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