out day for the 2007-08 version of the Montreal Canadiens. Players packed ther belongings and got ready to leave the Bell Centre for the last time this season. Most will be back next season.

Some will not.

During this off-season, Habs GM Bob Gainey and his staff will have to decide whose getting kicked to the curb. Michael Ryder, Bryan Smolinski, Pratrice Brisebois and Mark Streit are the unrestricted free agent roster players, while Mikhail Grabovski, Andrei Kostitsyn, Ryan O'Byrne, Maxim Lapierre, Joroslav Halak, and Josh Gorges are all restricted free agents.

Considering that he was all but ignored by coach Carbo down the stretch and the playoffs, Ryder seems like a forgone conclusion for a ride on the last garbage truck out of Montreal, and Smolinski might soon follow. Smols had a decent stretch run, but was it worth re-upping for another two million per? Sorry, Bryan. You've been nominated to drive the truck that hauls Ryder's ass out of town.

Favourite fan whipping boy Patrice Brisebois will be interesting. While the popular thought is that he will retire before next season, he proved himself a valuable enough veteran presence on the blue line that fans actually -- gasp! -- demanded his inclusion in the lineup. Should he decide that he'd like one more kick at the can, another one year contract as a depth defenceman for insurance might not be out of the question. A more desirable scenario? The Breezer moves off the ice to coach the upcoming crop of young defensive talent that appears ready to make the leap to become full-time NHL'ers.

Mark Streit seems to be the only real question mark. He was third on the team in scoring with 62 points behind Kovy and the TurtlePlek, and proved himself to be a valuable and flexible asset during the regular season. Defence? No problem? Forward? No problem. Quarterback the powerplay? Got that covered, too. And at $600,000 a tremendous bargain. Unfortunately he disapeared like a magician's bunny during the playoffs, though a back injury no doubt hampered his play. Apparently the Swiss Mister's desire is to remain in Montreal, playing defence, for a while to come. Now all he and Gainey have to do is figure out for how long and for how much. Details, details.





As far as the restricted free agents go, both Andrei Kostitsyn and Josh Gorges had breakout years. Bob should do himself a favour and lock up the D-Cup before the Russian super league comes sniffing around and makes an offer that Andrei can't refuse. Georges started the year a little shaky, but quickly matured as the season progressed. Though not the biggest of blueliners, the kid can skate and can move the puck smartly out of his own zone. I'd take him on the Centre Hice team any day.
Ryan O'Byrne got his first taste of Hab action this year. Look for next season to be his breakout. I'm getting more than a little excited thinking about the twin towers of the Komisaurus and the Rhino crushing those foolish to go wide on them when entering the Habs zone. Sign him for a long, long time.
Will Jaro Halak be back next year? He's got the talent to be a starter in this league, but with Carey Price having staked claim to that position for the next, oh, 20 years or so, Halak seems to have it the glass ceiling in Montreal. If he can't find a starting job in the NHL, he might split for Europe along with Mikhail Grabovski. That said, I just can't see Yann Danis at Price's backup. Cedric Desjardins, anyone?
Anyone?
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