Game 5 - Habs 1, Bruins 2 (2OT): Out of gas edition

Gas is at 134/litre so good luck refilling the tank.

My lasting vision of Hamrlik is as always facing the wrong way. I don't know if it's the brain juices gone flat or what: if he's the guy clearing your crease, good luck with that.

Sucks for Price. He did everything human and inhumanly possible to carry his team to a win. Meanwhile when they're not turning over the puck or playing the equivalent of a B-movie defensively, his teammates were launching wet socks at Thomas. Low. Couldn't get the puck off the ice. Could barely skate on that sloppy mess they called a rink. And the allergy to wide open nets has spread to everyone.

Most dangerous line was Eller with Halpern and Darche. They were the ones who scored the only goal. They dug in, they were on the puck before the Bruins, they were the beacon of hope. I think Eller has grown 5 year in 5 games.

As predictions go, fuhgeddaboudit. Predictions forgot to discount Gomez going back to sucking or the team forgetting how to play defense. Predictions depended on this team being as good as they should be but suddenly falling out of breath. Predictions stated back when Markov re-injured his knee and Gorges being shutdown for surgery that we should enjoy 15th place.

I'm cool with them losing so long as they try. I know most fans will froth the old "STANLEY CUP OR BUST!" spiel. They tried tonight. They tried real hard. It wasn't a blowout like their previous tries in years when this team crawled into the playoffs on one leg. It was everything we could ask for from them and with a bit more healthy players or younger legs in the back, it wouldn't be so difficult to watch. A heart attack every night. Having no Markov, Gorges or Patches is catching up with them. (And if Karma wasn't such a bitch, Chara would have more than dehydration to worry about). It's all a great experience for the kids and a weeding out of the old vets in a way. And now they have a game left to tie it and bring it to lucky number 7.

Pens lost 8-2 today with the Bolts facing elimination and looked really horrible in their loss.
Rangers got shutout and went home. Lundqvist still deserved a Vezina finalist over Luongo.
Niemi just got pulled early in the first as the Kings scored 3 on 5 shots while facing elimination.
Puppies, rainbows and kittens. PK Subban played over 40 minutes. Only players with more ice time were the goalies.

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!

Habs 4, Sens 3: L'Antichambre's worst nightmare

Quote of the night, and a summary of the game:
@lawyergirl77 That's right! BigTits is back and doing dirty things to/with his Pleky once again!!

Unless you're blind (or just one of those bitter haters), Andrei Kostitsyn has been flying since the start of the season. Is it because he no longer needs to keep an eye on Sergei while balancing his own family life? (I think not many people realize he's a married man--well I think they're married but eh no one really gets married in this province anyway--and a young father of an adorable little blond girl). Is it because the new leadership core in the room have helped him deal with the annoying media? One thing we know for sure, he's healthy. And secondly, his linemates are just as hungry as he is, maybe more, and he's definitely feeding off it.

Carbo once said when he hits, he hurts.

His speed and size make many salivate. His hands and knack for scoring the most mind boggling type of goals stand true to his draft position. This is a guy no one really wanted to take a chance on because of his epilepsy, and yet the Habs felt sufficient medication from the doctors could help him with this. People have coined him as someone who doesn't care about what happens, and I'm sorry but that couldn't be further from the truth. Just because a guy keeps his emotions to himself doesn't mean he doesn't care. And when he does get angry, it usually results in a retaliation penalty, BUT I DIGRESS! He won't do the flashy goal scorer moves every times he pots one. His trademark is both hands in the air in a semi-gorilla fashion or feet and arms in the air because someone has knocked him on his ass trying to stop him from scoring (and ultimately failing).

And what is this?! Like Gorges finally discovering that he can in fact hit the net and maybe even score a goal if he actually aims, the Belamullet has discovered actual defensive play! Backchecking more. Shot blocking. Working hard for a takeaway. And fully integrating himself in the transition play that is so important in the speed game these guys need to play in order to dominate the way they need to.

It's unfortunate but the highlight of his goal doesn't work (even the CBC replay edition cuts it short). Instead, I'll post the most awesome rush he created for Pleky's goal which totally describes his play right now.

I can hear the moans and groans from the local press as they're forced to interview him post-game. They can't stand it when he gets the first star. (RDS even lost interest in talking with him and turned to Darche for more of a scoop).

Another interesting thing happened tonight. The Habs outshot the Sens 40 to 19. So, exactly who played an away game yesterday? Sens only managed 2 shots in the 3rd and I don't even know what the 2nd shot looked like. Of course, Ruutu being stupid had plenty to do with that...

I thought I was going to miss this game. Turns out that even a Brazilian restaurant in the skeezy section of Pierrefonds turned it's 20 TVs to the game when it started. And apparently the guy behind me was a Sens fan... Ugh...I ate too much meat and now I'm drinking kaopectate. (No, it's not the fault of the restaurant, more my stomach being problematic for a few days). Meat on a sword coming to your table constantly is like a little piece of heaven hidden in the pits of hell.

My brother's 25th birthday, wearing the Expos shirt I got him. That meat was so good...

G-Love and Special Teams

I like cold beverages.

Unfortunately a possible year of Alex Picard and Jaro Spacek will require some hard liquor.

I Michael Bayified Picard's error to spruce it up (and blew up a few Leafs in the other corner). He's wearing the Shia LaBeouf goat horns. And to exemplify how wide-open and empty the Habs defensive zone is, I added a car and a bomb. WHERE IS EVERYONE?!

I'm actually ok with how this game played out. I thought the game would go either way, and it damn well could have if:
- they had more finish.
- PK wasn't so nervous and didn't wiff his perfect PP opportunity shot.
- Benoit Pouliot would come down from his fucking cloud.
- Benoit Pouliot didn't drag down Lars Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn with his lazy play ruining the 2nd wave.
- defense didn't suck so much.
- Ryan White would have been given his spot like he so damn well EARNED.
- Darche didn't waste Ryan White's roster spot.
- Darche didn't take 2 last minute penalties to kill momentum (even though they killed all the penalties).
- Gomez and Gionta were more a unit.
- with an empty net, more urgency was shown. At least they didn't give up the empty netter.
- Cammy wasn't suspended.
- Hamr could go.
- Markov wasn't still rehabing...

...Actually scratch that last one 'cause he always got injured at the ACC. This time, it was Phaneuf who got cut by a skate. (Though it wasn't bad, just ask how a little cut is putting a damper on Jordan Staal's start of the season).

However it is only the first game of the season, and I saw a lot of promise. Namely:
- Price battling strong through the flu and looked sharp enough which, considering he was sucking lozenges and barely ate all day, kind of makes the others look bad. I was hoping for some Jake Allen-type vomiting, and on one sequence he looked ready to hurl, but nope. The first shot he faced was a doozy over 6 minutes into the first period off a complete defensive zone breakdown. Exclamation mark on the last save he did which I call the Diving Albatross.
- Rhino was the unfortunate candidate to be paired with Picard but looked better than he's looked in a while.
- Lars Eller is FUCKING AWESOME.
- Dustin Boyd seemed to be the only one other than Eller who looked seriously interested in scoring. And got the first Habs goal of the season through tenacious effort and solid grit. And a little help from Lapierre.
- Kostitsyn looks more awake than I've ever seen him at the start of a season and seems pissed off he's playing with Pouliot on the powerplay.
- Plekanec VS 4 Leafs on the penalty kill with 2 minutes left to play. In the Leafs' zone.
- Gionta pushing Phaneuf around. He'll bite your ankles.
- Up your truculence, Habs outhit them. Every Hab had a hit except Picard. Pleky and Gorges had 4 hits each.
- Jeff Halpern's goal and contribution. Mazel tov!
- Komisarek was staring directly at both Habs goals.

And the game ended two seconds too early. Would it have made a difference? Stranger things have happened. The refs looked mighty confused at what to do and finally just called it a night. Maybe next time they'll end the game after the 1st period 'cause you know they wanted to watch So You Think You Can Dance.

They said it might get ugly tonight. It was pretty normal for a change. Rare to see an actual hockey game between the Habs-Leafs. Maybe that was because resident moron Jay Rosehill was sent to the minors and Colby Armstrong didn't throw a dirty hit.

Now, if Price could give his flu to Spacek and Picard, maybe THEY will play better.