Habs Need A New Signing

It's nearly mid-August. There's only so much one can read about Erik Cole.

Pierre Gauthier needs to come back from vacation and sign more than a goaltender for training camp drills, because the 400 blogs and 77 media personnel who cover this hockey team are gagging for some news.

Of course, there are other reasons to move: money to players that could help the team instead of Molsons, replace the bottom tier forwards that were lost, bolster Hamilton, insurance policy.


Players available

One mustn't only look at Gauthier, it's been a very slow summer from the vast majority of teams. One gets the feeling that Eklund is waiting for this domino or that domino to fall before paying for his site will be "worthwhile" again.

There are players available, though. In fact, several of the decent free agents from July 1 are still available for signing today. For those who are starting to think that people are putting too much weight of expectation on Cole, here are a few forwards that could help the team a little (and help the poor reporters a lot):

Chris Clark (RW):
He's not going to set the world on fire (or score 30 goals again), but he could probably quite capably replace Jeff Halpern and push guys like Moen to compete more for ice time.

Mike Grier (RW):
Always thought he was a good example of someone who is not only big, but can play big. As he's aged, he's also learned to be very good defensively.

JP Dumont (RW):
Let's get realistic. One of the top 6 is going to have a tough year, probably two. The GM can't take the attitude that signing a guy like Dumont will close the door. Having three good lines too much for Habs fans? It was too much for Rejean Houle...

And here are a couple of D that could make the team and make the mix back there more interesting:

Scott Hannan (D):
Wouldn't do it for his previous salary, but surely a summer of waiting has him thinking of discounting his services. Like the forwards, having an extra capable guy around couldn't/wouldn't hurt too much.

Jack Hillen (D):
25, unsigned. Maybe that's a red flag. Maybe his contract demands are sky high. But at the right price, why not Jack Hillen? It might taint the dream lineups that have been on the bulletin boards, but who cares?


All of these guys could be temporary upgrades on whoever is slotted into the spots now and (again not kidding ourselves)injuries will ensure young players still get their chances.

At the very least if we could stop hearing about Erik Cole, any signing would be a good thing.

Habs Scoring Chance Breakdown

We now all know what a scoring chance is. We now all understand its potential and are ready to play with stats.

Scoring chances should help us look into the games of Michael Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Andrei Kostitsyn and others in a new way, to get beyond the very helpful but very limited Corsi and to add some new paint to the picture.


Scoring chance analyses

One of the great things about the way the scoring chance trackers do their work is that they build in a timestamp.

Because of this very crucial early decision (and the commitment from trackers to publishing when every scoring chance happened) we have the opportunity to cross reference the whole thing with the NHL time-stamped version of events. From there, we can see not only which shots were scoring chances, but also which scoring chances missed the net or were scored as non-shots by the league.

The composite of the two records is quite exciting because it offers the chance to run calculations that describe the shooting, positioning and offensive decision-making of the players.

I have a nearly full record of the whole 2010-11 season done in this way, but after the very informative Q&A with Olivier of En Attendant les Nordiques, I realised that I needed to go back to the drawing board on some of my analyses. So for now, I give you the analysis if scoring chances in the 2011 playoffs.


Starting from the beginning: the conventional playoff shooting stats.

As you can see below, some players took a lot of shots. Gionta led the team in total shots and shots per 60 minutes, Pouliot was completely AWOL. From these simple numbers, we can also run the simple Scott Cullen 'Josh Gorges' analysis and see that Spacek and Hamrlik could use some time on the practice green.



Moving on, we can look at Olivier's scored chances for the series by player. Gionta still led the team in scoring chances per ice time, but note the fallers. David Desharnais who came out looking like a star on NHL stats, suddenly doesn't look so good. Why? Because 75% of his shots were from outside Olivier's home base.

When people fall, others rise. Kostitsyn and Pyatt jump up because their shots tended to be from within the homebase (and by consensus definition more dangerous) -- though we're having trouble remembering a dangerous Pyat shot just now...



OK, so we knew all that. Or we could have known it if we looked. But the crossrefencing comes in now. Below you will see a column called "Target". Target means a scoring chance (from Olivier's record) that corresponded to a shot (on the NHL's record) -- a shot from within the homeplate area.

This is where it gets interesting, because we can start to see not only who waits to take shots from within the homeplate, but also who can make sure an attempt from there (where coverage is tightest) is on net. The skills of patience, timing, positioning and finally accuracy combined.

Here we see the cream (and Weber) rising to the top. Forwards are now on average better than Dmen and the forwards we thought of as threats at the time show up as the biggest threats in the record. Of greatest note here (apart from Weber who had some very nice shots) is Scott Gomez (half the number of on target attempts per game vs. the elite forwards). Pouliot really did his contract dreams no favours, did he?



So what we'd really like to know is how dangerous were the shots of each player on the team? That way before we go headlong down the Corsi results road we can see if perhaps we'd rather some of those Corsi-helping attempts had been held back in favour of a pass or a dump in.

That's what we can see below. Here are the on-target shots form the homeplate area as percentages of total shots and attempts. Weber again is top, and Andrei Kostitsyn creeps in with some scary accuracy. Scott Gomez, once again, is shown to be a very cheap shot.

If I'm defending this what I see is one player (Kostitsyn), who I'd better stick to like glue and another (Gomez) who I should probably actively open shooting lanes for from the outside boards.



Of course, we could counter by saying that Kostitsyn holds it too much and Gomez is just playing the odds. But is this more than three-fold difference really just a regression to mean waiting to happen? We all watched the games. I don't remember it that way.


Team metrics

Nowadays people who go on too long about individual stats like I just did are eaten by the wolves of Corsi. A player's value you see, can't be shown merely by looking at individual stats alone. i rather agree. And luckily for me, the script that scoring chance trackers use also shoots out all the players that were on the ice at the time the chance occurred.

So now we can see which players were on the ice for the most scoring chances by the team.



This is where things get interesting isn't it?

Scott Gomez, who clearly has no control over or confidence in his own shot is now squarely in the top 5 on the list -- ahead of his linemate Gionta! We aren't at all surprised by those ahead of him (stars of the playoff series that they were), but are a little dismayed that David Desharnais seemed to be a chance sink.


Goals scored

Finally, a look at who converts. So you've won yourself a shot in the slot, Tom Pyatt, what are you going to do with it?



Beyond anomalies Weber and Sopel (and I hesitate to say Subban), we can see that the guys who convert their chances as often as they should (more than 20%) are Cammalleri, Kostitsyn and Gionta. Sopel, who barely played spun some magic as well, because when he was on the ice, the team shot over 20%.


Players of note

So what does all this tell us about the players we wanted to know about?

Brian Gionta: The boy believes in the power of odds, shooting frequently. Fortunately for him, his shot is of above average accuracy

Tomas Plekanec: Mr. Steady. He's up there in most offensive categories. he shoots a lot, but also clearly knows how to make it count.

Mike Cammalleri: Potentiator. Sure his individual record is good, and he scores the goals, but he also is on the ice for the most chances by his teammates. Who said he couldn't pass?

Andrei Kostitsyn: Good positioning, good shot, maybe too patient/picky. Probably a good thing he wasn't let go.

Scott Gomez: Should wait until the teammate becomes free, there seems to be some redeeming bit of magic when he can do that. Anything is better than watching his shot.

Benoit Pouliot: Played himself off the team in perplexing fashion.

David Desharnais/Lars Eller: Our third line might be in trouble once checking gets tight.

PK Subban: What a playoffs.

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 #70 Washington Deal Canadiens Significant Injuries: Plekanec, Lower Body; Team, Pride

Details

Date: 15/3/2011
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Montreal

Loss:2-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Moen, Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Johansson (2), Laich, Knuble

Play of the game

The save of the night had to be the team effort that duped Brad Watson into disallowing a goal that clearly was. It starts with Price who made the initial save then flopped back just enough to give the illusion of control. Subban, who batted the puck before the myopic ref would spot it. And Kostitsyn who knocked Johansson into the net before the puck could settle without doubt into the back of the netting. Unconventional. But a certain goal didn't end up on the scoreboard for this work. I suppose some credit must also go to the league for setting the ridiculous precedent that intention to blow a whistle is as good as blowing it.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

David Desharnais
Sloppy at times before the finish, but still the player who created the most danger in close on the Capitals net. e led the team in shots and his linemates were right there with him. I think he's stretched to play a top two centre's role, but when he was tasked with the lower docket, he was impressive again.

Tom Pyatt
Popped off the screen early before his ice time was limited to shift Cammalleri around. Pyatt didn't look much like scoring, but neither did many Habs forwards. At the least, he was creating rebounds and forcing the puck to danger zones. A great game by Tom's standards.

Lars Eller
Determined and dynamic. Eller continued his progression to important player for this team. His pass to Kostitsyn was a nice assist. His pass to Gomez was a pass too far. The next step is for him to find some selfish tendencies when in clear positions.

Defencemen

James Wisniewski
James had a good game at both ends, I thought. Some good moments on the PP, with a near goal in close. That goes with some moments of calm as well as at least two backchecking saves for the team. The signature moment for the man in the hockey mask was his shot block, going off in severe pain, and coming back before a shift was missed.

PK Subban
Subban had a tough assignment with Ovechkin. He handled it extremely well. I think we all thought we were getting an exciting and somewhat irresponsible offensive defender with PK. Instead, he continues to show his ability to learn and grow. I maintain that his defensive game is one of the biggest surprises of the season.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
4 (or 5) goals. Some dicey puck handling. It wasn't a banner game for Carey, yet he makes the dome because he simply was the Canadiens best. The difference between Carey Price 2011 and 2009 is in the saves he can make after a bad bounce like goal #1 and a disallowed goal so close to the start. He not only settled but played a full half game of stunning shut out hockey. Oh, and his glove. The difference for the Canadiens is that Carey can carry a team close with a standard below his best.

Comments

Chances are we were due for this moment. The coach can be angry. But his team just played a playoff rival to a standstill on Saturday and had to face the hottest team in the East. They went down on some pretty bad luck within a minute and then ended up losing two important players (the Plekanec loss could weigh heavy on this teams hopes).

What I saw was a loss to a much better team on the night. Certainly a much better prepared team. Think of all the moments you saw Hal Gill beaten outside and tell me that wasn't a targeted strategy. The Capitals defence allowed those outside shots, but kept it to that. They limited the impact of Canadiens speed by forcing very early passes from defenders that failed most of the time.

The lesson to take from this game is twofold. First, losses will still happen, there is no need to despair. Second, the Canadiens are winning on the back of some pretty basic strategic maneuvers. An intensive examination by an opposing coach (such as the ones you typically see during a playoff series) will reveal weaknesses to exploit. Luckily, there's also a third lesson. The Canadiens once again have a wildcard in goal, a player who can disregard the momentum of the game and keep it close.

Canadiens Fan Trade Philosophies

The trade deadline is an interesting time for Habs fans. Everyone has a whole set of ideas on how to improve the team for the impending Cup run and the fledgling dynasty of the decade.

Trades, you see are easy. Just get rid of your bad players and bring in good ones. Simple as.

We are having a good time polling the readers and compiling their thoughts on different players (forwards, defencemen and goalies). As well as the obvious trade bait, there are some subtle surprises in fan sentiment. We'll continue polling and sharing the results as we try to build fictional trades together in our discussions.

On the subject of fictional trades, I wanted to share the perspectives of two arm-chair GMs that I read yesterday. The first perspective is that of Arpon Basu - statistical acolyte and head-screwed-on-tight reporter.

Arpon's proposed plan for the upcoming trade deadline can be summed up by the following:

"I propose he do absolutely nothing, at least not of the major variety."

His strategy is founded on the underlying belief that nothing that can be done at this stage will change the fate of the team very much:

"Frankly, the Canadiens are not in a situation where the addition of one or two players could mean the difference between a Cup run and a first round exit."

He goes on to point out that doing nothing will benefit the team two-fold:

1) The team won't have to give up assets
2) The youngsters will benefit from the time in pressure situations

Some would call him a pessimist. others might think it boring to draw a line in the sand at late draft picks for depth defencemen for the most overhyped TSN moment of the year.

On that note, let's consider the other end of the spectrum. If Arpon is the sparingly hopeful conservative, he shares the Internet with some some extremely optimistic (in trade abilities anyway) radicals.

Where Arpon stretched a simple thought to a few well built scenarios. The trade mongers need more than one post to get through the complete overhaul they envision for the team. Willey, the ultimate arm chair GM who wrote on Habs Addict, describes the multiple trade strategy over two posts (Part I and Part II). I'll break it down for you trade by trade here:

1) 2nd round pick (presumably 2012) and Ben Maxwell or Andreas Engqvist for Chris Phillips of the Ottawa Senators

"One simple move that I personally feel can turn the Montreal Canadiens from a good playoff team to a team whose d-core can compete with anyone in the Eastern conference."

Or at least until Part II was conceived...


2) Tom Pyatt or 6th round pick for Zenon Konopka of the New York Islanders

"What is most appealing about Konopka, however, is that he is not a one trick pony. Konopka is one of the top-five faceoff men in the league and as we know, faceoffs are everything in the playoffs."

3) White up, Eller down


4) Andrei Kostitsyn, Yannick Weber, 2nd round pick (presumably 2013 now), and Danny Kristo or any Hamilton Bulldog (Blues discretion) for David Backes of the St. Louis Blues

"We need a top-six forward with size and a mean streak. It is time to stop the stream of bandaid and UFA players, and land ourselves an impact player."

5) Scott Gomez, 1st round pick (2011 or 2012), and Brendan Gallagher or another prospect of Toronto's choosing for Mike Komisarek of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"We know what he can provide to this team in terms of a physical presence and we know what he can do in the locker room. He is exactly what this team needs."

Quite an overhaul and quite a difference from Arpon.

Willey here has traded a first round pick with second rounders from the two drafts after this one, along with our second centre (Scott Gomez), our fourth leading scorer (Andrei Kostitsyn), a young defenceman (Yannick Weber), Tom Pyatt and basically all the decent forward prospects in the system (Kristo, maxwell, Gallagher) for two underperforming defencemen (Phillips and Komisarek), Zenon Konpka and David Backes.

These trades were designed to answer the two pressing needs of the Habs (or at least the ones identified just after the Bruins game): lack of size and lack of depth. I think he addressed size, not so sure about depth.



Where should Gauthier fall?

I've made myself clear before, and through thinly-veiled amazement in this article again. I stand with Arpon.

To me, the second more radical strategy actually proves the first.

All trades starting with players a team would like to get rid of tend to become fantastic works of imagination, and you can see how draft picks get thrown around pretty quick to make up for lack of value.

I am also sure that in the long list of traded assets that you, like me, saw a few names you'd rather wait on than turn into Konopkas at this stage. And, this is an important point. There are no freebies, to get, one has to give. If the Canadiens window isn't now, then is giving Danny Kristo or Brendan Gallagher for an extra playoff jump the right thing to do? It can be if that extra jump turns into an extra series or two.

Even more than this, I look at the team at the end of the labour-intensive trading period for Gauthier here and don't see one that is greatly improved from the one before the moves.


I think there is middle ground, however, and I think there are many reasons to hope our GM will be alert to the unfolding possibilities. The Frolik trade, for example, provided the Blackhawks both the better player and the most interesting prospect. A move with a similarly sleepy GM could improve the Habs without much cost. I very much hope Gauthier comes into these conversations with serious intent, as desperate GMs are ready to be had  at this time of year. Caution, of course, in the awareness that for every good deal there will be 20 neutral ones and 10 bad ones.

To those that bemoan the Mara trade today for the 5th round pick and cap space that it cost, consider the safe buffer between this trade and radical territory. For those who bemoan it because it means we now won't be trading first rounders for Komisarek, perhaps read Arpon Basu again.

First Half Check-Up Other Forwards

Finally, the checking forwards. our supposed depth. For posterity, here's how they did in the second 20 game stretch of the season.

Legend:

G, A, Pts, Dome - you know already
PM - Plus/minus
Ch +/- - Differential in scoring chances at even strength
Fenwick - Shots and missed shots for minus those against at ES
Corsi - Shots, missed shots and blocked shots for minus those against at ES

Jeff Halpern

Grade:

B+

Jeff was a different player in the first twenty games than he was in the second. That said, the surprise from him was the first twenty and not the second twenty. Even if he's no longer an offensive contributor, he still brings what the team supposedly sought when they signed him -- a solid NHLer who can play in a few different roles.

Mathieu Darche

Grade:

A-

Darche has had a very nice second quarter season. Playing from a variety of lines, he has more often than not provided a spark. Have a look at his Corsi and Fenwick columns to see that he completely outclassed whoever he was on against. The trouble that remains is that for all this, he is even in plus minus -- perhaps witness to the fact he is still a third line type scorer. Still an incredible asset to have found in the way the team did.

Travis Moen

Grade:

C+

Moen is quite a consistent player. I would never expect a horrible game from him. Nor would I expect to be blown away. When the team signed Travis, it was thought he could contribute in small bits when the other forwards might be on down cycles. I think we now know that is not what he can do. You hope in a slump that the 4th line might provide some spark. instead in these back to earth 20 games, Travis was outchanced as badly as almost anyone else.

Tom Pyatt

Grade:

B-

Last time I said something about how every team needs a player that can just play a responsible game, not get scored on and take a small salary for doing it. Pyatt does that. I don't have much more to say about him.

Lars Eller

Grade:

B+

Eller's been doing a lot of things right. Ultimately, though, at some point he has to learn how to turn doing a lot of things right into numbers that will help the team -- pushed in goal here or there, a penalty drawn. Despite what looked like a good improvement on first quarter numbers, Eller actually gets a downgrade. This is because in the second quarter he was promoted on several occasions and just failed to seize the moment. I'm not talking about not scoring gamewinners here, I'm talking about the fact his play suffered when he was moved up a line. he needs to work this out to make the next level.

David Desharnais

Grade:

N/A

The cat may be out of the bag now, but at 41 games there wasn't much evidence. David shows extraordinary skill at times, but is yet to show the St. Louis or Briere ability to make us forget he is small. We need more time to view him.

Maxim Lapierre

Grade:

D

This is a bit of a different review. He's getting a D mostly because he proved himself to be an unreasonable person who took a lot for granted. For a guy who had a horrible first season with the coach and then followed with a horrible opening 20 games, I was a bit shocked to hear he asked for a trade because he felt cheated of ice time. I think at times we felt cheated because he was getting too much ice time, no? It's a shame that Max asked for that trade, i never thought self-interest was what he was about.

Dustin Boyd

Grade:

D

Not a very good start to his Habs career so far. And to be in the shadow of a player with 11 goals and 20-odd points makes it worse. Dustin can't get such a low mark for his play, but I can only surmise that in practice and elsewhere he can't have impressed the coaches too much, as there would have otherwise been plenty of opportunity for him to play a few more games. With depth being as thin as it is in Habsland, don't be too surprised if Boyd makes a glorious recovery from Hamilton and is called back into the team.

Game #26Boring Devils Hockey Takes on a Whole New Meaning

Details

Date: 2/12/2010
Opponent: Devils
Location: New Jersey

Win: 5-1

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Hedberg (L), McKenna

Habs goalscorers: Gionta, Eller, Pyatt, Gomez, Pouliot
Opposition goalscorers: Arnott

Play of the game

For pure beauty, I really loved Gomez's goal. It wasn't an important goal, but, pound for pound, it was the nicest play on the night. The goal came on the PP when we were already up by three. Showing the effort that we were at that time, however, was nice to see. I think that the Habs wanted to make sure that they didn't go to sleep tonight as they did last night. The play all started with a great play by Hamrlik at the blue-line. He did very well to hold the puck in and to exploit the stickless Langenbrunner. Cammalleri contributed by feeding the point and Weber did his part by turning that pass into a very good shot. Darche, who was again in front of the net, did a good job of distracting McKenna and then Gomez finished the job with ease. It was a great team effort in which every player played a part. It actually makes you question the two assist rule as so many assists that are presently awarded are far less crucial to the end result.

Dome hockey team

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

Scott Gomez
Scott probably should have had two or three goals tonight, but that is what I find so great. He managed to score one and seemed to be in the right spot on so many other occasions. I felt that he was on last night and that it only got better tonight. If he had a second winger I think that our second line would be one worth watching each and every shift.

Lars Eller
Lars played a nice game, but his big moment was the goal that he created all alone. The wrap-around effort ended up being the game-winner and ended Hedberg's night. He is another player that is coming on as of late and I am enjoying the ride. Darche and Pouliot are complementing him well and I do hope that we keep that line in tact.

Michael Cammalleri
Mike was part of our best duo tonight, but, thanks to Moen, we must only call it that. In all he had five shots and a virtual assist. I was actually surprised that he didn't score as he was on and Jersey were clearly off.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik - Game Puck
Another very good game from Hammer. He has been overshadowed by Price and Plekanec, but when you think about it he has really been one of our top five players all year long. He has limited the amount of mistakes he makes and, when he doesmake one, has earned the trust of Spacek who does a nice job cleaning up. Tonight Roman had two real assists, but, on Gomez's goal was the main reason that the puck ended up going in the net. With 56 games to play I just hope that he stays healthy, rested and fit; if so, we are in good hands.

Yannick Weber
Weber has given Martin something to think about. I don't think that he should be in instead of Subban, but I could see him stealing Picard's spot while Markov is out. He has the shot that we need on the PP (tonight he took 6) as PK, despite the wind-up and velocity, can't really shoot. Even Spacek, who looked good last night, isn't in the same league. I was happy that Weber got a point, but would be happier if he plays on Saturday.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Some bad puck-handling moments early on were all that bothered me tonight. Otherwise, he played a solid, mistake free game. It was a shame that he didn't get the shutout, but who really cares as a win is a win and that is exactly what Carey gives us the chance to do each and every night. In fact, in 24 starts, he hasn't had a terrible game and I can't even remember a bad one.

Comments

Poor old New Jersey, they just aren't a very good team. They have some names, but seem to be missing the depth that they once had. Beyond their top two 'scoring' lines they don't have those shut-down players that they once boasted. Their defence is average at best and without Brodeur they really stand no chance. Now, I wouldn't count them out just yet though. Lou won't let the season go, so I am sure that the required coaches and players will be in place before too long as New Jersey will still want to make the playoffs. Unfortunately tonight was more a case of the Devils being bad than us being good. We didn't play badly, but I can't say that it was one of our better games. I can't, however, pick out any negatives as we were never tested all game long. It is, therefore on to San Jose, at home, who will be a good match-up for us as they are another team that you should never count out. I am, however, more focused on us and am hoping that I will see more good stuff from Gomez and Eller in particular.

Spacek For The Norris Trophy

Now that the Habs have clinched a playoff berth and got a virtual by to the Conference final, it's only natural that we Canadiens fans start talking trophies.

Between the obvious bids: Price for Vezina and Jennings, Plekanec for Selke, Martin for Jack Adams; I feel some deserving members of the team have fallen through the cracks.

Take Jaroslav Spacek.

He plays on the team that has allowed the least goals per game in the NHL. He is the #1 in all but name (and minutes played). He frequently lines up against the other team's top lines and makes them shoot from the outside. How else to explain Montreal's suddenly impervious net?

Against those top lines, Spacek is an impressive +4, and that doesn't account for his penalty killing excellence.

He has an incredible 15 takeaways already, easily outnumbering his 14 giveaways. that puts him 10th in the league. And only Lidstrom of those ahead of him can boast fewer giveaways. But Jaro has hit and blocked more shots than that pretender.

Realistically, the best defender in the league should come from one of the best defensive teams. And what better defensive team than the Habs? Sure, you could say the Bruins, but they are only riding two goalies who for consecutive years posted league best numbers, and following the orders of a coach who is afraid to attack.

Spacek, as a member of the top pair on the top team, and with better looking stats than Hamrlik deserves full consideration for the Norris trophy. And what better time to start lobbying than in November, now that most stats have been compiled?


Tom Pyatt, gentleman

While we're about it. How has Tom Pyatt been in the league so long without gaining recognition?

Here we are talking a bout a guy that has played in every game (well nearly) for the best defensive team in the East. He's played against the Bruins, the Flyers, the Leafs, the Panthers, his enormous brother and plenty of other goons and yet continually upholds the values of sportsmanship.

Even his obvious frustration built form the inability to direct shots within 45 degrees of his desired target hasn't come to the boil.

At this critical juncture in the deciding who will and won't win trophies this season, it shouldn't be forgotten that Tom Pyatt has only visited the penalty box a single time, and that was a misunderstanding (hooking) in the very first contest of the season.

He's a virtual lock for the Lady Byng trophy to anyone with a serious interest in that trophy.

"We used to wait for it.
We used to wait for it.
Now we're screaming sing the chorus again..."

Patience good fans, the awards will be awarded when they are awarded. The playoff teams will be known after Game 82. The Cup will be won in June.

24 games does not a season make.

Other Forwards At The Quarter Pole

Moving on now to the forwards. Finally up are the other forwards without whim, the Habs record might look a whole lot different.

The legend again:

G, A, Pts - you know already
PM - Plus/minus
Ch +/- - Differential in scoring chances at even strength (these chances combined by Olivier are basically shots, misses and blocked shots that happen from danger areas)
Fenwick - Shots and missed shots for minus those against at ES
Corsi - Shots, missed shots and blocked shots for minus those against at ES
Dome - Dome for that game = 1

Jeff Halpern

Grade:

A-

At 20 games, I think it's fair to say Halpern was a good signing. For minimum salary he provides a good third line option, a penalty killing deputy for Plekanec and, so far at least, some surprising offense.

That said, he has had his low points. Off games where he seems to lose the assets he brings in other games. He'd have full marks if not for these.

Dustin Boyd

Grade:

C

Through a combination of missing a golden opportunity to take a top line spot and then being benched for missing that opportunity, Boyd was rendered pretty well useless. It's a hard read to know if he could recover from this point. I tend to think he might deserve a chance

Still, one can't give marks for aspirations. Over his limited playing time, Boyd made little to no impression. Some fans think he is called Justin. He was pretty consistently negative in all categories and unable to score except in game one. Still, he sat tight, did what he was asked and played in a few wins. He gets a boost for that.

Travis Moen

Grade:

B+

Moen tries. my goodness he tries. And I admire that. I just wish it wouldn't be reason to keep giving him scoring line duty. The guy for all his effort has stuffed many a scoring play already because he either never expected a pass (not used to playing with people who deliver) or can't handle it if it comes (not used to having to deal with passes).

Moen still gets a good grade as a role player on this Habs team.His ideal role resides on the fourth line, doing what he is told for 10 minutes an outing.I didn't hold Gomez's salary against him, so i won;t here. But it's worth considering if Moen brings an extra million to the table on a cap-strapped team.

Maxim Lapierre

Grade:

C

This is Dustin Boyd's profile pro-rated to 20 games. There's little to get excited about. It is more reminiscent of the Lapierre that went about 40 games without making a contribution last regular season than the one who scored clutch goals in the playoffs.
I am happy to say that Lapierre is already on his way to upgrading though, as Game #21 was an inspired effort from the guy who would seem set to make me look a fool with my grading.

Mathieu Darche

Grade:

B

Four excellent games get Mathieu a B. In those four games, he was truly among the outstanding Habs. He helped Halpern look better and helped Pouliot finally score a goal.
Still, not every NHL GM of the last decade missed out on something here. Mathieu is what he is. What I think that might be is a guy with some talent, but not enough to push through tight checking. He's an excellent option for third line duty, however, and a reason the Habs have the record they do. I'd like to see my fellow Redmen back in the lineup.

Lars Eller

Grade:

A-

You know, it takes a lot for a rookie to play 20 games under Jacques Martin with only a single benching. Even more in an environment where goals are scarce and he's not providing any. That is the testament to Lars Eller's start. Though he hasn't made the impression of a Jeff Skinner on the NHL web page, his play has been good all around apart from that inconvenient truth.

If you think an A grade is high, I'd only justify it by saying that taking the minutes he's given without complaining or skating a single sulky shift, together with the way he thoroughly has outchanced, outshot and out-attempted his opposition is enough.

Tom Pyatt

Grade:

B-

Blah. It's entirely possible that an AHLer might be worse than Pyatt, that he might bleed shots and chances against. but at this point, this fan is willing to find out. Pyatt is Mr. Responsible at times, but he cheats on D like MAB would cheat on O. His tendency to turn back before pressing forward belies his statistics that do him a favour.

At the end of the day, I suppose one can't be excited about every player on a 19-man outfit. I suppose every team needs a quietly effective and mostly dull option to send out for 10 minutes. Pyatt does this well, and doesn't seem to complain or seek out more. Maybe I'm too hard on him. I still think I might like to see Palushaj, though.

A Visit From The Real Coyotes? Game Preview

Last season, Phoenix were the shock entry in the NHL circuit. A franchise with no money and few incentives to go for took a middling group of veterans to a 100+ point finish. Last season, Montreal played Phoenix once and won. Price played and won. The Coyotes never visited Montreal, so in a way it’s like their season might never have happened at all.

As they roll into town tonight, the Coyotes are in tough. Their offseason improvements included the additions of 38-year-old Ray Whiney and 21-year-old Kyle Turris. Otherwise, they return the same team that rode fortune to a successful close last year. My personal feeling is that this team was a flash in the pan. Doan is not suddenly a born leader. We get a chance to see for ourselves tonight.


Key match-ups

Subban and Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Two very highly touted young blueliners with long names. Although they are unlikely to come face to face at any point in the game, this match-up allows us to watch the potential futures of two powerplays in bud.


Taylor and Tom Pyatt
This will be the second time these two brothers have ever faced off against each other in NHL game action. Last time, Tom played a whopping 15:02 to Taylor’s 9:45. They may both be on a top line, they may both be on a 4th line. Who knows? Maybe they’ll fight.


Bryzgalov and Price
Waivers vs. high draft pick. It’s an interesting match because both teams depend on their goaltending to take them from mediocrity to slightly better than mediocre NHL teams. They represent two ways of goalie acquisition, two methods of goalie development and a range of other contrasts.


(Shane Doan and the Montreal crowd)
This would have been good, but the player managed to arrange a suspension. One opposition player with alleged history of anti-Quebec tendencies. One crowd who loves to boo members of this extended family. Have the crowd forgotten? Will they find a way to boo him anyway? They still boo Bush’s decision to start the Iraq war, so you tell me.


Momentum

For the first time, I feel the Habs have the momentum. And, although what Tobalev said about one game impacting the next is dead on, the very fact that price’s team gave him a game on a platter and he returned them a shining shutout means these guys might actually be pulling in the same direction for the first time in a long time. That and the fact that Phoenix is currently stagnating. Still enjoying a season of overachievement, they have done little to address the way in which they intend to do the repeat.


Coyotes the Habs covet

Dave Tippett
A pretty phenomenal record as a coach to go with his Jack Adams trophy win. He must know a thing or two about the trade to have pulled the tricks he has out of the bag.

Eric Belanger
How Gauthier missed this boat nobody knows. 13+ goals for a checking line player in his last 7 seasons to go with plenty more assists. Lemaire educated and paid a pittance. He got Halpern instead.


Habs the Coyotes covet

Tomas Plekanec
Phoenix may have a few wingers that would look good on the 4th slot on many teams, but their centres aren’t an attractive list. Plekanec is showing again that he’s a top asset at his position, and be rightly coveted by many teams.

Andrei Kostitsyn
You think the Habs had it bad in 2003 with the Kostitsyn pick? The Coyotes, an abysmal team in 2002-03 (and well beyond) traded their 11th overall draft pick that year in a trade I can’t track down, but that clearly didn’t work out that well. They’d have had Carter at 11, but at this stage would be happy to have even Kostitsyn as their NHL-free draft class of 2003 is still headed by Tyler Redenbach.


Ready-made excuses

If Montreal lose:
- We won Saturday
- Markov is injured
- Paul Bissonnette’s rump wasn’t properly guarded against
- Phoenix are a 100-point team

If Phoenix lose:
- Doan is suspended
- Doan was still booed in the press box
- Doan asked that the team let his cousin win


Impact of this result

The NHL is tight, and the Northeast even tighter. The Canadiens need to take advantage of games against random rival like Phoenix to pad their lead against the eventual resurgences of New Jersey, Ottawa and Buffalo. The impact of this game might not be playoffs or not, but at the end of the day, these two points could look very good in February/March.

The same goes for Phoenix of course. The difference being that Phoenix doesn’t expect the way Montreal does. If they sneak an 8th spot, it may be just as good to the first-time April visitors to the arena as a 1st place barnstorming.

Beware The Devils: A Preview

After a trip and a break from daily Internet, it's a return to the world of bloggery. To start with then, a look at tonight's game and the issues that surround it.


Key match-ups

Gionta and Matt Taormina
I don't know if they'll ever lay each other this evening or not. But here you have the Canadiens second line winger and the Devils second pairing weak link. Gionta needs out of a slump and injuries to Salvador, Volchenkov and Salmela give him this gift.

Kovalchuk and Price
Playing now occasionally on the right wing, Kovalchuk is known for getting shots in every game he plays in. And shots from the leading goalscorer since the lockout tend to be deadly accurate. If he streaks down the right, he'll know to shoot high. Price needs to be aware of what he's facing.


Devils forecheck vs. Hamrlik and Spacek
Traditionally a strong forecheck against two who seem to enjoy the forecheck less and less each year. Both Hamrlik and Spacek have a bit of a history to forget against the devils and it will be interesting to see if their troubles this season and from the past can be put aside for a game or not.


Pouliot and Pyatt
I know Pouliot's omission from the second line has more to do with Gomez and Gionta's need for spark, but even so the big man must somehow regain his place in the pecking order. If Pyatt overtakes him this evening, it could be a big setback. Pyatt meanwhile will want to solidify his place with some contribution. He's already the coach's golden boy, if he gets G and G going, there's no telling the currency in good will he gains.


Momentum

At a glance, it looks to all be in the Habs favour. But beware buying too much into that. The Canadiens have won their last two and managed points in their last four, but the schedulemakers at the NHL have a habit of taking the wind out of sails in October for this team. No game since Saturday means the momentum of that Ottawa win is only as meaningful as the momentum of the report on Pyatt making line 2. The Devils meanwhile look a stinker. But if I asked Felipe Alou, I think he'd tell me to put money on them in their next few games. For a team like the Devils with talent at all positions, a disappointing record is often the last thing you want them to draw on for motivation when you meet them. Strangely, I feel the momentum is even.


Devils the Habs covet

Zach Parise
New Jersey educated and a dynamic scorer to boot. Kovalchuk has all the press right now, but this Devils team's real diamond is Parise who has seldom disappointed when I've sat down to watch him.

Colin White
As players changed in New Jersey over the years, results stayed strangely consistent.Brodeur's been there through tick and thick of course. Colin White has too. Quietly, the core defender on the Devils has made a solid career out of keeping play clean in his zone. If Montreal doesn't covet a defender like this, they should.


Habs the Devils covet

Andrei Markov
The talented puck-mover they've missed since Niedermayer turned tail. And more importantly injured to start the season, allowing them to play salary tricks while making a better roster for the playoffs.

Tom Pyatt
For the first time in years, the Devils line up without Jay Pandolfo. Not to say he's irreplaceable, but I'm sure they'd like to have replaced him. Pyatt isn't that player yet, but he could be trained to Pandolfo efficiency in NJ and probably always keep his low price tag. To go with their flash and salary up front, the Devils need some balance on the cheap.


Ready-made excuses

If Montreal lose:
- Markov is injured
- Quebec goalie
- Devils are one of the elite teams in the NHL
- Weren't ready to start the game

If New Jersey lose:
- Kovalchuk is destroying the team
- Brian Rolston's salary
- Quebec posts turned on Brodeur


Impact of this result

Until now games have been relatively meaningless. And they will continue to mean little for a long while. However, this game has the potential to be important to both teams going forward.

For the Habs, with a history of allowing the devils to walk in and take points, and no doubt helping them out of slumps on many occasions, this game could prove that time is over. Kicking the Devils while they're down, and particularly contributing to Brodeur's bad start could banish a significant bugaboo for this team. Needless to say, turning the trick would be beneficial to Carey again, as beating a Hall-of-Famer is always a boost.

For the devils, a win here could really kick start their road to recovery. A small win, perhaps not. A big win, certainly. If Brodeur gets his customary support from former Forum ghosts, then his slump too might be a thing for memory.

Game #3-3Leighton and Habs Back To Normal; We're Back In It

Details

Date: 20/05/10
Opponent: Flyers
Location: Montreal

Win: 5-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Pyatt, Moore, Gionta, Bergeron
Opposition goalscorers: Gagne

Play of the game

A game can go many different ways, so getting off to a good start sure helps to tip the scales in your favour. Scoring the first goal is something that has worked well for us this year and, as we have seen recently, when we don't get the lead we are an easier team to beat. Tonight, seven minutes in, Cammalleri made a great play to put us up by 1; it was a lead that we would never give up. It started with Mike pushing a player towards the goalie to give himself room (being cheap and not getting called - excellent) and then a shot off net from P.K. came in. The puck came out the other side and Leighton, as he was trying to get over, got caught in the player that was pushed towards him. With an open net there was no doubt: 1-0 Habs.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Brian Gionta
It is often said that players like Gionta (your big players; oh the irony) have to step up in games like this, must-wins, and that is just what he did. He scored a fabulous goal and had many other great chances throughout the night. His 7 shots on goal, again, impressed me as he always knew what to do, where to go.

Maxim Lapierre
Max plays best when he is mad, when the other team gives him a reason to be mad. Now, for the third time in these playoffs, Laps finally hates the opposition. The edge was back, the pestering revealed again and that is exactly what we needed from him. His line was dynamite all game as they scored 2 goals and spent a lot of time in Philly's end.

Dominic Moore
Lapierre's linemate, Moore, also played a very good game and, once again, gave a very good french interview after 40. With play like this and media relations like that one would have to be very blind to not see that he is a perfect fit in Montreal. He was back to his 1st/2nd round self with very solid play throughout the game, in both ends. He was a big reason why we won tonight as, in all, he had a goal, an assist and was +2.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik - Game Puck
I had Roman in the dome before I knew the stars, then I found out that he was first star. Without a choice of my own yet I wanted to find out more. What I saw, I liked. He picked up 2 assists, although neither were crucial passes, but also did so much more. In addition to his points, and his +4 rating, he was very good in front of Halak and played a near perfect game with Subban. As good as everyone has been I think he has to be our general, he has to be Markov's replacement. If tonight was any indication (the day after Markov has been ruled out for the year) I would say he may very well be up for the job.

Jaroslav Spacek
Number three in D-man ice-time (Hammer, Gorges) was Spacek tonight and I thought that he deserved every second. He played with either O'Byrne or Bergeron the whole night and did a lot to make sure that they didn't look too bad. Early on Jaro was making big defensive plays on almost every shift and I felt that that played a big part in helping Halak get into the game in a good way.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
Jaroslav made some huge saves early on which I think took the Flyers out of the game as much, if not more so, than our own goals. 26 shots against is a quiet night for him, but it was back to making it look easy, back to doing what he had to do. It was a shame to see that one goal go in, but, apart from hurting the stats (who cares), I have no problem with it.

Comments

One thing that we have to remember, even after this game, is that Leighton is a bad goalie and that Philly was barely better than us over the course the year. That gives me confidence, it gives me confidence that tonight's Halak is closer to the real goalie than Sunday's. It makes me even happier to know that Cammalleri hasn't forgotten how to score (I was really worried for a second) and that our D can play at the NHL level. Enough with idiotic statements, though, because all that matters is that this is the playoffs. Who has the best this or that doesn't matter at all. Can't the two teams in this series be example enough of that? The only thing that matters at this time of year is how much you want it. Tonight the Habs wanted it more than Philly and more than they wanted it since Game #7, and it showed. Our win tonight ensures that this series keeps going, not that we will win. We are as likely to win 5-1 on Saturday as we are to lose 0-6. The playoffs are like that and that is just a fact. Montreal knows what they have to do and they have the tools to do it, but the problem is that the same can be said for Philly. If, however, we can all play to our potential then we have the edge, we can win the series. If we don't want it as much, or more, than them then why would we even want to be in the Cup final? Saturday is the next step along the way and it would be a very good idea to win it. I won't, however, count this team out until they are out and I will keep believing as long as they believe themselves.

Game #2-4Habs Gut One Out Despite Worst Reffing Display In Ages

Details

Date: 06/05/10
Opponent: Penguins
Location: Montreal

Win: 3-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Pyatt, Lapierre, Gionta
Opposition goalscorers: Talbot, Kunitz

Play of the game

Tough choice tonight, thankfully. It really comes down to two; one that saved us the game and one that gave us the opportunity to have the game be saved. I'll go for the goal tonight as, without it, this series would likely have been over; instead we play on. The play started with a poor dump-in by Bergeron that left Darche with quite the task. In he went to the corner to retrieve the puck against two Pens. Proving why sitting on the bench for 60 minutes isn't a good idea, he won the puck off those two players and got goal-side of them. He then went behind the net, but that is where his luck would run out. Luckily, however, for the Habs Lapierre was there in support. He flew in and took the puck against the grain, to the open side. A very nice wrap-around beat Fleury and put us right back in a game that we probably should have never been trailing in.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Lost in all the excitement over Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri, Subban, Sergei and Halak has been the play of Pleks. Though, not playing his best hockey of the year, he is still playing quite well in each game. Tonight I felt that he rose to the foreground with a very convincing performance. Highlights for me were that he was used on the PK more than any other player, wasn't on the ice for a goal against and that he was an impressive 9-5 on face-offs.

Brian Gionta
You are told this as a kid and, hopefully, you are told this at the NHL-level: 'put pucks on nets, you never know what can happen'. Habs fans were happy with a 2-2 scoreline and I am sure that many, like me, were prepared to take our chances in OT. Gionta, however, changed all of that when he threw a hard pass towards the net which bounced off Letang and ended up being the winner. Again, he led by example as he had 4 other shots to go with that one.

Maxim Lapierre - Game Puck
Max has found another gear in these playoffs and tonight may just have been the best he has played thus far. He was a force all game and his goal was sweet reward for a player that has brought so much to this post-season. He only played 11 minutes and only had 2 shots, but the energy that he brought to the fore-check was contagious as his linemates and, later, teammates followed. When he and Moore are on, as they were tonight, we have a duo that can create good things offensively, hold their own very well in their own end and kill a lot of time with very good possession skills.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Don Cherry calls Gorges our next captain and I can't say, for once, that I totally disagree with him. You can't, however, look around this Habs squad and not see quite a few legitimate candidates, can you? Gone are the days when Komisarek and Higgins were considered to be true leaders as we now have players like Gomez, Gionta, Gill, Markov, Plekanec and, yes, Gorges that all seem like they could do a formidable job and far exceed the aforementioned American duo in terms of skill and leadership. Josh had another one of those games where you are so thankful we have this player. His brilliance, for the most part, came in his own end as time, and time again, he broke up plays that could have given us trouble.

Roman Hamrlik
I thought that the Hammer played his best game of the playoffs and am very happy to be reporting that. In the early going he backed up a sub-par P.K. very well and helped to turn any mistake into a non-event. He couldn't, however, do much when Subban was tripped; a play that led to their first goal. What he did do later, though, made up for that as he took advantage of the horrible reffing himself. It all came soon after we tied the game when Roman tripped a Pen and then got the puck up to Pyatt. That play led to our winner; sweet justice for the fact that Habs players, and fans alike, had to sit through the worst display of 'officiating' in memory.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
I don't want to take anything away from Jaro by not giving him the game-puck, but I just think that Max was that good. Hot on his heels, though, was Halak who shone yet again. In all there were 33 saves and none bigger than a save on Crosby in the dying minutes - it was robbery as Halak slid from left to right to steal a certain goal away from the star. I thought that his puck-handling, however, tonight was very careless and I actually counted 3 times when it could have cost us a goal.

Comments

The Habs started the game well enough and got a goal for their efforts just 2 1/2 minutes in. The refs and Pens, however, hadn't gotten going yet and, boy, when they did it was messy. First there was no call on the trip of Subban which led to a goal.

Now, there are those of you out there who will claim that is not a trip, that 2-minutes is too harsh (I call you Pens fans), but surely you can see that it is not fair that, after knocking down a Hab, Pittsburgh had a breakaway. A soccer style 'foul' (maybe simply a stoppage in play) on plays like this could at least stop these atrocities from happening. Even a 30-second, a 1-minute or, heaven-forbid, a 3-minute penalty may work. Just think, is a hold which led to no cause for concern of the holdee's team really as bad as a violent high-stick to someone's face who didn't start to bleed? Different degrees of severity may very well help refs call things as they are written and not as they choose - who knows, but I do know that it couldn't be much worse, child refs would have been the same if not better and that is pathetic for professionals. Imagine a doctor who was right 25% of the time, a waiter who served a third of the restaurant? It is unacceptable.

The next botched call was Gill's 'hold' on NHL Princess, Sidney Crosby. Does he whine when he gets the calls too? Heaven knows that he gets more than any one else thanks to his looks at the ref (see Gill's second penalty), shrugs and occasional man-tears. These two calls put us down, early, by 1. We would spend the next 35 minutes playing vs. the refs, but nothing was coming. In all we had 9 shots and things were looking bleak.

We started the third period with some spirit and soon we had a couple of goals. One call went our way, and like Pittsburgh, we took advantage. It was very nice to see the refs, for once, being consistent. The rest of the game played out like we wanted it to and before you knew it we had the series at 2-2. Saturday will be tough, on the road, but hopefully the Habs will seize this chance as a win there could make for the loudest ever reception at the Bell Centre come Monday night.

Game #79Back-To-Back For Halak As Habs Take It To Divison's Best

Details

Date: 03/04/10
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Montreal

Win: 3-0

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

Habs goalscorers: O'Byrne, Pyatt, S. Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: None

Play of the game

I felt that Halak was on tonight and made some fabulous saves and I also felt that our goals were all timely and pretty, so choosing a single play for tonight was difficult. What I will go for, though, is the third goal, the goal that assured me that this wouldn't be a repeat of last week against Buffalo, a goal that deflated Buffalo's spirit. The play all started when Moore was applying a whole lot of pressure on the Sabres' D. He forced a turn-over and then, from behind the net, found an open Moen out in front. Travis struggled to control the puck, but at the last second managed to get it over to Sergei (I think that this was on purpose). Sergei now had a big chunk of the net to shoot at as Miller had committed fully to Moen. Kostitsyn made no mistake and fired a hard one (hard enough that even two deflections couldn't keep it out) to put us up by that magic number three.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Sergei Kostitsyn
I was thrilled when I saw that Sergei was taking warm-up and I am sure that some of his teammates were too. He gives a certain dimension to our third line that makes that unit a legitimate threat. It then also has the ripple effect as the 4th line now gets more space when they are on, so him coming back, to me, was more important than a Spacek return for tonight's game. Kostitsyn did not disappoint as he led the Habs with a goal and an assist, inching ever closer to the 20-point plateau.

Dominic Moore
As big of a fan of Kostitsyn as I may be I know that there is someone who likes the slick winger just a bit more...Moore. Dom was back to his old self tonight as his fore-checking was not just good for the third line, but was amongst the best that we have seen all season. We'll touch on the need to sign Moore this summer on another day as today I just want to focus on how crucial his play for us tonight was. He was the direct cause of two of our goals and picked up 2 assists along the way. His defensive game, especially on the PK, was also strong and one more reason that he was likely our best forward tonight.

Maxim Lapierre
I wanted more from Max and I got more from Max. When he can play like this and get Darche and Pyatt to follow it doesn't really matter that your top two lines are being neutralized as he can give us a very legitimate 4th option. He made a few very good rushes throughout the game including one that ended with Pyatt potting his 2nd NHL goal. I was very pleased with the offence, aggression and poise that Lapierre showed tonight and truly hope that he can be this player for us in the weeks to come.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
Andrei was again outstanding for us as his play not only going forward, but in his own end too, was impeccable. When people are calling out our best payers to be our best they always tend to focus on Cammalleri and Pouliot (??) which is fine, but as much offence as you need you also need D and goaltending. Tonight our 2 best players were again, two of our best and that to me is how we have 4 points instead of 0 this Easter weekend. I can live with no stats from Markov, especially when he plays over 26 minutes of world-class hockey.

Josh Gorges
Like Markov, Josh also picked up where he left off in Philadelphia last night. He was very solid all night as he was blocking shots, moving the puck well and always seemed to be in control of what was going on around him. His 3+ minutes on the PK were about tops on the team and his play during that time helped to make Halak's job that much easier.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak - Game Puck
Wow, that is some serious goaltending. Jaro just put on 2 hours worth of the best goaltending display that we have had in years. I was never actually once scared that he would let this game slip for us as I recognized early that my confidence was eclipsed by the confidence the young Slovak had. I wouldn't expect him to play like this on all nights, but to be going into next week (and beyond?) with a goalie this good has to make all Habs fans not just hopeful, but hopefully confident. His 28 saves tonight came in all shapes and sizes as he not only made the easy saves look easy, but also made the hard saves every time that he was asked to do so.

Comments

Montreal took it to Buffalo early and, unlike last night, never took their foot off the gas. This had to be one of the best team efforts all year as we were all over them in their own end and seemed in control in our own. This wasn't one of those games that you could point to a lucky break here and there and just thank your lucky stars that we got points. No, this was a team effort and a team win and never was there any doubt that it should have been just that. I can't think of any one player that didn't play well and was thrilled that quite a few of the players that I had asked to contribute last night came through. I don't expect O'Byrne, Lapierre, Pyatt, Moore and Sergei to always be putting the puck in the net, but anytime that they do it certainly helps the process.

I knew that 4 points this weekend would go a long way for us, but I was ready to live with two. I can't, however, describe how happy I am that, for once, we haven't just gone for the minimum. 89 points will book our ticket into the playoffs and that means a week of .500 (against sub-.500 teams) is all that we must accomplish. That won't necessarily be easy, though, and I can only hope that those still present from the 2007 team will let this version know just how silly it is to try and wait until the last night to clinch. 86, 87 or 88 points may very well do it too, but I say let's aim for 90+ and aim for 6th. Going into the playoffs hot is better than not (see 2009) and getting to play the 3rd place team (likely Buffalo) would be much better for the Habs than the other top seeds. We have to play next week like there is no tomorrow as obviously playing like that (thanks Mr. Halak) has proven to be the thing to do.