Kings Give Habs Reality Check

Date: 26/10/2017
Opponent: Los Angeles
Location: Bell Centre
Loss: 4-0

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
Los Angeles Goalie: Quick (W)

Montreal goalscorers:
Los Angeles goalscorers: Kempe, Toffoli, Kopitar, MacDermid

Kings Crown Habs in Third Period Blowout

Date: 18/10/2017
Opponent: Los Angeles
Location: Staples Center
Loss: 5-1

Montreal Goalie: Montoya (L)
Los Angeles Goalie: Quick (W)

Montreal goalscorers:  Byron
Los Angeles goalscorers: Kempe (3), Cammalleri (2)

Game #27Montreal Bags Crucial Road Win

Details

Date: 03/12/2011
Opponent: Kings
Location: Los Angeles

Win: 2-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Penner

Play of the game

Louis Leblanc has looked pretty good this week and will likely have a spot on this team in the next few years. He picked up his first ever point today on a very nice passing play and now has just one fewer point than Darche, Nokelainen and Palushaj combined (as a group they have played in 62 games). The play started when he held up at the line and found the trailing Kostitsyn. Andrei passed to Eller before almost imediately getting the puck back and one-timing it up and over Bernier.

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
Kostitsyn was down on the third line tonight, but as has happened before this year he made the line the team's best. They may get third-line time, but they were our top unit in the limited time they had. He was a force to be reckoned with tonight and was the biggest factor in both of our goals. He now has 7 goals and 12 points in 17 games which is a 34-goal, 58-point pace.

Lars Eller
Lars only played for 11 minutes tonight as again his usage remains a mystery. He isn't used much on special teams which I can live with, but I would like to see some more ice-time overall somehow. It isn't like he is playing with Darche and Palushaj either as we want to see more of players like Kostitsyn and Leblanc too. I didn't like his penalty on Doughty today, but otherwise felt that he played a strong 2-way game.

Tomas Plekanec
Can you imagine if Plekanec had players like Ovechkin or St. Louis on his wings? He is such a smart hockey player, as we saw tonight, but often has to play with odd bits. Gionta and Moen are decent enough players, but I am guessing that to win a cup your top-line probably needs a little more power from the wings. Regardless of who he played with today Tom did the job. He scored a PP marker and did well to create things for himself and his wingers.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
With the news today that Markov will need another few weeks I am comforted to know that Gorges is currently at his best. He played like a #1 today as he continues to do a great job leading this young corps. He led the team in ice-time with 26 minutes and, apart from a great deflection from Penner, stayed out of trouble. If Subban was at his best and Markov was back can you think of any other team that would have a more dependable #3?

Alexei Emelin
Nothing flashy from Alexei today, just good hard hockey. Funny, isn't it, that he is getting into the domes now on nights when there isn't even a huge amount of hits. His play has been so good, and was again today, that his normal play is top-3 material on our current squad. If there is one thing about the past 3 weeks and even the past 3 games that excites me it is Emelin's play. I can't wait to have a full defence corps with Emelin playing alongside a Markov, Gorges or Subban on a regular shift.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey was great today and was one of the biggest reasons that we walked out of the Staples Center with the 2 full points. He fought hard to see everything and to get in the way of everything. This was one of those games where you could tell that he was in the other team's head and no matter what they tried to do it would always be too little. At least that is what it felt like watching from home. After a rougher that hoped-for start he now has some very good numbers after today's game - 10 W, 2 SO, .919 and 2.23. If he keeps it up he'll be off to Ottawa in January for the world's most dull weekend of hockey.

Comments

The Canadiens once again jumped to a first-period lead in this game, but, unlike the other California games, were able to hang on. The two biggest reasons for that were that they kept attacking and that their PK was again phenomenal. LA has a good team that we may lose to if we played them tomorrow, but the Habs showed up today to let us all know that they still do too. We got into all sort of penalty trouble today, but our PK units kept us in the game as they have been doing all year. As for our other special team, the PP, we looked good. Not only did we score a goal, but we also showed some life. I was happy to see AK46 logging 4+ minutes with the extra-man as I feel he is a part of the solution. We were quicker, crisper and more creative today and I think that it has a lot to do with Kostitsyn who may give us that element we have been looking for, the link to the Kovalev, Koivu, Ryder PP units of years gone by that seemed to have it all figured out.

Was this a disastrous trip out west? It felt like it for a while, but 3 points in 3 games in 4 nights isn't bad for this team (or any) on the road, out of your time-zone. This was probably one of the harder trips we'll take all year and the fact that we were missing Pacioretty among a bunch of others made it that much harder. In the end we got the 3 points, some players stepped it up (Price and Kostitsyn come to mind) and we saw a lot of good stuff from guys like Leblanc, Eller and Emelin. The future doesn't look that bad people and, upon reflection, neither does the present.

Game #22Price Matches Last Year's Win Total as Habs Cruise to Win

Details

Date: 24/11/2010
Opponent: Kings
Location: Montreal

Win: 4-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Kostitsyn, Cammalleri, Plekanec, Eller
Opposition goalscorers: Martinez

Play of the game

During the first 10 minutes we were playing well, but it seemed like one bad bounce would energize the Kings and the game could derail after that. So, I was very happy when Jack Johnson held a Hab behind the net and drew 2 minutes. We played well on the PP, but the Kings got a 2-on-1 and I thought that would be it. Subban, however, made an amazing diving play to ensure no scoring chance would be had. Hamrlik then put the puck into the corner and PK got it up to Darche, having just got back to his feet. Darche fluffed on a pass to Kostitsyn, but it was enough for Andrei to work with. With his head down and one thing on his mind a perfect shot came from AK46 and we had the lead that we needed.

Dome hockey team

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

Andrei Kostitsyn - Game Puck
The way that Brunet talks about Andrei would have you believe that he is Hamilton-bound. His failure to look beyond the scoresheet and see the player that has been one of our two best forwards for most of the season really makes TSN or CBC look that much more appealing. Well, if you were at the game or watched with no sound you probably wouldn't be surprised that Kostitsyn was the 1st Star and Game Puck winner tonight. His two points give him 16 and has him on pace for 60 on the year. I am very happy with his play and thought that he was at his best tonight. It seemed that every time he was on we could count on some sort of scoring chance.

Michael Cammaelleri
Mike was the main reason that we took a 2-0 lead. There were nice passes from Hammer and Gomez on his goal, but it was really Camms who made that goal happen. Aside from that play he had a strong game as he and Gomez left Moen behind. Those two form a nice duo, but a winger who could score 10-20 a year (not 0-5) would help them in more ways than one.

Brian Gionta
Gionta is playing well with Pleks and Andrei and doesn't seem to need Scott after all. I wonder, however, if that is the best plan for our team? If Brian is the only player that can really work with Gomez then why not leave him there to get both lines truly going? Ah well, I'm not a coach and all I really care about is that we won. The third best forward tonight, therefore, was Gionta who peppered the net all game long with good shots. He also had a very nice assist on Plekanec's goal, a pass which demonstrated fantastic vision and patience.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
A tired Roman on the the PP almost cost us a goal and was maybe the main factor that lost him serious Game Puck consideration. Beyond a few mistakes early on I felt that Hamrlik played a very strong game, the type of game you need from someone trying to fill in for Markov. Spacek also played a good game and it was their pairing that was our top tonight. When Roman plays so well in both zones he becomes a very hard player to play against and a very fun player to watch.

PK Subban
A great play by PK on the Play of the Game earned him this dome; his solid play beyond that ensured that he didn't lose it. I do think that we have to find more ways to get him on the ice, though, as 17 minutes of ice time just isn't enough. I can understand that playing with Picard will hurt your ice time, but I wouldn't mind seeing him take 2-4 minutes of Gill's time. Hal plays a solid game, but 2 penalties and 19 minutes of ES ice are too much for my liking.

Goaltender

Carey Price
It is amazing that Carey can make 24 saves and let in just 1 goal and we don't seem surprised, we in fact expect it. This was just another night at the office for Price who won his 13th of the season. At this pace he could play 78 games and win 48 - can you imagine! If he keeps playing like this I am interested to know what could stop us. Right now he is making it look easy and is, seemingly, making his teammates jobs easy too.

Comments

I like how the Habs are rebounding after losses this year. In fact 7 of their 8 losses have been followed up with wins which isn't something we are used to seeing. Can they keep this up? Are they for real? Well, it is still early, but the closer we get to 30 games and to Christmas time, the less and less we can play the early card. I think that this team is good and that is has a lot of good elements, but, unfortunately for all of us, there are a good 10 teams in the league that also fit that bill. What I do like, however, is that we can play a good team, like LA, and we can impose our style. For too many years we have played down to our opponents' level or we have let better teams dictate the play. That, thankfully, isn't the case this year and it is certainly showing in the standings. Our win tonight gives us 29 points with 60 games to play which is getting to be quite comforting. I am looking forward to when a .500 record in remaining games will ensure 90 points - a win in Atlanta will do it.

Game #66Habs Get Their Points After 2 Solid Games In Cali

Details

Date: 06/03/10
Opponent: Kings
Location: Los Angeles

Win: 4-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Gionta, Moore, Pouliot, Plekanec
Opposition goalscorers: Kopitar, Modin

Play of the game

With time ticking down at the end of this game I feared that another last minute goal-against was about to come. Leaving LA with one point wouldn't have been disastrous, but the more points we get the better, so I was really hoping that we would hold on for the win. With about 1:15 left to play, and Quick on the bench, Sergei stepped up to a pass in the neutral zone and cut it off. He then made a great play off of the boards to a streaking Plekanec. Tom went in and made absolutely no mistake as he got in very close (on a defender) and put the puck in the bottom left corner of the net.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Brian Gionta
This line had an amazing start to the game and within 22 seconds had put the Habs up by 1. It was nice to see the team come out of the blocks with so much energy as it really set the tone for the rest of the game. It was Brian who scored that goal and then, believe it or not, contributed (assist) in a very similar fashion 36 seconds into the third. Gio, right now, is our hottest player and I think, until Cammalleri is back, we will need quite a bit from him.

Scott Gomez - Game Puck
Scott was at the root of both of his lines' goals and was really the engine driving that line all night. His passing was exceptional (he ended with 2 assists) and could have led to a few more goals. I would have liked to see better work on face-offs, but all in all this was a strong game, in both ends for Scott.

Benoit Pouliot
Pouliot took a couple of games to get back into the swing of things, but certainly looked like his old self tonight after two sub-par games. He was the third member of the 2-point club as he also chipped in with a goal and an assist. His goal, in particular, impressed me as it was truly a goalscorer's goal. First off he was positioned so well in front of the net and when the pass came he didn't shoot it over the net or fan on it, but instead found a small hole in Quick to put us up by 2. His goal was his 15th of the year and has me thinking that he'll be at 20 in no time.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
At just over 20 minutes of ice-time one may think that Markov wasn't playing his best, but I don't really think that that is the case. Martin, I believe, is being smart by not overusing our star as he gives him more time to rest and get ready for what will be a crazy last few weeks of the season. Of course, if we had more than one PP we would have seen more of him for sure, but I guess, tonight, we didn't need him as much. He still, however, managed to collect an assist, lead defencemen in shots and lead the whole team in hits, with four.

Jaroslav Spacek
I was very happy with Jaro's play tonight. Offensively there is little to speak of as we didn't really get our chances on the PP. He did, however, chip in on our third goal with a very good play to keep the puck alive at the blue-line (no assist though). I felt, though, that it was his play in our own end (and the fact that he ended the game at +3) which earned him a dome. He was strong all night long as he, once again, worked well with his countryman.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
Halak hadn't played since that disastrous effort against the Flyers three weeks ago. Well, he had played, for Slovakia, and had done really well, but I think we were all looking for a return to form in the red-white and blue. Tonight's game, thankfully, was a very solid effort. He wasn't tested much throughout the game and could have done better on the goals (both were scored in a very similar fashion), but with 23 saves and no major-scare moments he certainly never put the Habs in danger of missing out on points. It's nice to see such strong play from our 2 goalies in back-to-back games and one now has to wonder, since the deadline has passed, if Halak will continue to be the #1 (as he was for most of December-February) or if Price will be (as he has been for most of his career) or if we'll continue to ride a 1a/1b tandem which, at the moment, is keeping us very much alive.

Comments

This game was very much like the San Jose game in that we came out strong and tried to impose our style of play on the opposition. Tonight, however, we saw the full-length version after watching the preview on Thursday. Luckily for us the Kings did not rise to the level of the Sharks which meant holding onto this lead was much more manageable. I felt that most of the team played pretty well and, while there were standouts, this was a nice team effort. A game like this, on the road, against a good team can sometimes act as a sort of turning point or starting point of good things to come - let's hope that's the case. Believe it or not there are just 16 games left in the marathon and I feel that the Habs, considering everything, have given themselves a very good shot at playing into late April. Right now we sit in 8th (2 points behind 6th, 3 up on 11th), but have played the most games of anyone. Winning, therefore, is very important at the moment as I feel we will need at least 20 more points to get into the playoffs. We can't however, assume that games-in-hand are a bad thing as we are talking about teams who lose more often than they win and I, for one, am happy that we at least already have those 68 points in the bank.

The Summer's For Fiction Habs Trade Rumours Of Late

I do my best to ignore the rumours as they roll by. I mean are we honestly going down the Patrick Marleau road again for the 5th consecutive summer? You expect it from Eklund, he needs the readers; but for everyone to join in is a bit disappointing.

The hook for most rumours nowadays seems to be their perceived achievability. Are they realistic? This includes the salary exchange, of course. But added to the mix (and a favourite of the Hockeybuzz randomizer) is connections from the past.

When Saku Koivu was here, one consistent rumour from the guys who generate these "realistic" rumours was Teemu Selanne. Now that someone from Montreal has actually spoken to Teemu we know that Saku asked and he balked immediately – a question of enjoying California sunshine just that much. Bob Gainey GM, Guy Carbonneau father-in-law – it was only a matter of time back in the day before Brenden Morrow was added to the Habs. Big and cousin to Carey Price? That's two reasons Shane Doan always popped up. Don't forget anyone who can speak French with a contract running out – there's a whole other boatload of potential trade targets.


The trend of the summer seems to be that we will reunite any combination that our new free agents have ever successfully undertaken. Gainey, to be fair, has encouraged this kind of activity by signing Brian Gionta after he made the Scott Gomez deal. So the rumour-makers go to work. Cammalleri had a good year in LA, so naturally Frolov should be here too. Gomez and Gionta played well with Patrik Elias, so naturally Gainey must be pursuing him as well.

It's nonsense, of course. The stuff of August.


Why do trades that "make so much sense" so rarely happen?

Well one very good reason is that trades in general so very rarely happen. Now I'm not sure that they ever did really. I think what seems to make them so scarce nowadays is the simple fact that thanks to certain very imaginative internet users, about 5 or 6 are rumoured every single day. And when you look at interesting trades over the year, you'd be lucky to list 5 or 6 – that's a whole lot of unfulfilled dreams.

Honestly, though, I think the reason a lot of trades that "make sense" don't happen is because most of the time, they don't make any sense at all. Yes, Patrick Marleau for Halak makes sense in a one-eyed Canadiens kind of way, but for the Sharks? Throwing in salary doesn't help either, because it's rare that desirable asset and salary to shed fall on the same list for the trade partner.

Take the latest rumours. The trades for Elias and Frolov don't make as much sense to the teams reported to be shipping as they might for Montreal. For instance, there is good reason that Elias is the player from that line left in New Jersey from that line and Frolov is the one lingering in LA. There was reason to why those GMs made the choice to keep those two players ahead of their linemate(s). When you consider New Jersey, it would probably not be far-fetched to say that Elias has been the engine behind the offense there for a decade. Compared to Elias, Gomez was a blip on the radar. In LA, Frolov came first as well. A biggish winger who scores 25-30 goals like clockwork, it's easy to see why another team would covet him. Also easy to see why LA would not part ways with the guy.


Do these trades even make sense for Montreal?

It's all well and good to look down a roster and pick out players that played together (do we know that anyway, do we remember?) and come up with a story about the times they had together. It's quite another to substantiate those stories. It occurred to me that not only were these trades not the stuff of dreams for Lamoriello and Lombardi, but also that Gainey might not be getting the incredible boost that everyone assumes that would come from the moves.

If Luckily, there are resources available courtesy of the tireless stats crunchers who live in our computers to verify the hypothesis. We can have a look at how the partnerships we're supposedly working around the clock to reunite actually fared in the past. So that we can take our one eyed view if we want, yet make it an analytical eye.

Cammalleri – Frolov

In 2006-07, Cammalleri and Frolov did play together at even strength, but they weren't joined at the hip. They shared the ice for 481:33 minutes. Cammalleri played 564:49 without Frolov and Frolov played 637:35 withou Mike – so both played more without the other than with.

Interestingly, their partnership did seem to make both players more productive as they produced 28 goals when on ice together for a a rate of 1.163 a period. Cammalleri sans Frolov gave only 1.062 G/20 and Frolov sans Cammalleri 0.784 G/20. In case you're wondering Mike also made Alex a slightly better defensive bet, but Alex made Mike more of a liability.

But the duo didn't stop compiling evidence in April 2007. They did play another year together – and this is where it gets interesting. It seems that in 2007-08 (at least at ES), Mike and Alex were not primary linemates. Perhaps due to injuries and the resulting discovery of new combinations, perhaps due to coaching preference. Cammalleri in that season spent more time with Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Of his 1060 or so minutes of ice time, he spent less than a third with Frolov. And contrary to the season prior, 2007-08 was not a data set to suggest that the two were the second coming of Gretzky and Kurri. Offensively, both players were quite a bit better apart. Where together they popped out 0.846 goals a period, apart Cammalleri was good for 0.908 and Frolov for a whopping 1.237. Defensively, Mike was ever so slightly better with Frolov whereas Alex was again worse off.

If I'm Alexander Frolov, then, where's my burning desire to return to Cammalleri's side? I'm pretty happy with what I can do on my own. If I'm Cammalleri, I've shown I can be even better with Iginla – please get me Iginla.


Elias – Gomez – Gionta

At the very least, the rumour-makers got the line right. Back in 2006-07 (first year of data, last year for the line), the favourite linemates for each player came from the threesome – and they spent in the neighbourhood of two thirds of their even strength playing time together. And they were a good line on a good team. It wouldn't be a massive mistake to reunite them.

But really, who made who better? Well offensively it goes like this. Gomez made both Elias (1.143 vs. 0.453 G/20) and Gionta (1.022 vs. 0.281 G/20) a lot better producers at even strength. Elias helped Gomez a little (1.143 vs. 0.820 G/20) but not Gionta at all (0.828 vs. 0.841 G/20). And Gionta seemed to be leeching off the line because both Gomez (1.022 vs. 1.016 G/20) and Elias (0.828 vs. 0.927 G/20) were at least as good if not slightly better without his small frame around.

The next two seasons give us more fodder on the Elias front. In 2007-08, Elias dragged Gionta along again, but once again Gionta was not into symbiosis, preferring his parasitic ways. Last seasonsaw them together again, but like an old tired couple – neither really sparking the other anymore. Both seemed resigned just to plod on as they would. Importantly though, from Elias' point of view (and Lamoriello's), Patrik is still cruising along and steadily challenging the goal for every 20 minutes of play standard. He has also taken to playing with Zach Parise when possible, it seems, with massive boosts in production for both when they grace the same surface.

So if Elias were to be targeted, it would make sense to partner him with Gomez, but also to distance him from Gionta – so it would mean banishment for Brian from the centre he signed on for, hardly a very good strategy to welcome your new 5-year signing. From NJ's point of view, Elias is a leader and a very reliable offensive player who also happens to click with their new superstar forward. Not much incentive in the trade for them really. Not unless the trade includes someone named Andrei Markov.

In all honesty, if Gainey was as fixated on combination boosts as people are making out, it would be a better tack to go after Robert Lang who actually did potentiate two players on the team by quite a handsome margin (Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn) – all the more relevant, being that it happened in Montreal.


Both would obviously be great additions in Montreal as two of the top left wingers in the league. But considering salary, the current roster players, price to pay in a trade and the fact the combinations wouldn't bring quite the Midas touch the Eklunds of the world sell, it seems both are a massive stretch in the end – a bit of summertime fiction for the beach (and that goes for both the one-eyed or two-eyed onlooker).

Game #49Boo-Birds Have All Re-Boarded The Bandwagon

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Saturday January 31st, 2009
Opponent: Los Angeles Kings
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

Team Stripes

Final Score: 4-3 - Win

Habs starting goalie: Carey Price (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Jonathan Quick (L)

Habs goalscorers: Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, Christopher Higgins, Saku Koivu
Opposition goalscorers: Michal Handzus, Dustin Brown, Jarret Stoll

Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

No question today as to what the play of the game was - Higgins, to tie it, what a beauty. With 2 minutes left and only 1 minute removed from a PP the Habs' chances of losing 5 in regulation in a row looked way better than coming away with any points. Higgins, however, had told his teammates throughout the game to get him the puck in the middle of the neutral zone. He was confident that his speed would be enough to get around the young and inexperienced Kings defence. Kostopoulos started the play with a pass to Lapierre in our own end. Then it was Max serving up a long, open-ice, pass to a flying Higgins. Chris took the pass well and had just one man to beat. With an incredible head of steam he was able to get a step on Doughty, but it was his throwing-off of the rookie that was most impressive. Drew had grabbed a hold as Higgins went by, but Chris simply pushed him to the ground and continued to the net. A great top-corner wrist shot sealed the deal and tied up the game.

Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Saku Koivu
Saku was at his best this game. He was pivoting a line composed of 2 first year players, but rather than using that as an excuse he made a point of making them better. All game long he was supplying the Habs with quality chances and great effort in the offensive zone. He scored the game-winner and added an assist to give him 4 points in his 4 games back from injury.



Dome hockey team
We're going into the last minute with these 6 (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Christopher Higgins
Poor old Higgins seems to be out of favour as of late. For some reason he has been stripped of the 'A' as Mike 'I play like Rivet' Komisarek has taken over the duties. Chris, however, hasn't let all the politics get in the way of the fact that he is still a great player. He is no 40-goal man, probably isn't even a 1st line player, but what I do know is that he belongs on our team and that he a really great player; perhaps a secret weapon. His goal was not only super timely, but was also a fantastic effort.

Andrei Kostitsyn
With one quick shot Andrei gave us our first lead in what seems like weeks. He played quite a good game tonight, but most of all it was great to see him get back on the scoresheet. I felt that he and Plekanec brought quite a bit of effort and played well together. They both scored goals and that hopefully is a sign of good things to come.

Saku Koivu
During the second intermission I told Topham that I 'knew' Koivu would score, that I could 'feel it'. Well, it took about 19 1/2 minutes (and another 30 after the game worth of review) for my premonition to come to fruition. I don't know why I said that - normally I am too superstitious for comments like that - but there was just something about the way that Saku was playing. I didn't want to believe that the skipper would allow 5 losses in a row - I was right.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
Hammer was on the ice for all 4 even strength goals (2 and 2) and none on the PP. He didn't really contribute to either of the goals-against, but I felt did have a positive effect offensively. He picked up an assist on Plekanec's 10th, giving him 14 on the year. He was first on the team with 3 shots and was just one behind Komi for the team lead in blocked-shots with 4.

Andrei Markov
Originally credited with the game-winner Markov ended up with an assist on the play. What really matters, however, is that he got the puck on net. He played well on the PP all game as I noticed quite a few great point-shots. He played a defensively responsible game, but most importantly drew the penalty that put us on our game-winning PP. Komi was weak tonight with multiple over-commitments, there to clean up the mess, as usual, was Andrei.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
I felt that Jaro deserved the start after Price's string of poor performances and that notion was confirmed as I watched Carey play today. He was no better than he has been since he came back, in fact he was a goal-post away from blowing yet another one for us. His play with the puck out of the net led to 4 give-aways, and another poor pass to a woozy Gorges ended up being their 3rd goal. Tomorrow I think Halak has to start, we have to show Price that his play is unacceptable and we have to see if there is a better alternative - I believe that there is.



Eye-Openers
In this new section we are going to try and shed some light on certain plays or events that would otherwise go unnoticed

Stupid penalties come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes we are the culprits, but tonight, for a change we caught a break. Kyle Calder, a career brutal-player, took a cross-checking penalty with 5 minutes to go, but we failed to capitalize. Being the genius that he is Calder decided to take another cross-checking penalty, this time there were 30 seconds left, we had just tied the game and this was 200' from his own net. He complained, there was yelling and obviously there was a feeling amongst the Kings players that the refs had blown the call, but I am glad, that despite all of that the refs stood their ground. Stupid and dangerous plays should be penalized, no matter what time of game it is. If a team is playing cleaner (us) than the other then they should have an advantage. For once the refs were able to get that aspect right and put the appropriate Kings in the box. Stupid plays and stupid players cost the Kings a point, and bagged us 2. This should be a lesson to our penalty-takers - stay out of the box, don't assume you'll get away with everything, because eventually it will cost the whole team in a big way.

Overall Comments

Once again we started the game well, but once again we let in an early goal. A stupid penalty by Lang (after a brutal missed-call by the refs) gave LA a chance to work with the extra man. It looked like, at that point, that it was the same story in a different building. The Habs, however, refused to roll over and die, like they had done for 4 games in a row now. Instead they kept playing hard and one could sense something was happening. 20 minutes later we were in the lead and things were looking good. Then there was a slight shift in momentum, coupled with a few weak plays and all of a sudden we were down again. It was a familiar sight as the Habs went into the last 5 minutes of the game in need of a goal. That goal happened to come from a player who was waiting for a big moment to arrive - Chris Higgins. The goal brought the Bell Centre to life and pretty much assured us of our first point in 2 weeks. A bad penalty by LA opened the door for us which turned out to be quite timely as the Kings were coming very close to scoring another one on us. With our 5 best players on the ice (Koivu, Kovalev, Kostitsyn, Lang and Markov) we found a way to get the puck in. Koivu got credit, but the whole unit did very well to get the puck to the right spot. This game, however, may not be remembered for the win as much as for the dirty, dirty hit that Gauhtier laid on Gorges. It was another clear example of a player who has no place whatsoever in this league doing something incredibly stupid. I for one would say enough is enough in his case. He has never brought anything positive to our game, so why oh why is he even in the league? How many more people does he have to hurt before the league realizes this?

1/4 Inch Away Illegal Curves And Illegitimate Claims

While I was browsing around trying to locate former Habs defencemen who would be better coaches than, well, no one; I came across an article in the LA Times. It caught my eye and piqued my interest. The story is about as topical as reflections on Houle's Dykhuis signing or the Andrew Cassels trade; but LA brought it up, so I'll duly respond.

You see, they're still smarting over there on the left coast – from the sting of Game 2, Stanley Cup Final, 1993.

Now call me a stickler Barry Melrose, but I just don't agree with you here:

"I think it cost us the Stanley Cup," says Melrose, back in coaching with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season after 13 years at ESPN. "I don't think anyone doubts that. We won Game 1 handily, we were dominating Game 2. . . .

"If you're up, 2-0, going back to your building, the numbers show that you're going to win the Cup, so without a doubt I think it cost us the Stanley Cup."

I think Barry's case might have held some water had the Kings won another game, but alas, they did not. Indeed, the stats would show that the team with home ice going into Game 3 would also put you in the driver's seat. He went on (as he tends to):

"It's the type of thing that should be in the Hall of Fame," Melrose says, "because it probably determined who won a Stanley Cup. I would think they'd have it."

It's pretty clear to me that that call cost them Game 2. But not the Cup, buddy. In fact, a better coach might have coaxed a better start in OT from his team that just lost the lead in the final minutes.

Remembering back to the time, the series did not turn at that juncture, as the article implies. There was elation that the Habs managed to rescue a win at home, but there was also the feeling of being in a hole – especially after a month of cruising through games. If I wanted to pinpoint where the series turned, I would say it didn't really go for the Habs until that second OT goals from John Leclair in LA.

A more lucid Luc Robitaille (a player I always wished could have finished up with us) recognises the reality better than melodramatic Melrose:

"It cost us that one game," says the Kings' president of business operations, who in 1992-93 was their leading scorer. "The next two games were probably the best two games the Kings have ever played, but we lost both in overtime."

The second interesting element of the story talks about the whereabouts of the stick itself. Apparently, if you want to catch a glimpse of the cheater's curve, you can see it at Wayne Gretzky's in Toronto, but only when Marty McSorley is far enough away.

It's funny that in LA Marty McSorley will probably live on in infamy forever because of his illegal blade. Quite nice, considering how much worse it could be: he could be remembered as the goon who tomahawked Donald Brashear across the skull, or perhaps just as the mediocre player he was.

Now at least, there's a story that people want to hear.

Controversial ChoicePrice Facing Gretzky 12 Days Away From Patrick's Return

I'm not sure which marketing guru chose to do it, but the Canadiens homepage has replaced the picture of Kovalev in a game from the original 6 with a picture of Carey Price playing in what could only be a game from the 1992-93 season – the evidence is there in Brisebois' bewildered mug (and sweater).


It may not be for me to say, but is replacing Patrick Roy in what is a shot from the last Stanley Cup finals the team reached a good idea?

In light of the ceremony taking place in 12 days, I'd have erred on the side of not doing this one this month. It's a bit of a strange choice given how many photos they could have chosen from.

I mean why not paste Carey's face on Patrick hoisting the Conn Smythe?


Maybe it won't matter, Patrick Roy doesn't have an ego, after all. We all remember that much...

By the way, if they had to do it, couldn't they have at least tried to make it look like Carey would make a save? I mean, Gretzky with Carey guarding the shot to the corner and the gaping net open in the Stanley Cup final?

I know who my money's on there.

The Myth of 93

Patrick Roy will have his number retired.

I couldn't agree more with this decision. He was the best of a good group of players to grace the Canadiens mini-dynasty 85-93.

But you know, ever since the announcement has been confirmed, we've been subjected to tales of Roy's miraculous goaltending in the 1993 playoffs and how he single-handedly won a Cup with a middling team.



Let's put an end to this.


1993 Canadiens

The first thing you should know is that the Canadiens were not a middling team that year. In fact, apart from the end of the regular season, they were a very similar outfit to last year's squad:

- They had 48 wins and 102 points
- They were winning the division as late as mid-March (pipped to the post by Boston and Quebec)
- They were one of the top defensive teams over the year
- And, surprisingly, but for the top 5 or so teams, the Canadiens were right there offensively among a number of teams with 320-330 goals

In fact, if you looked across the league that season, there was not a lot to separate the contenders. That is apart from the Stanley Cup and league champion Pittsburgh Penguins who were the class of the show. The Bruins were perennially there. The Nordiques were growing but not ready yet (not with Hextall anyway). The Capitals were the next best in the East, so you get the idea. In the West, a mish mash – Blackhawks looking the class, Detroit on the ascendancy but not ready (a la Nords) and the Canucks and Flames right in the Canadiens league.

No the Canadiens were a top 5 outfit. Admittedly, it was a 4- or 5-way tie, but they were not outsiders.


Playoff opponents

Secondly, barring that first round "upset" of the Nordiques (a team 2 points their superior in the first round), the Canadiens would have done poorly to lose any of the next three series.

The Sabres, though they did well to beat the Bruins (thanks Brad May), were the second-worst team in the playoffs, maybe even the worst. They had one of my favourite top lines of all time, but then we had Carbonneau to put an end to that nonsense. Beyond Lafontaine, Hawerchuk and Mogilny, they were inferior in every way to the Habs. Keeping in mind that Hasek wasn't their choice goalie in the playoffs.

The Islanders were a gift. How they beat the Penguins, I'll never be clear on. But, that edition of the Islanders was as 1993 playoff teams go a sad bunch once they lost Turgeon (their one and only stand out). This series should have been and was the easiest. And I remember at the time thinking there was no question of making the final at that point.

In the final, the Kings. This was a puzzle of a team. A Gretzky injury in the regular season obscured how good they were. But, in reality, they'd have been a low 100-point team with the Great One for those extra 30 games. Their defence was an intriguing mix, but relied heavily on very young players (Blake, Zhitnik and Sydor) and some older boys (McSorley, Huddy and Tim Watters). And to face a 3.86 GAA goalie without a viable backup in the playoffs proved a real treat too. This series was Gretzky and Robitaille vs. our depth.Once again, our defensive forwards were prominent.


Overtime

One of the greatest tales of the 1993 playoffs is the shutout goaltending of Patrick Roy in OT. I don't want to belittle the achievement of 1 goal allowed in 11 OT appearances, but it is worth noting that toted up, OT was a surprising 96 minutes in all.

This brings to the fore the importance of the other players in OT, who by scoring often and early were saving energy and doing excellent work.


Consider that 7 players scored in OT in the 1993 playoffs. 3 scored twice each – Muller, Carbonneau and Leclair. These 3 players epitomised the success of the Habs that year for me, even as much as Patrick Roy:

- Muller was Mr. Reliable. He was a real goal threat with defensive awareness to boot. A bigger Saku Koivu.

- Carbonneau was a star in the league, known as the premier shut-down man. His 2 OT playoff GWGs were impressive considering he only scored 3 in all in the playoffs. 4 in the regular season. A classic Canadiens captain, the goalscoring record speaks for how he could raise his game more than a few notches.

- Leclair was one of the exciting youngsters to go with the green blueline corps, Gilbert Dionne and 8-playoff goal man DiPietro. In retrospect, this was Leclair's coming out party. His 2 OT goals will never be forgotten by grateful Habs fans who wanted to get to bed.

In addition to the skaters, one must consider Jacques Demers. He who consistently outcoached his rivals. Famously there was the stick measurement. But don't forget the goal off the faceoff. And 9 OT games won in the first frame, 7 in the first 12 minutes, 5 in the first 10, and 2 in the opening seconds (in the final!). This is good on the ropes coaching.


Patrick Roy

Of course, all this was achieved while knowing Patrick Roy was right there behind them. But the players out on the ice did translate the time he gave them to wins. They even rescued a few blushes (Patrick must thank Leclair for rescuing the 2 leads he would blow in the second periods in LA, 3-0 and 2-0).

What Patrick did was provide the most solid foundation to build on. But the building on top was some what masterful in looking back. Did you know for example that from 1984-85 to 1993-94, the Canadiens were basically the team to beat (with the Flames):

1. Calgary: 433-274-101, 967 pts, +590
2. Montreal, 430-274-104, 964 pts, +509
3. Boston, 412-294-102, 926 pts, +334
4. Washington, 413-312-83, 909 pts, +327
5. Edmonton, 399-314-95, 893 pts, +292

One could argue that it was because of Roy, but why sell those teams short? 2 Cups, 3 finals, a haul of trophies.


I'll celebrate

I'll certainly celebrate the retirement of Patrick Roy's sweater. The memories he provided me and a generation of fans are too numerous to quantify. His personal moments are counted among highlights of my hockey watching life.

But, November 22 will also prompt me to remember the cast that played with Patrick – Carbonneau, Chelios, Muller, Damphousse, Desjardins, Schneider, Smith, Naslund, Green, Richer, Corson, Lemieux, Skrudland, Savard, Bellows, Lebeau and the rest. All of these guys deserve credit one way or another for those years and even those Cup runs. Their numbers will never be retired, but in playing the way they did for the Habs in critical moments, they ensured they'll have one sweater they can look up at to remind them of their own treasured memories.


[Incidentally, when I was looking around for inspiration for this article, I came across a piece which suggests Roy is way overrated. I don't agree with all of what this guy says, nor with his thesis statement and reason for blogging that Brodeur is an average goalie, the article is well worth reading, if only for its comprehensiveness. As with any well-argued debate, the comments are just as informative.]

Enter Wing Left: Alex Tanguay

Gainey turned Huet into a player after all (essentially).

The Habs package their own second round pick from 2009 (keeping Washington's). We did also cough up the first rounder this year.

But Alex Tanguay!

I'll surely write more after my weekend holiday. But suffice it to say at this point that one LIW blogger is very excited.

We have a Cup winning, young, 20-goal scoring, LW star from the province of Quebec.

He's paid a bit much, but it's only a year on his current deal. He plays well for contracts too (see 2006), so even if we only get a year out of Alex, it should be good. Although, if he plays well, there'll be no trading our new French Canadian poster boy.

Downsides? Not shipping Brisebois in the deal somehow... Not many for now. I think he fits.

Game #69New Goalie, Same Result; Habs Back on Top

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Saturday March 8th, 2008
Opponent: Los Angeles Kings
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA


Team Stripes


Final Score: 5-2 - Win

Habs starting goalie: Jaroslav Halak (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Erik Ersberg (L)

Habs goalscorers: Patrice Brisebois, Saku Koivu, Guillaume Latendresse, Andrei Kostitsyn, Tom Kostopoulos
Opposition goalscorers: Rob Blake, Anze Kopitar



2007/08 first
There's a first time for everything, so they say. What they didn't tell you is that every game, something happens for the first time, you just have to look harder in March...

1st In the NHL in Goals Scored - 222 (69 GP)



Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

Our goaltending and defence were great tonight, but there was one goal that was better than any play in our own end.

On the Power-Play Koivu's line was being used as the first unit meaning that they were out there with Marky and Streit. Markov, from the left point, fed Streit on the right side who looked primed to shoot. He took a wind-up and shot one along the ice, towards the left corner. This was no shot, but was in fact a bullet pass right to Sak. Koivu simply put his stick on the ice (like we are always told as children) and just watched the puck change directions and jump up over the Kings goalie.



Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Jaroslav Halak

The kid (older than Price) finally got his chance to start a game and he made sure to make the most of it. He made 35 saves, 30+ of them were made to look easy. His positioning was great which enabled him to make the extra reach or stretch to gather in rebounds or push loose pucks aside. He played with the same level of confidence that we saw from him this time last year.



Dome hockey team
We're going into the last minute with these 6 (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Saku Koivu
- Koivu added another goal today as his spring time/big game play continues to impress. He was quick on the ice all game and was often out-hustling the opposition. Ended in the black in both +/- and face-off wins (more than 50%)

Tomas Plekanec
- He apparently had the flu and there was actually a possibility he would miss the game. He definitely didn't let his illness slow him down on the ice as I noticed no real difference from his usual play. He had a perfect pass on our 4th goal, a goal which sealed the deal. Had a better face-off game than usual going 9-6

Sergei Kostitsyn
- Mr. Pleasant Surprise #6 of the season had another fantastic game. I knew the kid was fast, but today he actually flew. It is possible that the Kings defence and their lack of skating ability made Sergei look quicker than he is, but nonetheless he made it look easy. Had a great pass on Latendresse's first in a long time and improved his +/- with a +2 on the game

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
- LA had nothing against Markov and Komisarek today. They could probably claim that they just had no idea how good this tandem was and were waiting to see it to believe it. Well, they saw and after 60 minutes of hockey they are still trying to work the duo out. Put in his usual excellent performance at both ends of the ice

Roman Hamrlik
- If it wasn't for a courtesy game for the 'aged blunder' Hammer would have finished the game at +3. He played a great game today shutting down the attack on all but one occasion. To top off a great defensive effort he added two assists giving him 19 helpers on the year

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
- This start was a long time coming for the Slovak. Many believed that after his last start (New York, April 2007) he would soon get his next, likely in the following game against Toronto. We all know what happened there and that in the end the 06-07 Habs didn't have a happy ending. What we all didn't know was that a goalie who had brought us to within one game of a playoff spot wouldn't get the call in the Habs' goal for another 11 months. He has worked hard over the past year to be able to come back into the NHL and make it look so easy. Deserved the start, deserved the win - now deserves more of both



Eyes on Kovalev
Did he flit and float? Someone ought to keep track...

We have a game tomorrow night so it is a good thing that Alex didn't sparkle in this game. I know that he will give one very good/excellent performance each time we play back-to-backs, so with 2 points in the bank I am actually glad it wasn't tonight. Don't get me wrong he played a good game, he just wasn't the reason we won for once. He still played a big role on the PP and PK today whether he got points or not.

Kovalev's Assessment - Good



Overall Comments

The first period of this game did not look good. It was looking for a time that the Habs would leave the home of the NHL's worst team as embarrassed as the Senators had been just a few nights ago. That all changed when the world's worst referees (NHL) blew yet another call. This time, luckily for the Habs, the call went in our favour and it seemed to wake us up. The call was the disallowing of a Kings goal in the first - a goal that should never have been waved off in 100 years. The Habs reacted well to this turn of events whereas the Kings did not and, as they say, the rest is history. 50 minutes later we were 2 points richer and we had gotten our 3rd and 4th points of this road trip - mission accomplished.

This LA team, despite outplaying us in the first, looked like exactly what they are - the worst team in the NHL. They looked like a bunch of hot-shots down at the local rink who were only interested in making the pretty plays. They, like their management, lacked a concrete plan and played a very disorganized game overall. It just goes to show that all the skill in the world can never make up for the most important ingredient of all, teamwork. On paper, year after year, we think the Kings will do well, but after seeing today's display I can rest assured that that is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Carbo took advantage of playing the basement dwellers to give some time to oft-benched players such as Halak, ex-King Kostopoulos and the Breezer. Tom scored a goal and played quite a good game in his old haunts making me glad to have him there for when we need him. Halak was our best player and should definitely be a consideration more often than not as I am sure he can do what he did today against good teams. Brisebois too made the most of his chance by scoring a goal, but aside from a weak shot along the ice that hit a leg in front he played a miserable game. Patrice was the main reason we conceded our only even-strength goal of the game as he did what we would expect him to; he got beaten badly, threw up his hands, gave up the play and complained to the ref.

We kept each of our 4 lines' shifts pretty even tonight which is a great thing to be able to do. Each forward played between 10:56 (Latendresse) and 17:50 (Koivu) which is very rare to see from Carbonneau. Getting the 2 points was obviously the key in this one, but being able to save energy ahead of a huge match up in Anaheim was a nice added bonus. The pressure should be off tomorrow as we already have 4 points from this trip in the bank, but it is nice to see that we will be rested and ready to go.