Another One Slipped Away...

Well, the title pretty much says it all. Montreal had the lead and the momentum going into the third but, couldn't get the job done.
No scoring in the first period. Mostly physical play on both sides. Jarkko's brother Tuomo Ruutu (Hey, their names rhyme :D), showed that the ability to be a jerk runs in the family. He hit Plekanec into the Carolina bench, and then cross-checked him.
This was Montreal's most impressive period I've seen them play in the last week or so. Finally, a goal on the PP! Lang finished a nice pass-and-play from Kovalev and Koivu to put the Habs up 1-0. After the goal, Montreal was playing with some real determination. I really thought that they were going to take the game at that point.
The third period's scoring was opened by ex-Canadien Sergei Samsonov. That was Samsonov's 1st goal of the season, showing everyone that he really is worth every penny of his 3.5 million dollar a year contract. Later in the period, defenseman Ryan O'Byrne took a foolish interference penalty on Ruutu (well, you can't blame him for that). This proved to be costly as the Canes' took a 2-1 lead from R.Whitney. This put the crowd and the momentum on Carolina's side. Montreal simply couldn't generate any decent opportunities to score other then a post shot from A.Kostitsyn. Carolina held on to the lead and the game ended 2-1.
Once again, Price had to stand on his head for the Habs, having to put up with 48 shots. Incredibly, only 2 got by him. Tanguay has had better nights, he couldn't string a pass or stick handle the puck if his life depended on it tonight.

Notes: Lapierre and Laraque were healthy scratches for the second game in a row... Kovalev has now gone 7 games without a goal... Montreal totaled 5 penalties tonight... Koivu picked up his 16th point of the season (6 goals, 10 assists)