Habs 5, Panthers 1+1: We like Florida

Woah woah tabernac. 

No contest.

Florida sweep.
- Watching how the Habs started the game, didn't look like they played last night. Then again, the travel from Tampa to Sunrise isn't much. So long as you stay on the road.
- Ryan White draws a penalty by taking a page out of what Steve Ott did to him. Except Ryan White wasn't being a dick and didn't deserve to get attacked by a Yonkman for a clean hit.
- DD practicing his golf swing on Markstrom. Hole in one.
- Markstrom probably having cold sweat flashbacks of his days in Rochester when the Americans were the farm team for the Panthers, and the Bulldogs typically ate him alive.
- Remind me again why Hoobadoo should get the Calder, RDS? Whobadoo?
- I'm just wondering but does that Calder trophy always go to a high-ish scoring rookie on a shit last place team or is it the "We're Sorry You Play For Edmonton" trophy?
- Ryder went from playmaker to tip-in-point-shot-dude. Next he'll throw in some wristers. Moving up.
- That big save on Armstrong wasn't as exciting as it the play-by-play guys made it.
- Captain takes an elbow in the face, rubs it off on the bench, replies with a goal soon after. Terrible Florida defence.
- You know, I think Price's cousin Keaton Ellerby is the happiest Panther ever because they traded him to the Kings.
- Frankie Bou gets paid by the icing.
- Hey he scored a goal!
- And another, for the Panthers. This time he actually shot it behind Budaj instead of just a bad lazy tip.
- Emelin couldn't stop laughing.
- PK Subban has 18 points in 20 games. Tied for 3rd in the League, with less games. Probably won't get talked about for the Norris because he actually plays defence. Oh and he's PK Subban. HATERS.
- OK Panthers, we spot you a goal and a half. Now go home.
- Ryder's 2nd of the game brought to you by PK Subban's wrister from the point. Hey, he doesn't just bomb them. His wrister is just as deadly.
- I hear Mathieu Darche is attempting to inject some respect and reasonable commentary by, you know, actually knowing the Habs on L'Antichambre. Good luck, but you might want to take a job with the NHLPA. You're too intelligent for those mouthbreathers.

Are you sure you want to join the Northeast, Panthers...?

Habs 4, Bruins 3: Defeat the horde!

Look! Bruins!

Feels like the Habs walked into Boston and defeated an evil horde of orcs. Oh wait. They did.

Now, a win 24 hours after GoalFest '13 was not without it's flaws. I mean there must have been a symphony of 20 posts on the night on both ends. And I swear Budaj makes 90% of his saves with his eyes clothes while deep in prayer. Oh and that Kaberle-Bouillon pairing does not instill confidence. (Don't bring up Kaberle's +6 please, he hasn't played enough). And might I add that Galchenyuk on the fourth line does not protect him nor does it provide us with anything useful. (Did Therrien turn into Lindy Ruff overnight)? But hey, they've proved to be a resilient bunch capable of fighting through Therrien's weird over-coaching and strange decisions...

And sending Chara to the loony bin for 2, 5 and a 10 helps.

However, I can't say which team dominated the game because neither did. Habs came out on top without giving free points in OT though. And jockeyed to take that first spot back.

Meanwhile, TD Garden is currently busy cleaning up the hay.

Habs 4, Flyers 1: A week of wins

Exactly a week after the bull of shit we saw against Toronto, where the Leaf apparently won the Cup (not saying which Cup...maybe a Cup of Coffee), somehow the Habs won 3 in a row and bounced up to 2nd in the Conference. But lo! The Leaf hath defeated the reeling Senators of Ottawa, who just lost their best "defenceman" to a tendon slice. Andrei Markov sends his sympathies.

Though Philly has some excuses for their Buffalo of a record. An incompetent GM who gets praised for trading players he probably could use right now just so he could overpay a goalie who masqueraded his abilities behind a team no one gave much of a shit to play against (and were ok defensively). Coupled with injuries. And more trades of a budding power forward for a piece of shit defenceman (IF GALLAGHER IS INJURED BRING ME THE HEAD OF LUKE SCHENN) no one really wanted. Coupled with more injuries. Hey, Clod Geerou can't do it all. Can't wait for Holmgren to trade him this summer.

That light you see is Mike Richards and Jeff Carter reflecting the sun against their Stanley Cup rings sending signals of thanks and lol across the country to his office window.

Do not play unless you're below this line
- Until the 3rd period, no one above 5'8" scored a goal. Though a shrivel of critics in this city believe Pleky is below that line...
- Yes, for the first time in a while we saw something from DD and some chemistry from his line of the day. Of course then his wingers go down. However, I'll remain cautious to the fact DD has now "shown up" once ever week or two and remains fairly consistent with last year in regards to his weak performance on the road (shootouts don't count)... This new inconsistency, and the fact he's below the chin-line, does not warrant a long-term contract. Sorry to the Cranky Franky Gagnons of the world. You don't have to be a member of ENGLISH MEDIA (as he so charges) to realize the fact he's got no future on this team considering his size in relation to the fact we've got too much of his size, and he's on the wrong side of 25. And there are centers coming up in the system that can do plenty more (Kristo, Vail, Bournival, etc).
- And no, Cranky Franky Gagnon. We will not trade Plekanec or Eller to make room for him either. Put your pompoms away.
- (Of course, if they do trade those guys away, the collective facepalm from actual fans who care more about wins/abilities over place of birth/language will blow the Bell Center on it's backside).
- Price was sick with the shits (stomach flu), so Budajbar came in. The haters immediately coined this as a loss and probably went out for dinner. Who needs you!
- The haters obviously forgot neither goalie for the Flyers could be considered "solid", nor a "starter" for that matter. Tonight we had Bouuuuuuuuucherrrrrrrr.
- I was also told that Clod Geerou would "light it up". He did nothing of the sort. In fact, the only thing he did was sting the back of Emelin's leg. Actually for some reason he was after him all night... You don't like Russians?
- Yes, get your goal out of the way, Briere.
- PK Subban had the save of the game after Budaj temporarily believed he was able to play the puck like Carey Price and wandered behind his net. PK dove in front for the save, stinging his arm in the process. Keith Jones then accused PK of being selfish, believing he only did that to get attention. I really hope he was being facetious, but I somehow have my doubts.
- Am I the only one who thinks Pacioretty will end the season with nothing but assists? Team player!
- I'm fine with the Habs getting trapped in their own end, so long as they spend those 5 minutes keeping the puck along the boards. It might not be exciting hockey, and might be rather frustrating, but it's efficient...
- For a moment in the 3rd, Pacioretty did his best Erik Cole and drove to the net down the wing. Timonen held him up and Pacioretty fell on his skate. A "deep cut" by the ribs for Pacioretty that healed 3 weeks ago.
- You know Armstrong, that puck hitting you in the eye wouldn't have been a problem if you had a visor on.
-  Rene Bourque twisted the knife by being clobbered on a breakaway to the empty net. Automatic goal.


Alright. Another week of work ahead. Habs hanging on to a playoff position and creating a fair amount of buffer should they need that cushion later in the season. Let's just hope the injuries that happened in this game aren't big ones...

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 6, Vanek 1: Free Buffalo Wings

PK is back! And his skate had it out for him in the first period. But once that was fixed, you could see just how good this team is with him. And an assist in his first game back thank you very much.

Other than PK, today's game was billed (locally) as Grigorenko VS. Galchenyuk! The two players Habs could have drafted but only could have one! How will this look? How will they perfom? Who will get more points? Build up, controversy!

...and Grigorenko may as well have not been playing.

As for Galchenyuk? He OWNED.

Ryan Miller discovered 2 Gallys are better than 1

Steve Ott is still a douche
- The "New Look Sabres" were supposed to be scary. Or that's what I was TOLD because of that shitstorm in Boston.
- I can say, as a fan of the Blackhawks, that John Scott is fucking useless. You will learn to understand this, one day. Just like how the Rangers did.
- Do you like Rene Bourque now? When he's not drawing penalties, he's crashing the net. Two goals!
- You see the difference with PK. He's our only D capable of matching the speed of say Cody Hodgson running full steam on a breakaway as Kaberle does his best impersonation of a wet noodle.
- THE KIDS! Highlight reel stuff. With a little help from Ehrhoff.
- First time Ryan Miller was pulled in a game against the Habs.
- First time since like 2008 (or 2009) the Habs scored this many goals on them. Maybe Lalime was in nets.
- HEY THERRIEN! IS LARS ELLER PLAYING INTENSE ENOUGH FOR YOU?! All it takes is a little bit of ice time, and a flying chance.
- DD did things right today! TWO GOALS. But those penalties negating powerplays........
- We had 3-on-3 hockey. And it was awesome.
- It would have been awesomer if Pleky, who literally walked up to Enroth, would have scored instead of shoving the puck into him...
- Funny how PK hits 6'8" John Scott, and Scott throws a punch at PK, gets a penatly while Cube (all 5'8" of him) comes to PK defence (PK stopped him).
- My biggest problem was Diaz's inability to stay calm and hold the blueline. That was like a vintage Hamrlik fuckup....
- Prusty vs Ott. Ott tried to get Gallagher to fight him first. Still a fuckwit.
- Ott went after Gallagher with a minute left in the game too...
- Lindy Ruff's face turned many shades of red.
- My nemesis Cody Hodgson didn't score for once!

Perfect for SuperBowl Weekend: Free Wings! Would have been cool if there was say A TRIPLE LOW FIVE celebrating this awesomeness....

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 5, Wild 4 (SO): GONGSHOW

Description: Shenanigans. Seriously. I have no idea what I just witnessed.

Well, actually I do. Someone PLEASE end the Kaberle-Campoli pairing. We call it KA-CA for a reason! Shit happens whenever they're out there, literally. Shit like blowing leads in the 3rd period. Shit like refusing to change who they're facing despite having last change. Shit like getting trapped forever in their own zone until someone either scores, shoots it out of play, or flubs the blueline themselves. GOOD THINGS NEVER HAPPEN WHEN THEY'RE OUT THERE!

And then there was the fighting. Ryan White and Stephane Veilleux were ready for 3 rounds but only made it 2. Though you can't really call it rounds since the first one had Veilleux flopping around White and hanging off his back, leaving our wild-hair boy standing there with a "wtf?!" motion at the thing clinging to his rear. The other one was revenge for Veilleux's hack on Price but ended more of a clobbering. Shit happened after every whistle to the point I thought the game would end at 11:30 if we were lucky. Clutterbuck giving hugs to Eller. Hell even Weber got into it.

The LOLs didn't stop there! The hit of the night was from Emelin, of course. Unfortunately it was him missing his target and sending Erik Cole cartwheeling. He made up for it soon after with a real hit on a Wild player later.

Wee~!

Refs ended the gongshow with their own stamps. Did they feel bad because the Wild took a gamut of early penalties they had no choice but to call? I thought they made up for that by calling a gamut of shit on the Habs, including a wonderful dive by Cal Clutterbuck... The coup de grace: A big wide beautiful empty net for Patches. He's hooked and hooked and hooked some more with no call and finally falls over. Refs ignore it. According to the rules, if a player is interfered with on a clear empty netter attempt such as this one it's an automatic goal, or the ref just calls a regular penalty. Unless they got rid of this rule the same way the mysteriously got rid of the "player penalized near the end of OT may not participate in the shootout" rule. EITHER WAY IT WAS A PENALTY. So of course the puck gets trapped down behind the Habs' net. Price sees Pleky at the blue line and swings it to him (because he was probably sick of watching his teammates fuck up the clears). I guess he was hoping Pleky would tip it out or whatever. Though if Pleky didn't hit the puck, the Wild either go offside or the puck is cleanly cleared out of the zone. Instead SHIT HAPPENS and these fuckers get lost in their zone. Boom, overtime. Still wouldn't have happened if the refs did their fucking job on that empty net!

But. BUT! Refs couldn't fuck up the shootout! And no way Kraperle or Crapoli could fuck it up either without being on the list. Desharnais continues his awesome ways and scores the only goal in the shootout by evading the pokecheck for a beautiful backhander.

Then this happened.

Ooops.

Thank you Devon Setoguchi for being all kinds of fail.

Of course if the Habs play shit like this in their own zone on Saturday it's not going to end well. WAKE UP BOYS. And stop fucking around with Price's numbers. Every defenceman other than PK, Gorges, Emelin...SUCKS ASS. I want Hal Gill back. Fred St. Denis is a better option than Ka-Ca!

Now we have to find out if both Gomez and Palushaj had their eyes gouged out by sticks tonight or not.

Habs 4, Sabres 3 (SO): What? Shootout win?

LOL Buffalo

I'm going to miss Hal Gill very very much. Especially with that CaKa pairing appearing more often than not. Thankfully the penalty kill looks OK! We saw what PK learned from big Hal while breaking up a 3-on-1 and blocking shots on the penalty kill.

Againt it didn't start out right. You can't even say the Sabres played yesterday because they were barely playing that game in Philly (hence the 7-2 smack down). Outshot horribly throught the game? Hey no problem. Price made saves even with his head (and broke his mask...had to bring out the backup). How did the Sabres scores? Simple. CaKa sucks. Also no one covered the point on the first goal. And why Ennis was just left so fucking wide open at the hash marks I'll never know...

But check this:
- Kaberle scored a backdoor goal after the first unit spent the entire 2 minutes controlling the zone on the powerplay. Insane.
- Gomez scored on the powerplay! With Andrei parked in front.
- Campoli scored after Ryan White did his job wonderfully and Ryan Miller forgot how to play goal. Hopefully this raises Campoli's value from a 7th round pick to maybe a 6th?
- Price was a rock.
- Derek Roy almost carried the puck in his hand all the way back to the blueline and they ignored it...
- Pacioretty scored in the shootout.
- Desharnais finished it.
- Poor Andrei...he was next in the shootout. But it still wouldn't count for his 100th goal.

They also managed to get out of fucking Buffalo without an injury!

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 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 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 2, Preds 1 (OT): Thank you Craig Rivet

This 4-point roadtrip was brought to you by the Craig Rivet trade! Also known as the gift that keeps on giving. Josh Gorges scores the OT winner in Phoenix, and now Max Pacioretty scores the OT winner in Nashville. Personally I was all "OMG THEY SCORED A GOAL ON RINNE FINALLY!" and then managed two goals. And they didn't give up 55-shots either!

In fact, they matched Barry Trotz's trap to the letter. Nashville tried to pound the Habs with hits, probably forgot they play the Bruins 6 times per year. If you think hitting a Hab intimidates them you're clueless. So yea, most of the game was played running around the perimeter of the rink. And as time ticked away in the 3rd, they were playing it so safe I'm certain they missed their scheduled TV ad timeouts. Maybe they discovered the magic of the 1-point? Penguins and Rangers made the loser point into an art form. And hey, if you're giving out free points, make sure it's to someone not in your Conference.

Another way to get points? Hey teams! If you've got a special event, please, give us a call! We'd love to spoil your party. Probably Spacek's fault. He was there at the Pred's first game too.

Since not much happened in this game...
- Preds record might have something to do with their hideously bright mustard yellow sweaters.
- Little DD was incredibly shifty all night. Cole with a great move, DD with a hard push to the net.
- Can we just please simplify the powerplay?! First wave should be PK/Weber on the point, followed by Spacek/Diaz, and return our forwards to their positions down low. The reason it sucks is because these guys are being asked to play out of their natural positions. And I don't care what Mitch Melnick says about putting a forward on the point...they TRADED away the forwards that play up there (ie Sergei, Maxwell).
- Preds should trade Suter for someone who can score goals. As a forward. Or you know stop drafting defencemen.
- Also every time you say "Weber" we know it's Shea Weber. Our Weber is "Veber".
- Pierre Groulx is an incredible goalie coach. Combine that with the team realizing that they need to do their part to help Budaj is a fair recipe for success. Preds only had 4 shots in the entire 1st. Game ended with mid-20s for each team.
- RDS count calling Budaj "Price": 5
- Hal Gill looks at your 5-on-3 and laughs. Then lies down.
- Cammy playing hurt isn't much help. He's not Pacioretty, but we appreciate the effort. Still has the wicked wrister though.
- With all due respect, Gomez is not a 4th-line winger. Good to have him back though.
- However how stupid is JMart? Whatever injury Gomez has, he isn't taking faceoffs. So with a d-zone faceoff, while on the powerplay, Gionta is told to take it? He loses it, obviously, and Weber gets a goal. I mean...really? WHY not just put DD or Eller (if Pleks already had his shifts) out there JUST for that? Switch on the fly? No? Stupid. It wasn't icing either...
- Words cannot describe the play between PK and Patches for the winner. So just watch the video!

Bob Cold sounds so upset.

Moving up and along...

Habs 4, Bruins 2: Go back under your bridges, trolls

I like only one player that plays for the Bruins and his name is Tuukka Rask. Never mind the milk crates, the kid is a good young goalie who through no fault of his own can't get a fucking win. Also considering he's a real goalie and not a floppy wide man with a horseshoe up his arse, he should be their number 1.

Then again I don't want Rask winning when it's the Habs so too bad.

1 - Every time a Bruin loses his shit and takes a stupid penalty, Clod Julien squirms. RDS had an awesome montage of his decent into madness. Hey man, refs warned your team to watch it.

2 - We know Pleky on the point for the powerplay is iffy, but it's working. And I think it's reminding him that he has one hell of a shot. Pinball goal for Gionta.

3 - David Desharnais, 5'7" 177lbs, 3 game point streak. Was 63% in the dot. All heart and determination, collected the garbage in front of the net and scored the second powerplay goal which ended up being the game winner. Really hope Gomez is watching him...

4 - Benoit Pouliot was home sick apparently. Probably would have been scratched anyway. Too bad because Habs had to really deal with Krejci and Horton.

5 - All of Lars Eller's goals seem to be against Rask. Had some incredible chances including some magic moves by AK46. This line is awesome. And Moen made sure the Bruins didn't get to him even though 4 of them ganged up on him after the whistle, trying to intimidate the very same kid who stared down with Chara last year...

6 - And yea he coughed up the puck terribly in front of his own net (with some help) for a goal against, and took a penalty, but everyone recognized how he played tonight. Well earned 2nd star.

7 - I think I'm actually happier Seguin is a Bruin and not a Leaf. I think I can tolerate him more... But if he starts turning into the typical Bruin, then fuck him. So far so good, save for that crap last season with the goal after the buzzer...

8 - PK Subban was being a rat bastard all night. And like water off a duck's back he didn't give two shits what the Bruins thought about it.

9 - I have no idea why Rask was switched for Thomas after the Bruins' second goal. He doesn't even know himself. Rask wasn't too sure either. We're thinking it's because Timmeh's quicker at running to the bench.

10 - Pleky's reaction on the empty netter was like "booya". Yea man, because the Habs are allergic to empty nets so CHEER that muther trucker!

Jaro Spacek could have been a game star as well. The man lost a lot of weight over the summer, telling me he's serious about this. And for a while he was blocking more shots by himself than all the Bruins.

I have a problem with people complaining about Perry Pearn's firing. Like hello? LOOK AT THE BENCH NOW! Randy and Randy are extra animated, the team is rejuvenated, the defence knows what they're doing, the powerplay is more forceful, and I suspect that Too Many Men penalty plague will quiet down. And with the Bruins going for a 5-on-3 powerplay, Randy L convinces them to take a time out so the best could be out there. He saw how they weren't getting to the pucks fast enough, and was--I dare say-COACHING them through the timeout. This was important because the Bruins score here and it's a whole different ballgame. And they almost did score, but the best do what they do best (ie. goal posts are your friends when they agree with you, and Josh Gorges' elbows are good at sweeping pucks clean away). And the frustration of all this leads to Horton taking a stupid crosschecking penalty. So what is it, people? The team is winning, and then bench looks like that constipated air has dissipated. JMart was even giving an in-game interview with RDS!

So now the team goes on a 5-day break just as they were getting on a role. I hate it when this happens, but it'll give Cammy time to really heal up (he just doesn't look right and I think that cut on his leg is bothering him), and I'm sure the shot blockers would be happy with the break. Also don't have to worry about partying too hard for Halloween. On the bright side, also gives the team a chance to work things out because despite the win streak and the home-and-home sweep, they still got a lot to work out. How about a game of pass the puck?

Habs 5, Avs 6 (SO): El tipico

Habs, you've got some 'splainin to do!
Ai-yai-yai-yai-yai!
Habs, what do you have to say for yourself?
And as I recall, it was till death do us part. That event is about to take place right now!!
Mira lo que este equipo ha hecho...
Mira lo que este equipo loco ha hecho...
Ai que barbaridad...

PK! Son! You have got to stop trying to do everything yourself. If there weren't so many injuries, you'd probably be up in the pressbox right now. This team needs you. This team can't play Gorges or Gill for 60 minutes. You're the most veteran young defenceman on the team right now. But mostly that horrendous want to go coast-to-coast while your team is changing and you're the last man out there, going through 4 guys, giving Stastny the opportunity to go on a breakaway... That stuff just can't happen right now. Neither can you seriously float through the defensive zone, ignoring the guy behind you. Especially if you claim to be #AlwaysOn.

PK unit! Guys! With Diaz dinged for a bullshit call (seriously, if you call that trip and don't call the one in OT on Eller, you got no business calling that a trip) you've got to get the puck out and away. It was a crucial kill, yet y'all acted like there was still 3 periods to play instead of 3 minutes. Lose the faceoff? Jump on the player/puck like Halpern did in his "kill time" faceoffs. Get down and dirty! There was just waaaay too much scrambling, waaaay too much running around, and no one covering the point shots. And yes, once again, everyone facing the wrong way.

Pricey...

"It was a roller coaster," Price said. "I thought the guys played well and deserved better. It was a tough one for me tonight, obviously, with five goals. I wish I would have played better but at least we got a point out of it. We can move forward with that, I guess."

Not really worried about him. He's basically got a lot to take care off with the defense being the way it is. People making Luongo jokes need to get a clue. He's not sprawled helpless on the ground every fucking time like LOLongo, who's playing behind a much better more experience team and HAS to be better than what he's shown not just this year but previous years. If Luongo played for the Habs, they wouldn't have any wins this season so far. Actually he'd probably have had a nervous breakdown years ago and would have been traded elsewhere for his own sanity.

As for the shootout? Well, frankly, do what you gotta do in OT. Going to a shootout with Colorado is like praying for 6 numbers that count. Especially when JMart puts Pleky out first while Gio/Gomez are sitting there, watching. Especially when Colorado is full of shootout specialists.

Take the point and run. Though they did play better than what they showed against Calgary, it wasn't by much. Nevertheless, loved little DD jumping into Patches' arms after he scored that goal. Peanut butter and Nutella. That's what those two are, assisting on each others' goals. Also the powerplay looked a lot better. Ironic that Pleky, now removed from the point, scored from there with a wicked slapshot. Another great gritty goal for Moen. And Gionta's backhand goal was sick. Captain owes us some goals with all those he missed...

Good news! Apparently the live organ music has returned.

#OctoberProblems:
- John Tavares has the same amount of goals as the entire Rangers squad.
- He also has the same amount of goals as Winnipeg, who are still looking for their first win (0-3-0).
- MAB has more points/goals than Stamkos, St Louis, Lecavalier. RDS is pissed.
- RNH probably isn't going to play for Team Canada at the World Juniors.
- No one in Chicago can elevate the puck on Timmeh Thomas, causing Jack Edwards to explode on every routine save he makes.
- Don't let my dad watch hockey. Please. He's scaring the dog.
- Columbus is 0-4-1 and it ain't pretty.
- Toronto's planning the parade.

Habs 4, Bolts 2: ALL IN!

Fun times in Habs Nation. They're 1 point behind the Caps for that 5th spot and proving the Tool Sports Network how silly their predictions were. Of course now that the Blackhawks stomped their beloved Leaf back to reality, they're in mourning. And when the Bruins beat the Lightning to move into second, it was trumpets and parades. For the Habs? Well they beat the OBVIOUSLY slumping Lightning. Excuse City.

The Lightning are like last year's Washington Capitals: offense coming out of their wazoo, putrid on defence, goaltending is variable. Only difference is they have Dominic Moore on their side.

I still don't think I could take a playoff series against those diving pukes. Stamkos dives more than Crosby ever did, only he doesn't seem to whine to the ref every five minutes because he assumes they'll fall for it every time (which they do). The only bonus? It would be home ice for the Habs in either arena.

And because the general consensus is that Boucher should be the coach of the Habs (and I still believe Bob was building this team for him but never expected him to ditch us so quickly), noted Habs beat writer Arpon Basu mentioned if the players had any pride or belief in their team, they'll win this game.

Win 31 for #31!
- There is definitely a god smiling down on the good guys because Hal Gill has another goal.
- Time to start working on giving Carey a goal eh?
- Awesome play by AK46 on the powerplay, even better move by Desharnais for the goal. He's so small everyone forgets about him. My mom says all players see is the top of his helmet go by and by then it's too late!
- Would have been 3-0 really quickly. Guy Boucher would have gone nuclear.
- Stamkos is a bit of a bitch eh? McGuire would just call that "being competitive" because "he gets it".
- The faceoff sheet looks abysmal, guys. You think with Pleky being 9-25 while Halpern's 2-3 would mean that Halpern would take the faceoffs on his line then move over? Oh sorry, that would be thoughtful and proactive coaching.
- Put PK on the PP? Patches scores. What a concept!
- Hamr on the PP? Price had to leave his net, twice. Sloooooooooooooow...
- Tom Kowal wins the Chris Lee award for Worst Ref Of the Year. Seriously, someone get this man a rule book and video examples and don't you dare start giving him playoff games.
- If they had lost this game because of Moore's PP goal you probably would have seen 400 articles on the failure to overpay him.
- Wonder if there will be 400 articles on the absolute fail that is Marc-Andre Bergeron?
- Gomez knows EXACTLY how to play against MAB while defending him on the PK...
- Price got eaten by the net.
- The boards in this rink make no sense. You shoot the puck at it and it never goes the way you think it'll go. Physics! You fail!
- Pouliot's door opening skills suck as much as his stickhandling does these days.
- Price's stickhandling is way better than Pouliot's.
- Patches on his 2nd of the night: "BOOM!" Those self-help books did wonders.
- Organ grinder loves the Hava Nagila.
- The first call was bullshit (Cammy was screaming at the ref "HE HIT ME!"), the 2nd was chintzy. It gave the Lightning a 5-on-3 in the third. HUGE KILL and a statement. And as Bob Cole said "here comes the Carey Price moment of the game" none better exemplified by his pokecheck on a lone Stamkos:

One of these days these guys will consistently hit the empty net...

And one of these days these fucking refs will properly call interference...

Pricey made 43 saves. And while they tried, the refs didn't succeed in fucking him over like that first game of the year. Habs smell the playoffs. And if Hal Gill scores on Tuesday, I'm going to start playing the lotto.

This game was also #600 for Gionta. All those people who said he would never make it because of his height must feel pretty silly day after day, year after year. Desharnais should take notes.

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.