Habs 3, Pens 2: Whine and cheese

Whilst out celebrating my mom's 60th birthday, Habs were taking on the Penguins. Or, as I like to call it, PK Subban annoying Sidney Crosby forever.

- It's Pacioretty Week! Two more goals!
- Eller and Galchenyuk are being wasted by Prust. Sure Prust is a great energy guy, but he's not Gallagher. The least you could do is rotate a double shift of Gallagher, Pacioretty, and Bournival.
- When the Penguins waste opportunities early (ie. gifted powerplays) they turn into the whiniest whinebags ever and frustrate themselves into a hole.
- Fleuuuuuuryyyyyyyy.
- Did you know D'Agostini is a Penguin? I just remembered.
- Also just remembered Chocula is an assistant coach. That's pretty funny, considering what happened in 2010...
- Carey Price > Fleury
- By like a hundred thousand miles. And kilometers.
- Pleky beating Crosby on the faceoff matchup. All. Night. Long.
- Gionta pissing Crosby off. All. Night. Long.
- Ya I can't even blame Fleury for that 2nd Pacioretty goal. That release was ridiculous.
- You know what happens when you've got 3 minutes left in a game, and you were doing so well matching up lines and then you THROW OUT BOUILLON-DIAZ whilst Malkin-Neal are on the ice? You get two pylons and a goal against.
- So if PK is "too risky" for Team Canada, what the fuck is Letang?
- Meanwhile Team Russia is looking for some loophole to put Subban on their team.
- Not really, but they should.

I remember hearing how Habs will drop both these games on the radio. Please keep saying that so the opposite will happen, thanks.

 Peter Budaj, stealing yer stick

Habs 3, Pens 2 (SO): Bronze this game

Because it was one amazingly entertaining game.

Sure I pulled my hair when Bourque missed that gift. Same for Desharnais in OT. And yes, Kaberle PISSES ME OFF. But overall, this was exactly what everyone said the team needed: play it like it's Game 7 and it's your last game ever.

Just don't deke in the shootout. Snap that shit!
- Like Sunday's game, tonight's was Pleky's FUCK YOU to all the asshats who are trying to trade him on the radio. Are you people sick or something? HE ONLY DOES EVERYTHING!
- Track meet. The boys skated a marathon.
- Lucky bounce ended Price's shutout streak early in the 3rd. Seriously Kaberle, would it kill you to be a little more assertive while on the powerplay? To fucking Joe Vitale?
- I scared the shit out of my dog on Eller's goal. He was asleep next to me and jumped off the sofa, remained agitated for a good while, then went back to sleep.
- Another game, another injury... This time Weber got clipped awkwardly by the knee. At least we got Moen back.
- Louis Leblanc is so much fun to watch. He never stops moving. I think the eyebrows give him an extra push or something like that.
- Don't bother freaking out on Darche's icetime. He had an assignment to help Pleky with the shutdown roll. He did his job.
- PK played goalie for a bit when Price got tripped as he went for the puck. Nice save, PK!
- Hilarious incident at the end of OT with a flying Letang who apparently felt the need to protect Malkin's honour as PK was playing the body instead of the puck. Pretty sure he whined about it afterwards like Blake Wheeler.
- I thought for sure Bourque would lose the puck and fan on his attempt in the shootout. Maybe if I think that everytime, he won't lose the puck so much?
- Seriously, we all know Fleury just sits there with the poke check. SHOOT THE PUCK! Stop walking up to him to deke him out...
- Pleky's got the funk. What a day to finally score some shootout goals.
- Price's last save was funky. He basically saved the goal with his crotch.
- Hey, they jumped over Buffalo and are tied with Tampa Bay.

So yea, Habs. Go beat the Islanders next. Is it too much to ask for or do we have to hypnotize you guys into thinking you're playing Pittsburgh?

By the way...
Ryan White was back in Hamilton for conditioning purposes. They might have lost today's 10am game, but White had the Bulldogs only goals (two of them) and 5 hits in the first period alone. Almost ended the game with a fight. He'll be back soon...

Habs 3, Pens 0: I has a hat edition

I was working on this the whole game. Actually I had to do it twice because my first patch was too big. The big one would look nice on a sleeve, actually... So now all I need to do is sew it on my Habs tuque.

What a game by our boys. The Pens thought they had the Habs right where they wanted them, especially after Cooke ran a shot off the far post, but the Habs roared back to the offensive zone to get a faceoff. Fleury tries a poke check that would make Johnny Bower hang his head in shame and Pleky backhands it over him after sneaking through a crowd off the faceoff. This was 42 seconds in the game. The rest of the first was what I'd call an absolute marathon skate with nary a whistle in sight. It really made me smile to see hockey like this...

Second period, Moen shattered Fleury's confidence and Cammy just destroyed it. Second time this year Fleury was pulled against the Habs, right? Two amazing pieces of work by the team all perfectly placed and perfectly executed. One scrap between Talbot and Mara (size missmatched but whatevs, Talbot asked for it). Then it was the Carey Price show. James Neal alone in front: DENIED. Through a crowd, on the rush, off to the side, Carey Price was winning this game and no one would stop him. Hal Gill also made a late save off Kovy on the powerplay. What a tandem.

Can't say much about the officiating today but those afternoon games are tough on them too. Instead of calling Weber for tripping Cooke into the corner they let it go, and Cooke tries to fight Weber of all people. White runs in to take his place and Cooke ignores him, keeps trying to go for Weber. Finally Rupp runs in and knocks over White while PK tries to calm everyone down only to get mauled... About the only time the crowd in Pittsburgh cared to say anything was during this whole sequence. Jokes.

Habs came close in the 3rd on the powerplay to build their 3-0 lead but little DD missed and flubbed. Looked like the ice deteriorated horrendously as the game went on as guys were falling and the puck was bouncing every which way. Since it wasn't happening they shut it down, made the Pens work to even cross through the neutral zone, and decided to protect Price's 8th shutout on the year. One more and he'll tie Vezina with career shutouts!

I needed this game probably just as much as our boys did. It really helped heal my shattered hockey heart. Now I gotta finish sewing my Patches' patch.

2 Chickens and 1 Penguin have a shootout...

Carey Price is boss.

I guess the title of this post make for the setup of a bad joke, but really, hey look! We had our first shootout of the year! And it didn't suck either!

But before I continue, some sad news... JOSH GORGES IS OUT WITH KNEE SURGERY! FUCK! Another blow to the team. Soon Hal Gill will be the last veteran standing.

So in true to Pierre Gauthier's request to rally around each other, they played probably their best game in a month. Yes, Crosby wasn't there. Yes, Cooke was out with personal reasons (and personaly he could just go away). And yes, Malkin sucks in shootouts. The Pens are never an easy team to play unless they mail in a back-to-back, and this was the first time I saw them NOT mail in a back-to-back game. Also helped them that Fleury was on the bench so Cammy could not score on him.

First period was over in a blink of an eye. Fastest period all season. Made the advertisers angry but saved us from talking to Gargamel down between the benches. Outshot ridiculously, but that's nothing new. Second period remarkably didn't suck for once! And Mighty Mite Desharnais played a giant game. Third period was a little annoying but hey, you got the top two penalty killing teams in the League facing off here... I expected the powerplays on either side would cancel out.

Shootout was a rather sordid affair until Pouliot pulled out the Forsberg (which is PK's move too but he didn't do it). Pens fans start bitching about Price's pose. Habs get 2 points.

Dear GM-boss, we rallied.

PS. Those crazy Russian kids got kicked off their home flight for being drunk. Awesome stuff, boys!

Smells like first win

Predictions are crap. I mean, Rod Francis had 9-1 Pens. What does he know anyway, he's a Buffalo guy. The picture above was taken off the Habs twitter from the morning skate. We all laughed at it. Was it a prediction? Destiny has a new home? Destiny is 0-2 on the season.

Pre-game in the locker room, RDS showed the boys. Boyd was chill. Others were smiling. Price was wrapped in a fleece Habs blankie with his cap down low. Looked like he was taking another pre-game nap. According to Don Cherry, you much psyche yourself up before the game. Throw some punches with a pal like Fleury does with Talbot. Or look like your trying to relieve your constipation into your net like Leclaire. Our cowboy doesn't need that crap.

Our cowboy stopped 36 of 38 shots, five from Crosby alone. Leclaire spent most of his time on his ass flailtending. (My brother calls his technique "If I flail my arms rapidly maybe nothing will get by me"). Fleury looked like garbage and some ornery Pens fans are already wondering if Brent Johnson gets the call next game.

Actually, ornery Pens fans abound. Apparently there was in-fighting. In the washrooms. Ouch.

Maybe the ghosts don't like the fancy new building?

Bullet points in case you can't make out what Mario Tremblay is saying on RDS:
- Cammy loves the new building much like he loves crushing the Pens.
- Travis Moen turns into Pavel Bure when he plays the Pens.
- I don't know how Benoit Pouliot can be so frustrating yet finds himself #3 on the points list. Now, if he could just keep his stick on the ice, he'd maybe tip in some goals. Also I don't think the Habs are aiming to have him be the Franco-Travis Moen but it's nice that he started throwing the body around.
- Keep booing Subban, Pens fans. He loves it.
- He also loves making Crosby cry.
- And Malkin.
- And he didn't embellish that you fucking tools, Comrie nearly took his eye out... (But he apologized).
- Have I mentioned how much I love Dustin Boyd?
- Rhino's confidence must be going insane. I've never seen a guy get dinged with so many bullshit "2 minutes for playing defence" penalties in my life.
- Also what other team thinks it's OK to play him with Picard. Lord have mercy on our souls.
- Lars Eller should not be on the 3rd line. He's Top 6 not a grinder, Martin!
- Just as RDS was bitching about Gomez not having any shots on goal, he sends one weak shot at Fleury and scores. Ask and ye shall receive.
- Also it's normal a PLAYMAKER won't have any shots on net.
- That's what Captain America is for.
- Talbot totally fell for Lapierre's trap and he totally knew it. Was so red in the face in the penalty box.
- And Lapierre's smile was precious.
- It pisses me off how much shit the Pens get away with.
- Whatever. Habs still won. In 24 seconds.
- Hal Gill really wanted that empty netter.
- Don Cherry's a tool.

Stunned Pens fans. Fun times.