Ottawa Montreal Game #5: Montreal Canadiens Bounced Badly

Details

Date: 09/05/2013
Opponent: Senators
Location: Montreal

Loss: 1-6

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

Habs goalscorers: Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Smith, Conacher (2), Turris, Alfredsson, Condra

Game #77Blown Call By Linesman Helps Habs And Panthers

Details

Date: 27/03/2012
Opponent: Panthers
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Cole, Leblanc
Opposition goalscorers: Wolski (1, SO), Samuelsson

Play of the game

St. Denis made a great play at his own blue-line to take the puck that totally caught Florida off-guard. A pass to Leblanc came with the interception and, wouldn't you know it, the Habs had a are 3 on 0. Leblanc was in first and instead of trying to get All-Star game cute he did it all himself as he deked the goalie and put in a beauty of a goal.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty - Game Puck
Max was buzzing all night in the offensive zone, especially during OT. He didn't score tonight, but did take an incredible 9 shots on goal. He hasn't scored in a while which actually suits me and the Habs just fine. We all know that he is playing well and that he is a good player, we no longer need numbers to tell us that.

Louis Leblanc
Tonight was actually one of Leblanc's better games of the season. I was already thinking of giving him a dome spot when he took a high-sticking penalty. That I didn't like, but I have seen worse. But then his goal sealed his spot as it was truly a nice one. Even after tonight I am not convinced that he is top-6 material, but it is nice to know that come next Fall he will be realistically competing for a spot on one of the top lines.

Erik Cole
Cole scored his 31st tonight which is a career high for him and that was also his 56th point. He is now only 5 points from his best in that category too. It is a surprise to me that after all of the signings gone wrong in Montreal over the years Cole would come in here and be our best player and have one of his best years. If anything, Erik has made this season fun to watch when he and his linemates are on the ice.

Defencemen

Frederic St. Denis
I really liked what I saw from Fred tonight. He seems to know when to keep it simple and when to go for it. In my opinion, he is a superior defender to Campoli in every aspect of play and that should be enough cause to let Chris (as if they would keep him anyway) walk away this summer. His pass on Leblanc's goal was just one of many strong offensive plays St. Denis offered up tonight.

PK Subban
Markov and Emelin had rough games and Campoli wasn't that great either. So, of PK or Gorges I go with Subban tonight. He offered more than Josh in each zone throughout the game, but I can't say that I was too thrilled by some of his give-aways. He did, however, play 28-minutes of +1 hockey and added 4 blocked-shots to his season total.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Price was very good again tonight and can't really be faulted on either of the goals. The second one was a fluky goal that should have been whistled dead anyway. On top of that I don't think he had a good look at it and I don't think this was a case of losing focus because of a presumed offside. That kind of stuff happens way too fast for someone to just stop playing.

Comments

There wasn't much to that game really. The Habs had a couple of nice plays and Florida, quite frankly, got lucky to bag two points. The loss is what we wanted though, so it is a shame that it had to come after regulation yet again. 1 point, at this point, is still better than 2, however.

What I don't really understand is why the organization is trying to win at this point. I don't think that there is a rule that states you have to try to win (and even if there was we could have easily lost while still making it look like we wanted to win). From a coaching perspective I feel that Cunneyworth may want to win as he is likely gone anyway, so each win is better for his career - fair enough. The players should be torn here, though. Maybe certain guys want to stay in Montreal and, thus, don't want too many good players, via the draft coming in, but surely our top players (Cole, Price, Patches, Subban, Markov) must see the advantage of losing. And, seeing as those players are the reason we win (or get to OT) I am a little surprised with the constant desire to win. I think that losing on purpose can breed a losing attitude, but I am talking about 5-10 games here, not a season, surely these players could take a break from character-building for a few weeks, no? Lastly is the front office, now why would they want us to win. Revenue is what it is as the games will sell out and tv deals are done. A good businessman must know about short-term pain for long-term gain, shouldn't they? I think that the message should come down that we are happy with the points we have now, that from now on we ensure we finish 29th.

The league has made a stupid rule where losers are rewarded and there are a few former Habs execs that would be all over taking advantage of this flaw in the system. I see nothing wrong or unethical with trying to lose as the fans, players and management are all in this together for the long haul, with one goal in mind; to be better next year than they are now. We have 5 games to get that 29th spot and I hope that the team can do that for us. I mean, isn't that the least they could do after making us sit through what has been a very disappointing season?

On a more comical and heart-warming note we are now just three points back of Toronto. They will miss the playoffs again this year which comes after a start that many believed would carry them into a playoff spot. My hope is that they win their last few games and don't get a top-5 pick. I would especially enjoy a win when we play them in the last game of the year.

Game #76 Dubious Calls, PK Serve Habs And Flyers Goals

Details

Date: 24/03/2012
Opponent: Flyers
Location: Philadelphia

Loss: 1-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec
Opposition goalscorers: Timonen, Briere (2), Read

Play of the game

I thought the lone goal was a beauty. My favourite aspect was the instinctual no-hesitation pass made by Lars Eller to a Plekanec on the break. So often a second of thought can diffuse an opportunity like this one. The right play through the brief window of opportunity allowed Pleks to display his talents as goalscorer one more time this season.

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 really found Eller suited to the Flyers defensive coverage. Their reliance on size was met by determination on his part and he frequently slipped his coverage to get excellent position. His early pass, had it been to Kostitsyn, or anyone but the abysmal Rene Bourque, might have been the highlight goal. There was his play of the game pass and a few more.

David Desharnais
Desharnais didn't win the best short guy award in this contest. Neither did he make me want to turn off the TV with over the top celebration and weaselly smirk. Once again, David was on the ball in his play, often dissecting the defence with a quick and precise pass. On the puck, he is prone to bumping, but amazingly seems to end games leaving a better impression of puck protection than his much taller and heavier counterparts.

Tomas Plekanec
This game was a microcosm of Plekanec's season. On the whole, one would have to say he's still proficient and a positive contributor to the team. He is generally good on the PK (despite the goals that ended up going in this one). But he can trace his lack of goals this season to the fact that most of his chances seem to come now on breakaways, with few people finding him in established shooting positions, on the PP or not. I look to his return to goalscoring next year, though it probably depends on a winger transplant of fairly significant proportion.

Defencemen

Alexei Emelin
This game wasn't a shining moment for an NHL defence. Emelin did OK in what he does. He ended up with a good number of his custom hits and frustrating the Flyers on several occasions. As he matures, he continues to show glimpses of an offensive instinct that I feel we will be thankful for when he can replace the now almost clueless Gorges on PP assignments.

Andrei Markov
The PP was not successful, but this was perhaps not Markov's fault. He is still the calm and confident QB that offers hope for something better. Yet again, he made plays that rank so high above anything that we saw before his return. Drawing the penalty on a late PP should have paid off, but for no one willing to stand in front of the net for shots on the 5-on-3 (whether it's their supposed MO or not).

Goaltender

Carey Price
Budaj was alright, but ultimately below the standard necessary to compete against a team like the Flyers. The positive aspect of this for the management and fans is that this is exactly the result we wished for when we heard Carey would rest. Budaj fulfilled the mission by allowing Briere an opening that should never have been there on goal three and sealing his team's fate in doing so. It's not often, a goalie will get kudos from me for being less than even his own best, but on a night his team was risking playing into points, he answered the call.

Comments

This is what games would have been like were it not for Hal Gill and the amazing PK this season. The Canadiens lulled into being near Flyers who fell or whose sticks needed a nudge to break would have lost games this way. The game was not as lopsided as the score indicated, but it served the goals of both teams at this point of the season. The Flyers got their points as they stretch themselves to gain home ice against either Pittsburgh or NJ. The Canadiens quietly lose another, cling onto 3rd place in their own race and erase another game in which they might have accidentally hurt their future prospects.

The question has been asked, and was examined again, whether the Canadiens can repeat the feats of the playoff eschewing Flyers from 2007. I would suggest there's a lot of ground to make up. Even if one suggests that the Canadiens stable is the equal of the Flyers youngsters back then, the Habs just never did enough at the trade deadline -- Geoffrion and some second rounders won't surpass Coburn, and the Flyers return for Forsberg that season. The reall proof will be in June and July when we watch to see if the Canadiens can match the haul of Timonen, Hartnell and Briere that Holmgren managed to really overhaul his fortunes. We accept that Markov can be the Timonen piece by virtue of return, but the Habs may still need to show grab a couple more forwards ready to produce now if the Habs hope to accomplish anything close to a Philly turnaround.

Last night was also, as it happens, the night the Habs were formally eliminated from the playoffs (so poor is the East this season). With a full bandwagon now to back the losses, it should be an interesting final 6 games. All that remains in their way are the other teams who are due to fall by the playoff wayside in short order.

Game #74That's More Like It; Habs Lose Properly

Details

Date: 21/03/2012
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Buffalo

Loss: 0-3

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

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Hodgson (2), Pominville

Play of the game

My favourite play was a rush by PK. It was in the third period when the game was out of reach, but it was still a solid individual effort. He did very well in his own end to break coverage twice before heading up the ice. Blunden, of all people, then found some space and Subban found him. Miller then made a great save on what would have been a goal against most others.

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
My goal this summer, once I take 3 months off from thinking about hockey, is for Plekanec to get some wingers. Bourque is not Cammalleri, Gionta is not Kovalev and Geoffrion is not Kostitsyn. The Habs owe it to this player, who always gives it a solid effort, to surround him with good players. Tonight was another good effort as he had 6 shots and was perfect, again, on the PK.

Petteri Nokelainen
I noticed him for once and I think it has something to do with 9 minutes of ice rather than 3. Another reason may be that he was playing for Jari Kurri and a spot on Finland's World Championship team. He may be playing his last few games as a Hab, so I can't say I am that excited about a decent game as I do think it is way too late to impress at this point.

Erik Cole
Erik squeaks in here as he really wasn't that good, but the rest of the forwards weren't just normal, most were bad. Has the team checked out for the year? It seems so, but for the first time I am starting to assume that Cole has done so too.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
A good, quiet game for Josh that had a slight blemish on their first goal. He led the team with 4 blocked-shots and played the second most minutes. I know that I have talked a lot about World's for many Habs, but I may add Josh to that list. He is what Canada loves when it comes to stay-at-home D and I think that this may be his best chance to wear the Maple Leaf.

PK Subban
A no-brainer tonight is PK. He seems frustrated with the team's current situation and I get the feeling that this will be the exception year in what will be a great career. I liked how he stood up for Campoli at the end; it seems he has been doing more of that lately.

Goaltender

Carey Price
There wasn't much help from his teammates so this game was always going to be a loss for Carey. He did, however, put forth the type of effort that could have been worthy of a win. Interesting that he spent 2 minutes on the bench as it seems Cunneyworth wasn't afraid to try something slightly different than the rest.

Comments

Both teams got what they wanted (or at least what they should want) tonight, so everyone should be happy. It was a pretty dull 60 minutes to get to it though as Buffalo isn't exactly the most exciting team that the Habs could lose a game to. I felt that Montreal were in the game, but in a way weren't. There were some chances, but zero goals isn't that shocking as only two or three of those were really good chances. A lot of stupid penalties not only gave the Sabres extra chances, but also gave us time to keep working at our league's-best kill.

Two and a half weeks and eight games to go. It would appear that we'll finish 28th if everything goes according to plan which is still quite good (guaranteed top-4 pick). You then never know what the summer will hold beyond that; we could be looking at a new coach, GM, star 18 year-old and maybe a new vet or two. I am starting to get excited for the off-season, we just have to sit through 2.5 more months of hockey first.

Game #73Close Game Puts Habs Back In Comfort Of Last Place

Details

Date: 17/03/2012
Opponent: Islanders
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Palushaj, Leblanc (Desharnais, Bourque - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Streit, Nielsen (1, SO) (Moulson, Bailey - SO)

Play of the game

Subban's good play continued tonight and he was at his best on our second goal. After taking a pass from Budaj (who now has as many points as Engqvist, Staubitz, St. Denis and Geofrrion combined; Peter has played 27 less games than those guys combined) he rushed up the ice and caused confusion. A nice pass found Leblanc open in the slot and the kid went against the stream, upstairs with a backhand. It is the type of goal that only a puck-carrying defenceman can generate and is a big reason why I always take notice when PK takes off.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

David Desharnais
David played well throughout and scored a spectacular goal in the shootout. Surprisingly he played over 24 minutes of hockey as it has become obvious that the team's goals don't line up with mine.

Louis Leblanc
Leblanc only played 11 minutes and took 2 penalties, but I can't stop thinking about that backhand goal. With 9 points in 33 games I am not sure that he is really going to be the player that all hope for, but when he scores goals like he did tonight it certainly helps to fuel that fire.

Erik Cole
-1 and only 2 shots, but still in the dome, way to go other forwards. Tonight was a chance for guys like Palushaj, White, Bourque or Eller to step up, but again there was nothing. Aarron did score a soft, fluky goal which was long overdue, mind you. I guess there is a reason that Cunneyworth refuses to give ice-time to certain players as they aren't really proving that they deserve it right now.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
I really enjoyed watching Markov tonight as it makes the games that much easier to sit through. I was also happy to see him back in after missing yesterday's game and wonder if they didn't want him to play two days in a row so soon so sat him yesterday? He almost hit 22 minutes tonight and I am hoping that he stays there for the rest of the year. He has proven he is still elite and is worth hanging on to, so now it is all about getting minutes under the belt; 9 more games then World's please.

PK Subban
Subban has taken all year to get to this point, the point where I feel he is playing some of his best and most consistent hockey as a Hab. Like the Desharnais line it will be hard for him to miss a dome from here on in. And, like Markov, send him to World's too as I feel that could go a long way in healing relationships with other NHLers (seems like no other players or fans like him at all) which may end up helping him down the road.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj - Game Puck
Since no other player really stepped up and Peter played pretty well this seemed like the right choice for the game puck. I thought that he made some great saves, especially that one on the Bailey partial break where he really stretched out to make a toe stop. 9 more games for the Habs means 3 more for Budaj, I think. Both goalies may also go to World's which, again, won't hurt at all.

Comments

Losing in OT when you are unsure about winning or losing being the goal is the worst possible outcome. There is no 'well, at least we killed the other team' feeling, yet you still get saddled with a point. I am not surprised that we are going to OT so much though as teams at this time of the year are very cautious starting at about 15 minutes to go in the third. It seems that most teams are happy to take their chances in the skill contest as long as they are guaranteed a point. I bet that a bad team who was horrible at shootouts would still get 100 points on the year if they 'tied' every game just based on odds. So, you can see why so many bad teams take that route (us and the Islanders have gone to OT a combined 40 times this year, translating into 56 points).

How about a system where coming 9th is better than 15th? Instead of rewarding teams that come last with high draft picks and making fans sit through game upon game that means nothing the league makes finishing higher worth something. No team would rather the first pick than playoffs (if they did, then the current system would still work for them), so, I suggest having 17th get the first overall pick and 30th gets the 14th. Letting Columbus, Edmonton and the Islanders draft high every year doesn't create parity anyway when you think of it. So, how about giving all 30 teams 82 worthwhile games.

Game #62Habs in Last; But Rejoice, They Scored On The Caps This Year

Details

Date: 24/02/2012
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Washington

Loss: 1-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Bourque
Opposition goalscorers: Perreault, Chimera, Ovechkin, Ward

Play of the game

You'll only see the type of goal that we scored tonight at the only game more boring than our game was tonight: the All-Star game. Don't expect, however, to ever see multiple Habs at the All-Star game, at least not from this squad. So, tonight's goal was unique, maybe a one-off. On the PK Plekanec started a great tick-tack-toe play with Emelin and Bourque. It was Rene who finished up with his 17th.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Rene Bourque - Game Puck
A goal and two other decent chances was enough for this third-line, mid-season pick-up (slash Calgary cast-off) to take the game-puck. When a bad game by Bourque stands out our problems don't even have words.

Tomas Plekanec
Sadly an assist and only -1 isn't bad compared to the rest. If you don't believe me check the stats or re-watch the game.

David Desharnais
He had a rare sign of passion tonight. What will it take for others to catch this? Ca we build a team that cares? A team where all 20 players care every game? Sadly, looking around the league, I feel that 10 guys caring 50% of the time would be enough in the East to make the playoffs.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Was solid on the PK and was the best of a bunch that had a few real duds. Is he key to our future though? Will he be here after Tuesday? Does he want to be? I hope that he stays, but it is clear he isn't a #1 and if he is then it is of a 25-30 team. Whether it be Markov or someone else, our D needs help.

Alexei Emelin
Alexei had a great pass on our good play of the night and I certainly took notice (there was little to make me forget that moment). Emelin can be better though, but is still better than we all thought he would be at this point.

Goaltender

Carey Price
No goalie is going to win behind the team that played tonight. It could have been 1-10 and the dome would be his. If Budaj was in and let in 10, likewise, the dome would belong to Peter. I am not one of those who never blames goalies, but come on Habs, how did you think we were going to win this game? Pathetic.

Comments

This was painful. Yes, we needed the points and this was a 4-point game, but beyond the standings it was still not an easy one to watch. That has been the Habs lately, though. They have been a bad team all year and have been hard to watch on more nights than not. I now have a deeper appreciation for real fans of teams like the Islanders and Jackets as those guys must have watched hundreds of games like this over the past few seasons.

We have 20 games to go and a trade deadline. I am not sure what if there will be much excitement left in the season, but it would be nice if we put on a few good shows as it will help keep those of of us who watch 3 games a week sane.

Game #51Refs Blow It Again, Cost Habs Again

Details

Date: 02/02/2012
Opponent: Devils
Location: New Jersey

Loss: 3-5

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

Habs goalscorers: Desharnais, Kostitsyn, Darche
Opposition goalscorers: Parise (2), Clarkson (2), Zubrus

Play of the game

I am mad that we lost, but I will try and save that for later. In here, I will be serious when I say that the play of the game was Darche's goal (Kostitsyn's a close second). After New Jersey made a mess of it at our blue-line on their PP Pleks started skating up in the hopes of getting the puck. Gill read it well and found Tomas with a great pass. Plekanec made a great move that wasn't quite enough to beat Brodeur, but was enough to seriously trouble him. Darche supplied the support and notched his third of the year.

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
Not sure why one of our top forwards of the season started on the 4th line and got only 2 minutes in the first, but it didn't seem to bother him. He was the most dangerous Hab all night and scored a very nice goal to give us a two-goal lead.

Erik Cole
Don't let the two pathetic penalty calls confuse you as Erik, once again, had a good game. He played a good, hard, clean game tonight, but that didn't matter to the refs. They see a head-jerk here or a plea to the ref there and it is to the box for our top player. The rest of this season is his opportunity to get more players playing like him as he knows he is here to stay (does he wish he wasn't?).

Max Pacioretty
Max competed again tonight and should be pretty happy with his game. I am not worried about the -2 when one is an empty-netter and another should not have ever happened.

Defencemen

Yannick Weber
I thought that Kaberle, Diaz and Gill were below what we need tonight and Subban and Emelin weren't at their usual high levels. One player that played above his usual, however, was Weber. He picked up an assist, was a +1 (only Gill, of the D, was also a +) and led the team in shots in a D-low 11 minutes. Whether he gets moved or will be back next year is the question; games like this help to improve both scenarios.

Josh Gorges
Our makeshift #1 was our best again tonight. I do miss a world where Gorges, a natural 3/4, could be playing on a second pairing. Let's hope that next year Markov and Subban live up to their bills.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Not the best game from Carey with 4 goals on 21 shots, but things may have been a lot different with better reffing. The first goal was weak, but after that there were two deflections and one shot that he couldn't have predicted. Tonight he wasn't any worse than Brodeur, the difference was that the luck was in Marty's corner.

Comments

The Canadiens played much better than they did on Tuesday and I think deserved to win this game. Players like Plekanec and Kostitsyn were better which added some punch to our attack. The plan, however, got derailed with poor decisions that favoured NJ. The team that can never do any wrong in the eyes of refs league-wide capitalized on a couple of those calls/non-calls and that is that.

The two worst calls of the night were the high-sticking call on Cole and the non-call on hooking against Cole. The 'high-stick' (or should I say stick accidentally to head, no matter the height of the head) call was brutal. Brodeur's head was below Erik's waist and was out of the blue plaint. The blade of Cole's stick made contact, Marty threw his head back and the ref bit. Can the NHL just change the rule and say if a stick touches a player in the head it is a penalty (if Brodeur's mask bled would it have been 4 minutes?) because they are not calling anything near what the rulebook says is a high-stick. The Devils scored a crucial goal on that PP.

The second incident involved Cole again. This time. late in the third, with the game tied at 3 (the time/situation of a game when we are told that refs can't make calls else lose their jobs) Cole was hooked badly coming out of the zone. Unlike most hooking calls, which are made to keep TV viewers happy with PP goals, this one actually had an effect on the play and on the player being hooked. Cole was unable to clear the zone. The puck was kept in, the game-winner was scored and the horns sounded. A perfect scenario for the NHL and fans in New Jersey who need wins as incentive to pump time and money into a foreign sport.

Game #43Habs Lose Game, Top Playoff Performer

Details

Date: 12/01/2012
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Loss: 1-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Weber
Opposition goalscorers: Caron, Lucic

Play of the game

It has to be our goal, the one by the player that has said he is better than other defencemen on this team. The goal was a screen shot on a PP, not much to it, but a goal against Thomas is always welcomed. He is right, though, he is better than a few of our D. What Yannick fails to mention, however, is that he isn't that great himself. We would hope that goals like this would come more often - will they?

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
I think Tom cares and I think that he likes the Habs. Didn't see too much of that tonight, but didn't see anything much better from the rest. He won 1/3 of the games face-offs, 76% of his. Can a change of linemates get him going? Something has to.

Erik Cole
Our best player, even not at his best, is still our best player. He tried hard to score at times and wants to win, you can see that much on his face. With Pacioretty firing blanks and a new player coming (and the fact that we lose most of the time) one may look elsewhere for linemates for the big winger - could he and Gomez work?

Mike Blunden
Nothing against Blunden as I like him, but isn't a bit sad that he is in here? Against the league's best you would hope that someone other than your worst player could crack the dome. He was in it tonight, though and for that I am giving him credit. His five hits stood out the most for me.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
This wasn't a great game for Emelin, Gorges nor Subban, so, the door is opened. Gill got more minutes tonight and took a step back in the right direction with his defensive play, particularly the play on the PK. I am not sure if he has a place on this team anymore, but, to tell you the truth, I am having a hard time figuring out who really does these days anyway.

Yannick Weber
It says something when your 8th defenceman can step in and make the dome and score the team's only goal. It tells us that what Cammalleri and Weber himself were saying is pretty bang on. I think that Weber has a long way to go to earn a regular spot, but with Campoli, Gill and Kaberle ahead of him let's just say that the door is open and that the chance is his to take.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price didn't look too sharp tonight, but was still far and away our best player. I question whether he had to wander on the first goal. I have never been huge on playing the puck at every opportunity, but if I was to be my most hesitant it would be when the game was tight and we were on the road in an arena with unfamiliar bounces. The second goal was a bad play from Plekanec and Gorges. Thomas would have been lucky and made the save, Price got unlucky and it went in.

Comments

There were two parts to this game, the game itself and the trade. As for the game we went down, on the road, to a very good team. It was unlucky, yes, but we didn't do much throughout to change that luck. The most upsetting thing, however, is that Boston didn't play that well. Beyond that bad bounce we tied them and that is despite very, very pathetic refereeing (making up for the Marchand suspension?)

The second part of the game started when it was noticed, early in the third, that Camms wasn't on the ice nor the bench. Unless you are Gionta or Gomez this generally means that you aren't hurt again, but that you have been traded. In the end we picked up a worse version of what Cammalleri was and should be. Bourque, however, can't be too much worse than Mike had been this year. We also got an upgrade in the prospect department and the draft pick department. All this and salary was shed. But, will Bourque become a problem and will that salary tie our hands? I can't say no, although many people thought that our hands were tied with Camms and now, miraculously, they aren't. I can't help but be upset, however, about the fact that we just lost our best playoff performer (non-Halak) of the past three years. He was money in the post-season and, for me, it is worth the regular season that he is having to hold on to that. When our team changed directions in 2009 I was most happy with the Cammalleri signing. To me, this was the biggest name player that we had brought in since Kovalev. The biggest out-of-town star that we made a move for since the lock-out. There was promise and after four playoff series and an electrifying Centennial game I knew that we had a big-game player. I am sad to see him go as I don't care if a player is selfish, has an ego or is soft in his own end when he can score. He hadn't been scoring lately, but I always believed that he would again. After all, you can't teach what we just lost.

Game #39Habs Slip Again In Sunshine State

Details

Date: 31/12/2011
Opponent: Panthers
Location: Florida

Loss: 2-3

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Theodore, Clemmensen (W)

Habs goalscorers: Moen, Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Fleischmann, Matthias

Play of the game

Cole's individual effort at the end was a thing of beauty. It wasn't good in the sense that it filled me with hope (I am getting pretty tired of believing that the Habs will come back), but was good in that in reminded me that we have Cole. Where would we be without this player?

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Travis Moen
He gave us the dreaded first goal, but then did his best throughout the game to avoid the usual outcome. He was also the only player to improve his +/- by 2 this game. Moen has 9 goals which is great for Moen, but at New Year's isn't it a bit sad that he has more than Plekanec, Desharnais, Eller, Cammalleri and Gionta; I think there is some mirror looking to be done by quite a few players heading into 2012.

Lars Eller
This is mostly for his assist on Moen's goal. We need more of that from this player heading into a new year. Being a top-2 centre generally requires more than potential that was spotted 5 years ago and 12 points in half a season.

Erik Cole
Not a surprise to see Erik in here once again. He is good and he cares. And, not only is he good, but he also plays a good game. It has been a tough few weeks (months?) backing so many 'good' players who can spend half of a season waiting to heat up.

Defencemen

Alexei Emelin - Game Puck
He and Cole have been the 2 pleasant surprises so far this season and I can't imagine how painful some of these games would have been without #'s 74 and 72. His hipcheck on Versteeg had me out of my seat which is rare for any non-goal plays. He now leads all rookies in hits and is 16th in the league. Not bad for a guy that has to still fight for a spot and has only featured in 28 games.

Josh Gorges
Josh is now locked up for 6 years which proves that you can trade for Kaberle and sign Gorges to a long-term deal. It is also proof that he doesn't want out, that he isn't fed up and that he cares about this team. I see that every game and I am happy that our leader on D will be around for a while. He doesn't have much to explain after a decent first half, but can he rally his troops now to follow him in what will be the hardest half season in the last little while?

Goaltender

Carey Price
The second goal didn't look good, but otherwise he was fine. We can't expect him to be better than he has been as he has had a fine first half. But, if we want to make the playoffs he has to play better. When he is near the top of the league we are a better team. He is currently outside of the top 20 in the two main categories (which is obviously not his fault more than each of his teaamates') and that is not how this team (with not much in the way of skill or depth in front of him) will make the playoffs. Basically we need the player who was our best player last year to be even better now; it would be nice if his teammates gave him a huge hand in achieving that.

Comments

I don't have much to say because, like you, I am sure, I am ready to forget 2011. This game was another game of the same kind, a game that has come to characterize the Habs. We basically can't play 60 minutes of hockey anymore. We are good enough to not get blown out all the time (or much at all), but aren't good enough to win tight games, games that we used to excel at winning.

2011 was a rough year that may be remembered mostly for the playoff game-7 OT loss to the Cup Champions and by a very bad first half. 2012 doesn't have to be the same, though, we can turn it around. These players have been good players before, even with this team. So, it is time to put the past behind us and start fresh. We have 43 games left; let's just see what happens.

Game #35Must It Get Worse To Get Better?

Details

Date: 21/12/2011
Opponent: Blackhawks
Location: Chicago

Loss: 1-5

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

Habs goalscorers: Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Brunette, Sharp. Stalberg, Toews, Bickell

Play of the game

The final horn was the feel good moment of the night for me, but it wasn't the play of the game. That honour actually goes to a hockey play; our goal. The best parts about the goal were that it was scored on the PP and it gave us a lead against the league's best team. The play itself is noteworthy too as it was indeed a good goal by Kostitsyn as he was able to redirect a quick pass from Plekanec up and over a well-positioned Crawford.

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 had to give the game puck to someone, didn't I? It wasn't his best game and he wasn't too much a threat throughout, but tonight, when nothing was going on, a goal is really all we have to go on. Would you give 13 minutes, 4 less than Camms, to this player? I think that Cunney has to re-evaluate this one, after all he was on for no goals against (unlike 9 other forwards).

Max Pacioretty
What do I want? Goals. Well, if I can't have that I at least want shots. Tonight he took 38% (8) of our shots and, although he didn't score, came closer than pretty much everyone else. The thing is, however, we need him to score, he is not being paid to simply shoot; I hope he picks it up soon.

Erik Cole
When no one on the depth chart below you steps up you can sometimes squeeze into the dome. That is what has happened here with Erik. He wasn't good, but I'll take a bad Cole over a bad anyone else at this point.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
On for a goal-for and no goals-against gets Diaz another dome. Oh, it also helps that the other D were pretty bad throughout. I am not pleased that a rookie who isn't really doing much positive is becoming a regular in the dome halfway through the season, but that is what seems to be happening.

Hal Gill
Like Diaz he wasn't on for any of their goals. I am not sure if that makes him a logical choice for the dome, but I really didn't like the others tonight. The sad thing is that he got 16 minutes and, contrary to most dome selections, I likely wouldn't want to use him for much more than that. (I think I just implied that we need some people to start seriously stepping up).

Goaltender

Carey Price
I didn't expect Budaj to win this one and would only think that 2 of those goals were stoppable, but at the end of the day he wasn't good enough. His team was horrible in front of him, but I still look at his performance and can't say that I was filled with too much confidence.

Comments

I don't have much energy to write too much in here and I am sure that not too many of you have the energy to keep reading about the latest way we learned to lose, so this will be short.

Chicago is a good team, even a great one and we were probably doomed from the start. It was nice to go up, but staying on top and winning was always going to be a tall order. We certainly didn't compete the way that one would have hoped and that seems to be the problem, again. Coaches, players available and opponents aside the least we fans can ask for is an honest attempt at a win. Now, I think that we do show that in a lot of our wins (even if that means playing defensively), but tonight I didn't see it. I don't think this loss means that the season is over or that more changes are required right away, but I can't stress how important a win in the Peg tomorrow is. There is a bad taste in Montrealers' mouths right now. It is quite the potent bad-tasting hockey/political tonic that I for one don't want in my mouth over the weekend. So, come on Habs, send us on the break with some hope, give us something to forget about so we can enjoy all the stuff that really matters without fretting about what may be happening to our beloved team.

Game #34Habs Fall Short Against Impressive Thomas

Details

Date: 19/12/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Loss: 2-3

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

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Pouliot, Krejci, Marchand

Play of the game

Price made a fantastic save on Hamill with about 8 minutes to go in the third and it was one of his best this year. We were facing some excellent goaltending throughout this game and it was Carey who answered Thomas with this stellar save to keep the game close. Without that save we would be wondering how that goal happened and who to blame, with it somehow all players are off the hook as Carey again bailed them out.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty
His line was the best and he competed well tonight. A worse goalie or Thomas on an off night would have meant more than one assist from Max. The goal for him now has to be how to get back to the level that we need him to be at? Will he follow Cole's example?

Erik Cole
Would you be embarrassed if you were Camms, Gionta or Gomez? The answer is likely yes; one of the specific reasons is Erik Cole. He was brought in to be a complimentary player to our 'Big Guns', but instead has been our best. He has shown that it is not impossible to come to Montreal and to excel (even out-do) as you had done elsewhere. Erik continues to be a great role model on this team, but can he inspire?

Mathieu Darche
As Darche did with Martin (initially, not quite this year) he is trying to win a spot in the eyes of his new coach. He has been great (for a 4th-liner) over the past two games and is being rewarded for his efforts. I like when guys like Darche get going, it generally is a good sign for your team; I am hoping that that will become a reality over the next little while.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
If you want Emelin back (as I do) don't expect Diaz to be the one to sit. Tonight he logged the second most ice time on the team (Gorges) and was great throughout his 21 minutes. He played well at both ends and was used in all situations. The questions may have to be asked about Camploi or Gill because for now I think that Diaz has a friend in his new coach.

Hal Gill
Gill wasn't on the ice for any goals against during his 19.5 minutes and was a rock on the PK again. He led the team in blocked shots and played well enough otherwise. There were a few bad moments, but I still felt that he deserved this dome over the others.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price had a better game tonight than against New Jersey, by a lot. Boston, whether we like it or not, are a hard team to beat; a team that can beat you on almost every level. In fact, I think that they are a better team this year than last. So, I was happy enough that the game was close and that was mostly due to Carey.

Comments

Boston played well tonight and we were just OK. We aren't going to win too many times in Boston if that is the case. It isn't surprising given the current situation of the two teams, but it is still upsetting. It looks like the problems of our team may have gone quite a bit beyond coaching as not much (granted it has only been 3 days) has changed. I still want to give the new staff time to work things out, but do hope that they (and our players) can reach their full (or near full) potential in the not too distant future. If we aren't on a better track in about 3 weeks then I think we'll be having to find different things to do this April and a few other people will have to find different things to do come next September.

Game #29One More Slips Through Habs's Hands

Details

Date: 08/12/2011
Opponent: Canucks
Location: Montreal

Loss: 3-4 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: St. Denis, Diaz, Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Raymond, Hodgson (1, SO), Salo

Play of the game

The play of the game was going to be the Cole goal, that is until we got to OT. In my head it was then going to be the winner or a fantastic save. When neither of those happened I went back to the one play that made us look our best. Cole did very well at the blue-line to block a shot. The puck bounced favourably for him and he was off towards Luongo with Pacioretty on a 2-on-1. Cole made the right choice and Luongo guessed wrong. The goal gave us the dreaded 3-0 lead.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei tied for the lead in shots and in hits tonight and that didn't come as a shock. He made things happen in the offensive zone and, unfortunately for him, ends the night with a -1 rating and no points. When he uses his size, strength and shot, as he did tonight, he is easily one of our best all-around players.

Erik Cole - Game Puck
Speed, size and more speed was Erik's game tonight. His goal was the pay-off for playing that way throughout the first two periods, for making the Canuck defence question themselves. He almost cost us the game in OT with a horrible giveaway, but Price bailed him out with a fantastic save and saved him game-puck honours.

David Desharnais
Desharnais didn't pick up any points or have a great night in the face-off circle, but did a fine job in other categories. He centred our best line and contributed to quite a few of Cole and Pacioretty's chances. He also ended up being one of only three forwards (Cole, Camms) to improve their +/- tonight.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
Scored a goal and logged huge minutes again. I was also pretty impressed with his confidence at both ends. His play and that of Emelin's vs. that of Weber's has me liking the playing-pro-in-Europe route quite a bit. Where else can you get 25 year-olds who are ready to play top-4 minutes?

Alexei Emelin
I would have liked to have Gorges in here, but in the end I couldn't get over him being on the ice for two third period goals against. So, I went with Emelin, the obvious (how crazy is that?) choice. He logged close to 24 minutes, led the game in hits (tied with Kostitsyn) and is becoming the one Hab that you don't want to be skating in on with some speed.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I have Carey in, but it was close. I know that it isn't his fault that we always lose our leads, it is the team's. It would be great if we had a goalie who could hold-off the nightly third-period bombardment, but it shouldn't be expected. Price would have a lot more wins with a better team in front of him, but there are goalies, few as they are, who would have this team winning. He made some fabulous saves to even give us the chance at one point and then a couple in OT that gave us the chance for a shootout (or, realistically, a chance to win in OT). I would, however, have Budaj in for the shootout. I don't now how good or bad Peter is in the shootout, but I know that 9 goals on 17 shots (38th of 45 goalies) isn't good; I would give change a chance.

Comments

If you didn't see this game, but you saw the San Jose one, I think that you're good. The Habs couldn't hold their lead, sat back and gave it too little too late. The upsetting part is that when we are playing well (as we did in the first 40 minutes) we can keep up with any team, we can beat any team. We are too content, however, once we have the lead to see if we can hold on. Why anyone in their right mind would think that a defensive shell would be the best way to win or tie a period is beyond me. It seems pretty obvious that if we kept playing to score we could be winning games by more than 1 goal (generally the result when wins actually happen). This is the reason that so many of our games go to OT and so many of our other losses or other wins are by 1-goal margins. We allow the other team to catch-up, if they want, all the while being good enough ourselves to catch-up and keep a game close when we don't have the lead. Tonight's game is frustrating because it is one point lost. A point that we all know how we could have gotten, a point that the players know how to get, a point that the coaches should know how to get, but won't just do it. Until we change our gameplan it will always be a 50/50 toss-up. The playoff hope will remain alive, however, (not any old team can stay with Vancouver), but won't be a certainty (not any old team can keep it so close with Columbus).

Game #23Flyers Wanted It, Flyers Got It

Details

Date: 25/11/2011
Opponent: Flyers
Location: Philadelphia

Loss: 1-3

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

Habs goalscorers: Nokelainen
Opposition goalscorers: Giroux (2), Voracek

Play of the game

One big problem with our PP is that we let up chances, a lot of chances, against ourselves. It is bad enough that we can't score, but for some other reason the other teams are getting their fair share of attempts on Price. Today, in the first period, with the score locked at zero Price made a fantastic save on Matt Read on a 2-on-1 while we were a man-up. We could have been down at that point, but instead Carey kept us in the game, and did so for much of the second period too.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Erik Cole
Cole tried hard today, he wasn't at his best, but still looked the best among our top forwards. He led the team in shots with 5 and had some of our best chances. He can't do it himself, though, that was plain to see.

Petteri Nokelainen
I hardly ever notice Petteri, which I suppose for a fourth-liner is a quasi-good thing. It could be better, however, as we have had players in his position work their way to the top-3, even top-2 lines. That isn't going to happen in his case, but he still can be of use as he was today when he put the Habs in the lead.

Lars Eller
A better game from any of the 'big-name' forwards would have probably earned a dome today, but instead Lars, who played alright, gets in. Let's just say that he was one of the players who played the closest to his best and, dare I say, competed in this one. He is still looking for a home on this team, but if he keeps being a top-3 forward, as he was today, they'll have to give him more ice-time and more opportunities than he is currently getting.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
I almost gave the game-puck to Gill today. It wasn't for the weak (as always) shot that he took that became an assist, but instead for outstanding play in his own end, particularly on the PK. Earlier this week I started to wonder if he had his place in the top-4, top-6 or even top-7 D-men on this team. I concluded that he did, but just. Today, however, he reminded me what he can do against strong teams and I am suggesting that if he plays like he did today he will be as valuable to us this season as he ever has been.

Josh Gorges
Diaz, Weber and Subban all looked unprepared throughout the game. They were making mistakes that they shouldn't be making and were making quite a few of them. Emelin was good for the most part, but also didn't look his best. That leaves me with Gorges who I realized didn't look bad at all. It was another solid game from Josh and he even picked up a whopping 10th point.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price has played much better than this, but, this afternoon, he was our best player by quite a bit. In fact, apart from some more poor puck-handling adventures, he was dominant for half of the game. It was big save upon big save early and I certainly felt that this was the type of game in which he wouldn't be beat. Maybe his teammates felt the same way because at one point (sometime early in the second) they just stopped playing. The onslaught was too much and no goalie would have had the solution.

Comments

It was never going to last, was it? A 1-0 lead against Philly, in Philly, just wasn't going to be enough. When we scored that lucky goal, however, we tried to hold on. The Flyers, however, have too much offensive power to just sit back and hope for the best, but that is what it looked like we were doing. Our only sustained chances came on the PP (just not as good chances as we are used to) and towards the end of the game which is becoming predictable as this team seems to wait far too long to go all-out for a goal. It almost seemed, from the start, that this was a game that we couldn't win. The question, of course, becomes why good one night and bad the next? The answer, as usual, is that this is the NHL. Teams like Columbus can win, ones like Detroit can lose. It wasn't a fun game today, but I am in no way worried that because of it we will play poorly tomorrow.

Next up are the Penguins at home. Yes they have Crosby back, but we have beaten the Crosby-led Pens before. I really believe that we have to find a way to get the two points tomorrow. Otherwise, it will be 3 losses in 4 games this week with the only success being a shootout win vs. the 'Canes. It's not a must-win and the season won't be lost if we don't win, but a win, a hard-fought one, would be very good for our beat-up squad and would just be more fun to watch.

Game #21Habs Do Their Best; Can't Beat Thomas

Details

Date: 21/11/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal

Loss: 0-1

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

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Ference

Play of the game

After Emelin coughed up the puck at the offensive blue-line the Bruins turned around to go in on a 2-on-1. It was Lucic who took the pass and was in alone on Price, but it was Carey who had the last laugh. He stoned the Bruin and gave his team a very good chance at getting those points. The loss ended up happening, but without that save it wouldn't have even been an exciting finish.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Erik Cole - Game Puck
Erik was fast, alert and hungry tonight and looked to be our best bet at a goal. The goal didn't end up coming, but the chances did and that is often good enough. When he plays like he did tonight (and like he has done for the past 10 games or so) he can be unstoppable. Unfortunately tonight, however, Thomas was at his best.

Brian Gionta
Brian has found his game of late and, like Cole, was on tonight. The goals, however, didn't go in, but on most nights, against most goalies he is walking away with some points. I feel that his even-strength and PK games are where they should be, but his PP game could use some work. We talk a lot about point-men being the problem on the PP, but we also need to see more creativity from the forwards like Gionta, Cammalleri and Gomez.

Tomas Plekanec
Is everywhere a good enough description? That is where I felt Tom was tonight. He was our best centre and was involved in all aspects. The only part of his game that let him down tonight was his last-touch offence, whether that be a shot or a pass right before a chance. The Bruins made it hard to play cleanly in this area, but if we are to beat them it has to be more than effort, it has to also be about that last step.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
He and Emelin formed our best partnership tonight and while his partner took care of things in our own end I felt it was Diaz who did well offensively. I liked how he was jumping into the play tonight from the blue-line as he can add a different direction to our sometimes linear attack.

Alexei Emelin
The number one difference between Emelin now and Emelin at the start of the season is confidence. It is so obvious to see that he is comfortable out there and isn't mortified of making a mistake. There will still be errors (and there was a big one tonight on the play of the game), but without confidence there would be more and likely very little good play. He seems to always be there in the corners when he should be or breaking things up in front of the net when he should be. He has gone from a player who we expected in the minors to a guy that I would have a hard time taking out of the line-up.

Goaltender

Carey Price
This was another great game from Price, a game in which he kind of got robbed of the win by Thomas. We out-shot Boston 33-18, but couldn't give Price the one or two goals that he needed to work with. There were some questionable passes early in the game that could have cost us, but otherwise it was a clean, solid game.

Comments

On a night when Crosby came back and got four points all I cared about was us getting two. We played our game and basically overwhelmed Boston. We limited their chances and shots and were able to get in their end with frequency and get the puck to the net. We stayed out of penalty trouble, but couldn't do anything with 8 minutes of our own on the PP. Otherwise, it was kind of the perfect Habs game with the main difference-maker being Thomas. I do believe, however, that 9 times out of 10 we come out of this game with at least a point. So, there is nothing to be changed, we just have to move on.

The key now, however, for this week has to be to make our performances count. We let a silly one get away against the dismal Islanders last week and now couldn't turn a strong home performance into a win against Boston. There are three games left this week, 2 on the road, 1 at home to Crosby, so we have to ensure that we keep up our pace and find ways to get points. I would be happy with 4 points from those games and almost think that 3 or less would be deceiving from this group. We can get the ball rolling again on Wednesday when we face the 'Canes, the worst team that we have yet to play this season.

Game #8Would We Prefer No Effort, But A Win?

Details

Date: 24/10/2011
Opponent: Panthers
Location: Montreal

Loss: 1-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Fleischmann, Upshall

Play of the game

There was a sequence during which Markstrom had to make a few incredible saves, the best one being a robbery against Cammalleri who batted one out of the air. The save was amazing, the play that led to the chance was one of the Habs' best of the year and showed off the incredible skill that Camms has; surely goals will follow.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Erik Cole
He scored a goal tonight, his first, but that wasn't what impressed me most (in fact I am not even sure that he knew he scored). What impressed me was his speed, willingness to go to net and strength on the puck. Presumably these are the qualities that we bought in July; let's hope that this is the first of many similar performances.

Lars Eller
Lars continued his good play tonight and his line was once again a strong unit. If we can take anything from these games it may be the learning that Eller is getting. He is our only player who is noticeably improving this year and that should come in handy when (if) the others get going.

Tomas Plekanec
I haven't been too impressed with Pleks this year. For some reason his sub-par play has been below the radar as people seem more focused on Gomez, Gionta and Cole. Tom, however, has also not lived up to the expectations that we have for him. Tonight, though, he showed some flashes of brilliance. Let's hope that in his case this slow start was ended by tonight's up-turn.

Defencemen

Yannick Weber
For those who remember Yan had a bad camp and maybe some bad scrimmages, but luckily he has been able to recognize when it is truly important to play well. He is slowly becoming a top defender on this team and tonight was the best. He was rewarded in this game with the most ice-time of anyone and did his very best to create chances in Florida's end. For a guy that many people wanted to be traded and saw as an 8th D-man/13th forward he has done very well. We couldn't be much worse off than we are now, but surely it would look worse if Weber weren't around.

Josh Gorges
This is not the Josh Gorges that we all remember, but tonight he was at least solid enough (in both ends I might add) to be a top-2 for us. The problem may be that we unsung his praises for a bit too long and all of a sudden expected more. There is a reason that he has been an unsung hero in the past, the reason is that we never expected much. The pressure is on him now, but when you look deep he is probably giving exactly what he should - decent 4th D-man minutes, with the occasional mistake and occasional flash of offensive power.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj - Game Puck
Budaj finally got a start tonight and did quite alright. He hasn't seen action in nearly a month and did decent enough considering that. He is certainly no Halak (you can rest easy, Price), but may be able to win us a few more than Auld did (although Auld did play exceptionally well as it turned out). He made some great saves, gave up some big rebounds and let in a couple of goals that 90% of goalies would have let in. He has certainly earned more starts, but I am actually more interested, at this point, in finding a goalie that can get us more wins.

Comments

The effort was there, but we hit a hot goalie at the wrong time. That, you see, is the problem with losing a lot; you will eventually lose games that you could have won. Eventually you have to be able to win games in which you played well and games in which you played badly. Right now we are doing neither. Let's face it though, this was the Florida Panthers, the goalie was Markstrom. Sure they played well, but a serious team, a team that wants to win 1 or 2 rounds in the playoffs finds ways to beat teams like this, even if they have a hot goalie. The chances were there as were the shots, but it was a lot of perimeter stuff. Sure a bounce or two our way and it is a different story, so I won't go on too much.

This could be a tough week, but could also be a week that shapes this team for the season. 2 games against Boston and one against Philly means that tonight was the easy one, the one we had to win, right? Yes and no. A win would have been nice, but at the end of the day we'll have to beat the Bostons and Phillys of this league. Wins in 2 or 3 of those games would be enough to convince me that we are fine, but more importantly should be enough to convince our players. If we have a good week the belief will grow and one would have to think that we'd be off, ready for the long haul. A losing week, however, would probably mean that change is to come. A bad 11 games to open the season is enough of an indication that something has to give. After this week we'll have 71 games to play, so if we only have 4 points in the bank we'll need to really get it going to hit that 95 (playoff safe) point plateau.

Game #7More Breakdowns Than On The Side Of The 401

Details

Date: 22/10/2011
Opponent: Maple Leafs
Location: Montreal

Loss: 4-5 (OT)

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Reimer, Gustavsson (W)

Habs goalscorers: Moen (2), Kostitsyn, Cammalleri
Opposition goalscorers: Steckel, Kessel, Phaneuf, Grabovski (2)

Play of the game

I have to hand it to Travis Moen, because of all of the Habs he may be the one that is playing the most above his usual. He covered up another poor play by the team (an opening minutes penalty) with a spectacular effort to get open and score the first goal. On the PK, he an Eller were off. Lars was gone, but could Travis make it a 2-on-1? Yes, he did incredible work to get in front of his man and then did even better once he got the puck. He fought off the D very well and beat Reimer with a perfectly placed backhand shot.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Travis Moen - Game Puck
I didn't think that I would be saying this (and had actually hoped that I wouldn't have to), but Moen was our best player tonight. No offence to Travis, but there are a few players that should be ashamed of themselves because it isn't like Moen is playing like Crosby and that is why he is standing out, no, he is just playing good, solid hockey. Tonight it was 2 goals and a +3 - maybe not my first choice for top-6 winger minutes, but he is certainly earning that time now.

Lars Eller
He played a good game tonight and demonstrated that he is also capable of being a top-2 centre on this team. It may be unclear where he really stands when all are healthy, but if he keeps playing with the energy and passion that he did tonight then I think he'll keep getting his minutes. He had a 2-point night tonight, was very dangerous in the offensive zone and, like his linemate, was +3.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Kostitsyn should feel pretty good about the start that he has had. JM keeps moving people around to try and get others going (and appears to be demoting Kostitsyn each time he does that), but Andrei answers by continuing to be a main part of our best line, night in, night out. He picked up a very nice goal tonight and added an assist on Moen's second (the Gorges shot).

Defencemen

Yannick Weber
Yannick was on for no goals against, was +1 and played 22+ minutes. I didn't notice him much in our end which tonight, was a good thing. He is being used in all situations and is certainly making a case for himself to remain as a defenceman. He has probably been a top-3 D-man for us this year so it will be interesting to see what happens when Spacek, and later Markov, get back.

PK Subban
PK has to be better, he needs to. If he doesn't give us more than he has then this Habs team is a lot worse off than we all thought they would be. Right now he is playing one game as a top-2, one game as a solid depth player and another as a rookie. We, whether it was right to do so or not, have put a lot on this kid and I think our season will depend a lot on his progression. Tonight he was a top-2 for us, but that is mainly due to the mistakes of others and his decent puck control on the PP. There are still 75 games left, lets hope he gets it going, and I mean really going, before it is too late.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
The one player that we need to be better than PK this year is Price. We were good last year, but it is no stretch to say that if we had this goaltending we would not have made the playoffs at all. He has to find ways to win despite the players in front of him because, for the most part it is the same group that he has won behind before. The team is certainly playing worse, no question, but we can't keep losing games in which we score 4+ goals. Expectations are high on this kid because at this point, he is really all we have going for us.

Comments

Just like the team I play on; too many penalties. It is an embarrassment that we got 2 too-many men on the ice penalties today...what is that? I can't stand that we continue to be one of the most penalized teams in the league despite the fact that we have no real dirty or rough players. I don't know how many times I have said this, but penalties must be JM's main concern. I reckon that if this keeps up he may be in his last 2 weeks in the NHL, so he had better find a way to win games and I strongly believe that taking less penalties is the best way to start. So, in my opinion, he must do whatever it takes to get his players to be scared, scared as hell of taking any sort of penalty. Perhaps always siding with your player and always disaggreeing with the ref after a call isn't the way to get your players to change their ways? Just a thought.

Now, penalties aside, we continue to play poorly in our own end and we play an awful lof of hockey in that 1/3 of the rink. We can't get it out with any sort of consistency and our inability to maintain prolonged attacks means that we simply get overwhelmed in our end. I hate this cliche, but I honestly think that we just have to keep things simple, we have to play the most basic and safest type of defensive hockey. It seems that we are able to score despite all of our problems throughout the line-up, so we must focus on defence, full team defence. That means a lot of work for Price and the D-men, but also a big focus on our defensive zone play from our forwards. Until we win I would actually exclusively work on this aspect of the game during practice.

We're probably a few losses away from major moves, so lets hope (unless we want major moves?), we turn it around fast. If we keep this play up for another month the season could be ruined, if we turn it around in the next few days it will simply look like a blip on our overall record.