Game #64 Geoffrion's Lineage No Magic Potion for Habs

Details

Date: 28/02/2012
Opponent: Lightning
Location: Tampa Bay

Loss 1-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Desharnais
Opposition goalscorers: Stamkos, Hall

Play of the game

Working alone, a canny Desharnais made a great steal to start a rush down-ice with Cole keeping pace. As a second defender hustled back to get a body on Cole, Desharnais used the struggling pair as a screen and snapped a beautiful shot past Garon.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Once again showed his desire to win, his impeccable penlty-killing skills, and some smart drives to the net. He actually beat Garon, but the Tampa goaltender got lucky as he managed to deflect the puck just wide.

Erik Cole
Carried a lot of offensive weight once again. Won battles that seemed already lost, and got stoned by an incredibly lucky Garon in the 2nd. Also sent a defender flying into the Tampa goalie for a comical finish to the 3rd period.

David Desharnais - Game Puck
Scored our only goal and did it by himself. Tied up a game that, despite the shots being pretty even, did not feel even at all. With Cole, again created most of the meager offensive threats we had.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Was hard filling out the defenders this evening, as no one really distinguished themselves too strongly. Subban is one of the few things that keeps our top power play unit looking even vaguely competent, and looked good enough in his own end.

Josh Gorges
A bit of a no-brainer. Gorges knows where to be and when. St. Louis looked like he might be breaking free and turned hard to shake Gorges, who just put the body to his opponenet and neutralized the play completely. Made some smart plays at the other blue line and didn't make mistakes behind his own.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Let down once again by the skaters in front of him. The Stamkos goal was a beauty, and so was the the saucer pass to Hall and his top-shelf marker. Price made some good saves, including a pokecheck to strip Stamkos in a dangerous-looking play in the 3rd. Price kept the team in this one the whole way once again, but there simply wasn't enough offense to cash in on his good play.

Comments

Credit where credit is due: The Lightning did a lot of things right in this game. Garon made some really spectacular saves, and his team did a good job of getting bodies around him to control rebounds, and to limit the Habs' effectiveness in the offensive zone.

It was fun watching Emelin provoke Malone into a total frenzy and not throw a punch back, but less fun watching the Habs being unable to score over the 5-minute power play that ensued. Frankly, we probably had better chances on the PK. Almost every team we play against seems to work harder and have more discipline, and as a result we lose a lot of those games.

Liked what I saw from Geoffrion, he played about 13 minutes, mostly beside Plekanec. I think Price might have tripped 2 or 3 guys tonight, which I almost like to see as I think a lot of teams take liberties with him. All in all, another hard game to watch as it seems we're just limping through the rest of the season.

A quiet word in Rutherford’s ear

As we head into Game -6 of the season, there is a definite whiff of playoff attitude in the air. Scott Gomez put the fans on notice that there aren’t any tomorrows beyond this game, at least not in the cliché’ed world that NHL minds live in.

In fact he is right. The Hurricanes game is critical. Not just because it could be two much sought points for this Habs squad, but also because of what it would do to the overall playoff race. If the Canadiens beat the Hurricanes tonight it would leave Carolina with a less than 0.015% chance of making the playoffs – essentially elimination. Given that the Canadiens are slated to play Carolina once more, the gentle persuasion of all but formal elimination could mean an easier game, or at least some rookie opposition later in the schedule.

Here’s the thing though, right now Carolina does have a chance, but it’s really only in the theoretical realm. Sports Club Stats gives them about a 0.2% chance of making the post-season, and most scenarios ask for 6 wins from the team that’s on 32 wins and 44 losses. Rather than rely on actions to do the talking, shouldn’t someone just go and have a quiet word in Jim Rutherford’s ear?


What harm could the Canes do in the playoffs?

And intrinsically tied to that: Does Rod Brind’amour even have a playoff run left in him?

A minus 29 on the season suggests he may not. With Matt Cullen gone as well and Zach Boychuk still learning at a very rookie-like pace, this is not a team with much down the centre.

A look at the wings is no more flattering. Erik Cole is not the Erik Cole of old. And as it stands, Kostopoulos is the 4th leading winger in points among healthy choices (and his 8G 11A aren’t convincing anyone he’s become a playoff machine since leaving MTL).

In short, the Canes are in transition. And it’s not a transition that will lead to Cup this spring.


How deep is the draft?

No matter what experts say, people who have ended up with 5th as their highest pick in the last 20 years know that no draft is knee deep in team-changing players. This year shouldn’t be any different. The Hurricanes currently sit in 25th position (or 6th from the bottom). As the lottery goes their best pick would be 2nd, their worst 7th, their likeliest 6th.

6th or 7th won’t turn many franchises from 25th place ones into 5th place ones, much less ones who trade Jack Johnson for virtual nothings. A 2nd or 3rd pick might.

Jim has the chance to help his team drop like a stone and rival the current bottom 5 for the cream of the crop in the draft.


Hurricanes position unique among bottom feeders

The other factor that goes in favour of a forced swoon for the Canes is the fact they look wholly different from their rivals. The Oilers, Leafs, Islanders and Panthers are perennial failures. There must be legitimate concern about fan fatigue with the futility, even in the face of a better pick.

Not so in Carolina. 4 years ago a Cup. Last season a conference final. The fans have had a fill of good hockey and probably thirst for more. That said, the realists among them must see this is not a conference final year and a quick turnaround to coincide with a Ruutu return and a Staal good year might be the ticket.

Furthermore, the Hurricanes are darlings of the NHL. A competitive success in the South. If Florida and the Islanders stink out the place, their very being could be questioned again. The Canes seem safe for now. So too is Rutherford who has won favour with his owner for patience and delivered with patience. There’s little reason to believe patience won’t be on his side this summer.


Collusion isn’t really allowed or encouraged. I am writing this half in jest. Gentle whispers and backroom deals aside, won’t Rutherford be thinking all this already? Wouldn’t any GM faced with a 0.2% of a playoff first round sweep or 1st overall possibility with 3rd or 4th in the bag see things this way?

Let the intrigue begin…

Top 100 Habs By Decade: 7. 1909-1919

In recognition of the Canadiens Centennial next Friday, we at Lions in Winter have been doing what we like best – making lists. As a precursor to publishing the definitive LIW top 100, we will be counting down the decades from least successful to most successful and naming our LIW top 10 players for the ten-year span. You should expect a few each day for the next few days.

Though this celebration has inevitably lost some steam due to relentless marketing and pre-game ceremonies for all of living memory, it would be a shame to let it pass unnoticed just because Mr. Gillett wanted to cash in before he cashed out.

1909-1919

From humble beginnings, the Canadiens grew over this first decade to be the only club standing in Montreal and a perennial threat for the Stanley Cup championship. They even managed to choose a uniform (more or less) after far too much time at the drawing board.

This first decade, like the 1990s and 1920s only encompasses one Cup victory. But we cut them some slack for those first years where they really never had a chance at winning anyway. To be up and running (and running rivals out of town), competing for the Cup after 4 years, and then winning a championship after only 6 years is quite impressive.

The 10 players from this first decade are quite well known, due to their mythical standing in the Canadiens lore – they all after all helped to kindle this unhealthy obsession with this new game on ice that pervades Montreal 100 years later.

[Note: Each player only appears in one decade's top 10 – sorry Brisebois fans]


10. Donald Smith (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Season)	1912-15	51	39	15	54	18
Decade best (Season)	1913-14	20	18	10	28	0
Habs career (Playoffs)	1913-14	2	1	0	1	0
Decade best (Playoffs)	1913-14	2	1	0	1	0

Top-line offense for two extremely prolific seasons, along with two more seasons of service.


9. Joe Hall (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1917-19	38	15	8	23	189	HOF
Decade best (Regular season)	1917-18	21	8	7	15	100
Habs career (Playoffs)	1917-19	7	0	1	1	38
Decade best (Playoffs)	1918-19	5	0	0	0	26

Perhaps more famous for his Quebec Bulldogs days, where he led team to Cups. Joe was a solid producer for Montreal in the post-war years, helping the team to capture the NHL title in 1918 and then to the cusp of a second Cup in 1919. Unfortunately, Joe Hall succumbed to pneumonia that was a complication of the flu which led to the cancellation of the finals that year.


8. Bert Corbeau (Not ranked in top 100, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1914-22	167	52	32	84	541
Decade best (Regular season)	1917-18	21	8	8	16	41
Habs career (Playoffs)	1916-19	18	6	3	9	85	SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1916-17	6	4	1	5	22

Rugged stalwart of the Canadiens blueline from the earliest years.


7. Howard McNamara (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1915-20	34	11	7	18	123
Decade best (Regular season)	1915-16	24	10	7	17	119
Habs career (Playoffs)	1915-16	5	0	0	0	24	SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1915-16	5	0	0	0	24	SC

The first Cup-winning captain of the Canadiens.


6. Jimmy Gardner (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1913-15	17	10	9	19	0	HOF
Decade best (Regular season)	1913-14	15	10	9	19	0
Habs career (Playoffs)	N/A
Decade best (Playoffs)	N/A

Combined coach and captain of two early editions of the team, including the first to compete for the O'Brien Cup.


5. "Phantom" Joe Malone (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1917-24	58	52	6	58	35	HOF
Decade best (Regular season)	1917-18	20	44	4	48	30
Habs career (Playoffs)	1918-23	9	6	2	8	6
Decade best (Playoffs)	1918-19	5	5	2	7	3

Brought his incredible Bulldogs scoring rate to Montreal for one record setting season (2.2 G/GP!?!)


4. Jack Laviolette (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1909-18	155	48	19	67	174	HOF
Decade best (Regular season)	1913-14	20	7	9	16	0
Habs career (Playoffs)	1914-18	14	1	2	3	15	SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1915-16	4	0	0	0	6	SC

Captained and coached the first edition of the Habs.


3. Georges Vezina (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	W	L	T	GAA	SO	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1910-26	328	175	146	6	3.42	15	HOF
Decade best (Regular season)	1924-25	30	17	11	2	1.81	5
Habs career (Playoffs)	1914-25	26	16	10	0	3.19	3	2 SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1923-24	2	2	0	0	1.00	1	SC

16 years synonymous with the Canadiens. Hardly a person saw anyone else play goal for the Canadiens until the late 1920s.


2. Didier "Cannonball" Pitre (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1909-23	254	220	59	279	218	HOF
Decade best (Regular season)	1915-16	24	24	15	39	42
Habs career (Playoffs)	1916-23	20	13	4	17	66	SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1915-16	5	4	0	4	18	SC

Original team scoring machine from the home turf.


1. Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde (Top 100 all-time, Profile)

	Years(s)	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	Awards*
Habs career (Regular season)	1909-22	200	266	62	328	440	HOF
Decade best (Regular season)	1916-17	18	28	7	35	61
Habs career (Playoffs)	1914-19	18	20	5	25	122	SC
Decade best (Playoffs)	1918-19	5	11	2	13	15

The original Canadiens superstar. Added captain and Stanley Cup winning coach to the CV by the end of the decade.


* Awards: HOF = Hall of Fame; SC = Stanley Cup.

Moustache Trumps Mullet

At some point in the late 90s, someone changed the rules.

Someone forgot to tell Vadim Menkov of Uzbekhistan this simple rule. Pride of Pointe-Claire, Tom Hall paddled his way to an inspiring bronze-medal finish in an Olympics he made by the skin of his teeth.

It just goes to show, that hard work, determination and belief go a long way in any sporting arena.


Perhaps not as moustachioed as he has ever been, Tom still taught the man with the Tennessee Top Hat a lesson about finishing. Though credit must go to the Uzbeki, who blazed ahead off the line and only missed a medal by a couple of yards. I hope you got a chance to see the race live, as I did. It's always great to see someone from home in an Olympic final.


If watching Menkov is making you long for the days where mullets did rule the arenas of the world, perhaps you should remember that it was our own Jacques Demers who changed the rules of trumping.



Congratulations again Tom from Lions in Winter.