Three Little Numbers

0.600

Montreal's record in Boston this season, with this team is 3-2-0. If you want look at Boston that have been 2-1-2 (I guess also 0.600 by total points from those available). They have only been the same as home ice then: 3-2-0 (also 0.600).  Throw in other recent years on both surfaces and it only shows that the ice surface these teams meet on, or the fans they play in front of matter little to both groups of players.

This doesn't reveal much. Except this: Montreal is perfectly capable of playing hockey in Boston and winning.


76

A player to watch tonight: PK Subban. This will be his 4th career Game #7 in 7 playoff series with the Habs. Each has been against a higher seed (so well earned). The team has done well, but so has Subban and grown in influence over those series. He was marginal against Washington in 2010 when Markov was healthy, but a couple of weeks later was basically the number one defender against Pittsburgh. Facing Boston in 2011, he was again without Markov, and scored that goal neither Tim Thomas nor any of us will forget. He has two domes in the three games. You can read the reports here: WAS 2010 Game 7; PIT 2010 Game 7; BOS 2011 Game 7.

This series so far has been another big step for Subban. Never mind the goals, he dealt with the sideshow of racism with quite some grace and has shown he is fully capable of pulling behind the team plan when the team needs him to.


0

The number of people who know who is going to win. I am sure there are two coaches who "expect" to win, whether they say so publicly or not. The reason games are any fun at all to watch is because no one can predict what will happen. I don't know anymore than Claude Julien, I'll leave it at that.


GHG

Reasons to Believe

What kind of fans would we be if we didn't dust ourselves off, laugh about the state of the NHL and how it really isn't geared to a team built to skate and get ready to celebrate victory in the next game.

In this case, with the 5th game against an opponent that has so far won 3 of 4, it might be helpful to have a few positive ideas to focus the mind and spirit:

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 #1-7The Team Effort We've Always Wanted; Habs Win, Habs Win!

Details

Date: 28/04/10
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Washington

Win: 2-1

Habs Goalie: Halak (W)
Opposition Goalie: Varlamov (L)

Habs goalscorers: Bergeron, Moore
Opposition goalscorers: Laich

Play of the game

With 3:30 left and millions of fans wondering if 1-0 would be enough something very good happened for all of us. It started with a very good Hal Gill clearance that, instead of being whistled for icing, ended up being a winnable puck for the fast Max Lapierre. Max had just had a goal disallowed and I think we all know the type of warrior he can be when he is pissed off. Well, it was that emotion that fueled him as he barreled in on Mike (Norris?) Green and won the puck easily and fairly. Moore then flew in himself to pick up the loose puck and to head in alone on Varlamov. A perfectly placed shot on the far-side ended up being the winner; it was a goal that we apparently needed more than anything.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Scott Gomez
No forwards were used more than Gomez and Gionta tonight as their composure and experience went a long way in this one. Scott ended up taking 34 of the 65 face-offs in the game and did a formidable job by winning 50% of them. His defensive play was outstanding tonight and without it we wouldn't be moving on. His offensive play, limited, yes, was also good at times - especially when he made a beautiful pass to Bergeron on our first goal.

Maxim Lapierre
It baffles me that a lot of people didn't even think Max should be in the line up in these playoffs. It isn't, however, those peoples' opinions that trouble me, rather, it is the fact that Lapierre actually deserved those assertions. After this series, though, I think that it is clear that he is playing the best hockey of his season, quite possibly of his career. Towards the end of the game he truly stood out with an impressive 'assist' and a very courageous and timely shot-block in the dying minutes.

Dominic Moore
What a steal this move turned out to be for the Habs. For a second-round pick we found ourselves a played that could play a position that you only hope will one day be filled by a second-round pick of your own. And, we didn't have to wait 6 years to find out. Scoring the game-winner tonight, in game 7, in his first playoff series in which he had a significant role to play must be a highlight for him and it is most certainly good reward for all of the hard work he and his line did against the Caps. Tonight he kept up the good work that we have seen since his arrival on the eve of the Olympics as he was truly a force in his own end. I'm not surprised that his ice-time has creeped up to 15+ and hope that he is used in the same was as we go forward.

Defencemen

Hal Gill
Tonight was a clear example of what a farce the Norris trophy is. Why doesn't the league cancel the vote and just award it to highest scoring winger who calls himself a defenceman and get it over with. Hal Gill showed a lot of people what defence, real defence is tonight. He has gone from defensive-liability to quite possibly one of the best signings of Gainey's career in a matter of a few weeks. He was all over Ovechkin's line, again, and, once again, was coming up huge on shot-blocks. Obviously he is now a sung hero, but how about unexpected hero? Will that do?

Andrei Markov
Nothing against Gorges, who played a great game, but Markov, I thought, was so good tonight. He played with such poise in his own end as he made clearance after clearance, break-out pass after break-out pass look easy. He picked up an assist, led the Habs in ice-time and tied Gill for the team lead with six blocked-shots.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak - Game Puck
I thought that the defence did an awesome job, but let's face it, where would we have been without Jaro tonight. Their 42 shots were 3 times more than our total and when you consider the quality of their shooters the word 'steal' certainly comes to mind yet again. This game may not have been as jam-packed with highlight reel saves as Monday's, but when you remember that it is a game #7, on the road, against a team that topped you by 30+ points in the table, this may be the best performance of a Hab goalie since 1993.

Comments

Washington started this game as tentatively as we did as they knew very well that, thanks to our better goaltending, a Hab-lead could mean the end of their season. So, in the early going they weren't as lively as one would expect. They did control the flow of play, but it seemed like that was an easier period for Halak and the D than one would have expected. A late break led to a 1-0 lead for us and, so, we were off. Washington, however, came out in the second period to play and they kept that up for the remainder of the game. In all they out-shot us 31-8 over the final 40 minutes of their season, but only managed a 1-1 draw. That, of course, is thanks to the very hard work of Halak, our D and all of forwards, who all bought into the defensive system and did their best to shut down the machine. The refs tried their best to be even during those last 2 periods as both teams had a goal disallowed for goalie interference (was anyone at all shocked when they waved ours off???). Also, to make the PP-chances even, O'Byrne drew a very timely penalty (for the Caps) late in the third. It was, quite possibly, one of the weakest calls I had ever seen. You can't underestimate the power of TV revenues (OT) and of Ovechkin in the next round - the refs know that. The Habs, however, were up to the test as, once again, their PK, was beyond excellent. The game couldn't end soon enough as the palms couldn't stop sweating, but in the end we got what we came for.

It is now off to Pittsburgh for yet another huge test. The team must be on a high right now, but I really hope they understand what they have gotten themselves in to. The Pens are just as good, if not better, than the Caps and, so, we'll have to be better than we were. We won this series thanks to Halak and quite a bit of luck. No one can expect those two things to always line-up, so I think we must work harder. We have to go back to playing hockey in the offensive zone, we have to stop allowing 40+ shots and we have to believe that we too are a good team. Good enough to do it all again.

Stanley Cup Drama

"Game 7, Stanley Cup final". How many kids have uttered this line?
The stuff of NHL legend is the stuff of street hockey routine.


On the eve of the 4th Stanley Cup Final game 7 of the decade, i thought it was a good time to talk about the hockey that's actually being played once again.

Contrary to what you might expect with 2 months of hockey played on the back of 6 months of hockey, it's rare for Stanley Cup finals to go the distance. In fact, only 14 series have gone to Game 7 in 69 runnings of that format. Prior to that, there were 8 Games 5's over 20 seasons sing that format.

Now, for all of us neutrals watching tomorrow, I don't think anything less than a close contest will do. And for anyone else who's lived out this dream on the street, unleashing the final buzzer beating shot in Game 7 (in OT, no doubt), a game with a late and dramatic goal is the only tonic to replace the team we actually care about.

Don't hold your breath for that either. Only 2 of those 22 series that went the entire distance were forced into overtime. On top of that, only 5 were settled by a goal coming any time after 10 minutes in the third (and one of those was at 10:30). In reality, it's just as likely that the game winning goal will come when you are settling down to watch in the first (4 have) or at least within the first two periods of the game – allowing for a 3rd period of clock-watching – as 9 Game 7's and 4 deciding Game 5's have done.

The good news is that the Detroit Red Wings are there. This is their NHL-leading 8th Stanley Cup Game 7, albeit their first in 45 years. Detroit has won 4 (one behind Toronto's record 5) and lost 3 (one behind Vancouver's city record of 4). More to the point, in the past at least, Detroit liked leaving it late. Both OT games featured Detroit, both also featured a Red Wings Cup parade. The 1950 final vs. the New York Rangers, with a winning goal in second overtime, must have been the perfect tension we are looking for. Their win 4 years later vs. us was alright, but for the obvious flaw.

Anyway, let's see. Triple OT?


Montreal in Game 7's

Over the years, Montreal has featured prominently in Game 7's. Of our 24 Cup victories, 2 have come in Game 7's, while 2 others have come in the 5th game of a 5-set (3 of which featured Blackhawks as losers).

Montreal is the only team to lose in two consecutive Game 7's. Those 2 came in 1954 and 1955. Quite remarkable to think that team was an OT goal in 1954, and perhaps a late second period save in 1955 to prevent a momentum shift, away from 8 consecutive Stanley Cups. In any case, it does mean the team played in games they could have walked away with the Cup an astounding 8 years in a row.

While the Habs played in the very first 5-game series to go the distance (and won their first Cup), their other claim to notoriety must surely be the fact they staged the most anti-climactic of all Game 7's when they beat Chicago in 1965. To mirror the rest of the series, the Canadiens pushed their home ice advantage home within 14 seconds of the opening faceoff in a Game 7 non-contest that ended 4-0 (their 3rd shutout of the finals). It makes one who wasn't there wonder what on earth was going on.


Game-winning goals

The other feature of tomorrow night's show is the stars on offer. The repeat final is giving us another chance to watch the best offensive flair against the best defenceman in a generation. It also pits 2 high scoring teams with many scoring stars against each other.

If you were sitting in the Detroit equivalent of a Molson zone, fans might be shoving for position in the Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen or Hossa areas – that Stanley Cup winning free beer all the sweeter. The equivalent in Pittsburgh for those watching on Jumbotron will see jostling for Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar and Staal.

But despite the fact that stars win Cups and stars get to finals (and into the HHOF). Is your bet best placed on a shooter? Or do the nerves of the occasion lend to a chippy and unlikely goal source. The list is peppered with legends, that is until a 6'6" German named Uwe showed us in 1996 that, actually, anyone is eligible to score that goal. Since that time, it's been a parade in second-tier players, particularly in Game 7s (no offense Tanguay). This article I read this morning takes note and suggests some of the likely unlikelys to watch as potential Rupps.

The complete list of Game 7 winning goalscorers is here, with time of goal and final score, opponent and year:

Pete Babando (8:31 OT2, 4-3 Detroit over NYR, 1950)
Tony Leswick (4:20 OT, 2-1 Detroit over Montreal, 1954)
Babe Pratt (12:14 3rd, 2-1 Toronto over Detroit, 1945)
Pete Langelle (9:48 3rd, 3-1 Toronto over Detroit, 1942)
Henri Richard (2:34 3rd, 3-2 Montreal over Chicago, 1971)
Gordie Howe (19:49 2nd, 3-1 Detroit over Montreal, 1955)
Jari Kurri (14:59 2nd, 3-1 Edmonton over Philly, 1987)
Ruslan Fedotenko (14:38 2nd, 3-1 Tampa Bay over Calgary, 2004)
Mark Messier (13:29 2nd, 3-2 New York over Vancouver, 1994)
Alex Tanguay (4:57 2nd, 3-1 Colorado over New Jersey, 2001)
Frantisek Kaberle (4:18 2nd, 3-1 Carolina over Edmonton, 2006)
Michael Rupp (2:22 2nd, 3-0 New Jersey over Anaheim, 2003)
Andy Bathgate (3:04 1st, 4-0 Toronto over Detroit, 1964)
Jean Beliveau (0:14 1st, 4-0 Montreal over Chicago, 1965)

Those last 2 guys had to wait near a full hour to realise what heroes they had become on the night. Not the stuff of street hockey legend...


For tonight, though, money's gotta be on experience – Fedotenko in 3rd OT?