Hockey Weekend!

"Drop the space helmet for a cow, Doctor, and look! The Habs won!"

Well, I'm all hockeyed out. Saturday was my final ticket in my Victory Pack where the Habs beat the Sabres 3-2. (Which means I get another pair of free tickets, so one more game for me)! And Sunday I checked out the Hamilton Bulldogs, who unfortunately lost to the Baby-Sens 5-3 (though 4 of those goals were on the powerplay). Off to point-form impressions!

Saturday
- Boo me once, fine. But boo me later, PISS OFF! Really, guys. Stop booing O'Byrne. Give the kid a break. I was one of the many fans with actual brains to try and drown out the boos with cheers. He wasn't even playing that night anyway.
- Teams scored off defensive errors. Higgins did the first which led to a nifty through-the-legs mind trick via Vanek.
- Fruit Punch finally doesn't shoot at the net during a 2-on-1 and instead waits, then passes to Begin and BINGO it's in. At least he's learning.
- Two of Sergei's penalties were extremely suspect. Especially the first one. Just his luck to get picked on for the phantom hooking/slashing call.
- First time I ever saw a hooking penalty shared by both teams. Creative interpretation.
- Mmm Andrei Kostitsyn gobbling his own rebounds and dunking cookies.
- Kovy can stickhandle his way into my heart all night. He was driving the Sabres up the wall.
- Kovy was also giving them fits with this year's clinic on how to forecheck and annoy the piss out of them.
- Kovy doesn't dump pucks on line changes and people should know this already. So when he's holding the zone for 2 minutes, get your ass into position 'cause you're making him look bad when he swings the puck to the blue line and no one is there.
- Dandy on defense got bored and went all Bobby Orr. Too bad he didn't score. But it was still fun to watch.
- Anyone else on the Sabres that score other than Vanek? Nope.
- Though that Spacek guy was one fast bugger. Habs had his number though.
- Rivet? Boo! Gorges? YAY!
- I feel sorry for Lalime sometimes.
- We had powerplays?
- The Captain and Markov dancing for goals again.
- Thank god there was no shootout. And people, quit running into Price!

Sunday
- Weber is scary with that shot. I think players blocking it cross their heart and pray their armor holds, while goalies just duck and hope he misses. Two goals tonight! And the Swiss flag was raised proudly by a few fans.
- Pacioretty goes to the net! Why can't we do that? What a smart kid though. I think he's been watching Kovy's DVD. What stickhandling! And a beautiful shorthanded goal. Straight off a face off and he's down the ice, dodging everyone for a driveby backhander.
- Baby-Sens learn to dive early.
- Baby-Sens appear to live and breathe off the powerplay.
- Baby-Sens still play better than the regular Sens. What's up with that?
- Chipchura as captain is like a burgeoning Brendan Morrow. He's got the power, and the bite, and ain't afraid to tell anyone he's not happy with them. He'll also drop the gloves, and almost did tonight when someone hit him from behind after the whistle.
- Holy shit Shawn Belle is fast. Also has a scary shot.
- Erm Cody Bass trying to get Yannick Weber to fight after a clean hit? Excuse me while I scratch my head on that one. "Roughing" penalty for both, looked more like 2 minutes for hugging.
- Desharnais is so tiny it's too cute, but he plays like a monster.
- The more fights Stewart wins, the more people don't want to fight him. And Flynn was right there next to him too.
- Not much Denis could do on half those powerplay goals except hope someone on defense is watching the guy hiding behind him.
- Wished the Habs would get fans on the ice for contest shots...

In conclusions: Woo! I'm one satisfied customer with this weekend.

Caps shutout 3-0

Dear Doctor Number 2,
What do you see from your Tardis on the scanner screen for this season concerning our lovely but baffling Montreal Canadiens? Oh, I know that telling me such is probably against some laws of time or something, but please, just a little hint? Will Daleks invade the Bell Center tomorrow while I watch our boys play against Buffalo? Or will Cybermen concoct some bizarre plan to make us all like them? I wouldn't mind seeing a few Yeti, so long as they remove those control spheres which would render them into large unthreatening cuddly fur...giants.

I wonder if you saw Theo shutout the Habs?

Doctor, I know you have two hearts. From what I've been reading, people are saying a few of our players barely have one. I don't know what to think myself, really.

I'd like to thank Halak for trying to keep these droogs alive. May he paddle down on their heads all the way home. Perhaps they'll score more if he gets angry? Perhaps, Doctor, you can take a few on a ride with your Tardis to the past to revisit a few exciting hockey games that speckled our wonderous team history? If it's too much to ask for, maybe just a quick hop back to last year with some hope of rekindling any inkling of inspiration.

Good night, Doctor.

Habs Rock Detroit! (Habs 3, Wings 1)

I had a terrible day at work today. My newish computer, the one they gave me in August while taking away my prefectly fine and not-so-slow computer, died on me while I was rebooting because it was acting slow. Apparently I may have lost all my stuff on it as well, which stinks. (Backup? On that pitiful amount of space they give us over the server? My PSDs run up to 50mb each!) Luckily I'm well ahead on the project, so it's no problem for my schedule, but I spent my entire day doing nothing while the IT guy went running around trying to figure out what to do and how to fix it. Actually, I took a nap (which helped me kill time and paid off later for my own hockey game). Eventually he gave me a temporary computer, which didn't allow me to install anything and didn't even have the right photoshop on it. Didn't matter anyway since I couldn't install our homebrew programs since I was locked out. Sigh...

I bought myself a classic Doctor Who DVD to cheer myself up. Tomb of the Cybermen, all found and complete. I love Patrick Troughton. (Well, I loved Peter Davison more, but the 2nd Doc is so much fun). That sort of cheered me up.

But what really made my day was getting into my car and switching over the radio to CJAD later after hockey just in time to catch Super Pleky score on the powerplay! And the guys I played with said "oh it's probably 3-0 Detroit, with a goal by O'Byrne". Ha! Ye of little faith.

My prediction for this game was a 2-1 shootout victory, but I guess we can't measure teams via preseason eh? Actually, I figured since we've had so many shootouts, what's one more? Also Detroit looses more in overtime/shootout games. This is the 3rd regulation loss for Detroit EVER this season. And don't regard TSN's headline. Habs didn't steal this. They worked hard, they played hard, they played SMART and they played the Wings right into their own forecheck-less neutral zone variation trap. They also finally learned how to bounce pucks off defensemen for deflections into nets, which was how Fruit Punch opened the scoring by deflecting it off Lidstrom. ConkBlock was all over the place. But they didn't look tired. They looked like the usual hockey robots of Detroit. And hey, they said the Bruins would be tired when they beat the boys 6-1.

The downer was that Price lost out his shutout bid, but them's the brakes. O'Byrne, who rebounded after that terrible Monday with a good effort, pyloned up in the 3rd period after just handing it lightly to Franzen, who totally danced in and around him right up to a picture perfect shot. Needless to say, the kid was BENCHED for the rest of that one. Actually Carbo may want to keep him benched for every third period when we're trying to hold on to a suitable winning lead. Third period was shutdown defense time, where the boys had to deal with one and a half penalties at the start, and patiently awaited their opportunities. Oddly enough Habs outshot the Wings for the first two periods. Just the third combined the powerplays and defensive play, the shots tipped in Detroit's favor. (More +30 shots for Pricey)!

Casualties: Alex Tanguay from a 1st period hit by Brad Stuart. Said his neck was bugging him. Sounds like he got whiplashed. Kostopoulos took his spot on the Koivu/Higgins line. (Worked well enough for Master Higgins to get a goal)!

All in all, excellent effort. It was a step up from how they played against the Islanders, but with an better result. Wings have the number 1 powerplay, and didn't get anything on it. (Habs converted 1). Sergei is also back to hitting people with his gritty checks.

On my drive home, I smiled as I heard the Carey Chant and Go Habs Go pour out of my speakers. Habs fans are everywhere! We've invaded! To quote a certain tin man: "You will be like us!"

Does this warrant a title or do I need to check the rulebook first?

On this historic day, everyone's favourite defenseman, Josh Gorges, scored his first goal in a Montreal Canadiens sweater. It was his 2nd NHL goal in total, ever. Goalie Carey Price gave number 26 a big hug during intermission and the crowd went wild.

Too bad Chris Lee and Ryan O'Byrne pissed on your parade. FUCK-N-A!

Oh yea, and it was a good game, Habs were all over the Islanders, fixing each others mistakes, fighting hard in overtime (Kovy gave up waiting for his linemates I think). Scoring from Lapierre and Begin. It was a good game, other than those two...things.

Now I've returned home! Habs 2 Bruins 3 (SO)

The final score has no meaning tonight, though it does to some fans, but not to me. The number is raised! Justice is served! The hero of my generation has returned home! And the torch? Oh it has been passed. What better way to honour Patrick Roy than to bring a game to overtime and stand on your head for a team struggling offensively (would help not to shoot at the goalie and to you know, pick those rebounds, but I digress). And despite the loss, the boys came out flying like it was a playoff game in November. Now just compliment your goalie with some goals please.

They got highlights:
- He came through the front door, walked down the hallways by the concessions, didn't pick up a pack of fries, shook hands with some lucky fans that were waiting around, and came through a door by the lower level bowl which lead to the players bench. A few words to Beliveau and a hug, and then there he was: Patrick Roy
- Like when Koivu returned from his battle with cancer, the crowd would not allow anyone to get a word in.
- Koivu, Halak, and Price aided him at pinning up the number and posing for the picture. Price looked like he didn't want to let go of Roy.
- The Bruins were not there for the ceremony...
- Tanguay and Breezer were like two chatty girls by the bench the entire time. They were loving it.
- Roy nearly crying as he looked up at his number slowly hoisting up to the ceiling. I'm going to try and snap a picture of it on Monday (and my seat is near his wall in the Ring of Honor too).
- The game! Carbo must have read my mind: it worked before during the playoffs, so why not all the time. Starts the 4th line against the Booins, get the energy going. Sergei looks like he's having fun with them, but it's too bad none of them seem capable of utilizing his beautiful passes. At least he tries to get goals too.
- The hits! They're everywhere! But they're mostly coming from red sweaters! And this is disturbing the Booins a bit, like it did in Game 1 and 7.
- The Priceberg holds the fort on a few key chances that would normally soar over most heads.
- Andrei Kostitsyn and his wristers.
- The shadow of Big Georges is long and strong and it was all over Lucic, completely messing with his game and his number 1 line. And that was the plan. Everyone knew he'd never fight Laraque anyway. And the one time Laraque wasn't on the ice with him was when he scored. Keep this in your notebook, Carbo.
- Big Georges' smile is both frightening and lovely.
- Koivu throwing the hits on Wideman, and also gets a roughing penalty on an after-whistle hugfest.
- How many times is Breezer going to fake a shot and think about making a move on the powerplay? One, two, three, four, five...
- Tom Kostopoulos rocks. No seriously. This is what it means when they say "work and it will pay off". Third star of the evening.
- Right now, I'd switch Stewart for Lapierre. If only Stewart could win faceoffs. (Might not have to, Begin seems to be doing fine with those).
- O'Byrne, you did some good, but you did bad as well. Hamilton is just over there... Hello Shawn Belle? Ring ring.
- I'll trade you one Higgins for a D'Agostini.
- I think Ryder freaks out everytime he thinks about scoring on Price. He's a non-factor at the moment.
- Ya the powerplay did indeed eat up it's quota. Perhaps it's time to put Big Georges in front of the net for screens and deflections. Could probably get a few garbage goals there. No one is capable of moving him once he's parked. (Hey, the NHL is BUILT around garbage goals now).
- Markov...it's overtime and there was no one around you, Tiny Tim was totally on his way down when you slowed to shoot, that would have gone in right over his head. But you just had to try and pass it to...no one. Merci!
- I don't even think Wheeler knew what the hell he was doing on that shootout move, but whatever.
- Hey Carbo, about those shootout choices... You may want to throw Tanguay out instead of Markov. Even AK46 might have been better than Kovy. Hell, throw out Kostopoulos! No on expects him to score, he probably would have done the job.

Overall: Offense still in November-mode, but this time you can't really say that was a stolen point. They were playing hard through their funk and having some fun hitting things.

Questions with Patrick Roy sent in from viewers on RDS where one asked if he had the choice of any player in the league to build his team around who would it be, Roy picked Price. He would build from the net out, even if Crosby were available, and believes him to be an exceptional player. Then said Ovechkin might be available in the 2nd.

Bulldogs!
They were awesome tonight. They destroyed the Blues AHL team, the Peoria Rivermen, 7-4 scoring 5 goals in the 3rd period. Marc Denis faced 47 shots while Ben Bishop only faced 22. Greg Stewart opened the scoring, Ryan White got the second. Third Period Bonanza came courtesy of D'Agostini, Trotter, Chipchura, and White again with a shorthanded goal. Chipchura also got the empty net at 19:59. Seriously, Shawn Belle is currently a +14 (+4 tonight). Alex Henry would be good too, but he's gotta go through waivers...

Elsewheres...
- Moustaches everywhere! Wendel Clark is honored, but not retired. Hawks beat them in overtime 5-4.
- Morrow is gone on injury for most of the season dammit! But the Stars bring it to a shootout and lose 2-1 to the Ducks.
- This could suck? Luongo does something and pulls his groin on the first shot on goal five minutes into the game and is dragged off the ice. Even though the Canucks beat the Penguinos (still without Fleury) 3-1, the Captain was limping something awful later... Not a very high shooting game either, as each team got 18 shots on goal.
- Ottawa wins 4-1 against the Rangers because of Jarkko Ruutu being Jarkko Ruutu. And the Rangers kind of stink. It's way too quiet in that building without Habs fans...
- Islanders beat the Buffaslugs 4-2. Lalime isn't really known for consistency. But Habs better beat those fishsticks Monday or I'll be mighty unhappy. (And I'll be there too).

Who's got the funk? Habs 3 Sens 2 (SO) Jarkko Ruutu nyaaaaaaaargh

Knob Hockey is funny. Everytime I see Ruutu out there I always go "NYAAAAAAAARGH".

So here we have two teams terrified of losing, playing in the neutral zone for most of the night. And yes, I agree on that disallowed goal was a bad call, but hey, I still say Samsonov's goal was offside. Here's to refs with bad eyes and who probably fell asleep in training class!

Meh, I'll just go to point form:
- I predicted a goalie duel for the sole reason of two teams struggling with the same problems. If one team didn't have the other pinned in their zone, it was all neutral zone trap. Back and forth, wide open pull your hair out, 1-1 hockey. Or in my case, that butter chicken I ate for supper was giving me problems. Thank you for getting those 2 points or I might have lost that delicious supper.
- Priceberg! In a shootout, he is The Man. Well, you'd hope so. He became a national hero with that Canada-USA shootout in the WJC. (Where is Jeff Frazee now? Waiting for Martin Brodeur to retire, but even then he's stuck behind others). And throughout the game, hearing the Carey Chant in another city, even if it's only an hour away, is awesome.
- The Brothers Kostitsyn did a lovely dance into the O-zone late in the 3rd which complete frazzled the O's and soon after set Sergei for a feed to Markov for that shot we've been yelling at him to use. Baddabing!
- It seems that everytime Koivu scores he usually gets thrown into the goalie right after. Are they angry at the captain or their goalie?
- BGL needs to hit more. That check of his makes players shit their hockeypants. Lucky for them, though, he is aware of what his weight against them and the boards will do to people. Squishy... (Hint! Lucic needs a few of those).
- Begin vs Bass in a flurry of punches. Begin got the most, and the takedown. (Not his Judo flip though).
- Gorges love~!
- People rage on Kovy, but really, he's just mystifying with that puck. It's like Jedi mindtricks even when he turns it over after holding it for 2 minutes.
- Hey look, another powerplay goal? Ok, the quota for November was filled last game. I'm shocked.
- Hnnn Sputza, nada. Heater is the one.
- Alfie with the swan dive on Gui! and I give it a 5.9
- I noticed Kostopoulos really puts the breaks on extra when he goes to the corners on a man now. See people? He's no Hollweg!
- O'Byrne is painful. Hamilton, please adopt him for a bit? Teach him the ways once more. The refresher course is needed. I'd send up Belle for a replacement even if he's not as big, he's a bit more sturdy and headstrong and also shoots more from the blueline. (Henry has to pass waivers to come up here so sorry dude).
- Koivu had a paper up on the bench boards. He was explaining some play to Lang and Kovy. And this is one reason why he's our beloved captain.
- Shootout: Sputza actual gets something. Markov with his only move. Tanguay carries it backhanded the entire way. Baddaboom!

Recap: Chuck Norris wouldn't score on Carey Price.


Of course, if they play this way on Saturday, it might be a painful night for St. Pat but maybe we can get a line brawl going in his honor at least. Maybe he'd join in. For old time's sake. In the dressing room hallway. Leaping over the B's coach.

Otherwise. Go Als Go!

Priceberg dead ahead! Habs 1 Whalicanes 2 a powerplay goal and 48 shots against

Able to carry a team, a bunch of polar bears, maybe some lost penguins and a few seals all on his back and act like it's no big deal.

I thought it was a good game, myself. Fast, driven, battling, almost playoffs-y. We fans, both mad and neutral, have been witnessing a team missing a certain je ne sais quois. Maybe it's the mass amount of free agents coming up who are trying too hard, or that bizarro preseason/training camp squish that didn't allow them to work out on things, or the mass amount of brainfreeze eminating from the ice to their minds. Either way, I liked what I saw tonight, except for the excruciating amount of turnovers that really killed them, but hey now Carbo has a full video selection for them to reference. And the 3rd period pretty much collapsed defensively and offensively but hand it to the Canes for a few patented dives and a neutral zone trap. Still, I ain't in the camp of the pitchforks and torches calling for the a new set of coaches or the explosion of the entire team. IT'S FUCKING NOVEMBER PEOPLE! WE AREN'T TAMPA BAY!!! AND WE DON'T MAKE OUR DECISIONS AFTER EA SPORTS NHL09 SIMULATIONS!!! At least not yet, anyway. December/January...that's when I'd get pitchforky.

All in all, this was a tale of two teams going through some similar funk and coming off eerie similar wins of a 3-2 shootout against bottom-feeder teams. Coincidence! The game was tight thanks to our voodoo master, Price, who tried to help his buddy Gorges get a goal tonight by sacrificing his stick, splintering it to a billion pieces and scattering it around the rink. Well, I think the sacrifice only worked in his favor as he faced 48 shots and only allowed two unfortunates while down and out and totally left hanging by his panicking defense who couldn't clear it or by an unfortunate turnover by a surprised Sergei Kostitsyn (who wasn't expecting that pass at all) which allowed that dastardly Sergei Samsonov get his first goal of the year. Hey, even Sammy had to score one day. Sucks it was tonight, but I'll live with that.

BONUS HIGHLIGHT #1: Eric Staal, totally annoyed to hell, hands of clay in front of Price. No confidence, no dice!

Koivu, Lang, and Kovy practiced that powerplay this morning. It only worked once, so I'm guessing we're on our way to one powerplay goal per month. The rest collapsed to its usual hectic self. Keep working on it.

BONUS HIGHLIGHT #2: Plekanec won a face off against Brind'Amour! Steve Begin won the most faceoffs that night, 83% (5/6)! Crazy!

I like Ward's new helmet. Also Ward could have potted that empty netter but freaked out and didn't try. C'mon Wardo, be a man! Actually after Price's performance, I'm happy the boys didn't give up the empty net. That would have been insulting.

BONUS HIGHLIGHT #3: Carbo threw out an extra forward before pulling Price, so he had a lineup of 4 forwards and 1 defenseman. It kind of stuttered the Canes, but not enough. Still, it was crafty.

So now they're off to Ottawa, to face a team equally pissed off as ours. Yay! And another annoying Ruutu. Yay! I like Ottawa's Ruutu better though. I don't know much about Chicago's. And maybe we'll see Higgins wake up again before he gets a "lower body injury" and is sent to Hamilton for "conditioning" while his better clone Matt D'Agostini gets some time with the big club...

Bulldogs!
Good read on my favourite little centerman, David Desharnais, and his mad skills on the ice and in the kitchen.

What's with all the shootouts?
- Wild top a Fleury-less Penguinos squad in a shootout 2-1. Yawn... Again both goalies faced the exact same number of shots in regulation. Mikko scored unassisted, but it was actually a complete fluke.
- Oy... The Battle of Florida went to a shootout and the Panthers won it 4-3 (McCabe? Two goals? And not on his own net?). I thought Smith was better at shootouts? At least, he was back in Dallas... Shots faced: Smith with 36, Vokoun with 52! What is it with the sunbelt hockey teams?
- Roloson faced 39 shots while Leclaire only face 19, but the Oilers WIN 7-2?! Wish we had that accuracy...

When I'm Bluuuuuuuuue: Habs 3 Blues 2 (SO)

Lots of fans are annoyed or just overall annoying. I'm happy though! Why? 'Cause the Habs with shakey defense and slumping 3 lines of offense managed to squeeze out a win with Chris Lee on the ice. Yes the powerplay sucks. Yes the defense still lets people walk in on Price. Yes the offense fans pucks or hits more posts than...I don't know what. But, a coast-to-coast by Andrei Kostitsyn off an "assist" by Price was much needed for he who had his brains splattered on the glass one month ago. And Lang bat one in on an open net. Yay! Missing effort has been spotted, and the battle back mentality slowly crept in. But this was also a win for Bouillon who took a slap shot to the throat with shades of Trent McCleary. Actually I wouldn't have cared if they lost after that, I just wanted to know how he was. (They say it wasn't as serious as it looked).

I unfortunately had the pleasure of listening to the Blues broadcast because I wasn't in the mood to go to the TV. One point of interest was the mentioning of Price's huge pads in comparison to Legace's after Kostitsyn 5-holed it and how it practically goes up to his waist. It doesn't, when he's standing. Difference here: Price is 6'3", Legace is 5'9" and both have their pads sized accordingly. Not mentioning how THICK Price's treetrunks for legs are... That kid is huge.

Funny, shots were equal at 26. EQUAL! With a gazillion penalties. Kovy got the shootout winner with his trademark "FU Move" as he probably just wanted to go watch TV or something. The arena was also creepy quiet throughout, but I love their organ.

I had a friend playing in the Blues organization once, or so said his mom. No idea what happened to him, though.

Bulldogs!
Ryan Russell earns his first hat trick since junior days! The Dogs get 3 shorties, two in a row on the same penalty, and Russell taking the first and the last one (D'Agostini got the other). Bulldogs win it 5-2 over the Rochester Americans (Florida's team). Lehoux gets the empty netter, Chipchura with 3 assists!

As I look to the side...
- Dallas did win over Phoenix with a meagre 3-2 score. Turks lives another day.
- Sharks launch 6 past Huet, but the Hawks launch 5 past Boucher (the backup of many shutouts). So ya, stop asking Bob to trade something to get Huet back...
- Niittymaki owns Atlanta again, but not a shutout this time (4-3 Philly).
- Tocchet taking over from the Mullet doesn't have an insta-effect but they do lose in a shootout with the 'Canes... Same score as ours, but it's gotta hurt when Tuomo Ruutu scores on you in the skill contests.

Blah blah blah: Flyer 2, Habs1

Awww... Ain't they cute?

The drama queens on the forums or I/O postings really are just that. Seriously, it wasn't that bad. Could have been better, but wasn't worse. Needed work on executions, and decision making is on the wrong side of a brain fart for the most part but the effort was there, the polish wasn't. However defense wasn't too bad tonight... Not great, but not terrible either. My brother agrees about cloning Hammer though. Halak regained control of his rebounds, only to let a few fly at bad moments but thankfully they didn't end up as goals this time. Still, faced as many as Price does regularily, and they weren't exactly of super quality. The ones that went in deserved it.

I think if the Flyers had come out full steam guns ablaze like Boston did on Thursday, well it would have been 6-1 Flyers. It's only November, so calling for Carbo's head or Gainey's head (wtf?) is super premature. I saw good things, and bad things, I still think some Bulldogs could bring in some life. Pleky's line needs to work on their setup and positioning. The powerplay could use someone with accuracy, and though Streit was honestly a better forward than defenseman, his powerplay specialty was built on accuracy and good thinking. Right now, I think Markov doesn't think well enough to handle it and the shots heading to the goal are just "shoot maybe it'll bounce in" types rather than actually vying for a goal. Perhaps we'll see Weber soon, as he's following his hero's lead as a powerplay specialist. Perhaps even D'Agostini could bring in some offensive punch. I'm still dreaming (or drooling) over the possibility of a Chips/Lapierre/Kostopoulos line, or Chips on the 3rd and Desharnais centering the 4th with TK and Lapierre as his wingers. The possiblities are there. Like last year, I think Bob waited for December/January to do some shuffling.

Sucks the presentation of our medal wining provincial athletes couldn't inspire a harder drive for a win. I mean, the whole arena from the benches to the rafters was at full volume as Chantal Petitclerc came out. She could probably beat both teams with only ONE of her hands. Anyhoo, with that, tomorrow's another day. To the Blues~!

If you were flipping channels...
- Vancouver 4, Toronto 2. What no shutout? Tsk! The first goal scored was by Wellwood. Haha~!
- Backup of the backup Clemmenson gets the Caps in a shootout. Devils win 6-5. Parise is the only one to bank it during the skills contest.
- Another shootout, Rangers 3 and Boston 2 with Drury as the only one to get it in past Thomas. Ryder's only call on the sheet? A 3rd period tripping penalty. Told ya last year wasn't all that suspicious...
- Buffaslugs lose 5-4 to the Penguinos. And no you can't blame it on Lalime this time 'cause Miller was in nets. Shots were equal around 24 a piece as well.
- Oh my... Sens pepper Joey Mac with 40 shots and still lose to the Islanders 3-2. Hey Sputza got a goal though. Looks like they tried a Third Period Bonanza, only to come out short.
- Currently 2-1 Dallas against Phoenix...
- THE BULLDOGS get a win though with 2 goals by D'Agostini, 3 assists by Lehoux, and a goal a piece for Chips and Maxwell. Patches, Aubin, and Wyman get an assist as well for a 4-3 win over the Rochester Americans. Shots were 31-17 Hamilton!

Also congratulations are in order for the Alouettes. That was a great comeback (of sorts) after 3 weeks of not playing. Larry Taylor made two awesome runs that left a bunch of Eskimos throwing their hands in the air with a "wtf" expression. The Als are going to the Grey Cup! First time they've gone when Montreal hosted it since 1979...

Coupe Longueuil

I think I was more surprised with the Lightning HIRING Barry Melrose as coach than the firing of Barry Melrose as coach. In like Flint! Out like....well, I see plenty of mullets around town so I don't know if they ever went out of style for sure. Or maybe just in Longueuil? Ya right. Montreal: where mullets are still apparent, even on women, and Engelbert Humperdinck plays sellout crowds.

Gotta wonder why so quickly, though. Actually, I won't wonder. They're betting on Rick Tocchet now to do better. Badump-ching! Sorry. Ah I'm sure he'll do fine. I'm going to miss the Coach-o-Meter 3000 on BMR though.

------------

Hamrlik says: "Tomorrow is another day." Even he knows musicals solve everything!

So the Flyers come to town, and our boys wear the Punch Line sweaters. Our hope is someone plays like the Punch Line. My hope is they just play. Halak is in nets, and I'm sure he's done breaking in those retro looking pads. Komisaurus hurt his hand punching Lucic's helmet. I think Rhino did that last year in Florida. Well, time for everyone to step in on shot-blocking! Right? I remember Gorges really stepped in when Komo got hurt (by Loooooch too) last year. Also Sergei had some upper-body soreness and missed practice... Please say he plays! Please!!! And please tell Lang to casually tip his lovely passfeeds into the net instead of swinging for a post. I just can't stomach more posts...and that was a beautiful pass. The kid looked so sad it didn't go in...

If we're down Sergei and Komo, minu Kostopoulos who's on his last day of suspension... well, we'd be looking like last years Habs team around November/December? That wasn't too bad.

In other news: Other teams get a loss of 6-1 too. That's right, your Buffaslugs! Columbus with the trap. Also the Flames lost 6-1 courtesy of the Sharks.

Bound to happen after going 12-0: Bruins 6 Habs 1

Could have happened a bit nicer though but that's what happens with the Jekyll and Hyde of Hockey. Only bonus after Koivu being the only one to ninja score (sweet wrap around of fire, that man needs a contract extension) was Kovy's open-ice revenge-check and Lucic cutting his hand as he pounded Komisaurus' helmet. Ya, whatevs.

Lang and an empty net is just as painful as watching Higgins fan pucks. Post not want!

I have a message for our defense: pylons are usually orange.

Speaking of orange, the Flyers are in town Saturday. Sigh...

Habs vs Sens: SHUTOUT!

So are you done panicking yet? Man the forums have been annoying these days...

Who would have thunk it that Chris Higgins, the man of many posts, would get the first hat trick this year. Actually Sergei almost came first, which was also pretty cool. But Master Higgins is back my friends! Double-whammy goes to Carey Price, shutting the door on the Sens for the 2nd straight game he faced them. The last one was 3-0 last season, this time it's 4-0. One more and there would have been free wings. Ah Dandy...if only that glove had not flicked so quickly eh? And after everyone blames him for everything, Gui! shoots a quicky from a won faceoff by Lang for the other goal. Gorges is still the love of my life, Rhino needs to stop throwing pucks over the glass. I know he means well, though! Triple whammy was Laraque patrolling, while mini-Cube fights Ruutu for elbowing Fruit Punch. I love these guys.

Besides the elbowing and backflip over Price, Jarkko Ruutu is still my favourite idiot. He even waved goodbye as he was thrown out.

Memo to Hartsburg: What's up with Sputza? Only time I noticed him was when he hooked Kovy right in front of the ref. I swear he's see-through... Perhaps he needs to yell again.

League-wide faceplants:
- As various members of the press continue vilifying Kostopoulos like he's some mad dog, the master of actual cheapshots from behind Ryan Hollweg thinks he should have gotten 10 games. Pot, meet kettle! Douche. Remember, Sergei has a good memory...
- Wilson is also full of hot air. Keep on jabbering. Any of the journalists dared to ask him about Mr. Hollweg? So by his suggestion the Leafs should be down to what 13 and 2? And how long will he hide his Hollweg for fear of what the children might think when he purposedly pounds an unsuspecting rooking into the glass from behind, as he does time and time again...
- Hey look, someone who's actually not sipping Leaf Juice in Leafs Nation! Oh surprise, the comments are full of bile.
- Penguins beat Red Wings 7-6 in OT. Um...last time I looked that was 5-2 Wings. Collapse much?
- Calgary beat those silly Toronto comeback kids 4-3 even with the flu and Phaneuf nearly lost an eye last game.
- Still waiting to see if the Stars can beat the Kings. It's tied at 2 now. You can do it, Marty!

To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high

If Alfie comes out like this, we're fucked!
And yes I know they're not Spartans.

Habs had a team meeting today and then an intense practice. Things were addressed, or vented, with video presentations, which is usually how Carbo works. It's important to get things off your chest or you'll just end up hating each other and that's one of the reasons why they don't go all gloomy after a loss and why the boys are so close. RDS has a lovely little insight into the mind of Sergei Kostitsyn, concerning his opinion on his former-friend Grabs. The kid never ceases to amaze me though. I knew bad blood must have spawned between them, but wow... Sergei says there's no I in TEAM!

And so, as Toronto apparently jumped the Remembrance Day thing (nothing wrong with that), the Ottawa Senators visit our humble abode. I've always had a soft spot for crazy idiot Jarkko. To the games!

Actual team news: Upon his 3rd open apology, the League has suspended Tom Kostopoulos for 3 games. Toronto media and random TSN peanut gallery trolls want his head, but get real, this is more than adequate for a guy who has no history of this and admits openly to his responsibilities. I have another problem with the League's decision though, but it's 2am and I better get some sleep. I'll leave it for another day. I will say this: I've not seen a player apologize like TK has, ever. All we ever hear is the famous "that's how the game is, I will hit you, keep your head up". Other players should take notes.

"We played like dogs" Habs 3, Leafs 6

Should be Carbo's paperwork after tonight.

I'm tired of refs bailing players. I'm tired of seeing teams play for "who can draw more penalties" over "who can play hockey". I'm also tired of seeing our supposed best defenseman stare at a puck and let it go by him instead of keeping it in the offensive zone. And Grabs, you face Sergei next time and he'll wipe that smile off your face. Nice of him to jab Price in jock with his stick there. Three out of five calls for Leafs running their tally on goalie interfence, in a row, that my brother was wondering what the coach told them to do. Crash the net or crash the netminder?

Well one thing I predicted, Price faced 41 shots (Toskala face 20) and it was a miracle he managed to keep that many out considering the deadwood for defense he had tonight and the mass traffic sitting in his face. Passes flubbed! Shots fanned! A zillion powerplays to kill! We're rusty after 5 days off, and missing Hammer on defense is a bad thing. Breezer does 2 rights and 5 wrongs in under 5 seconds. O'Byrne needs some retooling with the Bulldogs. I'm not sure what's worse, his skating or his brainfarts. Higgins tries too hard and ends up missing completely or miss-playing completely. Kovy can hold puck possesion but there's only so long he can hold it if his linemates aren't getting in to position. But these guys are on a team that shouldn't be out hussled by the Leafs.

I think the dark clouds moved in when Kostopoulos was thrown out for his hit on Van Ryn. Frankly Van Ryn made his life miserable for himself. Junior NHLers do that, not 10 year veterans. He saw TK coming in a straight line, ready and lining him up for his check. The puck follows the boards to his feet and instead of playing it around the net, he bends over and takes the hit up the ass. Bravo idiot, see you in hospital. And Don Cherry can crow all he wants. Just put in no-touch icing already and maybe I can get the Belleville Bulls on TV? I'd rather watch the OHL if the NHL is going to continue down it's path to being the LameHL.

No more days off for the Habs. That includes Sunday, probably. (Carbo looked angry enough to make them work tomorrow). Get cracking! Otherwise I'm expecting to see a few Bulldogs soon. I mean you Chips and D'agostini. Maybe we can also trade a defenseman prospect to Dallas and take Jancevski...

Speaking of the Bulldogs: At least they beat the Baby-Leafs. Captain Chips with 2 goals, oddly enough he got the first and the last goal of the game. Patches with 2 assists. D'agostini, Stewart, and Glumac get 1 a piece. Dogs win 5-2!

Habs 3, BJs 4 (SO)

Yea, I only watched the 2nd period while eating smoked meat at Abbie's and I can say it was the same boring Hitchcock Trap as usual even though the Habs shot 35 times at the net (or should I say, directly at the netminder) and the refs decided breathing was a penalty. Halak let off bad giant rebounds and wasn't too sharp tonight. Also needs work on lateral movements, awareness, and his angles were slightly off. Came up strong in overtime though, but was completely hung out to dry during the shootout. Mike Commodore is a douchebag and should get a little suspension for his elbowing headshot to AK46. Of course the league doesn't care yet, so he won't get anything. Highlight of the night: Halak pulled for the extra man, that extra man was Sergei Kostitsyn, and he scores with like 45 seconds left in the game. And Price cheering behind the bench.

That's it.

Rick Nash was pretty quiet. Umberger wasn't.

I can't believe this was only our 11th game...

Because the BJs bore me more than the Wild, I spent my evening listening to the Bulldogs lose instead. The game ended with an empty netter by the Houston Aeros, 3-1. Apparently the ice deteriorated so badly in the 3rd that it was coming off in chunks. And c'est le but, Yanick Lehoux! If Weber keeps working though, his shot will kill goalies. Almost took the Aeros netminders arm off with that booming slapshot.

Chips is their new captain! Congratulations Chipper!

Next: The Leafs for the Hockey Hall of Fame Game.

Habs call out for your support!

The Canadiens have 6 very deserving players on the All-Star ballots this year: Carey Price showing his determination to be the best, Mike Komisarek ready to be the only one who will probably actually PLAY defense at the game, Andrei Markov aiming to make it a 2nd time, Saku Koivu wanting to show off why we love him, Alex Kovalev ready to dazzle with his magic, and Alex "my career is back on track" Tanguay who just got himself the October Molson Cup. Habs fans everywhere, myself included, will be stuffing those ballots to ensure they all get in! I know, I know, the All-Star Game is dull and cheap, where no one hits and no one defends and the score makes Bettyman wishing it were like that all the time. But hey, at least if you get Komisaurus in, there's a guarantee someone's going down! Maybe an All-Star Brawl? God bless him.

But there's also a write-in option, and I'm vying to send in Tom Kostopoulos! Players like TK are important, and are generally overlooked. But TK has been making waves. There hasn't been a night on RDS where Demers and Co haven't raved about his wonderful work ethic, even when he had an off night. An All-Star Game full of Crosbys is BORING. Throw in a guy like TK, and you'll be in for a whole new exhibition.

Besides, if Mickey Ribs could make it.... *shudders*

--------

Coach Hitchcock presents new ideas to his team...

Finally, this long-ass week is coming to an end and FINALLY this whacked out schedule is bringing us some Habs games! Two, actually. First up, Les Boys wander into Columbus where Rick Nash, woah, and his company are awaiting to fire 3 rounds rapid. Halak will take this one. Been a while since we've seen him other than skating around with a big smile on his face and joining in on the victory pileups. We just hope the team doesn't come out dead like the last time they had a week off... which was two weeks ago. Seriously? Who made this schedule?!

Saturday night! Habs vs Leafs! Hockey Hall of Fame Wonder Weekend game! Price takes this one, seeing as the "comeback kids" will be hosting the "comeback men", and I'm sure he's expecting his usual 40 shots on goal as per quota with Habs/Leafs games. Keeps him sharp. Thanks, Toronto!

Extra bit o' news: Glad they saw what I saw. The Canadiens signed my favourite little centerman, David Desharnais, to a two-year two way contract. Never judge the undrafted little guy who tore through every league he's been in.

There will be blood! Habs 5, Islanders 4

I bleed! And I score! And these funny guys in Blue-Orange looked scared...

Say what you will about an ugly game like this, or about how a team that only shows up in the 3rd doesn't merit 2 points. The bottom line is they rallied back, and they won it and the other guys weren't able to contain it. And give the Islanders some credit here. They knew exactly who they were facing, and they knew they had to make it a good one because they're currently coming off a 6 game losing streak. The Curse of the Ex-Habs Franco Goalie was nothing more than Danis trying to get himself an actual job by hoping he could come out the hero, especially considering DP is absolutely on the IR. They forechecked hard, they trapped (ya, that was weird seeing the Islanders play the trap), they did things they probably never really did before, and they capitalized on yet another slew of scrappy penalties. But Streit should know his former team... When the Canadiens have their backs to the wall, the come out fighting. And this time Price was not going to be the deciding factor, especially after facing a game's worth of shots by the end of the second period. He was, however, the one to hold the final lead intact. Of course the million dollar question is: What did Carbo say after the 2nd? According to Plekanec,"Yeah, you don't want to hear that." Zing!

Look! Onto the wet ice! It's a bird? No a plane? No! It's Super Pleky!

And though it wasn't as magical as The Comeback against the Rangers, it was close. The Islanders were playing better than the Rangers anyway. But Kovalev, who drew first before the Islanders went firing on all cylinders and stuffed in the final one, seems to have a knack for destroying New York teams. Plekanec combined with his line to assist and receive, and finally his hard work paid off with two goals in two minutes. Higgins, of course, a stone's throw from his home, tied the game and corrected his first period error that deflected Streit's shot behind Price. The third period bonanza had the Islanders completely stunned as they finally faced the real Montreal Canadiens.

They got character, these guys. But just as things are flying they're saddled with another week off before heading into Columbus, where that annoying git RJ Umberger is playing now. Though I'm more concerned with Rick Nash...

Another interesting thing was the crowd. Throughout the game, all I could hear is GO HABS GO chants and the Ole song. And as the Canadiens scored, a sea of red or white jerseys jumped to their feet. With only around fourteen thousand in attendence, that's got to hurt the home team. I almost made the trip myself, actually. Maybe in the 2nd half of the season.

Wonder what Price and Kovy were looking at right at the start of the 2nd? The ice. It's was absolutely wet. Almost like they passed the zamboni just a second before. You'd think arenas in the NHL could at least get the ice to settle before a period starts? Guys should have brought their swiming trunks...

Seeking other forms of interests:
- Of course the Leafs were playing the Rangers tonight. And of course the Leafs have their own 3rd Period Bonanza and scored 5 goals for a win that gave Tom Renney bad memories of one February last season and to which HNIC got all in a tizzy while planning the parade and building their shrine to Luke Schenn. I'd like to remind you that the Leafs were only down 2-0, and assuming you've got the drive to do so, it's not that hard to rally back from. Especially since the Rags were using their backup, Stephen Valiquette.
- And if you think the Habs are bad for relying on their goaltending day in and day out, what about the Flames? I stuck around to watch the Kings/Flames game. The Kings are a young team with not much going for them. However they were dominating the Flames on the faceoffs, they were outshooting them, they were holding them in their zone and doing a well enough job defensively. And HNIC can hold the holy candle to Schenn all they want. Frankly Drew Doughty is a far more incredible player for a kid of his age and straight from junior saddled with an otherwise weak team. In fact you wouldn't know he was just drafted and thrown into the NHL from the way he's playing. But without Kipper in nets, the Flames would have been the absolutely Lames. And the Kings did manage to tie up the game as well, only to lose by one goal and not able to capitalize with an extra attacker in the dying moments. Like the Islanders game, the Flames should not have had Kipper stand on his head against the Kings, but he had to in order to keep their winning streak alive...
- Buffalo 5-0 against the Caps. Yup, that's Theo's 5-hole all right.
- Marty Turco, I'm really afraid for you... The Bruins beat the Stars 5-1, and the Stars only goal comes from Sean Fucking Avery.
- MARTIN BRODEUR GOT FUCKING INJURED! I told you, The Roy Curse. Devils did win though, and oddly enough the win went to Brodeur...? He left 6 minutes into the 2nd period after his usual sprawling save with a "bruised" elbow. Um...it's gotta be more than that. Hey! Look! Kevin Weekes is still alive! Oh my god!
- Semin says Crosby is nothing special, and then the Penguinos stomp the Blues 6-3. Oddly enough, Mason was in nets for the Blues. I thought he was still injured?
- Cam Ward lets in a few real stinkers (like, they were absolutely bad goals) and the Oilers finally win a game.

I'm sure there's a plan to smuggle Streit back home...

Ya know, I miss Mark Streit. Not as a defenseman though, because frankly he wasn't that good a defenseman. I miss him as a winger! He wasn't too bad, and a powerplay specialist who would eat up Markov's feed. I still remember his beautiful goal in the playoffs while Fruit Punch drew all the attention and slipped him a sneaky back pass which Streit brought all the way through Tiny Tim's 5-hole. But now he's in the land of Wang and Captain Fish Sticks and getting paid way too much for his defense skills. C'est la vie. We're all waiting for Weber to grow into Streit 2.0 in the meantime. He's Swiss! He plays with his idol, Streit! He's stocky! And he plays better defense most of the time. Boom! What a shot.

I don't know anything else about the Islanders, except that DiPietro probably didn't drink enough milk when he was little and is absolutely brittle. That said, he's currently injured, leaving his club with Joey Mac and ex-Habkins Yann Danis, who totally got bumped down the chart thanks to Price and Halak absolutely out-playing him. He may have gotten a shutout in his first NHL game, but later he couldn't even beat the Leafs... Thus remained Option 3 on the Goalie list. Well, apparently he's in nets against the Habs when they roll into New York. I was actually tempted to road trip it, being a weekend and all. Maybe some other time though, as it was rather last minute. This is also Higgins' home turf! And according the Rule of Higgins, he usually breaks out the scoring while visiting home. Have a good one, Chris! Don't fall for the Ex-Habs Goalie Curse! Besides, this isn't a club home game so the rules shouldn't apply...right?

Oh and happy birthday to Super Pleky! Born on Halloween, that's always cool, eventhough it's not really celebrated in his homeland. No more posts, Pleky! Dunk that cookie! And ignore Cullen's Backchecking: Not Meeting Expectations bullshit. It hurts to see them put Pleky's picture right under the the giant caption of SLOW STARTERS. Obviously these so called sports writers love jumping the trade crap and forget Super Pleky has more value than goal scoring (and usually starts off slow anyway, and we seem to forget the headcrash on AK46 disrupted their mojo when it was just starting). Actually, I don't think he was ever considered much of a goal scorer, as his strength is defense and faceoffs and being really fucking focused. Hey sports writers, I think a team would rather have a healthy man like Plekanec over I-tripped-and-sprained-my-everything Gaborik. So buzz off. And hands off our Halak! (Unless the Wild switch us Harding, ain't gonna happen).