Habs 4, Sens 1: Keep calling those penalties!

C'mon, we dare you. Keep calling those one-sided penalties, ref! Keep missing the other guys slashing and hacking and tripping and holding. C'mon, do it! You think we're scared of a little powerplay? BAM! Shoot 'em in the head. Habs don't care. Refs should know, their penalty killing senses are tingling.

It's a known fact, the Montreal Canadiens are more comfortable when shorthanded. And that includes the constant parade to the room for a quick patch up and back. After all, we're used to it by now.

And like the Flyers game the night before, Habs brought their control trap. Yea it looked bad on the shotclock but if you just looked at the numbers, you don't get the whole story. Barely half those shots were scoring chances for the Sens and when they were Jaro was waiting for it. I've always said it's not the quantity, it's the quality. And the better goaltender in the right uniform. But think about it, if your guys are just shooting for the sake of shooting and not actually shooting for the sake of scoring, I'd rather be outshot.

Elliott wishes he would get a hug...

PLAYOFF SPOT GET!
- The only problem is that Jaro doesn't play the puck like Price. Some say that's a good thing, but it's one of the reasons why the Habs got stuck on the defensive a lot as Price usually grabs a lightly dumped puck before it goes behind his net and throws it to a forward waiting to catch the other team on a change.
- After letting Jaro down in Buffalo, the team rallied to not hang him out to dry tonight. Now that's unity.
- Did they forget Spezza in California?
- I wonder how many times Kovy looked longingly over at the Habs bench... I also bet there's a spy camera in that billboard right in front of the Bell Center.
- Speaking of Kovy, I'm not convinced Ottawa knows how to really use him.
- NEWSFLASH: MAB doesn't scare me very much anymore. Hey if the Habs could teach Kovy to play defensively and put him on the PK, they can teach MAB! I mean, they even got AK46 to backcheck!
- Smooth. Too Many Sens for like 20 seconds and they got a shot on net. Allow me to slow clap on that one. But hey, Andrei gets to score on the finally ensuing powerplay so woo! That was 2-for-3? Sounds good to me.
- Can people stop trying to trade Jaro? Can we please keep two capable young goalies? What's so wrong with that? And before you say Sanford, I'll just say "Sanford sucks".
- There was like 10 forwards and 5 defencemen left on the bench at one point during the game. Didn't miss a beat.
- Pacioretty gave Sharkko Ruutu a taste of his own medicine, and there was much rejoicing.
- Wondering what Laraque was doing out there tonight? Keeping an eye on Ruutu and Carkner. Mission accomplished.
- I can see why SLC gets angry at Kuba. He makes MAB look awesome.
- Goal #17 for the love of my life.
- Metro and Moen, also the loves of my life. Ah hell, I love them all! And BabyPyatt was the Chipchura we were always hoping for...
- Seeing Jaro pat Jaro on the back as he was slumped over behind the net was touching and cute. Not cute seeing the puck crank off his knee though. Not cute seeing Sergei and Cammy carry him to the bench...
- Alfie says Habs got the bounces. I dunno about you, Alfie, but those goals were tape-to-tape passes or off rebounds. Well, except for MAB's double-deflected goal (assisted by Winchester and Volchenkov's perfect backhander).
- Why did RDS keep showing that kid stuff his face with greasy pizza?
- Hal Gill staring down on Nick Foligno = hilarious.
- Ottawa media sucks at picking the game stars. Fisher? For the second star? Pleky picks up an assist on 3 goals, works like a man possessed on the PK and even-strength, rolls up the socks and gets dirty, 3 shots, over 20 minutes of icetime and he doesn't even get an honorable mention? Homers!
- Quote of the night: "That's how much of a playmaker Gomez is, even with an empty net he had to try to make the pass first"

Still 3-0 in the new century. Without Markov. Shocking, I know! But a little bit of grit and some second effort, and voila, the system is working.

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.

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?

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...

Most entertaining game thus far? Habs 5 Thrashers 4

Well technically it was 6-4 because Tanguay's goal SHOULD HAVE COUNTED as it was Hedberg interfering with Lapierre (see scissor legs). But hey, if you gotta cheat, at least win it.

Defense gives me a heart attack sometimes
- Ok maybe just Breezer. Pop in trunk, dunk in river, thank you!
- No seriously. Price has to keep bailing him out. Thank god we have a goalie capable of shooting pucks himself. And stickhandling too. You'd think that would inspire people by going "hey, he can stickhandle with a fucking paddle stick and oven mits so what's wrong with me?"
- Another very elusive powerplay goal by Markov. Keep it simple, eat those rebounds, and good things will happen.
- Matt D'Agostiniiiiiiiiii! NHL goal number 1 in NHL game number 3!
- Kovy and Lang together are having a blast both on ice and on the bench. Just a couple of old boys.
- Maguire hanging around between the benches, you can hear Halak say "no way that didn't even cross the line" on Hainsey's second, but they allowed it anyway despite watching it hover right on top of it.
- Hey coach, we're missing a man and that gave Hainsey his first.
- Game was in control until... well I don't know what happened. People went to sleep?
- Must. Win. More. Faceoffs!
- Really like Kovalchuk. He would be lovely on a line with a player like Kovy feeding him pucks. Too bad he would be very expensive.
- I think I'm tired of refs not calling blatant crosschecks from behind but always calling our borderline penalties. Apparently when people run into you and happen to hook up your stick on them you go to the box and watch the other score (in that case it was Kostopoulos, our top PKer, with an obvious target on his forehead).
- Super Pleky being super!
- Andrei Kostitsyn trying to get his brother out of the pressbox. Look at him fly, Sergei~!
- Coach Komo is now 2-0!

Conclusion: Fast, battle type game! Ya the third period pissed me off but they fought back and showed who's boss without a shootout. Defense needs to lockdown more in the 3rd though. They allowed way too many quality chances then compared to earlier in the game. I do believe Kovalchuk will have the Senators for lunch tomorrow though. I'm really sorry, but I think we pissed him off a lot more than that 3rd period pissed us off.