Yesterday, we were treated to a most unusual event, hockey players competing with each other. In this case, it was two players familiar to recent Habs fans: Roman Hamrlik and Erik Cole.
The episode began with a now-very-familiar interview emerging from an Eastern European news report. In it, Roman Hamrlik was reported to be critical of an approach that he deemed to be going down the wrong path and voiced a desire to get back to play before any more money is lost by the industry and players alike.
Showing posts with label Hamrlik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hamrlik. Show all posts
Friday, November 23, 2012
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Gauthier's Plan C?
Below I have attached Big T's first contribution to Lions in Winter where he examines the history and probable implications of the Campoli signing.
The signing of Chris Campoli last week seems to have sent a lot of different messages to the Habs faithful from Andrei Markov possibly being out long-term to Alexei Yemelin, Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber having underwhelmed at training camp. The truth is if Andrei Markov was in fact ready, everyone would be bumped down the depth chart one notch and Gauthier probably doesn’t sign Campoli.
However, considering that this was Markov’s second ACL reconstruction, the timeline on the recovery and rehab from that procedure is approximately twelve months. Since, Markov had the procedure done last November it would be foolish for Habs management to have not had a backup plan in place. In retrospect, it seems clear not only did they have such a plan but they had 3 plans in place.
The first as we all know was offering a one-year deal to Roman Hamrlik. While most Habs fans were ready to throw in the towel on the workhorse journeyman defenceman, Pierre Gauthier saw otherwise and offered the rearguard a one-year deal at a discounted yet healthy $3.5M which made a lot of sense in my eyes. We all know what happened next, Hamrlik declined the Canadiens offer countering that he wanted a two-year deal which he eventually got from the Washington Capitals.
So right from that moment one can deduce that Pierre Gauthier had planned for another veteran defenceman to be signed. Money was allocated and a roster spot marked down in both the general manager and coach’s clipboards. Diaz and Yemelin had both been signed at that point meaning that regardless of their outcome in camp, the Habs brass had still envisioned another veteran defenceman on the roster.
What we will never know of course, is who (if anyone else) Gauthier targeted during the free-agency period. It’s possible that some offers were presented but rejected and it’s also possible that trade discussions were fruitless. Although these are assumptions, what’s clear is that the Habs wanted another veteran defenceman and did not obtain him. It is very possible that at this point, a calculated risk was taken. Initial reports on Markov had been positive and Yannick Weber had put in an inpired playoff performance. Diaz and Yemelin both were coming to camp (not as kids) but as professionals who had multiple years of experience playing in a pro-league. It was thought that Markov would be good to start and should there be an absolute need hopefully one of Diaz, Yemelin or Weber would probably step up.
The gamble failed. Markov suffered a setback that pushed back his readiness and Weber had an overwhelmingly underwhelming camp. Yemelin and Diaz showed promise but both also showed that there will be an adjustment period and for a team striving to be an elite team in this league, you simply cannot have a defenceman eating up major minutes who is also adjusting to the North American game and rink.
The decision was made to go back to main strategy which was to shore up the back-line with a veteran NHL defenceman. Considering the time of year, the options were limited and with that, I would still say that Gauthier did well in signing Campoli. He’s a capable bottom pairing D-man that can log some minutes and help the top 4 get their rest on the bench. At the end of the day, a GM that’s been overly ridiculed and criticized for being too conservative actually rolled the dice, came up short and then was proactive in taking steps to correct a situation.
I don’t call that passive.
The signing of Chris Campoli last week seems to have sent a lot of different messages to the Habs faithful from Andrei Markov possibly being out long-term to Alexei Yemelin, Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber having underwhelmed at training camp. The truth is if Andrei Markov was in fact ready, everyone would be bumped down the depth chart one notch and Gauthier probably doesn’t sign Campoli.
However, considering that this was Markov’s second ACL reconstruction, the timeline on the recovery and rehab from that procedure is approximately twelve months. Since, Markov had the procedure done last November it would be foolish for Habs management to have not had a backup plan in place. In retrospect, it seems clear not only did they have such a plan but they had 3 plans in place.
The first as we all know was offering a one-year deal to Roman Hamrlik. While most Habs fans were ready to throw in the towel on the workhorse journeyman defenceman, Pierre Gauthier saw otherwise and offered the rearguard a one-year deal at a discounted yet healthy $3.5M which made a lot of sense in my eyes. We all know what happened next, Hamrlik declined the Canadiens offer countering that he wanted a two-year deal which he eventually got from the Washington Capitals.
So right from that moment one can deduce that Pierre Gauthier had planned for another veteran defenceman to be signed. Money was allocated and a roster spot marked down in both the general manager and coach’s clipboards. Diaz and Yemelin had both been signed at that point meaning that regardless of their outcome in camp, the Habs brass had still envisioned another veteran defenceman on the roster.
What we will never know of course, is who (if anyone else) Gauthier targeted during the free-agency period. It’s possible that some offers were presented but rejected and it’s also possible that trade discussions were fruitless. Although these are assumptions, what’s clear is that the Habs wanted another veteran defenceman and did not obtain him. It is very possible that at this point, a calculated risk was taken. Initial reports on Markov had been positive and Yannick Weber had put in an inpired playoff performance. Diaz and Yemelin both were coming to camp (not as kids) but as professionals who had multiple years of experience playing in a pro-league. It was thought that Markov would be good to start and should there be an absolute need hopefully one of Diaz, Yemelin or Weber would probably step up.
The gamble failed. Markov suffered a setback that pushed back his readiness and Weber had an overwhelmingly underwhelming camp. Yemelin and Diaz showed promise but both also showed that there will be an adjustment period and for a team striving to be an elite team in this league, you simply cannot have a defenceman eating up major minutes who is also adjusting to the North American game and rink.
The decision was made to go back to main strategy which was to shore up the back-line with a veteran NHL defenceman. Considering the time of year, the options were limited and with that, I would still say that Gauthier did well in signing Campoli. He’s a capable bottom pairing D-man that can log some minutes and help the top 4 get their rest on the bench. At the end of the day, a GM that’s been overly ridiculed and criticized for being too conservative actually rolled the dice, came up short and then was proactive in taking steps to correct a situation.
I don’t call that passive.
Friday, August 05, 2011
Habs Scoring Chance Breakdown
We now all know what a scoring chance is. We now all understand its potential and are ready to play with stats.
Scoring chances should help us look into the games of Michael Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Andrei Kostitsyn and others in a new way, to get beyond the very helpful but very limited Corsi and to add some new paint to the picture.
Scoring chance analyses
One of the great things about the way the scoring chance trackers do their work is that they build in a timestamp.
Because of this very crucial early decision (and the commitment from trackers to publishing when every scoring chance happened) we have the opportunity to cross reference the whole thing with the NHL time-stamped version of events. From there, we can see not only which shots were scoring chances, but also which scoring chances missed the net or were scored as non-shots by the league.
The composite of the two records is quite exciting because it offers the chance to run calculations that describe the shooting, positioning and offensive decision-making of the players.
I have a nearly full record of the whole 2010-11 season done in this way, but after the very informative Q&A with Olivier of En Attendant les Nordiques, I realised that I needed to go back to the drawing board on some of my analyses. So for now, I give you the analysis if scoring chances in the 2011 playoffs.
Starting from the beginning: the conventional playoff shooting stats.
As you can see below, some players took a lot of shots. Gionta led the team in total shots and shots per 60 minutes, Pouliot was completely AWOL. From these simple numbers, we can also run the simple Scott Cullen 'Josh Gorges' analysis and see that Spacek and Hamrlik could use some time on the practice green.
Moving on, we can look at Olivier's scored chances for the series by player. Gionta still led the team in scoring chances per ice time, but note the fallers. David Desharnais who came out looking like a star on NHL stats, suddenly doesn't look so good. Why? Because 75% of his shots were from outside Olivier's home base.
When people fall, others rise. Kostitsyn and Pyatt jump up because their shots tended to be from within the homebase (and by consensus definition more dangerous) -- though we're having trouble remembering a dangerous Pyat shot just now...
OK, so we knew all that. Or we could have known it if we looked. But the crossrefencing comes in now. Below you will see a column called "Target". Target means a scoring chance (from Olivier's record) that corresponded to a shot (on the NHL's record) -- a shot from within the homeplate area.
This is where it gets interesting, because we can start to see not only who waits to take shots from within the homeplate, but also who can make sure an attempt from there (where coverage is tightest) is on net. The skills of patience, timing, positioning and finally accuracy combined.
Here we see the cream (and Weber) rising to the top. Forwards are now on average better than Dmen and the forwards we thought of as threats at the time show up as the biggest threats in the record. Of greatest note here (apart from Weber who had some very nice shots) is Scott Gomez (half the number of on target attempts per game vs. the elite forwards). Pouliot really did his contract dreams no favours, did he?
So what we'd really like to know is how dangerous were the shots of each player on the team? That way before we go headlong down the Corsi results road we can see if perhaps we'd rather some of those Corsi-helping attempts had been held back in favour of a pass or a dump in.
That's what we can see below. Here are the on-target shots form the homeplate area as percentages of total shots and attempts. Weber again is top, and Andrei Kostitsyn creeps in with some scary accuracy. Scott Gomez, once again, is shown to be a very cheap shot.
If I'm defending this what I see is one player (Kostitsyn), who I'd better stick to like glue and another (Gomez) who I should probably actively open shooting lanes for from the outside boards.
Of course, we could counter by saying that Kostitsyn holds it too much and Gomez is just playing the odds. But is this more than three-fold difference really just a regression to mean waiting to happen? We all watched the games. I don't remember it that way.
Team metrics
Nowadays people who go on too long about individual stats like I just did are eaten by the wolves of Corsi. A player's value you see, can't be shown merely by looking at individual stats alone. i rather agree. And luckily for me, the script that scoring chance trackers use also shoots out all the players that were on the ice at the time the chance occurred.
So now we can see which players were on the ice for the most scoring chances by the team.
This is where things get interesting isn't it?
Scott Gomez, who clearly has no control over or confidence in his own shot is now squarely in the top 5 on the list -- ahead of his linemate Gionta! We aren't at all surprised by those ahead of him (stars of the playoff series that they were), but are a little dismayed that David Desharnais seemed to be a chance sink.
Goals scored
Finally, a look at who converts. So you've won yourself a shot in the slot, Tom Pyatt, what are you going to do with it?
Beyond anomalies Weber and Sopel (and I hesitate to say Subban), we can see that the guys who convert their chances as often as they should (more than 20%) are Cammalleri, Kostitsyn and Gionta. Sopel, who barely played spun some magic as well, because when he was on the ice, the team shot over 20%.
Players of note
So what does all this tell us about the players we wanted to know about?
Brian Gionta: The boy believes in the power of odds, shooting frequently. Fortunately for him, his shot is of above average accuracy
Tomas Plekanec: Mr. Steady. He's up there in most offensive categories. he shoots a lot, but also clearly knows how to make it count.
Mike Cammalleri: Potentiator. Sure his individual record is good, and he scores the goals, but he also is on the ice for the most chances by his teammates. Who said he couldn't pass?
Andrei Kostitsyn: Good positioning, good shot, maybe too patient/picky. Probably a good thing he wasn't let go.
Scott Gomez: Should wait until the teammate becomes free, there seems to be some redeeming bit of magic when he can do that. Anything is better than watching his shot.
Benoit Pouliot: Played himself off the team in perplexing fashion.
David Desharnais/Lars Eller: Our third line might be in trouble once checking gets tight.
PK Subban: What a playoffs.
Scoring chances should help us look into the games of Michael Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Andrei Kostitsyn and others in a new way, to get beyond the very helpful but very limited Corsi and to add some new paint to the picture.
Scoring chance analyses
One of the great things about the way the scoring chance trackers do their work is that they build in a timestamp.
Because of this very crucial early decision (and the commitment from trackers to publishing when every scoring chance happened) we have the opportunity to cross reference the whole thing with the NHL time-stamped version of events. From there, we can see not only which shots were scoring chances, but also which scoring chances missed the net or were scored as non-shots by the league.
The composite of the two records is quite exciting because it offers the chance to run calculations that describe the shooting, positioning and offensive decision-making of the players.
I have a nearly full record of the whole 2010-11 season done in this way, but after the very informative Q&A with Olivier of En Attendant les Nordiques, I realised that I needed to go back to the drawing board on some of my analyses. So for now, I give you the analysis if scoring chances in the 2011 playoffs.
Starting from the beginning: the conventional playoff shooting stats.
As you can see below, some players took a lot of shots. Gionta led the team in total shots and shots per 60 minutes, Pouliot was completely AWOL. From these simple numbers, we can also run the simple Scott Cullen 'Josh Gorges' analysis and see that Spacek and Hamrlik could use some time on the practice green.
Moving on, we can look at Olivier's scored chances for the series by player. Gionta still led the team in scoring chances per ice time, but note the fallers. David Desharnais who came out looking like a star on NHL stats, suddenly doesn't look so good. Why? Because 75% of his shots were from outside Olivier's home base.
When people fall, others rise. Kostitsyn and Pyatt jump up because their shots tended to be from within the homebase (and by consensus definition more dangerous) -- though we're having trouble remembering a dangerous Pyat shot just now...
OK, so we knew all that. Or we could have known it if we looked. But the crossrefencing comes in now. Below you will see a column called "Target". Target means a scoring chance (from Olivier's record) that corresponded to a shot (on the NHL's record) -- a shot from within the homeplate area.
This is where it gets interesting, because we can start to see not only who waits to take shots from within the homeplate, but also who can make sure an attempt from there (where coverage is tightest) is on net. The skills of patience, timing, positioning and finally accuracy combined.
Here we see the cream (and Weber) rising to the top. Forwards are now on average better than Dmen and the forwards we thought of as threats at the time show up as the biggest threats in the record. Of greatest note here (apart from Weber who had some very nice shots) is Scott Gomez (half the number of on target attempts per game vs. the elite forwards). Pouliot really did his contract dreams no favours, did he?
So what we'd really like to know is how dangerous were the shots of each player on the team? That way before we go headlong down the Corsi results road we can see if perhaps we'd rather some of those Corsi-helping attempts had been held back in favour of a pass or a dump in.
That's what we can see below. Here are the on-target shots form the homeplate area as percentages of total shots and attempts. Weber again is top, and Andrei Kostitsyn creeps in with some scary accuracy. Scott Gomez, once again, is shown to be a very cheap shot.
If I'm defending this what I see is one player (Kostitsyn), who I'd better stick to like glue and another (Gomez) who I should probably actively open shooting lanes for from the outside boards.
Of course, we could counter by saying that Kostitsyn holds it too much and Gomez is just playing the odds. But is this more than three-fold difference really just a regression to mean waiting to happen? We all watched the games. I don't remember it that way.
Team metrics
Nowadays people who go on too long about individual stats like I just did are eaten by the wolves of Corsi. A player's value you see, can't be shown merely by looking at individual stats alone. i rather agree. And luckily for me, the script that scoring chance trackers use also shoots out all the players that were on the ice at the time the chance occurred.
So now we can see which players were on the ice for the most scoring chances by the team.
This is where things get interesting isn't it?
Scott Gomez, who clearly has no control over or confidence in his own shot is now squarely in the top 5 on the list -- ahead of his linemate Gionta! We aren't at all surprised by those ahead of him (stars of the playoff series that they were), but are a little dismayed that David Desharnais seemed to be a chance sink.
Goals scored
Finally, a look at who converts. So you've won yourself a shot in the slot, Tom Pyatt, what are you going to do with it?
Beyond anomalies Weber and Sopel (and I hesitate to say Subban), we can see that the guys who convert their chances as often as they should (more than 20%) are Cammalleri, Kostitsyn and Gionta. Sopel, who barely played spun some magic as well, because when he was on the ice, the team shot over 20%.
Players of note
So what does all this tell us about the players we wanted to know about?
Brian Gionta: The boy believes in the power of odds, shooting frequently. Fortunately for him, his shot is of above average accuracy
Tomas Plekanec: Mr. Steady. He's up there in most offensive categories. he shoots a lot, but also clearly knows how to make it count.
Mike Cammalleri: Potentiator. Sure his individual record is good, and he scores the goals, but he also is on the ice for the most chances by his teammates. Who said he couldn't pass?
Andrei Kostitsyn: Good positioning, good shot, maybe too patient/picky. Probably a good thing he wasn't let go.
Scott Gomez: Should wait until the teammate becomes free, there seems to be some redeeming bit of magic when he can do that. Anything is better than watching his shot.
Benoit Pouliot: Played himself off the team in perplexing fashion.
David Desharnais/Lars Eller: Our third line might be in trouble once checking gets tight.
PK Subban: What a playoffs.
Monday, July 04, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, May 20, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Game #1-6
Montreal Gets Some Bounces And Calls; Off To Boston
Details
Date: 26/4/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal
Win: 2-1Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Thomas (L)
Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Gionta
Opposition goalscorers: Seidenberg
Play of the game
It has to be the play that Cammalleri made to give us a Power-Play 8:54 into the first. He shot the puck right at the Boston bench with one goal in mind - to get a call. Had he missed it would have been icing, but he made it count. It is another example of a stupid NHL rule (is that really too many men? have you seen some of the changes), but if there is one thing I love it is to take advantage of stupid rules like that.
Dome hockey team
The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the domeForwards
Brian Gionta
Another great game for the skipper. He scored two goals tonight thanks to great hustle. Whether the NHL likes it or not this was a 3-1 game as far as I am concerned. The sound of a whistle shouldn't be enough to disallow a goal when goalie, defenceman or forward have yet to react to it. This was his first elimination game as the captain of the Habs and I felt that he did a very good job.
Scott Gomez
Gomez played a good, hard game tonight. He caused a lot of turnovers as he was just too quick for the Boston D. He had 5 shots and our dome forwards, in total, had 16 of our 27. The big players stepped up tonight and that is what we need a player like Scott to do. Tomorrow is a new test, let's hope that it is more of the same from #11.
Michael Cammalleri - Game Puck
Mike now leads the NHL with 9 points. Tonight's goal was his 5th game 6 goal for the Habs in just three tries; not too shabby at all. He is a big game player and tonight he played a big game. He played so well, in fact, that Martin used him for an unheard of 25+ minutes. With 20 hours until game 7, however, I just hope that he'll be ready to give us more of the same.
Defencemen
PK Subban
PK did well to get in on both of our goals; an assist and what I'll call a helper. He is very good on the PP as he is patient and timely. Sometimes he can rush it, but tonight, on the 5-on-3's, he waited for the right situation to present itself. In his own end it was more of the same from PK. He backs down from no one, rarely made a mistake and calmed Habs fans around the world right down with his steady play.
Roman Hamrlik
Hammer wanted this one tonight, you could see it on his face. A veteran like Roman knows that there won't be too many more chances like this in his career and, so, he made the most of it. His play in our own end was exemplary as he had 8 blocked-shots (5 more than any other player) and gave us more of what PK did - calm, steady play.
Goaltender
Carey Price
Carey did what he had to tonight, making great saves look easy and giving his team a chance to win it with just two goals. Luck was on his side tonight for the first time in four games and that was certainly a welcome addition in our end of the rink. His trips behind the net, however, continue to be an adventure and as good as he is at controlling the puck I still feel that he takes too many unnecessary risks (like on the Spacek penalty where he was caught behind his own net).
Comments
You'll get your money worth in this series after the Habs had you thinking that it may be done in 5 or less. We were the better team tonight, but we did get some luck and some calls. We did outplay Boston, but it was close to being a loss, that is how important bounces are. It was more of the same from the dirty Bruins as Lucic had no problem face-planting Spacek right into the glass. There was no last-minute back-turn from Jaro, just a good, old-fashioned hit from behind. I am not sure if that play was the reason that we won (I believe that we would have won anyway), but it did make the task easier as it gave us a nice long PP to get things going.
Tomorrow will be more of the same for the Habs as it will be our 3rd road game #7 in 12 months. The last time the Bruins played in a game #7 they blew a 3-0 lead in goals and a 3-0 lead in games. The Habs, of course won both of their's last year. In fact, we have won our last four game #7's and haven't lost since we lost to the Bruins in 1994. But, we all know that history means nothing, it can only support present arguments. So, we have our work to do, but we are all in the same boat with 20 hours off and a flight to Massechusetts. The Habs have been a good team this series, probably the better one, but that means nothing now. Now we have to be the best team tomorrow in one game, that is all that counts, that is what our season has come down to.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Game #1-3
Slow 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 domeForwards
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.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Game #1-2
Montreal Take Firm Hold In Boston
Details
Date: 16/4/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston
Win: 3-1Habs 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 domeForwards
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.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Game #79
Habs Milk Jersey for Vital Two Points
Details
Date: 2/3/2011
Opponent: Devils
Location: New Jersey
Win: 3-1
Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Brodeur (L)
Habs goalscorers: Darche (2), Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Kovalchuk
Play of the game
It's not often I'll get to say this, but the play of the game happened twice tonight: two identical exchanges between Gionta and Darche in the first and third periods on opposite sides of the ice. Rushing down the ice in a 2-on-2 situation, Gionta took an outside lane with the puck while Darche drove to the net. Perfect puck placement from the captain allowed Darche to basically ignore his coverage and beat Brodeur on both his backhand and forehand in the same game, a feat not many players can boast of!
Dome hockey team
The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome
Forwards
Mathieu Darche - Game Puck
Darche was solid tonight, marking two goals by simply driving the net like a good power forward should. He made some great defensive plays and showed up strong in the neutral zone. Great teams are made of great role-players and Darche is proving his worth beside Gionta and Gomez.
Brian Gionta
Besides creating both of Darche's goals, Gionta led his line to be the most effective threat of the night. He contributed to most of our best chances and played well in his own zone. A character night from our captain.
David Desharnais
This spot could just as easily have been taken by Plekanec, who made two amazing steals and won some key faceoffs, but I thought that Desharnais was the main factor in making his line look at least as dangerous as Plekanec's. He works well in the corners to create chances, and looks like a player who's third in scoring for the Habs since the All-Star break (17 points, behind Gionta and Subban with 18 each). Some solid defence in the third period sealed his dome appearance for me.
Defencemen
Roman Hamrlik
Once again, we have our #1 defender playing like our #1 defender. Hamrlik has a gift for the smart, simple plays and making great defence look easy -
PK Subban
Despite being responsible for the giveaway that led to the breakaway and subsequent penalty shot in the first period, Subban recovered well and did a lot of things right tonight. His goal, a rocket of a shot past an excellent screen by Kostitsyn, came at a key time as did some solid defensive play late in the third.
Goaltender
Carey Price
Price started the game with a little luck on his side, getting some help from his post on the penalty shot about 5 minutes in. A bobbled puck in the first caused some panic, but I was more concerned about the team's reaction than Price's. He made the key saves at the key times and when challenged in the third, he didn't once look shaky while in his net. Outside the net, however, his puck-handling remains somewhat questionable and he committed an atrocious giveaway halfway through the third.
Comments
Overall a good showing from the Habs, the team as a whole played well together. Nobody looked bad, but we're going to need more from the Plekanec/Cammalleri/Kostitsyn line than we got tonight. They especially shined in the transition game, playing well in the neutral zone and doing a great job of creating offensive rushes. They also cleared the puck from the defensive zone quickly and didn't allow many dangerous plays to develop.
The Habs opened the game looking hungry and dominated the first period almost completely; doing an excellent job of keeping the puck out of their end and creating good chances on Brodeur. Things were a little more even through the second, and we squandered our first power play with terrible passing. The second PP was a different animal altogether, as we thoroughly dominated the Devils and came back from the locker room to score a welcome PP goal just seconds into the third. I was extremely happy to see the team not collapsing back into their zone after the goal to protect a 2-0 lead, instead they kept the pressure up and the puck in the other end. Hopefully we'll learn from this success. A strong game and a very welcome two points, we'll only need one more to clinch the playoffs.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Game #77
Montreal Can Breathe a Little After Solid Team Effort
Details
Date: 29/3/2011
Opponent: Thrashers
Location: Montreal
Win: 3-1Habs 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 domeForwards
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.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Game #73
Winnesota Mauled
Details
Date: 20/3/2011
Opponent: Wild
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Habs Goalie: Auld (W)
Opposition Goalie: Theodore (L), Backstrom
Habs goalscorers: White, Kostitsyn, Subban (3), Wisniewski, Moen, Pyatt
Opposition goalscorers: Koivu (PS)
Play of the game
A missed call left Kostitsyn flattened after he had played the puck around. With some great play from his linemates, and to his quickly regaining his own feet, Andrei was back in to receive a puck in the slot. A split second later, he undid Theo's confidence with another high shot. It was the gamewinner minutes in, it felt like it.
Dome hockey team
The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the domeForwards
Benoit Pouliot
Just as the key to the last game was the last 40 minutes, this game swung right from the start. By the time the game was 21 minutes old, the Canadiens had basically won and Pouliot had been involved in all three goals. The pre-game was a all Pouliot (his first game back in Minnesota) and so was the first few minutes as his line injected superior energy against the Minnesota bewildered. Not all his assists were big time plays, but the first goal certainly was, a highlight play for the reel.
Andrei Kostitsyn
Looked invigorated every time the camera panned to him (except maybe after 7-1). His goal was truly exceptional and his play meant the Wild D had a lot to worry about on two lines. His stat line only shows a single goal, but his pass to Eller (no goal) in the third was also sublime. The dangerous forward is back for the time being.
Ryan White
Great first goal against Theodore blocker side and a brilliant game through and through. Back when I predicted White would make the team in 2009, this is what I had in mind. It's safe to say he won't do this every time, but perhaps a little injection of confidence in Minnesota will help Ryan to open up like this more frequently.
Defencemen
PK Subban - Game Puck
It was a game ago that McGuire spoke of the emergence of a superstar. It didn't take long. Tonight's game showed Subban to be dominant in many situations. His first goal was his usual determined puck protection turned goal and the second and third showed us all the utility of his protracted wind up. But as I said to my wife as we watched, the amazing thing about Subban is that his goals were probably not his best contributions. I would count his outlet pass on important Goal #1 as example of more play, as well as other outlet passes. But in this near shutout, he also had multiple minutes of calm and controlled defensive play.
Roman Hamrlik
Most nights this performance from the Brigadier General would merit a game puck, or at least the best defender spot. He was slick and looked comfortable despite the minutes of the season. I think it shows the difference of the system and the wins the system has afforded. 20+ minutes this season is not equal to 20+ minutes in Roman's previous seasons. It's no wonder he wants to extend his millionnaire days in this city.
Goaltender
Alex Auld
Good concentration and good luck gave him a real-game shutout. The only blemish being a classy breakaway move by little (big) Koivu. In 2 straight games, Auld has done the job and performed the important task of allowing Carey to rest. Tonight, Alex returned to his early season form, filling his team with belief and calm.
Comments
One of those games for the Habs. Goals came quick and on nearly every chance. Minnesota seemed determined to show Canadiens fans that other teams can let up more odd man rushes than the defence we complain about. As the praise flows, it is important to recall that this result will have little effect on the Buffalo game.
The result does, however, have an enormous effect on the playoff security of this hockey team we watch. 87 points moves them closer to a certified place in the playoffs. 0.500 from hear (9 points) would clinch regardless of what anyone else does. It closes the door to teams lower down coming through a bit more. And it puts the heat on the Boston Brutes.
Speaking of unsportsmanlike reactions to being down by more goals than your team can score. I thought the refs did a great thing by ejecting Clutterbuck when they did. It probably saved the Habs another injury.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Gam #72
Habs Make Most Of 40 Minutes After Meltdown
Details
Date: 18/3/2011
Opponent: Rangers
Location: New York
Loss:3-6
Habs Goalie: Price (L), Auld
Opposition Goalie: Lundqvist (W)
Habs goalscorers: Subban, Wisniewski, Gionta
Opposition goalscorers: Anisimov, Girardi, Callahan, Gaborik, Boyle, Prospal
Play of the game
The coach made the play of the game in this one. The decision to start Carey Price was the right call, but after a fluke goal and a bad minute, it was right also to pull him. Auld coming in didn't turn the tide right away, but did eventually have that effect. In addition, it provided the comical moment of the game as the large goalie had to get on the ice without the benefit of a door, clambering over the boards in his pads. A close second must be whatever Martin and his leaders said in the room during the first intermission - since those words salvaged 40 minutes from the contest.
Dome hockey team
The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the domeForwards
David Desharnais
David did a nice job, but he really does look better going against lesser defenders, especially against playoff level teams with organized defence. We hope Plekanec comes back soon for the sake of the overall attack, and so the Canadiens can complicate the lives of opposing coaches as they struggle to deal with a 3rd/4th line centered by this tricky attacking centre.
Brian Gionta
Gionta played a nice game and had another goalscorer's tally. TSN hit the nail on the head (unlikely as that sounds) when they recognized the importance of Gionta in the Canadiens never-say-die attitude in this one. The captain's determination both troubles and surprises his opponents and will be a major key in the Canadiens future hopes.
Scott Gomez
It's really too bad Gomez can't score. That's because it would be the final complement to his play. He really does do so many of the other things just right. Most noticeable for me tonight was his stickwork in boardlong battles. Gomez should deliver a clinic to his teammates, as winning the puck with a quick burst and clever stick check seem to be the norm of late for him.
Defencemen
Roman Hamrlik
Clear villain of the first act. His crosschecking penalty was just about unforgivable and certainly unnecessary. The confusion of the penalty unravelled all the good from the Subban goal and rally. In a game of redemption, however, Hamrlik was central. He looked good on the PP and began to look confident at the back again too. Usually, we aren't too forgiving of veteran mistakes, but in a 5-goal meltdown, most had mess on their hands.
PK Subban – Game Puck
What a goal. What a player. Pierre McGuire is not a man I find much opportunity to agree with, but in the case of Subban, I find no dispute. After yet another rush, Pierre affirmed we were watching the first year of a superstar's career. Like Hamrlik, he was not unscathed in this contest, no defender was, but he availed himself well when down, never giving more ground.
Goaltender
Alex Auld
Embodiment of the resilience of the Habs. Alex looked determined to leave it at 5 and to lead his team from the back. There were several decent saves in his 18. What's more, he outperformed his rival against the same opposition. As simple as it gets for dome goalie calls.
Comments
Part of this was playing an opponent with a 4-goal lead. But I also thought the depleted Habs showed a lot of will and spirit as the refused to relent in their task. The win was never going to be in reach, but the moral victory, the team-building endnote was. It's worthy of note then that the Canadiens stuck with it and won the second two periods and led the hopeful to believe their hope was reasonable.
Important stuff at playoff time. Important stuff for the players tasting their first action in the NHL and important for those coming back. A loss is a loss, but this loss had some victory in it. For that, there's reason to be positive.
Game #71
Solid Team Effort Grounds Lightning
Details
Date: 17/3/2011
Opponent: Lightning
Location: Montreal
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 domeForwards
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.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Game #69
Canadiens Play Penguins To Perfection
Details
Date: 12/3/2011
Opponent: Penguins
Location: Pittsburgh
Win: 3-0
Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Fleury (L), Johnson
Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Moen, Cammalleri
Opposition goalscorers: None
Play of the game
Some great saves and some very pretty goals to go with all the little things done right. The play that reflected the Canadiens resolve in this game more than any other was the patience that Carey Price showed on his save on the very first Pittsburgh PP. Carey dealt with the bad bounce, trusted his positioning and reactions and just waited out James Neal. A goal would have changed the game. The save ensured the Canadiens could just stick to details and run out the clock.
Dome hockey team
The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the domeForwards
Mike Cammalleri – Game Puck
Cammalleri was on and focused. You could see that from the moment they showed him stepping on for warm up. This was the Cammalleri of the 2010 playoffs again. Quick to react to loose pucks and usually to them first. He really set the tone for the quick put down in this game. His pass on the Pleks goal was outstanding, his own goal was pretty too. Besides that, he was always backchecking and often slowing the play down in his own end before creating the outlets from the zone.
Tomas Plekanec
See Cammalleri above. Tomas played just as well as his partner in most aspects of the game today. His goal should bring hope that he's returning to his dynamic best, as it was a slick goalscorer vintage. He too was a defensive pest and key to ushering Pittsburgh into dead ends.
Scott Gomez
This game was won early and so early plays have big significance. Early on, Gomez was on the ball (puck actually, I guess) as he zipped around the Pittsburgh zone winning and keeping possession. His play on Goal #2, the tipping point goal was just classic Gomez – a puck battle won and a pass to space he knew his player would reach before anyone else. A good game for Scott, together with his linemates.
Defencemen
Roman Hamrlik
I thought the whole team played well. But Hamrlik and Wisniewski played the bulk of the minutes against Pittsburgh's remaining star, Jordan Staal. I thought the Staal line did stall tonight and that's largely because they took ill advised outside shots instead of showing patience. Credit to Hamrlik and Wisniewski for being tight on them all the time. Credit to Hammer for blocking 7 shots all himself.
PK Subban
Don't ask me why Pittsburgh's players and fans suddenly took interest in targeting Subban when they realised they had slept through 30 minutes of play. I may have missed the reason. Subban, though, didn't take the bait (unless you count rushing the length of the ice and being penalized for carrying too much momentum). Earlier in the season he would have been baited. Subban growing up has been a big story of the season and the mature PK gives the Habs a formidable defensive player at the back – another reason the Pens looked to have nothing going.
Goaltender
Carey Price
Never in question (except maybe for a split second before the post did its job). Carey played calmly and gelled seamlessly with his defence once again. There were a couple of big saves, but most of the difference came from the calm he created for his partners on the team. Pittsburgh had no answer for this.
Comments
This game wasn't a "classic", or so Ron MacLean signed off. But you know what, this game was the classic item on every Canadiens fan's wish list. Most times the team wins by taking an early lead, fans complain about sitting back and letting the other team come on. If the team wins with a comeback, the complaint is about a bad start. This game offers no room for complaints. The team started well, scored early, scored again, then again, didn't take penalties, defended well, let up few shots of consequence, shut out the opposition, never had a late scare, and so on.
The CBC crew insinuated that Montreal had perfected this art, but for me this might be the first evidence of them playing this solid a game against a team that's still trying to win (sorry Florida). I think the team has been building to a game like this, but it's nice to see it. I was also happy to see that Pittsburgh thought better of making this a Bostonian nightmare by playing hockey right to the end. There was a brief period where I thought Subban might be punched with gloved fists for the last 20 minutes.
On the CBC coverage of the Pacioretty hit: I am a little underwhelmed. I know they are saving their party line for Donald S (?!?) Cherry, but they could have shared an opinion. Bylsma's interview was interesting, as he's always worth listening to. Ron Wilson's interview was predictable and only reinforced the need for the NHL to turn away from dinosaurs in positions of consequence. I guess we'll see where they really stand after the Leafs go down to the Sabres in the first.
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