Yup: Turnovers 1, Panthers 5

I'm not even going to look at the forum/gazette comments because I'm sure they're all the same predictable slag of incompetence I hear after every loss. I'm betting there's a call for the head of Carbo or Gainey and a trade of the entire team for something shiny. Seriously, I'm sick of hearing "but Price gave up 5 goals" when what the hell do you want him to do when he's playing man alone as both defense and goalie? What about the pylons standing around in front of him watching the puck go by or handing the puck to every opposing player for a glorious scoring opportunity? At least tonight none of the guys put the puck in their own net. They just assisted instead. And what about the forwards unable to cash in where the other guys are perfectly able to cash in no matter what? Turnovers. Sloppy blueline. No finish. That's what lost the game. Not Price. (It sounds like the 2nd round playoffs eh)? If the guys were able to finish, he'd have 5 assist tonight. He gave them every opportunity to do something, considering his defensemen were unable to make a good outlet pass so he took it upon himself to do it while the Panthers were changing. He made every save he could until the Panthers broke down the door kicking, but you could have Brodeur in nets for all anyone cares and they still would have scored with the wide open ice full of options. He even made a save with a guy holding his head, to no whistle of goalie interference. And when you play defense and block a shot, BLOCK THE SHOT! Don't let it rebound out to some guy with a wide open net because you've stood there blocking the shot but also screened your goalie so he has no idea it's gone off to Bouwmeester. If he doesn't see the puck, he won't stop it.

I think his angry whipping of the puck in the 3rd period after saving the 5th turnover in the course of a minute said it all. And if he weren't in nets it would have been 5-0 Panthers in the first ten minutes of play.

Maybe the score would be more than 1 if he could play forward too. He's got a mean wrist shot.

This team is lucky they have him. How about giving him some wins?

The sad thing is the game started off really good and then all those missed opportunities just bit them in the arse. Will the Habs sweep anyone this season?

One thing to note, Sergei must have been going crazy watching his perfect setups go to waste... But with Begin tipping pucks wide or Plekanec back to his working zombie ways, there's nothing he's going to accomplish there. And never scratch Patches again, please. Kovy was seriously missing him. (Or at least put Sergei with him as no one else will pass him the puck while he's waiting there in position in front of the net). Then again, it's the magical mystery lineups. I'm sure we'll see something new on Saturday when the Kings roll into town. At least the boys will be back home.

Looking at the schedule, it's going to be a long hard month coming up, folks. Send all good mojo to the boys in the CH.

Who else:
- Yay Turks! Stars beat the Red Wings 4-2. Stop being shocked but that's the 4th loss in a row for the Wings, and they've given up 19 goals. It's also Turks' first regular season win at the Joe. Now he's 1-8-2 in that building.
- Islanders won 5-4 against Atlanta. It was 4-0 Islanders from the first period, the rest of the scoring came in the 3rd.
- Devils beat Bahston 4-3 in OT. Whatevs.
- Ottawa beat the Blues 3-1. I guess that's cool.
- It's currently 4-3 Toronto against Colorado. Is Raycroft in nets?
- TGIF tomorrow.

Milk and cookies, snow and storms

Been snowing pretty heavily all day and on my way home I nearly spun off into the wall on the highway. Wee~ Little light cars are awesome. I should put the pack of salt in my trunk like I used to do... But all is well, as I was absolutely alone on the highway at the time, thank god. And I do have snowtires. I think I'll need new ones next season though, these ones are kind of old.

Fun things found today:
- Burkie has gone Twitter. I love these. I was following the Micheal Bay one for a bit. They make me laugh!
- I love Sergei. He's such a character. Wonder if he COULD convince Kovalchuk to come here, actually...
- My brother's playing NHL09 again. Just beat the Bruins 10-0 and apparently Dandenault is a terminator.
- Wow, this is really cool. Hamilton's lucky number 23 belonged to BOTH Kostitsyns and Patches.

Is it really only Tuesday? Habs 3, Dolts 5

I feel like a whole week has gone by in only two days of doing absolutely nothing at work. And though I should probably feel happy to have survived the layoffs that went around my studio recently as I know people who weren't so lucky (though I'm sorry to say some were pretty much on their last legs either way), at the moment I'm too bored and tired to really care. When a project nears the end, we begin the tedious task of making the games fit on various phones of every imaginable size because the cellphone makers of the world enjoy making screen sizes with jar sizes every which way they like. (If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I work at EA Mobile where I make the art for games on cellphones). And I have a tendency to work a lot faster than I probably should, so now I spend my days waiting for people to tell me what they need fixing, and thus I doodle heads in my notepad while listening to Doctor Who audio tapes because I've already gotten sick of my music rotation. Until I get a new project, of course.

Where am I going with this?

Oh right. I was too tired to watch this game. I came home when the Bolts scored the first goal over my radio. I settled a bit in my room and noticed the Habs scored 2. Fifty minutes later and the first period was finally over... (At least it felt like fifty minutes). Then I went to help a bit with the supper and then I went to eat the supper. After that I pretty much just wanted to pass out. Then my brother comes home from school and asks me what happened with the game, to which I replied "I don't know". So together we checked the score online while he tells me how this morning he was playing NHL09, Habs vs Bolts in Tampa Bay and the scored ended 5-3 for the Bolts. My brother then laughed as his video game became reality, and I went back to my Doctor Who.

Maybe he should stop playing that game...

Oh well. I noticed that all the Canadian teams lost in unison tonight. We stand on guard for rights and liberty and a wonky day of hockey. At least we weren't Edmonton... Oh my word 10-3? Against Buffalo?! ...Wait, what?!

"I'll go second" - Habs hero saves the East

A profile like no other.

If this will be Alex Kovalev's final season with the Tricolore--and I shudder to think of that possibility--then what a beautiful season AK27 has received by us fans. Diligent and unwaivering in our voting for him to be sent to the All-Star Game through much hoopla of auto-scripts, text messages, and the never-ending debate of whether or not he deserved to be there, here he is: named the Captain of the East and the game MVP with two goals, an assist, two posts, seven shots, a few jokes with Malkin while on the bench, a mini-check, some defensive play, on fire in overtime and out there for half of the time, a smile, a twinkle in his eye, and the game winning shootout goal of a rocket on a blinking Roberto Luongo that left Mr. Gillette stuned and awestruck. And in the usual Habs Backup Captain Kovalev fashion, the MVP truck will be sold and the money sent to his charity. (Though I think it'll be cool if he customizes it a bit before selling it with, say, an AK27 decal or something). I salut you Alex Kovalev. May you be signed here until you believe you can play no more.

And the rest of our brothers in the Bleu Blanc Rouge did not look out of place tonight either. Markov was the best defenseman out there, providing a goal and some excellent display of why he's so important to our team. A 4-on-1? No problem. And even showing his funny side when Serge Savard was welcomed to the lower bowl, Markov did the spin-o-rama right after for his own personal salut at the legendary defenseman. Komisarek got the first All-Star Game penalty in like 10 years and then tried to redeem himself with a few attempts. Had a very good opportunity that Luongo didn't think he would have shot. Price only allowed 2 goals on 11 shots at a time in the game when everyone was awkwardly skating around, wondering if they're supposed to blow up the score sheet or be kind and courteous. Almost had an assist with a beautiful outlet pass, schooling the other goalies on how to play the puck. Say what you will of Tim Thomas, but his method of flop-n-hope is not effective if players were smart enough to just aim high on him. Price has the most efficient style. Notice, Luongo is the same: also efficient. I'd rather have those two head for the Olympics even though I don't like seeing NHL players in Olympic games but that's another story.

And so the All-Star weekend comes to a close. The fun has been had, the people left happy, and the kids charities will benefit greatly. And once more, thank you Kovy. He was born to play in these games.

Stuffy: Habs 2, Devilzzz 5

Unless the game is played at the Bell Center, Habs should just forfeit games against the Devils because no matter how intense they fly out of the gates or attempt to generate offense, the game ends up so clogged and stuffy that it's an absolute waste of energy. Never mind the fact they had to play them in a back-to-back game schedule.

The walking dead...
- For the love of all things good in this world and for my (our) sanity, will someone please get Breezer off the ice?
- Price was looking good. Made some insane saves. The second goal well, knocked over by a flying Devil and banked in by Bouillon isn't much against him. The fourth one knocked in by Sergei, which brings me to this...
- Why, with a 2-on-1, was Sergei the only one attempting to go back? Defense was where? Last I looked Sergei wasn't a defenseman.
- And yes, on the third one as RDS so nicely points out, D'Agostini fails to clear the zone, but what exactly was Komisaurus doing just standing there and avoiding the the puck as it flew towards him?
- The kids played alright though. D'Agostini combined with Pacioretty screening for a powerplay goal. Stewart was everywhere. The Lapierre line was creating mass chaos both to themselves and the Devilzzz.
- OMG GORGES SCORED A GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *ahem* Sorry.
- During the game we were shown clips of old time hockey. The defensemen in those days used to just grab and haul you. I looked at this game, the Devils still play like that even though the rules have changed.
- I kind of liked it when the Canadiens looked like they just said "fuck it" and started giving the Devils a choking piece of their own medicine. Frustrated them some.
- Devils could put a plank of wook that moves in laterals and it wouldn't matter. Seriously? They make anyone look good. Which makes me wonder about Brodeur... Though they're a lot more lackadaisical when he's there. I guess it's like when Halak plays, and the defense needs to actually clog the net/whack sticks/look out for those rebounds...
- Koivu was back, but...he kept falling everywhere. I'm not entirely sure it was a good decision to play tonight. I was so afraid he would re-sprain something every time he toppled over. Got an assist though.
- A sluggish play with an empty net while on the powerplay is not a good effort boys. The outcome? You gave Elias his 20th.

Conclusion: You couldn't PAY me to see this team live without Brodeur. It's so dull and boring, I dozed off a few times. And though the Habs played fairly well, it was the usual bad luck, no one in front of the net for rebounds, or defensive brain farts/Breezer-like errors (from not just Breezer, but Hammer and Bouillon) that ended up bitting them in the arse. Plus any actual chance they did have, the Devils just choked them to the point of absolute nausea. But cheers for Carbo. The kids will make mistakes but he's not going to throw them under the bus because of it.

In other news:
- Price is double dipping in the ASG because Ersberg is injured so he'll take his place for the Sophomore Team. Was actually wondering why he wasn't there in the first place but there you go...
- Habs ain't the only ones just wanting to go on break... Boston's tied at 3 against the Leafs right now. The ISLANDERS chased out Giguere and won a game against the Ducks. Tampa Bay beat Buffalo 5-3. The Kings are winning against the Avs, and it's 1-0 so far for the Blues against Chicago. The other night the COYOTES beat the Red Wings 6-3! Obama has turned the world upside-down!!! WTF!
- Flyers could probably thank us for tiring out the Thrashers for their game tonight. Beat them 5-3. See, that's the real Lehtonen.

No We Can't! Habs 2, T(h)rashers 4

I've been to Atlanta a few times in my life but I never actually willingfully stayed there. It was generally because were were marooned in their hideously huge airport. The first time was when I was little, on our way to Florida to visit our now rather estranged family members there. A tornado happened to waltz by. As for other Atlanta memories, I only remember the most recent time I spent there which was while waiting to board my next flight home on a stop-over from LA. There I listened to the woes of people who were stuck on the tarmac all night for no reason at all. I don't like Atlanta airport.

Obama?
- I'm guessing people were out partying for their new President since the place sounded rather empty...
- I'm guessing Carbo regretted not going back to Price despite being ready to go at 100%, shiny new red pads and all. (They're lovely)! Sure they won games when Halak was back there, but they were mostly come from behind wins or unnecesssarily high scores. (Ah well, free wings)!
- I'm thinking this game would have been a 2-1 win or at least taken to a shootout if Price had started.
- Doesn't help anyone if you keep aiming for Lehtonen's glove.
- Atlanta sometimes has 4 goalies in net though, so not much you can do there.
- My brother: I'm calling Pacioretty "Kovy jr".
- First powerplay goal for the kid. Teaching the veterans how it's done. Threw a few lovely hits too.
- That kid is perfect for Kovalev but Plekanec needs to lift that voodoo curse on himself. At least he was rocking the faceoffs.
- Well his best chances of the evening he got hooked on a breakaway (no call), and his stick exploded.
- Loved the hussle of D'Agostini and Stewart with Begin. If Carbo sneaks in Koivu there, it'll be even better.
- ARGH BREEZER!
- And Hammer too. Vacation time is next week, dear.
- Breezer should look at Schneider. He's an ex-Hab, he's older, he knows how to defend.
- Intense Sergei and fit-inducing Andrei trading turns on telling each other what might work better when shooting the puck. Andrei had the right idea for a bit but just didn't get enough leverage. Sergei had quite the shot though.
- I'd just like to remind you guys that you can pinch in on the puck a bit when it's sitting there and NO blue-sweatered foe is anywhere near it. See? Komisarek threw it forward, no problem. Those who didn't know who they are.
- Also another reminder when there is no goalie in your net, you may want to get to the puck first instead of dumping it in and just taking it easy.
- At least Price doesn't pick up the L-tab this time.

Conclusion: If no one is really witness to this game does it still really count? Man...home games like that must be so disheartening to those guys. "Yay we won! Wait...there's like 5 people cheering... *single tear*"

God's in his Heaven, All's right with the world!

Marc Denis is back in Hamilton, therefore Carey Price returneth this week.

Elliooooooooott! Habs 5 Sens 4 (SO)

Trying to right this ship, at least in the backend...

I only managed to catch the game from the 3rd period onwards and then got the rest off Express as I was out for a lovely dinner amongst some rather annoying relatives of my mother (ie. my aunt and uncle) so my take on the game is rather thin... My dinner was good though, save for those annoying relatives. Grr...

You aren't helping that save percentage...
- Fan favourite and gritty, fearsome prospect Greg Stewart got to play tonight. He picked up an assist on D'Agostini's goal and did some excellent yeoman's work along the boards and generally annoyed the oppositioin in the checking line. As he grows I see him as our farm-grown Kostopoulos, except he wins more fights.
- Actually I can say all lines are clicking relatively well. Kovy's line is feeding off Patches (what a kid!), Lang and the brothers still going strong with AK46 becoming more and more that power forward Carbo was talking about, Lapierre's line still the same hardworking core.
- Defense is ok but I get queasy as I see Breezer paired with Cube...
- That piece of the wall Komo hit was padded right? God that could have been a broken arm in the making...
- Heater is a 50 goal scorer. He was ZombieHeater for the first part and rose from the dead in the 3rd, but Jaro needs to learn to deal with those kinds of play like Carey does. (See, Gorges is covering the other two well enough so all you need to do is take care of the shooter, but not while on your knees...at least not when you're shorter than Price).
- Bet he wants that second Heatley goal back.
- Could say the same for Elliott on Kostopoulos' goal.
- Markov is the General by how he controls the tempo of the game like a certain defensman of Habs yore, but sometimes I fear he thinks way too much when on the powerplay.
- ZOMG AK46 ninja scores: 5 goals, 5 games in a row
- Lang had two assists tonight: more points! Now he leads the team with points (36). So ya, fuck you Mats.
- Kovy in the John Tavares spot on the powerplay: bing!
- Bob Cole is pro-anything else when it comes to games that include the Habs. Sounded like we killed his dog whenever something good from the Habs happened, even wondering why the Habs fans that invaded were OleOleOle-ing in a one-goal game. (Memo to Cole: we Ole anytime). I mean this is the guy who actually said "The goalie stopped it! How come?!" when Price stopped Shane Doan on a sure goal earlier this year. RDS may get all giddy over Latendresse, but they give credit where it's due and are equally excited over any other team's brilliant play.
- Jaro in shootouts is usually more 50/50 than anything in that he just seems to hope they all miss, but good save on Alfie.
- Kovy is the magical beastie. Getting ready for the All Star Game eh?
- I think we should send Fruit Punch to the ASG next year for the skills competition alone. Who'd have thunk it! And it was a different move from the first one too. So that's 2 for 2.

In conclusion: I had chicken stuffed with goat cheese in an apple cranberry sauce, and it was good. This game was also good. Sens wanted a point, and they got one. Habs wanted two and a win, and they got one. Carey come and plaaaaaaaaaaaaaay...!



While I was eating:
- WOOT! Bruins lost to the Caps 2-1
- WOOT! Carolina lost to Buffalo 3-1
- WOOT! Tampa Bay lost to the Panthers 4-3
- WOOT! Price really wants to be in that All-Star Game and might just make it. Hey, I won't stop him. Doing so may depress him as he looked depressed about the idea of maybe missing it. A happy Price makes a happy Canadiens team!
- Um...Atlanta scored 7 goals to crush Nashville who only managed 2? Jaro best be ready if Price doesn't play Tuesday.
- Pens traded Sabu (along with some other things) for Garon. Now they have that ex-Habs goalie curse as a secret weapon for when we play them next. Crap!

Get to the Chawppa! Habs 3, Predators 2

AK46 fears no Predator

Trap hockey is boring and every "weak" Western team does it. (Well, maybe not the Coyotes). Like the Blues, and the Blue Jackets... I mean the Preds were hit by the injury/flu bug as well. Arnott wasn't playing. Weber wasn't playing (I voted for him lots for the ASG). Belak wasn't playing. Bonk was playing though. I'm actually surprised the Phone Booth crowd remembered him enough to boo him. Surprisingly enough Jordin Tootoo was playing even though he was listed with an undisclosed injury. Though he looked a bit in pain when he got bowling balled by Cube. Still, "weak" trap hockey teams usually give the Habs absolute fits, so when you see Carbo clapping at the end then you know he's happy they managed to escape it with 3 goals and 2 points.

Arnie could fight Tootoo...
- Case in point, the Habs had 2 shots on net in the second period and one of them went in.
- Despite that, Habs have a lot of patience.
- AK46 is still on fire and with a powerplay goal no doubt. Beautiful shot. SKILLED shot.
- Josh Gorges: power forward. He may not score goals but his work carrying the puck into the offensive zone and dropping it for Gui! for the opening goal in the dying seconds of the first period is every incentive NOT to trade this man. Hey look, the best defenseman on the team! Leads the team in plus-minus! Doesn't just dump in the puck or turn it over to ever opposition player! Send him in a deal for a sweet return of an overrated wank! (I'm still pissed off at the rumors and will be until the fucking trade deadline is over).
- Fruit Punch thinks he's the Rocket. Nice move, but too bad it didn't connect.
- D'Agostini should sit next game and let Stewart play. The fourth line is more suitable for Stewie anyway.
- Max Pacioretty: I can't stop raving about this kid. He was carrying his line of veterans half the game and doing lots of good work tonight. Never mind the turnover, at least he fights to fix his errors.
- Halak was at his best so far this season. Noticed he's actually absorbing the pucks to eliminate the rebounds. A little wonky with pucks trickling over his legs/glove though but that can be fixed.
- Komisaurus is like Dr.Jekyll-Mr.Hyde: a nice guy who transforms into a beastie when he puts that mouth guard in his mouth.
- Bonk scored the game winner again, by deflecting Markov's shot. Thanks Bonk! Didn't know you were still on the team!
- It was a rather boring game but I think the most excitement I got was when no one could score on the empty net. Kovy's hit a skate. Lang missed. Markov slapped it and missed even though he was right in front. At least it drove the Predators batty.

Conclusion: This team will be evil when Chet Pickard goes pro...

Other things to mention
- Well, Carbo suggested that if Price can't play before the ASG then he shouldn't play in the ASG. That said, the kid went crazy with trying to cure his injuries much to Carbo's delight but with a little worry on the side. Still, I'm sure we can re-vote him in next year but I'm guessing he REALLY wants to go and is probably really disappointed he may have to miss it. Got his new pads and everything.
- Woo Leafs won! Why am I happy? 'Cause they beat the fucking Whalicanes and I hate them. Any points they don't get is good for everyone come playoff time.
- Buins only managed 2 goals against the Islanders with Yann Danis in nets?
- It's FUCKING COLD out.

I'd like some tea: Habs 1, Boston 3

So I missed the only good part of this game which was the first period apparently. I say this because it's how the radio described it as being rather awesome. Of course the minute I saw Chris Lee was on the ice I realized the game would be lost unless some miracle happen. A miracle involving him getting knocked out by a flying puck. But nope, in his usual fashion of closing eyes to infractions he calls weakly on the other team, the second period went to the crapper. Not to mention the miscommunications on two icings that weren't called which inadvertedly had our guys looking around and getting caught flat footed. And I'm tired of hearing the revelation of Tim Thomas... As a goalie, I can say, he's not that good really. He makes maybe 10 actual saves a game while the rest are dealth with by his defense bailing him out or tying up the sticks of players crashing the crease attempting to get the rebounds. In a way...he's like Halak. Especially in the inability to play the puck. He's no different from last year, but it's his defense that have stepped up. Of course all the chances in the world don't matter if no one is finishing. Like Markov. With a golden moment to tie the game, he's taking a nap on a wide open net. And don't tell me Kovy did nothing all game. The second he had the puck, one of the Bostonites pointed at him and he was suddenly surrounded by 3 guys. Pacioretty, however, is continuing his path to awesome. I missed the fight between Chipper and someone. And Gui! was very impressive tonight. Spent a good 30 seconds protecting the puck. The Kostitsyns also continued their two-headed monster play.

Oh, an a powerplay goal. Huzzah.

In conclusion: Ryder didn't score. Nani nani fu fu. And Komisarek saves the empty net!

On another note
I'm looking at the points collected by our various players as we enter the 2nd half of the season. Currently there are THREE players with 32 points (Kovy, Lang, Markov) and TWO players with 26 points (Tanguay and AK46). Not far behind are Koivu (22), Pleky (20), and Sergei (19). And of course two of those guys are on the shelf, so next up is Gui! with 16 points. I like that it's a balance of points across the board, which we saw last year with at least 7 players reaching over the 50 point mark. It's probably safe to say that the team is on pace to match that even spread of points.

Pass the point please

Halfway point, check.

Team is 25-10-6, missing an entire line that no one knows what to do with when they return except wonder if Carbo can roll 5 lines, starting to score on powerplays, continuing to score on even strength, able to score shorthanded, and generally kick much ass. They're a band of brothers with mutual respect for each other and their coaches. Saku and Price will be back soon. Carbo is happy. Bob is happy. The fans are happy. And the boys have shown us their character when faced with adversity, their strength, and a will to win. Plus the kids are more than alright.

The Bulldogs are doing rather well considering we've picked them clean. That guy they got from the bPens, TJ Kemp, has meshed nicely so far. His point shot helps them. Steve Gainey, son of Bob, has managed to score some timely goals. Desharnais is on a 9-game point streak. The studly little forward now has 12 goals and 18 assists with 30 points in 39 games. Loic Lacasse filled in excellently for Cedrick Desjardins and Marc Denis, but Ced's back from his injury now.

I refuse to talk about fucking trade speculations because as you can see from the tone of my text they generally piss me off. A month ago it was McDonagh as the star prospect to trade. Now it's Subban. Thank you World Juniors for uncovering our sweet secret weapon... So, FUCK OFF TSN!

That is all. The rest of the season should be fun. Hello, Boston. Do you have any tea?

Fear the power of Van Moustache: Habs 5 Caps 4

Muller tries to frame Van Massenhoven's moustache

If that Toronto game was more your stuff then you don't know good hockey. The Capitals, in a way, are a similar breed of firewagon hockey as the Tricolore. Only difference is we don't have a crazy high paid Russian. (Markov and Kovy together equal Ovechkin's salary). We've got Belarusians though! (Two Belorussians equal the salary of Semin). Cap numbers are funny. Our three goalies don't even match Theo's salary. Bob's a genius.

Van Moustache's power usually screws up for one goal for or against
- I'm usually the first to cringe and throw Breezer in the trunk of a car, but let's be fair guys. Not only did Van Moustache's power obstruct the man as he made his way from the crowd with the puck, but Semin slashed Breezer prior to stealing said puck to put behind Halak. But as the Van Moustache was too busy getting out of the way, the penalty wasn't seen and the Breezer looked like a fool. But he's a nice guy so no one can really stay angry at him.
- Ovechkin's crazy. But he's a nice kid. Gave Halak a pat on his back after falling over him into the back of his net.
- He is a nice kid, but I was a little shocked to see him trip his own linemate to get the puck...
- Halak was very impressive in the first period, though got a bit shakey in parts. But I noticed he was being more aggressive and coming out of his net more than staying too deep like he usually does. They did say Rollie was doing something with him.
- May Pacioretty never see Hamilton again. I mean, who else can play on that KovyPleks line? NO ONE. Why? Because the brothers Kostitsyn must not be separated from each other or Lang.
- Heh. Komisaurus driveby check kocked Ovechkin and Backstrom into each other. A mighty wind!
- Woah, wait: TWO MORE POWERPLAY GOALS?! Though seriously, if you give Lang that much time to stare you down there's no way he could miss bouncing a puck off your defenseman like Higgins does. If the net was empty, maybe.
- SuperPleky is back with his 3rd shorthanded goal of the season. The man could make a living off those.
- How epic a finish was it to see Sergei shoot da puck and score da goal while being thrown across the ice with only 30 or so odd seconds left?
- And how cute was it to see him mauled by Lang and his brother, and then whoever else was out there, as he lay flat on the ice in victory with that boyish beaming smile of his?

Conclusion: Caps fans may not like it, but this is how the Habs play. You take the lead and they'll do everything to take it back. But even if the Habs had lost I would have called this an absolute blast of a game. A loss would not have disappointed me, save for missing the two points of course. This win also sends Carbo to the ASG. Its interesting because he was never at the ASG as a player despite the awards he received and the very recognized creator of the term "defensive forward". (He was basically Plekanec). Of course, players like him very rarely get tickets to the ASG no matter how many important goals they score or how much they shut down the flashy forwards. It's also interesting, or maybe awkward, as he will be playing the assistant coach to Claude Julien, the man who was fired prior to Carbo taking the helm. Carbo says he's got no problem with that. But I love hearing his boys being thrilled for giving him this honor. This team is tight as a band of brothers.

Get your misconducts on the cheap! Habs 6, Leafs 2

This is Patches' number now!

I don't think I've seen a penalty list this long since Habs games of the mid-80s. Well, what better way to salut the Original Six "rivalry" between the two clubs? Or maybe it's just Burke leaving his stamp. Brad "elbows" May? He's like an old-man Chris Neil. Team toughness? I guess a pileup on every guy who happens to bump someone. By the end of the first, I think the guys just went to the room with a WTF laugh. But the Habs responded. They continued with their hits. They did their fighting. I know Kostopoulos can't fight but he managed to make Carbo laugh. And then there's the petulant child Grabovski, still looking to be punched by Sergei (thwarted again by the refs). Even Bouillon wants to see them throw down.

That second period was about 60 minutes long.

But in the end, disregarding the fact the Canadiens played little under 24 hours ago in a New York potato field and had no morning practice and whatnot, it was absolute ownage.

My brother: Why do the Leafs have the Habs locked into their zone yet seem incapable of scoring?

My reply: Defense works.

Breezer had 3 assists in the first period. Sergei opened the scoring. Toskala went for a walk after Kostopoulos to allow Gui! to score. Lapierre scored. Kovalev on a delayed penalty ninja scored. AK46 scored by actually deflecting a puck. And Pacioretty scored on Cujo.

But probably the biggest shock was 2 more powerplay goals.

And Weber didn't look out of place as a forward. Some poor Leaf actually blocked one of his bullets. Brave man...

I guess the only problem now will be when Koivu returns. Where do we put him? That Patches-Pleky-Kovy line is great. The Lang-Kostitsyns line is great. The Lapierre line is untouchable. I'm guessing the Bulldogs line? Dagger-Koivu-Chipper and put Weber on D?

Bulldogs 6, Rags 3

Wait, oh. There are still some Habs left standing! You know, considering the 1A line is entirely on the shelf, our star goalie is nursing a mysterious lower body injury that he played with while in Florida, and a bus load of kids (though I don't really consider Chipper a kid) are holding the fort... somehow the Canadiens are 23-10-6 with 52 points and now second in the division (or fourth in the East). And it's good to stay there because I'm SICK OF SEEING BOSTON IN THE PLAYOFFS! ARGH! Really, I want to see someone else for a change... Actually if the playoffs started tomorrow, we'd be playing the Rangers. Dunno what to make of that though as I'm seriously starting to think King Henrik Lundqvist really hates playing us.

First period in a snowstorm
I nearly spun my car into a snowbank as The King passed the puck to Pacioretty who then passed the puck to Kovy parked in front of a rather empty net. Thanks, King! Kovy says, "Good pass".

Meanwhile some douche crosschecks Markov behind Halak and some Rag scores. No penalty, but whatever. I say whatever because Hammer cranks it at The King from the center line who pops the puck right at Gui! for a super shot over his shoulder. It's 2-1 and the Rags had the better chances but Halak's got a golden glove. Well, it's better than his rebound control.

The MSG siren sounds like my dryer buzzer and the place has about as much ambience as my late-grandmother's front hall in that old Cote St-Luc highrise appartment of her's. The Rangers chant is rather lame too. Kovy also says the ice is like skating on a potato field.

Second period, Callahan scores but no one seems to really care. The 3rd and 4th line are up to their old tricks. Sergei does a nice open ice hit without his hip. Patches also dumps a Rag into the Habs bench. Andrei, however, fans on a puck that would have been a goal. The second chance he gets his stick explodes.

Penalties finally get called. None for the Habs yet. Yes Lang was HOOKED, the stick was up his fucking armpit. Yes Gomez holds the stick right in front of the ref. Quit looking so bewildered, Renney... Habs finally get two powerplay goals. January's quota is now filled.

Habs get called near the end of the game. First a roughing between Cube and some other guy twice his height. Lang tiptoes around a Staal into the O-zone and roofs one on The King. Game ends with a 6-on-3 for the Rags after they pull that log in nets, still nothing. Some Rag thinks he scores but it was his stick that hit Halak's bottle not the puck. Lang then plucks it from the pileup on his goalie and gets himself a hat that fits on his mass of hair.

That's the 4th hat trick for the Habs. Fuck you, Mats. I like the hairy Czech better. And he DROVE here the day after he got traded. Now that's what I call enthusiasm.

Also Lang totally jumped Kovy on the team points because of that. First Hab to reach 30. (Kovy's on 29).

Halak faced about 38 shots. Warming up for Toronto tomorrow who usually launch a good 40 something. Anyway, he looked better than those last two efforts so I'm really happy for the guy.

And how about Patches? He loses his stick because a Rag stomps on it, but continues his fight along the boards for the puck with his feet! Dear Bob, can we keep him? Please?

Conclusion: A nice team effort tonight. Anyone notice Lundqvist and Breezer look kind of similar?

CANADA GOLD!

NUMBER 5 IS ALIVE!

After 60 minutes of watching Swedish goalie/Panthers prospect Markstrom dive, the boys of Team Canada take the gold with an absolutely inspiring and awesome 5-1 effort, a complete ownage of Team Sweden, and a Tokarski who finally showed what he was made of (ie. the Tokarski we all saw last year in the Memorial Cup). And they didn't even need to smack talk the boys in yellow before the game. Espo with a goal of justice! PK Subban for Prime Minister! (Or at least future captain of the Canadiens).

A beautiful win.

"We came to Ottawa as one team, one nation, and one mission." He's not even 20 yet, but he speaks great words of wisdom.

He usually wears number 6. This year he wore number 5 (relinquished his number in honor of Luc Bourdon). With the Habs, he's currently using 76. Watch this kid. When I see him play, I see a burgeoning Bobby Orr with a mix of Serge Savard.

Umm...? Habs 6 Panthers 5 (SO)

Carbo can't look. THERE'S SOMETHING ON THE WING!

Well, that was an episode of the Twilight Zone. I have absolutely no idea what the fuck happened. I do know that somehow the boys got through it with 2 points.

We should be glad for a win because this could very well be the 06-07 season:
- First game note: I hate 2pm games.
- The second period was apparently very good. It looked very good to me. I missed the whole first period because I was away putting together furniture. The third period would have been good except...
- I know Jaro is struggling right now. I know his teammates know he's struggling right now. They look very nervous in front of him. Right now my brother devised a formula for Jaro efficiency/team happiness: The distance of the puck from Jaro inadvertly describes how good he is/how happy team is.
- The Kostitsyns with Lang is a good pairing. I wish Benoit Brunet would shut the fuck up though. Sergei makes a few errors, but does a lot more good than Breezer on defense and he's not even a defenseman.
- Pacioretty has a natural attractions to head for the net. Wish more people would have that kind of magnetism.
- Kostopoulos finally gets a goal after some hard crease work and has a look on his face like he missed the train.
- Pacioretty says hello to Zed with a CRUSHING check. Love the kid. (Oh, and hello Zed!)
- Gui! is playing very solid hockey right now.
- If Kovy's posts would have been goals he'd be leading the league.
- Lang's ringer went in. It was loud, and it was good.
- Andrei also ringed one in that went in. I think every time Anderson heard the ping and cheer he just died a little inside.
- Chipchura for captain!
- Jaro prays to his posts every morning.
- Some guys in the crowd did the Carey Pose when Lang scored.
- The way Pleky juggles the puck he'd be an excellent basketball player.
- Young refs make weak calls but whatever. At least their mics worked.
- At least we get free wings.

In conclusion: Well take it from Begin, they know they're playing like crap half the time, they know they're making mistakes, and they'll settle down to watch and talk about it and build off it. At least they know what's going on. I'm still lost. At least Guy knows. Guy is smart. But with all the injuries and having an entire key line on the shelf, things could be worse but it's not. So three cheers for who's standing and three cheers for the Bulldogs. I just wished PK Subban were playing with the CH right now...

It's so easy when you're evil: Habs 1, Devils 4

What the fuck is that thing?!

Regardless of the outcome of this game, two things have come to light. Well, maybe 3.

One: Carey Price is the glue that holds the team solid. Komo said he's like a calming influence on everyone when he's back there.

Two: Kovalev is not the problem people think he is. This man has fire, soul, and a drive to win it all. But if just one of his linemates checks out early, then there's not much he can do unless he goes at it alone.

Three: Max Pacioretty is the real deal. Welcome to the team, kid. T-shirts will be made tomorrow. For his first NHL game, to get his first NHL goal, especially against the oddly hot-handed Clemmenson and against the boring New Jersey Defensvils, I salut you. All night his line buzzed and caused fits. Hell Carbo had him out on the PK and the PP!

Conclusion: The outcome of this game meant nothing to me. I'm just so happy for Patches, and equally happy for the Patches-Chipper-Begin line who were probably the best line out there other than KovyPleks.

I also wonder if Weber will make an appearance next game. I mean sitting Breezer won't kill anyone...

Bulldogs report!
I'd like to send my congratulations to Loic Lacasse for winning his first AHL game. Despite a shakey start and being thrown in at the deep end, the game turned around and he turned around as well. Also to Thomas Beauregard and his first two AHL goals scored. Good work kids. Bulldogs beat the Syracuse Crunch 4-3. I managed to catch the end of it right after the Devils game and caught the sound of O'Byrne deep in an after siren line brawl behind Lacasse's net. I hope Rhino can pull himself together with the Bulldogs. We all know they'll take care of him. Good luck, kid.

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So I caught the WJC USA-Slovakia game this afternoon. Team USA can crow all they want about the game against Canada where a player was out too early from a penalty for a goal (hey, he doesn't let himself out of the box so don't look at him), but what I saw was a disjointed team who probably came in thinking it would be an easy game only to come face-to-face with a Slovakian wall who played on his head for his team and country: Jaroslav Janus. Also Team Slovakia had a few very good forwards who looked like they studied the Kovy DVD, and they worked hard together defensively. As a Habs fan though, I appreciated the great work displayed by Danny Kristo. Kristo is a high school hockey leaguer that Habs drafted last time. In this game, like most games, he was used mainly on the penalty kill but everytime he did he had a few short handed chances. Eventually as the game went on and panic hit the coach, he went on more thanks to a few line shuffles. Won some faceoffs, created things, had chances. It didn't amount to anything but he's one of the youngest on the team and one of the guys not asked to do much of anything. His speed is incredible though. As was Ryan McDonagh. He had two tough breaks in the Canada game (stick breaking on a Tavares giveaway, puck bounced off him and into his net). But this guy is a solid defenseman. I was more than surprised to not see him on the ice when they pulled McCollum for an extra man. What was the result of the pulled goalie? A goal for the Slovakian team. Sure the Americans scored one later on a second attempt, but by then it was pretty much over. Both players are young and can still improve, but I'm very satisfied with their abilities right now. It would not shock me to see McD next year in Hamilton. Kristo will come around later though. He's going to college first!