The Reshuffle Habs And Rivals After Busy Free Agency Period

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

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

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

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

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

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


The teams ahead of the Habs

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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

In: Sullivan, Valabik
Out: Talbot, Rupp


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

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

In: Pouliot
Out: Ryder, Valabik


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

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

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

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


The teams around the Habs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

In: Richards, Rupp
Out: Drury, Gilroy


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

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

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

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


The New Jersey Devils

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

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

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

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

In:
Out:


The stragglers

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


On balance

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

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

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

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

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

The Curious Case Of Gorges

The Canadiens made a lot of moves this season. Seemingly all on defence. Rookies and minor leaguers showed good signs of progress too. Seemingly all on defence. And the free agents that one would put near the top of a list to re-sign are all on defence.

There's some interesting arithmetic going on in the Candiens organization as they bring in assets before deciding which ones they will need to part with.

After the Emelin signing, it was assumed (probably rightly) that the Russian was going to be in North America to play for NHL dollars.

One can add the courting of Andrei Markov (though as yet unfulfilled) as as a sign that he too is part of Plan A for Martin and Gauthier. I wouldn't disagree with the management there.

Subban is signed and unquestionably on the team.

That's three.

A fourth, like it or not, will likely be Jaroslav Spacek with a signed contract, an NHL education and the coach's trust already in hand.


The rest

The remaining two (really four, if you think about it) places will be taken up by the free agents and minor leaguers.

There are any number of unrestricted free agent defencemen around the league, and there are 5 on the Canadiens: Hamrlik, Wisniewski, Gill, Sopel and Mara.

In the restricted camp, the team has Josh Gorges, Alexandre Picard and Yannick Weber.

Hoping for their chance from Hamilton will be Brendon Nash, Mathieu Carle and even Raphael Diaz with contracts, and possibly more if signed.


From the names above, most sages seem to be coming up with the combination of Gorges, Gill and Weber, with an 8th to be filled by someone cheap I presume (Picard?).

But is this right? Are these the right players from the bottom list to go with the players in the list above?

Gill we know is a right answer. For Subban, for Price, for Martin. He doesn't look pretty doing it, but when the rules are curtailed, Hal Gill puts a pretty wide blanket over some threatening attacks. He's been the main reason that the team can even think about playing the way they do.

Weber started shakily, but made great strides I thought towards the end of the season and in the playoffs. He's versatile, has a good shot and has that underlying offensive side that tempts many a GM to hang on.


The case of Josh Gorges is curious, I think.

A fan favourite to be sure, most assume his place has been cemented for a decade to come by now.

Not that I think the fan admiration is misguided in any way, I'm a big fan myself of Josh. But, and it's a big but, I believe the value of Josh Gorges is intrinsically tied to the cap hit on his contract.

Josh Gorges is a solid defenceman, a very solid one. Having him on the team allowed many of us to see that our previous definitions of solid (Komisarek) were off the mark. For the past three seasons, the Habs have been getting this solid play for a bargain price. At the bargain price, it was inevitable that Gorges would show up in all kinds of lists like most-underrated in the NHL, best cap bargain, etc. That alone made him a big star, the anti-Sather signing.

But while his clockwork proficiency is wanted, needed by the team. Unfortunately the Canadiens have to live in a salary cap reality just like everyone else. And in their salary cap reality they have some pretty hefty salary cap clangers to account for (Gomez, Spacek, Moen, the guy they sign this summer who is meant to be "big"). In this world, the Canadiens need to be aware of more than the ability to make a simple pas safely.

The unknown here, I suppose is the mind of Josh Gorges. He's not a UFA so he can't get whatever he wants, but with RFA status comes a bit a of leverage and the possibility of arbitration. It is not inconceivable to think that he might double, triple or multiply his salary by some big factor.

Let's say for the sake of argument that the Habs are forced to face at least face the threat of arbitration in his case and the salary he ends up with is in the neighbourhood of $3 million. Let's say there's a few years on it. It's not an unreasonable salary for a player like him. It's less than Johnny Oduya.

But at $3 million is Josh Gorges the untouchable cornerstone of the Canadiens backline for years to come? A back line that may already include Subban, Markov, Emelin and Gill?

If Gomez is your benchmark, he'd still be a bargain. But what if Hamrlik does cut his rate in two? What if Sopel would stay for Gorges former salary? What if the team wants to see about Mathieu Carle at some point? What if the team needs those extra two million to address a forward hole?


Trade value
The other very interesting thing about Josh Gorges is that he is one of the few pieces the Canadiens have in their hands right now that has any sort of foreseeable value on the market.

Armchair GMs would all trade Spacek, and I'd applaud them if they could. But in all likelihood his contract is untradeable. The UFAs have no value at all to anyone of course. And Weber for all our praise is still largely unproven.

Gorges signed or unsigned provides a suite the three-fold advantage of age, non-UFa and proven NHL play. If the Canadiens really want to upgrade at forward, and I hope someone has keyed on that need, then a trade has to be in the mix. If a trade's in the mix, I can't see how Josh Gorges isn't on the table.

If I were GM, I wouldn't trade him now or at the draft, or before signing him (cap be damned until fall). I'd keep him and play him and see how the whole corps pans out. But hey, I'm not Gauthier. Sometimes the man makes trades earlier than I would.


Anyway, the point here isn't that I want to see Gorges go. I don't. The point is that based on the order negotiations have taken place, a fan needed to raise the possibility that perhaps the dogma that Josh Gorges is here forever might be in question. It's curious that the log jam on D never really raised a discussion on him and his place.

Game #1-3Slow Start Too Much To Overcome

Details

Date: 18/4/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Kostitsyn, Plekanec
Opposition goalscorers: Krejci, Horton, Peverley, Kelly

Play of the game

Kostitsyn's goal was quite something, one of his best ever. The funny thing is, though, he may have had a few more highlight reel goals had Thomas not been so strong in the third. The goal started with a great pick-off by Hamrlik who got the puck to Camms. Mike gained the zone and then left it for Andrei who made an absolute meal of Chara (Norris candidate? for defence?) and then slid it by a surprised Thomas.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn - Game Puck
Andrei was our best player tonight as he very nearly scored enough goals for a complete comeback by himself. Once his linemates got going too, in the third, they were a dominant line and I simply couldn't wait for them to get back on the ice whenever they went off. He was the only player to end with a positive +/-.

Michael Cammalleri
Cammalleri can be better than he was, but still did a good job of outplaying his Bruin coverage. He was in on both goals and was very nearly in on a third. I would like to see him shooting more, however, and taking shots from the middle of the ice (if possible) and not always from the outside. He will be a key player in the next game as the Bruins should have their hands full worrying about Andrei and Pleks - Mike may be able to fly under the radar.

Tomas Plekanec
I hated the way that Pleks played during the first two periods. His play on a PP late in the second was some of the worst I have seen from him in a while as everything seemed rushed and haphazard. He had a fabulous third period, however, and ended up being a positive factor in the game. His goal should remind all of us that Thomas can be beaten quite easily at times - as he has been by the Habs over the years.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK does the deserve the recognition tonight. He has been great all series and tonight he was a big reason that we almost got back in the game. He is easily having his way with Lucic as that match-up has become quite the one-sided affair. I hope that PK will keep this play up as the series goes on and I wonder if (and hope) he'll bring a goal or two to the table.

James Wisniewski
Hamrlik could have been in here with either of these two tonight, but just missed out. The Wiz played another strong game at both ends. He almost scored on his only shot of the game and I hope that he gets a chance to unload it a bit more in the next couple of games. As much as I like Subban's shot from the left-side on the PP, I would like to see James take more from the middle of the ice as I do think it is the best one-timer on the team.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I have said all along that one day Carey's puck-handling would cost us a goal at exactly the wrong time. Well, tonight was that time. His play on the third goal was inexcusable as it was a pass straight to two Bruins as he was way too far out of his net. There was another play that would have been a goal had Pleks not saved the day. It is a shame because apart from an empty-netter, a goal that may not been a goal there was only the one other goal to look at. If Price stays in his net and doesn't make those passes we may have won this game and may have been up 3-0; who knows. Luckily his play during the rest of the time shows that it was a mistake and we all just have to move on from it.

Comments

3-0 would have been quite something, but it was not to be. It certainly could have been the case, mind you. I would say that we were the better team tonight, not by far, but we were better than Boston. They beat us, however, because they started the game 26 minutes earlier than us and had incredible goaltending in the third. That third period was perhaps our best offensive period of the series and that is reason enough to be happy. I think that after being down 0-3 we proved to ourselves that Boston is indeed the team that we beat in their building and is indeed a team that we can outplay.

What has to be done, therefore, is quite clear - we have to start the game well. I think that we have all of the tools to be better than them at every position, but we can't afford to get down. Tonight we went down, got lazy, got scared, took stupid penalties and that all caught up with us. We have to set the tone early, no matter what. That doesn't mean scoring first (a goal can be lucky and can happen for either team, at any time), but means that we must outplay, outwork and outchance them early on. I don't expect that to keep up for 60 minutes, but the sooner we start playing that way on Thursday, the sooner we'll be putting doubt into the minds of the Bruins.

Game #1-2Montreal Take Firm Hold In Boston

Details

Date: 16/4/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Win: 3-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Darche, Weber
Opposition goalscorers: Bergeron

Play of the game

Too many choices, how nice is that? I wanted to say the save that Price made at 2-0 on Lucic, but think that it has to be our first goal instead. Boston were fragile tonight and, so, to be able to go up early against a team that is down a game and their best player was a big deal. It all started when Wisniewski made a great play to steal the puck in the neautral zone. A big shot meant a huge rebound and on the door-step was Cammalleri the poacher. That goal cemented the doubt that they had in their heads; it was the most important Habs goal of the year thus far.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Mathieu Darche
Darche scored a very important goal to put the Habs up by 2; it ended up being the game-winner. His linemates weren't as dominant tonight, but he himself played a good playoff game. He, along with Moen, led the Habs tonight in the combined total of shots, hits and blocked-shots with 8. I have a feeling that those 3 categories will be as important in the upcoming games vs. Boston as they have been thus far.

Michael Cammalleri - Game Puck
Mike set the tone early as he was in on both goals within the first two and a half minutes (not a bad start). His line played well and I felt that Moen did a good job alongside Mike and Pleks. Cammalleri is the type of player that seems to able to score when needed, a big-game player; let's just hope that this is simply the start of it.

Lars Eller
The other two members on his line deserve a mention (Pyatt and Weber) as they competed all night long. Lars, I thought, was the best of that group, leading the charge throughout the entire game. Believe it or not this playoff rookie led the game with 4 hits.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
+2, filled in on the PK formidably and had a very good read on the third goal as it was his interception that led to the goal. Hammer is a good example of what we have and Boston don't. See, he can do very good work in his own end, but he can also 'relance l'attaque' better than any of the D that they had in their line-up tonight.

James Wisniewski
James got the ball rolling with an early steal and assist and kept the good play up throughout. There was a questionable hit from behind, but at least he stood up for himself when Hnidy came looking for trouble. I hope that he'll shoot more than the once that he did tonight if needed, but can see his value beyond the shots when he plays a solid game in our own end and we win by 2.

Goaltender

Carey Price
This is the type of goaltending that wins playoff games and playoff series. 1 goal in 2 games to go along with some of the most relaxed, confident and positionally-sound 'tending that I have ever seen from any NHL goalie. He got a bit lucky with some posts tonight, but had those shots gone in I am sure that he would (as well as his teammates) have been up to the task of taking Boston down.

Comments

This is a dream start for Montreal. We now head back home with 2 wins in the bank and 3 of the next 5 games (if needed) in Montreal. Like I said, though, it is a start, not the end. Winning 2 more games won't be any easier because we have won these 2. We have collapsed before from this kind of lead and must be careful to not let that happen again. The positive is, of course, that we are playing Montreal Canadien hockey which is a better product and more successful type of hockey than Boston Bruin hockey. They can keep hitting us after the puck is gone as much as they like because that is the point, the puck is gone. We are moving the puck up, through their team and they seem to always be one step behind, always playing catch-up. We've lost to this team though, we've lost big, so I would still be worried. We have to be worried that things may not always go our way. The big saves may go Thomas' way, not Price's, the posts at their end may be the ones ringing, not ours and the refs may start giving them more of the benefit of the doubt. So, we must keep the foot on the gas. Scoring early is, and always will be, key and that must be our only priority on Monday night. I like watching the Bruins play catch-up hockey, simply because they are not very good at it at all.

Game #1-1 Habs Commit To Bruin Beating Plan

Details

Date: 14/4/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Win: 2-0

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

Habs goalscorers: Gionta (2)
Opposition goalscorers: None

Play of the game

Fitting that the game threw a steal our way so we could highlight the puck battle aspect of the game in the play of the game. Milan Lazic skating down the wing was completely and easily stripped of the puck. It became the play of the game because all the actors knew what was to happen next. Gomez took control flush and found his wingers, a simple drop to Gionta became an open chance down the favoured right wing. Soft puck play was followed by soft goaltending as a puck squeezed by Thomas into the net. This ended the game.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
So close to being the player of the game. Aside from missing some glorious chances, he laid down a perfect game. He shadowed Krejci and brought back visions of Koivu on Thornton by not only plugging the offense, but also getting the better chances all night. We asked him to bring something more, he did.

Brian Gionta
This was all for naught if Montreal forwards do what Boston forwards did. They nearly did and maybe would have, but for the 30 goal-man (a season and 3 minutes in anyway). Gionta scored two goalscorer's goals and gave Boston problems all night when he was in their zone.

Scott Gomez
Played the team game and made the only two successful scoring chances of the whole game, for either team. Gomez gets his fair share of criticism, so he should get praise when he deserves it. The value of a player like Gomez goes further than his superficial stats. Every time I see the Canadiens turn back in their own zone, I remember how before Gomez and co. this never happened. This wasn't the perfect puck possession game, but choice moments of calm kept it from being worse. Worth saying after a win.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
Classic playoff game for Gill. He took the looser rules and made his game fit them. At one point I saw him lightly holding a players back until the ref turned his way. Gill played lots against the Bruins "big" line and did the business on Lucic and Horton. It kept shots sensible and saveable.

James Wisniewski
Addition of the year on this team. On any team? Certainly glad we didn't hold out for paying more for Kaberle in this case. James was part of a second excellent pairing that shutout a very good second Bruins unit. Did Recchi play? That's a compliment to Wiz.

Goaltender

Carey Price – Game Puck
The perfect game to start a series from our goalie. There were bad angle shots, hard shots, a couple of what looked like screen shots, easy shots - Carey handled them all. He told us he learned a lot from watching the playoffs last spring, and now we know for sure that's true as he showed the pressure soaking Halak goaltending of last spring in perfect rendition. I wouldn't want to be a Bruins fan watching this goalie, because Price now gives that nauseating impression that he can make quality scoring chances into easy looking saves.

Comments

A slowish end to the season fogs into the memory as the Canadiens came out flying, took a lead and then played the perfect safe game. We heard how the team was getting outshot, we saw how the possession was lengthy at times in the Canadiens end for the opposition, but the team didn't mind. That's because the Bruins were taking the outside shots without asking questions and the Habs were happy to continue on that path - the one they were laying.

The win itself is critical. It at once gives the Canadiens home ice advantage and puts to rest any notion that the Bruins were out to manhandle the Canadiens. yet it is still just a game. Unlike a hockey game, a series win requires more than a single score, and the Bruins will have learned something from this game. Comfort must come from the knowledge that a stubborn vet like Julien might actually feel his team did the right things by outshooting the Habs and might preach sticking with no change. Martin still needs to see the next move when the Bruins do wake-up, as I'm not sure they will surprise another team with the Hal Gill usher out.

Enjoy the lead Habs fans. Your well-coached team won a well-designed victory.

Game #82Habs Play Tight Game; Let The Real Season Begin!

Details

Date: 9/4/2011
Opponent: Maple Leafs
Location: Toronto

Win: 4-1

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

Habs goalscorers: White, Gionta (2), Plekanec
Opposition goalscorers: Kessel

Play of the game

Price made an incredible save on a goal that wasn't, but could have been. The refs went upstairs on a puck that may well have crossed the line. The official call, however, was that it stayed out and that was because of the work that Carey did. He somehow got his hand on the puck which was rolling on the line and managed to take his hand out of the net as the rest of his body found its way in. It was a truly acrobatic play and one of Price's best saves of the season.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Ryan White
Who knows what role Ryan will play in the playoffs, but he showed his coach that he was ready if needed. He scored an early goal and then went on to get in a fight and make 4 hits (led the game) and did it all with the least amount of ice-time of any player on either team.

Michael Cammalleri
Mike didn't score tonight, but certainly got enough chances to show that he is ready to go. In fact, I think that he got the most quality chances of any Hab other than Gionta. It should be interesting to see if he can elevate his game to the same level that he did last year.

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
Two goals for Brian tonight and I guess the biggest shock was that he didn't have more. That gives him 29 goals on the year which is not only what we expect from the captain, but also what we need. Pleks, Camms and Andrei can all score, but Gionta shouldn't be forgotten as one of, if not the, most potent threat on the team. It was a good first year as captain for Brian, next up is his first playoffs.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK's ready, don't you think? He is the type of player that lives for big games and I am sure that he can't wait for next week. He played the most of any Hab tonight and his 7 shots led the team by 3. I am positive that he'll be back with Gill, so the question is whether Spacek is in and is so, who is out?

James Wisniewski
I liked the Wiz's play tonight. It was a nice reminder of the type of player that we have on our hands as I think it is a treat to have such a high-quality replacement. I am not sure how many games he has left in a Habs uniform, but 16 wins would sure be nice.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey played a good game and made a few great saves. His season wraps up with pretty impressive numbers, the type of numbers that we haven't seen for years. It wasn't all good, however, as his puck-handling almost cost him and the goal was a bit weak. Luckily he has learned to shrug off mistakes, so weak goals don't seem to phase him. If he can keep mistakes down though, then this could be another enjoyable run as I don't see many cracks in him at all.

Comments

Well, that's that, 82 games up, 82 games down. It was a nice way to end the year in that we got a win, Toronto got a loss and we avoided any major knocks. All in all it was a good season, 96 points is a good result. I wouldn't say that we are miles behind the top teams and considering that we are relatively healthy (forget the big 3 injuries) we have a certain amount of depth that I am happy about. It will be a potentially dirty series with Boston, but if we can score and score early on them then they will change their style. When that happens they start trying to score and forget the rough and dirty stuff; that is generally when we can better them. Price is the key, but with players like Subban, Wiz, Gill, Gio, Pleks, Kostitsyn and Cammalleri I feel that we have enough options. It will be good to get a few days rest this week, because we all know how tiring another 2 months of hockey watching can be!

Game #81Meaningless Game Has Exciting Finish

Details

Date: 7/4/2011
Opponent: Senators
Location: Ottawa

Loss:2-3 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Gionta, Cammalleri
Opposition goalscorers: Spezza, Butler, Kuba

Play of the game

Kostitsyn made a great play to keep the play alive towards the end of the game. Had he not raced over to support the puck the game would have been over. Instead it got to Pleks behind the net who went to Wiz at the point. Then, all of a sudden, it was back on Andrei's stick. He then made a brilliant pass to Cammalleri who tied the game up with a perfect shot.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Mike Cammalleri
Mike is hot and he showed that with another great goal. It was a very typical game, however, for him as there were some bad passes and bad moments in there with all of the good stuff. This is what we need and expect though and I am happy with that.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei was our best forward tonight and it was never more evident than on the tying goal. That play shows why he has gone from no PP time to a lock to be on the ice in tight situtations. His 6 shots led the team as he played the closest to the way I want our forwards to play next week.

Brian Gionta
I felt that a lot of the players didn't go too hard tonight. Gomez's line had their moments, but overall they can and must be better. Gionta was the best of the lot though and still had a stronger game than the rest of the forward group.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Boos for PK? I hate that good players get booed - it happens in Montreal and apparently happens elsewhere. But, at least we know that he gets them because he is good - it is a way for other fans to acknowledge good play. Tonight he played a good game and looks ready for the playoffs.

James Wisniewski - Game Puck
James carried the load tonight for his team. He played over 25 minutes of reliable hockey and finished at +1. His 2 points are good, but just made him that much more expensive as he now has over 50 (51) points. He has got the job done all year and I am excited to see him play in the playoffs; we'll worry about next season in the summer.

Goaltender

Alex Auld
3 goals on 32 shots isn't bad, more like average. This wasn't his best game, but he got a point and allowed Carey to rest, so it wasn't all that bad. Hopefully that will be the last time we see Auld for a long time, because if that is the case it will mean that Price is playing well and at this point that is what we'll need to go anywhere.

Comments

I made the trip down to Kanata tonight with a few friends and what we saw was what one may expect to see from 2 teams that are presently certain of where they will be next week. Montreal played a smart, conservative game in which they were more interested in staying out of trouble than winning. Ottawa had their moments, but you could tell that the players wouldn't have minded had they lost. The Canadiens, I thought, outplayed Ottawa early, but there were bad passes and sloppy plays over the place. What they got was what they wanted I think, though - 1 point and a chance to leave the arena as healthy as they came.

They walk away from Ottawa as a team that didn't give too much effort, but with a better hold on 6th place. In fact, a win on Saturday would clinch us 6th and would give us an impressive 96 points. I think, however, the main goal has to be to stay safe and to stay relatively rested. A win against Toronto, though, in Toronto would be a good way to end ours and especially their season. I can't believe that we have already played 81 games and that the playoffs are just around the corner. Our team has come together and seems ready, though. Markov, Gorges and Pacioretty are all dearly missed, but I think that the rest of the guys are good enough to do what last year's team did. That doesn't mean that I think they will go as far as they did and I would be surprised and very happy if they did, but I do think that we have enough of the right pieces to compete this spring. It all starts with Price and the D, as it does every year, and we have one game to get ready for the real deal and to iron out any kinks.

Game #78Habs Back To Looking Sloppy

Details

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

Loss: 2-6

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

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

Play of the game

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

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

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

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

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

Defencemen

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

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

Goaltender

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

Comments

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

Game #77Montreal Can Breathe a Little After Solid Team Effort

Details

Date: 29/3/2011
Opponent: Thrashers
Location: Montreal

Win: 3-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Hamrlik, Darche, Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Antropov

Play of the game

Price made a great save on Byfuglien in the first minute of play. The Habs came out a bit slow and Atlanta came out strong. That chance was a result of us not quite being ready for their urgency. The save, however, calmed things right down and perhaps saved the game for us. After that the Habs took control of the game and it was much nicer to be able to do that being tied at 0-0 than being down 0-1.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn
He played a good solid game and was very involved physically. The chances weren't there as much as they have been, but I felt that it was always a positive shift when he and his linemates were on. He did, however, get a goal right at the end, a goal that sealed it; it was an empty-netter from his own blue-line, his 20th of the year.

Mathieu Darche
Darche was at his best tonight. It was for games like this that we re-signed in and why we let Lapierre go. It had been a tough return from injury, but after missing 5 weeks I can't say that I am surprised. Tonight he was a weapon to be reckoned with in the offensive zone and, once again, played smart hockey.

Scott Gomez
Scott was our best centre tonight, just ahead of Desharnais (didn't see anything too special from Pleks). He was on right from his first shift and set a good example for others to follow. This is the type of play that will help us in the playoffs - speed, aggression, passes and the ability to get under his opponents' skin.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
I had a feeling that someone like Hammer (my instinct, for some reason, said Sopel) would score the goal that we had all been waiting for. It was a good team goal and with four people in as close as they were you could tell how badly we wanted it. Aside from the goal Hammer played a solid, reliable game as he logged the second most ice on the team. Tonight may have been a reminder from him and to us fans that he is still our #1. Who knows what will happen in the future, but for now it seems like he will do his best to lead us throughout the remainder of the season.

James Wisniewski
Wide-open games against a weak defensive team is the type of game that James must love - at least it looks that way. I am not sure if he will be as effective as he was tonight against tighter (playoff) competition, but I am sure he'll still find a way to contribute. The good thing is we have Hammer, Subban and Gill ahead of him who are ready to carry huge loads. Add to that the fact that Mara and Sopel have been decent, Weber and Picard can do the job and Spacek will, if he is healthy, be well rested and all of a sudden our D seems to be in good shape (just imagine Markov and Gorges were around).

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
On a normal night beating the Thrashers 3-1 at home wouldn't be a big deal. But, after 3 straight shutouts and in need of points for the plyoffs this game was huge. Carey knew this and did not let anyone down. In fact, this game was a shutout whether the NHL believes it was or not (once again 4 men miss an obvious play by the puck-carrier) and that just shows how key Price is. We have 5 more games and with 3 points likely being enough I would like to see Carey sit 1, maybe 2 of those just to be safe.

Comments

I am not going to say that all is good and that we are back on track, but there are certainly some positives here. First off, however, Atlanta are a pretty weak team (when compared with the current competition in the East), maybe only slightly better than Florida, Ottawa and the Islanders. So, beating them, at home, is more like a must than a big deal. Add to that the fact that they played like a team that was already on vacation and that makes this win not that special. What is important to note, however, is that the Habs did play a good game and I think that this was true despite Atlanta. The significance of this isn't the win, but the fact that we had played 2, maybe 3, pretty passionless games over the past week. We had looked tired, out of ideas and sloppy, but tonight looked re-energized and ready for what lay ahead. So, it doesn't matter who the opponent was or what the score was as it was the effort that mattered.

Tomorrow is our last back-to-back game of the season and after that we'll have 4 games in 10 nights. Hopefully we'll get enough points to breathe even easier next week so that we'll be able to rest (either by press-box, limiting ice-time or giving easier assignments) some key players. It is looking like our last two games (in Ottawa and in Toronto) will (thanks to all the other games that will be played by then) simply be for form and placement as I anticipate us being in and both of them being out by then. That means we have one week to make it count and then a pretty easy 7-9 days as we wait for the real season to get going.

Game #76What Is This? 1949?

Details

Date: 26/3/2011
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Montreal

Loss: 0-2

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

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Sturm, Semin

Play of the game

The Habs just make it harder and harder each game to find greatness. Thankfully, Price had some good plays, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do. The play of the game for me was a glove save that Carey made on Hendricks with 14 to go in the third. It was a great save and kept the Habs within one - something that just didn't seem right.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn
If he played like he did tonight and all those players that should be playing better did too we would be in good shape. Andrei shouldn't be our best, most dangerous looking forward each game, not with the roster we have, but that is what is happening. I am happy that Kost is playing to near his potential, but very upset that his teammates aren't doing the same.

Lars Eller
Lars, like Andrei, is actually playing some good hockey. We need to score goals and he has been our most creative centre of late. I think that it is desperation time now and I think, after 76 games it is time to let Gomez play on a 3rd or 4th line. Give Eller Kostitsyn and another talented winger (no offence Moen, well, a little) and let's see what happens. One or two games with Gionta may do everyone involved some good.

Brian Gionta
He looks tired, he looks to be out of ideas and he even looks to have no lasting chemistry with Gomez. But, he also looked like he cared tonight and seemed to be trying. Sadly, however, his best play was a sliding save in front of the open net and not a highlight reel goal or assist.

Defencemen

Paul Mara
Not Paul's best game, but I didn't notice too much wrong with his play tonight. I am not sure where he fits in to our plans for the next few weeks, but if he plays like he has the past two games (and others continue their sloppy play) I think that he could be a lock to play in every game from here on in.

James Wisniewski
I felt that James played quite well actually. I would appreciate more offence, but I can't really blame him for the PP's ineptitudes or our inability to generate a score of quality chances. He was steady in our own end tonight and his play in theirs was the best of any of our D-men.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Carey looks tired and doesn't seem to be at his best, but is still able to put in a good, solid performance. It has been a long season and it seems that we were worrying about the wrong player getting tired. In comparison to the rest of the team, Price looks like he just had 3 months on a beach.

Comments

Goalscoring, it is always goalscoring. Over the past few (20?) years when things are going badly it always comes down to a lack of offence, a lack of depth. We always say that we have good depth and good players, but at the end of the day we only have one player who has played the whole year with us that has more than 41 points. It is amazing really that had we won 2 or 3 more games we would have a serious shot at the division. See, we obviously don't need big number players to be an above-average team (thanks to team play, defence and Price), but when things go bad it is generally due to a lack of goals. Now, I have watched some offensively challenged Habs teams in my day, but I can't say that I am old enough (I'd have to be 61) to have ever seen the Habs be shutout 3 times in a row. I am not embarrassed about nor am I mad, just a little worried maybe. I am worried that our lack of depth, injuries and fatigue have all caught up with us. I am worried that we may not wake up and find our legs and our touch in time.

So, it can be said; what good are the playoffs if you simply stumble into them? If you can't score a goal to save your life? Well, remembering last year and the struggles that we had to end the season are proof enough that things can (and do) change. All we have to do is get in and then we'll see what happens - that is when the fun begins. Unfortunately for us, however, that means that we actually need some points. We have 6 games left and I think that if we don't get at least 3 points (likely 5) we are in trouble. So, wake up Habs, let's just assume that the playoffs start a few games early this year, so score a goal or two this week please.

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 #71 Solid Team Effort Grounds Lightning

Details

Date: 17/3/2011
Opponent: Lightning
Location: Montreal

Win: 3-2 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Kostitsyn, Gionta (Dawes, Cammalleri - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Purcell, Gagne (Gagne - SO)

Play of the game

This was made easy for me. Tied at 1-1 with Tampa on the power play, Gionta was in just the right spot to grab a pass gone slightly awry and took off with the puck. He made St.-Louis look slow down the ice (no easy feat) before positively undressing Roloson to bring it to 2-1 and put the taste of victory on the team’s lips.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn
Put himself in good position and showed serious stick control in our first goal, and put in a solid offensive game with Eller and Cammalleri (even if that wasn’t the line he scored with).

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
The captain did what was needed to make victory look like a possibility tonight, and created some quality chances as he always does. He also covered a defensive lapse late in the third to stop what would have been a breakaway for the Lightning.

Lars Eller
I almost wanted to put the Bulldogs as a collective unit here, but Eller convinced me otherwise by doing the simple things well. He has great puck control, keeps his head up, and is learning to use his body and strength to protect the puck so that that he can be patient and create solid chances like he did tonight.

Defencemen

James Wisniewski
Showing great skill and hockey sense in both ends from the first period, Wiz continues to impress me. A key acquisition that we’ll be heavily reliant on down the stretch, it’s a relief to see him deliver game after game.

Roman Hamrlik
Our Czech workhorse played his 1 300th NHL game tonight, and his experience showed through his superb positioning, 7(!) blocked shots, and almost 30 minutes of ice time without a goal against. He had some smart pinches in the dying minutes of the third and some great defensive play in the overtime period.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I almost put the game puck here, and you can accuse me of bias as I’m a huge fan of our captain. Certainly neither goal can be blamed on our netminder, who played a more-than-solid game, and did well to shut the door on some key rushes after Gionta’s goal. He stared down Stamkos and shrugged off charges at the net with equal
ease and kept us in this one as well as anyone could ask.

Comments

A really fun game to watch, with plenty of wide-open, end-to-end hockey. Both teams are fast and like to skate, and it made for a very entertaining game. Roloson was solid for Tampa and had his share of luck in the face of some solid chances, and we flubbed a few besides. With the injury to Plekanec, I was really hoping for Gomez to step up to the plate and deliver. Instead we got a boost from the Bulldogs, and I thought they did well to create some quality chances through simple hard work; Dawes added a welcome goal in the shootout. With our decimated roster and Gill out with a virus on top of it all, I would have been happy with one point against a team like Tampa Bay, let alone two. I’m going to focus on the positives and a big team effort
that brought home a very welcome win.

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.

Game #67Boston Outdo Themselves, Again

Details

Date: 8/3/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal

Win: 4-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Eller (2), Gionta, Wisniewski
Opposition goalscorers: Lucic

Play of the game

The second that they left our ice.

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
Lars got this game off to a very nice start by scoring twice in the first; after which point the Habs never looked back. His line was our best tonight and on a night when the Habs played two of their best periods of the year that says a lot. He got the job done in both ends which is fantastic, but he now has to work on face-offs - I guess a season at wing has its disadvantages.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei only picked up one point tonight, but was key on three of our goals. The excitement on his face when Eller scored his second says it all to me. That line is playing for each other and all three have gone from question-marks in certain people's eyes to mainstays of our attack in a few short weeks.

Brian Gionta
Brian scored a goal, shot the puck more than any of his teammates and wasn't intimidated by big players who seem to have no problem drilling smaller ones, with regularity. His line was on again tonight as he has gelled with his two compatriots. The captain will have to play an important role tonight and in the coming days as they'll need a leader in the aftermath of one of the worst incidents we've seen at the Bell Centre in years.

Defencemen

James Wisniewski
What was great about James tonight was how he showed Boston what a real, effective defender can look like. He can carry the puck, make legal hits, block shots, control a PP and score a goal. He was great throughout this one in every part of the rink.

PK Subban
Bullies like to pick on the same person over and over and they like to think they are justified for doing so. That is why you'll see teams like the Bruins focusing so much on PK. They do it because he is 'cocky' and has 'no respect', because he 'talks too much for his own good' and has 'too much of a swagger for a rookie'. Funny though that he was one of the cleanest players out there and has been for his whole NHL career. Why the NHL allows teams to target one player is beyond me, but I guess when your Dad is in charge of the punishments your team can act like idiots over and over and over and over again.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey would have got a shutout had the Habs cared to show up in the 3rd. They probably felt that the game should have been called, but the NHL must get 60 minutes in, NO MATTER WHAT. Unfortunately for Carey's stats this meant that Boston would keep playing the same game that should be being questioned as you read this. They still came at us hard in the third and with our minds elsewhere they got one by us. Price dominated this team tonight and showed that he is ready to beat these guys again when the time comes.

Comments

The NHL wants a rough game. Certain coaches who never really get punished want a rough game. Players on certain teams want to show fans that 1970s hockey (not the type that was built with speed and winning, but the other type) wasn't just a fad. When a lot of people are all trying to prove the same thing things happen, bad things. Tonight the Habs played hockey and Boston had no answer. This was a change from last month where we didn't impose our style enough. Tonight we showed people that being big and tough doesn't really matter. That was until the end of the second at least. See, when ill-tempered people are losing they get mad and they look for someone to pay. They want to make sure we all know that they are tough and that if they wanted to they could kill us. Well, Chara came very close to doing just that. We still don't know how Patches is, but it did not look good at all. I have no doubt that Chara made that hit on purpose. I do doubt that he wanted to hurt Max that bad, but I think with the 0-4 score and a player right beside the partition he felt that the timing was right. Will the NHL let him off lightly? Will they base it on the severity of Pacioretty's injury? I think that the answer to both of those questions is yes as the league has done very little to discourage this type of play and this type of culture. Someone will die one day if players like Chara aren't punished and I mean severely punished. To me, this could be a season-ending suspension which may not match a potential career-ending injury.

Thanks NHL for the product you have given us - Big, Bad, Disgusting, Dirty Boston Bruin 'Hockey'.