Game #77Blown Call By Linesman Helps Habs And Panthers

Details

Date: 27/03/2012
Opponent: Panthers
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Cole, Leblanc
Opposition goalscorers: Wolski (1, SO), Samuelsson

Play of the game

St. Denis made a great play at his own blue-line to take the puck that totally caught Florida off-guard. A pass to Leblanc came with the interception and, wouldn't you know it, the Habs had a are 3 on 0. Leblanc was in first and instead of trying to get All-Star game cute he did it all himself as he deked the goalie and put in a beauty of a goal.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty - Game Puck
Max was buzzing all night in the offensive zone, especially during OT. He didn't score tonight, but did take an incredible 9 shots on goal. He hasn't scored in a while which actually suits me and the Habs just fine. We all know that he is playing well and that he is a good player, we no longer need numbers to tell us that.

Louis Leblanc
Tonight was actually one of Leblanc's better games of the season. I was already thinking of giving him a dome spot when he took a high-sticking penalty. That I didn't like, but I have seen worse. But then his goal sealed his spot as it was truly a nice one. Even after tonight I am not convinced that he is top-6 material, but it is nice to know that come next Fall he will be realistically competing for a spot on one of the top lines.

Erik Cole
Cole scored his 31st tonight which is a career high for him and that was also his 56th point. He is now only 5 points from his best in that category too. It is a surprise to me that after all of the signings gone wrong in Montreal over the years Cole would come in here and be our best player and have one of his best years. If anything, Erik has made this season fun to watch when he and his linemates are on the ice.

Defencemen

Frederic St. Denis
I really liked what I saw from Fred tonight. He seems to know when to keep it simple and when to go for it. In my opinion, he is a superior defender to Campoli in every aspect of play and that should be enough cause to let Chris (as if they would keep him anyway) walk away this summer. His pass on Leblanc's goal was just one of many strong offensive plays St. Denis offered up tonight.

PK Subban
Markov and Emelin had rough games and Campoli wasn't that great either. So, of PK or Gorges I go with Subban tonight. He offered more than Josh in each zone throughout the game, but I can't say that I was too thrilled by some of his give-aways. He did, however, play 28-minutes of +1 hockey and added 4 blocked-shots to his season total.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Price was very good again tonight and can't really be faulted on either of the goals. The second one was a fluky goal that should have been whistled dead anyway. On top of that I don't think he had a good look at it and I don't think this was a case of losing focus because of a presumed offside. That kind of stuff happens way too fast for someone to just stop playing.

Comments

There wasn't much to that game really. The Habs had a couple of nice plays and Florida, quite frankly, got lucky to bag two points. The loss is what we wanted though, so it is a shame that it had to come after regulation yet again. 1 point, at this point, is still better than 2, however.

What I don't really understand is why the organization is trying to win at this point. I don't think that there is a rule that states you have to try to win (and even if there was we could have easily lost while still making it look like we wanted to win). From a coaching perspective I feel that Cunneyworth may want to win as he is likely gone anyway, so each win is better for his career - fair enough. The players should be torn here, though. Maybe certain guys want to stay in Montreal and, thus, don't want too many good players, via the draft coming in, but surely our top players (Cole, Price, Patches, Subban, Markov) must see the advantage of losing. And, seeing as those players are the reason we win (or get to OT) I am a little surprised with the constant desire to win. I think that losing on purpose can breed a losing attitude, but I am talking about 5-10 games here, not a season, surely these players could take a break from character-building for a few weeks, no? Lastly is the front office, now why would they want us to win. Revenue is what it is as the games will sell out and tv deals are done. A good businessman must know about short-term pain for long-term gain, shouldn't they? I think that the message should come down that we are happy with the points we have now, that from now on we ensure we finish 29th.

The league has made a stupid rule where losers are rewarded and there are a few former Habs execs that would be all over taking advantage of this flaw in the system. I see nothing wrong or unethical with trying to lose as the fans, players and management are all in this together for the long haul, with one goal in mind; to be better next year than they are now. We have 5 games to get that 29th spot and I hope that the team can do that for us. I mean, isn't that the least they could do after making us sit through what has been a very disappointing season?

On a more comical and heart-warming note we are now just three points back of Toronto. They will miss the playoffs again this year which comes after a start that many believed would carry them into a playoff spot. My hope is that they win their last few games and don't get a top-5 pick. I would especially enjoy a win when we play them in the last game of the year.

Game #73Close Game Puts Habs Back In Comfort Of Last Place

Details

Date: 17/03/2012
Opponent: Islanders
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Budaj (L)
Opposition Goalie: Montoya (W)

Habs goalscorers: Palushaj, Leblanc (Desharnais, Bourque - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Streit, Nielsen (1, SO) (Moulson, Bailey - SO)

Play of the game

Subban's good play continued tonight and he was at his best on our second goal. After taking a pass from Budaj (who now has as many points as Engqvist, Staubitz, St. Denis and Geofrrion combined; Peter has played 27 less games than those guys combined) he rushed up the ice and caused confusion. A nice pass found Leblanc open in the slot and the kid went against the stream, upstairs with a backhand. It is the type of goal that only a puck-carrying defenceman can generate and is a big reason why I always take notice when PK takes off.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

David Desharnais
David played well throughout and scored a spectacular goal in the shootout. Surprisingly he played over 24 minutes of hockey as it has become obvious that the team's goals don't line up with mine.

Louis Leblanc
Leblanc only played 11 minutes and took 2 penalties, but I can't stop thinking about that backhand goal. With 9 points in 33 games I am not sure that he is really going to be the player that all hope for, but when he scores goals like he did tonight it certainly helps to fuel that fire.

Erik Cole
-1 and only 2 shots, but still in the dome, way to go other forwards. Tonight was a chance for guys like Palushaj, White, Bourque or Eller to step up, but again there was nothing. Aarron did score a soft, fluky goal which was long overdue, mind you. I guess there is a reason that Cunneyworth refuses to give ice-time to certain players as they aren't really proving that they deserve it right now.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
I really enjoyed watching Markov tonight as it makes the games that much easier to sit through. I was also happy to see him back in after missing yesterday's game and wonder if they didn't want him to play two days in a row so soon so sat him yesterday? He almost hit 22 minutes tonight and I am hoping that he stays there for the rest of the year. He has proven he is still elite and is worth hanging on to, so now it is all about getting minutes under the belt; 9 more games then World's please.

PK Subban
Subban has taken all year to get to this point, the point where I feel he is playing some of his best and most consistent hockey as a Hab. Like the Desharnais line it will be hard for him to miss a dome from here on in. And, like Markov, send him to World's too as I feel that could go a long way in healing relationships with other NHLers (seems like no other players or fans like him at all) which may end up helping him down the road.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj - Game Puck
Since no other player really stepped up and Peter played pretty well this seemed like the right choice for the game puck. I thought that he made some great saves, especially that one on the Bailey partial break where he really stretched out to make a toe stop. 9 more games for the Habs means 3 more for Budaj, I think. Both goalies may also go to World's which, again, won't hurt at all.

Comments

Losing in OT when you are unsure about winning or losing being the goal is the worst possible outcome. There is no 'well, at least we killed the other team' feeling, yet you still get saddled with a point. I am not surprised that we are going to OT so much though as teams at this time of the year are very cautious starting at about 15 minutes to go in the third. It seems that most teams are happy to take their chances in the skill contest as long as they are guaranteed a point. I bet that a bad team who was horrible at shootouts would still get 100 points on the year if they 'tied' every game just based on odds. So, you can see why so many bad teams take that route (us and the Islanders have gone to OT a combined 40 times this year, translating into 56 points).

How about a system where coming 9th is better than 15th? Instead of rewarding teams that come last with high draft picks and making fans sit through game upon game that means nothing the league makes finishing higher worth something. No team would rather the first pick than playoffs (if they did, then the current system would still work for them), so, I suggest having 17th get the first overall pick and 30th gets the 14th. Letting Columbus, Edmonton and the Islanders draft high every year doesn't create parity anyway when you think of it. So, how about giving all 30 teams 82 worthwhile games.

Game #29One More Slips Through Habs's Hands

Details

Date: 08/12/2011
Opponent: Canucks
Location: Montreal

Loss: 3-4 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: St. Denis, Diaz, Cole
Opposition goalscorers: Raymond, Hodgson (1, SO), Salo

Play of the game

The play of the game was going to be the Cole goal, that is until we got to OT. In my head it was then going to be the winner or a fantastic save. When neither of those happened I went back to the one play that made us look our best. Cole did very well at the blue-line to block a shot. The puck bounced favourably for him and he was off towards Luongo with Pacioretty on a 2-on-1. Cole made the right choice and Luongo guessed wrong. The goal gave us the dreaded 3-0 lead.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn
Andrei tied for the lead in shots and in hits tonight and that didn't come as a shock. He made things happen in the offensive zone and, unfortunately for him, ends the night with a -1 rating and no points. When he uses his size, strength and shot, as he did tonight, he is easily one of our best all-around players.

Erik Cole - Game Puck
Speed, size and more speed was Erik's game tonight. His goal was the pay-off for playing that way throughout the first two periods, for making the Canuck defence question themselves. He almost cost us the game in OT with a horrible giveaway, but Price bailed him out with a fantastic save and saved him game-puck honours.

David Desharnais
Desharnais didn't pick up any points or have a great night in the face-off circle, but did a fine job in other categories. He centred our best line and contributed to quite a few of Cole and Pacioretty's chances. He also ended up being one of only three forwards (Cole, Camms) to improve their +/- tonight.

Defencemen

Raphael Diaz
Scored a goal and logged huge minutes again. I was also pretty impressed with his confidence at both ends. His play and that of Emelin's vs. that of Weber's has me liking the playing-pro-in-Europe route quite a bit. Where else can you get 25 year-olds who are ready to play top-4 minutes?

Alexei Emelin
I would have liked to have Gorges in here, but in the end I couldn't get over him being on the ice for two third period goals against. So, I went with Emelin, the obvious (how crazy is that?) choice. He logged close to 24 minutes, led the game in hits (tied with Kostitsyn) and is becoming the one Hab that you don't want to be skating in on with some speed.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I have Carey in, but it was close. I know that it isn't his fault that we always lose our leads, it is the team's. It would be great if we had a goalie who could hold-off the nightly third-period bombardment, but it shouldn't be expected. Price would have a lot more wins with a better team in front of him, but there are goalies, few as they are, who would have this team winning. He made some fabulous saves to even give us the chance at one point and then a couple in OT that gave us the chance for a shootout (or, realistically, a chance to win in OT). I would, however, have Budaj in for the shootout. I don't now how good or bad Peter is in the shootout, but I know that 9 goals on 17 shots (38th of 45 goalies) isn't good; I would give change a chance.

Comments

If you didn't see this game, but you saw the San Jose one, I think that you're good. The Habs couldn't hold their lead, sat back and gave it too little too late. The upsetting part is that when we are playing well (as we did in the first 40 minutes) we can keep up with any team, we can beat any team. We are too content, however, once we have the lead to see if we can hold on. Why anyone in their right mind would think that a defensive shell would be the best way to win or tie a period is beyond me. It seems pretty obvious that if we kept playing to score we could be winning games by more than 1 goal (generally the result when wins actually happen). This is the reason that so many of our games go to OT and so many of our other losses or other wins are by 1-goal margins. We allow the other team to catch-up, if they want, all the while being good enough ourselves to catch-up and keep a game close when we don't have the lead. Tonight's game is frustrating because it is one point lost. A point that we all know how we could have gotten, a point that the players know how to get, a point that the coaches should know how to get, but won't just do it. Until we change our gameplan it will always be a 50/50 toss-up. The playoff hope will remain alive, however, (not any old team can stay with Vancouver), but won't be a certainty (not any old team can keep it so close with Columbus).

Game #4Goals-Galore On A Saturday Night In Montreal

Details

Date: 15/10/2011
Opponent: Avalanche
Location: Montreal

Loss: 5-6 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty, Plekanec, Moen, Gionta, Desharnais
Opposition goalscorers: Kobasew, Jones (2), Stastny, Quincey (Hejduk - SO, Duchene - SO)

Play of the game

A line that I think could go somewhere hooked up for a very nice goal tonight. It was a goal that put us ahead after I was sure we were done for. The play started with a great stop by Kostitsyn on the boards and a quick pass to Patches. Max then could have shot, but instead sent a bullet pass to the side of the net. There, Desharnais deflected home with ease, up and over Varlomov; t was truly a thing of beauty.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Max Pacioretty - Game Puck
It could certainly be argued that Pacioretty is on the third line. I hope that no one tells him though, otherwise he may be in quite the mood. But wait, when your line is the 3rd line, but you are clearly the best line, again, does it really matter what RDS show you as one their chart? He was our best player tonight and his line was by far our best. His goal was fantastic, his pass on Desharnais' was superb. If he keeps playing like he has done over the past few games there won't be any reason for him to worry, for a long time, about not being one of our top-4 wingers.

Brian Gionta
I didn't think that Brian had one of his better games, but he did end up with a very impressive 3 points. The goal was a goalscorer's goal and his assist on Moen's goal was what we expect and need from the captain. It was his best game of the year, so let's hope he keeps it up. Let's also hope, for the club's sake, that Gomez follows his buddy's lead.

David Desharnais
David led the forwards in ice-time tonight with 23+ minutes, not bad for a 3rd line centre. I can't say this with certainty, but I am pretty sure that this is the first time in his career that that has happened. Well, he certainly didn't let down his coach with all of this playing time as he chipped in with a fantastic goal and managed to get hit in the back (while providing necessary traffic) on our first goal.

Defencemen

Yannick Weber
This was not an easy choice as I thought the D were pretty bad, all of them. Weber, however, did manage to end the game at +2. I also felt that he was our best offensive threat from the back tonight and that his shots were the most dangerous of our D-men.

Raphael Diaz
At the end of the day Diaz, by the stats, impressed me. He wasn't on for any goals-against (our only D to do that), picked up an assist (his first NHL point) and played for 22 minutes. I didn't like his penalty, but am starting to think that we may be on to something with this 'kid'.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
The Avalanche could have won in regulation with better goaltending and so could have we. For the second straight game Price looked downright weak at times. Of the five goals I would say that 3 are ones we expect (and need) him to stop. He was also pretty bad, especially early, at handling the puck. Then there was the shoot-out which couldn't have gone much worse. He made little attempt to stop the first shot and the second was a nice play, but a shot that an elite goalie stops with regularity. The Price from last year took this week off, let's hope that he is back next week, because without him we aren't that good of a team, we are the type of team that loses more than it wins.

Comments

We had 43 shots on net and managed to score goals when we needed them, so that wasn't the problem. In fact, that was a welcome surprise as we got varied production as we seem to be gelling more and more offensively. The big problem was a 19-player problem - our defence. We take too many unnecessary chances, we don't get the puck out when we need to and often times there are multiple defensive-zone breakdowns on the same play. We hung Price out to dry and, unlike most of last year, he didn't bail us out. We can't always just rely on spectacular goaltending, though. We have to be better than that, we have to limit the amount of quality chances that go Price's way. With solid (not even great, just solid) defence we could have won this game 5-2. Instead, we let a quick, offensive-minded squad (at least tonight they were) take advantage of mistakes too many times.

At this point it all comes down to coaching as I believe that we have enough of the right pieces in place to be a good team. The coaches can start by working out the play in our end and, if they have any time left, can start seeing if they could get the players, if they don't mind, to take less penalties, or better yet, less stupid penalties. Then, if we can fit it in (and I know 3 games a week makes it hard to do all of this), maybe we could start working on a strategy for the power-play, who knows maybe one from the past 5 years could work?

Game #49Saku Wins; Helps Us Get A Point

Details

Date: 22/1/2011
Opponent: Ducks
Location: Montreal

Loss: 3-4 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty (2), Darche
Opposition goalscorers: Fowler, Ryan (1, SO), Perry

Play of the game

The comeback goal, was of course a highlight for the Habs, but if we look at the event on a whole then the play of the game has to be the ovations that Saku got. He got a huge ovation before the first face-off and then another when he was announced as the second star (robbed of the first star thanks to Habs' questionable policy of making OT goalscorers (even in the shootout), regardless of how they played, the first star). It was great to see how much Montreal means to him and how much he means to Montreal. Who knows, maybe one day he'll be back.

Dome hockey team

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

Max Pacioretty - Game Puck
There was some great fight from MaxPac tonight and it paid off with two goals. 3 in 2 nights is a lot better than any Hamilton call-up would (or has) done which is why it is great that Tuesday's injury wasn't as bad as initially expected. If he keeps playing like this until, and when, Camms is back we'll be quite alright.

Tomas Plekanec
He only got one assist tonight, but I thought played a very good game. He was instrumental on the tying goal which got the Habs an always welcome point. There were a lot of chances which developed thanks to his quick foot speed, all of which made him look so much better than Anaheim's defencemen.

Saku Koivu
Why not? Two years of not being able to write in here about him, I may as well now. Saku didn't have the best game, but I'd have him on the ice all night as he invoked so many special memories. Every time that I heard his name it took me a second to remember that he didn't play for us; I guess it still hasn't sunk in. He certainly contributed to the Habs success tonight as his 3 penalties led to 2 PP goals, one of which was the tying goal. Iam sure that he was thrilled that both teams got points as both teams need him. For you purists, I have chosen a third Hab for the dome and Topham has the selection marked in his statistics.

Defencemen

PK Subban
There were times that PK looked pretty awkward tonight on some of his pivots, but those low points were overshadowed by his strong offensive presence. He attempted an incredible 16 shots which shows just how much this kid wants to shoot. Only 6, however, got through, so he is still having that same release problem, but I do think that it is getting better. He has so much energy and is so fit that I am glad he is getting tons of ice time. He should be able to chew up a lot of regular season minutes as resting our veterans in the press-box isn't a very likely scenario with the injuries, so we have to find ways to get their ice-time down.

James Wisniewski
I wasn't a huge fan of the Wis tonight in his own end, but did like what he did in their half. Hammer, Spacek and Gill all showed signs of fatigue tonight so it was good that James was good to go. In fact, he played a whopping 30 minutes and was able to kill a big chunk of our D's ice-time. Knowing that, in general, he can hold his own in all aspects of play makes using him that much quite a good thing.

Goaltender

Carey Price
This was an average game from Price, but certainly he did enough to make the dome. I can't say that he really stood out for being that bad or that good tonight, he kind of just blended in. Knowing that he doesn't get a week for the All-Star break off (like his teammates) may have been good reason to give him last night against Ottawa off (I mean, I could have been in nets and we still would have won), but that is done. I may rest him on Tuesday, but have a strong feeling that JM won't.

Comments

It was funny that Lapierre got booed tonight. The former poster-boy of this club probably didn't expect that, but apparently we boo anyone who used to play for us (other than Saku). I suppose that I am not that surprised myself, though, as he did request a trade and made a lot of people think that he thought he was way better than he was. Maybe he thought that he was the type of player that we saw last April/May and not the one that we saw the other 120 games of the past 2 seasons. The night was still Koivu night, though, and Max's appearance didn't really matter.

There was still hockey to be played, though, and early on the Habs weren't doing much of that. Luckily for us, however, the Ducks weren't firing on all cylinders so on the game went. On a whole we probably ended up playing better than them, and Hiller better than Price, so a tie was just about right. We have one more game before the break and it would be nice to pick up points, but road games in Philly are never that easy. Win or lose, however, won't really matter. What matters is that after 50 games we will have at least 59 points in the bank (a 97-point pace). The 32 games after the break will certainly be tough, but I honestly believe that our fate is in our own hands. If we want to make the playoffs, there is no reason to believe that we won't.

Game #72Habs Fail To Capitalize Against A Weak Leafs Squad

Details

Date: 20/03/10
Opponent: Maple Leafs
Location: Toronto

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Gionta (2), (A. Kostitsyn - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Bozak, Kessel, (Kulemin, Mitchell - SO)

Play of the game

The nicest play tonight was our first goal, it not only put the Habs back into the game, but also reminded us of how talented some of our players really are. The play began with a long, stretch pass coming from the back end from Gomez. The pass went to Pouliot, who was covered in the neutral zone. Ben, however, was able to use his size and positioning to win the puck and put a very slick, through-the-legs, drop pass to a streaking Gionta. Brian took the pass, that went into his skates, very well and quickly had the puck on his stick. With one defender to beat he raced into Toronto's zone with full control of the puck and one thought only. That thought, of course, was to score and it didn't take him long. From just inside the face-off circle he got off a very good backhand that handcuffed the 'Monster' and put Montreal right back in it.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Scott Gomez
Scott was very quick all night and was one of the biggest reasons that we scored both of our goals. One thing that I think he isn't, however, is a shootout-type player. He is a very smart player and an excellent passer, but tonight's shootout attempt was, for me, another example of why he shouldn't be used every time that we go to the tiebreak. I think he should be left to gain the zone on the PP, put pucks on net and collect assists.

Benoit Pouliot
Ben wasn't at his best in this one, but, overall, he was still better than most of our forwards. To me, the disappointing thing is that a lot of our players were out-worked and out-played by the Leafs, but I felt Pouliot wasn't. He made a great pass on our first goal and was also involved on a few other chances throughout the game.

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
2 more goals for the player that has really become one of our most crucial and clutch players. Both goals demonstrated his ridiculous hand-eye coordination and, of course, his chemistry with his linemates. His shootout attempt was weak, but you can't fault a guy that takes 6 shots and scores his 22nd and 23rd goals on the year.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
I wanted to see O'Byrne or Gorges in here, but the bottom line is that no one, other than Spacek, was as good as Markov on an off-night. He was still decent in this one and made no real mistakes, but it wasn't the type of performance that we have come to expect from our best blue-liner. I am, however, happy that (unlike 2 of his visits to the ACC in the last 12 months) he didn't walk away from this game injured. So, not a horrible game, just a reminder of how far above certain players he really is.

Jaroslav Spacek
Jaro was our best defender tonight and a lot of that has to do with the fact that he made Hamrlik (on a horrible night) a +1 (on for our PP goal too) player. It was Spacek, not Roman that saved us on numerous occasions tonight with some very good work in his own end. He also chipped in on the PP-marker with his 18th assist on the year.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
If I needed someone to blame for these goals I would have to tend to Gill more than Halak as I really felt Hal played a miserable game and let his 'tender down on numerous occasions. Jaro, however, wasn't spectacular, but, as usual, he got the job done and kept us in it. In OT he made 3 saves, including one right at the end, that gave us the chance at 2 points. He was weak in the shootout (getting beat 3 times), but the fact that he took us there was good enough for me. A loss, of course, hurts, but getting a point out of it and moving Boston 2 points away from 1st overall helped to soften the blow.

Comments

This wasn't the performance that one would expect from the Habs after 6 wins in a row. One assumes that we should have been able to walk into the ACC and make quick work of one of the worst teams in the league and move into 5th in the conference in the process. It, however, wasn't like that at all as it was Toronto, not Montreal, that set the tome early. In fact, it seemed that the Leafs dictated the flow of most of the game while Montreal seemed to struggle as they attempted to play their own style. Toronto got that first goal and really seemed in control after that. We managed to get our goals, but our inability on our Power-Plays and our 0/1 play on the PK really hurt us. One thing that this game may have done, is it might have brought us back to reality. It may just serve as a wake-up call, a reminder that, despite our wins, we are really nothing too special. Maybe it is a reminder that we can't afford to not dress 2 healthy players that could have really helped our team, maybe a reminder that our 'tight' D can also be labeled as our 'porous' D or maybe simply as a reminder that each and every game requires a full-team effort for 60, not 30, minutes. Well, catch-up week is over and it is now time to see what we are made of. We have 10 games left and, although 10 points may be enough, I think we have to aim for 12. That said, it would be nice to get a few more and get up into 5th or 6th and to not just shoot for 8th, as usual. A big effort now, down the stretch, will help us come April as avoiding teams like the Caps or Pens is almost the same as avoiding 9th.

Game #69Canadiens Cut It Close Against Basement-Dwellers

Details

Date: 11/03/10
Opponent: Oilers
Location: Montreal

Win: 5-4 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Plekanec, Gionta, Moen, S. Kostitsyn, (A. Kostitsyn - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Nilsson, Gagner, Cogliano, Horcoff

Play of the game

This play was the main reason that Sergei got the Game Puck as it really was the best/most crucial play of the game. With the game tied at three I was a bit worried that we would find a way to lose to the league's worst team. Edmonton actually looked poised to go ahead and I thought a goal could come at any minute. I also felt that if they took the lead that would be it for us - so, that makes Kostitsyn's goal that much better. The play started with a weak dump-in by Gill that went right to the Oilers. Kostitsyn, however, fought hard in the corner and came out with the puck. He then moved in towards the net and put a well-placed shot up and over Dubnyk.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

Sergei Kostitsyn - Game Puck
Sergei has been playing well of late, but his service on the third line doesn't usually have that great of an impact. He can be an impact player, from time to time, but playing a solid two-way game is good enough for me. He has some chemistry right now with Moore and I feel that this now gives us our best third line of the season. Tonight Kostitsyn was an impact player as he scored that crucial goal and also added an assist.

Andrei Kostitsyn
At times Andrei looked great in this one and at others he looked quite mediocre. The good times included some quality shots, an assist on Plekanec's goal and good work in the offensive zone. His missed shots, flubbed passes and occasional defensive lapses made him look average, at best, at other times during the game. Well, he sealed his fate in the shootout where he made a fabulous move to score the only goal, the winner. We needed that goal, but I think, maybe more importantly, he did too.

Travis Moen
Right now the battle for the third spot on the third line is heating up. I think it is really between Moen and Lapierre and maybe even Darche. Lapierre, however, thanks to his dirty and inconsistent play, is slowly falling behind. Tonight's effort from Moen will help his cause greatly as he was really a force. He managed to score a goal (first in 30+ games) and pick-up an assist too. If he can be the energy guy for that line and play like he did tonight, then I think that line has everything we need from a third unit.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
Markov was of course good tonight, but I think one area that needs to be improved is the PP. Now, you can point to Bergeron's absence and also at the play of his teammates, but at the end of the day this is his unit to run. I feel that we are trying to be too cute and are trying too many passes and that is costing us in our quantity of quality scoring chances. What he didn't do with the extra-man, however, he did at even-strength as he picked up 2 more assists (21) and dominated the flow of play while he was on the ice.

Hal Gill
This was a much better game from Hal which, thankfully, didn't involve any assists on Oiler goals. No, instead, Gill was quite discrete as I didn't really notice him much. When I did notice him, however, it was because he was making a good poke-check or was blocking a passing lane. As a 6th defenceman he can be quite effective as his long reach, size and ability to stay in position do help us. I hope that we continue to use him wisely and in the right situations and that he finds a way to be at his best for the next 1+ months.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
This game did not start well for Halak as 2 quick goals already had me doubting him and our chances. He continued to look shaky throughout the game and with that came 2 more goals. It was decided then, Price gets the dome. In OT and in the shootout, however, Halak clawed his way back to respectability and I found reasons to give him the spot. He played the shootout particularly well (and, admittedly got a bit lucky) as he did not let any of the five shooters score. I am not thrilled with his game, I know he can/should be better, but when you get a win on an off-night, you have done well.

Comments

We started this game very strongly and I was convinced that we would run away with it after an early goal. To me, their defence and goaltending was too weak to match up and I was ready for a pounding. Four minutes later I was humbled as I had just watched my team go down in a game that no longer looked like a guaranteed 2 points. The Habs, however, kept up with the pace of the Oilers and found a way to match blows. No one player, on either team, was that spectacular all night as this was a team effort (for better or worse) by both squads. It was nice that we got to OT as I had been worrying that we would get 0 points; to me, 1 point at that point would have been enough. In OT we had our chances, but again our PP couldn't connect. It was then on to the shootout where one would have to think we held the advantage. Well, the goalie who I had never heard of had different plans as he decided not to let any of the three or four players that tried score between his legs. Luckily, for the sake of that 2nd point, Halak had found his form and Kostitsyn found the back of the net. These were 2 points that you really should get and, thank goodness, we somehow got. Boston on Saturday will be a test, but mostly a test of our desire to get into the playoffs. We don't want to allow the Bruins to get points just as much as we need them ourselves. So, let's see if we can continue our hot play and head into our week of scoreboard watching with 2 more in the bank.

Game #58Halak Hands Bruins Ninth Straight Loss

Details

Date: 04/02/10
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston


Win: 3-2 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Metropolit, Hamrlik, (Gionta-SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Recchi, Wheeler

Play of the game

This one was a no-brainer for me and, again, it was series of saves. These particular saves took place after the Habs went down 0-2 and looked lifeless at the beginning of the 2nd period. Halak, a bit despite himself, saved Ryder and then Wheeler pointblank on what were lucky, but well-positioned saves. Without those saves we lose the game, with them we got to see Boston crumble.

Dome hockey team

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


Forwards

Brian Gionta
Brian really saved his best for last tonight when he went upstairs to become the unique goalscorer in the shootout. It was a nice goal and one that I felt the Habs needed. Throughout the game he was pretty decent and was definitely one of our top 3 forwards, but I was actually hoping for a bit more from him and his line.

Scott Gomez
Scott, like Gionta, was pretty decent tonight, but not at his best. He was, however, able to pick up a couple of assists and actually played over 21 minutes. I liked when Martin put Darche up with him and Gionta as I felt that made it a much more competitive line than when Maxwell was there. Scott's face-offs were bad tonight, but other than that his stats looked fine, especially the team-high 4 shots.

Glen Metropolit
Glen has certainly seen his ice-time and responsibility go down a lot over the past few weeks, but I still think he has an important role to play. With all the injuries we really need Metro to be able to find a way to score once in a while and to contribute on the PP. I don't need 15+ minutes, but a consistent contribution from him and his linemates will go a long way. His goal tonight was sweet to see as that is exactly the type of thing we needed to get us going. The fact that it was on the PP has, hopefully, secured his spot for games to come.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
Markov could have won the game-puck tonight had it not been for Halak's play. He was solid enough in his own end, but it was his offensive play that really stood out to me. In fact, he came very close to winning the game for us in the third and in OT with some dazzling moves. He led the team tonight in a few categories including shots, ice-time and hits.

Roman Hamrlik
Like we need our 3rd and 4th line to produce for us we also now need our defencemen (mainly Hammer and Spacek) to get in on the act too. So, I was happy to not only see Hammer play solid in his own end, but was ecstatic to see him score the tying goal. Hopefully he'll have a good ten days and then he'll get a nice two weeks to rest after what has been a hard 60 games for the veteran.

Goaltender

Jarsolav Halak - Game Puck
Wow! Are you kidding me? Halak, again, was too good and is the reason we won this game. It was another 45 save performance and another 2 points courtesy of him. There were spectacular saves and crucial penalty-kills, there was solid play and superb rebound control. With Jaro playing this well you just never know what could happen this season. Would we be higher in the standings had he started 20 more games? Would we be lower? Can he win us a playoff series? Can he even get us there? Will he be given the chance to answer those questions? Or, will he be traded? All stuff that we can't answer, but as long as the Habs win I can't say it really bothers me anyway.

Comments

Montreal looked bad tonight and, again, it looked like we were waiting for the PP. Whatever defensive style that Martin has us playing doesn't seem to work and the fact that he was angry about our open style on Tuesday (which was enough to beat the Northwest Division leader) tells me that something is wrong. It seems that the Habs actually opened up towards the end of the second and into the third and it looked like that was when we got a handle on a game. Boston, luckily, is going through a rougher patch than us right now and their delicate confidence really showed when we did get that first PP. I honestly think that it is a joke that we hardly get PPs anymore as I see no real difference between our play and that of our opponents (if there is a difference it certainly isn't to the order of us being 3x as dirty each game). That said, however, we know we won't get PPs so we have to stop waiting for them and we have to learn to score another way. It would also help if we could learn how to not take so many penalties ourselves. I often feel that we deserve ours, but that the refs are simply not calling enough in our favour. This weekend, Super-Bowl weekend, promises to be a good weekend, as it always is, and nothing would be better than bagging 3 points. It may be a long shot, but if we can put 6 more points (5 games) in the bank before the Olympics then I think we'll all have an easier 2 week layoff than expected.

Game #26Massive 2nd Period Not Enough For Montreal

Details

Date: 28/11/09
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Montreal

Loss: 3-4 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Spacek, Plecanec, Moen
Opposition goalscorers: Fehr (2), Ovechkin, (Backstrom - SO)

Play of the game

The second period was very exciting to watch and no play, in my opinion, was better than Plekanec's tying goal. The Habs had been owning the Caps for quite some time and one could sense another goal coming on. Pleks' line was on the ice and all 5 players were buzzing. Cammalleri was the one who got this particular play going with great work behind the net. He got the puck to Hammer at the point who then sent it over to the left-point, to Spacek. Jaro took a good shot that resulted in a scramble in front. A lot of players were there to have a good look at the puck, but it was Tom that beat them all to it as he potted his 6th of the year.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Mike Cammalleri
Mike didn't score tonight, but he played a huge role on 2 of our goals. He worked very hard and created quite a few chances for himself and his linemates. The knocks on him tonight are that he didn't score in the shootout (didn't really like his move) and he was very weak on a clearance attempt right before Washington tied it up. Those two plays, however, weren't enough to detract from his solid, overall play.

Max Pacioretty
I was very pleased with the way Max played tonight. He seemed to be the quickest Hab out there and he actually used his speed in the right way. He also stunned me with some pretty decent stickhandling; something that I didn't know he had in him. All of these are signs that he is becoming more and more confident in the NHL. I am really looking forward to the day that we are healthy and that he'll be on a third line playing against easier opposition.

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks had another dismal night in the face-off circle, but that had to be the only blemish on his game tonight. He was fantastic at both ends as he once again carried a lot of the load for our team. I think Gomez will be back next week, but when he does return I think he should be warned that his ice-time and status as #1 centre may be have all of sudden been taken by Pleks. One last thing - why do we keep using him in the shootout? 1/13 lifetime isn't going to win us many games, so I think next time he must sit.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik - Game Puck
Hammer played a good portion of his 25+ minutes against Ovechkin and I thought did a good job of minimizing his chances. In fact, the only goal of Washington's that he was on the ice for was the tying goal which, once the face-off was lost, would have been hard to prevent. He ended up being the only player to end the game with a positive rating and also chipped in with 2 assists.

Jaroslav Spacek
Spacek coming back not only brings us a great defender, but also provides us with an upgrade from Jay Leach. Sometimes you don't know someone's true worth until they are gone and I think that was the case this week while Jaro was away. Tonight he looked like he had missed no time at all as he put forth a solid game both defensively (mostly against Ovechkin's line) and offensively with a goal and an assist.

Goaltender

Carey Price
I feel bad for Halak as he has sat for 8 straight games, but how could you question the call to have Carey in there? I can't see anyone doing too much better than he has done. Tonight, however, I would have liked to have seen a save on goal #2 or #3, but, as he has done lately, he made up for it with some great saves - especially the stop on Ovechkin's breakaway. He took first shots well, controlled rebounds decently (apart from the 3rd goal), but I can't give him a free pass for his puck-handling. On a few occasions he almost cost us with some bad giveaways including one with about 30 seconds to go which allowed the Caps to keep the puck in the zone, get a face-off and inevitably score.

Comments

The first period could have been the fourth of the Pittsburgh game. We looked tired, out of ideas and destined for a loss. The second period, however, was probably our best of the week (better than the third against Columbus by a hair I'd say) as we were too much for the Caps to handle. We carried that momentum into the third and drew a couple of penalties thanks to our strong play. We failed to score on a 5-on-3, but did get one before the second man came out of the box. Then we decided to see if we could hold on for the win. Gone was the strong offensive play only to be substituted by 'hope-we-can-stop-Ovechkin' defensive play. Letting a team like Washington see if they can score never seems to be a good plan. Add to that 2 penalties (10 minutes to go and 15 seconds to go) and some brutal giveaways and it started to seem like we too were playing for OT. We had a couple of good chances in the extra frame, but couldn't get one by the kid. Our shootout attempts all looked pretty pitiful so it was, once again, on Carey Price that we pinned our hopes. You can't fault him in the end for letting in 1 of 3 (Backstrom) as that was quite the shot.

In all the week wasn't too bad. We got 3 points from 3 games which, considering the line-up we have iced and the opposition we have faced, is quite decent. It is now onto December and 17 games in 31 nights. Looking at our competition I still think that 20 points is doable, despite our injury concerns. I will, therefore, set that as the goal for the month. That amount happens to be the equivalent rate to a 96-point season which; those are playoff type numbers. So, 20 is the magic number this month and, oh ya, so are 79 and 100.

Game #23Habs Come Alive In Third To Secure A Single Point

Details

Date: 21/11/09
Opponent: Red Wings
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Cammalleri (2)
Opposition goalscorers: Stuart, Datsyuk (1, SO), (Zetterberg - SO)

Play of the game

Both of Cammalleri's goals were good, but the first, considering it was scored 9 seconds into the third, takes the cake. You know that during the intermission the cliches must have been flying in the Habs' dressing room. Stuff like 'come out strong', 'win the period' and 'score an early one' would have all been said. Rarely, as much as the players may try, do these words mean anything, but tonight, however, Mike followed his orders; with a little help from his friends that is. Martin decided to put Pleks with Mike and Kostitsyn to start the third (all eggs in one basket approach) and it seemed to work. Pleks won the face-off and it was then Spacek who got the puck up to Andrei. Kostitsyn broke the zone and dropped it to Mike who simply let one of his bullet wrist-shots go.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Mike Cammalleri - Game Puck
Mike played well on the 'first' line to start the game (with Moen and Metropolit), but it wasn't until Martin put him with his favorite centre and Kostitsyn that he really picked it up. He scored two goals and spent the rest of the game looking for the hat-trick. I would have liked a better shootout attempt (high, missed-shot), but you can't really complain as he was the reason we even got there in the first place.

Andrei Kostitsyn
This was a grand week for Andrei and he finished it off in style tonight. He may have a new best-friend in Camms now as he found him with 2 more great passes. We may think of Kostitsyn as a one-dimensional type player, but I think that his passing is something to be reckoned with. Just like Kovalev we are finding out that there is more than just 'the shot' and just like Alex we are realizing that time and patience seem to be well worth it.

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks tried his heart out on the PK early in the game and seemed like the rest of that period, along with the second, were perhaps recovery time. He wasn't useless during that time, but he didn't do too, too much. In the third, however, Martin rewarded him with and NHL winger (no offence MaxPac) and he lit up again. He was involved in both goals and got unlucky by hitting the post on the shootout.

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik
It was an odd thing to not see Roman on the PP, but tonight that was the case. My guess it had more to do with resting the aging #1 than anything else. That said, he was still used quite a bit. He was really good on the PK, but couldn't do much about either goal. He made up for it, however, by being on the ice for our 2 goals and posting a +2 rating.

Jaroslav Spacek
Jaro had a few moments that weren't so great, but tonight the good outweighed the bad. The bad parts were his lack of speed and a few careless zone-clearing passes. The good was an assist, a +2 rating, good positional play and over 21 minutes of ice.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey may have a long look towards Laraque tonight and wonder why on earth he was even on the ice for this game. The 'fighter' got himself 6 minutes of penalties very early on. That led to the first goal and essentially the second as another penalty was taken while they were trying to kill off his mistakes. That said, Carey should have had the first goal, it was an easy shot that he couldn't control. Aside from that, though, he played a great game and gave us hope right until the end. It was another 30+ save performance (32) as his great week continued in this one. It was too bad that he couldn't come up big in the shootout, but Datsyuk and Zetterberg are two of the best; besides it's not as though we scored anyway.

Comments

5 points in 3 games means we had a pretty good week. Tonight we looked pretty good considering the injuries, the fact that we played last night and the fact that the opponent was Detroit. I thought that we started the game very well in fact - plus, how could you not love the original Habs shirts! All of that momentum was gone, however, with one BGL shift. Within 15 seconds he high-sticked a Wing (cutting him) and knee-on-kneed Kronwall who didn't return. The rest of that period was spent killing off penalties and by the end of it we were down by 2. The second period was played by two teams that played last night. Both groups looked tired and neither seemed to be going for it too much. The third period, however, was ours. We started it well and continued that strong play right until the end of OT. It was unfortunate to see an OT loss (first on the year), but I am still glad that we got 1 point instead of 0. It will be important to carry this type of play into next week as the minute we start playing like we are missing some of our best players is the minute that we will start sliding back down in the standings. It would be nice to see a move of some sort by Gainey in the coming days, but all I can say is, don't hold your breaths.

Game #16Price, Habs Tighter; Get Another OT Win

Details

Date: 5/11/09
Opponent: Bruins
Location: Boston


Win: 2-1 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Metropolit, (Cammalleri - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Bergeron

Play of the game

Price made some dandys and Cammalleri had a nice shot in the shootout, but it was our goal that stood out to me in this one. The goal itself was pretty good, but the fact that it was mostly due to the hard work and effort of Kostitsyn made it that much more significant. Andrei got the puck from White in his own end and flew up the left wing. He had the defender beat to the outside, but chose against the sharp-angle shot that Thomas was expecting. He instead circled the net and lost the keeper in the process. Glen Metropolit arrived at the right time to take a pass and put away an easy one for the Habs.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
No points and a -1 rating may have some people questioning this decision, but I can assure you that Tom's play was, once again, first-class. He did very well in his own end as he got stuck in in every sense of the word. He continues to play with a certain edge that I believe was missing from his game most of last year.

Andrei Kostitsyn
Nothing like a trip away from the boo-birds and most of the journalists sometimes, is there? Andrei looked like his old self tonight as he shot the puck, threw hits, battled hard in the offensive zone and created chances for his linemates. His play in our own end was good at times when he came back to break up plays, but his one flaw, tonight, was his inability to get pucks out when he was stationed on our half-boards.

Glen Metrpolit
His goal was good and essential, but really all it was was a tap-in. Glen, however, did so much more than that throughout this game. He led a very effective fore-checking line that, at times, seemed like our most dangerous option. He was also quite decent in the other two zones as his defensive coverage was both responsible and effective.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
With Bergeron and Carle not being trusted to play more than half of a game between them the other 4 must pick up the slack. That meant pretty big minutes for Josh (23) who seemed to handle it quite well. He had a suprising number of shots on goal (6), but I thought was more effective defensively than offensively. Last year we got into trouble when we asked too much of Gorges and I am just hoping that this 22+ stuff doesn't last for him. He looked good tonight, but ideally he is the type of player who is at his best when he plays 17-20 minutes.

Roman Hamrlik
Certain Hammer fans will be happy with this selection - I am indeed one of them. He is one of my favorite D-men on the team, but with that admiration comes of certain amount of expectation for the former #1 draft pick. He was robust tonight and didn't allow much to go on around Price while he was there. He was on for the goal, but after we lost that face-off there was little he could have done. Tonight the two big areas that I am very happy about are his hits (only 3, yet thunderous) and his 29+ minutes of ice.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price got the win, which he deserved, but he probably also deserved the shutout. He played a very solid game tonight which I believe may be a boost for a team looking for a certain defensive identity. He let off very few rebounds, handled the puck quickly and effectively and made a few spectacular saves. The skill apparently is there and was on display tonight, but I am happy that he nailed the mental game too. The focus and concentration have always been areas that he has struggled in so I am hoping that a win like this will help in that regard. I am not sure who I would play at home on Saturday, but I guess either option at this point would look like a good choice.

Comments

Remember when Boston took us to town last year and thought to themselves - 'this is not the team we remember, why were we scared of these guys?'. Well, it is nice to see that the tables, once again, have turned. After 9 straight losses to Boston (4 in the playoffs) it was nice to go into their barn and not get dominated. They are of course missing Savard, Krejci and Lucic (who I don't even think is that good), but are really missing Kessel and the real Chara more. Zdeno was a non-factor in this game as he was outplayed by players like Recchi, Wideman and Begin. Montreal didn't come close to dominating this game themselves, but at least played a decent enough game in my opinion. I felt that defensively we were quite a bit tighter tonight than we had been. Yes there were 43 shots (remember how Price excels when he faces 40+ shots), but I felt it was a case of quantity not quality for Boston. The D did a good job of letting Carey see the puck and I also saw very few deflections, little traffic in front and, for once, no real unlucky bounces. I would label our Saturday game, at home, against Tampa as a must-win given our ambitions and current position in the standings and am confident in saying that if we play like we did tonight we will have a very good shot at getting those 2 points.

Game #14Montreal Gets Hallowe'en Scare Against League's Worst

Details

Date: 31/10/09
Opponent: Maple Leafs
Location: Montreal


Win: 5-4 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Metropolit, Latendresse, Gill, Hamrlik, (Cammalleri, Gomez - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Ponikarovsky (2), Stempniak, Kaberle

Play of the game

The play of the game comes in two installments tonight, but both were very similar. I am so pleased about these plays as it not only was a great demonstration of our skill, but was also an example of just how weak a team Toronto is and of how inadequate Toskala is - it was great! The plays that I am referring to are obviously the to shootout goals scored by Cammalleri and Gomez. Both players came in with speed, stickhandled just a bit and then put hard and accurate shots up and over Toskala's non-existent glove hand. It was comical to see how bad he was with his glove and great to see that we knew how to expose it.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
I think that it is pretty safe to say that, once again, Pleks was probably one of our best forwards tonight if not the best. His assault on last year's assist total of 19 continues as he is now more than halfway there (10). His 2 points last night give him 13 in 14 games and he is actually playing better than his numbers would suggest as well. He was great against Toronto and seems so at ease in his role on the team this year.

Mike Cammalleri
It is hard to believe that Mike didn't pick up a point in this one because he was absolutely everywhere. He was instrumental in Ha Gill's goal, but thanks to the NHL's way of assigning points he didn't collect one. He also scored a great goal in the shootout, but again this isn't recognized by the league. What the league will record is the fact that he led the team in shots (6) (and, although not noted, he likely led in quality chances too), led the game in takeaways (3) and played for nearly 20 minutes.

Glen Metropolit
Glen's good play continued against Toronto and this time he was rewarded with a goal. Call it a gift from Toskala (it was horrible technique) or call it whatever you want, but a goal is a goal. The main thing is that he tried the shot from a horrible angle and, by knowing his opponent and his weaknesses, it turned out very well. As his solid play continues he'll likely continue to see increased PP time (3+ minutes - more than 10 times more than Kostitsyn), higher than average ice-time (17+ minutes) and, hopefully, he'll be valuable at face-offs (he was 71% in this game).

Defencemen

Roman Hamrlik - Game Puck
Roman is certainly getting the job done this year and, I think, that last night he was at his best. Just by looking at his numbers it will help to paint the picture. 1 Goal, 27+ minutes, 4 shots, 4 hits (team-high), 3 blocked-shots and a +1 rating. Martin is using him in all situations and actually used him more than any other player in this one. By playing nearly half of the game he gives the Habs a very good chance (during that half at least) of outplaying the opponents. Both defensively and offensively I am really liking what I am seeing.

Paul Mara
Paul was able to outplay Gorges and Spacek in this one (Gill and Bergeron are givens) as he really did a good job defensively. He was very strong in one-on-one situations and did well in his battles along the boards. I never saw a major mistake and liked how he never over-commited by taking himself out of position (Komisarek's presence makes you thankful when your own D-men don't stray too far from developing plays for stat purposes). He didn't get a point and wasn't on the ice for any of the 8 goals. That type of neutral hockey, however, is quite alright with me; especially when it lasts 20+ minutes.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
Is Halak our starter now? Has he earned #1 status? I really think it is hard to say and I am pretty sure that Martin and Gainey couldn't answer that now, but, you know what? Who cares. The bottom line is that Jaro is finding ways to win games. Maybe his opponents haven't been the cream of the league, but he is making sure that, as a team, we are winning the games that we should be. To me that alone is enough justification for the increase in playing time. I wasn't too impressed with his play during the game(4 goals on 30 shots), but some were lucky on the Leafs front. His play, however, in the shootout was what impressed me. He made two big saves on the only two shots he faced and, thus, gave the Leafs no chance at all of winning this game.

Comments

As usual in a Montreal-Toronto affair the game was competitive. It rarely matters how either team is doing in the standings as, for the most part, these games promise to be close. Toronto got on the board first, but we did very well to answer with 3 goals within a relatively short period of time. Our 3-1 and then 4-2 2-goal leads, however, weren't enough for a shaky (at times) D and goalie and Toronto, themselves, found a way to get into this game. Getting to OT was big for the Leafs, but once there you could really see the signs of a team with no confidence. In all they managed just the one shot in the extra frame as the Habs outplayed them and, thus, came close to beating them, again, in OT. It wasn't to be, however, but I am happy to report that we carried that momentum into the shootout. We exposed a weakness of theirs (Toskala's glove-hand...I was just going to say Toskala) on our first two shots and they made it pretty easy for Halak by being very uncreative in their attempts.

So, all in all, it was the week that I expected; 4 points and no wins (or points) against the tougher competition of the week. I am pretty happy that we beat Toronto and I'm not even that worried that it happened in OT that I doubt 45 or 46 points on the year for the Leafs will matter to us much. Atlanta, Boston and Tampa Bay is the week that we have ahead of us and I think this is a good chance to get some extra points. I am going to set the expectations high at 4 points as I think it is time we get on a real roll here and about time that we get moving up these standings.

Game #8: Habs Need Extra Time Again to Secure 2 Points

Details

Date: 20/10/09
Opponent: Thrashers
Location: Montreal


Win: 2-1 (SO)

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

Habs goalscorers: Gionta (1, SO), (Gomez - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Armstrong

Play of the game

After watching 4 pretty slow shootout attempts it was nice to see Gionta do exactly what I have been calling us to do for years; skate in with some speed. With the game-winning puck at his stick he decided to fly in on Pavelec and basically give the kid something he may not have seen much of. Brian was indeed too quick for the keeper as he made one move to his backhand and pretty much just skated by the baffled goalie. The puck was then into the roof of the net and the Habs, thank goodness, finally had their third win.

Dome hockey team

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



Forwards

Mike Cammalleri
You are going to notice a very similar dome tonight, but I think that you would all agree it is well deserved. Mike was probably the player who stood out the least amongst the big three, but he still had quite a good game. He was always putting himself into the right spots and it seemed that scoring chances would have turned into goals had it not been for the hot play of the young Pavelec. He did pick up an assist and managed a whopping 7 shots on goal.

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
Brian scored a goal that would give us our first 40-minute lead of the year. He then sealed the deal with the shootout winner in (read above) spectacular fashion. Believe it or not Brian also took 7 shots on goal and took another 7 that even didn't reach the net; no wonder he scored.

Scott Gomez
Scott played a very good game in both ends and I actually felt that it was his play without the puck that was his strong suit. On numerous occasions he was able to win the puck from the opposition and create a chance for us. He also ended up scoring on a rocket shot in the shootout which was a nice way for him to end his game.

Defencemen

Jaroslav Spacek
Jaro played quite a bit better on the PP tonight, but still couldn't score a goal. I do, however, believe that it is coming. He is playing really well with Hammer and seems to have developed a certain chemistry with some of our forwards; Gomez in particular. Despite Brunet's call for Bergeron on the top PP unit (in favour of Spacek) I would stick it out with the 40+ point-man despite the presence of the 30-point, until recently unsigned, Quebecois. Jaroalsv led the team with 27+ minutes of ice-time and put a very impressive 4 shots on net.

Roman Hamrlik
Hamrlik was about 2 inches away from winning the game in the dying seconds of OT, but unfortunately rang the puck off of the post after a great pass from Kostitsyn. Aside from that he played a very good game, particularly in the offensive zone. He, like Jaro, took 4 shots as the pair enjoyed quite a bit of time on the PP. It will be interesting to see if his PP ice-time will stay so high if they continue to fail to produce, but I don't for one second actually believe that any of our misfortunes are due to Hamrlik's play. In fact, I believe the opposite - if it weren't for Roman where would this team and offence and PP be...even worse no doubt.

Goaltender

Jaroslav Halak
Nothing spectacular tonight, but a whole lot of solid play. Jaro was never really called on to be too big (until the shootout), but he made sure to not let any weak ones in. He gave our team the chance to win and that is all we can really ask. 1 goal-against on 25 shots (2 in the shootout) against a team with Kovalchuk is quite the performance I think. After having not watched him for a while I was reminded of a few of his strengths tonight and a few of his differences from Price. In particular he moves laterally so well, plays the puck less behind the net than Price and, thus, gets himself into less trouble and I would say, the big one, he looks so focused and alert during any particular moment of the game.

Comments

This wasn't exactly a thriller, but in the end we got precisely what we needed. Yes, it was only a win against Atlanta, but if we can make sure to always beat the bad teams then we should be able to squeak out a playoff spot. That is mostly due to the fact that there are some seriously bad teams (ATL, TOR, NYI, FLA to name a few) that we'll get to play. It will, however, be a struggle to get points if we continue to put up less than 3 goals a game. The biggest problem, and I have touched on this before, is goal-scoring from our 'role' players. Right now they are all playing the role of goat more than defensive-specialist or energy-catalyst. Even a goal from a defenceman wouldn't hurt come to think about it. If the big three have a bad game (especially if they are on the same line together) we can probably forget a win and we may even be looking at a shutout against us. Maybe Markov's absence can make Gainey look for some help in the one area that I really think we need it: (apart from goaltending and defence that is) offence.

Tonight Pavelec was good and we almost couldn't beat him, but I never actually felt in danger in this one. There was no panic on the players' faces, no panic in Halak's play and thus no panic for me at home. All in all it was a confident game from our bunch in which we out-worked, out-chanced and out-played Atlanta. I have, however, said it before and that is - all you have to do is out-score a team to win. The Thrashers came as close as us to out-scoring us and that is a little unsettling. I am ready for Montreal to stop hitting posts, to stop having shots blocked and to stop missing the net; I am ready to see some goals.