The Case Against Fighting

The case against fighting is made masterfully by the eloquent JT of The H Does Not Stand for Habs. Give it a read if you have a serious stake in one side or the other of this debate.

I have nothing to add to the complete argument she made on the topic. If you prefer to comment here on the debate, we have our views too. I'll engage.

Making Your NHL Club

There was probably a time in the not too distant past where training camp really was a legitimate opportunity for a young prospect to take a run at a roster place. Years of accumulated commitments, collective bargaining agreements and roster regulations have changed that for the young hopefuls. Nowadays, a young player being invited to an NHL camp only needs to take a quick browse of the CapGeek website before lacing the skates to know how the Vegas odds makers are handicapping his chances of success.

After Game 5 of the preseason, in which Therrien iced an almost identical lineup to last year's edition of the Habs, we can reflect on how training camp has gone and why at the end of it we won't see the slowing veterans turfed by energetic youngsters by whom they were significantly outperformed.

Game #63Another Emotionless Habs Snoozer

Details

Date: 26/02/2012
Opponent: Panthers
Location: Florida

Loss: 2-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Desharnais, Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Weiss (2), Bergenheim, Campbell

Play of the game

Desharnais did great work to keep the play alive and then to get into a dangerous position. He ended up scoring a goal, his 12th and the game's first, but it proved, again, to not be enough.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

David Desharnais - Game Puck
He scored a goal and added an assist in the first 7 minutes of the game. There wasn't much more from him after that, but, if everyone was pulling their weight it surely would have been enough. He now has 46 points and leads the Habs. It is a great accomplishment for him, but players like Plekanec, Kostitsyn and Gomez should be quite ashamed. David was undrafted, so maybe that is the way for the Habs to go from now on?.

Erik Cole
Erik played well, but wasn't his best. Regardless, he was a standout on the night. He has a look of frustration on his face, possibly the look of disbelief? Disbelief that he left a bad team for an even worse one, perhaps?

Tomas Plekanec
Why? Because I had to choose someone.

Defencemen

Tomas Kaberle
He got an assist, played nearly 20 minutes and was even on the night. Kaberle has been criticized since he arrived, but his 18 points in 34 games is no joke. That pace is better than that of Kostitsyn, Bourque, Gionta or Gomez - all players that we thought would contribute at a decent rate.

PK Subban
PK scored a goal and led the team is shots by 3. He is ticked at how the season has gone as we all are, but if I were him I would be comforted by the fact that, in his career, it won't get much worse. He is a good player who has been playing better hockey as of late.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
Can't blame Budaj in this one. Price may have fared a bit better, but this team wasn't going to win tonight, so I can't take this rare dome opportunity away from the Slovak. That said, he looked a bit weak on a couple of the goals and that probably has a little something to do with having not played in three weeks.

Comments

I hope that the Habs don't do anything stupid in the next 24 hours. We have a few players that are key to our future and a few others that should be sold at all costs. So, I don't want to see an Emelin, Plekanec, Price or Subban go, but do think that players like Moen, Campoli, Gomez and Bourque should be moved if possible. There are then players like Darche, Kostitsyn, Eller, Diaz and Kaberle who may very well be part of the future or not. I don't think that now, however, is the time to make the call on players like that.

Kostitsyn, in particular, is a better player than we have seen since January. Early on he was one of the best forwards on the team, but didn't have huge numbers. For some reason he gets limited ice-time and PP time which now proliferates his situation. That said, are we going to get someone better than him or is he someone that, at the right price, we want on our second line? I don't know the answers and, unless those have indeed been answered, I think a hasty move could be regrettable.

Another player that I have an issue with is Bourque. He does not seem to fit into this team, he plays with no passion (granted that no one else presently is, but at least we have see it from everyone else at some point) and does not contribute (6 points in 18 games). This is the problem with trading players like Cammalleri - yes, we shed salary and get a 'similar' player, but at the end of the day this is a player that we did not really want and probably won't really want. If possible he should be moved as I think we'll regret having him as long as he is here.

Game #40HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Details

Date: 04/01/2012
Opponent: Jets
Location: Montreal

Win: 7-3

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Pavelec (L), Mason

Habs goalscorers: Gorges, Eller (4), Kaberle, Cammalleri
Opposition goalscorers: Stapleton, Wheeler, Ladd

Play of the game

Once the Jets made it 3-2 we were worried that, with over a period to play, history would repeat itself. They had just drawn within one on the PP and almost right after Diaz took a holding penalty that seemed to be what Winnipeg needed. But, we killed that off and we all breathed a big sigh of relief. We still needed a spark though and that came just 90 seconds later when Kostitsyn started the romp. He made an incredible play in the offensive zone to win the puck and then to find Moen. Travis then made a spectacular pass to Eller when Pavelec was certainly thinking 'shot'. Eller put it home like a goalscorer, but he was only halfway there.

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
Four goals and an assist! We asked certain players to step up, and Eller was one of them, but I don't think that anyone expected this. Two of his goals were thanks to fantastic passing plays, but the other two were all him. His first was a nice one in that he did a lot of work just to get the puck. His last one we'll be seeing all year long as it was one of the nicest penalty-shot goals we have ever scored. This kid has potential, that's for sure, so let's hope he keeps getting his chances and keeps being put on with good wingers (like Kostitsyn and Moen tonight).

Erik Cole
Erik ended the Florida game with a message and carried that into this game. The difference tonight was that he wasn't alone. The best way one can lead is by example and that is why, right now, Cole is the leader of this team. He was a dominant force again tonight and a big reason why we didn't see much of his line in the defensive zone. He collected two assists and was rewarded for his efforts with 27+ minutes; more ice-time than anyone on either team.

Andrei Kostitsyn
I felt that it was Kostitsyn that showed the most promise early on. In fact, even at two goals and an assist for Eller he was my Game-Puck choice. Eller's five points don't take away from Andrei's fantastic game, however. He was an offensive juggernaut and his two assists seem too few. He was on the ice for 4 goals-for (and involved in all of those) and was the one that sprang Eller on his breakaway that led to the penalty-shot. He is a veteran now and this is exactly the type of effort you expect from a player like him given the circumstances. Will Cunney keep him with Eller now? Have the two shown enough? For some reason Kostitsyn-Eller-Moen works and I would ride that as long as possible.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Gorges' goal tied it up and showed the team and fans that there is life after giving up a lead. Kaberle should also be recognized for his goal, his first as Hab as it was just as crucial. Josh played as well as he has done all season and for once was given a night off of sorts in his own end by his forwards.

Alexei Emelin
It continues to surprise me that he was being benched just a few games ago. Tonight he got the third most ice-time of our seven D and earned every minute. His play (and that of Diaz) is probably the writing on the wall that Campoli and Weber (and maybe Gill when Markov is back) didn't want to see. Not only can Alexei dominate in his own end, but, as he showed again tonight, he can rush the puck, shoot and make fantastic passes. Oh, and there were the usual 5 hits.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey got that night off we had all been talking about. The type of night where being on or off doesn't matter. Individually, he wasn't particularly good nor particularly bad, no, tonight he was simply the goalie.

Comments

Ah, the real Atlanta, that is more like it. Deep down we all know that the Jets aren't a great team; this is still a team with some questionable players. Take away the MTS Centre advantage and all you need is a solid effort. Well, the effort was there tonight from the Habs, in a big way. We played well enough tonight to have me wondering, yet again, why we have lost so much. Players like Eller, Kostitsyn, Plekanec, Cammalleri and Pacioretty reminded me that we do have depth when we are on, we do have speed at our core and we can indeed score goals. Despite the efforts of the first two periods this game, like so many before it, was in doubt into the third. That is when it seemed that the players dug down deep and just started to play their hardest. In the end it paid off with chance after chance and, consequentially, goal after goal. This game was a fun game to watch and had me enjoying the Habs yet again.

This of course is one game and that is all it is. We were due for a win and Winnipeg on the road isn't exactly Detroit. To the players, however, that shouldn't matter. They should look to this game (and the one in Ottawa on the 27th) as indications that we can play well and outclass teams when we want to. The hill will be steep to climb, but I still think it is doable and that it is the right thing to do. Making the playoffs this year gives us a chance to win the cup this year. Losing big-time this year (and you can ask Edmonton, Columbus, Atlanta or Long Island) doesn't mean anything for next year, it just means that you can't win it this year. Not every team is Chicago or Pittsburgh, not every draft pick is Crosby or Malkin.

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 #24 Pens Grapple Points From Habs

Details

Date: 26/11/2011
Opponent: Penguins
Location: Montreal


Loss: 3-4 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Moen, Pacioretty, Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Malkin, Dupuis, Staal, Letang

Play of the game

Goal #2. A simple demonstration of why keeping a line together can work. Cole shoots low and hard, Desharnais is there to recover a rebound. Instead of shooting like many players might, he senses his linemate on his shoulder, sloughs the puck to him and goal. Cole was there on the post just in case.

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
I had doubts in the summer. I had bigger ones after 5 games. But now I want to know what happened in Edmonton. Cole is a great fit for this team and deomnstrated that on several occasions tonight. He set up that goal and scored a good one too, but his breakaway made on acceleration was the most impressive moment for me.

David Desharnais
I don't know if he just liked his match-up or what, but DD looked better tonight than in a long time. He was in sync with his linemates and did the simple plays that made the goals. A few times when I was impressed by the quality of the Canadiens PK, I was surprised to see #51 flash by my eyes.

Travis Moen
Credit where credit is due, this guy is scoring some very good goals this year. Not only that, he is using those goals to fuel a confidence we never knew he could feel - witness the chance he took to drive around a defender and get in on goal (albeit without the puck at the end). Pacioretty should have been in this dome, but his hit on Letang ruined a good night for me. There was no excuse for any player to do that, let alone one who should know so much better.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Pittsburgh has a lot of weapons to storm the barricades with and it takes some steadfast defence to keep them back. Tonight I found Gorges overwhelmed at times. The fact that PK didn't look that way was a tribute to the poise and skill we so often take for granted. Yes we'd still like PK to find that shot he once owned for our PP, but that will come with time.

Raphael Diaz
Did you know Diaz played over 20 minutes? No, neither did I till the stats check. On a night where the defenders didn't cover themselves in glory, it's worth noting that the 24-game vet posted a plus one with a few decent chances at the other end.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
I didn't like the start and I didn't like the finish from Carey Price. His team came back, but it's still not top-notch to let in the first chance of the game (a frequent occurrence of late). The game ended on a sour note too, with Carey launching his stick across the ice in disgust. The ref's call was bad, but so was his effort to freeze the puck. There were many big saves in between these moments, many highlight moments, but if the puck gets behind a guy 6 times in one game, scrutiny is warranted.

Comments

The Habs let a winnable one get away here. It's not everyday that your team comes back against a powerful Pens start to claim the lead and then extend it. With half a game to close this out, the Habs should have done better than they did. The defenders always looked like they were in trouble when the Pens pressed and too often the calm play of possession was overlooked for the quick fix of a backhand dump out (we know how well that works). The forwards did well to beat Fleury three times and once on the post, but sometimes it was their cheats that let Pittsburgh retain long control.

What we basically saw here was a good team (the Habs) lose to a a great team (the Pens). The Canadiens can't call on a player of the caliber of Sidney Crosby. Witness the same defensive strategy which leads Andrei Kostitsyn into a corner and Crosby fighting with puck to the front of the net, Cammalleri off the scoresheet and Crosby with one point and involvement in two disallowed goals. It begins with Crosby, but it doesn't end with him. Staal and Malkin took their cues from the leader and Letang was predatory, if not ubiquitous. The Canadiens should be happy to keep pace with a team like the Pens, but ultimately must learn how not to loseat the line.

Anyway, the point will help. And now it's off to California for a tough week. Anaheim may just be the sleeping giant of the games, as they have some forwards as tricky as those fumbled with tonight for the Habs to deal with. A good forecast from this week would be 3-4 points. The Markov watch continues, of course, as games where he could have been of great help come and go by the day.

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

Details

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

Win: 4-3 (SO)

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

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

Play of the game

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

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

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

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

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

Defencemen

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

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

Goaltender

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

Comments

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

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

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

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

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

Details

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

Win: 4-0

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

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

Play of the game

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

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

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

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

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

Defencemen

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

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

Goaltender

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

Comments

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

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

Game #15Gorges' First Gives Habs First Extra-Time Win

Details

Date: 10/11/2011
Opponent: Coyotes
Location: Phoenix

Win: 3-2 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Gionta, Moen, Gorges
Opposition goalscorers: Boedker, Torres

Play of the game

After the first period it was looking like Pleks could be hurt, it was looking like Desharnais was now our top centre. Tom came back to start the second, however, and did very well on one of his first shifts that period. He fore-checked hard and created confusion behind Smith's net. Then came his linemate Gionta (noticeably fueled by the prospect of having Pleks healthy after that scare) who made a fantastic play to strip Gordon of the puck and stun a flat-footed goalie. That goal changed the Habs's gameplan; it gave us a serious chance to win from that point on.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks played a great first period, but really seemed to step it up after that as to show us all that he was fine. He was in on our first two goals; something that we have now come to expect. Losing him would be as bad as losing Markov or Price so I do hope that he is OK. He seems to have good chemistry with Gionta which may work well for Gomez's return as I really think Scott needs a fresh start, with 2 new faces on his flanks.

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
The skipper was the biggest part of our two first goals, our two best plays of the game. This was one of those games where you really noticed Gionta, a game where he led his team as a captain should. The points give him 10 on the year which isn't horrible considering the slow start that we had. I hope that Martin keeps him with Plekanec for now as we really need 3 strong lines and I think that the G-G combo has become too predictable for our opponents.

Erik Cole
Cole impressed me with his speed and strength tonight. I normally hate seeing our players go to the outside of defenders as more often than not it ends in a turn-over. Tonight, however, in Erik's case he was beating his men, he was creating chances by going around the outside. He is still trying to find his true spot in our line-up, but the better he continues to play, the more options he gives his coach.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK stayed out of trouble tonight in that he kept things clean in his own end and in that he didn't get sucked into any tussles or into taking any penalties. That meant that he could really focus on his game which is to win the puck back in our end and do something with it in the other two zones. He didn't factor too heavily on our goals, but he did end up +3 which is a number that I think speaks for itself.

Josh Gorges
Gorges has been better of late after a bit of a slow start. Tonight he played as a true #3 or even #2 and that is what we need, especially while Markov is out and 3 youngsters are in. He scored the OT winner which may go down as his only goal of the year, but wouldn't you rather that than the 5th in a 5-1 win or the lone goal in a 1-4 loss? I am not suggesting that he is clutch offensively, but it was nice to see him join in at exactly the right time, even if this is the only time we see it all year.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I thought that he made some poor choices handling the puck in the first period, but aside from that played a very solid game. Phoenix managed 34 shots, so to make 32 saves, on the road, is certainly a great performance. One thing that he did well tonight (and maybe this was purely in stark contrast to Smith) was that he found pucks well after they dropped below or near him. There weren't many second chances and that ends up really helping a fragile team like the Habs out and can very well make the difference between W and L.

Comments

It is always nice when a losing streak is stopped at 2. I have heard a lot about how we were all over Edmonton and could have or even should have won. Too many of those games in a row, however, is a Florida or Columbus type of thing. We have to win the majority of our games some how, some way. Tonight we found a way to walk out of their with the full two points all the while staying out of any real trouble penalty- or injury-wise. Phoenix aren't the most exciting team to watch, but I do respect the clean type of hockey that they play as it means (unlike games against Boston) you don't really have to worry about losing guys to dirty and unnecessary plays. In fact, this is a team that we match up well against and we proved that by matching them step for step throughout the whole game. It is hard to say that either we played better than them or they better than us, nope, it was just a good old (used to be called a draw) even game. It is good, however that we got the extra point as we need it badly.

We're entering an interesting stretch over the next little while. It is a stretch that has us playing more games than we have been doing and a period in which we may get as healthy as we'll be all year. Getting Markov back will be a huge boost. I am sure that a lot of people have forgotten just what Andrei can bring to this team, but I am sure that within mere days of his return they will be reminded. Until then we have to hold the fort and win games like we did tonight. Each loss makes it 2 more games back to where you want to be, so let's hope the Habs take the easy route and win each of their upcoming games.

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.

Game #4Goals-Galore On A Saturday Night In Montreal

Details

Date: 15/10/2011
Opponent: Avalanche
Location: Montreal

Loss: 5-6 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty, Plekanec, Moen, Gionta, Desharnais
Opposition goalscorers: Kobasew, Jones (2), Stastny, Quincey (Hejduk - SO, Duchene - SO)

Play of the game

A line that I think could go somewhere hooked up for a very nice goal tonight. It was a goal that put us ahead after I was sure we were done for. The play started with a great stop by Kostitsyn on the boards and a quick pass to Patches. Max then could have shot, but instead sent a bullet pass to the side of the net. There, Desharnais deflected home with ease, up and over Varlomov; t was truly a thing of beauty.

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
It could certainly be argued that Pacioretty is on the third line. I hope that no one tells him though, otherwise he may be in quite the mood. But wait, when your line is the 3rd line, but you are clearly the best line, again, does it really matter what RDS show you as one their chart? He was our best player tonight and his line was by far our best. His goal was fantastic, his pass on Desharnais' was superb. If he keeps playing like he has done over the past few games there won't be any reason for him to worry, for a long time, about not being one of our top-4 wingers.

Brian Gionta
I didn't think that Brian had one of his better games, but he did end up with a very impressive 3 points. The goal was a goalscorer's goal and his assist on Moen's goal was what we expect and need from the captain. It was his best game of the year, so let's hope he keeps it up. Let's also hope, for the club's sake, that Gomez follows his buddy's lead.

David Desharnais
David led the forwards in ice-time tonight with 23+ minutes, not bad for a 3rd line centre. I can't say this with certainty, but I am pretty sure that this is the first time in his career that that has happened. Well, he certainly didn't let down his coach with all of this playing time as he chipped in with a fantastic goal and managed to get hit in the back (while providing necessary traffic) on our first goal.

Defencemen

Yannick Weber
This was not an easy choice as I thought the D were pretty bad, all of them. Weber, however, did manage to end the game at +2. I also felt that he was our best offensive threat from the back tonight and that his shots were the most dangerous of our D-men.

Raphael Diaz
At the end of the day Diaz, by the stats, impressed me. He wasn't on for any goals-against (our only D to do that), picked up an assist (his first NHL point) and played for 22 minutes. I didn't like his penalty, but am starting to think that we may be on to something with this 'kid'.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
The Avalanche could have won in regulation with better goaltending and so could have we. For the second straight game Price looked downright weak at times. Of the five goals I would say that 3 are ones we expect (and need) him to stop. He was also pretty bad, especially early, at handling the puck. Then there was the shoot-out which couldn't have gone much worse. He made little attempt to stop the first shot and the second was a nice play, but a shot that an elite goalie stops with regularity. The Price from last year took this week off, let's hope that he is back next week, because without him we aren't that good of a team, we are the type of team that loses more than it wins.

Comments

We had 43 shots on net and managed to score goals when we needed them, so that wasn't the problem. In fact, that was a welcome surprise as we got varied production as we seem to be gelling more and more offensively. The big problem was a 19-player problem - our defence. We take too many unnecessary chances, we don't get the puck out when we need to and often times there are multiple defensive-zone breakdowns on the same play. We hung Price out to dry and, unlike most of last year, he didn't bail us out. We can't always just rely on spectacular goaltending, though. We have to be better than that, we have to limit the amount of quality chances that go Price's way. With solid (not even great, just solid) defence we could have won this game 5-2. Instead, we let a quick, offensive-minded squad (at least tonight they were) take advantage of mistakes too many times.

At this point it all comes down to coaching as I believe that we have enough of the right pieces in place to be a good team. The coaches can start by working out the play in our end and, if they have any time left, can start seeing if they could get the players, if they don't mind, to take less penalties, or better yet, less stupid penalties. Then, if we can fit it in (and I know 3 games a week makes it hard to do all of this), maybe we could start working on a strategy for the power-play, who knows maybe one from the past 5 years could work?

Game #2 Habs Spoil Winnipeg Homecoming, Get Ovation For Doing It

Details

Date: 9/10/2011
Opponent: Jets
Location: Winnipeg

Win: 5-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Plekanec, Weber, Moen, Pacioretty
Opposition goalscorers: Antropov

Play of the game

All the goals could have stood up in this spot tonight. I have to alight though on the Plekanec goal as the play of the game. The play started simply with a fine pass from Travis Moen off the boards on the penalty kill (when the pass took place). That pass cut out 3/4 of the work Pleks would have to do, including the temptation to pass to 5% Gomez. From there though, he put on a show and scored what could well be the goal of the year in the rounds of April voting. It was quick, it was skillful, and had a clinical finish.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
His goal was fantastic. His pass on the 4-on-3 to Weber was perfect. His play on the PK was to his usual standard. I'm not going to lie, I'd been a bit worried about Pleks slumping for a bit perhaps the start this season. Not very worried anymore.

Max Pacioretty
The Gomez line all did OK in this game. But Pacioretty stood out because he's the one that made it stick. I called his goal when he was coming down the wing, because I thought Pavelec is struggling, the player is clear and the player (Pacs) has a great shot. He scored precisely because he had a great shot. I hope he continues to use it, because frankly the Habs need a precocious goalscoring type who shoots before thinking too much.

Travis Moen – Game Puck
No player played above his own standards more in this game than Moen did. Yes, he's good on the PK and he always delivers there, but that pass he delivered tonight was a serious step up. And then what does he go and do? Only score a goalscorer's goal on a half break where he boxed out a defender and stayed composed enough to make Pavelec the fool.

Defencemen

PK Subban
I agree with the coaches. With Markov out, others lost and a lead to hold, I'd play Subban most too. It's sad to think that we're probably already taking a lot of what he does for. His patient defence and slick skates and stick in the defensive end made the 1/2 game with a mere 1-goal lead an easier spectacle for Habs fans than it used to be. Its says he took two penalties, but I'm with RDS, his roughing call after that hit on Gionta was trumped up.

Yannick Weber
Yes he has his weaknesses. Weakness funnily enough seemingly one of them. Yet who scores on the PP from a slap shot? Who had to play his defensive minutes largely with two rookies and still came out looking respectable? He doesn't make it look easy, but somehow he did things right tonight. On the ice for 3 goals for (one from a SH breakout) and 2 points. I'd leave him back there.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I think in the tweeting preview I said he'd be reliable. That's all he was in this game. He didn't let in a bad shot or even an average shot. He didn't look like he ever would. This kind of reliability is where greatness comes from.

Comments

An impressive opening for the Winnipeg Jets. I have to applaud their fans. They clearly deserve a team and are enthusiastic enough not to notice the quality on the ice for a while. I think they have some good days ahead. I like Burmistrov a lot for a 19-year-old and Schiefele didn't look like he made the team for hype.

The Habs for their part were at their opportunistic best in this one. Scoring on their 2nd shot, 3 breakaways, bullets dodged with penalties taken. The score was 5-1, but 22 shots won't always do the job. Not every team used to be the Thrashers.

Cause for concern on the Habs starts with the injuries they keep sustaining. Spacek was not a killer loss, but the team is better with him than without him, especially with their personnel right now. The loss of Cammalleri, however, could be devastating. His goal showed what talent he has and what other coaches can't ignore. For a team that may still have trouble scoring at times (we haven't forgotten Game #1 or the playoffs yet), losing a pure sniper and coverage conundrum is a big setback. Fortunately, TSN is reporting that Camms has a laceration but is expected to return within 2 weeks. This could be the goalpost luck of skate injuries if true, as we all remember how Markov's severed Achilles tendon set the team back 2 seasons ago.

Next up is a bit of a break. The NHL seems to have trouble seeing itself scheduled against baseball games or something. It's a home opener on Thursday vs. the Calgary Flames. I happened to watch the Flames last night vs. the Pens and I was slightly impressed. The Habs will have their hands full with Mark Giordano and Tanguay looks sharp to start too. Lets hope the energy of home will stir another quick start so the team can replicate their exciting gameplan, not their futile one from the comeback position a few days ago.

Will Travis Moen's Value Ever be Higher?

A twist, and suddenly teams may look and Travis Moen and say - hey, he's just what we need. Maybe even teams that have watched him labour on the first/second line.

The focus has naturally turned to Gomez and Spacek on this salary floor story, but it would be irresponsible to leave out Moen, who at his current salary is also a bit of a waste of money (the fighter that can't fight, the big guy who doesn't check, etc, etc.)

I'd suggest that even the mismanaged franchises among those listed in this article know enough to steer clear of G-Love, and probably Spacek too. But for a cool $1.5 million of salary floor relief, the fully playable/moveable/benchable Moen is salary floor magic.

(Note: I like Moen. It's nothing personal, but one has to admit that if a player can provide the same play for league minimum, $1 million is there for the taking. Anyway, I just think you should all check out the article...)

Benching Pouliot A Question Of Priority

Benoit Pouliot took a fateful penalty in Game #3. Following 2 games and a period without a point, Ben charged into Johnny Boychuk as the second man and ended up serving 2 minutes. Although the Bruins didn't technically score on the PP, they did score their 3rd (and gamewinning) goal within 10 seconds of its end while the Habs were still scrambling.

Pouliot played 2 more shifts in that game, and with Halpern's return, none since.

While the penalty was extremely ill-advised, and warrants a lesson of the sort being handed out right now. On the cusp of Game #6, however, the banishment of Pouliot turns into something bigger: a decision on organizational priority.


To bench Pouliot now reinforces the message to Ben and to other young players that the playoffs are a special brand of hockey where concentration has to come before whimsy.

The other side of the coin is that Pouliot represents a better player than many of those in the line up. A player who can break defenses on his own, who can control quick passes, who can score goals under tight checking.

The choice for the Habs, therefore: This year or future years?


This year

To go for it this year, the Canadiens need to answer Claude Julien's defensive adaptations. No longer can the Tom Pyatts of the world just carry down the boards. That avenue of attack has been sealed off. To go for it this year, Martin has to look to increase his goalscoring and the threat of goalscoring (to push Bruins defenders to make mistakes again).

Pouliot isn't going to storm the scene and take over the series, but he does offer a known quantity in terms of offensive know how. This season he scored 13 goals while playing on different lines. Never once was he given the full benefit of Gomez or Plekanec, yet he found ways to make it work for certain periods of the season.

Over the season, Benoit scored 0.856 goals per 60 minutes of play and averaged 1.975 points per 60 minutes. As a goalscorer and point getter this places him in the top 6 on the team. Consider also that he was on the ice for a total of 41 goals this season (36 of which were at ES).

This puts him in good stead vs. the current top 6 players and a good distance ahead of the others. Tom Pyatt, who rarely misses a game, was only on the ice for 12 goals all season long. Pouliot also offers promise over Eller (0.49 G/60 and 1.19 Pts/60), Moen (0.35 G/60 and 0.92 Pts/60) and White (0.50 G/60 and 1.24 Pts/60).

I think adding Ben back in would accomplish a few things like adding a third line that can score (much like the Ryder line that has troubled the Habs so much), giving another option for when Moen dries up production on the 2nd line again and just add a little bit of danger to the minds of Boston defenders who mustn't shudder when they see Pyatt and Weber coming.

I think adding Ben back in would be an indication that the choice to win tonight and to win as much as possible this season represents as big a priority as anything else to the organization.


Future seasons

The choice to defer success now for success later wouldn't be a new choice for the Habs. Three years ago, when the team gave Price his baptism by fire, they did the same.

Benching Pouliot is more than a lesson to Pouliot. It is a signal to everyone, rookie and veteran alike, that straying from the core strategy will not be tolerated - the core strategy of course being discipline under fire.

It's a valid stance. Discipline is valuable based on the season the Habs have just had. The Canadiens worst slip ups and defeats came during moments of indiscipline and largesse. To eliminate silly penalties is to eliminate one of the team's main weaknesses.

It's also valid given the make up of the squad. Price, Eller, Pouliot, Subban, Weber, Pyatt, Desharnais, White. These are all players that will be here for a while. These are all players being molded. It's hard to see it when it's taking place, but some trouble seasons, some dead-end playoff runs are valuable learning grounds. Without losing and the pressure of having to win, the precocious talent often misses being tempered into the steel that can battle through 4 rounds. If the goal is a Cup, and it should be, then hardening the competitors for a Cup run is a vital step.

If Pouliot is benched one more time, with the threat of elimination, it will mark for me the organization's priority for the future. A recognition that the team may not be there yet and lessons gathered now may be more helpful than a second round berth.



Mutually exclusive goals?

If you know our blog, then you know our thinking on this. Losing Markov, recent trades, surges of other teams, these are all lessons that show us chances are precious. Planning for the future is nice, but there are no guarantees there will be a future (at least in the playoffs).

What's more (and you can probably tell from the undeveloped argument for the future above), lessons don't have to be contained in packages that run over a year. And there are more lessons to be learned than the one Pouliot is supposed to be soaking up in the pressbox. Think for example of the lessons that a young team could learn from a disciplined couple of games from Pouliot, think of the lessons they could learn from adding passion to discipline, think of what they could learn from winning tonight's game, tomorrow's game.

My position (although I can see the other side) is that Pouliot needs to play. As probably the fourth best pure talent on the team in front of the defenders and an unpredictable proposition, he's too important a piece to leave out of the battle plans. I believe that the Habs dearth of scoring and chance generation is a bigger problem now than discipline - particularly in light of the fact referees are taking care of discipline regardless of play by now.

I hope the team of coaches and managers think this through and graps that what may seem like a black and white choice could be a winning compromise where present and future goals are sought and achieved.

Go Habs Go.

Game #75One To Forget

Details

Date: 24/3/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Loss: 0-7

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

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Boychuk, Campbell (2), Horton (2), McQuaid, Kaberle

Play of the game

Really? Can you think of a good play tonight? I guess the two things that stand out are the opening face-off as it was then that we briefly held control of the match (lost the draw, but reclaimed the puck in their end) and Mara's fight as it was the closest that the Habs and the Bruins were in any aspect of play tonight.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn
He tried things in the offensive zone and never really got burned in our own. Most of our forwards were horrible whether they took too many penalties or made too many give-aways, so this dome isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for any of the players.

Travis Moen
Travis managed to play a quarter of the game and not be on the ice for any of the goals. He chipped in with 3 hits and has been playing decent hockey of late.

Brian Gionta
He couldn't finish tonight, but seemed to be in the right place at the right time on many occasions. Scoring goals is all about finding the spots and with a bit of luck it could have been two goals for him thanks to his positioning.

Defencemen

Paul Mara - Game Puck
Mara wants to play and wants to play in the playoffs so he is showing that he can play that type of hockey. His fight with Campbell was decent and I admired him for going after Recchi. There was nothing dirty about targeting the big-mouthed small-man, he was simply sticking up for a teammate, organization and city; at least that was how I saw it.

PK Subban
He skated well and got a few shots off. This wasn't a good game for him really, but I did like him over the other 4.

Goaltender

Carey Price
They both played bad, but Auld played worse. This was Auld's dome until he stepped on the ice; that was when Carey won it back. Just one of those nights I think - forget it, move on.

Comments

I have been in Europe for a couple of weeks and had missed a few games. I kept up with my news and scores, but did miss watching games live. There was added excitement tonight as we would be icing 4 players who haven't played in a while. Surely the addition of Pleks would make a difference, and if we stuck to hockey we would win. Well, it was Plekanec who stood out tonight, but more for poor defensive play and his penalties than for what I had hoped. It is unfair, I guess, to target just Tom as the team, in its entirety, was beyond off. Camms lacked any touch whatsoever, Darche looked about 25 steps behind, Gionta was as bad as can be and the list goes on and on. It was a tough night of hockey with the worse part being the fact that it was a loss to the Bruins. If I needed one positive, though, it would have to be that the Bruins will now be even cockier the next time we meet them. There is a good chance that we will see each other in the first round and I think that we could surprise some people if we play like the team of 2 weeks ago and not like the one of tonight. 7 more games to go until the season really starts, that means 7 warm-up games. Anything that has happened until now is irrelevant, it is now time to prove our worth. I think that we are a good team with good depth, but I will base my final assessment on our April play, not our October-March efforts.

Game # 74 Buffalo Soldiers Through Habs

Details

Date: 22/3/2011
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Montreal

Loss: 0-2

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

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Gerbe (2; 1 EN)

Play of the game

I was hoping to have this determined for me in the dying minutes of the third with something a little more decisive. Without that, I'll go with Cammalleri's steal with a little under 9 minutes left in the third. A man with the power to change the momentum of a game stole a lame Buffalo pass and charged down the ice to get a solid chance on Miller. Sadly, it didn't work out in our favour, but it represents the kind of thing we'll need to see from Cammalleri and others down the final stretch.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Scott Gomez - Game Puck
Tonight Gomez was without a doubt our best two-way forward, and in my opinion our best forward, period. He was extremely effective on the PK, especially during our second penalty, and had good forechecking all night. He broke up some transition zone plays and spearheaded some of our best offense. In other words, it's almost as if he was playing like Plekanec out there.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Our most lively offensive player tonight, Andrei even had the RDS boys talking positively about him despite not scoring. His line often looked dangerous tonight and he did a lot of the hard work in creating those chances.

Travis Moen
Though Desharnais also had a good game, I felt that Moen was all over the ice tonight, and he was playing hard for the puck. I saw him making hits, taking shots, digging in the corners, and breaking up plays in our end. He made a big impact in this game and seemed to be really gearing up for playoff-style hockey.

Defencemen

James Wisniewski
Predictable, but he's so consistently good! Again, great hockey sense, really knows when to join the rush and when to hang back. Had some great shots tonight and was part of a rush with Gomez that nearly tied it with about 2 minutes left.

Roman Hamrlik
Again with the tried, tested and true. Although a little boring, I think it's a good sign when we put our two best defenders in here as often as we do. Hamrlik once again logged nearly 25 minutes of ice time but still seemed to be in the right places at the right times up to the end, creating a great chance about halfway through the 3rd.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Price played this one very well, and could have easily been given the game puck for this one. Buffalo's first goal was excellent, and certainly beyond anyone's abilities. It looked like he got a piece of a cross-crease pass that would likely have made it 2-0 a whole lot earlier. Overall though, I didn't think he was challenged much by this Buffalo squad and as a result, didn't get a chance to really shine.

Comments

A pretty tight game overall, there were good rushes and some end-to-end action, but overall play felt stifled as both teams played solid defence. I thought we looked pretty good and played the game we like to play in our own end, no one really jumped out at me as playing terribly (except maybe Mara). It also seemed to me that we had less trouble gaining the offensive zone than I've seen us have in too many games this season, but Buffalo did an excellent job of dismantling our offence. Ruff must have done something right during the intermission after we ended the first with some hard pressure, as we never really got many extended chances after that. Liked seeing Gill doing a lot on second efforts, even if I'd rather he got it right the first time. I could have done without Subban and Mara getting penalized after they've tied up their men. Overall a solid effort, this one could have gone either way. Unfortunately, it didn't fall in our favour, and it hurts to lose this one against a division rival only 6 points back with a game in hand.

Game #65Just the Way it Should Be; Habs Kill Panthers

Details

Date: 3/3/2011
Opponent: Panthers
Location: Florida

Win: 4-0

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

Habs goalscorers: Gill, Kostitsyn, Desharnais, Eller
Opposition goalscorers: None

Play of the game

I really liked our fourth goal. It wasn't crucial at all and didn't get any specific players to any milestones in particular, but means a whole lot to this team. The reason that it was so important was that it was an Eller goal, from Moen. These are two players that just two weeks ago had no use to this team. Now, however, they have found a good trio (them plus Andrei) that can work very well together and can give our team a third scoring line. We know that the other two lines will contribute (eventually), but this one wasn't a given. The goal itself was a very, very nice goal. A saucered backhand pass from Moen took a perfectly placed deflection off of Eller's stick to totally baffle Clemmensen.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn
Somehow like Kovalev he now has a title. He isn't just Andrei Kostitsyn, no, now he is the enigmatic Andrei Kostitsyn. I guess it is easy to put a tag like that on a player that you don't like, but if if is to do with scoring in streaks I think that Plekanec, Gionta, Cammalleri, Gomez, Pouliot, Halpern and Subban could all get similar names. It is unfair that he is treated like that and it is lucky that, despite all of this, he still plays well. It would be easy for him to pull a Samsonov and shut down, but is instead pulling a Kovalev and is stepping up. The only bad thing about his play of late is that the next time he doesn't get 7 points in 5 games it will be because something is fundamentally wrong with his attitude, work-ethic or passion.

Lars Eller
Lars made two great plays tonight that resulted in goals. That gives him 2 more points for 13 on the year. I wouldn't say that he has proved himself just yet, but the more that he plays like he did tonight, the happier I am to have him on this team. It seems that little was expected of this line and there wasn't much pressure. Certain players, believe it or not, thrive when they are relaxed (hear that RDS) and our third line is the prime example. Eller looks decent at centre too and, in my opinion, is doing a better job that Halpern was of late.

Travis Moen
Travis doesn't fight, he doesn't really hit and isn't that great in his own end. So, all that is left is offence and he isn't that great at that either. He did, however, play well in their end tonight and, thus proved his worth. I don't think he belongs on a line ahead of Pouliot, but at this point I wouldn't change a thing as he and his line have found a groove. If Travis can keep this up with the two youngsters and bring a little grit down the stretch then he will become that valuable piece we had hoped he would be in the first place.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
How can you not like Hal Gill on a night like tonight. The big man chipped in with a goal (his first of the year) and was an impressive +3. He was also our most used penalty-killer and did well at that too. I didn't think that he would be outplaying Subban every night, but he is. The good thing about all of that though, is that PK is playing well too.

James Wisniewski
The more I think about it, the more I think that we should keep the Wis around next year. We have 11 defenders to consider, but I would suggest carrying 8, not 7 to begin the season. It seems that defenders are getting injured more than forwards these days and starting with 8 would save a mid-season move (Schneider, Bergeron, Wis) for someone that may not be available. I don't want to get into who would stay and who should go, but at 26 years of age I see no reason for letting James go as he is the type of player you miss (Streit, Souray, Schneider, Bergeron) when they are gone. Of course, it goes without saying that Markov must come back too. Tonight James chipped in with another 2 points as he moves ever closer to Pleks for the team lead in points.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Carey feasted on another weak team tonight and got the result that we, as a team, needed. He looked very calm all night and made each and every save seem easy. Florida didn't offer much on attack, but I have seen many Habs teams over the years lose to teams like that. This was his 7th shutout and his 30th win; pretty great numbers considering he'll likely play in 12-15 more games.

Comments

When you play a team like Florida, a team that seems to have no plan, no vision or no hope, you must take advantage. We have lost there so much over the past few years that it was becoming a problem. Tonight, however, we didn't sink to their level, we simply played our game and waited for some breaks. This game, filled with poor Panther defensive efforts, could have easily been 8-0 and I wouldn't have felt bad if it was. The Canadiens are starting to learn what it means to want to win, whenever, wherever. They are able to beat top teams and bottom teams. It used to be, to our frustration, one or the other. I am pretty excited about what lays ahead as I feel this team is gelling at just the right time. We have the goaltending to go places, we seemingly have a pretty solid defence and our offence, in theory should get the job done. I am confident that Plekanec and his line will pick it up when the games mean a little more and still won't believe that we have seen the best of Gomez and his line on the year. Scott is OK in my books for now as we are winning and maybe he is like me in that he doesn't care about stats at all, other than Ws. We will, however, need him to be ready to contribute and play his best when we really need him and I still believe that he will.