Habs 2, Sens 1: Little help from not-friends

Sens coach Paul MacLean is not pleased.

The NHL is a joke league with bush league officiating.

From calling "boarding" on Gorges as he went for an icing and got there first and got hit, to the "diving" penalty call on Cube when he had the fucking stick between his legs, to the "goalie interference" call on Silfverberg that recalled what should have been the game tying goal... Hell even Price was shocked that was called back.

You're one year too late in repaying us for all the shit you pulled last season, refs.

Brian Pochmara has outdone Chris Lee
- CBC now has Karlsson Cam! Oh and there was a game going on somewhere behind that.
- Guimauve had the "flu".
- Meanwhile, Pacioretty had his appendix removed through his navel and the only thing that pissed him off about it was that it gave him an outie. (Yes, the less invasive surgery takes less time to heal from. It's not like they sliced him open and stapled him back together).
- Welcome back assist too!
- Erik Cole backhander! PK has two assists now.
- If the Habs would stop shooting for the moon, it wouldn't have been this close...
- And Bourque borked the post.
- Chris Neil needs a punch to the face. Or a puck. I don't really care.
- And in the department of bad reffing, there's bad offsides! The Sens had three non-call GROSSLY offside attacks, while the Habs were called back on one that was onside. And Pleky was going to kill that linesman.
- Also probably the same douche who keeps throwing him out of the faceoff circle.
- I daresay we may finally have a coach who can talk to the refs about their shit officiating.
- Ref even gets in the way of breakaways.
- I name thee Galchenkov.
- Watching Prust kill the clock near the end there was great.
- Could have used a few curlers to get that empty net. Damn you friction!
- PJ Stock: "The small guys are able to make themselves small". WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!
- Kevin Weekes was attempting to explain things to PJ Stock. Next time I suggest bringing crayons. Maybe puppets. Lego would work too.
- Can't believe CBC gave Karlsson one of the 3 stars. He had no points and was a -1. Maybe it was for the 5 montages they made for him.
- Glad I didn't watch this on Sportsnet with the condescending Denis Potvin whine. It's not a fine vintage.

Habs have an insane record on Super Bowl weekend. Right now, looks like the Harbaugh with the Habs gloves on is winning.

(Note: He won).

Habs 4, Leafs 1: It's all over

I'd say this photo basically sums up my reaction to the Habs season.

We have 1 rule.

No matter how the season went. No matter how much it has generally sucked. No matter if your team is playing a meaningless game. No matter if a loss will help push the draft lottery slightly in your favour. The one rule is just beat the Leafs.

And oh how the delusionally mighty have fallen. This is why you don't plan parades in October, Leafs.

Remember when they said Erik Cole would be the worst free agent signing, and that Tim Connolly would be the godsend center the Leafs were looking for? Yea. Cole's got 35 goals and still dropped down to block a shot in a nothing game with 6 minutes left while up 3-1.

Not only are the Leafs bad, but they gave up a 5-on-3 shorthanded goal. By the way, that 5-on-3 was being killed by Pleky, Campoli, and St-Denis.

They pulled Scrivens with 3 minutes left and Brad Staubitz bowled it home 200ft. He only scores probably a goal a year, but it always seems to be the LAST game of the year. And he was mauled by the bench.

Once the game was done, the staff, team, and injured players went to center ice. The amount of players in suits was quite astonishing...and a big reason why this team ended up where it did. Some will say injuries are a lame excuse. Frankly, when that many key players are down? Why is it only OK for the Islanders to use that excuse? But Carey Price with his cowboy hat on was a wonderful sight.

There's not much else to say, really. I miss the Habs already...

Is it October yet?

Habs 5, Bolts 2: No storylines for you!

That's right, Stamkos. Go and get your 60 goals elsewhere! Instead we have better storylines.

Like Gabby Dumont showing why he's our new little annoying gnat.

Like Erik Cole scoring, and scoring some more.

Like Max Pacioretty following Cole's model and giving us free wings.

Like PK Subban having fun AND preventing Stamkos from scoring.

Like Pleky showing he can slip into Desharnais' spot and the line will still produce.

Like Emelin's timely pinch for his 3rd goal of the year.

Like Budaj's two assists! OK well one was to Lecavalier...

That's right. NONE SHALL TANK! I mean, we're already in the tank. I'm thankful they're showing us they're still playing like they care.

Of course it helps when Yzerman unearthed Sebastien Caron from Craigslist. And the fact the Lightning were trying too hard to get the puck to Stamkos. All they were missing were arrows and neon signs.

Habs 2, Panthers 3 (SO): Yo

Really. What is it with this team and not being able to really give much of a damn to beat the fucking Florida Panthers? Or Scott fucking Clemmensen? I probably wouldn't be so pissed off with this loss if the god damn stupid blind linesman saw Sean Bergenheim was two-feet offside before Samuelsson sent a shot through Blunden and tied it up. Then again the linesman wasn't even in position. Either DO your fucking job or get off the fucking ice.

And yet somehow these guys are able to see offsides at fullspeed or with pucks flying through the air...

It was the Carey Price show for most of the game. Rinse, repeat. His record against the Panthers is considered a losing one but his stats against them is beyond insane. Games like this, usually 2-1 losses, or getting shut out. It's frankly criminal.

Much like it's criminal for Erik Cole to get his 31st goal...and no playoffs. Again.

Anyway, at least we had THIS. Steady Freddy with an incredible pass to Louis Leblanc, creating a 3-on-0. You can't deny the fact that when Louis scores goals, despite being a yo-yo rookie, he sure scores them pretty.

So apparently the Leafs lost today and were officially eliminated. Getting shutout by the Canes at home sent them tumbling down to 14th. Habs wave and say "'Sup".

Habs 3, Sens 2 (SO): High Five!

Well this was entertaining. Maybe because there was no Ca-Ka to ruin it. I mean, congrats to Kaberle on the birth of his first child. Please take all the time you want to be with your family in this joyous occasion. And Campoli wasn't too much of a fail threat until he had Game 7 flashbacks in OT...

The highlight of the night was Erik Cole giving the ref a high five after he scored. His explanation: dude was the only one there.

Winning is more fun than tanking

- Habs celebrated Koivu's 1000th game on the scoreboard.

- Lovely cheers for Markov's first shift.

- Everyone bitching that DD/Cole/Patches are the only goal scorers. If Bourque would stop fanning, or missing, or just floating around MAYBE they'd have more contribution from the other lines?

- Ironic though since the assists on Cole's goal were Palushaj and Nokie.

- Karlsson is good and whatever, but if I could only have one of him or PK I'd rather have PK.

- Should have let him and Eller fight. That would have been as hilarious as Markov and Spezza's fight a few years ago.

- Kyle Turris pisses me off. Little brat. If he were Russian how would his antics back in Phoenix have been perceived?

- Price doesn't need to be 6'7" to be awesome.

- And he was poking Chris Neil in the ass with his stick.

- AMAZING penalty kill in the 2nd period. Gorges also hit 200 blocked shots during it.

- Post-it Note Desharnais anyone?

- Pleky had the game on his stick but hit the post.

- Desharnais is our best shootout guy. This too is not surprising.

- Price is the first to stop Alfie in a shootout this year. And what a pokecheck on Michalek! Melanson would have been pissed.

One home down. On to the next home.

Habs 2, Sabres 3: Perseverance

Understanding the ridiculous travel the team went through, and how sloppy the game was after the first period, how they managed to go to overtime was pretty fantastic. Sure, you'll say it's meaningless, but is it really? At this point all they have left are small victories.

Going 2-1-1 on a cross country and back trip ain't so bad eh?
- DD returns to make a fantastic play setting up Cole for the opening goal. Yea that's right. Jet lagged and suffering from daylight savings and they actually got the first goal.
- Budaj was standing on his head in the weird floppy manner only he can do.
- I'd say 9 out of 10 times Ennis makes that play and scores a goal no matter who's defending him.
- Scare of the night: Patches takes a slapshot point blank off the foot and crawled to the bench. Though in true Pacioretty form...he came back and played. Mutant.
- Emelin puts the puck in his own net and I swear they played Rick Jeanneret's call IN THE ARENA. Seriously, chill. It was a lucky bounce.
- Ryan Miller jumps to grab a floating puck that was totally just soaring over the net and TSN has kittens. Fact is if he let the puck soar, I think the Sabres win in regulation...
- Don't discount Andrei Markov. He saved an empty netter goal at the red line and held the puck at the blue line. Oh how we missed you, Markov... So sick of seeing Kaberle pretend to do that.
- DD ties it with 4.6 seconds left and I woke Toaster up by accident.
- Of course Myers scores the winner in OT after nearly killing Gomez in the 3rd. Will he be suspended for the same thing that cost Mike Green 3 games? I won't hold my breath.
- Weber allllllmost won the game. Puck went through Miller's glove.
- Ennis has bad hair, and with the Golden Bucket? If you paint it black, he'll look like he belongs in Space Balls.

I don't think they would have won the game in a shootout this time...

Habs 4, Canucks 1: The best kind of victory

Oh stunned Vancouver fans. You're so stunningly fun to look at. And when the Green Men mock your team with terrible research, well, it makes victory so much sweeter.

Apparently Gomez is the captain of the Habs?

Habs played their hearts out. For the first time in a long time it really looked like they were trying very hard to give Price a well deserved win, especially in his "hometown". And they did even better than the one last season too. They looked like they were having so much fun, and it was refreshing to see. Even at the end, Weber was jostling with Burrows in front of the net and Burrows gave Weber a hard slash. Price simply walked over and tossed Burrows away earning a meaningless roughing penalty after the game ended which was hilarious. The victory hugs after all that was fantastic with Weber being the first to give his goalie a big happy hug. So many smiles, so much happiness...

However the happiness started hours before the game even starter! Why? MARKOV CAME BACK! I even cancelled all plans to see John Carter of Mars (will see it Wednesday instead) just so I wouldn't miss this game! Oh of all the games to return to play in he boldly chose the Canucks. Was is to show us he can take the physical challenge, the speed? Sure his rust showed twice, but that was expected. I noticed ONE play though. Markov went to the corner to retrieve the puck with a guy coming at him. And in classic Markovian fashion, he ducked around to avoid any collision. Naturally the real "homecoming" was his assist on PK's 5-on-3 goal after the Canucks threw the puck out of the rink twice. That was probably the happiest goal celebration I have seen from Markov ever. And he's had his fair share of happy celebrations... You have to feel for the guy, how not being able to play was just eating away at him all this time. Wonder if Brian Wilde had a lovely breakfast of hot crow this morning...

Vancouver Habs fans were LOUD and oléing
- Inconsistent reffing or were they just not sure if the Canucks were diving? The Canucks did fling themselves around dramatically. But not calling maddening things like Eller skating up the ice with a stick up his ass, or Patches getting held up on a partial breakaway... Only consistency officiating has is inconsistency. Had no choice but to call the puck out of the rink ones though.
- Louis LeBoardBattle set up Blake Geoffrion for his first goal with the Habs. Blake can now officially trash talk his dad, who never scored for the Habs.
- Erik Cole. Have I mentioned how much I love you? Got Luuuuuuuuuuu on his weak side which is pretty much every side.
- Price and his new mask: played like his hair was on fire, which is probably what the mask is all about.
- Sorry folks but Gomez is playing well and makes this team better right now.
- White and Eller: my brother was correct. They make an awesome pair.
- Staubitz smacked Kassian around. Another day at the office.
- After the game, mediot to Markov: "How's your knee?" Markov answers dryly "Still there" and grins. LOVE IT!
- WHY is there daylight savings?!
- I think the Green Men need to fix their signs.

Oh of course it was the Canucks playing like crap. And CBC lamented the fact the game was far more exciting than it should have been. Guess they were expecting an easy shellacking similar to when the Canucks destroyed the Leafs...

Toaster's first Habs game: Slept through the whole thing. Took a pee during 2nd intermission. Win!

Habs 7, Red Wings 2: Absolute Satisfaction

As a Habs fan first and Blackhawks fan second, that was the most satisfying win this year since the Habs trolled the Bruins early on in the season. Also because for the past two days TSN990 has been kissing thr Red Wings ass non-stop. At least now we go on a break with these guys confused and squirming behind their microphones, confused and shocked on what happened tonight.

By the way, I was wishing for the game to turn out this way. Not solely because I can't stand the Red Wings, mostly because I was sick to death of the fuckwit mediots.

We now have about a week of free wings. Thanks!
- Rene Bourque bounced a Gomez pass off his leg while doing what we got him for: crashing the net.
- My boy Emelin! His first NHL goal (finally) against the top team of the League? Yes please, thank you sir, I would like some more. So happy for the Gremelin. Crowd gave him a great reception. He had two more great chances as well.
- Little Big DD, so crafty. Dirty little squeaker on his first goal, wonderful smile on his second. (A powerplay goal to boot). Almost had a hat trick. Actually, almost had four goals!
- Red Wings fans bitch more than Habs fans about penalties, but seriously? You guys have nothing to bitch about... Interference is called "defence" for them.
- SuperPleky's 10th!
- Before Conk could test the ice, Patches scored on him.
- Lost in all the goals, Price was just incredible tonight. Right off the bat he made a big glove save off a laser from the point. Stopped plenty with Holmstrom's fat ass in his face, none very easy. And if he doesn't make that partial breakaway toe-save off his old buddy Darren Helm, I think this game ends completely differently...
- We know it's stupid superstitions, but would it kill you to shut the fuck up about shutouts Gord?
- And SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT PK! Shocking, I know. Coach is coaching. What a fucking concept!
- Lars Eller's job tonight was to help shut down Pavel Datsyuk. How did he do? Datsyuk had zeros across the board and a -1.
- Habs penalty kill is currently #1 in the League.
- Might be up 6-2 but that doesn't stop Erik Cole from crashing the net. One more and he's got 20.
- SOMEONE THREW AN OCTOPUS ON THE ICE! I don't know what's more disturbing: putting a squishy smelly octopus in a bag and successfully sneaking it into the Bell Centre, or sitting there with a squishy smelly octopus until about 10 seconds were left in the game.

Of course the results of tonight's effort didn't stop TSN from pissing on the Habs all game. I mean the Wings had a built in excuse what with Lidstrom suddenly pulling out from the lineup due to the flu. Because you know, we have no idea what that's like. I'd say regardless of the score, neither team stopped playing. If it was too much trouble for you, Bob, you could have just gone to play Solitaire on your iPad somewhere else.

Actually, scratch that. Keep disrespecting the Habs, everyone. You know they'll love to prove you wrong.

Feels good going on the break on a high. Now Price and Diaz (!!!!) get to go to the All-Star Game and party with Jimmy Howard. Awkward much?

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 3, Bots 1: Victoire!

To the separatists outside the Bell Centre and their little protest: language laws do not apply in the hiring of a hockey coach. And the only bilingual coach I would want for this team is the guy the Habs beat tonight.

You can see it on the ice, on the faces of the players, and the results. It has taken some time for Cunney to change his shell shocked men who have been programmed to score a goal and sit back to wait for a counter-attack chance. The playbook on the Habs will need to be thrown out for the 3rd period now. The message is clear: the other team might score, they might get a lucky bounce, or a tough break, but we will not back down.

It's basically what happened tonight. Similarly to what happened last game against the Jets.

Dominic Moore, despite being accosted by Erik Cole by the left boards, tossed the puck to the net where my old nemesis Vince knocked into Emelin and Price allowing the puck to bounce in. Didn't really like the contact with Price but it looked like the puck hit his stick blade before he ran into them.

A lucky shot. A lucky bounce. Tough break. C'est la vie.

Moments later Price makes a sick toe save on St. Louis, saving them from going down 2-0. Deep breath, it's ok guys. You're playing a team that has Marc-Andre Bergeron in for nearly 20 minutes.

Pressure. Lars Eller gets the crowd to their feet every time he touches the puck now. You can see the confidence oozing out of him. AK46 razzle-dazzles, creates chances, hits hard, unfortunately the tic-tac-toe play hits the post. Emelin destroys a few guys. We had some face-cage on face-cage violence as he turned Martin St. Louis into a new board ad and found a fly swatting his windshield named Ryan Malone. Chip away. Frustrate them. Take away their speed.

Stamkos had 1 shot on net the whole game. It wasn't for lack of effort, rather it was because Lars Eller and his line kept them in check and Josh Gorges was there to back them up.

Two goals in 93 seconds. Fourth line with a solid shift, Blunden flips a dirtly little backhand over Garon. After Price makes a game saving save, PK flips the puck into the next time zone onto Patches' stick who breaks in and scores. Guy Boucher calls a timeout. Moments later, Lars Eller kicks the puck into their net because Bergeron--in fits of desperation--hooks him away. No call on the hook, no goal, Bolts still look for answers. The closest they get is after the buzzer to end the 2nd.

“There was a lot of communication on the bench between the players and the coaches in the third because of all the leads we’ve been giving up lately. That communication from the coaches was huge and because of that we knew we weren’t going to let things slip away,” continued Pacioretty on the Canadiens bench bosses. “Tonight I think you have to credit the biggest part of our victory to the coaches. If you had a camera on them you’d see how vocal they were. They tweaked a lot of things in the third and it helped us a lot.”

Truer words were never spoken. The camera caught a few of those chats between the players and the staff. Lightning tried. There was a shift that had them set up to start something when Gionta ran off the bench, stole the puck at the blueline and just flew down the ice. Too bad he hit the side of the net but that was super. Same from Eller after snuffing out any attempts by the Lightning, he took it to their net 2-on-1 with Kostitsyn. They were at the end of their shift and basically running on fumes but they still pressed hard. And with the empty net available, Patches forced Bergeron to take a penalty resulting in some Desharnais magic to give Erik Cole his 17th goal, on the powerplay, basically ending the game.

Habs bounce over the Bolts in the standings, who have now lost 3 in a row. Baby steps. We don't know where they'll go or end up but hey, at least it's not boring any more!

Protestors handed these out to fans waiting in line, asking them to wave them as the team took to the ice.

I saw about 5 during the Canadian anthem. Price thought they were for the Nordiques.

These were found in a Bell Centre poubelle.

Please keep politics away from hockey, thanks.

2012 has been kind to the Bulldogs as well. Though they lost Nathan Lawson to a head hit in yesterday's win over the Crunch and had to sign some dude in a local men's league to back up Mayer, the Dogs beat the Marlies 4-1 after smashing the Crunch 5-2.

And Brendan Gallagher returns from his bronze medal win, ready to terrorize the WHL again. Ho hum, a hat trick and four assists in a 8-4 win over the Portland Winterhawks in front of Guy Lafleur who visited the Giants for a Legends night.

Habs 2, Panthers 3: Go away 2011

Well gee if you guys bothered not giving up the empty netter, Erik Cole's 16th goal of the year would have brought you to overtime. Instead I missed the goal because once I saw that piss poor attempt to save the empty netter, I flipped to Team Canada's game.

Oh and Krys Barch got ejected for racial slurs towards PK. Bravo, 2011. You officially end as shitty as you were.

So. Happy New Year I guess. And it's either the end of the world or the start of something better. Either way, 2011 can fuck off and die. In a fire.

Eller prays for this team to suck less in 2012.

Habs 6, Sens 2: Je suis tres content

In your face, Denis Potvin.

Arrogant Sens' play-by-play guy last game commented on Michalek's return scheduled against Montreal and in his usual condescending voice proclaimed "another 4 point night for him then". Too bad so sad, he only got one assist.

Diaz got 3 though so IN YOUR FACE.

It really didn't start off so great though. Major cafouillage in the Habs zone, and the puck bouncing all over the place. Price made a few saves but with Gill screening him, he couldn't make the one off the guy hiding behind the giant defenceman. You know we all said it and they were thinking it. The "here we go again" crap. Then Lars Eller took charge of things shorthanded and scored on their first shot on net. Once the first period was over, Habs were up 3-1 on 5 shots.

Being the kid of a hockey coach, Lars knows and understands. He responded to his benching with a goal and some solid work. With the Sens being the highest scoring 3rd period team in the NHL (they usually win in OT or SO), his backcheck bump on Konopka's shorthanded breakaway not only did the job but saved PK's ass. And PK responded to his own benching with a goal and an assist on the powerplay.

And on the 8th day of Chanukah, Cammalleri scored a goal. Daniel Alfredsson is still looking for his 400th.

But I'm happiest for Randy Cunneyworth, who gets his first win in a town he once played. With a simple happy phrase in French, I'm also hoping those morons who are planning to protest the Bell Center soon will put down their placards and hang their heads in shame. Enough with the language stuff! We're looking for wins and competitive hockey, and what we saw tonight was just that. Even though the Habs were up 4 goals, they kept pushing for more. Right after Louis scored, Moen went off to try score another.

Of course one win doesn't put everything to rest, but it's a start. All we can do is hope the boys build on this. They're off to the Sunshine State for their annual Florida trip. Let's make it a triple!

Habs 3, Flyers 4: HBO can shove it

Chris Lee. Absolute douchetard.

Calls back a goal because in his view Cole obstructed Bob when he barely breathed on him. Refuses to call back TWO Flyers goals that had more obstruction on Price (with the Simmonds goal being absolute fallacy) than a punch in the face. Refs who guess get it wrong every time. When Price can perfectly recite to Chris Lee what Simmonds had for dinner, he's in the fucking crease on top of him. And calling what was barely brushing a stick on the back of a helmet while NOT calling the face full of stickblade Emelin got right in front of him was unbelievable. He called a hook, while not calling what should have been two penalties because the Flyers threw the puck into the netting (again). And don't get me started on Talbot putting his hand on the puck in the crease...

I hope HBO thanks him for providing them with so much insight into the stupidity and absurdity that is the NHL referee. We wanted hockey, not you.

I wish I could talk happily about Louis Leblanc's first NHL goal to tie up a very trying game, or that Mike Blunden got an assist on it for parking his ass in front of the net. But then Louis barely had 5 minutes of ice time all game, and barely sniffed the ice surface in the 3rd period. Imagine if he had like 10 or 15 minutes of ice time? I wish I could say Cole-DD-Patches are an amazing line, but key situations found Cammy and Pleky out there instead. Hey it's OK, why would we want to score goals? (Speaking of little DD... he's basically jumping over Pleky on the depth chart here).

So JMart came out and blamed the youth when his veterans were -2. It's kind of like when he was ready to bench Emelin again if Diaz wasn't sick...

Face it, man. You got outcoached. You didn't play planning to win, you played to contain. Meanwhile the Flyers ran all over the Habs' zone, constantly drove the net, and constantly pulled a set backdoor play they succeeded on once to open the scoring. It looked like they were trying to play that same old stupid wait-to-counter system, only to end up watching dumbfounded. As for forechecking? One man in. All the fucking time. No support, no help, always hanging back. I don't know how many times Eller looks up with the puck only to find himself alone and surrounded by 4 enemy jerseys but I'm getting sick of seeing it. And I loved seeing Eller rip the puck off of Jagr's stick all night, but for crying out loud, there is no set up for him to follow through with that. Just dump and hope someone gets it.

Shockingly enough they didn't give up the empty netter. So I guess they left with some dignity...

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, Devils 1: Miracle?

That was no miracle. That was Carey Price.

This team would be beyond hopeless without him. And to think there are still haters out there! People who think he gives up when he's scored on. People who mistake his calmness for being nonchalant. There are people who do not understand his loyalty to his team, nor do they understand his will to win. Considering he's been standing on his head for this team and still gets the loss most nights is enough to depress anyone. But when he stops Parise on a bullshit penalty shot in a one-goal game and gets so excited over it that he practically does a little dance in celebration, to these idiots I say GET A CLUE.

Welcome to the Habs, Kaberle. He matched Spacek's debut with the Canes (2 assists) and the powerplay did look significantly better with him on it. All this without any practice or knowing how your teammates play. Pretty good I'd say. Pacioretty's finish on his dish to Cole was a powerplay goal. His complimentary play after Desharnais intelligently worked the puck out of the corner came as a powerplay was expiring. Sure, he's Kaberle, which means he's defensively soft. But they put him with Emelin, which was another experiment all together 'cause it threw Emelin on the wrong side. Nevertheless Emelin adapted pretty quickly to the change and the NHL rookie did pretty good to cover up for his soft partner. And yes, I know they were on the ice for the lone Devils' goal that came off a terrible partial block.

I'm willing to give the man a chance. And it's not like his contract is untradeable... If the need should arise, there is always a playoff team looking to add someone like him to give them a little bit more whether for a powerplay or just general depth on D, especially if they're confident enough they can pair him with someone who can cover up the bad side of his game.

Habs 3, Sharks 4 (SO): Like night and day

Valiant effort. Price stood on his head and had the giggles. It kept his teammates lose. But blink with a little under 2 minutes left in the 3rd and boom, you're going to OT.

Considering the Sharks were the better team on the ice, Habs couldn't afford to blink.

As mentioned on RDS, perhaps the team gets TOO comfy knowing Price is back there. He could very well steal games, and with the absolute onslaught the Sharks had on him he really was. But hey, shit happens. Don't miss your fucking assignments. Especially when you've got a goal and 2 assists on the night.

All in all, Emelin was an absolute beast all night. Even when he screwed up you couldn't help but forgive him. Plus his hit on a Joe Pavelski who thought he was well in the clear to go straight to the net. I think he'll remember that one. Was also cute watching him dust the snow he piled on Price as he stopped in his face.

Eventful night for Weber is being kind. But Diaz played over 27 minutes. That's more than anyone on either team, including he-who-plays-30-minutes-standard Dan Boyle, Pickles, and Burns. Insane minutes for a shaky start and I still think our pretty Swiss Mister needs to go to Hamilton for some work, but considering he's basically been thrown into the fire it ain't so bad.

I also hope Louis' parents were able to go to this game too. Got about 14 minutes of ice time, made two huge blocks and set up Eller for what could have been the game winner if Eller could have hit it instead of bobbling the pass to his backhand right into Niemi's glove. He was even on the ice to bring the game to OT, and was out there in OT! That's just great. I applaud the coaching staff for finally doing something right.

We can all bitch about the weird choices for the shootouts (Moen?!) but who cares. Sharks were basically rolling their All-Star Team... Marc Denis is quick to point out how goals are being scored low-blocker side. Well genius, that's the fucking sweet spot for shootouts and if the Habs had any shooters capable of going there, they'd probably be better at the killjoy crapshoot skills comp instead of trying to be too fancy only to hit the post (hi Cammy!). Did you know Ryan Clowe is 2 for 2? Price did a chicken dance at him before he managed to get his blocker on the shot. But Havlat with no defence? Yea that's going in. Handzus? Dude's got the words "hands" and "Zeus" in his name. Pavelski? Hell ya. Be glad he managed to stop Clowe, Boyle, Couture... Those 3 alone usually win you the game.

Anyhoo, enough of that. Hope they bring this type of game against the Kings. And I hope they remember to backcheck with 2 minutes left...

Habs 4, Rags 0: The Devils you know

If only Scott Gomez could play like this more consistently than not, we'd all be totally cool with that. Maybe someone just has to hypnotize him that every team he's going out against is the Rangers?

It was Win One For Eddy night. Eddy... Eddy... Eddy...


Good day for Canadian teams (terrible day for my Blackhawks)
- Back to back shutouts for Carey Price, despite CBC's best efforts to seriously sabotage this by yelling SHUTOUT every five seconds in the third period. He only made 17 saves but if he doesn't get over fast enough to stop Gaborik sneaking in backdoor early in the first, this game is probably a little different. And the less pucks he's stopping means the more pucks he's moving. Could have gotten another assist but Pleky's shot was blocked.
- Habs blocked as many shots as he saved to match.
- Stop calling McDonagh "Brian Leetch" because he's not. Really.
- I love it when Pleky scores a powerplay goal but that just means he'll be stuck on the point more. Until Markov comes back, anyway.
- Kids were well prepared tonight again. And I'm so proud of Steady Freddy with how well he's playing. This is a guy who said that he really enjoys bus rides in the AHL because they're fun.
- Holding the Rangers to 10 shots for about 40 minutes, keeping players to the perimeter, getting in lanes, and keeping the puck on the other side of the rink does wonders eh?
- Diaz interview on HNIC. I half expect him to start yelling "Toblerone was 3D FIRST!"
- Been a while since we heard the ol' "Biiiiiroooooooon" jeer.
- Sure Gionta's first goal was hilariously weak, but he did break one of Biron's goalie pads.
- If you think you can outsmart the refs by waiting to touch an iced puck by allowing the penalty to expire, think again.
- Nokie doesn't appreciate you trying to kill him, Deveaux.
- Erik Cole laughs at your free-agency predictions. And what a great heads up pass by Weber.
- I love goals in stereo. Gionta's second goal broke their spirit. And that's the Gomez we want to see.

I don't care how many goals Gomez doesn't have. He was never a goal scorer so I'm not sure why people expect this. He is, however, shooting more. But his game is getting the puck, finding the open man, and making that quick pass. The onus really is on his linemates to put the puck in the net. So long as he's doing this, so long as he's skating and forechecking the way he was doing last night, we'll be happy. When he plays like crap and turns over the puck every drive, that's when I'm fed up with him.

Hey man, did you see Gaborik play tonight? Yea I didn't really either.

Gaborik sighs: "Do I really have to backcheck? There's four of them..."

Habs 2, Sabres 3 (OT): The importance of getting things done

Don't bother being pissed about a shootout loss to Buffalo. What's the point? Buffalo eats shootouts for breakfast. If it's not Vanek or Boyes (who did fuck all the whole game), it's Roy or Pominville. Or Gerbe. I can go on. You can be on top of your game all you want but if you counter by putting a hobbling injured Plekanec out first, you're telling all of us that it's a crap shoot and winning isn't really important to you at the moment.

I can list 3 other players that should have gone before Pleky. One of them actually did score on his attempt (Patches).

Nevermind. Habs should have been done with this game in the 3rd, let alone OT. Not registering a single shot for the first 15 minutes of the 3rd period ain't gonna work. JMart claims sitting back wasn't the plan. That the best defence is offense. Except his system totally contradicts that.

A joyous point, but another draining overtime game
- Do we really have to pray for Markov's return to get Pleky off the point?! It's madness! It doesn't work! And when the 2nd wave kicks ass, they're not the ones used in OT.
- Speaking of OT... That 4-on-3 powerplay setup was garbage. If Weber is there, PK needs to be there. However I lost track of how much ice time he had so he probably couldn't go.
- Carey Price was pissed. Smashed his stick while going to the bench (a teammate gave him a pat on the back but he was rather inconsolable). He was furious before leaving the room as the media came in, swearing and throwing a bottle down the hallway... But really? His first shootout was against a hot Colorado squad of first round picks, and now Buffalo while his coach counters with a guy who's 2-for-a-zillion AND decides to go first when he has the choice. Guy's got enough stress to deal with. People say he's gotta practice the shootout but that's just weak. In-game, breakaways are 50/50 but the shooter doesn't have much time to plan his shot the way you can in a shootout, and practicing with a team that's rather crap at scoring goals in shootouts doesn't really help much. (They can barely score goals to begin with). Especially when they rarely went to one all year last year..
- Erik Cole was great, however he nearly ruined it all with a boneheaded penalty in OT when he lost his bearings and walked into Enroth. Thankfully Habs killed that.
- Emelin has improved a great deal. He was wonderful tonight. Too bad JMart will probably bench him just because physicality is taboo to him.
- Lack of Andrei Kostitsyn is KILLING Eller...
- Seriously, all you people want him traded, and now that he's out of the lineup with an injury it's a HUGE hole to fill and has destroyed our best line in a while.
- Thankfully the Cole/DD/Patches line is kicking ass...
- Killing off a 5-on-3 without Hal Gill? Fantastic work.
- Stop killing my brain with 3rd period nada, Habs.
- Lindy Ruff is upset about what happened with Ryan Miller. I'm upset with what happened to Ryan Miller. But still having Kaleta on the ice almost every fucking minute? You have no right to comment about cheapshots until you remove that stain.
- Who, by the way, hit his former teammate/captain with an elbow to the head.
- And who's linemate took out newly recalled Engqvist's knees. So fuck you, Buffalo.


Shootouts are a cheap shitty way to kill a really good game. No excuses, Habs have got to go for the kill and their window to do so was in OT when they were given that 4-on-3 powerplay. However they put the same old set up on the ice and the same old results happened, which was nothing. (Eric Cole's goal was a powerplay goal, thanks in part to the Sabres smothering Enroth with Desharnais and PK's heads up pass. If they didn't score on that, it would have been ridiculous). And JMart blaming the young defence is getting old. Newsflash: They played their hearts out while shorthanded and with only Gorges as the veteran D. They're not the ones who lost you the game...that stubbornness of doing the same thing over and over and over ad nauseum cost you the game. I wonder how much Randy Cunneyworth's hands are tied because this does not look like something he would do.

Carolina next? I expect big things from Erik Cole...

In other news: I'm going to see what's left of the Bulldogs this Friday but at this rate I may as well go to a Habs game.

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.

Pre-season Game 3: Power to the children

Max Pacioretty: 9 shots on net, two goals and an extra in the shootout. Absolutely instrumental in tonight's outcome.

Brendan Gallagher: 4 shots on net and an absolute cog on the line.

Scott Gomez: First foray into pre-season action, 6 shots on net, game tying goal to bring it into OT, and 1 assist. Centering the two kids, his line made up for 19 of the total 33 shots and the big push for a comeback.

It's only pre-season but you have to like what happened tonight. In a line up that held a combined 621 regular season games to the Sens combined 2 594 (Alfie skews it), the leaders lead the way and the kids kept digging in. As with the case with most Habs games the powerplay was the key, taking advantage of silly penalties. Similarly the start of the game was flat and full of screw ups (they keep bowling Price over and interfering with him...guess it's only comforting in knowing Henry won't be in the lineup for real), but it's getting there. Ending on a high is nothing but great for these kids. It's nothing but good news when you see (or hear) Raphael Diaz do everything to block a shot to help with the comeback. It's nothing but good news to hear how Gallagher's forechecking is causing fits. But it all starts with the powerplay: to be that strong with the man advantage without really any of your regulars in the lineup? Of course the 2nd powerplay goal was a heads up play by Lawson to Pacioretty who was out cherry picking and went in all alone on Anderson. But hey, whatever works.

I just love seeing Pacioretty playing again and looking like that dominant REAL power forward we all knew he could be. Gomez made a statement with his game. And Gallagher...it's tough knowing he's gotta go back to Junior but I can't wait to see him at the WJC.

Back at it tomorrow, against the Sens again.