Game #81 Staal Gets His Breakaway, Habs Made To Take A Point

Details

Date: 05/04/2012
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Carolina

Loss: 1-2 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Budaj (L)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (W)

Habs goalscorers: Geoffrion
Opposition goalscorers: LaRose, (Staal, SO)

Play of the game

The "best" play of the game tonight was a save. (If I was a cynic, I would say) one of Cam Ward's wonderful saves to stop the Canadiens from winning despite themselves. But from the perspective of the Habs fan, what a wonderful little stop that was from Chris Campoli with a lightning right leg -- something from the outdoor rink, that. Perhaps a nicer memory to leave of his career in Montreal for everyone.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
We've said this before. Pleks was the best forward on the ice for the Habs. He had his feet, he had his wits, the only thing he left in Montreal were his finishing hands. Another breakaway for Plekanec this season, this one ended in another great Ward save. How many scoring chances has he had on breakaways? How many has he had not on breakaways? The story of a down cycle year with useless wingers.

Erik Cole
The next in a pretty poor bunch. Cole wasn't quite his usual insistent self, but he still garnered chances. Of all Canadiens he came closest to sealing the win with a great showdown with Cam Ward.

Blake Geoffrion
I'm not sure what management thinks of this player. Hopefully it's more than what Cunneyworth thinks. From what I've seen, he's alright. he's certainly no less talented than the rest of the bottom 8 forwards. Hos goal tonight proves two things -- he has skill hiding in there somewhere, and he has a goalscorer instinct. I don't foresee him suddenly going all Pacioretty on us, but why not groom him to replace Darche?

Defencemen

Chris Campoli
His best play of the year to my knowledge. On top of that, a very solid showing in this game. I think we were all a bit surprised to constantly look up to see #17 as plays were broekn down, and just as surprised to see him pinching in up front. More of this earlier in the season might have changed the ball game for a few former coaches and players. Still, as I said, it's nice for Chris to leave us on a higher note.

Andrei Markov
Not his all-time best or anything, but more glimpses of the Markov we once knew. The progress tonight was in his defensive commitment: we saw a few body checks and battles on the boards. If nothing else, this painful last month with Markov will give him the confidence to start the year right next October.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj - Game Puck
I can hear it. "Now you make a save?" Budaj has been placed in a tough situation. At once playing for an NHL career and holding the Canadiens chances to the lottery in his control. His saves throughout will serve him well as he searches for a new contract, and he has looked better as time wore on. I hesitate to say the Habs should resign him though, as most of these high points have come in games of little meaning. I think we all hope those will be left behind soon. In any case, he deserves the recognition tonight as he was the second best player on the ice and did his solid best.

Comments

This game ended exactly the way it should have: on a Staal penalty shot. How the refs did not call Tomas Plekanec for a vicious slash/trip on a breakaway, one will never guess. That penalty shot in regulation could have spared the Habs a point and possibly put them in better stead for an Oilers surge to 28th. But they'll get a better pick for their shootout futility (this is some comfort) -- this being their 11th loss of this type.

On the bright side, the Islanders won, the Hurricanes won (obviously), the Lightning and Toronto went to OT (Toronto coming back to win (fools)) and Edmonton and Anaheim have to split 2-3 points between them.

This all means the Canadiens 76 points put them safely in at least 28th position. Only the Oilers can change that now, thanks to Anaheim's tie break winner over us.

With one meaningless game to go, the spring cannot come quick enough. The only thing holding back the optimism of new GM, new coach, new young star is the prospect of having to watch two terrible teams with young players who can't score duke it out before tee time. I jest, of course. I still enjoy the games. But the optimism about off-ice stuff is legitimate, it's where a Habs fan can find refuge and hope at the moment.

For once, it's the draft that can't come soon enough.

Game #57 Habs Can't Shut the Door Against Hurricanes

Details

Date: 13/02/2012
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Montreal

Loss: 3-5

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (W)

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Cole, Desharnais
Opposition goalscorers: Tlusty, Spacek, Staal (2), McBain

Play of the game

In a great example of the heads-up hockey that Plekanec can show us, he read the play well and took off down the ice while collecting a smart pass from Campoli. Bourque joined him to create a 2-on-1 break. Pleks cooly hung on, cut inside just slightly, and fired a quick-release wrister under the skates of Cam Ward. It completely changed the tone of the game and ignited a 3-goal outburst from a Habs squad that had looked pretty sleepy to that point.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
Continued his impressive points streak against Carolina and ignited a sleeping crowd (and team) with his goal after a disappointing 30 minutes of hockey. More importantly, continued to provide quiet leadership by setting the example and touched off the half-period of strong play we did see from the Habs tonight. Played well in both ends and fired 8 shots, 5 of which made it to the net.

Erik Cole
Erik had basically already made the dome before scoring a great goal in the second on the power play. His physical play through the first period was vital in keeping any offensive hope alive, and he followed through on it with a power-play goal in the second.

David Desharnais
Showed us just how good his hands are on our second power-play goal. Played feisty, creative hockey and helped rekindle some hope that maybe we do, in fact, have a power play that can possibly score. Wish he'd shot on that power play with about 3 minutes left, though, looked like he had a lot of net...

Defencemen

Hall Gill
Played extremely well on the penalty kill and broke up some key scoring opportunities early on to keep it close over the first 30 minutes while the most of the team napped or maybe checked their iPhones or something. With Campoli, 1 of only 2 players that ended up plus-anything on the night.

Josh Gorges
Good old reliable Gorges. On a night where Kaberle is even worse than usual and Subban is making more mistakes than he should, Gorges has to be good. He was even on the plus-minus through almost 22:30 and did a lot to keep the team in this contest. I'm glad we can rely so consistently on him to face long, tough minutes and have him do the most important things: not panic, stick to the plan, and not make dumb mistakes.

Goaltender

Carey Price
The only thing that kept us even close for the first 30 minutes, Price did a lot of things right. The Tlusty goal was a lucky redirect, and Spacek's goal was just a great hockey play and Price never had a chance. He seemed almost nervous at times in the 3rd, which is rare; but given the way the skaters in front of him were playing in their own end and allowing second- and third-chance opportunities it was understandable.

Comments

At the end of the first, I was thinking—hoping—to myself that maybe we were up to our old trick of only playing 2 periods of the hockey game. Then the second period started and I started to lose hope for this one. We seemed to be able to gain the zone, but we never crossed with much momentum and our puck movement was weak. As a result, the Habs mustered few shots on Ward, let alone quality chances. Tlusky's goal was lucky, but Spacek's was a picture-perfect execution of a classic hockey play that it made me wish we'd tried him a couple times as a power play quarterback. That's right, we looked bad enough that I was wishing for the "good old days," when Spacek played with us. I was dreading trying to pick a play of the game.

Then, just after the halfway mark of the 2nd period, Plekanec almost single-handedly turned the game around with a great transition goal. We then proceeded to score 2 goals on the power play, which put us to an astounding 5 goals in our last 13 or 14 power plays. Leading 3-2 going into the dressing room, it seemed like things were looking up.

Unfortunately, we started the 3rd period as if this were a done deal, as if we were up by 4 goals in Toronto on Saturday. We were lazy and overconfident on the power play 3 minutes in, and Kaberle made a soft pass that was intercepted at the blue line. He got caught flat-footed by Eric Staal, who breezed by him easily and scored a short-handed breakaway goal. The wind out of our sails (and Moen for some reason not handing Gorges his stick on a penalty kill), a hard power-play effort secured McBain's game-winner and we never got our momentum back.

Simply put, it was a disappointing effort on a night where we really needed the 2 points. A lot of the team looked flat and just weren't moving their feet or keeping their heads up. The passing was sloppy and we weren't forceful enough in taking and keeping the offensive zone. I think that was a very "winnable" game, but we were completely out-hustled and out-worked by a lowly Hurricanes squad. I get unhappy enough when I see us only playing 2 periods of good hockey, and tonight it felt more like about 8 minutes.

Kaberle Deal Is A Big Deal

There have been realistic conversations taking place that Jaroslav Spacek might not find a place on the Canadiens blueline if he ever were to return form injury. Well now it's confirmed, he won't.

He's been traded for Tomas Kaberle.

Make no mistake about it, this is a big deal.

Kaberle is perhaps not what Kaberle was 3 or 4 years ago, but he is a different player to Spacek for whom he was just traded. For years a stalwart of the Toronto PP, he often led that team to have a good one. And this is not distant past either. Last season, Kaberle had 25 assists on the PP.

He is faulted both for his lack of production this season (9 points) and his apparent lack of return on value for the Bruins, but let's not forget he won the Cup with that team. Whatever he did, he didn't hurt the effort too much -- a moderately above average team still won the Cup with this guy.

The key to watching Kaberle will be tempering expectations. he does not shoot, almost cannot shoot. But he is slippery in possession none the less. What's more, he can turn quick plays and move the focus of attack from the point (and keep the darn puck in at the line), all things the Canadiens have been crying out for since they have begun this season without the triumvirate of Markov, Hamrlik and Wisniewski.

Obviously the downside is his salary (or so it was for the Hurricanes).
But that has to be accepted as a way to acquire players that can actually make an impact at this level mid-season. For all the groaning, Kaberle is only signed to make just over $4 million (NHL average salary is now pushing $3 million, remember) and will only cost the Habs a few hundred thousand more than Spacek this season.

If the other downside is that he is untradeable, that seems to have been proven untrue by recent events (namely two trades in 10 months).


Be optimistic

I suggest everyone takes the optimistic view on this. Kaberle probably won't save the team, but acquiring a 33-year-old veteran who scored 47 points when he was 32 from defence is not a bad thing. Hope that his limitations will be covered by those defencemen who will now be freed from having to man the PP as ineptly as they have been.

And though it's tempting to view this as Markov's replacement, as that's been a recent fixation, remember it was for Spacek he was traded and not Markov. If Markov returns, Kaberle will be filling those skates, not Andrei's.

I did not feel a real impending need for a move at this time, but if there was any emotion it was the dread that pressure from others less patient would lead to a vast overpayment for the purposes of placation. This doesn't feel that way at all. In fact, pleasant surprise is the way it feels.


Farewell Spacek

I don't want anyone to mistake my gushing language as an indictment of Spacek. I always felt he was a good addition given the options available and that for the most part he made the defensive corps better. He was a big reason for the playoff push of 2010, and should be remembered fondly for giving us that.

I'm sure he'll be just fine in Carolina until his contract expires. After that, we wish him the best of luck in finding employment with a new team somewhere.

Game #22 Refs Decide Canes; Players, Posts Decide Habs

Details

Date: 23/11/2011
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Carolina

Win: 4-3 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (L)

Habs goalscorers: Eller, Cammalleri, Moen (Gionta, SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Tlusty, Stewart, Brandon Sutter

Play of the game

Have to give credit to Lars Eller for finishing a Herculean effort while killing a penalty to wake the Habs and turn them onto the fact that the Canes were starting to play like they had the week earlier. Full speed ahead to make the passing option, he recovered Gionta's first shot and set up a chance, gathered the scraps of that and fed Diaz and then pounced lightning quick on a puck from the mask of Cam Ward to walk it in.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Lars Eller - Game Puck
I knew there would be rebuttal for the C+ I gave Eller. I sort of expected it to come from his legion of new fans. Instead, Lars (probably unknowingly) played in a way that put every assessment made by this scout in dispute. He was aggressive and made things from almost nothing. The highlight goal was the crowning moment of his game.

Travis Moen
The last minute penalty was a blemish, but he had a good game overall. He hit the post squarely early and then set up a nice play he finished for the game tying goal as well. He's perhaps still not the player that we thought we had signed that big summer, but he's better as a 7-goalscorer in November than not.

Michael Cammalleri
Camms too hit the post at one point and scored the critical second goal. He continues to look dangerous most of the time. This game showed what a dangerous player on form can be vs. the dangerous player he sometimes becomes lurking around the fringe.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Gorges continues his maturing process in this league. While he certainly would be the best 4th defenceman anywhere, he is doing a good impression of a good first option on many nights. Tonight, he was the most heavily used player (excluding PP) and with good reason. When I wasn't noticing him it was good. When I was it was usually because he'd edged his way in to pry away a puck from a Hurricane. His shot redirected by Cammalleri was a good example of simple, well executed offense from the back.

Hal Gill
You want to say something bad about this guy, because he lumbers. But you know he lumbers into some pretty smart coverage. His personal play of the game may have saved a goal as he lost his mark but spun smartly with stick on ice to deflect a quick shot to the corner. That was the kind of night he had. Would it kill him to shoot for a corner on a clean chance, though?

Goaltender

Carey Price
Oh he wrestled this one back from Budaj. I watched on the NHL Centre Ice and the Canes commentators were keen on pointing out how dopey and drowsy Price seemed from the start. That first goal an obvious example. Carey worked his way in eventually and made numerous saves that only he could have made with his suddenly in your shooting lane torso. To top it off, he forced three shooters to miss their plays in the shootout under pressure to earn the Habs the bonus point they deserved.

Comments

Have you ever seen a ref go back on a bad call? Tonight you did when they made an icing call they'd rather not have against the Hurricanes. They could have gone back on the goal that should have ended it when Bryan Allen dragged down Erik Cole and the puck went in, but that would just have been too sensible. Kind of like blowing the play dead when the puck is on top of the net sensible.

I guess on American Thanksgiving when hometown assignments are in demand and games are plentiful the Wednesday-nighter in Carolina doesn't draw the best officiating crew. Never mind. In the end, their blundering got the Canes a point, but cost the Habs none. Thanks to the posts, who really could not make their minds up in this one.

The Habs played relatively well and certainly well enough to win. From a shaky, and indeed strange, start this game evolved into one of the best spectacles of the season. The goals were good and the result turned out better. Gomez went missing some time late in the second period amid trade speculation on twitter. However, it has since been "confirmed" that he has merely been moved to day-to-day status, probably coming back too soon from an injury. His absence again makes space for player of the game Eller, we only hope that Lars bottles what he had tonight for future contests.

Coming up, Flyers then Pens. Two tough ones that pose early tests for the Canadiens aspirations and mettle. I'd look for Price in both given the importance and the alternative. Maybe even some exciting news of returns coming up? One can only hope.

Game #18Habs And Price Cruise Against Disorganized 'Canes Squad

Details

Date: 16/11/2011
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Montreal

Win: 4-0

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (L)

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Weber, Subban, Moen
Opposition goalscorers: None

Play of the game

The game was out of reach for the 'Canes in the third, but with our history, who knows, a goal could have changed things. So, that is why I am choosing a save that Price made. Well, that and the fact that it was our nicest play of the night, bar none. The save came off the stick of Staal after a great pass from Skinner. Price quickly slid left to right to stone the once-dominant (and once non-league worse in +/-) captain.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks is playing hurt, at least I hope that he is. If he isn't then he must be one weak guy because it seems that once or twice a game he is really shaken up by what seems like the lightest of taps. When he has the puck, however, he is all business and it was he who drove the offence early on with 2 assists to give us the 2-goal cushion that proved to be enough.

Michael Cammalleri
Mike scored a Cammalleri-type goal early on in this game and seemed to feed off of that throughout the rest of the contest. There wasn't much of note in our own zone, but in the offensive zone, where we need him, he was strong and was part of our best line, a line that simply wore Carolina out. He is another guy who may be hurt, but like Tom, he is proving that even hurt he is much better than the alternative.

Travis Moen
I needed a third guy here and had a hard time choosing as my usual selection by process of elimination didn't really get rid of anyone. So, I thought of who I noticed, who stood out on one of the other lines and Moen came to mind. He scored a goal, but I felt did so much more. He played well in the offensive and defensive zones as he played a smart, hard and focused game. I also really enjoyed his hit on Allen in the third, a hit that may not have meant much, but seemed to settle down a player who was running a bit wild on that shift.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges - Game Puck
I don't want to take anything away from Price and you can read about him below, but for me Gorges was the player who really stepped up tonight. This is just a guess (a very educated guess), but I am wiling to say that this was his first NHL game ever in which he was the oldest D-man. That may not sound like much, but let's not forget that he is just 27. He played 10 minutes in the first and set the tone for the whole game in that first frame. He led a very young and extremely inexperienced defensive squad by leading by example. He was an absolute rock in his own end and especially on the PK. The coaches have a lot to be grateful for (as do we fans) as Josh is playing the best hockey of his life right at the time when we desperately need him to.

Alexei Emelin
PK and Weber had great games, but Emelin was the player that I thought was just a bit better than the rest tonight. Maybe it was because he hadn't been put into this role yet and I didn't expect too much, but there was something that really excited me about his play. So far this season, when he has played, he has had limited assignements and usually limited ice-time. Tonight, however, the coaches had no choice and Alexei ran with it. I noticed him on almost all of his shifts as he always seemed involved. Whether it was good, strong break-out passing, winning the puck back, laying hits or blocking shots he was visible. In fact he led the game with 7 blocked-shots and 7 hits. That total of 14 was 7 better than Josh's 7 hits+blocked-shots which says an awful lot about Emelin's game. This is the kind of performance that we had all hoped for; let's hope that it is the kind of preformance that we keep getting.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey was great tonight and I never felt that the 'Canes could score a goal let alone win the game. This was his first shutout of the year and quite possibly the easiest game he has played all season. The Habs scored 4 goals for the first time this month and this Carolina team looked to be about the worst competition that we have faced in our first 18 games. A goalie still has to make the saves that he is asked to make and that increased in the third as our 'defensive' system meant more shots for them, more time in our zone. Price has been hot lately and I wouldn't be surprised if this shutout is the first of a few to come in the coming weeks and months.

Comments

The Habs needed an easy win, a win that didn't go down to the wire, in which we could play our own way and not have to scramble in the third (and possibly OT) to get the two points. Tonight's opponent offered us the game we dreamed of. A pretty pathetic looking Hurricane team came to play tonight, a team that still is happy to say that they won the cup in 2006, but that hasn't done anything (save one good draft pick) to improve on that unlikely (thanks Justin Williams) win. I don't want to take anything way from Montreal, though. We played a good game and got contribution from all 19 players. This is a team that has 7 points in its last 4 games, a team that is stubbornly playing its type of hockey and is getting the results to back it up. A team, that I can now say with certainty, is back on the right track.

I didn't like the penalties tonight as it seemed like a bit of a return to that start of the season for us. Here we are in a non-rough game and we are taking penalty after penalty, usually of the weak variety. What I did like, however, was the work of our D, our penalty-killers and the PP. Tomorrow we face another weak team on the Island which is good timing considering our defensive-corps situation. A win in that game would put us just one point out of first in our division (just imagine we held on to beat Buffalo in regulation) and would put us into the playoff picture at long last. There is no reason for us to not believe that we can keep winning after watching tonight's game, let's just hope that the players can remember to do tomorrow what they did so well today.

The Reshuffle Habs And Rivals After Busy Free Agency Period

In: Erik Cole, Peter Budaj
Out: James Wisnieski, Roman Hamrlik, Benoit Pouliot, Alex Auld

On the surface, this is Cole for Pouliot + cash and Budaj for Auld. Both moves are fine with me, even if I still think Pouliot has a special talent that I wish was a few more divisions away.

On the surface, it also looks like the Habs have created a hole on defence.
Of course they have (Hamrlik and Wisniewski were #1 and #2 at times last season), but the additions don't account for Andrei Markov who was essentially "not there" last year and that of Alexei Emelin.

Markov will easily plug the gap left by the Wizz (who did a bang up job of trying to fill Markov's position in his absence). Hamrlik, however, will be missed. Weber and Emelin are not at Roman's level yet, not even as a committee, so this is a subtraction as it stands.

Overall then, Montreal has taken a small step back so far on the backline, and taken a decent step forward up front. Overall, they look a slightly better team. Compared to themselves.

But once again, it's important not to take this situation in isolation. Just because Montreal adds 8 goals at forward doesn't mean a spot in the standings. That can't be determined without looking at the rivals and how they performed.


The teams ahead of the Habs

Last year, 5 teams beat the Habs by a fair margin in the East. Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston and Tampa Bay. All 5 teams were active in the past few weeks and will likely keep tweaking.

The Washington Capitals, winners of the East last season may be the most improved of all. The Caps overpaid to improve their forward depth (Brouwer, Ward), but it is still improved. On top of that, they added Hamrlik and upgraded on Semyon Varlamov by stealing Tomas Vokoun from the rest of the league. Add to this the fact that Washington can claim their own "Gomezes" (players who can't go anywhere but up) with Ovechkin, Green and Backstrom coming off quiet years.

In my opinion, Washington won't be caught or overtaken by the Habs with the moves and rosters as they stand.

In: Brouwer, Joel Ward, Hamrlik, Vokoun, Potulny, Halpern
Out: Varlamov, Boyd Gordon, Andrew Gordon, Sturm, Bradley


Philadelphia made waves early with their shock trades of Carter and Richards, but true to form added the salary right back in the form of Bryzgalov and Jagr.

The biggest difference in Philadelphia should be Bryzgalov, who, while overpaid, is a vast improvement over Leighton and Boucher. It's hard to know how much Philly gave up at the front through Richards, Carter and later Leino; but Voracek, Jagr and co. might lighten the blow at least a bit.

Overall, I still feel schizo Holmgren downgraded his team by going old and young at the same time. But the downgrade isn't to the point where I feel Philly will struggle to make the playoffs.

In: Bryzgalov, Voracek, Simonds, Schenn, Lilja, Talbot, Jagr
Out: Carter, Richards, Powe, Boucher, Leino, Carcillo, O'Donnell


Pittsburgh have been quieter till now. Happy it seems to wait the return of their cavalry. If people in Montreal are excited about having Markov back and Gomez having nowhere to go but up, imagine the Pens fans delight at the thought of adding to last season's plucky team through Crosby and Malkin.

Pittsburgh also quietly switched Talbot and Rupp for Steve Sullivan, who when healthy should find a place beside one of the big two.

It's perhaps not headline stuff, but the returning wounded improve Pittsburgh far beyond anything Montreal could have hoped to do anyway. This team will once again challenge for the top and the Cup barring injuries again.

In: Sullivan, Valabik
Out: Talbot, Rupp


Chiarelli must have had his day with the Stanley Cup on Friday because he did very little indeed. It says he lost Valabik, but he wasn't a big league Bruins. Essentially the balance was Ryder for Pouliot. Payment aside, this is a downgrade. While both have been Montreal playoff benchees, Ryder at least thrives with Julien. Pouliot may or may not.

Boston's minor downgrade may be enough for Montreal to challenge. Remember after all, that Boston only pipped the Habs at the end thanks to a certain few head-to-head encounters where focus was lost.

In: Pouliot
Out: Ryder, Valabik


In his second season, Stevie Y is slower out the gates. He changed his back-up goalie (Garon for Smith) and added some depth D, but lost Bergenheim and Gagne and may have to fight off offers for Stamkos.

Tampa improved by leaps and bounds last season and will still be fueled forward by Stamkos and Hedman, but questions about how much longer Roloson can perform, not to mention how much further Lecavalier will slide, point to some vulnerabilities there for rival Eastern clubs.

I think on balance Tampa will hold their position, at least for another season. It wouldn't be all that surprising if the Habs gained on this outfit, though.

In: Gervais, Garon, Gilroy
Out: Smith, Bergenheim, Gagne, Jones


The teams around the Habs

Montreal posted a 6th place finish last season. 6th place last season, indeed any season, is indication of membership in the competitive pack, the peloton.

The Buffalo Sabres were the 7th place team last spring. They actually matched the Canadiens 96 points and did it thanks to a a flourish at the finish. The Habs beat them on the tie break of 44 wins vs. 43 wins.

All that to say that these two teams are quite close. In fact, they've been leap-frogging each other for a few seasons since the lockout.

So far from being inconsequential, the moves Buffalo made (and makes) will directly affect the Habs. This is quite a pity for the Habs, because like Washington, Buffalo went out and made some pretty substantial and positive moves.

Their defence alone merits their inclusion in any list of winners from this period. While ejecting Steve Montador and Chris Butler, the Sabres added Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff. This makes for an interesting unit at the back, and an improved one.

On top of that, the Sabres overpaid to add Ville Leino - a feisty and combative forward who would have been considered an answer to the Habs "power forward" need himself. To make space, they let Tim Connolly go, but this shouldn't be too traumatic for the team.

On balance, this makes Buffalo better. Factor in a likely return to league elite numbers for Ryan Miller behind that defence and the Habs should be prepared to look at the Sabres ahead of them in the standings for a while.

In: Regehr, Kotalik, Ehrhoff, Leino
Out: Butler, Montador, Mancari, Connolly


The Rangers were also close to the Habs. In fact, Montreal only beat them on the strength of 3 extra OTLs. Adherents of Corsi and the like will also question NYR's inferiority in light of the +35 goal differential they put up vs. +7 for Montreal.

New York didn't go wild as they have done in the past, but they scored the big goal. After letting Chris Drury go to create space, the Rangers nabbed Brad Richards to play with Marian Gaborik. This is a big improvement for a team whose lack was goal-making. The Rangers improvement is substantial and bigger I feel than a Pouliot upgrade at this point.

In: Richards, Rupp
Out: Drury, Gilroy


Finally, the Carolina Hurricanes. 5 points back of the Habs, the Canes challenged for the playoff spot right to the end.

And here finally there is some good news for the Habs. Though the Canes hung onto their better free agents, they did lose Erik Cole (an important goal-getter for them) and may yet lose others.

Montreal's slight gains get bigger compared to this relative rival who looked to replace Cole cheaply through Ponikarovsky, Brent and Anthony Stewart. Cheap replacements rarely work and these I feel make their forward attack even more hodge podge than it ever has been. Carolina's steps back should give Montreal some breathing space.

In: Tim Brent, Boucher, Ponikarovsky, Stewart
Out: Cole


The New Jersey Devils

The Devils stand in a category alone. The best team in the NHL from late December on can't be pooled with the Leafs and Panthers of this league. They must be considered a serious rival for all the reasons they have been a serious rival to everyone in the East for two decades.

Interesting then that New Jersey's balance ledger is empty. A few pretty insignificant resignings point to the Devils standing pat. The Parise signing is the biggest factor in NJ and it seems like the higher means they'll be able to get that done.

Adding basically the best all around LW in the game to any team would be scary. To add him to the team that surged so strongly at the end of 2010-11 is a bit scary.

I'd think Montreal needs to think of NJ as a serious playoff rival this year, just another team added to the peloton for those last few spots.

In:
Out:


The stragglers

The 5 remaining teams in the East should be just that come April - the 5 remaining teams in the East. Some have tried hard to make steps (Florida) and some have stood virtually still (Ottawa, NYI). I'm sure the Leafs Nation will implore us to consider them a new rival, but it's hard to see how adding two injured/injury prone centres really answers the glaring deficiency they had, even if Cody Franson is a very handsome pick up. Tobalev also pointed out that the Monster/Reimer proposition should be an interesting one.


On balance

Keeping in mind that there's still many summer days ahead to change rosters, the Habs look like they should be holding some playoff ground in the East.

The Gauthier moves (and non-moves, I suppose) put the team in a slightly better position than the one they finished in.

By my count, two teams ahead of them distanced themselves further (Washington, Pittsburgh and the three others ahead probably did little enough damage to stay ahead. IN the pack that should occupy 6-10 in the East, Montreal looks competitive. I wouldn't be surprised to see Buffalo or NYR overtake, but Carolina should slip behind the Habs, and NJ likely won't overtake the Habs without seriously damaging the record of Philly or NYR.

I still believe that Pierre must do more from now till autumn's onset. Beyond replacing Halpern, which will happen as it always does, Gauthier should probably seek to supplement his backline and even add another forward that can score. There are plenty of attractive targets left in the UFA pool (Babchuk, Frolov, Miettinen, Stillman) and teams like NJ might need to trade yet.

I'm pleased , however, that Gauthier has put himself in a decent position four days into free agency. With money yet to spend, he is in touch and could credibly overtake some rivals here. This in itself is a positive thing, as mad signings (Randy McKay) might often have the opposite effect.

Game #78Habs Back To Looking Sloppy

Details

Date: 30/3/2011
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Carolina

Loss: 2-6

Habs Goalie: Price (L), Auld
Opposition Goalie: Ward (W)

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Skinner (2), McBain (2), Pitkanen, Stillman

Play of the game

2 Power-Play goals is encouraging and I liked the second goal. It wasn't a tough goal, but it was quick and seemed rehearsed. In our best PP days (Kovalev, Koivu, Streit, Markov) we had a set play that worked. The good thing is that teams will always be worried about a potent play and that always opens other doors. The Wiz and Subban may be a good fit together back there; tonight was a good start.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Mike Cammalleri
Mike actually had a decent game tonight. It wasn't up to the level that we need him to be, but it was a far better effort than we having been seeing of late. The goal was quite nice and reminded us what kind of hands this sniper has.

Benoit Pouliot
There were a couple of give-aways and the usual careless play in his own end, but I saw something tonight. It helped that most of his teammates were off, I think, as I wouldn't have really had much to say about Ben had they not been. The one thing that is stopping Pou from being an impact player again is confidence. He is one of those guys (Samsonov anyone?) that needs to feel comfortable and needs to feel trusted by his coach. I am not sure if that will come back, but I saw glimpses of the skill tonight and think that it would be in JM's best interest to encourage him and use him from now on rather than punish him.

Scott Gomez
Scott was again our top centre. He played with some zip and was effective, especially early on. Right now it is actually Gionta that is slowing him down. I am done with that duo, but am really not sure where to go from here on in. Patches would give us options and if Pleks/Camms were on it would also open things up. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Didn't like the penalties and not too pleased with his play in our own end, but he was one of the top 2. That is mostly due to his offensive play and the goal that he scored.

James Wisniewski - Game Puck
James had quite a nice game tonight. He picked up two assists and was our best player in their end the whole night. His 5 shots led the Habs and he was once again tops in ice-time.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Auld had his chance, but did not look good at all in the third period. It was another tough game from Carey (3 pulls in his last 7 games), but his D must carry a lot of the blame. Not a night to remember in our own end, that's for sure.

Comments

We had chances throughout, but Ward was good and we couldn't get on the rebounds. In the end, though, we scored 2 goals and had many, many more chances. Apart from not finishing once or twice more it wasn't a bad game offensively. Defensively, however, this was a bad, bad game. We looked confused and extremely sloppy. Our coverage, at times, was simply non-existent. Of all the games and all the aspects of play over the past month or so this was the most worrying. We were going against a team that needed to win and we had no answer on how to stop them. Containing the Thrashers is one thing, but from now on (playoffs) we'll be playing against teams that really want to win. I am happy with our D and goaltending overall, but tonight was a reminder that we certainly can get ourselves into trouble. That, you see, is why scoring, and scoring early, is so key as it can change the way you have to defend against the competition.

Game #63Montreal Keeps It Simple, Takes Two Points

Details

Date: 26/2/2011
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Montreal

Win: 4-3

Habs Goalie: Auld (W)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (L)

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Eller, Plekanec, Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Jokinen, Ruutu, Stillman

Play of the game

I really liked what I saw when Kostitsyn laid that hit that led to the Eller goal. He came in on the Hurricane defender and not only rattled the player, but also won body position. From that he dove to get the puck to his centre in front. It wasn't an easy shot, but Lars certainly made it count. Not bad at all from our third line.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn - Game Puck
Was this his last game as a Hab? I hope not, because tonight he was at his best and I would hate to lose a player of this caliber. His assist was sublime and his game-winning goal was quite simply icing on the cake. I think that he thrives on the 3rd line and always has; I hope that he stays there and tears it up in the coming weeks.

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks quietly had a goal and an assist tonight as he creeps closer towards the 50-point plateau. He still hasn't found his A+ game, but tonight was another step in the right direction. His line is clicking and I believe that it is only a matter of time until he is back to being our go-to guy.

Mike Cammalleri
What a goal Mike scored in the first! That type of goal doesn't come that often in the NHL and one must only watch enough games before they appreciate how special that shot was. He also chipped in on Plek's goal which, to me, is an added bonus. It looks like he is getting back into the groove now too and I can say that he is just in time.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
Hal played a simple game tonight; perhaps reminding us that we should keep him beyond Monday. Does he fit into our long-term plans? Well, since long-term really means our till November or beyond plans then I would say yes. He is playing very well of late and I really liked what I saw tonight. He is playing well with PK and, if my hunch is correct, will keep getting better as we head towards the playoffs.

PK Subban
PK was great on offence, bad on defence and spectacular on defence all at the same time. That is the game we get from Subban as it is rarely average. I saw a lot of highlight reel stuff tonight as he seemed to be involved in as many Habs chances as 'Canes ones. I did, however, like how he always followed the play, how he always made up for his own mistakes.

Goaltender

Alex Auld
Early on this was Price's dome as Alex looked bad, under-prepared and nervous. Was he not used to the 2 starts in a row? Maybe not used to being the guy that we were relying on? Whatever the case he started badly as it was rebound or missed played puck over and over. As the game went on, however, he settled in and it started to work. He was making the saves that he had to and was gaining his team's confidence. The goals were weak, but he pulled out the win and played well enough over the 60 minutes to deserve it.

Comments

When a team is chasing you the best way to stop the bleeding is to do it yourselves. Tonight we were able to solidify our position and hurt Carolina's all at once. This wasn't a great game by either team, but it was an important one and the Habs were the only team that got the result. I liked our offence tonight and was happy that all of the lines were active. I also felt that our D did a pretty good job against a pretty tenacious offence. This wasn't a must win per-se, but had we lost in regulation we woudl be worried about next week. It is, therefore, a very good thing that we took this win and that we did it with relative ease (compared to our last few games). Things are only going to get tougher from here on in, so we can use all of the points that we can get at this point.

Draft Odds Will Carey Price Escape Last Goalie Picked Scenario?

When the NHL announced that it was to create the All-Star teams for the Annual Classic by a live draft, the first thought in most peoples' minds was:

"Who will have the shame of being the last standing"

To soften the blow to the 6th goalie and the last defenceman taken, the league put in some rules to ensure these were picked by an earlier deadline. (They also softened the blow to the least deserving forward, er defenceman, when they made him an assistant captain with exemption from the draft)

But guess what. someone will still have to be picked last. What's more, with the use of cunning and guile we can all figure out who the last defender and goalie picked were anyway.

As Canadiens fans, we don't have the luxury of being from a city in the US where the NHL is really trying to promote itself right now, so we only have on representative at the game.

Carey price nearly won the write in ballots, but the always humble Penguins fans stuffed the boxes for their goalie before Christmas when his stats were so Un-Star. Carey made it anyway, either on merit or because every team has to have one representative -- you tell me.

In any case, what this all means is that just about the only reason to watch any of the festivities this weekend for the hardcore Habs fan is to see where Carey price will be selected. It should give a new barometer on Price -- what opposing players think of him.


Mock draft results

Ahead of the actual draft, one of the most popular things to do for people with 3 minutes to spare is to do a mock draft and publish it in their newspaper or on their web page. In these drafts, the columnists either pick who they'd select (credible?) or pretend to be Staal and Lidtsrom and pick that way (less credible?).

In order to get an idea of the odds for Carey, I had a browse through about 9 mock drafts to see where he stood (NHL I, NHL III, TSN, Cgy Herald, Can Press, SI, SN, Broadstreet Hockey).

At this point, I'd have to say that Carey Price is the odds on favourite to be selected with the very last pick of a goaltender. The chips seem to fall mostly this way:

1) Cam Ward
Those pretending to be Staal all took him first. Given that Staal is the one picking, it seems plausible that he might go for Ward.
7 first, 1 second, 1 fourth (never after Price)

2) Tim Thomas
The best goaltender in the league this year (and over the past few years) gets relegated by Ward, but no further.
2 first, 4 second, 3 third (once after Price -- TSN)

3) Jonas Hiller
The best save percentage over the last few years, a solid and consistent bet is recognized as such.
1 second, 3 third, 2 fourth, 3 fifth (twice after Price)

4) Marc-Andre Fleury
Having to earn a selection without an internet vote may prove harder for MAF. The pundits knock him down the few notches his career stats deserve.
3 third, 3 fourth, 2 fifth, 1 sixth (twice after Price)

5) Henrik Lundqvist
Lidstrom is Swedish, and Lundqvist is pretty reliable to a standard.
2 second, 1 fourth, 4 fifth, 2 sixth (thrice after Price)

6) Carey Price
One big fan in Darren Dreger, but also openly mocked by some fantasy drafters. He was the clear last choice form the limited selection here.
1 second, 2 fourth, 6 sixth


On form

On form alone, Carey would probably fare a bit better.

This season, he is tied for fifth among the All-Star goalies in save percentage, with 0.920, good for 13th in the NHL (tied with Ward). Carey's been good, but the league standard has gone up. He's been better at keeping the goals down, as he's 9th leaguwide in that regard (2.36) and better than both Hiller (2.50) and Ward (2.70). So let's say if this game wasn't in Carolina, then Carey would be well ahead of Cam. Then again, if it wasn't in Carolina, how would Shanahan explain Ward over Pavelec or Rinne?

If we take a regular season only view and remove playoff accolades and blushes, then Carey is also slightly better than both Ward and Fleury for a career.


Sorry folks, but unless this game is suddenly moved to a different venue, it looks like GAA numbers won't be enough to save Carey's uneasy stand until the 10th round of this draft.

If there's something we've learned about Carey in his short career, however, it's that thinking he has something to prove is a better mode than thinking he's proved something already. As far as the Habs go, it may be good for Price to add a little chip to his shoulder for the next time he faces Staal, or Richards, or St. Louis.

Game #35A Nice Christmas Treat; Habs Get Needed Win

Details

Date: 23/12/2010
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Carolina

Win: 3-2

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (L)

Habs goalscorers: Gomez, Kostitsyn, Picard
Opposition goalscorers: LaRose, Cole

Play of the game

A 5-minute PP is never a bad thing, but unless you capitalize then there is really nothing too special about it as it often means that one of your players could have been hurt. Luckily Spacek was OK and we scored two goals - can't get much better. The nicest play on that PP was the goal that tied the game; Kostitsyn's. The play started with a great fake by Camms at the point who went down low to his centre. Tom then hit Kostitsyn's stick with an incredible pass and the puck then took off into the stratospehere of the net.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Scott Gomez - Game Puck
Scott scored a goal and added an assist tonight as his good play continues. That now gives him 17 points which isn't very good, but I have definitely seen worse. Let's not care about the past and only the present and future for a moment and all of a sudden we are pretty happy with where Scott is. He is seeing the game very well, is using his speed and puck-controlling abilities and is doing a great job of getting the puck to his teammates.

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks did it all tonight, much like he always does. His defensive play and play on the PK were great and he did a good job in the offensive zone. When he has two fully capable wingers he is great, not just good. Tonight I felt that he was a lot closer to great than he has been in a few games.

Andrei Kostitsyn
I liked the way that he played tonight, but didn't feel that it was that much different from when he is playing 'badly'. The big difference is that he scored, but if Ward makes a big-time save on that shot is this a poor game by most people's standards? The answer if, of course, yes. I am, therefore, happy that he scored, but at the same time that will add fuel to the 'he scored in Carolina, why can't he tonight' fire. Regardless of what others think I was happy to see him getting so much ice-time and not being replaced by Moen or Darche at tough points (towards the end) of the game.

Defencemen

Alexandre Picard
When Alex shoots like he did on his goal he brings something important to our squad. He netted the game-winner and it couldn't have come at a better time. I do notice that he plays a bit better with Weber, or at least he has done lately. Maybe it's is just me, but it is possible that Weber's style is a better fit for Picard's. Either way he played a nice game. There were a few defensive miscues, but his offensive contribution made up for all of those.

Jaroslav Spacek
I wasn't too thrilled with Spacek's work on Carolina's second goal, but aside from that I thought that he played a nice game. In addition to his two assists was the fact that he drew the deciding penalty. Now, it is never a good idea to turn your back on a play, so I am just stating the obvious. Aside from those plays he played well and I thought did a particularly good job on the PK.

Goaltender

Carey Price
One more goal and a loss may have been enough for Auld tonight as I wasn't too impressed with Carey. The main issues I had were his puck-handling (although he didn't get caught I felt that he was way to unnecessarily cocky and careless with the puck) and the first goal which was a goal that he is used to saving. In the end, however, he turned in a great third period and ended up being the main reason that we held on for the win. So, well done Carey for redeeming yourself in the last 20.

Comments

We really needed this win and I think that the players knew that too. The game started well enough too, but a Hamrlik mistake gave the 'Canes a SH marker and I was worried about bad luck biting us. We did well, however, to regain our focus and to apply pressure throughout most of the rest of the game. Carolina, too, played a nice game and it was fun to watch, but the bounces just seemed to go more in our direction. It was nice to see players like Gomez, Kostitsyn and Picard score tonight as we need that variety in our attack. The more players that we can make look like a threat, the easier it will be for the whole team.

This will help the players, coaches and fans rest a bit easier over Christmas, but then it is back to business on Boxing Day. It seems silly that the NHL would make a team (it happens to us every single year) play on the 23rd and the 26th, but that is business and the holiday season means that there are tickets to be sold. I do, however, hope that the team gets home safely tonight and enjoys tomorrow as best they can as they have earned it with a great start to the season. As for me it is off to Vermont for a ski holiday and, so, I leave you in Topham's capable hands. I'll miss 5 games in all and would be very happy if we could bag 5+ points during that time, thrilled if it was 7+.

Happy Holidays everyone and I'll see you in 2011!

The Habs' Top 6 Forwards

"There's nothing so absurd that if you repeat it often enough, people will believe it.

William James was a keen observer of human behaviour. He could have been an observer of Habs fans.

In the summer, when nothing actually happens with our team, the only thing we can turn to in order to get a fix is commentary and speculation. While the foremost commentators go out of their way to substantiate what they say, much of what we hear and read by the end of the four month hiatus is mere repetition.

As you know, we're dissidents here at LIW. The onus of proof is something we strive for and hold others to. We don't like to hear again and again about important goalscoring, intangibles and supreme potential if it can't be borne out by examples and facts.

And so I com to the topic of our top 6 forwards. For a few years now, it's been a common gripe with Canadiens fans that the team needs just a few more pieces to really push it over the hump. The piece(s) that never fails to get mention is that of a top-6 forward who can score.

This summer, the griping continues as Pierre Gauthier went on a relative holiday from draft until September. Having done little to change the team as a whole, he has only made the tweak of Lars Eller to change the fate of Montreal top-6 scoring. While most can admit that near-30-goalscorers Gionta and Cammalleri are top tier guns and that Plekanec and Gomez can handle the mantle, the complaints usually fall to Andrei Kostitsyn and Benoit Pouliot as the figures who round out the group.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that an upgrade on either or both of the the wingers wouldn't be nice. I'd love to slot Parise and Bobby Ryan in there. Hoowever, I always come back to earth to remind myself that 28 other teams would fight with us tooth and nail were that feasible. By taking the broader NHL-wide view, the reality of a top 6 forward, and what the term really means in this league, is revealed.


What do a #5 and #6 forward look like?

For my research, I did a simple search for the forwards who scored the 5th to 7th most points on their teams. Compiling the list of about 90 (because there were a few extra 8th best scorers in the mix) I looked at games played, goals, assists, points, goals per game and points per game. To decide which 60 forwards made up the 5/6 forwards for this purpose, i chose the best 2 forwards on each team based on points per game. What I found was interesting.

According tho this analysis, the average 5/6 forward in 2009-10 scored 17 goals and added 21 assists in 68 games. That made for 0.25 G/G and 0.56 Pts/G.

The top 10 5/6 forwards across the league (Selanne, Hejduk, Knuble, Pavelski, Langenbrunner, Fleischmann, Bozak, Samuelsson, Latendresse, Cullen) scored 22-24-46 for 0.36 G/G and 0.75 Pts/G.

The bottom 10 5/6 forwards across the league (Kelly, Drury, Dvorak, Little, Avery, Lang, Brassard, Tanguay, Wheeler, Horcoff) scored 12-21-33 for 0.16 G/G and 0.44 Pts/G.


How do AK46 and BP57 stack up?

Benoit Pouliot: 39 GP, 15-9-24, 0.38 G/G, 0.62 Pts/G
Andrei Kostitsyn: 59 GP, 15-18-33, 0.25 G/G, 0.56 Pts/G

Benoit Pouliot is above average in both G/G and Pts/G, while Andrei Kostitsyn is dead-on average. Here's where they rank:

Pts/G: BP (19th), AK (31st)
G/G: BP (7th), AK (26th)
Pts: AK (46th), BP (59th)
Goals: AK, BP (T33rd)
Assists: AK (45th), BP (59th)

Based on raw numbers, it's definitely true that Pouliot and Kostitsyn lag behind. But considering the lengthy injury layoffs they both had, that seems predictable. When their numbers are averaged to take account of games played,they easily outrun the Chris Drurys and Chris Kellys of the league.


How do the Habs compare to other teams?

As we've shown, on G/G and Pts/G, the Habs have an above average combo, while in absolute numbers they fell short. But in dreaming of improving on this in the salary cap world, it's useful to consider the teams that do better and worse than the Canadiens.

There were 14 teams that had one forward better than the Habs #5 (Pouliot) based on Pts/G.

There were 7 teams that had two forwards ranked ahead of the Habs #6 (Kostitsyn) based on Pts/G: Washington, Carolina, Vancouver, Anaheim, Toronto (pre-trade), Minnesota (pre-trade) and St. Louis.

There were only 3 teams that had two forwards better than the Habs #5 (Pouliot) based on Pts/G: Washington had Knuble and Fleischmann, Carolina had Cullen and Ruutu, and Vancouver had Samuelsson and Raymond.

The flip side is of course that Montreal had a better 5th forward than 14 teams (one was tied), a better 5th than the 6th for 26 teams and a better 6th forward than 21 teams (one was tied).

So all in all, Kostitsyn and Pouliot offered a credible combo at 5/6 for the Habs, one that could have been above average given less injuries.


Lars Eller

A note on Lars Eller to end with. Should either Pouliot or Kostitsyn be found slipping in training camp or early in the season, there is some built in relief. While Eller's numbers don't scream superstar, it's worth noting that the AHL rookie scored similar numbers of goals and points as both Pouliot and Kostitsyn at the same age in the AHL.



So you see, it's not as bad for the Habs in the light of day. Maybe the next time the line is trotted out about the Habs dire need for a 5th and 6th forward who can score at an elite level, we should spare a thought for the GMs of teams dressing Curtis Glencross and Nigel Dawes and remember that the fact that it sounds so believable does not necessarily make it true.

Game #81Habs' Playoff Hopes Stalled For Now

Details

Date: 08/04/10
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Carolina

Loss: 2-5

Habs Goalie: Halak (L)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (W)

Habs goalscorers: Gionta, Bergeron
Opposition goalscorers: Staal (3), Larose (2)

Play of the game

Not much to be too happy about tonight, but there was one play that I really liked. The play was our second goal which came 11 seconds after we went down by 2, it was the goal that restored my hope (note that there wasn't much belief tonight, just hope). The play started when Gionta stripped a Hurricane player of the puck in our end. He then hit Gomez who was about ready to leave the zone with some speed. In Scott went with the suddenly 20-minute man, MAB. A quick pass and a quicker shot was all it took to beat Ward, it was just too bad that we had so little of that going all night.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome


Forwards

Brian Gionta
Listen, I didn't like the way that Brian played in the biggest of games either, but you tell me who else you would have? At the end of the day he picked up 2 points and had the D and Halak done their work we may have forgotten that he too played poorly. Putting him on a line with Cammalleri was yet another way that Martin has found to get nothing out of Mike as it seems Camms' problem may just be himself.

Dominic Moore
Dom didn't score tonight and didn't do too much offensively, but he did do what a 3rd line, enegry centre is meant to do and for that I am happy. He did, however, do a lot on Gionta's goal and, considering we only had a handful of chances tonight, was one of our more dangerous players thanks to that play alone. For some reason Sergei was benched tonight, maybe he played badly, but I thought Moore's other winger, Moen, was possibly our worst forward all night and wondered why he wasn't riding the pine express himself.

Maxim Lapierre
Like Moore, Max played with energy. I felt that for a 4th liner he played fine and, although a goal would have been nice, I didn't expect him to win this one for us tonight. Finding him real linemates may help as we head into the most important game in 12 months as playing him with a 'defenceman' is a waste of what that line could and should be.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik - Game Puck
Roman was the one player that I actually felt played well tonight. That is good news if (no longer when) we get to the playoffs as we clearly need more than 1 or 2 guys back there who know what they are doing (at best we have 4, most nights we have 2). He contributed offensively, managed to stay even and played the most minutes of any Hab.

Josh Gorges
Josh played a sound game and chose to never get caught. He also chose to play defence which is something most of his teammates (his partner Hal Gill in particular) chose not to do. I feel that Gorges could be a good player for us if we make it in as he has been solid down the stretch and, other than last game, rarely plays poorly.

Goaltender

Carey Price
OK, Jaro's D was bad and we didn't exactly light the world on fire with goals, but you know what, what else is new? Maybe the standards for Halak are too high, but we needed a win tonight and he couldn't steal one for us. He wasn't brutal, but too many rebounds made it hard for his teammates to bail him out this time. Now the question becomes who to play on Saturday for the biggest game? I think that you have to go back to Halak as he is your man, but he has to be better as does the whole team or the arguments for 'playoff-starter' won't matter one bit.

Comments

So, in the biggest game and when we need things to happen for us Martin's plan seems to be to have MAB on all of the time and as a defender to boot. How is it that the best they have for us is putting on a player, who has no clue what to do in his own end, for 8+ minutes in the third? If that is your best option why have you waited till game 81 to go for it? This game was a game of changes as Martin thought he would get the most out of his non-benched players by benching others. The problem, however, is that while O'Byrne, Pouliot and Sergei were being benched they saw much worse hockey from the likes of Gill, Bergeron and Moen. How do you think that makes those players feel or how do you think the team would respond? Not well apparently as all of the line changes had no real positive impact on the game and simply sends us to our next game in a bit of a mess. Last week we won games on defence alone, but tonight we decided that we needed offence, offence and more offence. That didn't mean we would do anything dangerous, it just meant that the lines would be mixed in the hope of striking gold. Last week I spoke about our team being able to drag around 3 boat-anchors while finding ways to win games, tonight those 3 duds were a main reason we lost. Every pinch was mal-timed, every 2-on-1 coverage done wrong as this was the type of game that you must forget. We can easily get into the playoffs and do so on a high, but we have to go back to what works for us and I am pretty sure that isn't what Martin tried tonight.

Game #77Ward Outstanding As Habs Come Up One Short

Details

Date: 31/03/10
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Montreal

Loss: 1-2

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Ward (W)

Habs goalscorers: Bergeron
Opposition goalscorers: Sutter, Staal

Play of the game

I am not about to give too much credit to Ward, so I feel a save from him is off the table (even if some did come from some nifty plays). What I preferred was our lone goal, a PP goal from Bergeron, at home, at last. Our specialist had gone almost 4 months without a home goal and we really needed not just him, but the PP as well, to get going. It wasn't however, by lack of trying that he wasn't scoring, at least not tonight as it seemed everyone of our shots on that first PP was a blast from MAB. He eventually got one by Ward after great plays by both Gionta and Gomez who got the puck to a surprisingly wide open Bergeron.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn - Game Puck
I was very impressed by Andrei tonight and, after having missed last week's games, was very surprised to see him be our top forward. When I left for vacation Cammalleri was still out and Kostitsyn was struggling to find his game. Well, it seems that the bad Habs week that I missed at least brought us back this talented player. He was everywhere tonight and came so close on many occasions. When he wasn't almost scoring himself he had likely just set up someone who was coming close themselves.

Mike Cammalleri
The one knock on Mike tonight would be that he seemed to be trying to do a little too much himself, a little too much stick-handling. Other than that, however, I felt that he played a fantastic game that was filled with chances and creative plays. I have no doubt that he will play a significant role in the last week and can only hope the rest of the team follows.

Dominic Moore
I didn't see too much I liked from our bottom two lines tonight, apart from Moore's play that is. We were hurt when Sergei went down and at that point it seemed like we were back to being a two-line team. Dom, however, did his best to give us a third option as his speed, face-off abilities (80%) and tenacity led to a few chances, for himself and his teammates, and to some pretty sound play in his own end.

Defencemen

Marc-Andre Bergeron
I know that he didn't play D tonight, but what he did from the back end (mostly the goal and other PP-related stuff) was more impressive to me than the play of our 5 other defencemen. I am not sure if I would like to have him on the blue-line instead of the 4th line, but somehow feel that tapping his offence for more than just a few minutes a game (PPs) may very well be worth it. The question becomes would you rather see Pyatt in than O'Byrne or than Gill? I may try it as I don't feel MAB is that far behind those two in his defensive play and may even be more careful now as he must now realize that people don't really think that he is that good.

Jaroslav Spacek
It seemed that every time I looked Spacek was blocking a shot or breaking up a Carolina play. His meager stats (which include a -1 rating and just 4 blocked-shots) don't really do him justice as I really felt he was our best blue-liner all game. What we hoped for was an offensive weapon, but we are now getting a player that is outplaying Hamrlik and even Markov, defensively, on a semi-regular basis. Spacek is key to our success going forward and I can only hope that Martin now realizes this too.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey got unlucky on the first goal and the second could have been avoided with better D - all in all he played quite well. What I really liked tonight was the way with which he took mid-distance shots. Those shots, the ones from about 15'-35', have often caused Carey trouble, but tonight he seemed to handle the shots themselves well and the rebounds even better. He looked tight when he faced those shots and always seemed to have a plan as to where the rebound would go. A lot of use of his blocker and upper pads tonight kept me very happy indeed.

Comments

I have to put tonight into perspective for just one minute before I get ahead of myself. Tonight was my first game in 10 days after being away in Cuba and also marked the end of my own hockey season as our team went out 2 games to 1 in our playoff series. So, when I think of my personal pain of my season ending and of missing 4 Habs games that I would have really liked to watch I can't help but feel a bit better about tonight. Yes, we didn't get points that could have helped us, but the bottom line is that we didn't need them, they just would have been nice. Our season isn't over, people, and we are still very much in the mix, so let's stop the booing and the throwing-in of towels and get behind our team for these last 5 games. I feel that 90 points is a guarantee for the playoffs, 88 probably will do it and even 86 may be enough, so with 10 potential points left (we currently sit at 82) I am not too worried, yet. Tonight's game was the type of game that you would have liked to have won, but is also the type of game that you have to be pretty pleased about. First off, we generated more quality chances than Carolina (and more shots) and we also scored a PP goal on a tidy looking Power-Play. Then there is the fact that I saw some serious chemistry from our top 2 lines and lastly the fact that the Habs seemed in control, for most of the game, in almost every aspect of play. This is a game that you must leave behind, but isn't a game that we should be ashamed of. It now, of course, puts the pressure on, however, as we seriously need some points from this weekend's two games. 3 or 4 points would, of course, be great, but right now I feel that we simply must get 2. I don't want to cut it too close, but I can't say now that without 3 points we are out of it. Other teams will lose too, so keeping pace, at the very least, should take us into the final week.

A quiet word in Rutherford’s ear

As we head into Game -6 of the season, there is a definite whiff of playoff attitude in the air. Scott Gomez put the fans on notice that there aren’t any tomorrows beyond this game, at least not in the cliché’ed world that NHL minds live in.

In fact he is right. The Hurricanes game is critical. Not just because it could be two much sought points for this Habs squad, but also because of what it would do to the overall playoff race. If the Canadiens beat the Hurricanes tonight it would leave Carolina with a less than 0.015% chance of making the playoffs – essentially elimination. Given that the Canadiens are slated to play Carolina once more, the gentle persuasion of all but formal elimination could mean an easier game, or at least some rookie opposition later in the schedule.

Here’s the thing though, right now Carolina does have a chance, but it’s really only in the theoretical realm. Sports Club Stats gives them about a 0.2% chance of making the post-season, and most scenarios ask for 6 wins from the team that’s on 32 wins and 44 losses. Rather than rely on actions to do the talking, shouldn’t someone just go and have a quiet word in Jim Rutherford’s ear?


What harm could the Canes do in the playoffs?

And intrinsically tied to that: Does Rod Brind’amour even have a playoff run left in him?

A minus 29 on the season suggests he may not. With Matt Cullen gone as well and Zach Boychuk still learning at a very rookie-like pace, this is not a team with much down the centre.

A look at the wings is no more flattering. Erik Cole is not the Erik Cole of old. And as it stands, Kostopoulos is the 4th leading winger in points among healthy choices (and his 8G 11A aren’t convincing anyone he’s become a playoff machine since leaving MTL).

In short, the Canes are in transition. And it’s not a transition that will lead to Cup this spring.


How deep is the draft?

No matter what experts say, people who have ended up with 5th as their highest pick in the last 20 years know that no draft is knee deep in team-changing players. This year shouldn’t be any different. The Hurricanes currently sit in 25th position (or 6th from the bottom). As the lottery goes their best pick would be 2nd, their worst 7th, their likeliest 6th.

6th or 7th won’t turn many franchises from 25th place ones into 5th place ones, much less ones who trade Jack Johnson for virtual nothings. A 2nd or 3rd pick might.

Jim has the chance to help his team drop like a stone and rival the current bottom 5 for the cream of the crop in the draft.


Hurricanes position unique among bottom feeders

The other factor that goes in favour of a forced swoon for the Canes is the fact they look wholly different from their rivals. The Oilers, Leafs, Islanders and Panthers are perennial failures. There must be legitimate concern about fan fatigue with the futility, even in the face of a better pick.

Not so in Carolina. 4 years ago a Cup. Last season a conference final. The fans have had a fill of good hockey and probably thirst for more. That said, the realists among them must see this is not a conference final year and a quick turnaround to coincide with a Ruutu return and a Staal good year might be the ticket.

Furthermore, the Hurricanes are darlings of the NHL. A competitive success in the South. If Florida and the Islanders stink out the place, their very being could be questioned again. The Canes seem safe for now. So too is Rutherford who has won favour with his owner for patience and delivered with patience. There’s little reason to believe patience won’t be on his side this summer.


Collusion isn’t really allowed or encouraged. I am writing this half in jest. Gentle whispers and backroom deals aside, won’t Rutherford be thinking all this already? Wouldn’t any GM faced with a 0.2% of a playoff first round sweep or 1st overall possibility with 3rd or 4th in the bag see things this way?

Let the intrigue begin…