Date: 05/10/2017
Opponent: Buffalo
Location: KeyBank Center
Win: 3-2 (PS)

Montreal Goalie: Price (W)
Buffalo Goalie: Lehner (L)

Montreal goalscorers: Pacioretty, Danault, Drouin (PS)
Buffalo goalscorers: Pominville (2)

Buffalo Gives Priceless Montreal A Reality Check

Date: 13/02/2016
Opponent: Buffalo
Location: Buffalo
Loss: 6-4

Habs Goalie: Scrivens (L)
Opposition Goalie: Johnson (W)

Habs goalscorers: Andrighetto (2), Galchenyuk (2)
Opposition goalscorers: Legwand, Kane (2), Gorges, Foligno (2)

Some Wins Now For Briere

If the Canadiens need some inspiration, and it seems that they may do, they should think about this:

Daniel Briere is 36 years old and not looking at too many more contracts in his future. He also happens to be one of the premiere playoff performers of all time to never hoist a Stanley Cup.

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

Details

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

Loss: 0-3

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

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

Play of the game

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

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

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

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

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

Defencemen

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

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

Goaltender

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

Comments

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

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

Game #70 Habs Fans Unsure Whether to Celebrate Last-Second Point

Details

Date: 3/12/2012
Opponent: Sabers
Location: Buffalo

Loss 2-3 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Cole, Desharnais
Opposition goalscorers: Ennis (2), Myers

Play of the game

Another play of the game brought to you by the Pacioretty/Desharnais/Cole line. In this version, total chaos breaks out in the Buffalo end with Montreal finally finding some offense in the dying seconds of the 3rd. After a couple of shots on Miller and a couple of battles for pucks finally being won, a cross-crease pass found itself heading straight for Desharnais' tape and he made no mistake in putting this one into the wide-open net to tie the game with 5 seconds left on the clock.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty
I'm sure we all had a bit of a gasp when we saw him go off in the second after taking a puck to the ankle, but Pacioretty not only came back, he also led the team in shots with 5 in only 15:39 of ice time. Didn't really deserve the penalty he took during the power play in the 3rd in my opinion.

Erik Cole
Scored the opening goal to give some vital breathing room. Again filled his role as the offensive—well, maybe not juggernaut, but about the closest thing we have to one.

David Desharnais
Set up Cole's early goal and scored a beauty himself in the dying seconds. Currently on a 0.8 point/game pace. These 3 players accounted for 11 of our 28 shots tonight, and our defencemen another 10. Is it any wonder these are the only 3 forwards we ever see in the dome these days?

Defencemen

PK Subban
Another great game for Subban. I really want to see him continue developing at the pace he has over the past 2-3 seasons, and having a mentor like Markov on the ice will help in that respect. Just having another reliable defenceman might have done the trick, and Markov brings far more than that to the table.

Andrei Markov
Head and shoulders above any of our other defencemen. Markov has great hockey sense and a fantastic sense of timing. Even with a -2 finish, he reminded me tonight of what a great player he really is and how happy we should be to have him back. Here's hoping we actually see him for more than a handful of games next season.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj - Game Puck
Honestly sorry to not see Budaj play more given the game he had. He made some truly amazing stops and showed smart positioning and a fair amount of agility throughout the contest. I don't think Price would have necessarily stopped anything Budaj didn't tonight – the first Ennis goal in particular was spectacular.

Comments

It's feeling a little like a broken record around here these days. But with only one line producing any offense at all and good goaltending, basically 4 of 6 dome spots are already taken in a given game. And with Gomez forgetting what the second half of "give and go" offense means, we're unlikely to see much from him, Eller or anyone on that wing. Plekanec seems to only be interested in special teams goals, and Bourque seems to be still finding his feet.

Buffalo had strong forechecking and we had a very difficult time getting established in their zone. The unbalanced shot total here really does reflect the zone domination of the Sabers. Once again, Ruff showed why he's such a respected coach and came out with a solid game plan that was very effective in shutting us down.

Much as I hate seeing us lose, I don't know how I feel about pulling a point from the fire with 5 seconds left in the game. Makes for an exciting finish, sure. But I wouldn't be quite so unhappy to lose a position or two in the draft if it means finishing ahead of the Leafs, who are only 3 points ahead in the standings...

Game #59 Habs Use PP And Shootout Luck Store To Down Sabres

Details

Date: 17/02/2012
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Buffalo

Win: 4-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Kaberle, Gomez, Campoli, (Pacioretty, Desharnais - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Regehr, Myers, Ennis

Play of the game

Coaches who believe in the passive box must believe that hockey players' innate impatience will will on odds alone. Tonight, the Canadiens very nearly opened their scoring on the PP. Even if it was technically ES, the goal came because of about a minute of PP possession and probably 20-odd straight passes. The play that ended it was signature Markov. Not from him of course, but from Kaberle who snuck in using the Russian route to finish Desharnais' soft pass.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Scott Gomez
I'm somewhat stunned to read the time on ice stats. To me it seemed like Gomez's line was getting prime time minutes. That's probably in most part due to the fact that they caught the eye more than any other. Gomez himself was sharper at things he hasn't necessarily been sharp at in a while - quick passes, battles on the boards, winning races. And to top it off he scored a massive goal when the wind very much needed to be put back in the Habs' sails.

Andrei Kostitsyn
To me, the most dangerous forward all night. For whatever reason he was the forward who escaped the tenacious Buffalo checking best and popped up at least a half dozen times in very dangerous positions. He ended with 3 shots and no points, but there was quality in his attempts.

Ryan White
Using his exuberance to get the two misfits going is proving a minor stroke of genius. Really, it's probably just hitting on some obvious complementary assets that should be well known by now. White makes room and wins loose pucks - something both Gomez the hot potato passer and Kostitsyn the slippery shot maker like to have taken off their own plates. Tonight White looked like a sure bet to be on the team for a while. Not something I ever thought when he was missing for all those games.

Defencemen

Alexei Emelin
We beat up our management a lot, but getting Emelin to come to North America before lapse of his rights was masterful. From learner to reliable to making Gill expendable in less than 60 games. His mark on the game tonight was in scorecard hits and blocked shots. Un-noted were a few good breakout moves and slick passes.

PK Subban - Game Puck
I'm not surprised that the energy of renewed playoff hope is awakening a player within Subban. Being a pro who can elevate his game, he is prone to this kind of effect from pressure. Tonight, he continued to build on what he has been putting together for a few games. We'll all admit that he's not yet found his PP magic. IN the defensive zone, though, the magic is there. A gorgeous 2-on-1 break-up, numerous takeaways, dives for clearance and lots of other good things. Now that his focus is taken from making the highlight hit to matters of the score, he unsurprisingly returns to Game Puck ownership.

Goaltender

Carey Price
The dome was won with a solid recovery from average start. In fact, by keeping the game 3-2 as long as he did, he did the Canadiens a massive turn. He also saved himself an asterisk by being the goalie I'd have in for the dome shootout. The extra point belongs in part to him as he made his saves cleanly and without sliding into the net.

Comments

This is a stats geek's dream come true. Regression to some mean. Players that were barren bore fruit, a PP created goals it's deserved for all the chances that it's had, and a shootout victory was sealed with 2 shots a piece (goals and saves, respectively). Smartly, they did not test their PK luck too frequently on the first game without the human bollard.

What we may also be seeing is the tale of the schedule. A schedule where the Canadiens played most of the games against the teams that are doing well this year first (hopefully not only because they played the Habs more...) and play some of the down and outs more now. If the Canadiens had played more shootouts against Buffalo, would their record be so bare? Their PP would certainly be better against such an anemic defence.

Whatever the explanation, the Canadiens have again given light to those who refuse to pack up for the season. The Habs by statistical likelihood, now have a higher than 10.6% chance (for some reason on writing, the site tells me it's still tied in OT) of making the playoffs when their light schedule is accounted for. It's not high, but it's better than that of NYI, Buffalo, Carolina and Tampa. Winnipeg beat Boston and keep floating a little higher. The better news perhaps that teams that may not belong in the playoffs are the ones perched precariously there. A win on Sunday with some other half-way decent results (sans OT) will put even some of the more cynical back on Windsor station platform awaiting the bandwagon to pass.

Game #17Habs Get To OT, But Let It Slip Till A Shootout

Details

Date: 14/11/2011
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Cole, Pacioretty
Opposition goalscorers: Pominville, Roy (Vanek, Boyes - SO)

Play of the game

Pacioretty's goal demonstrates all that is good with his line, with the hottest line on our team. Desharnais, who is playing some fantastic hockey, started the play at the blue-line and put in a nice little pass for Max. Pacs beat two defenders and then got off a weak shot. Not to be outdone, Cole went hard to the net, as usual. The puck trickled in, but one has to think that it would have gone in somehow as Cole and Desharnais were ready to pounce.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

David Desharnais
This line did it again and makes you wish that one or maybe even two of the other three lines would have stepped it up too. Desh was on for both goals and probably should have been asked to take a shootout shot instead of the slumping captain.

Max Pacioretty - Game Puck
Saying he is our best player doesn't even feel weird anymore, it seems kind of right. Players like Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri have made it easy for Max this year as the competition for best forward is really not as hot as it should be. He was all over the Buffalo coverage tonight and could have had a hat-trick had the bounces gone his way. If he keeps playing like he does a 35+ goal and 70+ point season will be reality.

Erik Cole
It was too bad that Erik took that penalty in OT, otherwise it would have been the perfect game from him. Nevertheless, he played very well as he used his speed time and time again against a quick Sabre defence. He isn't scared to stay out on a shift if a chance is there, he isn't scared to go to the net and rough it up and most of all isn't scared to take on any defender on the ice.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
No Markov or Campoli, no Gill tonight and we were only halfway through the game when Spacek went down. That means a young D and a win (or point in this case) requires certain guys to step up. I thought that Diaz was one of the best out there as he played with poise, patience and creativity. He was used by his coach in all situations and did a formidable job. When all those guys are back will he have a place? At this rate, who am I kidding? When will we ever have all of them back at once.

Yannick Weber
Yannick was our best defender tonight. One of the best aspects of his play was that it was simple, yet confident. PK, the perennial dome selection, made some poor choices that eventually cost him a selection and in a way the Habs the game. I have no doubt after watching this game, with all of the absnses on D, that Weber has his place as a permanent defender on this team. He is great at even-strength, can play the point nicely on the PP (I am assuming, of course, the results will improve for him and the team when Markov is back) and, boy, can he kill penalties; tonight he was fantastic in that area.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I have certainly been more severe before, but did think that Price played two of his best periods tonight and didn't want to overlook that. He played the puck well and smartly, but more importantly made each and every save and made them look easy. In the third he was average, but that isn't bad considering the first two. He was good again in OT and did enough on our PK to give us a serious chance at the win. In the shootout, however, he was again pathetic. I know that is a harsh word, but he isn't just letting goals in, he is letting in goals that make him look like a much worse goalie than he is. When he moves, he guesses wrong, when he doesn't move he is beaten easily by good shooters. That makes him 0-4 in shootout attempts this year and my suggestion to the Habs would be to win in OT, at all costs. The back-up plan (until Price proves himself against non-Gionta/Plekanec shooters in practice) has to be to put Budaj in if only to confuse opposing shooters who seem to know the book on Carey.

Comments

We played a good first two periods and seemed well on our way to a third straight win and to above-.500 territory. The third period, however, started poorly and since we aren't the best (or a good) team at scoring goals we were playing with fire. Our game-plan is to get the lead and to almost hope that we'll hold on; once again, it almost worked. We had our chances in OT, but when that came and went it seemed like an opportunity at gaining on Buffalo had just slipped through our fingers. This result won't matter in the end (if it does we have a lot more than tonight to blame), so it should be lesson learned and move on. We need points this week and if we can manage to get points in our losses then I suppose it isn't all that bad.

Our PP may have scored tonight, but it is really painful to watch. It actually sucks all of the excitement out of the game as we slow it right down waiting for that perfect play. The seconds tick by as we work it around looking for a tap-in. 20, 30 even 40 seconds of controlled (contained?) passing can go by before a shot. Buffalo, on the other hand, seem to get a shot off every 5 seconds and maybe they lose the zone more frequently, but they still have more action than we do. For so many years we worked the puck around until that perfect and pretty play presented itself and it worked, it worked well. It can't however, work with this squad. No offense to the current squad, but there are no Kovalevs, Koivus, Markovs, Sourays, Streits, Schneiders, Bergerons, Wisniewskis out there. The coaches have to adapt because we are losing games because we can't score when most teams can. We need a new plan, one designed for the talent that we have now (and I do believe we have talent). Surely there must be a way that Diaz, Gomez, Gionta, Desharnais and Darche can find a way to score with a bit more regularity.

Game #5 Sabres Sheathe Montreal Power Play in Close Loss

Details

Date: 18/10/2011
Opponent: Sabers
Location: Montreal

Loss: 1-3

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

Habs goalscorers: Diaz
Opposition goalscorers: Leopold, Vanek, Ehrhoff

Play of the game

Sort of a no-brainer tonight, although Price's save on Ennis late in the third almost made the cut. I'm still going to go with a beautiful goal that starts with Kostitsyn skating out of his own end, and dropping the puck off to Pacioretty just before he crashes into a defenseman to open up some space. Pacioretty spots Diaz coming in alone on the other side and snaps a pass right onto Diaz's tape. Miller was far out of his net, and Diaz showed great speed and patience getting almost past him to slip one in easily from a bit of a hard angle.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty - Game Puck
Once again, Max was everywhere all at once making slick passes and taking opportunistic shots. He led the most dangerous line again tonight, and I fully expected him to score—and if he hadn't been facing a goalie like Miller, I'm sure he would have. 9 shots and earning first-line minutes with a somewhat surprising trio for the Habs.

Scott Gomez
At one point towards the end of the second I said to myself "Gomez, you're a machine!" He was solid in his own end and frankly amazing in transition play tonight. He carried the puck well, mad smart passes, got into and won a lot of battles, had good forechecking, and even showed signs of offensive competence at times.

David Desharnais
Could just as easily been AK46, since this line really seems to work as a unit. I love the way Desharnais plays without the puck: he's always going to the net for a quick pass or to screen the goalie and pick up a rebound. I think this is something that's been missing from the Habs for quite some time and I hope to see it continue.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
Great game for the new guy. Saw him join the rush at some very opportune times and it was patience and a cool head that allowed him to beat Miller with such seeming ease. I really liked the way he took a wicked shot with Price out in the dying minutes of the third, and read the play well enough to be in perfect position to cover the net as Buffalo cleared the puck.

PK Subban
Wasn't that easy picking a second D tonight, as I felt most of the defensive crew played decently but there wasn't much that stood out. I liked Subban making a couple diving plays to break up shots from the side of the net, and using his legendary windup on the power play as a fake before snapping a quick-release one-timer right on Miller the next time the puck came his way.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Well, I don't think Price was really to blame for the goals tonight. The set play off the icing faceoff that earned Buffalo's second goal was a little disappointing, but it was well-executed and Vanek has one hell of a shot. Price had a wicked and timely save on a Taylor Ennis breakaway late in the third, and did some really smart things with the puck throughout the game. He's getting better, though at times I see him doing things fancier than they need to be done. Hopefully that means he's getting more confident with his puckhandling, and has reason to be...

Comments

Despite the loss, I saw a lot of things I liked this evening. We were excellent in transition play, with speed, chemistry and smart passing. We took a lot of shots from some decent places, created good traffic front of the net, and played some fast and aggressive offense. You have to give Buffalo credit for doing a good job of covering shooting and passing lanes and not letting us get too many extended chances despite our domination of the neutral zone.

The defense didn't really stand out tonight even though Buffalo had few opportunities for prolonged pressure. There were some changes I was unhappy with tonight: I didn't like us changing on an odd-man offensive rush in the first period while on our second power play, and it might have been an ill-advised change (or stupid attempt at one) that led to someone not getting on Leopold to make that goal at least difficult for him. Our power play was once again uncharacteristically pathetic, and we're now 2/21. The encouraging thing is that we've been great at even-strength, but clearly we have to find a way to make the man advantage work for us.

Overall, it was an encouraging game in many ways and I liked a lot of what I saw, but I didn't like like what I didn't see: some solid finishing. Still, if we can continue to play like that, I can see us with 3 dangerous lines for the first time in a long while, and we can hope that will translate to a few more goals—and a few more wins—this season.

Games With Meaning

Once again you and I sit here as winter turns to spring looking ahead to a host of meaningful Canadiens games. Tonight is the first. The Buffalo Sabres are grappling for the playoffs (if you can call 6-6-4 over 14 grappling) and the Habs need more points to achieve any peace of mind.

But it’s not so for everyone.

Down the road in Ottawa, for example, games with meaning expired in January. That’s when they entered the puzzling realm where fans start to accept and even encourage the loss. I recently attended an Ottawa game and will be attending the Habs game in Kanata as well. Watching the post-trade deadline Senators face the Bruins was interesting from an academic point of view, but I can assure you that not many of those fans seem to revel in the clean back pass like I do. By the time the Habs play the Sens in April, it may be that the result means less to both teams. It begs the question: why are people paying the same amount to watch this game as the early season run-ins with everything still on the line.

The teams at the bottom struggle to bring in fans (especially where fans were already scarce) as cheering for the loss is just as easily done without the $100 price tag. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad if the teams at the top weren’t also playing meaningless games as the season runs down.

Vancouver and Philadelphia are the only two teams that have formally clinched their playoff berths. But there are also several teams that have a 100% chance of making the playoffs if you round up the decimals (Washington has escaped all scenarios in which they could miss thanks to head-to-head games of those chasing).


Few games with meaning

So ten teams with less than 1% chance of making it and 9 teams with a less than 1% chance of missing. With playoffs being the only pressing reason to win a game that suggests that most teams don’t have very much left to play for.

In my opinion, this part of the season is just another thing that is fundamentally wrong with the NHL. I think there’s a problem at the top and at the bottom of the pile.


League champions

To start with, the league’s attitude to the President’s trophy only fuels the fans disdain. 82 games is a long and arduous season for players and fans when the single reward for most teams is berth in the playoffs. Add to that the possibility that a first round loss will completely eclipse any notion of accomplishment. Imagine a first round sweep.

There aren’t many good reasons as to why the league couldn’t do more to elevate the league champion. I am not suggesting that anything like the right to play for the Cup be reinstated as it was in the beginning. There could, however, be ways to honour the winners. Presenting the trophy could be a start. Other possibilities could include making the champs participants in the outdoor game, or the all-star game (and making a trophy for the victors of that as yet meaningless contest). Some sort of hockey champion’s league to start the season (as opposed to random selection for European involvement) might also create interest in hockey that way.

A fan of North American sports will point out that not recognizing accomplishment for the regular season is the norm for all sports. Of course, in doing so, said fan would have to ignore the reality that sport takes place outside of North America too and those leagues routinely find ways to honour two achievements and make them meaningful to fans. They would also be condoning the 162-game debacle that leads to months of meaningless baseball games every year.

Why must we cling to a system that was made for 6 teams, when we can clearly see the problem that a single honour to go around for 30 teams is creating disinterest? Why must the NHL copy the NFL when the difference between 16 games and 82 games is so clear?


Lottery winners

The same could be said for the bottom. As I was discussing the Senators last night with my father-in-law, I needed to explain why the teams missing the playoffs must now attempt to lose as many games as possible. We both agreed this gave fans a very good reason for their apathy.

Of course, this doesn’t need to be the way forward either.

The top pick to bottom team system is in place to allow recycling of teams from top to bottom. It works in that regard. But in 10 years when Crosby and Malkin are on their last legs, will we again be staring down the threat of one of the NHL’s most legitimate markets losing its team? The more Pittsburgh try to win now, the more likely it seems we will.

And what for? So that teams from far less viable markets can take a turn at the top?

The solution might need to be creative, but there could certainly be a way to make missing the playoffs on a tie-break (like Florida has done a couple of times recently) worth more than trading away all NHL talent in March like that team did this year. It’s not every day that the Toronto Maple Leafs stumble on viable solutions to problems, but they may be onto something with their first round swap – winning to prevent a rival’s reinforcement seems to entertain.



At the end of the day, fans cheer for the goal, the save, the win. Not many are so forward-looking to be cheering for the increased odds of nabbing Couturier. Certainly not when they’ve paid to watch a hockey game. As a fan willing to pay for a late season game this year, but beginning to question, I can speak to this.

Want to know why hockey is sucking air in Florida and Atlanta. Want to know why Colorado failed before and could just as easily lose interest again? Want to know why Columbus is no longer selling out? Look no further than meaningful games. In addition to showing some iota of concern for player safety, I think this sham leadership has to address this situation where meaningless games make up 15% of the schedule.

So as Toronto face Minnesota to decide Boston’s draft position, enjoy the game tonight.

(Note: Of course I never expect a league run by the current team – who can’t even muster enough interest to deal with serious injury – to do anything. It’s still something I think needs to be addressed by the next competent guy they get in a leadership position)

Game #58No Ties Here; Habs-Sabres Leave Us On The Edge Of Our Seats

Details

Date: 15/2/2011
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty (1, SO), Pouliot (Desharnais, Plekanec - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Stafford, Pominville (Vanek, Ennis, Gerbe, Hecht - SO)

Play of the game

I was hoping for a defining goal, save or drawn penalty in the last little while, but without the win it is hard to play the 'crucial-moment' card. So, instead I will go for our nicest goal, Pouliot's. A great pass by the Wis to Desh sent the Habs away. The speedy forward made a nice move to get around his cover and then floated a nicely timed backhand pass to Pouliot who had a wide-open cage to hit.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
Pleks capped a nice game with a goal that doesn't count. What did count, however, was his play throughout the first 65 minutes of the night. He found a wide-open MaxPac to start his night off and followed that up with play after play of smart hockey. I noticed a few great back-checks that not only led to break-ups, but also to Habs rushes.

Max Pacioretty
Max scored a real goal and another one tonight. His goal was a goalscorer's goal as he went hard to the net and finished the job that he had started. He used good speed and hockey-sense throughout the game to make things happen for his linemates. He was separated towards the end from Pleks, but I think that that had more to do with getting the other lot going rather than it being a message for his group.

Benoit Pouliot
It continues for Ben as he made the right play to be at the net, around his defender when Desharnais was going in hard. I would have liked to have seen him score on the shootout and do hope that he tries a new move next time. Generally it is hard to score on the same move more than once as that goalie, if well prepared, should have that move at the forefront of his memory.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK carried the biggest load tonight as he played nearly half an hour of hockey. It is the right move to do as he is young and full of energy and, for the most part, has been playing as one of our top-2 for quite some time. The best part about his game tonight (as is the case on most nights) was that he was playing hard in all 3 zones. He doesn't just log the ice time, no, he certainly makes the most of it as he is at full-tilt on each and every shift.

Alexandre Picard
The Hammer and the Wiz have had better games and it was hard to see what Nash was really all about. So, it was between Picard and Weber who I felt were more or less equal. I went with Alex for three reasons though. The first was that he logged more ice-time, with 6 extra minutes coming at ES. The second was that he didn't take a penalty; not that I blame every penalty taker, but I do applaud those who stay clean on most nights. The last reason was that I thought he played a slightly cleaner game in our own end, as clean, or just a bit less, than Subban in that regard.

Goaltender

Carey Price
A win would have been nice, but the Habs let Buffalo come at Price in the last two periods and it caught up with us. He got some nice bounces, and posts, and also made some very key saves as I think he basically stole us a point. The shootout was a bit disappointing as Carey was beaten three times in a spot that must have been identified by the Sabres. If that is the case I hope that we have already identified this area and will continue to work on it.

Comments

Our first period was a great one as we were all over Buffalo. It was probably the best 20 minutes that I have seen from the Habs in 2011 as it was chance after chance and, best of all, there wasn't even a sniff from the Sabres. We fell into that old trap, though, of great period, not a big enough lead. We should have put the game away at that point or at least played like that in the second until we had at least a 3-goal lead. It wasn't that we started to play too badly, but it certainly went their way from period-2 onwards. We had our chances towards the end and in OT, but we lacked the conviction that we had shown early on. The shootout was long and we had a chance to win, but it was Buffalo that seemed more prepared. They went for similar spots over and over and we seemed to be all over the place. Kostitsyn, Pouliot, Wis, Pyatt, Gionta and Gomez all had pretty bad attempts and have me wondering if this is something that is ever really practiced? I would hope that a coach would practice this on a regular basis because, as silly as it is, there are points to be had there. Us, for example have 3 less points (2-3) than Buffalo (5-0) in as many attempts, yet I believe we have scoring and goaltending to match them.

Next up is a trip out west to play three Canadian teams. Vancouver will be tough, Edmonton should be a win and Calgary will be a fun game in which getting points may be forgotten. I for one love real outdoor games (not ones in warm American cities) and hope that the Habs can improve to 2-0 in them. The last time it was Zednik's 2 goals (the first ever player to score outdoors) that led the way; who will it be this time? That game will be enjoyable, win or lose, so I'll call the trip a success if we bag at least 3 points.

Game #47More Quality Refereeing On Display Tonight

Details

Date: 18/1/2011
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Buffalo

Loss: 1-2 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Desharnais
Opposition goalscorers: Ennis, Pominville

Play of the game

You don't see this type of play often, so I thought that it had to be mentioned. The play of the game really has two parts though, the play, and the touching aftermath. The play happened when Price was beat, there to make the save, however, was Subban who slid across and saved the day. The very warm moment that followed was when Price put his glove over PK's head and them tapped him on the bum to thank him for a job well done. How sweet.

Dome hockey team

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

Brian Gionta
Brian played well throughout this one, especially in the offensive zone. I haven't seen him in so many scrums all year and I think that was a captain telling his team that no matter how many players were missing this team was here to play.

Scott Gomez
I thought that Scott was a warrior tonight. Like Gionta, he was very active in Buffalo's end and was very involved after the whistle. I have never seen him so angry as when he was called for high-sticking in the dying minutes. Can't blame him though, wouldn't you too be upset if you were the guy called out to allow Buffalo to complete the comeback.

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks was our best forward tonight and did it without Cammalleri by his side. He led the team in shots and was also very effective on the PK. He had one play at the end which basically enabled us to go to OT as he single-handedly held the puck in Buffalo's end as the clocked ticked up to 60.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK made the game-saver which was his highlight in this one. It was, however, back to big wind-ups as he must have forgotten just how hard and accurate his wrister can be. He again logged the most minutes on the team and rightly so as he was our best defender out there. I am becoming very pleased with his work on the PK as it always seems like an unexpected surprise.

Yannick Weber
This was the best game that I have seen Weber play in the last little while. Tonight he didn't stand out as a rookie, but instead looked like a very good, NHL-ready, D-man. He is moving the puck well and is also playing soundly in his own end. His 4 blocked-shots led the team and his penalty can be forgiven as it was bound to be someone in white getting called.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price played a great game tonight and, thanks to him, is the reason that we are heading home with an extra point in the bank. Buffalo didn't put forth their best effort, but it was enough that a lesser goalie may not have held up. I feel bad for him on the winner as what could he really have done? An OT penalty, I mean it is almost as though the refs did want to affect the outcome.

Comments

Tonight there are built-in excuses like you wouldn't believe. The first has to be that we are tired after last night's win. Then, the fact that we lost 3 forwards early, 3 effective forwards that is. The last excuse has to be that the officiating was, yet again, a joke. After the first period it was 4 PPs for them and none for us. I could live with that (and would welcome it) if Eller wasn't hit from behind and cross-checked 3 times in a row, if Gaustad and Vanek got out of Price's way, if Gaustad stopped hitting everyone and everything after the whistle and if Gerbe (who?) didn't fake his way to a call with a minute to play. As long as the reffing is like this then the team getting the calls will always have the advantage. We had a good chance to win, despite this charade, and did well to only let in 2. The end result is an OT loss against a pretty pathetic team, though, so all is not lost. More importantly will be finding out how our players are and if we'll need Dustin Boyd to rescue us or not.

Game #24Habs Forget Thrashers Game Better Than Expected

Details

Date: 27/11/2010
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Montreal

Win: 3-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Kostitsyn, Gionta (2)
Opposition goalscorers: Leopold

Play of the game

Gionta started a nice play to send us on a 2-on-1; a play that resulted in the game-winning goal. It ended up being a clean looking play between the captain and Kostitsyn. Andrei, who we (and Miller) expected to shoot made a very good pass to Brian who, quite easily found the back of the net and, essentially, sealed the game.

Dome hockey team

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

Andrei Kostitsyn
This was another very good game from Andrei. He added another goal and assist and now has 9 of each on the year. Aside from the points he played a strong, two-way game and has been doing for most of the season. His chemistry with Plekanec was expected, his chemistry with Gionta is very welcome indeed.

Tomas Plekanec
The glue that holds his line, this offence and, at times, the team together. Pleks is that behind-the-scene type guy who really does do everything well. His passes, like the one on the Gionta goal, look effortless, but are really world-class. I can't imagine where we would be without this player, the player who is clearly a #1 centre.

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
Tonight Gionta took a lot of shots again and it really paid off. In all there were 8 shots, 2 of which went in for goals. Another one of his shots, on the 5-on-3, ended up being saved, but pulled Miller out of position enough to allow for Kostitsyn's simple put-in. I love how Brian is playing these days and it is nice to see him getting the points as a reward.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Josh, on the last night of Movember, impressed me yet again. Was it because I was excited that the stache was soon to be shaved or was it because of his play? Thankfully, after a convincing 3-1 win, I can say it was his play. His 5 blocked-shots and 21+ minutes really made a difference and set the team up nicely for another big win.

Jaroslav Spacek
Jaro had another good game tonight against the team that he once captained. His most interesting stat may be that he played exactly 1 period of hockey, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything else there. He was strong in his own end and was the top player on his pairing as he is now at the same level as Hammer; where he was last year.

Goaltender

Carey Price
It was a shame the Carey didn't get the shutout, but, because we got the win, it doesn't really matter. In fact, if he gets too many of those he may end up being too expensive for us at the end of this contract! So, thank you Buffalo. He did, however, play well enough to deserve the shutout which is more good stuff from the kid. It is amazing that a team can take 36 shots on Price without any of the 21,273 fans ever worrying about him costing us the game - much appreciated!

Comments

I had a feeling that the rest we bagged last night would pay off tonight. Montreal played a good game from start to finish as Buffalo never really got to where they wanted to be in this one. We took advantage of our big chances (very happy with the 5-on-3 goal) and it seemed that the Sabres didn't (or weren't allowed to). This game just shows you that wins and losses aren't far apart, though. One less bounce for them and one of their posts ending up in the back of our net and all of a sudden this is a totally different game. Right now we are playing well and when you play like that I truly believe that you make your own luck.

To Watch Beyond Goal 1?

Last night the Habs allowed the Thrashers the first goal.

Then for the 4th time this season, they simply couldn't do anything to answer that.

Should we be surprised? I'd say no.

If you want to look for a weakness on this Canadiens team, beyond the PP and their "second" centre that is, the proven inability to be beaten by a first goal might be it.

This season, the record is clear enough:

2-7-0 now after being scored on first.
That includes 4 shutouts against, and 6 occasions where they never even tied the game up again.

Even the two games they won were quirky in that they scored rather quickly to negate that early lead. Vs. Phoenix, they answered within 5 minutes and had the lead within 8 minutes. In Buffalo, they answered the first goal within the minute, and the same for the second.

This season, at least, this is a team that plays like champions with a lead, but rather like chumps when chasing.


There's a history here too.

In the playoffs last spring, the Canadiens let the opponents score first 8 times. They lost 7 of those games in very similar fashion to the above scenarios, again being shutout 4 times over.

Last regular season, the team was ranked 23rd among the 30 in win percentage when trailing after the first period (It isn't exactly the same thing as being scored on first necessarily, but for someone who just wants to make a quick point without doing lots of work, it's a good approximation for now). A piddly 0.256 percentage, once again indicating their propensity to find brick walls to run into.


Rivals

As all the talk these days seems to be intent on declaring the Habs true contenders based on their November run, this must be a factor to consider, a serious chink in the armor.

Good teams, well the best teams, win from in front and win from behind (again, I'll use trailing after the first to illustrate): Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago are all above 0.400 when needing to come back after 20 minutes. Washington is above 0.600.


Being beaten

All athletes will tell you there are different types of competitor. Among them these that can be beaten with an early flourish and those you can never turn your back on. My own experience is that the resilient ones, the ones you can never count out are the opponents you have to worry about. Those that win from in front when everything goes right but give up when they trail are easy enough to build a strategy for. There's no strategy to put down the ones that keep getting up.

Yesterday, I was listening to some radio guys go on about the Canadiens resilience and their apparent ability to bounce back from anything. This was evidenced by good games after bad they proposed. I think this is at serious odds with the in-game findings that show an almost total requirement for that first goal. With it, they are league contenders, without it, they are peers of the Islanders.

I only hope that the coaches and the team take these frequent shutouts as lessons for future use. To find, I suppose, ways not to fall into the typical defensive traps that leading teams create to make the appearance of offensive generation. Heck, they could learn those lessons from their own wins.


Yes, losses happen and we mustn't fret. Trends in losses, however, are worth paying attention to. If the Habs don't buck this trend, they may have enough trouble making the playoffs, let alone contending in them.

At least, I suppose, we could all save on a lot of hours watching the games if first goals continue to spell out results.

Game #13 Habs Class of 2005 Combine For Unlikely Win

Details

Date: 5/11/2010
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Buffalo

Win: 3-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Halpern, Pouliot (2)
Opposition goalscorers: Grier, Leopold

Play of the game

The play of significance wasn't perhaps the play of most beauty, but it made for a more beautiful evening. Early in the first period, the Sabres find the open Thomas Vanek in front of Carey Price. Like a goalscorer without a snakebite, he connects for a shot on net and then another in a flash. Price saves the first with his body and the second through determination. It's the signal to his team that he's battling for these points.

Dome hockey team

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

Benoit Pouliot
A predictable choice after his goals, but he might have made it without them. I thought Ben was full value for his 11 minutes of ice time in this game and is showing those glimpses of the player we saw in January and feared we might have lost. His first goal was masterful, picking a puck out of the air and doing what talented players do before goalies know what's hit them. His second was a good shot from an unlikely position showing his other dangerous quality. The best threat on balance.

Mathieu Darche
Glad to be taking home another day's pay no doubt. While he's about it he's showing up Bulldogs dissenters and Habs peers all the while. When Darche is on he's on and this night he seemed to take what little ice time he had and make it mean something. His pass on the first and most important goal on the night was very nice indeed.

Jeff Halpern
This guy is a few games away from nearly making the dome on a sympathy plea. Tonight he played a prominent role on the team. He scored the critical first goal (and made it from his effort on the earlier pressure) and killed penalties like a man possessed. ironically, he stunk at faceoffs in this contest, allegedly the talent Gauthier sought him out for.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
The signature Hal Gill moment was a clearance on a Buffalo PP with Gorges and Markov in the box. He may have been part of the reason Buffalo swarmed the zone at times, yet his penalty kill prowess was largely responsible for the fact the Habs were even in this for points.

Josh Gorges
He played in the first pairing. He was key in setting up the goal. He was important as always in killing penalties. He played sound hockey as we can count on him for. Despite an undeserved penalty, he put together a nice game and join his former partner in the dome.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
I recently got in an argument with a fan about the importance of timing for a goalie. About how letting in early goals is a primary evil and that big saves earlier are bigger. This game Carey Price helped my argument, I think. The 15 saves he made before the Buffalo goal were the most important saves of the game. They kept his team in it, but they also delivered a signal to those teammates that he was going to be sharp and save the usually unsaveable. He delivered the same again when Buffalo pressed at 1-1 and was then rewarded with a restful third. Carey led from the back on this occasion, his best game in weeks in my opinion.

Comments

To those who want to complain, there is fodder here. The Habs did not win pretty. There were defensive lapses (have you ever seen a goal with errors by all 6 players on the ice?) and there were lots of absentees (can Lapierre even be benched?). However, this game is exactly the kind of game all those who complain should long for. It was lost on balance of effort long before the midpoint. It was lost on quality chances, it was twice very losable after big goals from the Sabres. The Habs came back. In fine form too, with not a minute or a shot to spare. Their answers were beautiful and in the case of the second response, resounding. By the time Pouliot killed the game with his slice off the iron, the Sabres had their heads down.

And then came the icing on the cake, the Habs closed out a close game without much drama. Limiting shots, chances and high blood pressure, the game slipped into the record books as another win in upstate New York.

So don't fret about Gomez and his non-breakaway induced slump continuation. Or about the fact Gionta has infected Kostitsyn with his wrist infection. Or that Subban can't shoot at anything but a blocking shin. This was a positive night with 2 points to remember it by. The Sabres probably aren't the team we see now and so taking the points from them may well mean a lot in April too. A good win for Price and the boys.

Game #4Canadiens Take Advantage of Lucky Bounces to Beat Lifeless Buffalo

Details

Date: 15/10/2010
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Buffalo

Win: 2-1

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

Habs goalscorers: Picard, Gorges
Opposition goalscorers: Roy

Play of the game

This isn't as easy as it seems as there were no spectacular goals, spectacular defensive efforts or spectacular saves. For this one I am going to go a bit different tonight. I had argued the other day that brutal NHL reffing would benefit us, well, tonight, it may have. With under 10 seconds to go Buffalo was attacking and may have had a chance at a goal. I wasn't too keen on waiting and hoping that that would pan out for us as we have been known (last year and last game) to let up late goals. So I was delighted when I heard the whistle blow. The whistle, it seems, was blown because the linesman thought there were too many Sabres on the ice. He did indeed count 6 skaters (demonstrating his superior counting skills), but the one detail he forgot was to check if Miller was still there. Since pulling the goalie when you are down by one and are in the offensive zone is so rare he can be forgiven this once. More quality from the world's best.

Dome hockey team

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

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei was our best forward tonight and maybe the only one who actually played quite well. He was aggressive and had a nose for the net. In all he took 5 shots; 1 more than the entire second line. Do you think people will remember this game when they point to it as a game in which he didn't get a point (thus, inevitably, he must have played badly)?

Lars Eller
He only played 9:49, but I liked what I saw from him during that time. If those players more talented than him (from either team) would have played with as much energy and speed as he did this could have been a great came to watch.

Scott Gomez
Scott didn't play a bad game and seemed better than the rest on this night. He showed more life than Gionta or Travis 'anyone-know-what-these-hands-are-for?' Moen which helped make that line look not all that bad. Highlights for him, at least statistically, were the face-off percentage (57%) and being the player that passed to the player who passed to the player that floated one in.

Defencemen

Jaroslav Spacek
Anytime the Habs let up 23 shots the D must have played well. Well, tonight it was a bit of that and a whole lot of Buffalo being bad. That said I thought that Spacek did his best to keep shots down as he led the D in shots-blocked and even blocked a certain goal.

Josh Gorges
I wanted to give this to Picard, but I couldn't think of much more than the flukey goal for him. So, as usual, Josh's sound play gets recognized. His goal was actually pretty decent and I was happy to see a one-timer on net, from anyone. He also led the team in ice-time, as it probably should be.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
This could be labeled as 'another day at the office'. Carey came into the game focused and prepared and was rewarded for that. Buffalo never really offered much, but when they did he was ready. In all there were 22 saves and no major mistakes. He almost got himself into more trouble handling the puck, but by now he even seems prepared for that.

Comments

Wow, not much else to say really. The Habs rolled into town to face a Buffalo team that was celebrating a 40th anniversary and looking for their first home win of the year. What they saw was a very unemotional (borderline embarrassing) ceremony followed by a game against a team that lacked pretty much all emotion. Miller was strong, but got unlucky, so in a way we maybe stole points that may have been lost. I think that is Buffalo this year though - Miller or bust. It will likely actually result in the playoffs as Ryan is too good of a goalie to let luck or bad play of his team stop him in his quest. I am happy that we got the two points, handed them zero and then headed home. Tomorrow isn't as crucial as it would have been had we lost, but a win against another divisional rival would at least help us keep up with the Leafs. The Leafs! Are you kidding me?

List Enough Players And You'll Look A Genius

Yesterday, I wrote on Jarred Tinordi as the D man the Canadiens must take if they were to take the easy route and pick on D.

I'm not thrilled about the pick, but Tinordi should be big enough and established enough to avoid the David Fischer fiasco. If he makes the league and plays a solid game with a giant frame then he's not going to be the biggest failure of this draft.

That pick may belong to the Buffalo Sabres who took the underwhelming Pysyk on the very next pick.

If you want insight into why the Habs traded to get Tinordi picked, then that Buffalo pick at #23 tells you all you need to know. They'd have had Tinordi over the already "all-round" defender they sunk their pick into.

Because of the trade, the Habs are out of action until the fourth round when they get the 113th and 117th picks. Then it's 147 and 207 and done. With Quebecers bound to be selected, there's little to get too excited about. My hopes remain with our friend Corbeil-Theriault and a couple of scorers who've dropped.

Quick Question For Doubters

Why do those of you who fear the Habs have no chance of beating the Hurricanes and the Leafs even want to be in the playoffs?

The Canadiens have to win one of two (or lose in fighting fashion) to keep everyone happy now.

In two weeks (playoffs permitting) they'll have to be beating a top team for the 4th time to make us happy.

Keeping perspective. Go Habs Go.

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.

Game #74 Another Tight Game, Another Loss

Details

Date: 24/03/10
Opponent: Sabres
Location: Buffalo

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: A. Kostitsyn (2)
Opposition goalscorers: Connolly, Gaustad, (Connolly, Vanek - SO)

Play of the game

Sometimes it takes a whole game to understand what the play of the game was. It's context you see. Knowing now how the Sabres would react after sniffing blood and the Habs were prone to folding like a cheap tent, I have to choose an early save. The save that was most worthy was Carey's stop on Adam Mair in the first period. Having stopped a decent shot from Hecht, a rebound was left to slip. A hungry Sabre was there waiting. Mair pounced and actually unleashed a very testing shot that looked a goal. Carey had stayed with the play and had none of it. Flashing his glove he knocked the threat away and conserved the one goal lead for the Canadiens. Sitting here after 65+ minutes, it doesn't seem a stretch to say he won a point with that save.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Brian Gionta
Another game, another dome for Brian. He played a solid one this night. More shots, a few testing. He even set up the best chance of the night, while Gomez did his best Higgins impression for the nostalgic amongst us. Really though, I thought Brian made the dome out of sheer effort. He played the most minutes of anyone on the Habs. He was a leader in PK minutes and PP minutes too. He was the workhorse right up till that final minute when Martin chose to sit him.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Last game Andrei played great and actually earned criticism. Nothing but goals will do, apparently. Well this game was different. This game was goals. His first was a goalscorer's effort slotted in with ease. His second was more of the same as he took advantage of the space he found in the slot to unleash a powerful low one past Miller. He may not have done much else tonight, but put the last two games together, and i think we can say the boy's awake now.

Sergei Kostitsyn
Dominic Moore had a fine game, and I'm glad he's the "Monster". I thought Dom was actually outshone just a little by the more beguiling Sergei Kostitsyn this time. Speed matched by intelligence, sometimes only missing people on the same wave length, I thought SK74 continued his stunning roll here, for most of the game, at least.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
Another funny effort from the D. 42 shots doesn't look good on the CV. Many weren't testing though, and rebounds were cleared well at even strength. I thought Markov was the class tonight. Despite his foolish penalty in OT, he makes the dome for being the most reliable route out of the zone and least scary to watch. Runner up for play of the game was Markov stepping on the ice after shaking off that blocked shot in the wrist. Don't want to think anymore about it.

Hal Gill
Gill was big. And for the first time in a while, it mattered. Buffalo seemed to cater to Gill's invitations to go outside -- I guess they haven't watched his recent lowlight reel. Our assistant captain stood out among the other D for blocking more shots (4), playing more successful PK minutes (nearly 8 minutes) and for being smart enough not to get penalized. He even had two hits. Though I think i saw them, and I'd score those differently.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Carey played an excellent first 58 minutes. 65 minutes really. I had plaudits lined up (only in my head, don't worry) in case of the win, or, heaven behold, a Carey Price shutout. He came into the game as a professional. If preparation had been a fault in the past, he corrected it for this night. Carey seemed prepared to play, to move; he even seemed to be prepared for his individual adversaries. Carey even showed he's learned something from Halak as he covered up mistakes with aplomb. The nagging question after this game is why Carey, a once dominant shootout goalie, was completely ignored by Buffalo skaters as they picked where to shoot and scored with ease. It looked like Price may have checked out early. It tarnished a good night. Had anyone done anything remotely heroic, he'd have lost his game puck.

Comments

Consider yourselves lucky you didn't have to choose this dome or game puck. After a deflating end like this, rational thought is hard to come by. As the blood boils, it's hard to remember why my notes say what they do from the 55 minute mark. This game was another tough contest. For some reason Pierre McGuire wanted the story to be Ryan Miller holds the fort. I'm not sure why, except of course for the fact he's a buffoon. I mean Miller was good, but like Elliot from the other night wasn't tested to the maximum degree by the Habs. Carey Price made more saves on paper, but thought Buffalo was shooting in the first two periods, his tests were on par with Miller's for the most part -- both played well, both deserved praise.

But let's talk about the last 4 minutes shall we? It's on my mind. First, Ryan O'Byrne taking a very ill-timed penalty. Yes, it's something that happens, but pinching in the offensive zone (why is he doing that anyway?) with a few minutes to go with an undeserved lead. Keep calm Ryan. Next, blind clearing doesn't work? Shocker. Buffalo intercepts a weak attempt to get sustained control and multiple shots? The first goal against was predictable.

I don't always see eye to eye with the Monster-maker, but I do when it comes to Cammalleri on the ice after the 2-1 moment. Cammalleri is OK defensively, but only when you consider his upside. Pyatt and Moore had been playing very well. Gomez and Gionta are always good. Sergei is a good option. The Plekanec line looking for an empty netter was a coaching error. Carey Price couldn't be faulted on goal two.

OT was a mess with another penalty, an opportunity wasted, considering the shootout was to pit a cold and shaken youngster against the ultra-confident Vezina candidate. The forwards might have done more on the shootout, but Carey's play was lamentable. I can only assume he was ruing the loss of his first shutout for 18 months.

A point may be the decider. Will it be the point we gained or the point we lost? We may have to wait another 8 games to know that. I know I'm done talking about this one now.