Game #15Gorges' First Gives Habs First Extra-Time Win

Details

Date: 10/11/2011
Opponent: Coyotes
Location: Phoenix

Win: 3-2 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Gionta, Moen, Gorges
Opposition goalscorers: Boedker, Torres

Play of the game

After the first period it was looking like Pleks could be hurt, it was looking like Desharnais was now our top centre. Tom came back to start the second, however, and did very well on one of his first shifts that period. He fore-checked hard and created confusion behind Smith's net. Then came his linemate Gionta (noticeably fueled by the prospect of having Pleks healthy after that scare) who made a fantastic play to strip Gordon of the puck and stun a flat-footed goalie. That goal changed the Habs's gameplan; it gave us a serious chance to win from that point on.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks played a great first period, but really seemed to step it up after that as to show us all that he was fine. He was in on our first two goals; something that we have now come to expect. Losing him would be as bad as losing Markov or Price so I do hope that he is OK. He seems to have good chemistry with Gionta which may work well for Gomez's return as I really think Scott needs a fresh start, with 2 new faces on his flanks.

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
The skipper was the biggest part of our two first goals, our two best plays of the game. This was one of those games where you really noticed Gionta, a game where he led his team as a captain should. The points give him 10 on the year which isn't horrible considering the slow start that we had. I hope that Martin keeps him with Plekanec for now as we really need 3 strong lines and I think that the G-G combo has become too predictable for our opponents.

Erik Cole
Cole impressed me with his speed and strength tonight. I normally hate seeing our players go to the outside of defenders as more often than not it ends in a turn-over. Tonight, however, in Erik's case he was beating his men, he was creating chances by going around the outside. He is still trying to find his true spot in our line-up, but the better he continues to play, the more options he gives his coach.

Defencemen

PK Subban
PK stayed out of trouble tonight in that he kept things clean in his own end and in that he didn't get sucked into any tussles or into taking any penalties. That meant that he could really focus on his game which is to win the puck back in our end and do something with it in the other two zones. He didn't factor too heavily on our goals, but he did end up +3 which is a number that I think speaks for itself.

Josh Gorges
Gorges has been better of late after a bit of a slow start. Tonight he played as a true #3 or even #2 and that is what we need, especially while Markov is out and 3 youngsters are in. He scored the OT winner which may go down as his only goal of the year, but wouldn't you rather that than the 5th in a 5-1 win or the lone goal in a 1-4 loss? I am not suggesting that he is clutch offensively, but it was nice to see him join in at exactly the right time, even if this is the only time we see it all year.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I thought that he made some poor choices handling the puck in the first period, but aside from that played a very solid game. Phoenix managed 34 shots, so to make 32 saves, on the road, is certainly a great performance. One thing that he did well tonight (and maybe this was purely in stark contrast to Smith) was that he found pucks well after they dropped below or near him. There weren't many second chances and that ends up really helping a fragile team like the Habs out and can very well make the difference between W and L.

Comments

It is always nice when a losing streak is stopped at 2. I have heard a lot about how we were all over Edmonton and could have or even should have won. Too many of those games in a row, however, is a Florida or Columbus type of thing. We have to win the majority of our games some how, some way. Tonight we found a way to walk out of their with the full two points all the while staying out of any real trouble penalty- or injury-wise. Phoenix aren't the most exciting team to watch, but I do respect the clean type of hockey that they play as it means (unlike games against Boston) you don't really have to worry about losing guys to dirty and unnecessary plays. In fact, this is a team that we match up well against and we proved that by matching them step for step throughout the whole game. It is hard to say that either we played better than them or they better than us, nope, it was just a good old (used to be called a draw) even game. It is good, however that we got the extra point as we need it badly.

We're entering an interesting stretch over the next little while. It is a stretch that has us playing more games than we have been doing and a period in which we may get as healthy as we'll be all year. Getting Markov back will be a huge boost. I am sure that a lot of people have forgotten just what Andrei can bring to this team, but I am sure that within mere days of his return they will be reminded. Until then we have to hold the fort and win games like we did tonight. Each loss makes it 2 more games back to where you want to be, so let's hope the Habs take the easy route and win each of their upcoming games.

Game #8: Plekanec And Co. Put On A Show As Habs Beat Phoenix

Details

Date: 25/10/2010
Opponent: Coyotes
Location: Montreal

W: 3-2 (OT)

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

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Cammalleri, Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Turris, Morris

Play of the game

I thought this was a very entertaining game. I thought there was plenty to choose from for the play of the game, goals, near goals, penalties drawn, saves, blocked shots, etc. I opt for the Canadiens first goal. Down against the run of play the Habs needed a goal to come back and the Plekanec line was going to will it in. Seldom do we see the Canadiens take three shots within a shift, so three dangerous shots and a well taken goal were impressive. Each forward in the play had his part and used exceptional control and quick release to make it happen. Plekanec scored in the end and it was his recovery from being barged on his first shot attempt to regain perfect position and ready his blade that made this play the winner.

Dome hockey team

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

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
With all due respect to the three star voting system, I thought this game was a tour de force from Plekanec. He once again led by example with the mere "A" on his shirt. He drew penalties, killed penalties, set up shots and looked the most threatening to me overall.

Mike Cammalleri
Cammalleri joined his linemates full of zip on the evening. His first period was amazing and his play on the unfulfilled powerplays would have won him a dome alone. Then he went and scored the goal that will launch a powerplay by walking in an pinpointing the open portion of the cage. Anyone who sees that goal will be quick to move coverage to that right side of the PP.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei stole this dome. He started the game well, but I was liking Gomez. In the way we have become accustomed to, Andrei built and built and by the third was looking a power forward without question. His first shift in OT was written by a goalscorer in an exceptional vein of confidence. It's nice to see.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
I thought Josh was the best defender overall on the evening. He skated well to cover and made good passes to get out of the zone. Most of all, I enjoy watching Josh take the responsibility for the puck in his zone, unafraid to carry until the danger passes. The scoresheet says 3 giveaways, but they didn't score my memory, I thought he was very sound.

Roman Hamrlik
Phoenix gets control, gains the zone, shoots or loses the puck. Montreal has it. Who is it? More often than not it was Hamrlik when I looked up tonight. From his first game back he has come a way to regain his former stature. While he still makes those scary backhanded clearances we'd rather not see, the safety that so often comes from his control puts him soundly in the dome for me.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Finding a way to win and finding a way to get these selections. There was nothing spectacular about what Carey did (apart perhaps for that stunning glove parry). 2 goals against on 29 shots for a win. He's discovering how the next tier up make their NHL living. 8 games in this constitutes either a nice surprise or an early return on faith. Whoever you are, you'll appreciate these points in March.

Comments

Not exactly a modern classic, but entertaining, I thought. The Habs came out this evening with intent. Throughout the first they outshone Phoenix and mostly made them look second-rate. The PPs were earned from hard work and looked good but for the lack of a goal. The Coyotes came back into the game, but it didn't completely halt the momentum. Thanks to the Pleanec line's energy, to go with Gomez/Gionta and #3 there was lot to like in the visitor's end. A win is a win is a win. To beat a team with stylish goals, sound enough D and a superb spirit must carry more benefit than a couple of points in the standings.

The powerplay was all the talk during the game from RDS and I have to insist that they are being a bit ridiculous. It's plain to see to anyone watching that good powerplay play does not always result in powerplay goals. The Canadiens set up some great plays this evening and weren't fully rewarded. however, that doesn't mean their PP is impotent. Let's not pretend that Josh Gorges floating shots in is really the way forward. We're better analysts than that Joel.

Next game is a completely different opponent. The Islanders are hot, they're offensive, they have centres and leave plenty of room at the back. If the Habs can find their pregame mix tape from this affair and replay it on Wednesday, I foresee another entertaining match-up midweek.

A Visit From The Real Coyotes? Game Preview

Last season, Phoenix were the shock entry in the NHL circuit. A franchise with no money and few incentives to go for took a middling group of veterans to a 100+ point finish. Last season, Montreal played Phoenix once and won. Price played and won. The Coyotes never visited Montreal, so in a way it’s like their season might never have happened at all.

As they roll into town tonight, the Coyotes are in tough. Their offseason improvements included the additions of 38-year-old Ray Whiney and 21-year-old Kyle Turris. Otherwise, they return the same team that rode fortune to a successful close last year. My personal feeling is that this team was a flash in the pan. Doan is not suddenly a born leader. We get a chance to see for ourselves tonight.


Key match-ups

Subban and Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Two very highly touted young blueliners with long names. Although they are unlikely to come face to face at any point in the game, this match-up allows us to watch the potential futures of two powerplays in bud.


Taylor and Tom Pyatt
This will be the second time these two brothers have ever faced off against each other in NHL game action. Last time, Tom played a whopping 15:02 to Taylor’s 9:45. They may both be on a top line, they may both be on a 4th line. Who knows? Maybe they’ll fight.


Bryzgalov and Price
Waivers vs. high draft pick. It’s an interesting match because both teams depend on their goaltending to take them from mediocrity to slightly better than mediocre NHL teams. They represent two ways of goalie acquisition, two methods of goalie development and a range of other contrasts.


(Shane Doan and the Montreal crowd)
This would have been good, but the player managed to arrange a suspension. One opposition player with alleged history of anti-Quebec tendencies. One crowd who loves to boo members of this extended family. Have the crowd forgotten? Will they find a way to boo him anyway? They still boo Bush’s decision to start the Iraq war, so you tell me.


Momentum

For the first time, I feel the Habs have the momentum. And, although what Tobalev said about one game impacting the next is dead on, the very fact that price’s team gave him a game on a platter and he returned them a shining shutout means these guys might actually be pulling in the same direction for the first time in a long time. That and the fact that Phoenix is currently stagnating. Still enjoying a season of overachievement, they have done little to address the way in which they intend to do the repeat.


Coyotes the Habs covet

Dave Tippett
A pretty phenomenal record as a coach to go with his Jack Adams trophy win. He must know a thing or two about the trade to have pulled the tricks he has out of the bag.

Eric Belanger
How Gauthier missed this boat nobody knows. 13+ goals for a checking line player in his last 7 seasons to go with plenty more assists. Lemaire educated and paid a pittance. He got Halpern instead.


Habs the Coyotes covet

Tomas Plekanec
Phoenix may have a few wingers that would look good on the 4th slot on many teams, but their centres aren’t an attractive list. Plekanec is showing again that he’s a top asset at his position, and be rightly coveted by many teams.

Andrei Kostitsyn
You think the Habs had it bad in 2003 with the Kostitsyn pick? The Coyotes, an abysmal team in 2002-03 (and well beyond) traded their 11th overall draft pick that year in a trade I can’t track down, but that clearly didn’t work out that well. They’d have had Carter at 11, but at this stage would be happy to have even Kostitsyn as their NHL-free draft class of 2003 is still headed by Tyler Redenbach.


Ready-made excuses

If Montreal lose:
- We won Saturday
- Markov is injured
- Paul Bissonnette’s rump wasn’t properly guarded against
- Phoenix are a 100-point team

If Phoenix lose:
- Doan is suspended
- Doan was still booed in the press box
- Doan asked that the team let his cousin win


Impact of this result

The NHL is tight, and the Northeast even tighter. The Canadiens need to take advantage of games against random rival like Phoenix to pad their lead against the eventual resurgences of New Jersey, Ottawa and Buffalo. The impact of this game might not be playoffs or not, but at the end of the day, these two points could look very good in February/March.

The same goes for Phoenix of course. The difference being that Phoenix doesn’t expect the way Montreal does. If they sneak an 8th spot, it may be just as good to the first-time April visitors to the arena as a 1st place barnstorming.

Game #19A Nice Clean, Regulation Win; For Once

Details

Date: 12/11/09
Opponent: Coyotes
Location: Phoenix


Win: 4-2

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

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri, Bergeron, Metropolit, Gionta
Opposition goalscorers: Lang, Bissonnette

Play of the game

The Habs looked destined for another tight finish, which can mean a loss these days. So, we needed a turning point, we needed a momentum shift. And, I think we got one - I call it the play of the game. The Habs were just about to kill off Hammer's tripping penalty when Lombardi took 2 minutes himself. That meant a bit of 4-on-4 followed by a PP. The ideal situation then becomes to score on the 4-on-4 to allow yourself another great opportunity to get a goal. Bergeron took matters into his own hands after a Plekanec face-off win as he kept the puck in with a very nice pivot at the blue-line. He then took a perfect shot that found it's way into the top of the net. The goal was scored with 4 seconds left at even-strength. That, of course, meant that a PP was coming our way. Smelling blood the Habs, led again by Bergeron, capitalized on that opportunity and essentially put the game out of reach.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
Pleks to me was our best player and should have been the 1st star too (that went to Bissonnette - after all he did score his first NHL goal (a shot deflected off his leg) and had a fight in just over 7 minutes of hockey (another example of Phoenix's inability to get things right)). He had 3 assists and two of them were simply sublime. On both Metropolit and Cammalleri's goals he found them wide-open, by the net with nothing but net to shoot at. Anytime a passer can do that with regularity the other team is in serious trouble.

Mike Cammalleri
This was probably Mike's best game for a couple of weeks. He was very feisty in and around the net and because of it he picked up a goal and a few other great scoring chances. He also chipped in with a nice play at our own blue-line in the dying seconds which led to a break with Gionta and our empty-netter. 16 points in 19 games may not be what some people had hoped for, but considering how much of a threat he is on a consistent basis I am willing to look past his below point-per-game status. After all, that is still about a 70-point season - pretty good for MTL.

Scott Gomez
Missed opportunities sums up Scott's play over the past 2 weeks or so. He has been good, but not great. Tonight, however, I thought that he had a strong game. His passing was good and he also played very well in our own end. 2 areas that weren't too great tonight, however, were face-offs and his insistence on finding Gionta with a pass, even when it doesn't suit the team. That said, if he continues to play as he did tonight then I will be very happy indeed.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
Was Josh's best play of the night to slide into Price and take the net off when Phoenix had a good chance (the puck did, after all, end up in the net)? I don't think it was on purpose, but I like that, whether we meant it or not, we bent the rules and got away with it. I mean, how is that never delay of the game, but puck over the glass, regardless of the situation, is 100% of the time? That play was just one of may great plays Josh had in our own end. Another big one was the effort he put in to win the puck in our corner late in the game - his effort essentially started the play that would become our 4th goal.

Marc-Andre Bergeron
I won't lie to you and say that MAB played well in his own end, but I can be honest and say that he wasn't bad. What that means is that there were less mistakes than usual which allowed Martin to feel comfortable using him for 17 minutes (Spacek's absence in the 3rd required someone to step up after all). The upside, of corse, was the offence. A goal, which I think was great and 2 assists were what he had to offer. The PP was 2/2 and that is thanks in large part to him. He also happened to be on the ice for both of our other goals and neither of theirs.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey wasn't tested much tonight, but that didn't matter as he still had a job to do and he did it. A little bit of own-team interference and some bad luck cost him what could have been a clean and easy shutout. I can't say I noticed too much bad with Price tonight and I think that that is thanks to the D who limited the shots to 20 and made sure there wasn't too much quality coming through. I like how tonight showed that, at the end of the day, a solid D (granted we were only playing a depleted Phoenix team, but still) will be the best tool any single goalie can possess.

Comments

When I look at this game on paper I have the same feeling for the first period as I did watching it: blah. Nothing happened, neither team was bad, but so too was neither team really any good. Things started to open up in the second as we saw a couple of goals, a fight (Jay Leach) and a bit more skating and flow than in the first. I can't say it was the best game I had ever watched, but heading into the third game #19 had potential. The third period, I must say, was quite entertaining. You can forget any rough-stuff, but there were some good chances and goals. In all we scored 3 and had a few other great chances. Another play that sticks out is Gorges puck-sweep (and subsequent trip) which prevented a scoring chance. It was good how we kept Phoenix in check later in the game and, by only surrendering 20 shots, we were really taking the pressure off Price who needed a game like this.

This, believe it or not, is only our second regulation win of the season and first on the road. It is one of those games that you shouldn't let slip and I am happy that the Habs seized the opportunity. Nashville, as always, will be fun on Saturday and it should be interesting to see old Franky Bou again. I, of course, am hoping for a win, but would almost be just as happy with a solid 60-minute effort and some goals. If we can master those two areas then surely the wins will continue to come; as one did tonight.

Bettman Selective In Remembering"We fix the problems. We don't run out on cities."

Except in cases where teams move from hockey markets to experimental sun-belt cities. I can't think of an example of one of those gone wrong though...

Bettman also alluded to:

A move to southern Ontario, where the league already has a successful team in the Toronto Maple Leafs, would represent a retrenchment for the NHL.

Again, a bit selective as we have to watch two teams duke it out in LA for some reason and then 2 other teams and a farm club play in the Big Apple.

Game #5Habs Cruise Against the Lowly Desert Dogs

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Saturday October 18th, 2008
Opponent: Phoenix Coyotes
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC

Team Stripes

Final Score: 4-1 - Win

Habs starting goalie: Carey Price (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Ilya Bryzgalov (L)

Habs goalscorers: Alex Tanguay (2), Saku Koivu, Robert Lang
Opposition goalscorers: Shane Doan

Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

Price had the play of the game early in the first. It was a play that changed the whole game and put us in the driver's seat.

With the Habs up 1-0 Shane Doan was fed a beautiful goal-mouth pass from the left wing. Literally on Price's doorstep was Doan who merely had to redirect the perfect pass to tie the game up. To his credit Shane did take the perfect shot, and against most goalies he would have scored, but not against Carey, not tonight. Price came across in the splits to absolutely rob Doan as he preserved the lead which we never relinquished.

Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Saku Koivu
For some unknown reason Saku only played 12 minutes again which was only higher than 2 players - a fighter and a player who got injured early in the game. Despite seeing very limited ice-time Koivu delivered. He was by far our best player tonight as he added another 3 points to give him 8 points on the season and 599 for the career.

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

Forwards

Saku Koivu
Sak continued to impress people this year as he is truly playing at his best. What I am also happy about (apart from the points and shear dominance on the ice) is him improvement in 2 key areas - PIM and +/-. In the first 5 games he has 0 penalties and leads the league in +/- at +7. Tonight was also another great night in the face-off circle, he was 12/14.

Guillaume Latendresse
I was thinking earlier about 2 key questions concerning Higgins' imminent return - 1) Does Gui deserve a top-2 line spot and 2) Should Gui be on one of the top 2 lines. The answer to question 1 is a resounding yes. Once again Latendresse played a great game. He has always shown great chemistry with Saku (who hasn't?) and Tanguay is obviously as/more valuable than we all thought as he slots right in there. Question 2 is the the one thatwill cause some debate. Gui is a good player and he is playing great, but let's face it, we all know Higgins is better. If Koivu's line is this good with a slightly faster 16-goal man, then how good could they be with our 30-40-goal work horse? Despite all the talk Gui played a great game, he was physical, showed good puck control and could actually keep up with his speedy linemates.

Alex Tanguay

Daniel Briere or Tanguay? Do I even need to answer that. Here is our french superstar folks and he couldn't have come at a better time. Alex is so well spoken, has such a nice personality and is one heck of a player. His chemistry with Saku is reminiscent of Saku with Teemu or Recchi. Tanguay's 2 goals tonight were goalscorers goals as he was patient and found the holes twice. He showed incredible speed all night and while he was on we were constantly creating scoring chances.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
Should I simply make this section the Markov + 1 section? Marky was so good tonight and he was made to look even better than usual thanks to the pitiful defence the Coyotes fielded. He is truly in a league of his own on some nights as he seems light years ahead of anyone around him. He had 2 assists tonight, one of which I am sure you will see again. After keeping the puck in at the blue-line he found a wide open Koivu at the side of the net. His wind up on his slapshot-pass fooled everyone, Bryzgalov went down and Saku simply had to hit an open net.

Mike Komisarek

Tonight was Mike's best game that I have seen all year. He was physical, stood up for his teammates and for a change didn't take any stupid penalties. The numbers don't lie either - +2, 7 hits and 5 blocked-shots. If he plays like this on most nights then we have little to worry about. It is when he starts playing like Rivet and Souray that I begin to wonder if he really can be a #2 or #3 man in this league.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Price wasn't tested much, but when he was he came up big. There were a few spectacular saves which always help a team (and a goalie) build confidence. He handled the puck very well tonight, mostly because he didn't try to do too much. I thought he deserved a shutout and was unlucky when a shot that was going wide hit O'Byrne and ended up loose in the crease to be easily tapped in. Another highlight for me was when at the end of the game he switched helmets with Gorges. Josh put on the goalie mask and there was Carey being congratulated with head-butts to the visor. It was a funny moment which despite making us all smile showed just how close this team now is - that is something that can't be taught, bought or sought, that is a true talent.

Eye-Openers
In this new section we are going to try and shed some light on certain plays or events that would otherwise go unnoticed

Gretzky and the Coyotes had a wild idea tonight, they wanted to shadow our best player and thought it would work. Well, I'll give them credit as it seemed Kovalev was marked all night and had very little room to work. There are, however, a lot of things that make me laugh about this and it all starts with the 4-1 scoreline. How about an adjustment Wayne? We are up 4-0, Koivu's line is on for all 4 goals and yet you still only focus your attention on one player. Another thing, just because you only have one good player in Phoenix doesn't mean that the rest of the league followed that game-plan. We have 3 scoring lines and if you want to beat us it won't be done by shutting us down, I think the key would be to out attack us, thus rendering our attack useless.

The good thing about all of this is our depth. Opponents will never be able to shadow all 3 lines effectively, so it is a flawed system against a team with more than 2 good players. By shadowing Kovalev the other lines were able to see so much of the ice as the best defensive players were off the ice. Had they treated all lines equally I guarantee that this would have been a closer game. The last funny thing is that Kovy still had about 4 serious scoring chances including the undressing of Phoenix defenceman. So, all in all they reduced Kovy's chances from about 8 to 4 - good luck with that Wayne.

Overall Comments

I thought that overall this was a good game. We took it to Phoenix right from the get-go and we never looked back. It was especially important that after letting up a 3-goal lead to Boston on Wednesday we play a full 60 minutes tonight. Koivu's line in particular was great tonight as they exposed the AHL-calibre defence that Phoenix has decided to go with this year. Our 9th point in 5 games makes this a very good start and I can only hope we keep putting those points in the bank as I know things will get tighter as the year marches on and as other teams get into proper shape.

One bad thing to see tonight was Kurt Sauer's elbow on Andrei Kostitsyn in the 2nd period. It was a vicious hit which left Andrei out of it and with huge cuts on his cheek and around his eye. Losing a player of Kostitsyn's calibre for any length of time could be devastating so I am hoping that the reason he took the remainder of the game off was precautionary more than anything else. I know that the kid is tough, so let's hope he'll be back scoring goals by mid-week.

Gainey Does Admirably

One day into the NHL free agency season and one prediction right:

July 1 was an overblown let-down. How could it not be?

Very few people care about where very few of the names on those UFA lists go anyway. At the very least, TSN showed some good sense in airing Wimbledon instead of foisting Pierre Maguire on poor viewers for the entire day like the equally uneventful trade deadline.

Even with the disappointing lack of big-name contracts, it is still possible to start pointing to who the winners and the losers of this free agent "frenzy" (and I hesitate to use that word) might be.

Off-season winners (as of July 1, 2008)

1. Phoenix Coyotes
These guys probably would have been winners regardless of any free agency stuff. Adding Olli Jokinen for disappointmenting Dmen was a coup. The fact they added Sauer, who can easily replace Boynton, for nothing shows real planning and thinking.

2. Edmonton Oilers
How about we trade Pitkanen, Stoll and Greene for Visnovsky and Erik Cole? That's fan forum stuff, yet they pulled it out of the bag. Cole gives them a winger who can convert Hemsky passes. Visnovsky replaces Pitkanen and more.

3. New Jersey
Holding onto valuable players they like (Pandolfo) and acquiring Holik and Rolston make this team better. Intelligent moves from an intelligent GM.

4. Chicago
The Hawks fans are biggest winners here. Chicago could have easily ridden their prospects for another few seasons. Adding Campbell shows their commitment to regain respectability. Adding Huet is puzzling with Khabibulin in place already, but hey they have the cap room and just landed the best goalie available.


Off-season losers (as of July 1, 2008)

1. Nashville
What on earth is this team doing? Little more than a year ago they were vying for the league title, acquiring Forsberg and all. This off-season they've committed lots of money to a one-year wonder in goal, cutting loose their previous one-year man. They've also lost Zidlicky for peanuts. Adding nothing only adds to the sting. Maybe they are planning a surprise for us soon.

2. LA
Does Dean Lombardi know something we don't? Did the Kings actually win the league and Cup? Letting Cammalleri go was puzzling for a team with such dire quality up front. The players they added look like final last pieces for a Stnaley Cup contender, not the foundations for a new go.

3. Ottawa
Losing your best defenceman, the guy you thought would be the goalie of the future and your only proven talent beyond the first line hurts a lot. Adding Auld does nothing to assuage this kind of pain.

4. Atlanta
This pathetic franchise, which needs to lay down some kind of plan soon, has done nothing. Looking at their roster, it's still two wingers and no one else to lead the charge.


And Gainey?

From my viewpoint, Gainey's done a good job to hold off on signing the lesser lights of July 1 just for the sake of it.


If I look at what he has done so far, I think a case could be made that he signed the best player available yesterday in Andrei Kostitsyn – certainly if performance as well as potential for improvement are factored together. To sign him at 3/4 the cost of Michael Ryder is a bit of a coup, actually. To get his services for 60% of a Jeff carter contract shows the difference in quality of the respective GMs.

If we think about it, Tanguay is also one of the top three acquisitions made at forward since the end of the season, up there with Jokinen and Cole.

Sure losing Ryder hurts, but we were never going to be happy for a minute with $4 million for even 30 goals from Ryder. Losing Streit hurts more, but we hope this is pain for gain as the money saved is used to benefit the team.

And when you measure Gainey against his peers, he looks even better. He has resisted the AD/HD signings that the Rangers and Flyers cannot, he can apparently spot talent a whole lot better than anyone ever sitting in the chair of Leaf GM, and he hasn't overcommitted to third tier stars just to placate the screaming hordes. While we can lambaste him now, imagine if Gainey had signed Ryan Malone for 7 years, made Brian Campbell the highest paid player in Canadiens history or highly overpaid for Commodore. We should consider ourselves lucky considering how few teams came out of Day 1 unscathed.

So all in all, Gainey has done well. He's been sensible, just like we asked him to be. What's more, he's seen his rival GMs fill their cap space with no important free agents yet tied down. Well done. More of the same please...

Game #68It Wasn't Pretty, But Mission Accomplished

The Canadiens Game in Review

Date: Thursday March 6th, 2008
Opponent: Phoenix Coyotes
Venue: Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, AZ


Team Stripes


Final Score: 4-2 - Win

Habs starting goalie: Carey Price (W)
Opposition starting goalie: Mikael Tellqvist (L)

Habs goalscorers: Tomas Plekanec, Saku Koivu, Andrei Markov, Sergei Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Shane Doan, Zbynek Michalek



2007/08 first
There's a first time for everything, so they say. What they didn't tell you is that every game, something happens for the first time, you just have to look harder in March...

1st 70+ Point Season for Kovalev as a Hab (72)



Play of the game
The play you're straining to see on the press catwalk monitor...

To seal the much needed victory Higgins, Kostitsyn (S) and Gorges hooked up for one great play towards the end of the third.

With the game at 3-2 and with less than 2 minutes left in the game it was looking like Phoenix was going to score to tie it up. The Coyotes were applying a lot of pressure around Price, but we caught a break when the puck squirted loose in our high slot. Josh Gorges made a great play to stretch out and get it to Higgins who quickly put it up the right wing to the speedy Kostitsyn. Sergei easily beat the slow defender and was in all alone until, that is, the equally speedy Higgins caught him up. It was then 2 quick passes and 4-2 - Kostitsyn-Higgins-Kostitsyn-back of net.



Game puck
Trophies are for the end of the year, play well in the game, you get a lovely puck...

Andrei Markov

Andrei was on the ice for 3 of our goals and neither of the Coyotes'. He played another stellar game on D tonight as he shut down Phoenix's 'big' names. He was very dangerous on the power-play and was a big reason that our league-leading PP struck for two more against the unsuspecting 'Yotes.



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

Forwards

Saku Koivu
- Koivu had the fire in his eyes tonight that we so often associate with him and big games. When he scored to tie it up and then when he was near by as we took the lead he was the Hab leading the cheers. He led by example tonight and played a good hard game

Alexei Kovalev
- Another great effort from Kovy as his season just keeps getting better and better. He had 3 assists tonight to give him 43 on the year for a total of 72 points. In his last 17 games he has 26 points which would equal a 125 point season - truly amazing from our star winger

Christopher Higgins
- Chris played a very aggressive game and was more noticeable tonight than during our 4-6 loss to the Sharks on Monday. He was a force along the boards using both his speed and strength to win battles one-on-one. He ended the game at +1 and added 2 assists to his totals this year

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
- By adding a goal and an assist tonight Marky now has 53 points on the year which puts him third overall in the NHL for defencemen. He, along with Lidstrom, Pronger and Niedermayer, has proven to be one of the best all around blue-liners this year. Rarely does a game go by where Markov doesn't do something spectacular\

Roman Hamrlik
- As the season wears on Hammer is asserting himself more and more. His veteran presence was very evident tonight as he showed he will stand up for his teammates and back down from no one. He has been playing with a certain hunger over the past few weeks, a hunger that will be a big help at getting us into the playoffs

Goaltender

Carey Price
- He rebounded nicely tonight from a very bad performance on Monday night. He stopped 37 of 39 shots in this one keeping us in the game early when we were being outplayed. The Coyotes tried their hardest to get Carey off his game tonight, but the young goalie kept his head and stayed very focused. He made his best saves in the first 2 periods (29 of them); two periods in which the Habs were badly outplayed



Eyes on Kovalev
Did he flit and float? Someone ought to keep track...

Gretzky said today before the game that Kovy should be considered for the Hart Trophy this year and after another performance like tonight's it is hard to disagree. It may be quite a stretch to call him the league's best player (especially since voters rely solely on stats), but it is worth considering him as one of the league's elite. The Habs surely wouldn't be atop the East in March without him playing the way he has done for us all year and, trophy or not, his contributions have not gone unnoticed. In my eyes, however, he is the same player he always been for us, the difference being that this year his line is completed by two very gifted young stars.

Kovalev's Assessment - Excellent



Overall Comments

The Habs didn't look that great in the first two periods of this one. It looked like we were going to leave the desert with nothing which would have been a shame considering the line-up we were facing. Carey Price, however, kept us in the game long enough that when we drew our penalties we were in the position to go ahead. Phoenix didn't have a great third period which was another reason that we were able to come away with 2 points here. They are a team that are in a 'battle' for their playoff lives, but after seeing their third period performance I am not one bit surprised that they are well on the outside looking in.

Thanks to a Pittsburgh loss, an Ottawa loss (0-2 to LA...ouch) and our win we are back in 1st place with 83 points. My goal is to come out of our LA area games with 2 points and return home for the last 12 games with at least 75 points in the bank. Things seem to be falling into place for the Habs as of late, but with 1/6 of the season still to be played the job is still not even close to being done. We will face a lot of teams who are playing for their lives from here on in and it is up to us to realize that our playoff life is more important than any of theirs.