Boston-Montreal Game #6: Habs Use Home Ice To Max Effect

Date: 12/05/2014
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal

Win: 4-0

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

Habs goalscorers: Eller, Pacioretty, Vanek (2)
Opposition goalscorers: None

Revving up Round 2: Strengths and Weaknesses for Canadiens and Bruins

I have done a little analysis and want to take a bit of time to share and perhaps preview the next series. But before that, a taster of a preview: the strengths and weaknesses I perceive in both outfits.


Canadiens strengths


1. Depth of scoring
Right now, one of the Canadiens strengths is depth of scoring talent. Each line rolled out by Therrien has a one-time 20+ goalscorer on it, every line has a guy who has scored an important playoff goal, and even at one time has led his team in a tough situation. The epitome of the strength is in line three where the Canadiens captain skates opposite the current hot duo of Lars Eller and Rene Bourque. This is a fast trio that showed it doesn't need possession to make a dent. It was a nightmare for Tampa, and will be seen as a worry by Boston. If Gachenyuk recovers, this argument is only bolstered.

A Good Week

No the Canadiens didn't win the Stanley Cup, but considering their team has been on the links for weeks, this has been a pretty good week for Habs fans.

Game #58Montreal Comes Back, Manages To Get A Valuable Point

Details

Date: 15/02/2012
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal

Loss: 3-4

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

Habs goalscorers: Darche, Pacioretty, Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Ference, Pouliot, Bergeron, (Seguin - SO)

Play of the game

The Bruins had never lost when trailing after two, and we know what we can be like in third periods. So, it was extra special when Cole capitalized on a Chara mistake to walk in alone on Thomas. He made a nice move in close and put one upstairs on the Tea-Partyer. Embarrassing Chara, after Plekanec smacked him in the face with the puck, was certainly a highlight for me.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Erik Cole - Game Puck
Cole refused to give up, that much you could see on his face. Even though we were down to one of the best team's in the league, by two goals, he still played his heart out. He was in on Max's goal and then scored the tying goal on a very nice play. On a night like tonight, when he is that fired-up it was a mistake not to use him in the shoot-out.

Mathieu Darche
Where has this play come from? A month ago I felt that Mat was playing in his final few NHL games and now he is a resident in the dome. Like others, it could be argued that he is playing for himself, for his NHL-survival, but I don't buy that. Here is a proud Montrealer who seems to be willing to do whatever it takes for his home team to succeed. His goal was fantastic and just gives more reason as to why he should be playing as much as he does.

Max Pacioretty
Max, Max, Max, you have to lift the puck in the shoot-out. This is Tim Thomas here, no goal is a given. He had the keeper beat, but didn't bury it like he should have (I hope he looks at the way Cole finished his backhand goal tonight). Aside from the disappointment in the shoot-out Max was good. He scored his 24th and continues to be one of the main reasons that the Habs are sticking around in this race.

Defencemen

Alexei Emelin
This guy is afraid of no one. Guys like Thornton and Marchand make a living acting like idiots and scaring other NHL'ers. Alex, however, can see through these tools and beats them the only way he knows how - with solid, clean hits. With him on our side I think that Boston now has something to worry about and hopefully pre-occupy themselves with. Teams like that don't like to be shown-up in any aspect of the game, so let's hope that Emelin can continue to act as a distraction in future contests.

PK Subban
PK was another player that got under the Bruins' skin. He played a strong game in both ends and was definitely a force going forward. His play and pass on Darche's short-handed marker was superb. With Emelin, these two are forming the base of our Bruin tormenting for years to come.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey was fantastic towards the end of the third and in OT. He was OK the rest of the way and was his usual, sieve-like self in the shoot-out. Without him we don't get the point, but I feel that a little work on breakaways would lead to a few more wins rather than OT losses. Other players have figured out how to beat Price, can't our coaches and he himself work that out too and do what it takes to address it?

Comments

We needed a bounce-back game after the Hurricane loss and I felt that a visit from the hated Bruins would suit us. We played a strong game throughout, I thought, but got into trouble with a few careless mistakes. Their first goal was Gill at his worst and their second exposed the AHL talent hidden inside Campoli. Their third goal was a PP-marker scored after Cole, with the puck, ran into Thomas. Calls like that add up and eventually even the best PK will get scored upon. So, it is simple to say that it would have been 3-0 for us without two bad plays and a bad call. But, the reality is that players like Gill and Campoli play every night and they make many more mistakes than two per game. Mistakes will happen and, so will goals. That is why offence and goaltending are the keys to our wins. When Price is on and we score 2+ we are a great team, but when it all doesn't line up we get 2011-2012.

We knew at the All-Star break that we would lose games, we probably even thought that this one against Boston would be a loss, so by no means is anything over yet. A win against the 'Canes would have been nice, but in the end it is still 9 of a possible 12 points in our last 6 games. We have 24 games left and teams like Toronto, Florida and Ottawa that are generally better at being bad than good, also have a lot of games to go. The slope got a little steeper this week, but it is still surmountable. How about two wins this weekend though, just to make things a little easier.

Game #34Habs Fall Short Against Impressive Thomas

Details

Date: 19/12/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Loss: 2-3

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

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Pouliot, Krejci, Marchand

Play of the game

Price made a fantastic save on Hamill with about 8 minutes to go in the third and it was one of his best this year. We were facing some excellent goaltending throughout this game and it was Carey who answered Thomas with this stellar save to keep the game close. Without that save we would be wondering how that goal happened and who to blame, with it somehow all players are off the hook as Carey again bailed them out.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty
His line was the best and he competed well tonight. A worse goalie or Thomas on an off night would have meant more than one assist from Max. The goal for him now has to be how to get back to the level that we need him to be at? Will he follow Cole's example?

Erik Cole
Would you be embarrassed if you were Camms, Gionta or Gomez? The answer is likely yes; one of the specific reasons is Erik Cole. He was brought in to be a complimentary player to our 'Big Guns', but instead has been our best. He has shown that it is not impossible to come to Montreal and to excel (even out-do) as you had done elsewhere. Erik continues to be a great role model on this team, but can he inspire?

Mathieu Darche
As Darche did with Martin (initially, not quite this year) he is trying to win a spot in the eyes of his new coach. He has been great (for a 4th-liner) over the past two games and is being rewarded for his efforts. I like when guys like Darche get going, it generally is a good sign for your team; I am hoping that that will become a reality over the next little while.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
If you want Emelin back (as I do) don't expect Diaz to be the one to sit. Tonight he logged the second most ice time on the team (Gorges) and was great throughout his 21 minutes. He played well at both ends and was used in all situations. The questions may have to be asked about Camploi or Gill because for now I think that Diaz has a friend in his new coach.

Hal Gill
Gill wasn't on the ice for any goals against during his 19.5 minutes and was a rock on the PK again. He led the team in blocked shots and played well enough otherwise. There were a few bad moments, but I still felt that he deserved this dome over the others.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price had a better game tonight than against New Jersey, by a lot. Boston, whether we like it or not, are a hard team to beat; a team that can beat you on almost every level. In fact, I think that they are a better team this year than last. So, I was happy enough that the game was close and that was mostly due to Carey.

Comments

Boston played well tonight and we were just OK. We aren't going to win too many times in Boston if that is the case. It isn't surprising given the current situation of the two teams, but it is still upsetting. It looks like the problems of our team may have gone quite a bit beyond coaching as not much (granted it has only been 3 days) has changed. I still want to give the new staff time to work things out, but do hope that they (and our players) can reach their full (or near full) potential in the not too distant future. If we aren't on a better track in about 3 weeks then I think we'll be having to find different things to do this April and a few other people will have to find different things to do come next September.

Game #1-7Great Season Comes To An End

Details

Date: 27/4/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston

Loss: 3-4 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Weber, Plekanec, Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Boychuk, Recchi, Kelly, Horton

Play of the game

We got the ultimate excitement tonight by coming back twice. In the end it looked like scoring first was what did it (ha!), but despite that we sure gave it our best. After Bergeron took a dumb (typical Bruin) penalty we got going on the PP. Cammalleri started the play when he gained the line, but almost gave it away with a weak pass at the blue-line. Gionta, however, took that pass and got it over to Pleks on his right with the subtlest of touches. Tom took the puck into the corner and then fed Subban with an incredible cross-ice pass. PK capped off an incredible season with a rocket of a shot, his second of these playoffs.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Brian Gionta
I liked what Brian did in the offensive zone tonight. Defensively wasn't horrendous, but -3 is never a good stat to carry around. He led the team in shots and came oh so close to scoring one or two. With a linemate to compliment him and Gomez this would have been a different series - I guess Chara's hit really worked out for the B's in the end...

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
I am happy that Pleks played so well tonight as he should be our best forward in most games. His tying goal was crucial and then his pass on PK's goal was world-class. His face-offs will need work over the summer, though as 20% is just bad. I can live with 40%, but when you lose 4 of 5 things can start to get ugly.

Michael Cammalleri
Mike had better games in this series, but tonight wasn't bad by any stretch. He picked up an assist and was instrument on our third goal. Like Gionta, however, he was -3 and that is something that will sting over the summer I am sure. All in all, though, this was another fantastic playoffs for Camms and I look forward to more of that next April, May and June.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Subban wasn't at his best in the defensive zone tonight, but all in all he was still our best defender. He also scored the most important goal of his life late in the third. He will only get better (hopefully no Phaneuf or Schenn for him) and I look forward to having him line-up with Markov and Gorges next year. Who else will be around is yet to be seen, but PK seems like he'll be an asset for years to come. I also like how he played through the boos, because we all know that players with bad attitudes and who are dirty get booed, oh wait, that is why they boo him, right?

Jaroslav Spacek
Spacek got bounced around last night and, less that 20 hours on, came out and played a solid game for the Habs tonight. Only he and Sopel ended up with a positive rating and it was Jaro that led the team in blocked-shots. He didn't have the season nor the playoffs that he did last year, but with time left on his contract I am sure that he will be back. He proved that he can be a 5/6 type guy and can play on both the PP and PK. He should enjoy the summer as I feel that this was a rough year for him physically and he'll do well to get some real rest.

Goaltender

Carey Price
He didn't have his best game of the playoffs, but certainly gave his team a serious chance to win. All in all it was a fantastic season for Price who has shown that he can play a lot of games, win in the regular season and playoffs and shake off bad goals and bad starts. Goaltending like this is what quality teams are built around and I am already looking forward to a healthy, more experienced, more competitive Habs team in 2011/12.

Comments

We started the game poorly and that may have been the difference. It may have been the difference because we could never get a lead, get to our comfort spot. We did well to come back twice, but we are a far harder team to play against when we are leading by a goal or two. It was more of the same for Boston throughout (2 head-shots on Halpern, a spear on the 3rd goal) and I feel that their team is a disgrace to the sport of hockey. They'll move on to face Philly who is as dirty and perhaps dirtier, at least in these playoffs. It is a shame that those teams got through as it will give the media 12 months of saying how teams like Montreal and Buffalo are too small and not tough enough to compete against these forces. The bottom line is that we out-played Boston in this series, not at all times, but over 7 games I do believe we were better. We had better chances, played cleaner, but just didn't get the luck that is so obviously needed to go anywhere in these playoffs (refs are no help whatsoever).

It was a great season when you consider all that happened to this team. Losing Halak last summer, Markov for the whole year and Gorges and Pacioretty for a good chunk of the year all seemed like insurmountable obstacles. The Habs, however, played a fantastic regular season and then got to within a goal of the second round. This team is only getting better and I think that we are getting more and more of the right pieces into the right spots. It will be a long summer with a lot to thing about, but at the end of the day we should be happy with our team as they once again proved that they will always be force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.

Game #1-6Montreal Gets Some Bounces And Calls; Off To Boston

Details

Date: 26/4/2011
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal

Win: 2-1

Habs 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 dome

Forwards

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.

Game #32 Habs Out-Bounce Bruins

Details

Date: 16/12/2010
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Montreal

Win: 4-3

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

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri (PenSh), Lapierre, Pacioretty, Gionta
Opposition goalscorers: Wheeler, Savard, Lucic

Play of the game

A weird and entertaining affair. In my opinion, the best chances were kept out and some of the strangest went in. The best play of the game for me was Lapierre's goal. This was serious goalscorer stuff - Lapierre placing an inch-perfect shot on a first time effort. Bob Cole sells Lapierre short on the original call, but a replay shows just how good he was to react and shoot for accuracy rather than power on a poised Thomas.

Dome hockey team

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

Tomas Plekanec
Gamelog: No points. Gamelog: Even. Gamelog: 50% on faceoffs. The gamelog says he had an average game, maybe even an off game. These are the games we need a record for. Plekanec didn't have an average game, he played well, so did his line, generally. They generated chances in volume and quality and could have scored with some of the favours bounces were handing out to other lines. The crowning achievement for Pleks was once again his PK duty where he logged a pretty astounding 4:24 of pretty good work. Certainly without a good PK effort throughout, the Habs might have let this slip.

Max Pacioretty
The kid's got attitude, I'll give him that. Whereas, I don't remember many Pacioretty shots over the past couple of years, his new confidence means he does little but shoot. I will qualify that, however, because in this game he did make some excellent passes and banks around the boards. His best work wasn't the goal and the assist, but he deserves the reward for the rest of his game.

Brian Gionta
Another excellent game from the captain. Excellent because he did exactly what was expected of him (shoot, try on every shift, gain possession) and more. The goal he got credit for looked like a bounce, but just like Marc Savard's tip, with owners of such nimble hands you never can really count out intention.

Defencemen

Jaroslav Spacek
The most ice time of anyone, because tonight he was charged with looking after the Bruins top line. Most of the game, it was Bergeron and Recchi who looked more dangerous than the bigger line. Horton, who could be seen skating up and down Spacek's side from time to time, was rendered almost completely ineffective - a tribute to Spacek, as he's just one of three 20+ point men on that line.

PK Subban
Tonight Subban did two major things. He got back to contributing offensively in the way he can (i.e., not attempts blocked), an he should have scored for it. He also made entering the Montreal zone difficult. Now, I'm not one for hitting for the sake of it, and I'm certainly glad Subban didn't hurt anyone, but his hits while spectacular to the highlight selector are actually more impressive to me as tactical measures. Now teams will need to know Montreal's zone is not freely gained, as it has been for a decade or more.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
A funny game this. Billed early as a goaltender duel, it ended as what looked like a shootout. Really, though, I think we did witness a bit of a goaltender duel. Thomas was very solid at times, and only beaten with a penalty shot, two weird bounces and a perfect shot that needed his back to guide it in. Price similarly didn't let in a standard chance. His goals against were two bounces and a very good deflection/interference play. Apart from those, though, Price had 34 saves and was called on many times to be solid in the face of a Bruins surge. To win when lucky is one thing. To win when facing some pretty unlucky bounces shows that some true growth did take place in the summer.

Comments

As I said, an entertaining game. Another one in quite a line of them now. And really, apart from the losing, what's not to like about the fact that the forwards are opening up a bit and getting a few chances, getting a few goals.

For me the most encouraging thing to take from this game was that the Habs didn't win it by the familiar script. When the Bruins played through the coverage that worked on previous victims like the Islanders, the Habs needed to find something more. They did. There's elements to raise eyebrows too, like 37 shots allowed and a whole lot of being penned in, but the Bruins were in the same boat at times. This was just two good teams, two good rivals, having a really good go at each other with the better on the night winning.

Now the mood changes as prepare for a road trip that begins with a Saturday off and a Sunday game in Denver. Another loss might have been hard to overcome. Instead now the team can draw the positives from the points gained here and the ones they nearly gained against Philly and hopefully put in a run on the Christmas swing. Should be fun.

Laraque The Irrelevant

I think I join Dennis Kane in saying "Georges has to admit he hurt his team last night".

About 8:30 into the first period against the Red Wings, Georges Laraque put on a display of irresponsible play and (yes, Don Cherry) complete lack of respect for his fellow competitors. It's a sequence of play that didn't endear him to teammates and has him in the NHL disciplinary dock today to defend himself.

The first incident (seen in the video below) shows how Laraque in attempting to cover the pass lets the puck by him, choosing instead to unleash a slash on Darren Helm. The slash being high caught Helm across the face, was perhaps unfortunate (certainly for Laraque it was) but nothing but a slash was intended from the motion.

The second incident, and the one of the controversy, sees Laraque caught out by his slow feet and poor positioning again. This time, knowing he's in the box for a slash, he opts for the "safer" trip option to end the Wings threat. The problem being that Kronwall, the skilled player in this confrontation, saw the check and maneuvered around the oaf. Laraque in reaction sticks his knee way out and gives one of those hits that makes players just watching on TV cringe.



The result for Laraque was 6 minutes of penalties. For Helm, it was a sore face. And for Kronwall a high grade knee sprain.

The play, apart from leaving me feeling quite ashamed, in the end left me with only one question: what is this guy even doing on our team?

The irrelevance of Georges Laraque is a question that has been around for some time. His relevance must surely be in question again. The fact that Detroit chose to respond to the intimidation and thuggery dished out by Laraque with 2 PP goals, no penalties (Abdelkader's was a dud) and a win speaks volumes about Laraque himself. No one thought it necessary to fight Laraque because fighting Laraque counts for nothing in the standings. Fighting is not down in the NHL, but the staged fighting that Laraque offers as his only redeeming quality is certainly on the wane. Some teams, like ubiquitous front runners Detroit and New Jersey just don't fight at all. League leaders San Jose just have a tough team. The point being, aside from the odd team, Laraque doesn't have many opponents against whom he has use.


No intimidation

The biggest shout from all Laraque supporters is always that Georges is a great, no the best, deterrent against teams roughing up the regular Canadiens in the NHL. I have to say, there was a brief time when I bought this theory – it was the time before I saw our team in action with Georges there.

Last year, we examined the Laraque issue in the fall, just after his failures to do anything in consecutive games to prevent intimidation tactics from opponents. Our verdict then (and it hasn't changed) is that:

"A player that can't play, can't hit, won't stand up for teammates unless it's organised the day before, doesn't scare anyone"

I think two moments that epitomised Georges Laraque's irrelevance last fall were the vicious hit on Andrei Kostitsyn and Milan Lucic running wild against all comers.

In the Kostitsyn case, Georges did fight. He fought Todd Fedoruk nearly a full period after the transgression. Too bad he couldn't fight Kurt Sauer, the player who transgressed as he was not in his league. That intimidation was left to Tom Kostopoulos, who promptly lost the fight for Andrei's honour. Georges won his fight. But who did he intimidate? Not Fedoruk who earns his pay by not being intimidated. Not Sauer, who only learned there would be nothing to fear from Big Georges for certain.

In the Lucic case, the Boston player was just being his usual charming self all over the ice. And, while nothing he did was (too) illegal, he was causing havoc for the fear he struck into the likes of Bouillon, Gorges and co. as Boston walked the puck into the net 6 times. After a couple of big hits on Komisarek in particular, it might have been nice had Big Georges stepped in and told the little one to settle down. He didn't. Instead, Komisarek had to be a big boy and fight his own battle. It was the fight where he lost use of his shoulder, and perhaps more importantly his mojo, as he was trounced by the 20-year-old in mere seconds. Lucic like Sauer learns in no uncertain terms after the game that he has nothing at all to fear from Laraque, because Laraque asks people to fight, and if they decline (no matter their actions in that game) he relents.


Is anyone scared of this guy anymore?

Really, the revelation that players were beyond Laraque's remit was only his first step towards total and utter irrelevance.

The next sign that he may be on his last NHL contract (woe, that it be on our team...) was that no one really seemed to be afraid of the big guy anymore anyway. This season has been a case in point. While the non-fighters quite happily go about their business of grappling and taking liberties with our regulars (hello Calgary), even the fighters don't seem to worry anymore about the prospect of the hulking #17 bearing down on them with a fight RSVP. You only have to watch:


This fight was judged by the regular readers of Hockeyfights.com to be a draw, though narrowly. The important thing for me, is not that Laraque used his judo takedown to end the fight, but that Colton Orr happily landed more punches, did not alter his play after the fact and was the one smiling after the bout. Orr had won the battle because he didn't lose. Orr had won because he showed he wasn't to be intimidated.


In this, Georges' second fight of the season, Laraque was cleanly beaten. If Georges was the heavyweight champ of the NHL, this fight would have seen Erskine walking away with the belt. Georges, the instigator by the way, didn't land a punch, nor did he look to be able to. Instead all he did was take. Erskine walks away from this knowing he can go about his business since he can defend himself perfectly well.


Few fights

Besides the fact he doesn't intimidate, it seems that Georges may have got it into his head that he is here to play hockey for some reason. Goodness knows why a player of his ilk would think that. The evidence is in the frequency of his fighting. This season, we're talking about two fights over 10 games. Last season, it was 9 fights over 33 games. That's a whole lot of hockey player Georges. Not a lot of goon/big "scary" Georges.


Brittle

Apart from all this, the guy is a walking injury. Whether it's his back, a hangnail, his shoulder, a shiver, his knees or inadvertent meat ingestion, Laraque always finds a way to be out of the picture.

Now, I don't complain in these instances. But, what it means is that the Canadiens can't even count on Laraque when they might need him. When he is healthy we get a run of games against Washington and Detroit (who don't subscribe to his brand of hockey anyway) and then he nurses his sore back when we might use him.


Habs worse off

In the same way you can show Markov's positive effect on the team, so too can one show Laraque is not a catalyst for success.

The sentimentalists don't need a reminder about the 2007-08 enforcer-less team who battled their way to first in the East with a 47-25-10 record. A team that was able to beat the Bruins 8 times in the regular season and 12 times in 15 tries overall, and the Flyers 4 times in the year and ended up being put down by Briere's passing, Umberger's glove hand aim and Biron's goaltending, rather than any suspension-worthy play.

Take that same team forward a year, with some changes and you get a team with a drop-off to 41-30-11. Dissect this to a with Laraque/ without Laraque level and you get 14-14-5 vs. 27-16-6. Now it's a bit silly to start blaming Laraque for the woes of last season at this point, but I still found it to be an interesting coincidence.

Fast forward to the current season and it's the same sort of story – Georges may not be the root of all evil, yet the team strangely seems to get on better without him. It's 4-5-1 with him in the lineup vs. 7-6-0 without him around.

The place where one might have expected Laraque to wield most influence – the playoffs – was perhaps one place where he showed his irrelevance most. While Game 1 against Boston ended on a chippy note with the Habs showing great life and energy for the fight, the next 3 games were largely washouts. Yet no game-changing fight was forthcoming from Georges. Even given the opportunity all he did was get roughing penalties when Boston came knocking. In fact, his impact in the series was mostly felt through his chance sapping play on the first line as Boston played disciplined hockey that he never once really tried to disrupt.


Bring on the suspension

Disrepute, slow legs, underwhelming return on his mandate. I for one will be looking on at the verdict of the NHL hearing for Georges Laraque today in anticipation. I only hope the NHL may be able to do what both management and the coaches haven't been able to – find a way to get Georges Laraque out of the Habs lineup.

The less irrelevant players we can dress among the 19 from this point forward, the better.

Lucic Didn't Do It

Milan Lucic has been suspended for one whole game by the league, even after he already unfairly missed his final shift. This is wrong, if you are to believe bald head, bald-faced Claude Julien. The only thing Claude Julien doesn't say in the end of the interview is:

"Please don't take away our amnesty to hooking calls. We prefer our reputation as clean-playing victims (I learned that from Philly). Please?"

He does, however, make up whole lot of other stuff here:

CBC notes:

"Lapierre was sporting a welt under his right eye after the game that perfectly matched the shape of the frame of a stick, but Bruins coach Claude Julien insisted afterward that Lucic hit Lapierre in the helmet with his glove, not his stick."

The RDS feed isn't available to me on the internet, but I can tell you though the glove led, the stick came in full follow through on Lapierre's face. Lapierre is no angel, nor would I have him be one. But, I was of the understanding that the league didn't want angels. However, what they do want is a cut-back in dangerous and ill-advised hits to the head. Julien's bald-faced lying apart, I think the league must consider this. If Schneider cross-checked Lucic to the head beforehand, that must obviously be considered too.

All hits to the head have to be frowned upon, premeditated or not, inconvenient for your team or not. Julien deserves a little reminder of that from the spokesman for the initiative among the players. Then maybe he can put his petulance aside for two minutes.

The Lucic suspension was about as much as the league could muster for a playoff series, I suppose. But it clearly isn't enough if they hope to abolish tat kind of behaviour in the game.

It's truly shameful that the league is not more committed to this goal.

Playoff ComedyThe Bruins Bias

I say comedy because i laughed at this:

The Bruins beat the Habs and they didn't even have their A game. On the other side of the coin, Montreal pretty much brought all they had. And still lost.

Apparently that was all we had. The Bruins didn't even try.

Russ at Bruins Report has a good blog, and we've had good spars in the past. His post last night, however, has nothing in it I can agree with.

Isn't it funny how the same game can look so different to fans wearing two different sets of distorting lenses.

What I really didn't understand was how us playing tough was pathetic, yet their "toughness" was so laudable. I guess he wrote the piece to fit the title he chose beforehand...

Habs : BruinsThe Balance Of Power

Having been pressed to the full at work lately, I haven't had a s much time for a preview as I would have liked. I am hoping that some of my prep can be slowly leaked through as the series goes over the next week or longer.


But as I'm sure you're all as excited as we are for the first meaningful game of the 2008-09 campaign (barring that one where we had to get the last point), so I thought I'd do an abridged little preview to ready the tastebuds.

I would start this post with a proviso before going any further. If I wanted to look through the teams and their statistics and come up with a preview that could have put the Bruins ahead in every category, I could have nearly done it. However, as this is a Canadiens blog and I am charged with doing something a little less mainstream than everyone who got their previews in hours ago anyway, I have managed to find some categories where I feel nos Habitants have an edge over the cavemen.

Without further ado, here are the battles:

1) Top line – Tanguay/Koivu/Kovalev vs. Lucic/Savard/Kessel

This is a tough call. The first problem is that the Habs top line have looked good, but only for a handful of games. The Bruins top line, most notably Kessel and Savard have looked good the entire season (almost).

I think even the most optimistic Habs fan has to give this one to the Bruins in terms of offense.

I will say this, though. The Canadiens top line is made up of three players who can make a top line on their own, just by virtue of being written in. The Bruins top line is not a top line without Savard. As such, it will be easier to smother the Boston line (for ease in targeting the coverage) – a lesson that could be straight from Boston's play book of 2008 on Kovalev.


2) The secondary scoring

There is no doubt the Bruins had more success here this season. But you know what, how many career-best seasons did they have there? The Canadiens by contrast had decent secondary scoring despite pitiful stretches from all their second guns.

The question is whether the momentum in the playoffs will shift or not. Last season, Tomas Plekanec was quite possibly the best forward on our team in the second half of the season. But a change in momentum nullified his input in the playoffs. This season, the Bruins are toting a few Plekanecs in their line-up.

It's for that reason that I am giving the edge to the Canadiens here. It must be the Felipe Alou fan in me, but Kostitsyn has to break out, so does Plekanec. Higgins and Latendresse could also. They will have to to prove me right. Else, I could right be called a blind fool. My gut simply tells me Kostitsyn > Recchi, Pleks > Krejci, Gui > Wheeler and so on.


3) The checking forwards – Higgins vs. Axelsson

Somewhat fortuitously, Chris Higgins seems to have fallen into the role he was born to play. No longer forced into situations where he must produce, he can concentrate on being that intelligent and anticipatory player we all know and love. If I'm Marc Savard, I wouldn't relish a shift with this guy watching me at all. I don't think Koivu gives a toss if Axelsson is on the ice or not. Canadiens win this battle is Chris is deployed in the right way.


4) Top defenceman – Hamrlik vs. Chara

I could make some cockamamie tale about Hamrlik up here, but he does not measure to Chara in stature, skill or even experience. Boston wins this battle in a landslide.

However, if (big if) Markov can come back and be Markov; I feel that Andrei is the best defender in the East and the third behind Lidstrom and Niedermayer in this league. In that case, the Habs would have my edge.


5) The rest of the D

Some Canadiens fans have been kidding themselves when they say the Habs win this battle. Aaron Ward, for example, has oodles of Cup experience and was a main reason our number one line went AWOL last spring. He is what Komisarek should be and isn't. Then you have the steady, simple and obedient play of the others that helped bring (nay, brought) the Jennings trophy home to Boston this season.

Are the slow? Perhaps a bit. Are they deficient in the offensive skills department? Mostly, but Jennings doesn't care about that (especially when the forwards go second in the league on goals). Boston's defenders are a better group than the Habs, Hamrlik and Bouillon or not.


6) Backstops – Price vs. Thomas

Tim Thomas had one of those seasons. He should win the Vezina trophy. But you know what? Huet had one of those seasons and he was let go for nothing. I would never want to write Thomas's season off, but had Carey Price even had a semblance of a good second half, he'd have the edge here. As it is, Boston wins.


7) Discipline

Here's one of those categories. Can it carry as much weight as the others? Probably not, but it is a factor. It is a category that the Canadiens will win, I'll tell you why: they need to.

As such, discipline for the Canadiens will be written into the game plan. A lot was made of the Canadiens indiscipline in the regular season at times, but so many times that indiscipline was nothing of the sort. It was puck over the glass or non-call, or stick brush the waist. If you exclude Mike Komisarek from consideration, I actually felt the Habs on the whole were quite a disciplined bunch for most of the season.

I'll tell you why else: Boston's identity requires them to come out and bang. Sure, during the regular season the Bruins fans will tolerate a clean game vs. the Wild. But come playoffs, vs. the abhorrent Canadiens, no mercy will be tolerated. A goal must be answered with a fight. A shot with a cross-check. It's written in their constitution. We saw it a mere week ago.


8) Coaching – Gainey vs. Julien

Only one of these two men will be nominated for the Jack Adams trophy this season. However, only one made brilliant and brave decisions to turn his team around.

Claude Julien sure looked good again at the helm of a team that made it happen. Bob Gainey looked barely adequate at times. Even so, only one of these coaches has won any significant series in the playoffs (either as player or coach).

On top of that, Julien remains unique as a coach for twice being fired from teams when sporting a winning record – first the 19-16-6 Canadiens of 2006, then the 47-24-0 Devils of 2007. That Devils firing undertaken by a GM without peer and instigated based on the testimony of the best goaltender and many of the best students of hockey in the game, tells me all I'll ever need to know about Claude. Gainey is a better coach. Canadiens edge the Bruins here.


9) Extra gear

I'll list players I know have an extra gear on both sides:

Koivu, Kovalev and Mark Recchi.

Not that they won't be happy with status quo, as the East winners, but the Bruins will mostly have to make do with that. They do not have a Koivu, not many teams do. They have Recchi, but even he can't reach Kovalev control of a game. Of course, this is dependent on the players actually stepping up the rate. But since we can count on Koivu, the Canadiens already have the edge.

The question that lingers here is do any other players have that gear? Well, one could make an argument for Aaron Ward, and maybe if you're generous Chara or Schneider, but beyond that, it's youngsters with little history to go on. Both teams have intriguing possibilities like Kessel, Wideman, Kostitsyn and Lapierre.


10) Preparation

The Bruins prepared for these playoffs by practicing winning and not much else. They came back a number of times from goal deficits, but they never had to deal with a losing streak, a split in the dressing room, or things generally not going their way.

The Canadiens, if you can look at it in a positive light, earned their 3 credits this semester. They've had lessons on every topic and in the end they pulled it out. Bad losses, they've had a few to recover from. Non-existent goaltending, they're well versed. In a nutshell, nothing could happen to the Canadiens in game one or two that hasn't happened to them already. Nothing could rattle them more than they've been rattled. The Bruins? I'm not so sure.

Even so, the Bruins way of preparing is tried and tested. If they win, they know how to win again. If they go down a goal, they know they more often than not come back. If things go their way, as the experts predict they will, they'll know full well what to do with the situation.


The tally

Even at a stretch, it's hard to find things other than faith to put the Canadiens ahead. On the tally, I have a draw, but in fairness the Bruins have captured the points cards here with all defenders, goaltenders and top line scoring going to them.

We knew there would be ifs for our Habs, and they are big ones. But if Markov ever came back, we'd pull closer. If Koivu and Kovalev both play like the men-possessed they can be, then even a giant Slovak can't stop them. If Kostitsyn scores a few early in the series, the Bruins will have a lot of reorganisation to do. If Higgins is deployed as a shadow and plays like he has been, he could be a major factor. Dare I say, if Price actually plays like he has done in the past (the good times), then playing a goon line won't look so smart.

And, if dogmatic Julien is forced out of his comfort zone, well then we're on our way.

Smug FacesBoth Julien And Carbo Could Be Doing Better

I've been getting caught up in the scaffolding of this blog, I almost forgot that its content that people want, not perfect alignment...

We've heard straight from the horse's mouth a few times now (that's Jacques Demers) that coaches are unfairly judged and that on the whole, as a group, they can do no wrong. According to Jacques, Montreal is a veritable coaching academy, with the best coach in the East, the Northeast and the Northwest all learning their trade in our fair city. It's an interesting take.

I've always thought Vigneault was a good one. But he fell on Houle's sword didn't he. As for Therrien then Julien, I thought they were both pretty amateur when they were here, and I'm not sold on them now because Malkin is scoring 3 points night and Tim Thomas is doing his October-November thing again. Both guys love to look good in good situations, but have yet to show they can adapt to adversity.

I share some of the same feelings for Carbonneau, but with him there's the knowledge that he has it in him somewhere.

Saturday night vs. the Bruins
The raison d'etre for this post, though, is the rivalry between former coach Julien and his successor Carbonneau.

It has come up on this site (Ian Vitro comment):

I didn't think this was a good game and it totally left a sour taste in my mouth. I kept trying to figure out why Laraques was playing with Tanguay and Koivu, or why Kovalev was on with Lapierre and Begin. With the offensive struggles we have, I don't think these lines made any sense. And I'm totally sick of Carbo juggling the lines like this.

and elsewhere (notably the Daily Hab-It):

... shouldn't Guy Carbonneau's focus be elsewhere, other than making sure Georges Laraque is on the ice shadowing and harassing Lucic?

that people did not like Carbonneau's deployment of Georges Laraque over the weekend. I even had an offline argument with one of the faithful readers (and good friend). As usual, I disagree with the opinion being thrown around and (from what I've seen) accepted among groups of fans. I personally liked what Carbonneau did. I'll explain.

1) Carbonneau thought of a tactic
This must be the first time this year that Guy Carbonneau has admitted that something other than line changes or adding a defenceman to the squad could help get a win.

2) Cabonneau forced Julien's hand
Lucic did get a goal. That certainly stands like a glaring beacon against my argument. But generally, I thought the Laraque strategy in the first period was working. Lucic was put off and spent a lot of time trying to avoid Georges, thereby taking the sandpaper away from the otherwise soft and fluffy first line. More importantly Julien was flustered and put up a brick in the first with his comeback strategy. Forcing a game strategy on another coach is always positive.

3) Georges looked OK given a purpose
Turns out all Georges needed was something to do. It makes sense. After all, if he's to make up his own mind, who knows what he would come up with – we've already seen marginal, bit part, invisible and completely and utterly redundant from him.

4) Koivu and Tanguay could focus on being a tandem
This may be a stretch, but I thought Koivu and Tanguay looked better than they had in quite a stretch. They knew whose job it was to retrieve the puck and whose job it was to shoot. There was no spanner (Higgins) thrown into the works.


Tactic ran its course
So, following a first period of targeting Lucic, I was happy. The problem, Carbo, before you get too smug, is that the tactic started to run flat after 20 minutes. Lucic, realising he wasn't going to have to fight if he didn't want to, started to ease into the game. Laraque was neutralised. This is when Carbonneau could and should have had a back-up plan.

I guess that would be expecting a little much on the night of his first tactical revelation this year. Hey, maybe next time.


Julien has a short memory
Julien was the smug post-game jokester as he played to the hometown media:

"I betcha Milan never thought he was that good that he'd have a shadow on him," Julien said, clearly annoyed. "I don't know if it's ever happened in his career but it's pretty simple. We've got a good hockey player, he's 20 years old, a first line player, it's as simple as that. Do you think we're going to send him against probably the toughest guy in the league? I know Georges Laraque was doing that because he was told to. Georges is not that type of guy. He respects the young kids, he knows what it's all about. There was no way it was going to happen. (Shawn) Thornton was there, ready for Georges, that never happened either. My tough guy was ready for their tough guy and it's as simple as that. I told him not to fight so if you guys are wondering, it was me."

He may be the best coach in the East at the moment (Hi John Paddock), but he's also the buffoon who lost to Guy Carbonneau 8 times in 6 months last season, totally bereft of ideas so long as the Canadiens scored a couple of goals.


Should we all be prepared to acknowledge Julien as a genius because he told Lucic not to fight Laraque? Not me.


Both coaches could use a dose of humility. Both could take it. The only concern is that I'm not sure how many more doses of humility for Carbonneau I can take.

Georges LaraqueThe Summer Swindle

Anyone who understands French should read this article: "L'Arnaaue Laraque". It's the usual interesting look from Fred and his friends at En Route Pour La Coupe


The gist of the article for all of you is that Laraque is turning out, thus far, to be a pretty useless component of the Canadiens. The title roughly translated means "The Laraque swindle" and is a very nice play on words, if I do say so myself. The article mirrors my own thoughts so well, I don't need to rewrite it – I'll just highlight and comment:

The first point Fred makes is that Laraque was supposedly brought here to strike fear into the hearts of opponents. To make sure that our skilled players could get on with it without being intimidated. He quite rightly points out that this has not been the case at all. Kostitsyn was pounded into the boards despite Georges playing, Price was butt-ended and Lapierre was head-hunted.

So, the verdict on intimidation: None.

The second point he rightly makes is that after the fact someone as big and rough as Laraque is supposedly there to make people pay. Though I don't agree with the whole code thing, the fact is the current NHL is run this way – that's why we have Georges. But where has Georges been after these hits Fred asks? The answer: nowhere to be seen.

So the verdict on sending a message after the fact: Hopeless.

Fred in speaking to his Oiler fan buddies heard that Laraque's proclamation were that he would only fight heavyweights. Laraque doesn't fight just anyone. Not Ruutu, not Sauer, not Grabovski, not Mike Richards. He'll fight Boogaard maybe, Shelley.

Finalement, tout ce que Laraque veut, c'est donner son show de boxe. Il est pas là pour défendre personne, car ce ne sont habituellement pas les toughs des autres équipes qui écoeurent les joueurs de la Flanelle.

Finally, all Laraque wants is to be able to put on a boxing show. He's not there to defend anyone, because it's not usually the goons from opposing teams that get in the faces of the Habs players.

Ooh, that's close to the mark, Fred. As is his stinging conclusion:

On ne peut pas se fier sur lui pour défendre ses coéquipiers.
On ne peut pas penser qu'il donnera de percutantes mises-en-échec (il est trop lent).
Il ne peut pas nous aider grandement avec ses habiletés de hockeyeur.
À quoi sert-il donc?

I concur – A player that can't play, can't hit, won't stand up for teammates unless it's organised the day before, doesn't scare anyone – what is he here for?

Just last night, there was a comical endorsement of this whole affair. Milan Lucic was being his usual smirk-faced self. Brunet got all hot when Laraque brushed up against him – highlighting it on the broadcast (I can't say I was very impressed myself). Later in the game, Lucic has been taking liberties and a Hab wants to fight him. In goes Mike Komisarek.

Add it all up, and I calculate that Laraque is a useless piece of the Canadiens. Nevermind that there are no goons on 50% of NHL teams now. It's totally ridiculous. We've been swindled. Plain and simple.

Bring up Greg Stewart!

Poor Van RynTwice the Victim; Differing Reactions

Injuries and suspensions. The NHL seem to link these two in the mind like Southern US and expansion opportunity. They see one, they see the other. Without one, they often forget about the other.

The Daily Hab-it once again brings up some nice point about this matter. There they focus on why Kostopoulos got a three game suspension and why Ruutu only got two. It's a very valid observation. I agree with Arpon that Tom deserved three games (if not more) and that it was the Jarkko Ruutu suspension that is out of whack.

While it's tempting to lay all the blame at the feet of Colin Campbell and the NHL head honchos. It's my opinion that they are only trying to tread a fine line. Even with the Kostopoulos hit, where injury occurred, there were supporters for the offender. I'm not only referring to the people who suggest Tom would have stopped if he could, but was too committed, but also those who still feel like they would prefer to see hits like this than not.

When you take the injury out of the equation altogether. And the play is judged without the complication of guilt over an injured player, then I really begin to see support from the faction of fans who ultimately like hockey for its ruggedness, its hitting.

Take the example of Milan Lucic's hit on the very same Mike Van Ryn. A few weeks ago, this hit was all over the internet – people were singing the praises of Lucic and marvelling at the beauty of the hit (even Habs bloggers who dislike Lucic as a rule).

I don't need to see the hit in slow motion, or to be told twice that that hit could have been calamitous for Van Ryn. Lucic came from at least half the rink away at full tilt with no interest in retrieving the puck (he'd have been too late) and intent only to throw his 220 lb frame at the opponent. Thank goodness the glass breaks in that instance, because otherwise Van Ryn comes between irresistible force and immovable object with only a thin plastic hat to protect him.

It's worth noting that Lucic was not suspended for the hit, though he clearly had no intent of playing the puck (or affecting the play – it was a dump in). He also took many many strides (which I think is illegal) and left his skates. I think it's fair to say that had the glass not broken, the hit would have ended in a crumpled Van Ryn and suspension for Lucic. Had Van Ryn been injured, the suspension would have been long.

I'll admit, I used to love the breaking glass. I spent hours trying to hit the referee through the glass on NHL 98. But I've changed my position. I now think plays like that one should be punished, because part of the act went against sportsmanship, against the spirit and even the rules of the game. And, I used to be as biased as Yvon Pednault about these things, but I think a non-partisan approach would be more helpful overall. Now I can see hits like Kostopoulos' and Markov's as boarding, even with the bleu, blanc rouge glasses on.

Take, for example, another case of flagrant fouling gone unpunished was Sergei Kostitsyn on Mikhail Grabovski the other night. Regardless of what Grabovski did to Price, which took quite an eye to spot even after the fact, Kostitsyn's hit was dirty. He came after the play and hit an unsuspecting player in a very dirty and unsportsmanlike way.



At the very least, Sergei was ejected from the game (a meaningless gesture at that juncture). But why has there been no suspension attached?

I'm sure the plays were reviewed. Ron Wilson probably sent a whole tape full of incidents.

I suspect the fact Grabovski got up with no grogginess had a lot to do with it.


Injuries should not come into consideration
With the ability the NHL has to review plays from multiple angles and at any speed, there is no reason to consider hits that cause injuries to be any different from those that do. Often that is luck (as Kostopoulos will tell you).

I think, if the NHL wants to see this stuff cut out, it must rule on hits where the possibility (not intent, no one will concede attempting to injure at any point, they're all such good guys like Bertuzzi) of injury. A blind hit on a player not involved in the play, for example could carry a 5-game suspension and fines. A hit like Lucic's could carry the same or more. Same for Kostopoulos'.

The NHL needs to stop pandering to the vocal minority who bawl for more hitting, fighting – and a trip back to 1974, and consider the safety of the players, what the game is about and how dangerous play comes into that.

The retort of course is where do I draw the line?

It's a tricky business drawing a line, I'll concede. It would take a bit of careful consideration. There will be gray areas. But that shouldn't necessarily slow action on the dirtiest hits, so clearly beyond the line – hits on unsuspecting opponents that have nothing to do with playing hockey or pursuing the puck.

Like drunk driving, the potentially harmful activity could be punished – even if no harm is done.

I could do without watching games that resemble a runaway car with a drunk at the wheel. I could live without dirty hockey. I even know it's possible to enjoy those types of games – they make up 90% of the ones I watch...

Game #1-5: Bruins Dome

A few goals and a few Habs mistakes will make other Habs fans take notice of the Bruins for the first time in over a year. The fact is, some of the players in this done have been here since game 1.


Dome hockey team
They're going into the last minute with these 6 against the Montreal Canadiens (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Marc Savard
– before the breakout (or the collapse if you choose to see it that way), I thought Marc Savard was the best forward on the Bruins. He was pivotal in terms of turning the tide. He set up a few chances on the PP for the Bruins before they figured out how to shoot straight. Every time Krejci's name came up (with largely overblown praise from RDS), it was through some clever play Savard had made

Phil Kessel
– you have to give credit to this young man – the Bruins were flailing without a goalscorer, he put himself forward as an answer, he delivered. The goal he scored on the PP was completely of his own making. Not only that, it was a gamebreaker. I think Lucic, Murray and Krejci could have 50 more chances and not scored. Kessel outclassed them as goalmen with ease. If the Bruins do lose this series, will the Boston fans question Julien's hard-headedness when it came to Kessel? If I cared for the Bruins, i would

Marco Sturm
– on what must have been his 10th short-handed breakaway of the series, Sturm scored. Albeit the goal was scored on a petulant and disinterested Price, but a goal nonetheless. Sturm was rewarded for constant play over all the games and basically for being a fast mofo. It's easy to see why he led the Bruins in goals, but also apparent why he doesn't lead the league.

I'd like give him credit for killing the Habs penalties, but I don't really call passive box hockey (the Habs are responsible for their own futility there)


Defencemen

Zdeno Chara
- a fixture here. In fact, he would have been out, but for the turnaround (collapse). He was flagging in the second, making bad passes, even letting Kovalev through. IN the third, however, he played a big role in the surge. His goal was the straw that broke the camel's back

Dennis Wideman
- a split from Chara was just what the doctor ordered for Wideman. He played a good game as a puck-carrying defenceman, which greatly aided the Bruins to maintain the amount of possession they did. A question for the Canadiens, though: as good as Wideman is, might it be worth challenging him once in a while?


Goaltender

Tim Thomas
- no significant challenges for Thomas, but you can't fault him for that. he was the goalie during the game and so he is the goalie here, not much explanation beyond that, really. Two of the real Habs chances he actually let right by, so he's not unbeatable or anything. More shots like Kovalev's on the PP will go a long way to getting Auld another dome appearance. I want the Habs to play so well Manny Fernandez gets a chance in here, though


Though the Canadiens set the tempo early, by letting the Bruins take control in the second and hold the puck more, any fan could see what was at risk. I'll tell you that no bruins were underlined in my notes until the second. By the end of the game, there were choices to be made for the dome for the first time, really, this series. So, let's be honest the bruins are still beatable, they were even ready to be beat last night. I think a little more keying on Savard and Sturm and a lot less on Lucic will go a long way to making those 2-1 wins possible again. If Carbonneau wants to get dangerous, he could even try taking advantage of a slow defence corps by letting his skating players play.

Game #1-3: Bruins Dome

Apologies for not getting Game 2's version of this up until this morning. Visitors make finding time for blogging difficult over a weekend. I'm sure not many care, but here is the link to the Game 2 Bruins Dome. Now that they've won a game, looking at their players seems to make more sense...


Dome hockey team
They're going into the last minute with these 6 against the Montreal Canadiens (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Milan Lucic
– For a 19-year-old this guy is big. Big in his uniform and big in his own head too. His Game 1 dome was a consolation prize for being slightly better than terrible. This game, he was impressive. Though he may never score 500 goals in the NHL, you can see he will be an important player. Lucic plays a strong game away from the puck and is capable of setting the tempo for his team (heck, both teams). He can also score important goals on very good goalies. The Canadiens are capable of shutting him down, I think and must do in the next game. Enough's enough

Petteri Nokelainen
– After Lucic, the biggest change in the Bruins was the play of the Nokelainen line. Unsurprisingly, when Claude Julien gave Nokelainen the chance to unshackle himself from the skill-free duo of Thornton and Reich, he responded with a good display. Like his linemate Schaefer, who deserves mention too, he was relentless in the Canadiens end. Julien also showed a bit of strategic nous by deploying this line against the passengers Dandenault and Latendresse – to tip more battles his way

Peter Schaefer
– See above.

NOTE: Strangely, the NHL chose Marc Savard as the third star of the night in all games. I wonder if they even bother to watch at all. In a 2-1 game, Savard did not shine. Hi pass to Lucic was OK, but Reich could have managed that. His goal in OT was opportunistic. Thomas should submit a tape of the whole game. Carey Price, too.

Defencemen

Zdeno Chara
- Once again Mr. Dependable makes the cut. He played well. He also made Plekanec look ineffective – so much that Jacques "Hometown" Demers was cutting him down. He played half an hour and looked good for most.

I'd also like to say: Isn't the booing stupid? Why boo Chara? Now Kovalev is booed in Boston as a result. Somehow 10,000 drunk roadtrippers managed to awaken fans in a city that barely cared more about that game than the Red Sox (12th game) updates coming in on their iPhones. The Chara booing also led to a treat of a USA chant part way through the game for some reason as retaliatory noise. Stop booing Chara. Boo as if you watch the game. Boo all those borderline

Dennis Wideman
- A couple of times Wideman skated right into the Habs zone. Granted the Bruins weren't ready for one of the defenceman to actually make such a finesse play, but I was a bit impressed. Paired with Chara, he was effective in shutting down the main Habs threat and tipping that line match-up in the Bruins favour. A good game for his third ever in the playoffs, to be sure

Goaltender

Tim Thomas
- Didn't have too much to do until late, but earned his dome in overtime alone. A save on Latendresse was nice and on a couple of point shots even better. If he plays like this again, maybe Alain Crete will show him some more respect and stop questioning whether he can skate (what a buffoon)

Game #1-2: Bruins Dome

Watching the Bruins and finding players to applaud has been a difficult change fro me, but in the interest of pretend journalism...


Dome hockey team
They're going into the last minute with these 6 against the Montreal Canadiens (and they're attached to the ice, so they're not coming off)...

Forwards

Marc Savard
– That pass, that pass. Savard played a much better game than Game 1, but if he hadn't done anything else, he earned his money and place in the lineup with his pass across the crease on the PP. Any other Bruin forward would have taken a shot from a decent angle on Price. Alas, that's why any other Bruin has point totals in the 30s or lower and Marc Savard is a consistent point-per-game player. Julien must thank his lucky stars that the Bruins GM sprung the funds to sign a centre with some real skill a couple of summers ago

Marco Sturm
– Like Game 1, Marco Sturm offered a legitimate scoring threat for the Bruins. It's easy to see why he, and not another Bruin, was the goalscoring leader this year. His greatest asset seems to be very quick acceleration teamed with good anticipation – it allowed him his second breakaway in as many games

David Krejci
– Considering it was his second ever playoff game, I thought David Krejci did an admirable job. His goal was nothing extra-special, since the pass was so perfect, but he nonetheless got himself into nice positions over the evening

Defencemen

Zdeno Chara
- Chara played a very solid game on the whole. His long reach and stick play a big part in taking the Canadiens forwards away from their rhythm. His ability to relaunch the attack also makes him a valuable part of the Bruins counterattack (probably the most valuable part)

Mark Stuart
- Mark Stuart epitomised the Bruins for me on this evening. He didn't play particularly well up front or at the back, it was more that he successfully tested the limits of the referees throughout the game. At the beginning of the game, he was checking a bit harder, holding a little bit more. By mid-game, he was crosschecking Habs in clear view of the referee. But don't blame Stuart for this transgression. it is his job to push his abilities to the limit of legal play. And legal play means legal play on that night. The fact that he was breaking the letter of the NHL rules is irrelevant from his point of view, if the whistle is not blown

Goaltender

Tim Thomas
- Let's face it, Vancouver wouldn't even start Auld when Cloutier was the alternative. Thomas has to be back in the dome. Tim played a decent game, he played to the level of an NHL goaltender, if not a star. he made all the straightforward stops and let in the complicated ones. You can hope for a goalie to save those complicated ones, but a team should not expect it. What's more, that Kovalev shot in OT was a pinpoint shot moving really fast. I'm not holding that against Tim