When It's Good To Be Hated

According to the extensive research of one more "professional" reporter, the Canucks are the NHL's most hated team. The evidence as it stacks up (3 NHL players, if you can call Krys Barch that, and one team exec) is irrefutable enough to make the national newspaper -- but they're no tabloid, right?

The interest of the article is clear for Canadiens fans. yet again a dirty team is using the press to make their opponents at a particular time seem the villains. Boston has their lines all written out from the Canadiens series. Diving = despicable. Breaking necks = unfortunate part of the game. Of course it also helps that no one even asks them to show the discrepancies in diving between their team and the other.

So let's take the thesis that the Canucks are hated (never crossed my mind before, but let's). Is it possible that this position they are in is actually enviable?

Dave Bolland (hero) dislikes the Canucks. As he should, because they just eliminated his team. Dave Bolland plays hard hockey and talks and scores important goals. He is admired around the league. Sounds like a certain reporters description of a Canuck. Wonder if Dave Bolland had many fans on the Canucks team he eliminated last season. Of course, this reporter wasn't interested in "Blackhawks most hated" back then.

Then there's the hits. I hate the hits too. But let's not pretend this is something confined to the Canucks. The Bruins are some of the dirtiest hitters around, and don't get off the hook from me just because they claim Halpern dived and Pacioretty was acting so he could get time off to watch a movie. The Blackhawks are no angels either. Nor any NHL team. The hitting situation has to be weeded out of the game, but it won't end with Aaron Rome and Raffi Torres.

Finally the rats. Alex Burrows and Maxim Lapierre. These guys are despised across the league. Whether they are mocking, diving, declining a fight or biting, it's unanimous from the multitude of sources interviewed for this premier piece of reporting that they are viewed with disdain.

But consider for a minute that both players are two games away from winning a Stanley Cup. Consider Burrows has 9 playoff goals, 7 at even strength, 2 game winners, including a very important one in this series.

Perhaps Krys Barch, who had this to say of Max Lapierre “I don’t know if he has an ounce of man in him, I’d be embarrassed to be his father.” should reflect on his own abysmal playoff record (AHL and NHL) when he criticises a player that has been a factor for teams going to Conference final and Stanley Cup final in consecutive years.

Envy and hatred aren't far apart. And in my experience hatred wanes when indifference starts to enter the equation (see Maple Leafs, Toronto). In my opinion, to be the most hated team in the NHL, with a maximum of 4 games left till summer is probably the precise position you would want to be in.

I just can't wait until Ryan Whitney, Mike Richards and the two-faced Boston media pipe up about the Habs and PK Subban in this way.

First Half Check-Up Other Forwards

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

Legend:

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

Jeff Halpern

Grade:

B+

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

Mathieu Darche

Grade:

A-

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

Travis Moen

Grade:

C+

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

Tom Pyatt

Grade:

B-

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

Lars Eller

Grade:

B+

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

David Desharnais

Grade:

N/A

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

Maxim Lapierre

Grade:

D

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

Dustin Boyd

Grade:

D

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

Game #39 Take Crete's Word For It, Habs Beat Panthers

Details

Date: 31/12/2010
Opponent: Panthers
Location: Florida

Win: 3-2 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Wisniewski (2), Gionta
Opposition goalscorers: Weiss, Kulikov

Play of the game

Easy choice. The play of the game for me was the game-tying goal #2. With the Habs on another PP after just scoring, the pass was being passed around quite well. Wisniewski ended up with the puck on his stick with seconds to go and fired away, as he is paid to do. Full praise for not hitting the D, but it's always a little bit dubious when people insinuate that missing the net to bounce out the other side is the intended result. The primary goalmaker, however was alert and positioned himself perfectly for that eventuality. Once receiving it Gomez feigned a shot and fired an inch perfect pass to a waiting captain. This pass is a play to watch again and again.

Dome hockey team

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

Scott Gomez
Apart from orchestrating the winning goal, Gomez was pivotal in this game. He seemed to take more responsibility once the comeback became necessity and was skating the puck into danger areas as if the Panthers were kids on an outdoor rink at times.

Benoit Pouliot
I don't know whether the Lapierre trade had anything to do with it, but Pouliot looked revved in this game. He still can't buy minutes, but made the best of what he was given. He can be faulted for not always being as strong as he could on the puck. His willingness to use his balance, skill and hands is developing, though, and should encourage all Habs fans.

Brian Gionta
The captain did what he needed to do once the score was 0-2. It wasn't a locker room speech, it was his answer on the ice that led the troops to understand the game was not lost. His goal came off a super feed, but only a true goalscorer would be there to tap that in at that point. He's showing again that he is a true goalscorer.

Defencemen

James Wisniewski - Game Puck
This is no automatic nod to the OT goalscorer. I thought Wisniewski was a major factor in this win, the major factor. He led the team in goals, in points, in shots, in hits and in blocked shots. And that's to say nothing of the mostly solid defensive play throughout - only the harshest critic would dwell on his lapse in coverage on goal #1.

Hal Gill
This wouldn't have been a comeback without some very important penalty killing. Hal Gill is clearly one of the best leaguewide with that agenda, as he once again helped the Canadiens to a clean sheet on the road in that regard. Paired with the precocious Subban, he also tamed the Panthers at even strength long enough to allow the forwards to join the game.

Goaltender

Alex Auld
Not the toughest assignment for the big man, but he kept the goals against to two, which is what he needed to do. I thought the biggest saves came before the goals, and there were some important ones. Particularly one high shot at which he twitched his shoulder to make the save. Nice that Price could rest for a win.

Comments

Happy New Year everyone! And happy has been helped it turns out by the result of the game.

As I told you, my first game of the New Year was to be on tape delay. Because of the generously early start, I actually caught the first 55 minutes of play before leaving to celebrate with friends. A comeback and hold was positive enough to put this on the backburner while enjoying a few drinks. Then returned to watch in the early hours. 5 minutes of play and then a log fast forward through talking heads before we realized something was up. rewind, replay to see the three stars(?!?) and hear Alain Crete "Desole, Wisniewski a marque le but gagnant" A fitting end to a funny streak. A goal scored by the new acquisition while the floundering broadcaster went on and on about the dearly departed Lapierre. Le Sport Sans Limite, except when the limit is satellite signal. I'd have posted a picture of the game winner if there had been one.

Anyway, a win is a win is a win, even if it's experienced through the anticlimax of a taped apology. The Habs needed to win and did. But this may be their most important win to date, because not only did they need to win, they needed to prove they could comeback within a game to retake the result. Before last night, they had been abysmal when trailing. The 2-goal recovery represents the first major comeback of the season and should instill a little confidence around the room.

As for Lapierre, I am highly disappointed. On the year, he was getting no less minutes than he deserved and he should know that. To hear he requested a trade is disheartening. I hope I don't have to hear ever again that "the trade will be good for the player".

Game #29 Habs Run Out Of Time On Comeback Bid

Details

Date: 10/12/2010
Opponent: Red Wings
Location: Detroit


Loss: 2-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Moen, Pouliot
Opposition goalscorers: Lidstrom, Kronwall, Datsyuk, Eaves

Play of the game

Quite a lot of good plays for a loss. There was a lot of solid early defending and the third was full of nice chances. The play of them all was the Pouliot goal though. In what has become typical for the young sniper, he took a pass and then with great confidence walked right down the middle of the Detroit defence and let rip. The way he set himself to find a lane was superb and the shot itself was obviously dead-on. It was the goal that re-ignited the team's hope, and the signal that Montreal players were actually allowed to make their way down the middle portion of the ice.

Dome hockey team

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

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
Plekanec drew a tough assignment in this game. He was asked to check a line with a couple of 80 point men. All the while, he was asked to pick up the slack for Gomez while playing against the Selke owner. Did I mention he had to play lots of PK as well. I thought he did really well, and considering the third was an offensive breakthrough for the whole team, really that he beat out the Datsyuk line (who incidentally scored during a line mismatch). Pleks had a couple of shots and fed Gionta for a team high five, he had a couple of takeaways as well. his one blemish was a slash that led to a 5-on-3. But I'm not going to pretend that was the only slash in the entire game like the refs did - it was a weak call and the fact a goal was scored doesn't change that.

Mike Cammalleri
Speaking of touch assignments, how do you like Cammalleri with just about anyone except for Plekanec, Gionta or Kostitsyn. All this and the guy still manages to create chances and goals. I thought he was off track for a while in November. It feels like he's back on track now, and definitely in the coach's very good books.

Maxim Lapierre
I'm going to go with the coach on this one. Martin chose to put Darche and Lapierre on with Pleks and Cammalleri at the end of the game - his dome. I don't really agree with Darche, but I thought Lapierre was one of a number of forwards who had a decent first half and a storming third.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
Another good game from Hammer. Although the NHL website says he was on for a goal against (as well as the empty netter). A pair of eyes can tell you he wasn't. Throughout the game, he played Red Wings conservatively and managed his end of the ice well.

Josh Gorges
Gorges was on for goals against, but I find it hard to fault him directly. His play on the first goal was probably the right one given the seconds remaining, unfortunate only that Red Wings can turn a turnover into 3 passes and a goal in the blink of an eye. Really, Gorges was solid for most of the game, especially the first period. He set a good tone for the game as he constantly bumped Red Wings as passes were coming their way. Subban watch this guy on how to throw a tactical body check.

Goaltender

Carey Price
For me, Carey came closest he has in a long to not making this dome. Not that it was a close call. But coming out of the gates he was reckless, and as if to fulfill the promise set out by articles on his puck-handling prowess and quest for a goal, he continued all game with dangerous handling. The scoresheet says 2 giveaways, I guess that depends how one gauges a giveaway. Apart form that, he was really sound again. Really sound. While his defenders worked on the premise they'd allow any shots from a limited angle, Carey worked very hard to shift and cover for each instance. The first goal was a 5-on-3 (really 5-on-1 if you consider how the D played it). The second he was completely screened and the third was a breakaway. All standard shots, therefore were saved. Many non-standard ones too.

Comments

This was a fun game to watch. The Canadiens were tested by a team that came in with a plan tailored to beat them. The Red Wings left Habs forwards to skate with speed all they wanted to the outsides, but rarely in the middle. They tried attacking across the ice to move the defenders, as Hamrlik and co. are still sealing off good shots against static attacks. The Habs hung in there in the first and second, despite not really having a good scoring chance in my books, and then to the encouragement of all fans and critics played one of their best periods of the young season just when they needed to play one of the best periods of the season. Ultimately, they fell short, but the wound doesn't smart as much for the knowledge that if the game had been 10 minutes longer, the result might have been very different.

This is especially encouraging to me, since I have been worried that the Canadiens were a team that thrived only when things went their way (i.e., scored first and closed the deal). The fact the Wings came back, made the Canadiens feel out of it for a while and the team came back was a first this season, I think. We knew they could rebound with a day off to think about things, now we know they can rebound on the fly.

Other Forwards At The Quarter Pole

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

The legend again:

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

Jeff Halpern

Grade:

A-

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

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

Dustin Boyd

Grade:

C

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

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

Travis Moen

Grade:

B+

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

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

Maxim Lapierre

Grade:

C

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

Mathieu Darche

Grade:

B

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

Lars Eller

Grade:

A-

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

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

Tom Pyatt

Grade:

B-

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

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

Game #21 Shots, Not Hits, Lead Philly Past Habs

Details

Date: 22/11/2010
Opponent: Flyers
Location: Philadelphia

Loss: 2-3

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

Habs goalscorers: Lapierre (2)
Opposition goalscorers: Leino, Giroux, van Riemsdyk

Play of the game

A compound play of the game. Price has Briere and Carter bearing down on him. The pass comes across to Carter and Price makes the save of the game on the PK. Meanwhile, the puck flies behind the net, our regular everyday assistant captain battles behind the net and wins the puck in time that Price can find his feet. So well he wins it, that the suddenly extremely dirty Daniel Briere pulls him back and negates a good chance to take an important PP. Let's never mind what happened on 4-on-4.

Dome hockey team

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

Maxim Lapierre - Game Puck
Maxim Lapierre got it this evening. Maybe he anticipated what his upcoming Quarter Pole review is going to say. He set the tone for the game early with decent shots on a very shaky goaltender. His first goal was no wimpy shot, even if it should have been saved, and his second goals was a well-prepared and taken one.

Benoit Pouliot
As the Canadiens led, Pouliot was impressing. I thought, dome in hand. The towards the end of the game, I wondered where he went, why his play had diminished to the point of being unrecognizable. Turns out it wasn't Ben, it was good old coach stacking the minutes of other forwards. On this night, martin made a tactical error in not identifying Pouliot's strong start. I'd have had him out there much more than his 11 minutes.

Tomas Plekanec
Tomas played a decent game by his standards. He actually did quite well against the tight coverage of Pronger, better than in the past. Several times, he was able to break inside instead of being forced outside. Tonight, he's really in here because he did another good job on the PK. Of the two forwards killing penalties, I always notice Plekanec as the thinker, the one who doesn't just go through the motions at the top of the box.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
Please get Roman onto the number one PP unit. he hit the post tonight as he continues to show why an accurate wrist shot is better than 27 PK Subban backswing specials. On the back end, Roman had as good a game as a defender can have when in the process of allowing 42 shots.

Alexandre Picard
As I've said before, we're learning each game that not all French Canadian last minute signings on D are equal. Picard is a much better defender than his 2 predecessors as he keeps things relatively simple. Tonight, I felt he had a good outing and actually covered quite a bit for what I thought was an off-game for the possibly distracted Subban.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Another great start from Price. His preparation for games this season is truly impressive, and more than his suddenly nimble arm, is the biggest reason for his gulf in statistical showing. He definitely gave his team the chance to win, even late, and for that he wins his 20th dome in 20 starts – an unprecedented feat on this blog. While Auld may never get a dome from Price's largesse, it's about time he gets chance to win one through play. Price is hot, and riding high and a game off won't change that. Auld hasn't played in a month, and it's not always wise to leave back-ups on the shelf for such long periods, as you never know when you might suddenly need an able alternative.

Comments

RDS left the broadcast tonight with the thought that the Flyers are the best team in the East. I am not far from agreeing with them on that. Though certainly not scary with the Boucher of the first period in goal, the Flyers do have 3 very exciting lines and 6 name defenders. The Canadiens ran into them tonight as they fired on many cylinders. 42 shots were not all dangerous, but told the story of the possession. When the Flyers weren't installed in the zone, they seemed a defensive zone steal away from an odd-man rush.

Considering how well the Flyers did play, Habs fans must again be encouraged by their team. To hold them so long, to keep shots outside, to take the lead and then hang in until the end, the Canadiens proved themselves to be true contenders. And this when not firing as fully themselves.

Wednesday is the Kings. The newly excellent Kings. I feel the Canadiens have a good chance as they line up well. Their goalie is off to a quick start, but as Mathman will attest, he'll not sustain over 0.930 forever. What's more, Montreal mustn't look at teams with 26 points from 20 as out of their league anymore.

Game #17Habs Win Big, But at What Cost?

Details

Date: 13/11/2010
Opponent: Hurricanes
Location: Montreal

Win: 7-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Cammalleri, Gionta, Lapierre, Pouliot, Kostitsyn, Darche
Opposition goalscorers: Babchuk, Kostopoulos

Play of the game

I had so many beautiful goals to choose from, but when Price makes a save like that I don't even worry about which one to choose. The save, if you didn't see it, was the highlight-reel type glove save that was simply tantalizing. A Pitkanen pass went to a wide open Larose who had a certain goal on his stick. His shock, however, was simultaneous with the roars of 21,000 fans who were excited that they'd just witnessed a play that will be on the highlight reels all season long.

Dome hockey team

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

Andrei Kostitsyn
Kostitsyn played a good game tonight and found a way to do what all Habs fans would want: get onto the ice with Plekanec. With Gomez things are OK, but he did bag some time with our top player and it led to a goal an assist. He was also very active along the boards and in the corners as he led the game with 6 hits.

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
Tom had the Game Puck locked up after the 1st period so it was quite a treat when he added 2 more very good assists. He was all over the ice again tonight and chipped in with 4 points. He is playing his best hockey of his career right now and with 18 points in 17 games is on pace for what could be a second straight breakthrough season. No matter who the wingers he is getting the job done and is making 2 players' lives very enjoyable on a nightly basis.

Brian Gionta
Do you think that Gomez would switch to the wing for a chance to play with Plekanec? If I were him I would consider it. Gionta is now playing well with 3 recent goals, one of which was a beauty tonight. The captain is playing like the assistant from last year and it is great to see that passion, not despair, back on his face. There was also an assist tonight as he quietly makes his way up the team' scoring charts.

Defencemen

Jaroslav Spacek
Jaro has turned a corner as he is playing well in both ends and is playing with both confidence and reliability. Tonight he made two very good plays which led to goals and at least another two that prevented goals. He also led the team in take-aways which, to me, shows that he is playing a more patient, more 'one-step-ahead-of-his-opponent' game than even two weeks ago.

Roman Hamrlik
Roman has been our leader of late on D as Markov has eased his way back in. Well, with Andrei potentially out again (please, oh please no) we'll need more from the steady #44. He led the team in ice-time and blocked-shots tonight and I know that, if needed, he'll be able to continue carrying those loads while his teammate recoups.

Goaltender

Carey Price
At times spectacular, at times solid and no bad moments. Over the past few weeks this has become the book on Price, and tonight was no different. His special save tonight, and the win of course, will simply add to his confidence which must be at a 36-month (possibly career) high right now.

Comments

The old Habs would have let that blown 2-0 lead get a lot worse than 2-2. Now, I know that we got a bit lucky and dodged a few bullets, but as well as Carolina played in the early going I did feel that we were playing just as well. Then came the goals of the second and third where it seemed we were scoring on every nice set-up and they weren't. 7 goals is always a treat and I feel that our team deserved a night off from heavy scrutiny on offensive production - 7 different forwards scored tonight which is very nice to see. Of those who didn't score we have Moen and Pyatt who may never score and I am OK with that. Halpern, who was due for a quiet game. Eller, who isn't getting too many chances, but is playing well. And, of course, the infamous Scott Gomez. 2 assists, though, for Scott and a very good night in the face-off circle and I am continuing to believe that he is on his way back.

The bad news tonight, however, has to be the loss of Markov. Losing him for one game would hurt, 5 games would be painful, but losing him long-term would be devastating. We have proven that we can cope without him, but he has also proved to us, time and time again, that he is our best player. When we go through tough times we'll need him, when the PP needs a boost, we'll call on him and when nothing is going right in our own end it is he that can settle it all down. I am happy about this win, but all I care about right now is his health. It will be a long couple of days till we hear anything, but can you even imagine how hard it must be to be him; what a rough 13 months.

Game #3Refs and Habs' Defence To Blame For The Collapse

Details

Date: 13/10/2010
Opponent: Lightning
Location: Montreal

Loss: 3-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Lapierre, Plekanec, Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Clark, St. Louis, Stamkos, Malone

Play of the game

Less than a minute after Tampa tied it up we went back on top with a very nice goal. The play started when Kostitsyn rubbed-out Lecavalier in our own end and stole the puck from him. He then got it to Gorges and started heading back up the ice. Josh moved it to Pleks and in he went with Andrei on a mini 2-on-1. Tom held on to it for a while before saucering it to his winger on the left. Kostitsyn was then in alone on Smith and made a great deke around him before lifting a backhand shot into the middle of the net.

Dome hockey team

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

Andrei Kostitsyn
Kostitsyn's shining moment was certainly his goal and the hit that led to it, but he also had other good moments throughout. He was one of our best forecheckers on the night as he seemed to be on the Lightning D more than any of our other forwards. It was nice to see him pot one as that should quiet some people out there. Next up is Pouliot; unfortunately, however, he still looks a few steps behind.

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
Pleks was our best player tonight as he chipped in with a goal and an assist. His goal wasn't anything special as it was a slapshot into an open net, but at least he didn't miss and at least he was there to take that pass. He played 21:53, but I still would have liked to see him out there more. He is killing penalties better than our 'specialists' and is more reliable with the puck than just about anyone on the team.

Michael Cammalleri
Two stupid penalties and Mike still makes the dome. That is because our bottom-6 were bad, Pouliot was non-December 2009 Pouliot and Gomez and Gionta didn't have much going in this one. Despite his penalties he did manage an assist on Pleks' goal and was a +2, which led the team.

Defencemen

Jaroslav Spacek
Jaro was good tonight, or at least better than most. He contributed up front by moving the puck very well in the offensive zone and by keeping plays alive at the blue-line. He assisted on Plekanec's goal as he turned a Hamrlik botch-up into a very good breakout pass to Camms. I am not sure if Subban is the right partner for him though. I seem to remember him and Markov doing very good things last year (in the pre-season) before Andrei went down, so it will be interesting to see if he'll be with Andrei, stay with P.K. or will be paired with the Hammer as he was for most of last year.

Josh Gorges
Josh chipped in with an assist and a team-high 5 blocked-shots. I didn't notice too many mistakes (or any) despite him being right there on both of Tampa's final two goals. To me, those goals had nothing really to do with him, but more to do with the players around him.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Price played well early on and made some very good saves to keep us in front for a very long time. New this year for him is the non-catching glove-save and I have to say 'what took you so long?'. He tried for a few seasons to catch it or simply let it his his glove, but there wasn't much success. This year, and tonight in particular, he is big on the glove-saves that simply hit his fast, upward-moving, glove. I think he was screened on the first goal, but the last three were all similar. The D played bad, there was a mad scramble and Price got caught way out of position. Most, if not all, goalies would be in the same boat so it will be interesting to see whether he'll consider this 4 gaol-against loss as a bad game or as a good one. I actually hope that he forgets about it and moves on as it really should be one to forget; I don't think he was a major factor one way or the other.

Comments

People will be complaining about the fact that Boyd was tripped right before Tampa tied it up. After watching the replay, however, it appears more that he fell and the non-call was probably the right call. What wasn't a good call, however, was the slashing call on Subban with 2 minutes to play. This is the typical NHL-style of 'give the trailing team a chance to tie it up'. It is a farce as nothing else was called in the third period or in OT. To say that a little slash (Subban did slash) was the worst thing that any player did during that time period is a joke. The refs and league will make arguments that Subban slashed him and that is against the rules; and, that it is. But, when is the league ever going to comment on the other 40 infractions that happen throughout a period and offer a rational, logical explanation as to why those aren't called. I am familiar with the rules and I can't seem to find anywhere in there that states a ref shall use judgement to not call most of the penalties (apart from puck-over-the glass - we all know how much time that wastes...). This league's officiating is a joke and tonight we paid the price. I do, however, know that we'll benefit from it too, so yipee.

Our defensive play, for the most part, was bad tonight. We put ourselves in too many bad situations which is why we let up 48 shots. We have to keep in mind that Halak is no longer here, so letting up our usual 40+ shots per game is no longer a great strategy. If we keep playing like we did tonight it won't matter how many goals we score as I feel we won't win that many games at all. We'll see what happens this weekend, but play like that and/or less than 2 points may be a reason to question if this is the system for us this year or was it simply the system for the roster we had last year.

Food For Thought: 2008-09 vs. 2009-10 (Returning Players)

With the season around the corner, it's just about time to be talking previews. Last season, part of our previews was a graphic look at how each player stacked up compared to the rest of the league in terms of GF and GA, chances for and chances against.

A year on, I have done the same analysis for all the players that played in 2009-10, even those on other teams. I'm not sure what the colours and numbers tell us this time. They may say more about Jacques Martin than about any single player. In any case, I thought you'd all enjoy.


The players have been divvied up into four groups: returning players (those that were here before the house cleaning), new acquisitions, departed players and rookies (first analysis). I begin with returning players.

Returning players

Legend

You can find a longer explanation of the charts here.







Tomas Plekanec

2008-09	2009-10

Pleks had better results from a worse balance in shots. Whereas last year, he was a near neutral in chances for and against, he allowed five more shots per 60 minutes last year. As the team goes, though, this was a good result.

Other things to note are that his GF/60 at ES is a bit low for a top centre, even with the growth from the year before. Goes to show how effective Pleks is for the PP, and the PP for his points totals.


Andrei Kostitsyn

2008-09	2009-10

Andrei gets a bad rap. He's termed lazy, yet returns good defensive numbers. He improved immensely defensively at ES, but unfortunately like many a young player, it came at the expense of his offensive numbers. If anything, a little bit more cherry picking might be welcome for guy with the shot he does. His decline in ES scoring average was reflected in goals last season, so no surprise. No surprise either in him not bucking the shot deficit trend that went across the whole team.

Maxim Lapierre

2008-09	2009-10

From average offensive threat to non-existent one. The story of his season. And though he's still a good bet to be on for few goals, he declined there too. 2009-10 was a nightmare for Lapierre. This was easily forgotten by fans of the playoff run, though. Lapierre turned a corner there and probably saved his Habs skin in the process.


Sergei Kostitsyn

2008-09	2009-10

Can we say Mr. Consistency? Slight improvements, but largely the same results. Once again, it was solid defence despite a large shot deficit at ES. With this chart, and those of his peers, it's easy to see how Sergei gets a bit uppity about minutes.


Glen Metropolit

2008-09	2009-10

Metro played the same shot-surrendering game as he did in 2009 and continued to bore us with little action on the ice. If people are worried about having lost 16 goals, they needn't be concerned about ES, where Metro was among the league's worst. Defence was a strong suit again, but then again, he isn't facing great players every night either.


Georges Laraque

2008-09	2009-10

The Habs' gift to the rest of the league. His gun-shyness was well documented in the fights, but less well documented was how Georges was league worst at everything he did by the time he "retired". Can you imagine allowing 25 more shots an hour more than you take? Georges can and did.


Andrei Markov

2008-09	2009-10

Markov actually improved on his ES results by a significant margin last season (half a season can do that). Like the rest of the team, though, he tested his luck and relied on goalies both letting in more shots than they should (at the opposition end) and saving more than they should (at his end). This season might be easier to watch if Markov can find a way out of the basement in shots allowed at ES.


Roman Hamrlik

2008-09	2009-10

Steadiness. Unappreciated. Hamrlik had a tough finish and the memory lingers long. But on average, he had a good season (relatively speaking). He's average at GF and GA at ES as well as shots for. His flirting with average in shots against is a stand-out performance for this team last year.


Josh Gorges

2008-09	2009-10

The story of Josh Gorges is perhaps incomplete without the story of Hal Gill. Declines in shots for and against and GF reflect his new partner more than him. The fact he improved by a good margin in goals allowed at ES speak to the strange way that style helped the goalies to post superior numbers to the previous year. I'm not sure a gamble on allowing nearly a shot a minute at ES will turn out as well if tried again.


Ryan O'Byrne

2008-09	2009-10

Regression or progression? O'Byrne didn't dig his way out of the league basement in offensive awareness, but at least he was on for less goals at ES. I think the fact he was static in 3 of 4 categories was viewed as a big negative thought from the organization that desperately needs him to progress.