Canadiens Central

Habs Rally in 3rd/OT

2009-03-10T22:46:00.003-04:00

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

2009-03-09T21:08:00.005-04:00

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

2009-03-08T21:07:00.010-04:00

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...

2009-03-07T22:15:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-27T23:40:00.007-05:00

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!

2009-02-25T16:14:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-02-22T12:16:00.004-05:00

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

Welcome Back, Schneider

2009-02-16T16:18:00.005-05:00

Finally! A trade that we've been all waiting for. 39 year old Mathieu Schneider, who started his career off with the Habs, has been acquired by Bob Gainey for a 2nd rounder in 2009 and a 3rd rounder in 2010. On top of that, the Habs also get a conditional draft in 2009.

So he might not bring us back to the top in terms of our powerplay. But as far as I'm concerned, he's at least a step up on Breezer! To make room for him, RDS reports that Ryan O'Byrne has been sent back down to Hamilton. It's too bad for Ryan, I thought his game has really picked up since being recalled. Maybe this is why he was a scratch last night.

Either way, this guy has always been a Tom Brady on the powerplay. I wasn't around when he first was a Hab, but some good sources have shown me thumbs up on him.

Mathieu's on his final year of his contract, which the Canadiens will have to pay the rest of. He brings experience and talent, but is most likely nothing more then a rental. Hopefully, this will be the first of many trades made by BG. Because this alone, is not nearly enough.

Photo courtesy: Geocities.com

A Letter to Mr. Gainey

2009-02-11T23:03:00.002-05:00

Dear Bob,

Enough is enough and in the interest of all of your disappointed fans, please make the right decision. Please fire Guy Carbonneau.

Thank you,
Bradley M.

Sorry For the Belated Posts, I Was Throwing Up

2009-02-08T22:37:00.008-05:00

Let's start with the better of the two: The 3-2 loss to Buffalo. I was lucky enough to be sitting in section 304, row 8, seat 11 on that awful night. Considered a "gold value" game, the tickets weren't exactly a giveaway but, I consider a ticket to a Habs game as a blessing from the Lord. But, for the second time this season, the team failed to show up when I have. The Buffalo wings I ate before the game were better then the game.

We started the game well by tripling Buffalo's amount of shots, but no goals. So my hopes were high, and so was my belief that we could pull out with a win. Early on in the second, Price let in a weak one. We managed to capitalize on a powerplay and tied it up. However Buffalo retook the lead nearly a minute and a bit later. Here we go again. We're down going into the third, and the next goal ends up deciding the game. Sure enough, Buffalo got that goal because of yet another costly mistake from Mike Komisarek.

All period long was pretty disgraceful to watch, until Hammer pulled one back with 3 and a half to go. After that, we were flying. Shots, pressure and everything needed to score. But Alexei Kovalev, l'Artiste himself, oddly enough as this was VERY rare of him, took a stupid tripping penalty which limited us to any chance of scoring. Thanks Alex, you really know how to ruin a kid's night. I had to sit through all of that crap, to see a comeback canceled by #27? No way. I blew up and probably annoyed some people around me. It took my father to nudge me to shut me up. From that point, until we reached the car, I didn't say a word. Call it silent rage.

Now in the car on the ride back home, my father and I had a lengthy analysis about the joke we had to sit through. First off, Price had another weak night and did not look good at all. But the main topic of conversation that came up, was that of the problem with this team. I complain about Kovalev night after night, but who is it that sends him on the ice? Guy Carbonneau. Management is the biggest of our worries right now. Why in the world was Kovalev even on the ice with 2 minutes to go? He did absolutely NOTHING at all throughout the entire game and even took another idiot penalty halfway through the third. Carbo refuses to get mad at this guy (which is something I would've 2 months ago), and instead gives him more playing time. Are you kidding me? Carbo, instead of making the right decision that would benefit the team, decides to suck up to "l'artiste".

________________________________________

Now for Saturday's game against the Leafs. I'll be completely honest with you. Going into this one, I had never been more sure in my life that we were going to lose. And the fact that Halak was sick, and that Price would start, made matters even worse. Unfortunately my prediction was dead on. Price let in goals that would've been easy for him to save before his injury. Every time a Leaf would skate up across the blue line, he would go into a butterfly stance, and back into the net leaving many open holes that lead to 5 soft goals. This guy's confidence is at an all time low. He even looked like he was going to cry in an interview after the game. Carey, you're in the big leagues now and this is part of a normal goalie's career. It happens to the best of them, yes even your hero Martin Brodeur. He puts all the pressure of the world on himself and acts like a baby whenever things don't go his way. "Take off your dress and let's end this tea party" - Dane Cook.

Carbo messed up once again by playing Kovalev on the powerplay, 7 times. Montreal scored once (on a 5 on 3) out of the 7 powerplays that we got. Bouillon hit the bar on a WIDE open net. Higgins failed to capitalize on a few chances, including a runaway breakaway. All of these opportunities would have completely changed the outlook of the game. Things that would have been day and night for us last year, are very hard to do now... This is right up there with the worst loss of the season.

To rap it up, these were both brutal games. Just really uninspired play on both nights. Maybe the team is quitting on the coach? Or maybe they just don't care. The team is in a much worse position then I thought and if changes aren't made real soon, things are only going to get worse. The fact of the matter is, we've now lost 7 of our last 9 games. The pressure is now on Gainey to shake up the team. He's got to do something, because with this same team, we aren't going ANYWHERE.

Photos: Yahoo! Sports

Funny What a Fight'll Do For Ya!

2009-02-03T21:52:00.009-05:00

Well the title says it all, really. Pittsburgh scored first and the next shift Alex Henry dropped the gloves. This, essentially, woke up the team and inspired them to play. Sure enough, two minutes later, a steal by Sergei lead to Hamrlik's 3rd of the year. And the rest just came naturally, and that's how we played. We played as if it were the 2007-08 season.

For the first time in a while, it'll be hard to cover all standout individual performances. Tonight was a team effort, not only offensively though. The right players stepped up to shut down Crosby and Malkin. Goaltending wasn't half bad either.

Hamrlik play of late has not been the best, but he sure made up for it tonight. He's posted a -9 rating in his last 10 games but tonight had a goal, an assist, 3 shots and a +4 rating. You know, he doesn't do it often enough, but Hammer knows how to get some points. I'd like to see him do a little more of his back-door sneak-ins like at the beginning of the year. Another defenceman who played well is O'Byrne. +1 and 17:53 TOI is all the more encouraging to see from this guy. Honestly, from what he showed tonight, I think he is a better passer than Komisarek. At least twice he sent players on offensive rushes. For a guy who was supposed to be injured, Josh Gorges sure played like he wasn't. He's shown us a warrior side to him. He's come a long way from not being able to stand up!

When everything goes well, everyone chips in. Kovalev's hard work seemed to revive the old trio. How many times has Carbo tried this line together? Personally, I think the chemistry is gone and it's a waste of time. But you never know with these three. They did get a goal tonight, need I remind you.

I'm loving what I'm seeing of Chris Higgins since his return. He's reminded me of the Higgins that had 14 goals in 21 games way back in 06-07. Being the streaky player that he is, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he becomes a regular in the goals column. It's those first few strides that give him the advantage. One on one with Higgy, you might be lucky to poke the puck away before he takes off with it. And his shot? Well, watch the replays, they'll do the talking.

Yes, this was a real refreshing performance that was long overdue. However, let's not get in over our heads here. Pittsburgh is a 2-man show that has now lost 4 of their last 5. This really should be a win either way. It's one thing to win a pretty one, it's another to keep it going. Next, the Habs travel to HSBC Arena to play the Sabres and, yours truly, will be there live in colour. The boys have a 2 day break and should benefit from the time off. They have a busy few weeks ahead of them including a long and demanding road trip. This'll be a test for the team. Here's hoping we can keep this up!

Photos: Yahoo! Sports

Robert Lang, You Will Be Missed

2009-02-02T17:37:00.009-05:00

For those of you who may not already know, the suspicions on Robert Lang's injury have been confirmed today. Thankfully, he went through successful surgery on his Achilles tendon. He will have to miss the rest of the season to recover from this injury. The 38 year old finishes the season with 39 points (18G, 21A) with a +6 rating in 50 games.

Lang, a native of Czechoslovakia, was drafted 133rd overall by LA in 1990. After shuffling back and forth between the NHL, IHL and Czech, he was signed by Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1997. He settled into a niche and put up solid points throughout his 5 seasons with them. The best season of his career came in the 2000-01 season where he put up 80 points (32G, 48A) in 82 games on a line with Alex Kovalev (that too was Kovy's best season as well).

In 2002, Lang was signed by Washington as a free agent. In 145 games with the Caps, he recorded 143 points. Now at age 33, Robert was truly in his prime, and highly valuable. A struggling and desperate Washington went for broke and traded their star player to Detroit for a T.Fleischmann, a first round pick (Mike Green) and a 4th round pick. He again put up solid points (119 in 159 points) for Detroit and 54 points in one season for Chicago.

With one year left on his contract, Bob Gainey acquired Lang from the Blackhawks in exchange for a 2nd round pick. The plan was for Lang to be a two-way 3rd line center who could contribute every now and then on offense. Also, many believed that he would spend the year in Montreal and then become a free agent at the end of the year. Well, knowing the Canadiens, things never go as planned. When top center Koivu got injured for a lengthy period, a number 1 centerman was needed, and Plekanec wasn't getting the job done. Lang stepped up for the Canadiens, and was a regular on the score sheet. Getting powerplay, shorthanded and 1st line playing time, Lang ended up becoming the leading scorer on the team. He quickly became a fan fave because of his consistent production.

Maybe it's because so much is going wrong for Montreal right now that losing this guy hurts that much more. And maybe it was his smile or his long streaky hair that made him so graceful. Exceeding all expectations, Lang was a discreet leader, a positive energy and a workaholic. Because of all these characteristics, he had me sold on him! Robert Lang, we all wish you a speedy recovery!

Photos: Montreal Canadiens Official Website, Daylife

References: Yahoo! Sports, Wikipedia

Shut Down, Again

2009-02-01T17:26:00.004-05:00

It seems that this type of game is turning into a trend when we play the Bruins. They maintain a lead going into the late stages of the game, and go into this shutdown game style. You've really got to hand it to Claude Julien. He's taught his team a good style of play that works, night after night. As much as I hate hearing myself saying this, the Bruins are a much better team then Montreal, this year.

I was not very impressed with the play of a few guys. Now that Captain Koivu is back in the lineup, Kovalev has disappeared from the scoresheet. This confirms that the two cannot play on the same team. If I were Bob Gainey, I would start including one of the two in those trade offers. I may be sounding extreme here but as far as I'm concerned, it's necessary. Hopefully Carbo giving Kovalev only 11:24 TOI will send a message through that thick skull of his. Number 27 is really getting on my nerves, once again. Komisarek has had better nights. I wonder how many giveaways he had tonight, and what his passing percentage was. As far as I'm concerned, he cost us the game because of his idiot mistake at the end of the first.

The two big guys played their roles well. Alex Henry is nothing more than a fighter who lacks the ability to skate. His first shift confirmed that. Thankfully he dropped the gloves with that idiot Thornton. O'Byrne would be my choice to play between the two in games to come. He played 16:42 and was one of only 5 players who weren't in the minuses. He's been steadily hitting more and his passing has improved. With Gorges out, he might take his spot alongside Hamrlik.

As if we already have enough injuries. Our most consistent player, Lang, could very well have played his last game of the season. And hard-worker Latendresse is probably concussed. D'Agostini put up a scare as well. You know, if the team was doing well I wouldn't be so worried, but because we've lost more than we've won lately, it's the worst thing that can happen. We've had trouble scoring goals, now the team-leader is done? Give me a break, how unlucky can we get?

To sum up the game, it was a good effort that was matched and doubled by a more rounded team. Something needs to be done to shake things up, and that's when Big Guns upstairs steps in. It's time to make changes. Boston on the other hand have absolutely nothing to worry about. From lines 1 to 4, they have a team full of players that are hungry for the cup. We need more inspiration like that in Montreal. Kovalev whining about losing the C is not the answer to our problems. God I hate those damn Bruins...

Photo courtesy: Yahoo! Sports

Habs Do Just Enough to End Losing Skid

2009-01-31T18:45:00.004-05:00

Can you believe it? They were 2 minutes away from me destroying my television. Nevertheless we managed to pull through with 2 points and end the 4 game skid. With so many mistakes, this was one of the sloppiest wins of the season. There's so much to cover here, so let's get started.

First off, I would like to bring up Denis Gauthier hit on Gorges. This is exactly the kind of hit that everyone has been saying the same thing about. (I must have heard these same words about 1000 times) "The league needs to step in and do something to eliminate these hits from the game." I was watching the game on CBC and catched the panel discussing their thoughts on this hit. Thank God the refs gave Gauthier the boot because Gorges didn't look like he remembered what number he was. He didn't see him coming, Gauthier jumped into it and brought up the elbow to the head. It's a suspension plain and simple. Ron MacLean went as far as saying that he would be nailed with 20 games as he is a repeat offender. You know, there's only so much the league can do in this situation. At the end of the day, Bettman can't run out onto the ice and put up his hand to stop these hits. The players are the ones throwing them, so they need to take this seriously. Here's another interesting point brought up by the panel. PJ Stock, who back in the day was a fighter himself, said that he was disappointed in Montreal because of the fact that no one stood up for Gorges. This has been a problem year in and year out. Why didn't anyone jump on top of Gauthier and beat the living hell out of him? Not very impressed by the lack of standing up for your teammate. So what if we got penalty minutes? The game was tied and it was early in the 2nd. Let's hope to God his injury isn't too serious. The last thing we need is another injury, and to Gorges no less!

Moving on to the game. I saw some of the sloppiest play in the defensive zone today. How many times did we mess around with the puck and fail to clear the zone? Awful lazy play like that may not cost you against a team like LA, but tomorrow against a team like Boston, they will make you pay. If, in our defensive zone, we show up with that kind of performance, we're going to get pommeled.

Everyone who needed to score, did just that today for Montreal. Plekanec's play has improved in the past couple of games and he finally scored tonight. Koivu and Higgins getting a goal each is good for confidence for the comeback. A.Kost was pointless in 4 going into this one, and his goal was good enough for his 5th goal on PP.

Kovalev didn't seem to really care about the outcome tonight. There wasn't much effort coming from l'artiste when battling for the puck along the boards. Knowing Boston's solid shutdown play, he probably won't be much of an offensive threat tomorrow.

Carbo is in for a tough decision tomorrow. Well, a couple actually. First off, who starts in net? Do you go with your number 1 who is still looking rusty after 5? Or do you go with Halak who craps his pants whenever Price is on the bench? On another note, what to do with Sergei? Do you stay with the same lineup, or bring him back in? I don't know guys, only time will tell for these answers.

To rap it all up, the hockey gods were really on Montreal's side for this one. Alexander Frolov must have had 3 chances to put the game away but was either denied by Price or the post. LA's work ethic was truly admirable and will hopefully be compared to ours. Carbo needs to tell the boys to come out fast and score first. If I'm not mistaken, Montreal's record when scoring first is 17-3-3. The fact of the matter is, there is no way in hell we will win tomorrow if the same effort is repeated. You can't beat Boston by sleeping for 58 minutes and lighting up for the final 2. Hopefully, the boys will show up to play tomorrow afternoon, because another loss to Boston is the last thing I would like to see.

Photo courtesy: Yahoo! Sports

They Just Keep Getting Uglier and Uglier

2009-01-30T15:12:00.006-05:00

There is only so much a blogger can say after watching a game like this one. Montreal has now dropped 4 consecutively and are showing no signs of ending the drought. A number of factors key in to this. First off, we've allowed 19 goals (4-5-5-5) in this drought. Price's awful comeback includes 16 goals allowed and 0 wins. Maybe all these players returning to the lineup has psychologically influenced the team? Well it certainly hasn't helped because were not scoring either. The effort has not been there.

Honestly, Sergei Kostitsyn has not been an NHL-caliber player since day 1. It's almost as if he believes his spot is cemented into the roster. Hmph, I beg to differ and as soon as Tanguay's back, he will be sent to Hamilton just as quickly. If it weren't for all of these injuries, he would be with Don Lever right now. Brother Andrei hasn't exactly lit the lamp of late. Since going on a 7-game point streak, he's vanished from the score sheet in the last 4 games (hmm, seeing that number a lot..) And Gorges! My man Gorgeous Gorges is now -11 in his last 8 games, Josh of all people! This isn't golf buddy, it's not 11 under par after 8 holes.

Now looking back to last night. Whew, 5-1 to Florida. Ouch. Boy I would love to see Jay Bouwmeester in a Habs jersey. Apparently, we were too stupid to pick up on the fact that he pinches to the back door every time. Didn't he score one like that? And almost set up another? Florida went into this one 27th in the league on the PP but managed to pot 2 on us. Disgusting.

And can someone please tell me what's with this "lose all hope when we're down"? Why is it that when we go down early, no matter how bad the team is, we fall back and pray for the buzzer. Isn't that the first thing that we were told as kids, never to give up. It's ridiculous!

For those of you who watched the game on TSN, you might have noticed the stat that was shown. If my memory serves me correctly, they said that Montreal is 17-3-3 when they score the first goal. I wonder what our record is when we don't? We dig ourselves into to holes that were to stubborn to get out of.

For whatever reason, I have a strange feeling about our upcoming games. I highly doubt that Carbo will allow the "dream team" to drop their 5th in a row to LA on home ice. Even more likely, we just might show up to play against Boston.

Alright, I'm done.

Photo courtesy: Yahoo! Sports

Good Things Happen to Those Who Try...

2009-01-27T22:46:00.004-05:00

Well it's the first time in almost a month since my last post and I get to start over with this. Perhaps it's some sort of hex or curse that someone cast upon Montreal that disables our talent whenever we play >playoff teams. Whatever the case may be, Tampa Bay (now 17-21-10) has picked up 5 of a possible 6 points against us.

It's simple, the Bolts won tonight by doing the exact opposite of what Montreal did: They worked their buts off. Yes, the first period was all Habs however, one period doesn't win games. Starting right from the get-go of the 2nd, the gritty players stepped up (Downie, Artyukin). By fore checking, hitting, winning the one-on-one battles, they managed to completely shut us down. Plus, throw in 9 penalties called on Montreal to the equation. Vinny and Marty combine for 2 on the PP while everyone else works to get 3. Kudos to them, because they're not too far off from a playoff spot.

I have to say, Ryan O'Byrne played quite well tonight. Not spectacular, but managed to stay at even par in +/- with 12:38 of TOI. Perfect, boost up his value right in front of the eyes of both of Florida's GMs. Higgins also, made a very good comeback. If it weren't for Lang's lack of finishing, he would have gotten at least gotten a point.

Just like Carbo said after the game, something is not right when your 4th line is your best one. Lapierre, Kostopoulos and Latendresse combined for 2 goals and 13 shots. Hmph, if it weren't for these 3 and Smith's bad pass, we'd have been shut out.

We have to look at the big picture here. The amount of pressure on le tricolore is tough to match. When you're expected to win 82 of 82 games, chances are some might crack. However, when you play sub-par teams like Tampa Bay or Atlanta, these are the points that are going to kill you in the long run. A good team would have come out flying, but played a full 60 minutes. We have failed to do that on multiple occasions this year and it is costing us some valuable points. Hopefully, we'll take the Panthers a little more seriously on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of: Yahoo! Sports

6 for 6 On the Road, So Far

2008-12-30T22:45:00.005-05:00

Tonight's, and last night's games were ones that really should have been won, regardless of the tight schedule. Thankfully, they didn't disappoint. Last night's game was a little more lively, which probably led to a game with some tired legs tonight. Coming off le temps des fêtes, les boys have recorded 6 out of 6 points so far on the road trip. No complaints here, time to head to New Jersey with some confidence under our belt, along with some holiday turkey, of course.

Who would of predicted this of Maxim Lapierre? If he keeps taking shots like that in the shootout, I would take him over Koivu in a heartbeat! This guy is showing everyone exactly why he's here and not Chipchura (not that I wouldn't like to see him). He isn't the smoothest skater, but boy is he fast. Since the start of the season, he has put up solid efforts. It seems that he's learned to slow the game down and be more patient. I've never really been a fan of the dump and chase but Lapierre plays it perfectly. He's got great speed and superb fore checking abilities. A hat trick, and totaling 11 points is all you can ask from a third/fourth line center, and more.

While we do have some pros to this streak, surely some cons will follow? The powerplay was terrible, again. We went 1 for 14 in the past 3 games, and the one goal was a 5 on 3. It's simple everyone, we're missing that big point shot. It may not be the only problem, but it's a major one. Those big shots in the past 2 seasons were provided by Sheldon Souray and Mark Streit. Let's look at some stats, shall we? Souray has 26 points (11G, 15A), 12 of them on the powerplay while Streit has 28 points (7G, 21A) and 18 points on the powerplay. The stats speak for themselves, I'd say.

I'm slowly changing my mind about A.Kost-Plek-Kovy. Plekanec is starting to play with some confidence and is starting to make those familiar cheeky passes from last season. Kostitsyn is taking those familiar laser shots from the left wing. Kovalev is playing like his familiar self, but if this line works again, expect him to add to his 9 goals on the season.

Yet another injury, and probably a long term one (based on our luck). According to RDS, Tanguay himself said that his number 13 is bringing him de la malchance. Well, Lady Luck is taking the year off in Montreal, I guess.

Photos courtesy of: Yahoo! Sports

Career Nights for Price and Kostitsyn

2008-12-27T23:04:00.010-05:00

Having had no games scheduled between the 22nd and 26th of December, the coaching staff in Montreal decided to give the team a break. No practises or workouts planned until yesterday. The break seemed to have led to a laid back effort from the Canadiens tonight, for most of the team. The team's 3 stars won the game for Montreal, and are as follow's:

Star 3: Tomas Plekanec (2 assists). Plekanec set up 2 of Kostitsyn's goals, and made it real easy for him. Both times he went behind the net and made beautiful passes to the older Kostitsyn. To be honest, I wasn't with Carbo's decision of reuniting A.Kost-Plek-Kovy. I didn't think Plekanec was going to do much but he played very well tonight and deserves third star.

Star 2: Andrei Kostitsyn (3 goals),the hat-trick hero. He scored all three goals in a 3-2 win and honestly, this guy has been due for a good night. At 6 goals in 29 games, we all knew this wasn't the AK-46 we knew from last season. Hopefully he can build on this, and light the lamp more consistently. A first career hat-trick is always a night to remember.

Star 1: Carey Price (32 saves, 2 goals against). Many of you might disagree with Price over Kostitsyn for first star. But Carey was the one who won the game for Montreal. He frustrated Malkin, Crosby, Dupuis, etc. so many times tonight, I lost track of his game-savers. Unbelievable. If it weren't for Price, Montreal loses this game 5-3, no doubt in my mind.

Other good performances include 26 minutes of Komisarek and Markov. Workhorses as a pair, blocking shots and working hard on the PK. Josh Gorges is now 9th in the league in plus/minus. He was a +3 tonight and +17 on the year.

Overall, this was not a very convincing win. Not a team performance but rather, an individual one. A few players stepped up and won it for us, simple as that. This one could've gone either way, and it really shouldn't have been this close. We had a break while Pittsburgh was packed with games. Next up we play back-to-back in Florida and then in Tampa.

Photos courtesy of: TSN, Yahoo! Sports

Just Food for Thought...

2008-12-22T22:29:00.008-05:00

ALL NUMBERS OVERALL PICKS

- 1999 entry draft: We picked Eric Chouinard (who?) 16th. Later, Simon Gagne goes 22nd and Scott Gomez 27th. But we did get Andrei Markov 162nd and Michael Ryder 216th.

- 2001 entry draft: We picked Alexander Perezhogin 25th. Later, Derek Roy goes 32nd, Mike Cammalleri 49th and Jason Pominville 55th. But we did get Tomas Plekanec 71st.

-2003 entry draft: We picked Andrei Kostitsyn 10th. Later, Jeff Carter goes 11th, Zach Parise 17th, Ryan Getzlaf 19th, Mike Richards 24th. But we did get Jaroslav Halak 271st.

- 2004 entry draft: We picked Kyle Chipchura 18th. Later, Mike Green goes 29th and Johan Franzen 97th. But we did get Mark Streit 267th.

- 2005 entry draft: We picked Carey Price 5th (Thank God) Notable late drafts: Matt D'Agostini 190th, Sergei Kostitsyn 200th.

-And going waaaaaaaaaay back to 1989: We picked Patrice Brisebois 30th. Later, Niklas Lidstrom went 33rd, Sergei Federov went 74th and Pavel Bure 113th. Oh boy, the years do breeze-by don't they?

An all-time NHL draft list is on this link, it really is a great site: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/index.html

How to Make Carolina Look Good: Play Montreal

2008-12-21T22:30:00.002-05:00

I'm just going to start off by saying that this was an awful game. Right from the get-go, Carolina, once again, were winning the one-on-one battles, beating us to the puck and scored the first goal. God, I am so sick and tired of losing to this mediocre team. Day in and day out against these guys, we fall asleep when the puck drops. Horrendous performance tonight, and the only reason why we got a point out of this one, because the Canes suck. In the very few number of games that WE come out flying, we win them. Why isn't that our goal for every game? It doesn't take a genius to figure that out!

I don't know who decided to put Price in net, but the Price was not right tonight. Here's a guy, who just returned from an injury and was bound to be rusty. He let in 2 weak goals including the OT winner. Had I had a say in the matter, I would have chosen Halak as the starter. Halak has played unbelievably well for us, so why stop playing him? It just doesn't make any sense at all. Price did, however make a few good saves, but lost the game for us with weak goals.

Before anyone says that our powerplay is back on track, you must take into consideration the facts. Sure, they have 6 goals in 4 games, but have they really been that nice of goals? Take last night for example, one was on 5 on 3, which should be a gimme, even for Toronto, and the other 4 on 3. What did Montreal create 5 on 4? Nothing. And tonight's goal was a little lucky in my books.

Can anyone tell me what has happened to Tomas Plekanec? He's a completely different player, no confidence, bad decisions and no points (now 0 in 9 games). I don't think there is any chance of a possible A.Kost-Pleky-Kovy resuscitation. What's it going to take for Plekanec to turn his game around?

Well, if I have to pull out one plus, it's Lats-Lapierre-Kostopoulos. The go-to line for energy tonight. Very impressed by the fore check. A line full of hard workers playing for a spot.

To sum the night up, it's a game wasted away that could have easily been a win. We did come back and get a point, but these are points that Boston is banking on in. They are moving further and further away from us in the standings. Why didn't we just work hard? Go into the Christmas holidays with 3 in a row under your belt! Now we have a 5 day break with nothing to be happy with. Not very impressed, not at all.

Photo courtesy of: Yahoo! Sports

Players Starting to Turn it Around

2008-12-21T11:06:00.011-05:00

A second consecutive win for the Canadiens, in comeback style. An exciting one for sure, but another morale booster for the team. To be honest, after our first period performance, I thought we were going to pull another "well, they're not in the playoffs, so we'll win without trying," but seemed to turn it around after some energetic shifts from the Begin-Lapierre-Kostopoulos line. Begin in particular, had a good night. 7 hits including one shift where he made at least three. I'm loving what I see of this guy, night in and night out.

Alexei Kovalev, I being his worst critic, seems to be regaining my trust. He now has 3 beautiful goals in as many games. After getting that stupid penalty in the third, he knew he had to make up for it. Sure enough, he gets an assist followed by a goal as the winner. Keep this up, PLEASE Kovy!

Sergei Kositisyn is playing like he wants out of the doghouse. 4 points in 2 games, including 2 goals on the powerplay. Good boy Sergei, here's a treat! Oh and did I mention the powerplay? Montreal has 5 goals in 3 games with the man advantage. Their starting to show some positive signs here, but they need to move the puck around much quicker. Someone needs to stand right in front of the goalie. To pick up rebounds and block vision.

Halak, who made his 6th straight start, had yet another solid performance. He doesn't get credit for it, but he wins games for Montreal. Game after game he constantly makes game-savers, and last night was no exception. However, his rebound control has got to improve, he burns himself like that sometimes.

Even Laraque is playing better. He absolutely ripped apart another victim in a fight, while respecting him the whole way through. The guy falls, he waited for him to get up, then resumed the fight. You can't spell class without BGL. I like the idea of him on Lang and Tanguay's line. Simple, put him in front of the net, and take a shot, no one can see through this guy.

All in all, it was a good night for Montreal. I like the effort and more goals, finally! Now they take on Carolina. Please, I do NOT want to see another loss to these guys. I'm sick and tired seeing these guys beat us!

By the way, and just food for thought. What number do you think Brendan Shanahan will wear for us? Take it or leave it, you heard it here first.

Photos courtesy of: Yahoo! Sports

Lack of discipline Blows Away Yet Another Game

2008-12-16T21:33:00.003-05:00

It was powerplay practise for the Hurricanes, who going into the game are 27th in the league. 11 chances, and in a 3-2 win for Carolina, they scored all 3 on the powerplay. Hmm... if you do the math, and subtract the PP goals from the final tally... well yeah, you get the point.

Not impressed at all with the lack of discipline and urgency on Montreal's side. Because of all of these penalties, many players had to ride the bench. Maxwell only saw 10:20 of ice, A.Kost 12:17, Tanguay 12:35 and O'Byrne 9:43. Throughout our first wave if penalties, Plekanec was doing his job, and more. If he wants to get some points, he better keep up that kind of play.

If I had to pick the best of the worst, I'd have to say that Halak is my man. He made 24 saves including a few game-savers. If it weren't for him, the Canes' would've scored 5. It's too bad everyone else falls asleep whenever he's in net. Keep in mind though, Halak's value will continue to soar if he keeps up this solid play.

FINALLY! A goal from Kovalev, and shorthanded no less! He almost made it 2 for the night when he nearly beat Ward with 10 secs to go. Oh boy that would've made my night! Kudos to Latendresse for scoring on his penalty shot (one thing that the refs got right). He hasn't done too much since returning to the lineup, but that was a nice shot. I wouldn't be surprised if these 2 rebound from this point on.

Final Word: Well, if Montreal keeps wasting away these points, other teams will pass them in the standings. If they even want a chance against Boston, they better wake up because Boston isn't showing any signs of slowing down.

Photo courtesy of: Yahoo! Sports

Something's Gotta Give!

2008-12-14T11:35:00.008-05:00

Come on! What else do you want? Too many chances, not enough finishing. It's a 2-1 loss that SHOULD have gone our way.

Tanguay has started this trend of hitting the post. I counted 2 post-hits last night and a puck shot over a wide-open net. He scores 1 of the 3 chances, it's a a whole new ball game. Who else missed obvious opportunities? Hamrlik missed an open net, Maxwell shot wide at just about every shot he had and temporary captain in Koivu's absence, Kovy, couldn't find anything but a post. I thought for sure that with Koivu out and Kovalev wearing a C, it was going to be his night. He came close, but came out with nothing.

Washington managed to put 2 garbage goals past Halak, who made his 3rd consecutive start. He's got to work on rebounds though, the first goal was because of just that. He played a solid game though, no complaints for the night.

It's official everyone, our powerplay has officially disappeared. In his own words, Carbo said "You can write whatever you want, right now our power play is non-existent because we get outworked by the opposition, we have an advantage and we don't take advantage of that." I couldn't have said it better myself. Montreal went 0-8 with the man advantage and looked awful every time. Carbo once again went with the fourth line on the PP, and in all fairness they looked more convincing than anyone else. It's starting to get real embarrassing hearing the fans boo the team while on the PP. Unlike last year, I don't get excited when the other gets a penalty anymore...

The reality of it is, Montreal had the number 1 powerplay in the league for the past 2 seasons. Going into last night's game, they're 28th. It's simple, we depended on our PP fo

r goals every year. Now that we don't have that going for us, what do we turn to? The

Habs have always been an average 5-5 team. So there's no alternative. Jarvis bett

er think of something, because sending out the Begin-Lapierre-Kostopoulos line won't get much for you in the end.

To put it into one sentence, the night was blown away because of a lack of finishing. On the homestand, Montreal went 4-2-1. If you look at the losses, Tampa and Washington, those are a wasted 4 points. New Jersey's loss is one I can take, but once again, we need to be winning these points if we want to contending team. Right now, the Habs don't look like that kind of team...

Photos courtesy of: TSN, Yahoo! Sports

Quick Review / Time to Show Our Depth

2008-12-12T20:44:00.010-05:00

Having watched the first period before heading off to my soccer practise, I had a very skeptical feeling about the night. St-Louis and Lecavalier scoring a goal each did not sit well in my stomach. The fact that they scored was one thing, but how Halak let in both of those goals is beyond me. He practically doused the Flames by stopping 32 and allowing only a single goal, but only saved 19 and let 3 past him. Goals 1 and 2 should easily have been stopped, no doubt in my mind, but number 3, I'll give him that one.

There certainly wasn't a lack of offence on Montreal's side. 32 shots is a fair amount, but only 1 going in is not so fair. Kovalev could have popped in one, maybe two, Markov hit the post, and Plekanec was flying all night long (not to mention the pretty deke he made).

Looking back when we're towards the end of the season, if we're a few points from division title, these are the points that are going to kill us. Tampa is not a good team at all. It's a very

disappointing loss and an embarrassing one at that.

So now, on top of having to report another 2 points wasted away, we've got injuries! For those of you who don't know, Higgins (4-6 weeks), Dandenault (6-8 weeks), Koivu (Out indefinitely), Laraque (that stupid groin of his), Price (apparently a flew) have all been recently hit with injuries. Now, when we saw Higgins and Dandenault get hurt, we knew that these were no day-to-day injuries. Both of them are huge losses, and for those of you starting trade rumours already, Higgins' value has just dropped so don't include his name in anything. Koivu's injury will hurt Montreal very much. He has been their best and most consistent player since game

1. Captain Saku will be missed. Now on a more positive note. Goaltender Marc Denis and center Ben Maxwell have been called up from Hamilton to fill in the gaps. Maxwell is supposedly going to play in Koivu's place with AK-46 and D'Ags. I'm not too sure about this one. While he may have had a great training camp, he is only playing his first year in Hamilton. Hopefully the pressure won't get the better of the 20 year old.

I'm not buying Price being out with the flu. If they have to call up a goalie to replace him, it must be for something more than a mere stomach ache. Maybe he hurt something, and Montreal is keeping quiet about it, just like they did in the playoffs last season. Either way, expect Halak to be in net while Price is out. Denis will get his time, but he most likely won't start any upcoming games.

Anyway, enough gossiping. Montreal plays Washington tomorrow. They played Ottawa tonight and demolished them 5-1. Semin, Federov and Green are all back in the lineup for the Caps. Hopefully we show up to play tomorrow. I don't feel like swearing at the television again, my throat is too sore for that.

Photos courtesy of: The Globe and Mail, Montreal Canadiens Official Website

2007-08-Like Win at the Bell Centre

2008-12-09T22:15:00.003-05:00

Another convincing win in the homestand for Montreal. I was very impressed by the effort from line 1 to 4, and the discipline from Sergei. A 4-1 win against a team who has won 7 out of their last 9 games is something of an achievement. Carbo should have nothing to complain about at his press conference.

3 goals from the Tanguay-Lang-Kovalev line, and maybe some chemistry between these three? D'Agostini maintains his 1 PPG average tonight, by scoring a beautiful breakaway goal. I really thought that I was going to be able to watch the guy when I go see the Bulldogs. I Guess not.

New acquisition Lang really is living up to his $4 million contract. To be honest, I hadn't picked up on his consistency, but with his excellent 3-point performance tonight, he is now 4th on the team with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists). While Kovalev may not be lighting the lamp, he is helping others do it, he added 2 to total 17 assists for the year.

Halak finally got credited with a win. I have always said that he's started in net in the wrong games but tonight, stopping 32 shots, he got a win. At some point in the near future, Halak will be traded to another team, and will bloom into a starting goaltender, I'm sure of it. It's only a matter of time for Jaro...

A few injuries for tonight. Higgins and Dandenault looked like they got pretty hurt, meaning that O'Byrne and Latendresse will be dressed. They should come into the next game with chips on their shoulders. They were both scratched the last 4 games.

Final verdict: Montreal has racked up 9 out of a possible 10 points in 5 games of the homestand. You can't ask for more than that. Hopefully Higgins and Dandenault's injuries aren't too severe, because god knows we can't afford any more injuries. The Canadiens play Vinny and the Bolts on Thursday. Tampa is bottom of the league, including a record of 1-6-3 in their last 10 games. You know what that means? 11 out of a possible 12 points, that's what!

Notes: With this win, Montreal's record improves to 16-6-5... Markov leads Montreal in points (23), followed by Koivu (22) and Kovalev (21)... Gorges and Koivu lead with a +/- of 12... Laraque, Latendresse and O'Byrne were scratched tonight.

Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press.

Take 1, and Go

2008-12-07T00:45:00.007-05:00

Tonight's game was, for the first time this season, a loss that I don't mind to take. New Jersey has always had our number when it comes to goals. They consistently manage to limit Montreal to a minimum amount, even without Brodeur.

All of Montreal's offense came from the first. They had 13 shots alone in the first period, one of them was a goal by D'Agostini. D'Agostini is really showing everyone that he's here to stay. He's a big guy with speed, and he can shoot the puck too. Sorry Latendresse, looks like the train has left, and someone has taken your seat.

Price had yet another solid game. It's unfortunate that Halak has to backup this guy. Price consistently plays so well that it's hard just too sit him. He's only let in 2 goals or less in 9 of his past 10. Hmm, Pretty good for a 21 year old.

We can all blame Kovalev for the OT goal. Whether it was deserved or not, he took a dumb tripping penalty. Although he did mess up at the end, he was creating some opportunities and recorded 3 shots on net. Hopefully this 15-game goalless streak will end sooner rather than later.

Looking back at the game, it's very simple. In the second half of it, the Habs were outskated, outshot and outplayed. The Devils shut down the Canadiens' offense with their boring zone play. The Habs went from 13 shots in the first, to only 4 in the third. Their goalie Scott Clemmenson wasn't to shabby either, stopping 25 shots.

To be honest, I thought we were going to lose this game. Clemmenson wasn't letting anything by him and Elias missed a couple of golden opportunities. However, we'll take the point and move on to the next game. You can't ask for more than 7 out of a possible 8 points to start the homestand.

Notes: Markov and Dandenault both left the game with injuries... D'Agostini scored his 3rd goal in his 3rd game... S.Kostitsyn, Latendresse and O'Byrne were scratches for the third night in a row... Montreal went 0 for 5 on the PP...

Photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports

Habs Blow Out the Candles on 99th Birthday

2008-12-04T21:57:00.010-05:00

An anniversary night with vintage jerseys, veteran players and an Original Six match up at the Bell Centre, was taken over by Montreal. A 6-2 win against a team that Montreal is chasing in the standings is perfect. All around superb play, starting off with the 1st line that saw Kostitsyn mark first. The fourth line were the stars of the game in my mind. Laraque-Lapierre-Begin combined for a total of 6 points and 2 goals by the line (Begin, Lapierre). Lapierre had a Gordie Howe hat-trick, scoring, assisting and then fighting was also awarded 1st star of the night. Other goals for Montreal were scored by Tanguay, Lang and D'Agostini. The 22-year old from Sault Ste. Marie finished the night with a goal and an assist. It's not looking good for our friends in the stands: Latendresse, S.Kostitsyn and O'Byrne. Since their benching, the team has been everything but bad. I don't see any reason why Carbo wouldn't keep the same lineups for next game.
Another thing that I liked about the game, was the fact that every line recorded at least a goal, from first to fourth. And finally, a 60 minute performance!! The Canadiens came out flying, early. The game plan was executed to perfection: score early, and score a lot. This deflated the already tired Rangers. New York went all the way to a shootout last night against Pittsburgh. If this is what they can do without a powerplay or without Kovalev scoring, I'm REALLY looking forward to next game.

Notes: Laraque recorded his first and second points as a Hab, recording 2 assists... Montreal totaled 39 shots and allowed only 20... Brisebois and Dandenault were the only players for the Habs that didn't record a shot on goal. Josh Gorges finished the night with an impressive +4... Markov is second on Montreal to reach the 20-point mark, adding 2 assists tonight.

Sloppy Win Versus Sloppy Team

2008-12-02T22:36:00.004-05:00

Another unconvincing win for Montreal. This one, need I remind you, should have been put away early on. Going into the third period, Montreal was up 3-0 from goals by D'Agostini, Plekanec and Markov. At this point, it was their game to lose. Atlanta, because of their first and second period performances, really did look like a last place team. Wayward passes all around, not able to clear the puck out of the zone and the only offense generated was shots from the outside. Yep, this one's in the bag, so why not go out to the third period and not try at all!

Well Montreal decided to do just that. All it took was 59 seconds for Atlanta to score three (sometimes we need 2 games to score 3), starting with a powerplay.. oh, wait Laraque just forgot to step on the ice: Oops! Ex-Hab Ron Hainsey scored 2 followed by one by C.Thorburn... whoever he is. 59 seconds, and now the game's tied 3-3. These guys just never learn. Well, thanks to some awful defending on Atlanta's part, Andrei Kostitsyn managed to pull one back for Montreal. This, followed by an empty-netter from Lang, put the game out of reach. But, Montreal, once again, decided that the game was over. 19 seconds to go, Williams roofs it. Fortunately, the goal meant nothing as Montreal held on to win 5-4.

Another disappointing game for underachiever Chris Higgins. No points, a few giveaways and a penalty. Price was also ordinary tonight, not at his top form, letting in 4 to Atlanta. He better be ready for Thursday. A few players are starting to get some monkeys of their backs, including Kovalev who assisted on 2, Plekanec who scored and Kostitsyn who scored one and assisted on 2. Not bad, but it was Atlanta. When they play New York on Thursday, 5 goals won't come as easily.

Just like in the title, a sloppy game in the third led to a sloppy win. Not impressed at all by the lack of effort towards the end. They better be ready for Thursday's game against the red-hot Rangers.

Notes: Koivu is now the only player on Montreal to break 20 points, (he has 21)... Kovalev is now goalless in 14, but second on the team in points (18)... Laraque's +/- is a team-low -4... Players scratched: Sergei Kostitsyn, Ryan O'Byrne. Guillaume Latendresse.

Game Preview: Thrashers @ Habs

2008-12-01T21:14:00.004-05:00

Tonight the Canadiens play the second of 7 home games in a row. With Tanguay and Laraque back in the lineup, it raises many questions. Questions such as who will be playing, and who won't. On one hand, you've got Laraque who hasn't played since Nov 22 against Boston and on the other, you've got Tanguay who will surely be in the starting lineup tonight. But with at least Tanguay back in the lineup, you need to scratch to make room. So who do you scratch? Lapierre and Begin are playing too well on the fourth line, and Matt D'Agostini needs more time if they want him to bloom. All fingers point to third line Sergei Kostitsyn, who had an undisciplined game against Buffalo. Of late, he has not been exactly filling up the scoresheet. He gets time on the powerplay yet he only has 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) and 2 in his last 10. As far as I know, the lineups for tonight will be game time decisions.
Carey Price is in net for Montreal. He has simply been on fire. I wouldn't be surprised if he records a shutout here and there during this homestand.
This should be an easy one for Montreal, no matter who's in the lineup tonight. Atlanta (8-12-3) is 14th in the conference in front of only Tampa Bay on wins. Their star player Ilya Kovalchuk is in the doghouse and was practising on the fourth line on Monday. This should be an easy blowout for Montreal, but because of past "easy blowout" games, I'm not going to relax, and hopefully Montreal shows the same attitude going into this one.

Satisfying Play by Habs at Bell Centre

2008-11-30T00:05:00.006-05:00

Montreal played a good game tonight. A 3-2 win against a recently hot team is a satisfying effort. With the new lineup imposed by Carbonneau, it seemed that for most players, the message has been received. Guys like Andrei Kostitsyn (1 goal, 1 assist tonight), Koivu and Markov (1 point apiece) and even young Matt D'Agostini stepped up to the plate. D'Agostini, who played his first game of the season alongside Koivu and Higgins, saw 13:52 including powerplay time. He played a solid game and from what I saw, he's a big guy with speed. Don't expect him to be sent down anytime soon, this guy's a keeper. Sergei Kostitsyn was awful tonight. He took 3 stupid penalties and 1 of them cost Montreal a goal. After returning to the bench after his third penalty, Carbo benched him for the rest of the game, good riddance. His brother Andrei on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He scored Montreal's first goal and assisted on the winner. Look for him to contribute in games to come. Thomas Vanek scored both goals for Buffalo putting him top of the league in that department.

It was a quiet game, once again, for guys like Kovalev, Plekanec and Higgins. All of whom are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. I wouldn't be surprised if Gainey is making a deal involving any of these 3 as we speak right now. They have been the team's top underachievers. Price was once again superb for Montreal, making 26 saves.

This was a good win for Montreal but Buffalo isn't a team that's all that great. If they want to regain some respect around the league, they'll have to stop this seesaw-like effort and show up to every game. They play their next 7 games at home, so the pressure's on to win.

Notes: Price has let in 2 or less in his last 7 games... Markov potted his 3rd of the season, he now has 17 points... Koivu leads Montreal in +/-at 9, while Gorges is right behind him at 8... Injuries: Tanguay (neck), Laraque (groin).

Review & Preview

2008-11-29T13:36:00.005-05:00

I apologize for the late entry but I was busy last night and didn't find any time to post a review. Well, for those of you that had already watched the game, I know you don't want to hear this again, but Montreal was blanked by the Caps 3-0. Theodore was perfect last night, just like any French Canadian goalie who plays Montreal. Scorers for Washington: T.Fleischmann, D.Steckel and of course, Alex Ovechkin.

It's really hard to find some positives for tonight. Montreal took 28 shots and were creating chances. Halak played an excellent game once again, but had to stand on his head, putting up with 30 shots. Well that's all I could think of.

Blanked by a 1-man team, who had 9 players injured including 3 of their top point-getters, is embarrassing. How on earth is it possible, that after beating Stanley Cup champions, you lose to a team like this. It doesn't make sense. Something is wrong in Montreal, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Since going on a stellar 8-1-1 start (which could easily have been 10-0-0), Montreal has only won 4 in their last 12. That says a lot. Interesting enough, within those 12 games, Alexei Kovalev has not been able to find the back of the net. Funny, because the last time he did that was back in February of 2004. Wow, looks like he's really sulking for that contract. Rest assured, unlike Alexei, Gainey does have an IQ superior to -27 and will not buy into his shenanigans.

If someone asked me how the game went last night, the one and only thing that I would need to say, is this: Carbonneau played Dandenault, Lapierre and Kostopoulos on the powerplay.

Moving on to tonight's game in Montreal. This should be a real interesting one. Carbo, who in my mind won't be behind the bench for much longer, is desperate for anything. Matt D'Agostini, who has done wonders for Hamilton (3rd in AHL with 25 points in 20 games), was called up on Thursday and will start tonight's game alongside Koivu and Higgins. The Kostitsyns are with Lapierre, Plekanec is with Begin and Kostopoulos and Lang is with Kovy and Latendresse. But, in my opinion, the most significant change of the night, is Dandenault replacing a scratched O'Byrne. Dandenault, a natural defender, is playing his first game as a defenceman since god knows when. Carey Price will start in net. Tanguay and Laraque are still out with injuries.

Buffalo is a streaky team and will be a challenge for Montreal. They have beaten the Bruins and the Penguins and their last couple games. Players like Derek Roy and Jason Pominville are starting to turn their seasons around and Thomas Vanek is simply on fire. He has 21 points and is 2nd in the NHL in goals (15).

To be honest, I no longer know what to expect from Montreal anymore. But I do know one thing: GM Bob Gainey will not let these guys put this franchise to shame. He will soon make changes, and I have faith that they'll be the right ones.

Game Preview: Habs @ Capitals

2008-11-28T13:45:00.000-05:00

Tonight, the Habs will play the first of back-to-back games (tomorrow being against Buffalo). Due to Wednesday's impressive win in Detroit, Montreal should be eager to continue the momentum. They won 3-1 against the Red Wings in what was a superb effort. Although Tanguay left the game early after taking a huge hit from B.Stuart, he is back in the lineup tonight. Josh Gorges, who was blocking shots with almost every part of his body on Wednesday, will also play. Price gets a break while backup Jaroslav Halak will start in goal. The last time Halak started in net was in the 2-1 loss to the Flyers on November 15th. I happened to attend that game and concluded that Halak played very well. You can hardly blame him for either one of the goals.
On the other side of the ice, is a team plagued with injuries. 7 players including hotshot A.Semin, M.Green and veteran S.Fedorov are out of the lineup for Washington. Only 5 defenceman are healthy meaning that last year's Jack Adams winner Bruce Boudreau will have to push some players back. Expect this one to be a high scoring game. Ex-Hab, and our old friend Jose Theodore will start in net for the Caps. Ever since he left Montreal, he has never been able to return to his original form. He's been too inconsistent in Colorado and now in Washington.
Things to remember for Montreal: Shut down Ovechkin, if even possible: He is currently on a 9-game point streak, recording 21 points during that span. Limit the number of shots: Montreal has shown signs of improvement in their own zone. They are allowing fewer shots, and blocking more of them. Reduce the number of mistakes: *Cough* O'Byrne *cough*. They do that, they come home with a win.

Habs Back on Track with Win in Hockey Town

2008-11-26T22:57:00.003-05:00

It's okay everyone, you can finally exhale. The Habs just won a game against Stanley Cup favorites 3-1. To be honest, I went into the game with a very pessimistic attitude. Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Islanders, I thought that they would get blown out by the Red Wings in Detroit. But thank goodness that I was wrong.
Their was no scoring in the first period, but rather some stalemate play. While on the PP, Tanguay was bringing the puck up the left side of the ice. He put his head down, and that was all that defenseman Brad Stuart needed to level him down to the ice. Tanguay finished the shift, but missed the rest of the game with what is shaping up to be a concussion.
The second period was where Montreal got all of their offense going, starting off with a goal from Lapierre. Lapierre threw the puck in front of the net which deflected off a Detroit defenseman into the net. Some may call it a garbage goal, and I'm going to have to agree with them. Either way, it was 1-0 Habs. Plekanec was next for Montreal. It was a well constructed pass-pass-shoot play where Kovalev and Markov were the pass-pass and Plekanec was the shoot. It was a much-needed goal for the trio, who are all in desperate need of some points. But the offense didn't end there for the Habs. Just a 1:20 later, Higgins finished off a scramble in front from Koivu and Kostopoulos. Kostopoulos took over for the absent Tanguay and really stepped up to the plate. He played a solid game for Montreal.
The third was a defend-the-lead period. Now up 3-0, Montreal needed to focus on defending, and that is what they did. Up until the 13:31 mark, Montreal held Detroit scoreless. Franzen tallied for Detroit off a steal from O'Byrne's fanned pass. O'Byrne, once again made a mistake that cost Montreal a goal and did not see any ice time for the rest of the game. The Habs held on to win 3-1.
It could have been 4-1 or it could even have been 4-0 (Plekanec had a goal disallowed), but a 3-1 win against returning Stanley Cup champs and arguably one of, if not the best team in the league, is a feat not many teams can accomplish. 8 different players on Montreal got a point including Plekanec, Kovalev, Higgins and Markov who were all recently point-sober. All in all, this a huge win and a moral-booster for the Habs. Now with a much more optimistic look on the Habs, I'm looking forward to Friday's game in Washington!

Notes: Price had another solid game, saving 32 shots... Plekanec snapped an 8-game goalless streak tonight, by scoring his 5th... Koivu picked up his team-leading 18th point of the season... Injuries: Latendresse is day-to-day (day-to-day), Laraque stayed in Montreal (groin).

Embarassing Loss at the Bell Centre

2008-11-24T22:09:00.004-05:00

For anyone who has seen this game already, do NOT blame O'Byrne for this loss. While he may have had better nights, I can think of 27 more reasons why we lost tonight: Alexei Kovalev (x27). Kovalev is really starting to get on my nerves. Now at 10 games without scoring, he is putting himself right back on the same level as he was in 06-07 and anything before that. What was he trying to do in the third period? He was hogging the puck, trying to beat the entire NY Islanders team. I don't care if you're two times the player Wayne Gretzky was, it can't be done. I counted at least 3 chances that he missed tonight. On top of that, the unclassy crowd decides to boo O'Byrne. He's a rookie in his sophomore season, he's going to make mistakes! But on top of all of that, the one thing that still has me fuming, is the fact that NO ONE on the bench came to console Ryan. He knows he's messed up, he knows it's a crucial mistake and he knows he's going to get eaten up by reporters if they don't win. Where the hell are you Koivu, Higgins and pfft.. nevermind Kovalev. That is when true leaders step in. If Steve Yzerman was there, he would have gone to sit right beside O'Byrne and talk to the poor guy. That's what's lacking right now in Montreal: TRUE LEADERSHIP. Somebody please rip the A off of Kovalev's jersey and put it on someone who can actually handle it like Komisarek or Hamrlik. Price should not have been in net tonight. He's tired and should have been rested by Carbo. You put Halak in net, Jaro will work his butt off and will let in no more than 1 goal. Price gets a rest, and starts in net in Detroit. Nope, Carbo has other ideas.
This game doesn't deserve a proper recap. 3 goals from Montreal scored by Begin, Gorges and Lapierre. 3 goals from NY scored by Park, Hunter, Weight (O'Byrne's own goal). A.Kostitsyn and Tanguay both missed for Montreal while Hunter missed but Park and Guerin scored in the shootout. Done.
Horrible game tonight. Horrible teamwork, finishing and leadership. A 4-3 loss to a team that won't come close to the playoffs is disgusting.

Game Preview: Islanders @ Habs

2008-11-24T13:08:00.003-05:00

The Habs start a stretch of 4 games in 6 tonight. The Islanders (8-10-2) will be showing their god-awful jerseys at the Bell Centre tonight in their second faceoff this season. We all remember that the first meeting was the game that Montreal played for 1 period and won the game. Going into the third period, the Habs were trailing the Isles 4-1 only to score 4 consecutive goals in regular time to win it 5-4. Wow, 5 goals. It seems like a long time since I've seen a game with so many goals by Montreal. In fact, they only have 9 goals in 6 games. Funny how the league's top scoring team from last season is having trouble putting the puck in the net. The lack of offense may have something to do with being in 23rd place averaging 15% on the powerplay. Also, their top guns like Kovalev, Higgins and Plekanec have had trouble showing up on the scoresheet of late. However, we do need to remember that tonight, Montreal is playing the New York Islanders who is in a three-way tie for 11th in the conference.
Price is starting in net tonight, altough I'm a little disappointed by this. He has started the past 3 games and although he has played exceptionally well, this is Halak's chance to be between the pipes and to give Carey a break. They are playing Detroit tomorrow and I don't think Halak will start. Higgins is reunited with Koivu and Tanguay and Latendresse and Laraque are scratched.

Sweet Night Turned Sour in SO

2008-11-22T22:21:00.002-05:00

You couldn't have asked for a better effort from Montreal. They were all working with chips on their shoulders, and it's about time. For a change, Montreal was finishing their checks, taking more shots and finally playing with some determination.
After a 1 hour ceremony for #33 Patrick Roy, the much anticipated game started. All eyes were on Laraque and Lucic. When Lucic was on the ice, so was Laraque, following him the whole time. We all knew what he was trying to do, but Lucic had other ideas. Coach Claude Julien must have told him not to fight because at no point in the game did Lucic look like he would take the bait, damn. No scoring in the first period but some good work from Montreal. Best first period I have seen them play this season.
Montreal marked first in the second when Andrei Kostitsyn banged in a rebound from a point shot from Josh Gorges. Later in the period, of all people, Lucic scored off a nice pass from Kessel. But if you look at the replay, we can all agree that O'Byrne didn't do his part by separating Kessel from the puck. He does that, no goal is scored.
On to the third period, which was an exciting one. Boston tallied first off of a somewhat weak goal by M.Hunwick right through the legs of Carey Price. However the Habs, showing so much character, never gave up and continued to battle for those pucks. After about 2 clear scoring chances, including an open net chance shot wide by Markov, Kostopoulos tipped in a pass from Brisebois. At this point, Montreal was creating many scoring opportunities and the game could have easily ended Motreal's way.
Straight to the shootout, as their was not much to talk about in OT. This was the part of the night when the hockey gods were hard on the Habs. Rookie B.Wheeler scored by losing possession of the puck while Price had already slid the opposite way. Kovalev was stoned by Thomas with the glove, followed by a save by Price on Kessel. Markov showed that his one-dimensional play in the shootout won't work anymore, because everyone knows that he goes 5-hole every time, including Tim Thomas. Price saved an attempt from Bergeron but Koivu couldn't finish on the final shot.
While it may have been hard to swallow, all is not lost for Montreal. They played a great game and are showing many signs of improvement. There are still a few players who need monkeys off of their backs including Kovalev, scoreless in 9, Plekanec, pointless in 6 and Higgins, pointless in 5. Things to remember for next game: key faceoffs must be won, passing over shooting should not always be the first instinct but most of all, no stupid penalties while on the powerplay (Lang!).

Notes: Markov played a total of 27:32... injuries for Montreal: Komisarek(shoulder), Latendresse(upper body)... Kostopoulos recorded a goal and an assist... Kostitsyn marked his 3rd of the year... Roman Hamrlik left the game late in the third when he got a puck straight in the face off a stick deflection.

Big Win for Montreal in SO

2008-11-21T00:05:00.003-05:00

This is exactly what Montreal needs going into home match up against Boston: a win. Not as many mistakes as we have seen in the games before, however, there are still a few headaches that need to be sorted out. The puck is taking too long to get out of their end. The transition game has to be much quicker and to do that, passes need to be much more accurate. Nevertheless, a good win for Montreal given the current circumstances that they are under.
The Sens' started the game as Montreal should have done for the past 3 weeks: flying. They were winning the one-on-one battles, finishing their checks and the fore checking was superb. All that hard work payed off when sniper Dany Heatley finished a scramble in front of the net for his 11th of the season. Later in the period on the powerplay, the Lang-Koivu-Kovalev line showed us just how hard they have been working in practise on the powerplay. Koivu received a pass from Kovy, and wrapped around the side of the net to slide his 7th underneath Auld's pads. It's now the second goal in two games on the powerplay for this line. The period ended 1-1.
There was no scoring in the second period, but Carey Price stopped what should have been a gimme. He slid along the ice and stretched out his pad to just deny the Ottawa player from taking the lead.
Foligno scored the go-ahead goal for Ottawa on the PP. It was a penalty taken by Ryan O'Byrne, who has taken many penalties thus far... Later in the game, Montreal was in desperate need for a goal. Finally, after receiving his own rebound, Markov slapped in a rocket from the point to tie the game. At this point, the game was Montreal's to lose. They were putting on the pressure by creating scoring chances, taking lots of shots and moving the puck around really well. The game could have easily gone Ottawa's way when Latendresse took a high-sticking penalty right before the end of regulation, but Montreal managed to kill off the penalty in OT.
Off to the shootout. Spezza marked on the first shot of the shootout followed by a miss by Kovalev. Price then flashed the pad on captain Daniel Alfredsson, followed by a Markov goal through the legs of Auld along the ice. Ruutu went up next for Ottawa but was completly robbed by Price when he gloved it, this was followed by a Koivu miss. Vermette couldn't maintain control of the puck and missed the net completely. So now, a chance to win for Tanguay. He took the puck up the ice, and brought it to his backhand, and glided, and glided in until he slid it right through the pads of Alex Auld to win? Are you kidding me? How did Tanguay even score that? Well, I'll take that any day, but Montreal wins on one of the lamest penalty shot winners I have ever seen.

Notes: Koivu now is tied in the lead with Tanguay for most points on Montreal with 17... Sergei Kostitsyn added two assists tonight (he now has 9 points)... Price made 21 saves... Lapierre was scratched for the third game straight.

Game Preview: Habs @ Senators

2008-11-20T08:07:00.004-05:00

Tonight will be another match up that features two teams who are struggling for points. Ottawa is now 6-9-3 and next to last in the league. It's amazing how a team can go from setting records on wins to completely blowing up. Montreal (10-5-2) is slowly turning into that kind of team. They've been losing games that should have been wins. That might have something to do with the lack of offense. They only have 5 goals in the last 6 games.
New lineups tonight, again for Montreal. Carbo reunites Lats with Koivu and Tanguay, switches Higgins and Kostitsyn's places meaning that Higgins is with Plekanec and Kovy while Kostitsyn is with Lang and Kostopoulos. And, for what ever reason, the fourth line is shaping out to be Sergei Kostitsyn with Laraque and Begin. Don't expect S.Kostitsyn to be there for long though, he's not a fourth liner. Maybe the purpose is to send a message, or Carbo's completely lost his mind.
Price is starting in net once again. Hopefully he'll be able to repeat his next-to-perfect performance Tuesday.

Another One Slipped Away...

2008-11-18T21:30:00.002-05:00

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)

Game Preview: Habs @ Hurricanes

2008-11-18T13:13:00.003-05:00

The second game of Montreal's 3 game road trip is tonight in Carolina. Carolina (9-7-2), who by the way are sporting some new jerseys, is having trouble putting the puck in the net averaging only 1.83 goals per game. A large part of that is the lack production from 24 year old Eric Staal. Staal, who had 38 goals and 44 assists last season, only has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) in 18 games. Players to look out for: veterans Ray Whitney (4 goals, 10 assists) and Rod Brind'Amour (7 goals, 6 assists).
If Montreal would like another W, they need to stay out of the box. They got 9 penalties in St. Louis. Also, hopefully special teams coach Doug Jarvis has erased the board on the powerplay and started from scratch because it ain't working. Montreal has gone 2 and 36 on the powerplay.
Carbo has decided to stay with his new line of Tanguay-Koivu-Kovalev. Montreal needs production and we all have our fingers crossed that this will be it the answer. Price is starting in net tonight and

Habs Edge Blues in Shootout Win

2008-11-16T20:53:00.002-05:00

It was a frustrating night for Montreal. Carbo switched up the lines to see what could work. There were 3 post hits and 10 scoreless powerplays for Montreal. But, you have to take into account that Montreal played last night and that fatigue played a factor in the game tonight. All in all, in was another very ordinary game for the struggling Habs.
S.Regier marked first for St. Louis 3:48 into the game. The very dull first period ended 1-0.
Ending his 11 game goal drought, sniper A.Kostitsyn brought the puck from his end of the ice, stick handling his way towards the net sneaking the puck between the legs of M.Legace. It was a much needed goal for the winger, who has not been the same player since being nailed in Phoenix.
Finally, on the 13th powerplay of the night, S.Regier scored with the man advantage. Higgins was the one who took the penalty. In my opinion, Higgins has had better nights. Now 2-1 Blues, Montreal had to get something, and that was what they got. At 15:48, Lang batted in his own rebound to tie the game.
Off to OT, which started with a powerplay for St. Louis. Montreal killed the penalty well, but scary moment in the thick of it. While blocking a shot, defender Bouillon took a puck straight to the throat. However, at the end of the game, we were informed that there were no serious injuries.
For the first two shots in the shootout, all Price had to do was stand in the middle of the net. B.Boyes' shot went over the night and Perron's shot was straight at Carey. Koivu lost the puck in a deke and A.Kostitsyn banged his shot off the right post. K.Tkachuk was stopped by Price to give Kovalev an opportunity to win. Kovalev brought the puck up, and shifted to his backhand, which he made no mistake in roofing.

Notes: A.Kostitsyn now has 6 points this season (tonight adding a goal and an assist)... Lang scored his 5th goal... 19 penalties were called tonight (38 minutes), and only 1 goal was scored among all of them... Price is 8 for 10 in the shootout

Game Preview: Habs @ Blues

2008-11-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

Tonight's game will showcase two struggling teams. St. Louis finally snapped a 6 game losing streak on Friday. I'm curious to see what Carbo will do to win this game. Having watched the previous game at the Bell Centre with my dad, brother and uncle, we have formulated a few conclusions as to what the Habs need to do.
Line 1: Higgins-Koivu-Tanguay. This has been the production line for Montreal this year. However, they move the puck around way too much. There are too many blind passes and attempts for flashy plays that just aren't working. New game plan: Slow it down, and make it simple. Fire more pucks at the net (and actually hit the net).
Line 2: A.Kostitsyn-Plekanec-Kovalev. The former first line for Montreal. What is with these guys? There isn't the same drive as last season. As Carbo said at the press conference following the last night's game: "We did some nice things last year, but last year is last year. When you start a new season you don't start with 20 goals or 13 assists or 40 assists, you start at zero. You have to work for those points, and right now we have guys who think they're working, but they're not working."
Line 3: S.Kostitsyn-Lang-Latendresse. The one thing that has to improve on this line is shot accuracy. They are creating opportunities, but not hitting the net. The master of blowing away goals is Lang. I count 5 should have been goals wasted by the Czech. With a salary of 4 million, he better smarten up.
Line 4: Laraque-Kostopoulos-Lapierre-Dandenault-Begin. Don't change a thing. Each and every one of these guys are playing for a spot in the lineup and with a chip on their shoulders.

All Defenseman: Markov is playing like a 5.5 million dollars a year player and Gorges and Bouillon have solidified their spots on the starting lineups. O'Byrne has the potential and if he keeps playing with a veteran (like Hamrlik). Komisarek played a shaky game against Boston making many mistakes and the Breezer's got to go.

Goaltenders: Inconsistency is the problem with Price and Halak. One night, they'll look like stars, and the other, could be a flat performance. They both have the potential of number 1 goaltenders and are promising for the future. The thing to remember: Don't get discouraged after letting in weak goals.

Another Game Blown Away

2008-11-16T16:35:00.003-05:00

On the day that I went to go see the Habs, they blew it once again. It wasn't that the effort wasn't there, it was the finishing. Montreal missed injured Mike Komisarek (out for three game road trip with sore hand/shoulder) on the blue line. There were too many holes in the back and the Flyers must have had 4 odd man rushes for the night.
The first period was relatively even, Montreal couldn't capitalize on back-to-back powerplays. Remember last year, the Habs had the number 1 powerplay in the NHL. It's a problem that has to be resolved quickly. However, there was one positive coming out of the period. Big Georges Laraque silenced his critics by utterly destroying J.Gratton in a fight. He landed a few punches, knocking off Gratton's helmet and never slowed down. Gratton never had a chance and, fell down to end the fight.
5:30 into the second, S.Upshall tipped in a shot from M.Richards for the Flyers. This, followed by a breakaway goal scored by J.Carter, were the Flyers only goals in this game. The period ended 2-0 Philly.
The Canadiens came out flying in the third. They had all the possession and were moving the puck around real well. Carbo rotated the first three lines around, putting Lats back on the Koivu and Tanguay line, Higgins with Plekanec and Kovy and A.Kostitstyn with his brother and Lang. This seemed to work out well for the Canadiens. At 9:44 into the game, Tanguay scored in front of the net off a pass by Koivu. At this point, the stadium was ready for another comeback. The Habs were really pressing and created many opportunities and even had a powerplay with just over 3 minutes to go. This was it, Montreal's chance to tie the game, the crowd was ready, I was ready but were they ready for it? Nope, they tanked for the rest of the game and couldn't get any chance to score.
4 losses in the last 5 games, "Ca presse" as they say in Quebec. They better start picking it up, or we could see some very drastic changes real soon.

Notes: Jaroslav Halak played a solid game, making 29 saves... Steve Begin played, having been scratched for the past 4 games... Plekanec, Kovalev and A.Kostitsyn have played three games without recording a point

Game Preview: Flyers @ Habs

2008-11-15T13:30:00.001-05:00

I don't think I have to remind everyone of Montreal's brutal effort last game. But as a wise man once told me, "you wipe it up, and move on". And for some odd reason, as I prepare myself for to depart for the Bell Centre in a few hours, I believe that that is just what the Canadiens will do.
Philadelphia is another team with a Montreal monkey on it's back. The Habs have beaten the Broad Street Bullies seven-times consecutively in the regular season outscoring them 28-13. However, with red-hot Simon Gagne back in the lineup, the Flyers could prove to be a good contest. Gagne has 10 goals and 8 assists. Him and Captain Mike Richards lead the Flyers with 18 points each.
Mike Komisarek has been placed on the injured reserve list. After a scrap with Boston's Lucic, he hurt his right hand in what appears to be a fracture. So, the stay-at-home defenseman will likely be replaced by the Breezer (whom we wish would just stay at home). Whether Sergei Kostitsyn is playing or not will be decided in the pre-game warm-up. Halak is starting in net and Steve Begin is in the lineup.
The one thing for Montreal that hasn't really clicked up until this point, is former first line: Kostitsyn-Plekanec-Kovalev. They have all had average starts so far this season, but my instincts tell me that they will break out and return to their original form, sooner rather than later.
Well, this is a big night for the Habs. If they lose, they'll have lost 4 in the last 5 and the panic buttons might have to be pressed. But that's only if.

Montreal Gets Taste of Their Own Medicine

2008-11-13T21:33:00.002-05:00

Coming off a superb performance on Tuesday night, Montreal followed it up by one of the worst games of the season. What is it going to take to get the message through their thick heads? This was Montreal's game to lose. The Bruins returned to Boston at 3:45AM this morning after a long game going to a shootout in Chicago which left many Habs fans asking the simple question: How on earth did we lose?
The Bruins played the game plan to perfection: Get a big lead early, and defend it. And that is exactly what they did. S.Thornton, S.Yelle and M.Sturm scored to put the Bruins up 3-0 at the end of the first.
A couple of penalties were taken by Bouillon and Price at the beginning of the second. Boston capitalized from a goal from Sturm. It took the Canadiens 13:34 to record a shot in the period, which Koivu scored on.
There is not much else to say in the game. Yelle scored his second of the night in the third period.
Komisarek's head was up in the clouds on the first goal and frankly, for the entire game. He made wayward passes, got beaten to the puck and even lost a scrap to Milan Lucic. Carey Price was far from the shutout performance from last night allowing 6 goals in 31 shots. The only positive thing about the night was the fourth line (Dandenault-Lapierre-Laraque). These guys were the only ones working their butts off. As they say on RDS, Chapeaux a eux.
The coaching staff has done their part, now it's time for someone to step up in the dressing room. Koivu's going to have to slap all of these guys across the face for Carbonneau a second time around. A 6-1 loss to the Bruins, having gone 12-0-0 against them is just as embarrassing as losing to the Buds.

Game Preview: Habs @ Bruins

2008-11-13T13:15:00.002-05:00

Tonight will be the toughest game of the week for Montreal (9-2-2). Montreal is currently enjoying a regular season 12 game winning streak against the Bruins which goes back to the 2006-07 season. However, Boston has made huge steps of improvement every season. Under the management of former Habs coach Claude Julien, Boston is 9-3-3 and leading the Northeast Division. Montreal won the last meeting 3-2 in a SO which was not a convincing win. The game could have easily gone Boston's way.
Thomas has been exceptional for Boston, having let in only 7 goals in his last 6 and a stellar 1.76 GAA on the season. Higgins, coming off a hat-trick performance on Tuesday, will look to keep the momentum going tonight. Many are saying that his season will now kick in to gear. Look for him to contribute tonight. Also, look for Boston's Shawn Thornton to be his idiotic self, and most likely be looking for trouble. Hopefully he bumps into Laraque along the way.
As they say, good things must always come to an end, just hopefully not tonight.

Ruutu Suspended for 2

2008-11-13T13:07:00.002-05:00

Ottawa forward Jarkko Ruutu got nailed by the league with a 2 game suspension because of his elbow to the head on Montreal's Maxim Lapierre. I believe that his wave to the crowd during his exit might have to do with it as well. This suspension, is rightfully deserved.

Redemption for the Habs at the Bell Centre

2008-11-11T21:44:00.003-05:00

Ah, so there is a god! Montreal just proved to everyone what they can do when they work hard for a full 60 minutes. A 4-0 win against Ottawa is a perfect remedy for that horrible effort in Toronto. From the second the puck dropped, the Habs came out flying. Chris Higgins opened the scoring from a long lofted pass from Koivu. He brought the puck up the left side on the breakaway and sniped it short side top shelf. The period ended 1-0.
Near the end of the second period, Higgins scored his second goal of the night off a pretty pass from S.Kostitsyn. Shortly after, Latendresse scored a much needed goal straight off the draw. The period ended 3-0.
In the 3rd period, J.Ruutu put himself on the same level as Sean Avery. He went headhunting, for whatever reason, and elbowed Maxim Lapierre in the face. F.Bouillon, showing us his true character, stood up for his teammate and dropped the gloves with this fool. Later in the game, Ruutu received a 10 minute misconduct and heard an entire stadium shower him with boos. Being the classy player he is, he started waving to the crowd with a smile on his face. :) Enough with this moron. After a pass from Tanguay, Higgins was set free on the breakaway, making no mistake beating goalie Auld for the third time tonight.
It was tough to choose for the first star tonight: First time hat-trick hero Higgins, Shutout goaltender Carey Price or Montreal's coaching staff for kicking these guys back into gear. I'll let you be the judge of that one.

Notes: Tanguay got his team leading 15th point of the season... Price made 28 saves for his first shutout of the season... Gorges recorded a rare 2 point night

Game Preview: Senators @ Habs

2008-11-11T13:27:00.003-05:00

To start off, I would like to point out that coach Guy Carbonneau held a team meeting before Monday's practise. He wanted to point out the many mistakes made by the team, by video, in the embarassing 6-3 loss to the Leafs. This, followed by a highly intense practise, will hopefully send a message to the hard-headed Habs: Don't ever let up!
Tonight will be a test for the team. Ottawa is currently 4-1-1 in their last 6 games. Sens' goalie Alex Auld will start tonight. Auld is leading the league in GAA at 1.84 and is a huge part of the Sens' recent success.
Roman Hamrlik returns to the lineup after missing Saturday's game with a shoulder injury and Price will start in net. Replacing suspended Kostopoulos, is 32 year old Mathieu Dandenault. He said: "I have an oppurtunity tonight, and I want to make the most of it."

Kostopoulos Suspended 3 Games

2008-11-10T17:39:00.003-05:00

The league has decided to suspend Tom Kostopoulos for 3 games because of his check from behind on Leafs' defenceman Mike Van Ryn. Because of that hit, Van Ryn broke his nose and finger and got a concussion which will keep him out for a month.

Recap Up to This Point

2008-11-10T14:23:00.004-05:00

Montreal is 8-2-2 and 5th in the conference with games in hand on every team. They are 4-1-0 at home and 4-2-1 away. In the conference, they are tied for second in goals against (34) and tied for third in goals for (43).
Having both gotten 14 points up to this point, Tanguay (7G, 7A) and Markov (1G, 13A) are proving to be worth every penny of their 5.25 and 5.5 million dollars a year contracts. Markov is tied for 1st among all defenceman in points.
Kovy and Koivu are playing consistently well, having both recorded 12 points (5G, 7A apiece). Koivu, is leading the Habs in plus/minus at plus 7.
Latendresse is on a bit of a cold streak having only recorded 1 point in his last 7 games. He went off to a quick start getting 6 points in the first 5 games.
Price and Halak both have a GAA of 2.60. Price has a record of 6-2-1 although he and Halak haven't looked as solid as they did at the start of the season.
Players to look out for on the Habs: Plekanec, the Kostitsyns, Higgins.

Canadiens get outplayed and embarassed by Buds

2008-11-08T22:00:00.001-05:00

Well, the Habs opted not to show up tonight, once again. Toronto capitalized on that and outplayed the Canadiens in almost every department.
The night heated up when Kostopoulos nailed M.Van Ryn from behind. He got 2 minutes for roughing, a 5 minute major and to top it off, thrown out of the game! On that powerplay, which was extended even longer because of a penalty from Lang, Hagman opened the scoring for the Leafs. The period ended 1-0 in favor of Toronto.
The second period counted a combined six goals (3 from Toronto, 3 from Montreal), making it the most exciting part of the game. M.Grabovski scored on the PP to make it 2-0 Leafs. Then, after three consecutive goaltender interference penalties by Toronto, Montreal capitalized. Lang banged in a rebound in front of the net followed by pretty goal from Plekanec who received a perfect pass from S.Kostitsyn. But, Toronto responded 2 min. later by a second goal from Hagman. Koivu sniped a flawless top right corner shot from the left side side faceoff circle. The period ended 4-3 with a garbage goal scored by Antropov after a scramble in the crease.
There wasn't much good by the Canadiens in the third period. P.Kubina scored 1:13 into the period to make it 5-3. There was a point with about 5 min. to go, where Montreal started to move the puck around nicely, and started to create chances. But, Toronto cancelled any hope of a comeback when M.Stajan scored to add even more salt in the wound.
All in all, it was a very disappointing night for Montreal. Not being able to score a goal on even strength against one of the worst defences in the NHL is something I frown upon. Also, the Habs took way too many penalties. They finished the night with 39 penalty minutes. Maybe the Leafs have changed since the 6-1 blowout back in September. One things' for sure, we won't have to face these punks until January.

Notes: Toronto totaled 41 shots, while Montreal only had 20... 7 Toronto players had 2 or more points... Tanguay and Markov both recorded their team-leading 14th points... Hamrlik missed the game because of a shoulder injury

Game Preview: Habs @ Leafs

2008-11-08T13:35:00.004-05:00

Coming off a slightly disappointing 4-3 SO loss to the Blue Jackets last night, Montreal will hope to rebound against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Toronto, (5-5-4, 18th in league) have been raising eyebrows around the league. They have upset the likes of the Devils, the Rangers and the Bruins. So don't expect another 6-1 blowout. However, if the Leafs would like a chance against the Canadiens, they need to stay out of the penalty box as the Canadiens tallied 3 times on the man advantage last time they played.
Look for Sergei Kostitsyn to be hungry for points tonight. Kostitsyn, who sent the last night's game to OT after scoring with 40 secs to go, has been picked a little after his 7-game point drought. He recorded 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) for the Habs in their last game against the Buds. Also, keep an eye out for our old friend Mikhail Grabovski. Grabovski has 6 points in his last 3 games and would love to extend his point streak against his old team.
No changes in the lineup tonight, except for Price starting in net, meaning Begin, Dandenault and O'Byrne are healthy scratches for the second night in a row.
What the Habs need to remember for the night, is to play hard ALL game long. Toronto will find a way back into the game if they let up.

Habs Drop Point in Shootout Loss

2008-11-07T23:42:00.007-05:00

Having had a five day break, the Habs were well rested and healthy. On top of that, they got to play Columbus (now 6-6-2 and 17th in the league), in what should have been an easy one. But, Montreal decided to take it easy. As if they hadn't learned their lesson from playing the Islanders.
After 2 dull starting periods, Montreal went into the 3rd period tied 1-1 (Hab-killer/RJ Umberger scored followed by Tanguay on the PP). Brisebois tallied for the Canadiens on a rare pointshot goal on the powerplay. Now a goal up, Montreal sat back and relaxed, as apparently the night was done. Only 2:30 minutes later, M.Methot and F.Modin scored two quick ones to put Columbus up 3-2. So the tables turned real quickly on the Canadiens. After a few needless penalties, Montreal finally started to put on the pressure late into the game. With nearly a minute to go in the game, Halak was called to the bench and an extra player was sent out. Plekanec pushed the Jackets' defender off the puck, A. Kostitsyn picked up the puck behind the net and made a beautiful pass to younger brother Sergei who one-timed it under the pads of C.Mason to tie up the game.
The shootout was quick and sad. Columbus outplayed Halak on the first 2 shots beating him both times (K.Huselius and D. Brassard) while neither Tanguay nor A.Kostitsyn could score on both their opportunities. The game ended with a final score of 4-3 for the Blue Jackets.

Notes: Plekanec got 2 assists tonight and now has 9 points for the season (3G, 6A)... Tanguay scored his team-leading 7th goal... Markov played a total of 28:32 min... Montreal was perfect on the PK (8 for 8)

Introduction

2008-11-02T20:51:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone, and welcome to Canadiens Central, the place to be if you're a Habs fan! This is my first ever blog post, and I will use it as an introduction. My name is Bradley Meneses and I live in Toronto, Ontario. Labeling me as a Habs fan would be an understatement as I consider it more of a religion. Ever since the lockout, I have been chanting go Habs go! The purpose if this site is for me to give previews, recaps, personal opinions and thoughts on Montreal's games. Also, I'll inform you on breaking news including injuries, trade rumours and roster changes.
So make sure you read my blogs and tell your friends about them. Thanks for reading and see you on Friday the 7th as the Habs travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets!