Habs Rally in 3rd/OT

Now that the problem was gone, the players no longer had an excuse for not winning. Sure enough, the boys didn't disappoint... in the ladder part of the game, however. You really have to hand it to them because the pressure was surely present in the pre-game atmosphere. But they managed to pull through with the all-important 2 points.

The first two periods were ones to forget for Montreal. 9 shots totaled between the two of them while Edmonton had 23. At 2nd intermission, something had to give. Don Lever, who was "sur la passerelle" in the first two periods, was the ace in the hole for the Habs. Having watched the game through a different dynamic, he took notes and brought them with him to the dressing room. Coincidentally, the third period showed twice as many shots and half as many against. When the ref signaled goal after Koivu's review, you knew the Habs would not lose that game.

The only point where Edmonton had any control of the puck in OT was when they managed to clear it out. Montreal took total domination of the 4th period. The 4-on-3 did help as well. The PP was played to perfection. Schneider took the shot and Koivu, waiting for it, tipped it in. A powerplay goal in OT scored by the captain is a great way to win, especially if it just so happened to be your birthday eh, AFS 58?

Tanguay made a nice comeback. 1G, 1A, +3 tonight is something to get excited about. Koivu's line will return to being number 1 again. But Andrei needs to get some shooting practise in before we can see consistent success. In the second period alone I think he missed the net 4 times. Once his snipe-shot is back on though, with two guys who can dish out the puck to him, watch out.

I wasn't all that impressed by Souray's cross-check on Tanguay. The refs were too stubborn to call it. Then he stood over Tanguay as if he wanted more. Well, at least he had to leave the game injured. Sorry Sheldon, I just lost a whole lot of respect for you.

With teams like Carolina, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh nearby, you can't afford to lose a game. They are all too hot to lose. We'll have to take this one game at a time at this point. Islanders at home should EASILY be 2 points in the bag. But you know what usually happens when it should be easy...

Photos: Yahoo! Sports

Well It's About Time, Bob

Let's cut to the chase here. This is the best thing that can happen to the team for many reasons. Here, in my opinion, is why he was shown to the door.

1- The team quit on Carbo: It was clear that throughout the entire road trip, the team was not interested in putting in the effort for the coach. Why did he never give a real chance to guys like Bégin or Dandenault?

2- Carbo was not a tactician: I can't help but look down and shake my head when I look back on some of the decisions that he made. EX. When he opted to play Gorges on forward as opposed to Bégin, when he played Weber on forward on his first game (which was a completely unfamiliar position for him), he played Price as opposed to red-hot Halak last night (I don't care if he played well), etc.

3- He is not a good communicator/motivator: I wonder how many players on the team are happy that this change was made? He had a few damaged relationships with players because he neglected them. Normally, he wouldn't go up and talk to them about it.

4- He was living in the past: The title says it all. The constant reuniting of 46-14-27 was getting annoying yet was clearly not working. He's been trying to find replacements for Mark Streit by forcing unfamiliar roles onto some players (Gorges, Weber). Everything he can do to make things exactly like last year. Sorry, the world isn't that perfect. A good coach can adjust to what's given to him.

Like my father recently told me, in business you have to look at the big picture. You can't get sucked into the small and recent stuff. My point is that Gainey has clearly been analyzing the team and it's performances. He finally realized that enough was enough and the team can only benefit from this. Gainey's got a huge job ahead of him. As notbigbird mentioned on Habs Inside/Out, it seemed as though Carbo was giving many chances for players to mess up, but not as many for those to succeed. That is why, he got the boot

Photo: The Washington Post

Hard Work Pays Off

Kerry Fraser was on top form tonight. Not that I'm saying we didn't deserve them, but 9 penalties in one period? Take it easy, Kerry. Anyway, the fact that we managed to kill off those long 5 on 3s is something of an achievement, with most of the credit going to Plekanec. Sure enough, this was nothing but a boost for the Habs as we managed to take the lead in the second. Solid play in the third, and a bank goal from Higgins put away the game from Dallas' reach. Hard work in the 2nd and 3rd period is what led to the win tonight.

Let's look back at Stewart's part in this. I consider him Bégin's cheaper and younger replacement. Not only that, he's much faster, stronger, and knows how/what to do when you drop the gloves. What he did to Ott is something that we rarely see in Montreal. Brunet on RDS even said that he had absolutely no problem with the fight. Obviously being the instigator, he got a few penalties. But he sent a message to the team as well as Ott. This is the problem with Georges Laraque. Because of his code, you will never, EVER see him chase after a guy like that. Kudos to Stewie because he played a huge part in this win.

Carey Price has now had back-to-back solid games. Halak's got to be feeling so awful because of this. As a result of this solid 'tending, Carbo's most likely going to give Price the start on Tuesday. It's too bad for Jaro who's had this flu come and go for the past while. However, I look at it this way: it's better to have two goalies who are hot rather then two who are cold.

This was a big win for Montreal. Had we not won this game, we would be in 8th place. That's not to say we're safe though, the Habs are still 2 points from 9th and Buffalo isn't much furthur behind. Looking forward, I'm feeling good about the schedule. 9 of the next 10 are at the Bell Centre. With a record of 20-6-4 at home, how can you not be optimistic?

Photo: Yahoo! Sports

Another Quiet Trade Deadline...

I don't really find it necessary to waste my time complaining about this team. If it were up to me, management would go through a makeover. The fact that Gainey and Carbo are satisfied with the current roster is beyond me. Apparently we're contenders with this team... HA! The reality is that while we were all standing by watching all the trades, the buyers bought and the sellers sold.

Let's analyze the trade day. Burke did a great job. He must have gotten 3 or 4 draft picks. Tampa Bay made some cap room and brought in some prospects/picks. On the other side of the equation, teams like the Rangers, Penguins, Hurricanes, Boston, Florida, and Ottawa (I don't really care what happens in the West) were buyers, and essentially improved their teams. Rangers got Morris and Antropov, Pens got Guerin, Canes got Cole, Boston got Recchi and Montador, Panthers got Eminger, and Ottawa finally got a keeper (Leclaire). Coincidentally, these are teams a few points around us. And what exactly did they give up? Drafts and some prospects! Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those things that we already have enough of? In fact, enough to maybe... trade away? Apparently not.

Gainey did go out and bring in some new guys, but in the end... I'm not too sure if they're all that great. Schneider has resuscitated the PP, and Metropolit is at least better than Chipcura. But where is that impact player we have been waiting for? Every single year just before the trade deadline, the TRADECENTRE panel on TSN all predict that the Canadiens would be the most active team in trade-talks. And every year, we get next to nothing.

Bob, was it too much to ask for to make a gutsy move? Are you just scared to pull the trigger on Carbo? Does he have a picture of you of the time you had a few too many Coronas at that one party? How many players do you think are going to resign here next year? How many will test the market before they consider resigning with you? There are GMs that are willing to throw huge sums of money at anyone, and this "no contract extension" policy is getting really annoying. Thanks to this particular policy, we lost Streit. I'll bet you a dollar to the donut he would've resigned with us for half of what he's making now had he received an offer before the end of the season. How good of a team do you think you really have right now?

Rack Em' Up

Another typical Habs/Flyers game: full of goals, fast-paced and chippy hockey. For the third game in a row, the Habs managed to pull through with a win. Not too long ago, we were getting clobbered 6-2, 7-2. I'm telling you, when you've got solid goaltending and productive special teams, wins are hard to miss.

Glen Metropolit, Gainey's latest pickup, sure didn't raise my eyebrows. However, for a 4th line center at 34 years old, I'd say we may have gotten our money's worth out of this guy. While he may not have had the best start with us, he's at least a step up on Chipchura. Plus he's not a UFA at the end of the season which is a fad on the team. He's also a must-needed right hand centerman.

Once again Mathieu Schneider, who's showing us just how much one man can help a team's powerplay, did his job. Mark down 5 points (3G, 2A all on the powerplay) in 5 games. I'd take that from a 39 year old. Heck if he keeps this up, I wouldn't be surprised to see him back next year!

What can I say about Plekanec and Halak? They are the two hottest players on team right now. Plekanec is now 7-5-12 in his last 7 games while Halak has averaged 37 saves in his last 6 starts. I'm not going to repeat myself, so I'll conclude by saying that whatever these two are doing, I highly suggest they don't change it. Kovalev has also been playing well. 11 points in 10 games ain't too shabby. As the trade deadline quickly approaches, Kovy's name will surely come up in trade-talks. TSN is saying that Columbus and Edmonton have shown interest in him. Whether it's true or just trade-talk, you're all welcome to waste x amount of hours of your life watching TSN's TRADECENTRE '09 next Wednesday (yes, all capitals, it's that important).

Breezer was at his best tonight. He, of course assisted on Gagné's game-tying goal. He also pulled a couple needless icings because of those center-ice passes of his. Just a reminder to everyone, he is 3 games away from reaching 1000. Thus CONFIRMING his never coming back after this season. Komisarek is another guy who's getting on my nerves (Breezer's always been on my nerves, Komisarek's still working on it). For whatever reason, he's having so much trouble controlling the puck along the boards which is leading to needless penalties on his part and odd-man rushes for the other team. This is a hole he better dig himself out of, fast.

Basically, another confidence booster for Montreal, which will hopefully turn routine by the time we reach the playoffs. Tanguay's comeback is something I have been looking forward to for the past 3 weeks. Don't be surprised to see minor trades here and there between now and the deadline. Don't expect it to be minutes before it though, Gainey's too smart to buy into that nonsense. Sharks are in town tomorrow night.

Photos: Yahoo! Sports

Halak, Halak, He's Our Man, If He Can't Do It, No One Can!

Finally, 2 W's back-to-back! It's been a while since I've last seen that. It's also been a while since I've believed in this team. It's almost as if the handful of distractions have given these guys a boost. The right pieces are falling into place, finally. Let's begin, shall we?

Let's start with the best. The essential piece to any cup-contender, is a goalie. Jaroslav Halak, who never accepted being backup, has made the absolute most out of his opportunities. In his last 4 starts, which have been his best so far, Jaro's saved 153 of 162 shots, and has a save percentage of .943. Carbo needs to keep playing him and not focus on getting Carey back on track. There is no way that we would have won had it not been for #41.

Next are the special teams. The confidence is definetly there. The puck is moving a lot quicker and there are a lot more cross-ice passes. Before, no one would move and the puck would stay to the outside. Hey, 8 for 19 is good enough for me. Also important, the PK. Koivu especially did very well on this last night. Faceoff wins are key, and they are starting to get them. We've only let in 2 PP goals out of the last 19 chances.

Finally, a top scoring line is getting back into form. Yes, the K-P-K line has been producing. Plekanec has had a season to forget, but he seems to be regaining confidence. 6 points in 10 games!

3 key components: a goalie, a powerplay, and a scoring line are all lights on. However, 16 shots in an entire game will not win you games. Montreal has also allowed too many shots game after game. Tanguay cannot come back soon enough, and Bouillon's injury just adds to the frustration. Next up, Flyers on Friday in Philly.

Photos: Yahoo! Sports

Maybe, There is Hope...

What with all that's been going on in the past week, whether it be Kovy's benching or the criminal inclusions, I was pretty much sold on the fact that all of these distractions would bring us down. On top of that, with a handful of losses on the road trip, I didn't find it necessary to post reviews on them. Nevertheless last night, the boys showed up to play.

One of the things that most impressed me was the quick start. Finishing the first 2 goals up, both of them created by Kovalev, usually gets the crowd going. Take that critics (and myself)! Kovalev completely showed them up tonight. Maybe he does care and wants to finish his career in Montreal... Gainey definitely has the bragging rights on this move. Kovy played 19:54, more then any other Habs forward, and recorded 3 points and 2 on the powerplay.

Oh, and did I mention the powerplay? We went 3 for 4 last night, and 7 for 11 in the last 3. 7 PPG! About a month ago, you would have to add up 15 games to get 7 PPG. The Schneider effect has really kicked in. 1 point in each of his 3 games played for us, all coming on the powerplay. Money in the bank! Funny what 1 guy will do for you on the powerplay.

Halak had yet another career night. Two shaky first periods led to an unbelievable 3rd one. He made 44 saves (only second to his 46 saves a week ago). As far as I'm concerned, this guy is our number 1 from now on. Sorry Carey, you've failed to keep us in games unlike Jaro.

As games go by, Plekanec is playing less and less like a "little girl". 5 goals in as many games, throw in a point streak (8 points in it) and you've got a real man! Here's hoping that he can only build on this.

Aside from being a wanted criminal, Andrei Kostitsyn has been one of the few consistent players for us. Prior to last night, he was enjoying a four game point streak (7 points, 4 goals). If anyone is going to reach the 30-goal plateau, it'll be him.

But with positives, negatives follow along as well. Komisarek has been one of the worst players since the All-Star break. Remind me why he there in the first place? He took three avoidable penalties that could have easily cost us dearly. I'm not very impressed with this guy.

The Canadiens finished the road trip by getting only 3 of a possible 12 points. However, they need to put all of that behind them and never look back. Last night's effort was a sign of good things to come. Tanguay's aiming for a return next week and our powerplay has never looked better. After a two-day break, they play Vancouver's next on Tuesday at the Bell.

Photos: Yahoo! Sports