Habs 4, Pens 5 (SO): In dire times...

...we look at the bright side.

They scored 4 goals.

Unfortunately, "One More Beer" Budaj was in nets scaring the shit out of me every time the puck went near him. There's only so much dumb luck one can bank on.

They scored a powerplay goal.

Unfortunately, a complete full team brain fart had them give up a shorthanded goal to Dustin Jeffrey of all people. Blame PK all you want, what the fuck were the rest of the guys doing on the one side of the rink?

Wait, I was supposed to look at the bright side!

Uh...they got a point. McGuire said getting at least a loser point was important. For whatever that's worth.

Adorable and fluffy, but big assholes on the ice.

Habs 5, Islanders 3: Whether deserved or not...

...a win is a win. And Al Montoya helped save Jacques Martin's job once again.

Sigh.

People ask why this team can't hold a 2 goal lead. They wonder why the 3rd period always ends up being a lump sided affair in terms of shots on net for the other team. They wonder why a team that stresses defence can't seem to defend. The answer is simple: they're doing Jacques Martin's favourite Play Without the Puck. You have NO excuse for not getting more than 3 shots on Al Montoya by the time they scored their 3rd to tie it up. (Of course it was 2 goals on 3 shots so...there's that).

Regardless, I would have been extremely pissed if they blew this one. I am pissed they almost did. Yes the Islanders have done better on the road lately after absolutely sucking for most of the season. Yes Moulson had 4 fucking goals against Dallas (though it was Raycroft). They have to stop doing that watching crap with a 1-goal lead. However they did show us they can battle hard through their own problems and overcome an aggressive 3-man forecheck that was killing them every time.

Oh look, 2 games over .500, plan the fucking parade
- Kostitsyn's goal was a lovely piece of effort. All he does is work. He's strong and powerful and having Cole on this team seems to have inspired him to find that AK46 who scored end-to-end rushes while on a line with Pleky and Kovy a few years ago. He wants the puck every time he's out there even when the other team has the puck.
- All I want for Christmaskah is 5 more Erik Coles. His goal was a powerplay goal (shocking I know!) and his rage to win this game coupled by him nearly getting killed by the goal post ignited a fire I've only seen in Carey Price. He was so angry he even put the puck into the net that was already off it's moorings just to start shit.
- And on Cole's goal, Desharnais' passing is so slick and smooth. He pump-faked a shot that stuttered every Islanders player opening the space for Cole to slam it in.
- Apparently Price told Nokie he deserved a goal. And after completely botching PK's pass on Moulson's goal, he made up for it with an assist and the game winning goal. With Eller smartly protecting the puck along the boards, he casually made his way towards the blue line and spotted Nokie coming off the bench who absolutely launched that sucker so hard he scored in stereo. Now I'm just worried he'll be the new forward on the point.
- Hal Gill scored the empty netter. Hal Gill gives you wings.
- PS, fuck Matt Martin. Hate that jerk. Could have broken PK's leg on that shit.

Islanders had no quit in them, and you should hope so considering they're all kids (with the exception of a few). Habs have serious problems to fix (one being NO to Kaberle-Campoli pairing against a top line and another being Emelin should play ON HIS RIGHT SIDE you morons). But the powerplay looks so much better with Kaberle (RC Cola Markov) and a little bit of a will to win came into play. Major bummer though, after taking a therapy day yesterday, Moen left the game early... (Another reason why Emelin should be in the lineup, you know, for that physical edge on the penalty kill and such).

Oh, yea. Kaberle now has 3 assists in 2 games.

Habs 2, Kings 1: Pyjama party

I went to see the Tea Party last night. Their best concert I've seen to date.

I wake up at 8am for no fucking reason.

I play some Skyward Sword.

Then I settle down to watch the Habs at 3:30PM. Perfect lazy Saturday. And nice of the Habs to get the job done in time for dinner!

1 - Carey Price is now 3-0 against the Kings but this was his first time playing them in LA. Thank god he was awake and ready because he had to weather a barrage of 14 shots, including a 5-on-3 penalty kill.

2 - And even though they only had 5 shots in the first, their lone powerplay produced! Imaging that! Andrei Kostitsyn finally on the powerplay, raising hell in front of the net, brings the rebound back to Plekanec who's finally back by the half boards for a goal.

3 - Unfortunately they barely sniffed the general area around Bernier, who was extremely shakey. Again. Habs just love making struggling goalies look awesome by kindly not shooting pucks at them.

4 - Penner Sucks. Kostitsyn Rules.

5 - And your stupid building with weird bounces sucks. Maybe the boards are made of recycled office furniture from a Staples' storeroom. Crazy save by Price though.

6 - I'm thinking Louis wasn't thrilled knowing Mike Richards wasn't playing. But what a play by him. Pounces on a loose puck after a guy falls out of nowhere. Tic. Tac. Goal. The Constant Rookie, because he's always a rookie in every level of play he finds himself in, and yet excels every time. Looks like an NHLer, just needs a bit more muscle which he could hopefully get working on this summer. (Please stay healthy). One of these days Louis will be a permanent fixture on Eller's line. Hopefully with Avtsin, while AK46 goes back with his Pleky.

7 - Or, you know, you can play AK46 on every line. Which is what it looked like tonight. Good for him, though! And good for Martin to put him out there.

8 - I'm always amazed how $300 hockey sticks break like they're made of porcelain.

9 - Instead of benching Weber, he was limited to some spot duty on the 4th line (AK46 took his spot later) and basically just played the powerplay. Still, keep him away from defence for the moment and we're cool.

10 - One of these days, in a game with more than a 1-goal lead, a guy will run Price and will find himself facing one angry cowboy punch.

So basically this is what the San Jose game could have been if they didn't deviate from their assignments for just a few seconds. Meanwhile the Kings are whining over calls they didn't get at the end. Considering they had 6 powerplays to do the job... Maybe they didn't call the stick break by PK because your guy threw his arms in the air screaming bloody murder? And complaining the ref didn't blow the board battle dead was just ridiculous. Puck was still moving.

End of the world, folks. PJ Stock actually likes the "nasty" the Habs are brining to their game. I honestly have no idea what he's talking about because Eller and Emelin throwing hits isn't exactly new.

Andrei Kostitsyn stuns Kings fans with his pretty game winning goal.

Those are some pretty epic faces.

Habs 3, Rags 5: Hey refs, you suck

Question: Instigator penalty? Considering they jumped Blunden for a clean hit? Nothing.

Question: Nokie/Sauer tossed? Still looking for an answer. Tossed for hugging each other on the boards? Is Tim Peel making a statement?

Question: Snow shower penalty? Blame the Red Wings for bitching about it in the playoffs last season. I mean Price gets a snow shower pretty much every game and just shakes it off like whatever. Refs prefer players run goalies?

You can call us paranoid, but when a TSN producer goes on Twitter to basically echo our sentiments I figure we know what we're talking about.

At the very least they didn't give up. Patches scored at "home" once the stupidity settled. Well, no it didn't because another penalty was called right after. Andrei Kostitsyn on the powerplay and guess what guys? HE SCORED A GOAL. Late in the 3rd, Gionta scored from the blueline. I mean they had other chances, like Erik Cole with a ridiculous move hits the fucking post...and Price with a ridiculous pass to Cammy who hits the fucking post. Our snipers need to work on their aim. You know, like Brad Richards does while using a retreating defenceman for a screen.

Other than the stupidity from Tim Peel, only other thing that pissed me off was how they forgot the empty net was there. No idea what PK was doing.

Would have been a tall order to win 5 in a row, but would have been great to get at least a point. They came close. But close only works in brownie points.

Regroup. It's the start of a busy month. Will we maybe see Gremlin play? RDS is already rolling their eyes and chuckling "KHL" when they talk about him. Asshats.

Habs 2, Sens 1: Almost forgot what hockey is...

Well gee I thought the season was over or something. All that fun, then BOOM, Habs are off for a week that felt like a year. Thank god they took a break on a winning streak or this city would have been bedlam.

1 - Ever see a goalie fistbump his defenceman after making two ridiculous saves? I missed Carey and Josh's bromance.

2 - Seriously, this is the 6-game winning streak and the number 1 powerplay in the league Senators? Did every team play their backup and forget about defence? (And I've seen most of their games...just can't remember them much, since I always fell asleep).

3 - A fly flew onto PK's shoulder as he made his way to the penalty box in the 2nd. Just your standard hockey fly.

4 - Sergei Gonchar must hate Anderson. Kept throwing Habs into him and nearly killed him in the 3rd by crosschecking Patches into him.

5 - Coach Walrus vs Coach Eggman. For real.

6 - WHY THE FUCK ISN'T KOSTITSYN ON THE POWERPLAY?!

7 - Erik Goal finishes, Cammy serves, Desharnais sets it all up down low. And that is a DD points streak too! (Four games, 1 goal, 4 assists).

8 - Lars Eller earning that EuroStaal nickname. YES POTVIN, HE'S EUROSTAAL SO FUCK YOU! Sick and unselfish heads up play for Kostitsyn's game winning goal. Made Karlsson look silly. And of course, what's an AK46 goal without him celebrating it on his ass.

9 - Kostitsyn nudging Nokie on the bench, laughing and smiling. I loves a happy Kostitsyn.

10 - That third period was unnecessary. Did no one have "Sens score all their goals in the 3rd" written down or what? Seriously, Habs will give me a brain aneurysm one day.

And Erik Goal waters Carey Price at the end. I love my happy Habs.

No clue why the Sens are wearing the old Sens "O" sweater. That's like the new Jets wearing old Jets sweaters.... Are you guys going to claim their Stanley Cups now too?

Four in a row! Might be a tall order to make it 5 tomorrow in New York but I hear MSG actually has proper ice now. Supposedly.

Habs 1, Lames 4 - Usual stinky home opener

This could be our Habs right now.

The Intro
- Fairly standard. Players come out to their names, everyone cheers. What were people expecting? Players propelling down from the rafters?

The First Period
- The Good: AK46 scores off a Patches "I TOTALLY MEANT TO MISS FOR THE REBOUND OFF THE BACKBOARDS" shot barely 2 minutes in the game. Patches also adds Kostopoulos to his "I hit ex-Habs real hard" list.
- The Bad: A bullshit penalty on Darche screws everything up. Then the Captain takes 2 in a row and it's all downhill from there.
- The Ugly: Wow guys, stand around stationary some more. I don't think you could help any less. Also see turnovers, you're causing them, and they're scoring uncontested from them.

The Second Period
- The Good: Lars Eller's first game back from shoulder surgery and he's the only one with a hint of care that played last year. Also the shoulder is good according to some hits.
- The Bad: While Calgary finally gets called for penalties, Habs give up 2 shorthanded chances.
- The Ugly: Price makes a save off the collarbone that stings him, he has to scramble to take care of 2 more saves, a third goes in and...his teammates didn't move a muscle to help.

The Third Period
- The Good: That 2nd wave powerplay unit with the Swiss Misters on the blueline, DD, AK46 and I don't remember who else was the better unit.
- The Bad: Almost scoring isn't scoring.
- The Ugly: Team just wanted out of this game. Price was just hoping they would leave him the fuck alone. Way to rally and help him get that 100th win boys!

Conclusion: Blarg.
Brownie Points: Eller!
Sad Panda: Game lacked some serious Cammy, who looked so sad. And no that tie didn't hide your sadness enough.
New Goal Song? WHAT IS IT?!
Babies? Hal Gill's wife had a boy last night so give the man a break. Also congrats!
Ouch: Ryan White had successful sport hernia surgery (tabernacle). Markov was in Florida seeing Doctor McKnee.
WTF of the Night: RDS seems ready to trade Cole back to Carolina. After 3 games.
Panic at HI/O: The usual angry troll stuff.
Silver Lining: No one got hurt, unless you count their pride.

Total: Stinkiest of their usual stinky-since-lockout home openers. Probably because it was against the Calgary Lames, of whom they're always stinky against. Also their GM threatened their jobs. After two games. Probably to cover his ass when he should have bit the bullet and tanked that fucker to various high draft picks last season when he had the chance instead of laughing at Edmonton. Also fuck you Tanguay. You never played like that when you were here, backchecking and stuff, and I'm talking before Artyukhin used you for a dishrag. Fuck off back to your stupid team.

Pre-season Game 1: Get yer ya-yas out

Oh glorious hockey! How good it is to see you!

Sure the gumby-legged tentative display wasn't exactly what we were hoping to see, but it's pre-season. None of these guys have played against another team since Nathan Horton's fugly face was front and center on our screen. (And if you do the "ya but" crap, please note that most of the Stars players did play in that silly rookie tournament thing). However I must congratulate the crowd: they were chill. It was refreshing. They even cheered the team politely at the end and were rocking the house when the team started waking up. This is encouraging! Perhaps they finally understood what PRE-SEASON is?

Naturally in the first wonky game it's a little difficult to make evaluations on the players considering they're rusty and aren't really up to game speed. To me, I look at how one progresses during the course of the game, especially the rookies or newly imported European players. If they show a gradual improvement, then they'll be fine. Players like Palushaj got going gradually into the 3rd after a very wary and tentative start. (He literally looked terrified at the start). Players like Massé, however, did little throughout the game to improve their position on the team and will most likely head down to Wheeling eventually.

So how about some pre-season bullet points!
- I'm very proud this crowd has finally understood what a "moment of silence" means. You could hear a pin drop during the reflections on the terrible events of this past offseason.
- RDS in fine form: starting early with their Mickey Ribs lovefest. Thank god we only see these guys once a year, and thank god it's in February.
- And yea whatever Mickey Ribs, you look fantastic going through a bunch of rusty rookies.
- Yannick Weber was the best defenceman on the ice, with the most minutes on the team and the only one (other than Tinordi) who was a plus.
- Pre-season taught this team in the 2nd that yes there was indeed a whole new world on the other side of the other blue line!
- And shoot high on Raycroft. Instant goals.
- Also pre-season taught everyone that this team still sucks at faceoffs.
- Erik Cole gets the first goal. (Hit the crossbar just before). So nice to see him victimize goaltenders for OUR team instead of victimizing our goalies...
- Andrei Kostitsyn was a beast. He showed that when he is The Man on his line he can do wonderful things. It was wonderful to see him protect the puck for long stretches of play and using nearly the entire rink to do so while having at least two guys on his back trying to get the puck, even after he circled their zone a few times and had it pushed offside he never let up. Had a killer goal that knocked the water bottle off. (Assisted by Price!)
- Woywitka was insanely happy to score a goal. Still needs work on the rest of his game but he'll make a fine injury call up.
- Defense is not throwing yourself into your goal crease and interfering with your goalie, but I'm sure you'll stop doing that right?
- Brock Trotter was the best non-starter forward but needs linemates that can follow his speed and skill. Crowd went wooooo on his spin-o-rama.
- Brock Trotter's pretty face still hasn't changed either.
- Ian Schultz made a few British fans happy. After all, they came for the fights.
- Yemelin looked good! And sent a guy cartwheeling.
- Diaz's shot is excellent. I do believe he'll be hard at work in Hamilton and will be looking at those points records PK and Weber set up.
- Poor Hal Gill was the baby sitter tonight.
- Pleky's skills are so underrated.
- Our Swiss Misters are fantastic young players with plenty of upside.
- Oh and please, Raphael Diaz, keep talking. I love the way you speak.

Tomorrow Team B takes on the Sabres. Looking forward to see how Jorje is, and how Dumont will take the bright lights of the Bell Centre. He loves that stuff.

I missed you, hockey. I really did.

Habs 3, Thrashers 1 Bullshit Goal: Rrrrrrrroll up the rim to win

Finally.

Apparently Benoit Pouliot won a doughnut when he rolled up the rim of his Tim Horton's coffee. The players put it on the board for the guy who broke the drought. The puck walks through Pavelec and sits in the blue paint. Scramble. Cammy actually HITS the post. Hamr smacks it in.

Enjoy that doughnut, Hamr.

Eleven seconds later, Darche scores. Maybe he'll get some Timbits.

This should have been a shutout. Frankly it should have an asterix on it. Brutal officiating on a high stick on Hal Gill with all four guys looking at the play. It was the fucking PUCK CARRIER! Also, it's HAL FUCKING GILL!!! You call a bullshit dive on PK when he was spun like a top with a stick wrapped around his waist but you all stand mum on that?! Disgusting. They even had a long conversation amongst themselves over it.

Lucky AK46 got the empty netter. (Solid effort for it, shot a perfect shot from his blue line). Shit would have flown onto the ice, last game or not, McReally. Yea the team is classy enough to shake your hand, but the crowd would have eaten you alive at center ice if that bullshit goal was the key to losing this game. Especially with how well the Habs were playing once they broke the ice.

Only issue... Hello coaching staff? What the fuck are you doing with the power play? PK paired with Wiz = GOALS. Stop with the stupidity and watch the video. Pretty much every goal on the PP that involves either PK or Wiz, they were paired together. Stop trying to sabotage your team already. PK's powerplay ice time was ridiculously low, and I swear he was paired with Mara.

Someone needs to stop pissing in Evander Kane's cereal.

This game may have had a doughnut on the line, but Carey Price should get a dozen. The Thrashers would have had a 3-0 lead in the first five minutes if not for him...

Habs 3, Bolts 2 (SO): Rrrrroll up those socks to win

"Well the Bulldogs played pretty good," giggled Price.

Pretty good was an understatement. The raw, troll-like skating of Aaron Palushaj with his wild hair poking out from under his helmet was quite the sight tonight. Think he was excited? Fact is, the kids were alright. The vets...could have been better. But considering Cammalleri's out there on one leg, hey give the guy a break. No, not a real break. Last thing we need is more broken bones.

Tonight, Habs/Bulldogs played their hearts out with 9 important top tier regulars out...and it almost all came crashing down thanks to Benoit Pouliot being a jerk. Lucky for him they got the win. Shitty thing is they gave up a point to a team they were trying to catch.

Guy Boucher refers to Carey Price as a "brick wall"
- Happy 1300th game for Roman Hamrlik! Now go out and play 30 minutes.
- AK46 is two goals away from 20. Suck it, haters.
- Gionta's shorthanded goal is the bazillionth allowed by the Tampa Bay Lightning this year. Baroo?
- Why even bother reviewing a goal when the goalie was first pushed over and into the net by Stamkos? Oh right, the rules don't apply to superstars.
- Unless you're Lecavalier, who lost his fucking mind and two-hand smacked Subban on the hip real hard with his stick. Got 10 and a game. Ciao, bai!
- We wanted Gomez to shoot more but not really kill Roloson......
- As they say: NIGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWES!
- Carey Price laughs at your spinorama, St Louis.
- Stamkos is o-for-7 in shootouts. Yes you read that right. No wonder Coach keeps using Adam Hall.
- None of the Canadiens shooters were over 6-feet tall.
- Teddy Purcell failed at the Linus Omark move.

Off to the Monosodium glutamate centre.

Habs 2, Caps 4: Losing more than just a game...

Explanations in a 5-point plan:

1. I hate it when some big time event happens at the Bell Center because the boards are always out of whack when reset. Case in point, the first goal. Assisted by the boards and some cow dung. Why the hell would you do Bull Riding at the Bell Center anyway? Use the damn Olympic Stadium for that like the Monster Truck rally. God knows no one else is using that accursed building now anyway.

2. This young Caps fan has more brains than Bruce Boudreau.


Oh and as exemplified on Brooks Laich's goal, Hal Gill would have just let the guy blow right by him. (I still love you Hal).

3. Stop getting hurt! The Numbers Line lost 2/3 of it's numbers! Halpern and Pleky left the game with the dreaded "lower body injury", marooning Cammy at center ice (who nearly scored...into his own net) and forcing me to call the White-Eller-Kostitsyn line "The Only Line". This was after Wiz got hurt, but came back. Organization is at it's final straw... Don't be surprised if we poach the last of the Bulldogs. I'd say Engqvist and Palushaj, you're the next contestant on Patch Up That Roster! Bulldogs will start hiring forwards soon, so if you're in the Hamilton area call 1-800-NOT-HURT and put your name down.

4. MVP chants for Carey Price! All while McIdiot was McSplooging over Holtby who I think made a whole 5 saves all game and doesn't stickhandle like Brodeur. (Scott Hannan had a higher save percentage than him). Jesus Price, however, can only walk on water so much and a full blown miracle, complete with burning bush, will be needed to save this team if the injuries continue. Or if the coach keeps over-playing Roman "IHaveNoIdeaHowToTakeThePassInA2-on-1" Hamrlik. Or if Dominic Moore suddenly shows up at our doorstep again.

5. It's sad the NHL Wheel of Justice website gave Chara a tougher suspension than the actual NHL Wheel of Justice.

Habs 4, Panthers 0: On the same page

The radio "controversy" du jour was that Cammy was overly vocal over some defensive strategies in yesterday's practice where the team was basically talking communication. No surprise. I totally understand how he feels. He's the kind of guy that demands more than what the team gave on Tuesday in Atlanta where they basically sat back and let Price deal with the rest (though he'll never admit to it, ever). Everyone saw Cammy was not a happy man with how that game went. Happy for the points and the win, yes, but not satisfied. He demands satisfaction.

So good on the Panthers to comply and give the Habs another practice run. And the result? Price gets his 7th shutout of the year and 30th win with goals by Gill, Kostitsyn, Desharnais and Eller. Yes, Hal Gill has the game winning goal on his first goal of the year. Of course you wouldn't know this if you were perusing the web dailies for info, as it's a footnote buried behind THE GREAT PLAY OF JAMES "I SIT ON MY GOAL LINE AND CURRENTLY ON PATH TO BE THE NEXT MICHAEL LEIGHTON" REIMER HOLY MACKINAW!!! Or Penner playing in his first game as a King. Whoopee.

The win keeps the pace in the standings steady. Someone tell me what the fuck is wrong with the fucking Rangers please? Maybe they need a Cammy-like rant from one of their players in practice...

Here's something Melnick will probably bring up and start ranting about the lack of a knuckledragging tough guy like he's been doing since that freak Bruins game that apparently bruised his honour. Hordichuk hit Cammy and waited for someone to fight him. What Darcy didn't realize was that the Habs were a little busy, you know, playing hockey and dealing with two Panthers with the puck that came near their net. Even Cammy got up, saw the sequence and decided more to deal with the task at hand rather than some little revenge. Because taking a stupid fighting penalty there would have only given the Panthers a smidgen of energy which the Habs were busy crushing. All. Night. Long.

They were also busy crushing Patches' balls with the puck.
Ow.

But he went right back out there to the front of the net right after.
That's ballsy.

Habs 4, Whalercanes 3: PUPPIES AND RAINBOWS

And CBC is in mourning. Especially after this ridiculous article. They even got a Hamlet quote! And the "Big Grabovski? Vomit. Only thing big is his ego. I mean they quickly switch to the 5-5 game between the Leafs and Pens mere SECONDS after the guys went to give Auld a big victory hug. There's a good chunk of time left in the 3rd and they're already salivating at the two points the Leafs will get even though they didn't win yet and didn't win in the end anyway (Hi Kovy!).

Makes me ill. Have we all not learned the pattern? Hi, I'm the Leafs! I plan the parade in October, suck balls for most of the season, then win a bunch near the end and cause my delusional fanbase to dream of playoffs that'll most likely never come.

Even when they're not playing something about the Leafs has to be said for no reason other than shoving them further down our throats. This is why most of Canada HATES them.

And we hate the diving Whalercanes just as much:
- While at the Bulldogs game, we glanced at the scoreboard and saw Carolina beating the Penguins. My brother growled that he wished someone would take out EStaal, give him a taste of his own medicine because he's a "diving whiny cheapshot puke" (actual quote!). Well no one took him out but he managed to run into Niskanen and take himself out, so thank my brother for this one. He HATES EStaal very, very much.
- Sopel looking snazzy in a Habs jersey. Probably his best fit since his Blackhawks suit.
- Price in a warm tuque with a towel for a scarf looking mighty green by the bench. I was hoping he'd leave Gargamel a present on his shoe. (Looked even worse when he went out on the ice to congratulate everyone. OK back to bed for you, kid).
- It was "roll up those socks and win" day. Sure Auld isn't Price, but that doesn't prevent them from scoring goals so SCORE.
- And they kill off a 4 minute powerplay to start off the game. It was awesome.
- The goal given up right after, not so much. Auld, please don't play the puck if you're going to do that...
- But Cammy is scoring again! The Number Line of 13-14-15 is surprisingly very effective.
- Rejoice! For Eller finally has a winger! That goal was courtesy of AK46. Signed, sealed, and delivered.
- No matter what happened, RDS' camera was constantly fixed on Jerome Samson. They probably followed him to the airport after the game with a full report and video.
- So like what rock did Cory Stillman crawl out from under?
- Awesome goal by Pleky for his 20th though Cam Ward might want that one back. He's an All Star!
- It took PK getting spun like a top in full grapple mode by Skinner to get a fucking penalty call.
- And of course with the puck totally loose next to Ward they give them a quick whistle right when Gionta buries it. McReally.
- I'm sure they were trying to find a way to call back Andrei's awesome tip right after too.
- Pleky was apparently allergic to empty nets today.
- PK saves the game and Hal Gill desperately flings the puck down the ice to the empty net only to hit the post. Auld was dying of laughter.
- In your grumpy face, Maurice.

Watching hockey with my puppy is the best. He loves watching hockey. Keeps him nice and quiet until he starts barking at the TV 'cause he wants the puck.

Random awesome tweet of the night:
@DaveLozo Hello. My name is Al Montoya. I'm off my angle. Prepare to score.

Freaks 3, No-Names 2: Pucking superb

Yes they shit the bed against the Sabres, and previously the Islanders (but considering the Islanders have lambasted a few teams right around that time, losing in a shootout isn't so bad).

Yes they were on the Moon in Edmonton 'cause lord knows it's probably better, comfier, and warmer than Edmonton.

And yes they pissed off their entire fanbase by not showing up in an outdoor pond hockey contest where the old timers put on a better show on worse ice.

However like they always do when you least expect them to, they walk into Vancouver with half the world preparing for a slaughter, and the cocky Canuckians licking their lips at the thought, only to score two in the first to walk out with a 3-2 victory in a place they haven't won in 10 years. I'm just happy they didn't embarrass poor Carey in front of his family again. Yea they gave up two powerplay goals, and could have easily killed them if Hamr was facing the right way or if they didn't allow that much space for the point man to shoot but whatever. It was a solid team win. And we finally saw Pouliot benched for gross stupidity!

On notice:
- For the record, I had a really good feeling about this one. I believed they would bring it. So glad I wasn't left tired and disappointed.
- No names on the jersey, while retro, is now annoying.
- Finally West Coast Habs fans can cheer them live and happily.
- Those two early goals were scored by the smallest men on the ice. Desharnais was siiiiiiiiiiick.
- For very big men, the Canucks sure fall down easily. (What a bunch of divers).
- Classic AK46 goal ends with classic AK46 victory: flat on his back with his limbs in the air.
- I have more gray hairs thanks to Roman Hamrlik. You're killing me, man...
- Hal Gill's reach to preserve the lead right near the end, get an icing call, and propose marriage to me through the TV (I won't tell your wife *wink*!)
- Could have done without the many views of Alain Vigneault gnawing his gum and staring incredulously in various directions, usually at refs even though they got away with pretty much everything.
- Simon Pegg was there. His first NHL game. He was left in awe from the skill and called it pucking superb. Sadly he was watching with Tom Cruise.
- No walls were punched this year.
- In case you haven't noticed, I really hate the Canucks...

Price has 6 shutouts and 28 wins, but this was the only game puck he wanted. Mara got it for him. He was also the first star.

Come on home, boys. Yes it's 2-out-of-6 points but you kept pace with those behind you anyway. And you're clear for drinking 'til 2am if this is the result it brings. (I could have sworn Guy Lafleur played better hung over anyway). Maybe they'll get thrown off the plane like the Russian World Juniors?

Nicholas Courtney 1929-2011

Sadly, Nicholas Courtney, better known as our beloved UNIT leader Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, died today at 81. He was THE man. Deadpan in the face of many alien invasions and just once wished they weren't all immune to bullets, he was the Doctor's best friend. His voice was like silk. There was just something superbly charming about him...even when he put on the eye patch to be Evil Brigadier in an alternate universe. When you play a character that long, you pretty much become that character. I will miss you, Brigadier.

Habs 7, Sens 1: Stomping grounds

Yup.

I feel for the Sens.

OK no I don't. I have no pity, no sympathy for them. We've got a team reconstructed by Hamilton Bulldogs. They have a team form fitted with BingySens. We're missing way too many key guys. They're missing Giggles Spezza and didn't realize how bad Gonchar or Kovalev are these days. We got a boring coach who's players want to be exciting but have to wait for opportunities. They got a coach who just wants them to be aggressive and play hard and they don't seem to care to do that. We've got a damn good goalie. They got some pretty good backups playing like they think they're good but really aren't. Our GM is a mysterious ghost who somehow finds players no one thinks can play key roles in this team's success and end up surprising everyone. Their GM is Sylvester the Cat who created a monster and really needs to pay for it.

Our team scored 7 goals on them. They scored 1. Don't care they got mauled by the Flyers yesterday, everyone gets mauled by the Flyers. Pacioretty got shot by Wisniewski and still played, earning a goal and assist and 5 shots on net which was #2 on the team under Pleky's 6 shots. They got guys playing hurt and seem incapable to really suck it up. Hell, Stephane Auger and Chris Fucking Lee were officiating the game tonight. They actually were outshooting the Habs early too.

Great game to introduce Engqvist to the NHL with. He was solid, won most of his faceoffs, and got a taste of the noise from a home game despite being away from home.

Like their big brothers, the Hamilton Bulldogs beached the Whale 7-3 so thankfully they're still doing OK even though we've pillaged and plundered them of many key players.

Tomorrow, Saku comes home. There will be tears. But mostly there will be an ovation. And if you boo him, I will cut you.

Habs 5, Flames 4 (OT): Crisis averted

I'm not sure if this is for the Habs or the Flames right now...

Lars Eller had a great game tonight. Perhaps his wife heard Tony Marinaro's daily snide and finally alerted him on the subject? Or perhaps the young man was finally at peace on a stable, offensive line with the team's best two-way centerman (and perfect role model for the Great Dane) and a somewhat healthy Mike Cammalleri. Eller opened the scoring for the Habs tonight, using his long stick to snap in the small rebound while falling to the side around Kipper. It was fantastic to see, and would be my play of the day if I were in charge of such things. He also showed us tremendous defensive awareness, screaming back to break up a play by the Flames. I feel like I'm watching a giant, budding Tomas Plekanec.

PK Subban and Andrei Kostitsyn had their own great games tonight. Building off the new energy he's receiving by Halpern's side and showing his fairly exemplary and underrated defensive awareness, the AK46 sprung to life and was one of the few forwards pushing hard on the Flames. In the end he was rewarded with a wicked goal that most claim Kipper would love to have back, but give him credit for shooting it! Benoit Brunet was saying how he was sure he would just dump it in and change. (Brunet was rather ornery tonight, even before the collapse). PK Subban was the best defenceman on the ice. As unfortunate Gorges' injury is, it forced the team to put PK back with an ol' faithful like Hal Gill where he's able to stabilize his play, ending the night with the game winning goal, an assist, +1, and lead ALL defencemen in ice time which included a shared lead in shorthanded time with his buddy Gill. They're destined for buddy cop movie or two.

I'm not going to harp on the meltdown because it's blue monday, the most depressing day of the year. We already know the story. It was like the 3rd period on Saturday. And I can't really fault Auld either because it was just a disaster in the defensive zone (also known as Hamr and Spacek and a flu-bugged Wisniewski which also kind of killed the powerplay). Auld is our Michael Leighton in that he's large enough to get in the way of a save (couple of posts) but the guys have to lock down and clear the rebounds (also known as standard play when the backup is in nets). They didn't after Kipper was pulled, and Flames capitalized. Change our own goalie to calm the back end, and went for the OT win.

He made four huge saves in relief, but Price picked up his League leading 23rd win. (Hey, he picked up many Ls in relief of Jaro for the past 2 years). He's only one behind his rookie season record right now with about the same save percentage/GAA. The youngest of the League leaders. Should have left his Heritage tuque on over his mask.

Prior to the game, Cammy proclaimed that he believes this team is sneaky good and believes despite not playing their best and with not much expected of them that they're optimistic to have a good second half because they feel they can squeak out these wins. They may not be pretty, they may have you reaching for the Advil, but a win is a win is a win no matter which way you put it.

Habs 3, Rags 2: I am Kostitsyn, hear me roar

Didn't know Ron Hextall played for the Rangers. But I digress.

I think I need to talk about Andrei Kostitsyn...

People say he doesn't care, or doesn't show that he cares. This is so wrong you have no idea. You know why you don't see it? Because you're not looking. All you hear is the misguided hate by the media poured onto the airwaves at this guy by bitter local media types who are pissed he was drafted instead of whatever local dude that may or may not have turned out as well as they have. Say something enough and people will start believing it. You watch, but your vision is clouded by the "facts" drummed into your head. You don't see a guy trying hard. You don't see him hitting and backchecking even though his game is 100% offense. Kostitsyn isn't here to play defence, and if Jacques Martin wants a team built entirely with Tom Kostopouloses well he's not going to get many wins... In a game not long ago, Andrei was parked at the net, ready for a tip in and the puck skipped over his stick into the corner missing a wide open cage. On the replay you can clearly see Andrei glower towards the puck, swearing as he tries to quickly retrieve it. He's frustrated big time that the pucks aren't going in. Simple sneaky plays of him pouncing on rebounds are just going wide. Missing instead of scoring. And for a guy who just wants to score goals, it's really pissing him off. (Ironic that if JMart wanted a Kostitsyn with a complete two-way game, he should have given Sergei more credit).

Tonight's game winning goal was vintage Kostitsyn. And I only hope it's one of many more to come now that he's THE designated shooter on a line with two guys who will do everything they can to make room for him. And maybe people can stop trying to trade him to Columbus for Jacub Voracek.

My nerdiness exposed

Absorption and magnification?! Just what are you insinuating?

So my hopes in seeing a coureur de bois type hero with a magic canoe and exploding poutine ultimately becomes the bastard child of Iron Man, Cobra Commander, and Deadpool. The artist in me loathes these generic cookie-cutter heroes and their stolen awkward poses don't make it any better...

Either way, there is only one Guardian for the Canadiens and his name is Carey Price.

Habs 5, Islanders 3: Boom.

That game was exhausting to watch even though I was busy eating my green curry chicken (yum!) or sitting on my comfy sofa (it's very comfy).

The other day, Pierre McGuire was a little ornery at how happy everyone in and around the team were. Happy is an understatement as they were downright giddy after the overtime win against Phoenix. I mean they had DOUGHNUTS available for the press and Jacques Martin was cracking jokes! Yet Debbie Downers seem to be everywhere. I mean I still hear people bitching about the Halak trade (STFUUUUU Eller is awesome and Pleky is more important than Halak). Despite the giddy happy attitude, the guys are totally grounded. They're happy and having fun, yes, and they're winning BUT they know it's still early in the year and that they're not exactly perfect.

Exhibit A: Cover those point shots. All three Islanders goals were deflections through multi-screens because no one was clearing the enemy from Price's sight and no one was really covering the point all that well save for a few (like Pleky, who was pretty awesome defensively). I mean that first goal against would have never happened if Gio didn't totally flub his deflection and actually hounded the puck instead of opting to back up and fall asleep. Gill and Gorges forgot Tavares and weren't really in a good position to block anything except Price's view so they didn't help on the second goal while no one was really bugging the pointman. And Eller tried to take care of the pointman on the bouncy third goal by taking it to the ice but he couldn't get up and back at him in time to do anything about the shot. Hopefully they'll take note of this and fix it for Friday's part 2 of this mini-series.

Also don't take too many penalties against this team please. They don't even have Streit but if Wisniewski's got carte blanche to fire at will from the point...

I wonder if we'll see Rick DiPietro in nets Friday. Yes! He's still alive!