Early Deficits Are Tough to Overcome

Date: 02/11/2017
Opponent: Minnesota
Location: Xcel Energy Center
Loss: 6-3

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
Minnesota Goalie: Dubnyk (W)

Montreal goalscorers:  Gallagher (2), Shaw
Minnesota goalscorers: Cullen, Niederreiter, Ennis, Suter, Spurgeon, Foligno

Canadiens Fly Past Senators

Date: 30/10/2017
Opponent: Ottawa
Location: Canadian Tire Cenre
Win: 8-3

Montreal Goalie: Montoya (W)
Ottawa Goalie: Anderson (L)

Montreal goalscorers:  Hudon (2), Pacioretty, Lehkonen (2), Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Plekanec
Ottawa goalscorers: Pyatt, Dzingel, DiDomenico

Habs Hang on to Beat Rangers

Date: 24/10/2017
Opponent: NY Rangers
Location: Bell Centre
Win: 5-4

Montreal Goalie: Price (W)
New York Goalie: Pavelec (L)

Montreal goalscorers:  Byron, Galchenyuk, Danault (2), Pacioretty
New York goalscorers: Buchnevich, Nash, Zibanejad, Skjei

Kings Give Habs Reality Check

Date: 26/10/2017
Opponent: Los Angeles
Location: Bell Centre
Loss: 4-0

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
Los Angeles Goalie: Quick (W)

Montreal goalscorers:
Los Angeles goalscorers: Kempe, Toffoli, Kopitar, MacDermid

Habs Find Their Stride Against Florida

Date: 24/10/2017
Opponent: Florida
Location: Bell Centre
Win: 5-1

Montreal Goalie: Price (W)
Florida Goalie: Reimer (L)

Montreal goalscorers:  Galchenyuk, Weber (2), Gallagher, Pacioretty
Florida goalscorers: Yandle

Ducks Shoot Down Habs Hopes of Getting Win in Cali

Date: 20/10/2017
Opponent: Anaheim
Location: Honda Center
Loss: 6-2

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
Anaheim Goalie: Gibson (W)

Montreal goalscorers:  Gallagher, Byron
Anaheim goalscorers: Grant (2), Vermette, Montour, Wagner, Rasmussen

Kings Crown Habs in Third Period Blowout

Date: 18/10/2017
Opponent: Los Angeles
Location: Staples Center
Loss: 5-1

Montreal Goalie: Montoya (L)
Los Angeles Goalie: Quick (W)

Montreal goalscorers:  Byron
Los Angeles goalscorers: Kempe (3), Cammalleri (2)

Canadiens Come Up Dry in San Jose

Date: 17/10/2017
Opponent: San Jose
Location: SAP Center
Loss: 5-2

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
San Jose Goalie: Jones (W)

Montreal goalscorers:  Drouin, Weber
San Jose goalscorers: Couture (2), Pavelski, Hertl, Thornton

Habs in Unfamiliar Territory

Date: 14/10/2017
Opponent: Toronto
Location: Bell Centre
Loss: 4-3 (OT)

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
Toronto Goalie: Andersen (W)

Montreal goalscorers:  Petry, Galchenyuk, Drouin
Toronto goalscorers: van Riemsdyk, Matthews (2), Marleau

Montreal Can't Put 60 Minutes Together in Home Opener

Date: 10/10/2017
Opponent: Chicago
Location: Bell Centre
Loss: 3-1

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
Chicago Goalie: Crawford (W)

Montreal goalscorers:  Plekanec
Chicago goalscorers: DeBrincat, Saad, Anisimov

Montreal's Effort Can't Overcome Scoring Woes

Date: 08/10/2017
Opponent: NY Rangers
Location: Madison Square Garden
Loss: 2-0

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
New York Goalie: Lundqvist (W)

Montreal goalscorers:
New York goalscorers: Skjei, Zibanejad

Ovechkin Capitalizes on Montreal's Shortcomings

Date: 07/10/2017
Opponent: Washington
Location: Capital One Arena
Loss: 6-1

Montreal Goalie: Price (L)
Washington Goalie: Holtby (W)

Montreal goalscorers: Gallagher
Washington goalscorers: Ovechkin (4), Oshie, Walker

Date: 05/10/2017
Opponent: Buffalo
Location: KeyBank Center
Win: 3-2 (PS)

Montreal Goalie: Price (W)
Buffalo Goalie: Lehner (L)

Montreal goalscorers: Pacioretty, Danault, Drouin (PS)
Buffalo goalscorers: Pominville (2)

Therrien's Individualistic Mistake

Another Habs loss has brought with it a new storm of attention and controversy to this team. The room that was so strong in winning times, is no more immune to division when losses pile up than anyone else, it seems.

Up to this point, I have been giving Therrien and the team, quite honestly, the benefit of the doubt. I believe they are trying and probably performing to the level that their talent allows and finding out just how much losing one key player can hurt in a league with formidable parity.

Last night was a bit of a final straw for me. Certainly with Therrien. Never mind that I watched him coach a team throughout a third period that lacked the lustre a playoff-hungry team should have; what triggered my disdain came post game. Subban had just tripped in the offensive zone losing the puck to a 21-year-old rookie with 18 points, a play that led some seconds later to a rather pretty winning goal for the Avalanche. Michel Therrien, while continuing to delude himself (or trying to delude us) was talking about what he liked about the game, how the Canadiens had played a good game. Except for one "indivialistic" play.

Hogwash.

This simply was not true. The team played alright, but this game was a toss up at that point. A team playing 0.200 hockey and hoping for better can't look to 50/50 affairs with other non-playoff teams as good games, not on a multi-game losing streak. It was progress, but not a good game. They let up two leads and yet again failed to score enough to matter.

The team played badly compared to what should be expected by a coach in his position. he was protecting his team.

All that is fair enough, and we take it for what it is, but then Therrien pinches in at the blue line in a vain attempt to save his career in the NHL. Instead of taking blame or laying it in the realm of luck, he lays it squarely at the feet of one player. And this player is not just Lucas Lessio. This player is the team's best player, perhaps its only truly good player at all. Therrien blames Subban for being individualistic.

This to me is selfish to the extreme. He preaches togetherness and team, yet creates discord and division. And this is in front of the press. We can only imagine now what might have been spewed from under the angry brow during a post-game locker-room rant.

For a coach with little else going for him (total lack of creativity, total inability to move away from favourites), this declaration is a final straw. For someone who loves irony, it will be satisfying if the comment that stubborn Michel thought would deflect attention from him would be the one to bring his ultimate demise in Montreal.


On Subban

To comment on Subban's play, I will say this. Very unfortunate, but I agree with the player. He was trying to do the right thing. And Subban is probably the player with the best edgework I have ever witnessed. It was probably fair of him to think he wouldn't fall -- this wasn't Jason Ward.

Furthermore, Subban is definitely the best player on the Canadiens right now, and definitely either the top or top two player in the system for this team and likely to play for this team in the next 5 years. in other words, he is simply indispensable to the team, the owner, the GM, the coach and the other core players.

Presumably, if Therrien doesn't like Subban he would see him traded for someone of equal value. A very unlikely scenario. Tons of cap issues, never mind finding a player of equal value...

Trading a coach though, that can be done in an instant. There are many available instants before the next game. It can't happen too soon now. 

Crawford Steals the Show as Canadiens' Scoring Woes Continue

Date: 09/01/2016
Opponent: Chicago
Location: Montreal
Loss: 2-1

Habs Goalie: Condon (L)
Opposition Goalie: Crawford (W)

Habs goalscorers: Byron
Opposition goalscorers: Toews, Garbutt

Habs lose battle of secondary scoring... and two points to Penguins.

Date: 09/01/2016
Opponent: Penguins
Location: Montreal
Loss: 3-1

Habs Goalie: Condon (L)
Opposition Goalie: Fleury (W)

Habs goalscorers: Subban
Opposition goalscorers: Rust, Fehr, Hornqvist

Columbus Discovers Montreal Opportunism

Date: 01/12/2015

Opponent:Blue Jackets
Location: Montreal

Win: 2-1

Habs Goalie: Condon (W)

Opposition Goalie:  Bobrovsky (L)

Habs goalscorers: Byron, Pacioretty

Opposition goalscorers:  Foligno

Habs Beating Rangers Makes for Good LiW Symmetry

Welcome back to those of you who found us today. It's been a hiatus brought on by a takeover from life over hockey. On my part, it was the powerplay of family, house and career that worked to dwindle my blogging time to nil. The Habs haven't missed a beat without me, and it's been fun watching them become a team that expects success.

About a month ago, Jay, a long-time reader on the site contacted me about the site's status. I told him that I had been keeping it ticking over and had plans to one day revive. He challenged me: this year. I hesitated and he offered to help. So here we are, Lions in Winter back for another winter. The plan is to have one tradiational game report a week with summary reports of the interim games to accompany. I have a feeling that when I get reading, I'll chip in on issues floating around the team (Galchenyuk's development, Tinordi's exile).

So now to Jay. Enjoy. Engage. GHG. - Topham


Date: 25/11/2015
Opponent: Rangers
Location: New York

Win: 5-1

Habs Goalie: Price (W), Condon
Opposition Goalie: Lundqvist (L), Raanta

Habs goalscorers: Andrighetto, Smith-Pelly (2), Galchenyuk, Pacioretty
Opposition goalscorers: Nash

Montreal-New York Game #6: The Grind of the Playoffs Finally Wears Through the CH

Date: 29/05/2014
Opponent: Rangers
Location: New York

Loss: 0-1

Habs Goalie: Tokarski (L)
Opposition Goalie: Lundqvist (W)

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Moore

On Penalties, Posts and Kreiders

The opening of the third round has been difficult for the Canadiens thus far. The team lost game #1 within minutes of puck drop and have since lost another. The most penetrating wound inflicted by the Rangers being the injury to Carey Price, which removes not only a very good goalie from the Canadiens lineup, but also a whole system of play built over months.

I wanted to explore in a little more depth the incident that precipitated Price's exit from the lineup. Much has been said about the accidental hit already. Far less about what can be done to help prevent this. I hope to touch on a bit of both.