Pre-season: By the power of Greyskull

So while the latest flock of disappointed delusional pricks--I mean, fans head for the nearest bridge to topple off (PS, I give pushes for free!), it's too bad I don't seem to have any video highlights available but if any good comes out of this pre-season it's this:

Dear Tomas Plekanec,
Or should I call you Tomas Jagr? Maybe you'd like to be known as Tomas Datsyuk? Either way, those hands you apparently found? Please, please, PLEASE keep them once these pre-season games are done. Absolutely fantastic.

Love,
A fan and her hamster

Meanwhile, my scouting senses say "please fix this nao":

Holy fucking penalties, Batman! You guys both nearly clocked in 30 minutes EACH tonight!

And yes that really is TWO too many men on the ice penalties for the Habs.

Oh and Hal Gill, darling, hope the eye is ok but don't you fucking DARE trip Price in a real game when he's working OK? Gotta watch that extra-long stick. Thanks sweetie.

Round 2 Game 1: Kapow!

Oh Pens fans... So silent, so deadly.

Back to reality, then.

Oh how quickly the euphoria dissipates, and how easily they turn on you. A week ago they were calling to trade Jaro, then build statues in his honor, now they're back to trading him. Hey just ask your buddy Price. You wanna be a number 1? It comes with the territory. And while I can only fault him on 1, his positioning was out of whack, his laterals sloppy, deep in his net, the signs of fatigue. Probably shouldn't have started the 3rd...

Same for the forwards and the defencemen. Decision making was poor, movement a step behind, and then Markov twinged something trying to hit a Matt Cooke that was going to hit him and left the rink on crutches. It won't be easy filling that void, especially with Spacek off-balance.

Basically it was exactly how I expected it to play out considering this series started almost right after. Though they did play better in spots than I thought. I mean, they actually outshot the Pens...

They won't use the fatigue excuse, but it's pretty evident whether they want to believe it or not. However we'll see how well they can block it out this round and maybe bounce back better.

About the only people who looked alive: Cammy, Subban, Moore, Price. Methinks it's time to switch up eh coach?

Price's puckhandling really helps against a forechecking team like the Pens because he can move the puck out faster, and unlike Washington, the Pens do go to the net and screen so his larger size would be a bonus. Subban schooled Bergeron on how to play D, scored a goal (WOO!), and outmuscled Crosby on a breakaway. Moore did what he's been doing all series and nearly did another one of his backhand goals of awesome. Cammy scored from the knees on the opposite side and motored around, even did a rare defensive move.

Perhaps bring in Sergei, and I think Darche can handle the rugged players of the Pens better than the Caps. You got fresh players ready for service, Coach.

All creatures great and small cheer (or squeak) GO HABS GO!

Round 2 Game 1: Start off in the fire
Bulldogs also opened their 2nd round with a loss. Totally wasn't happy they had to face to Heat. If the distance to Winnipeg was bad enough for them the distance to fucking Abbotsford is hell... Oh well. A 3-2 loss isn't as bad as a 6-3 loss. And Palushaj scored! Chalupas! And what's a game without Brock Trotter scoring eh?

Bad news for the Dogs is PK isn't coming back to them (yet and probably never again). Good news? Gabby's coming to play! Fresh off a 3 year contract. Voltigeurs for the win.

Habs 3, Sabres 4: What a pain in the arse

Get moving boys. These irksome Leafs are two points behind with broken goalies.

Habs are 2 points out of 14th place yet still hover around a playoff spot. What a League. What was that about trying to prevent a two-tier league?

This game was great, so to speak, until Derek Roy lost his balls and couldn't man up to fight Glen Metropolit after slashing him a few at center ice, giving Metro the 4 minute penalty and prompting Cammy to proclaim "WTF?!" from the bench. Was this an IOU for the blatant Too Many Sabres penalty that Miller freaked out on? Probably.

And with the clock frozen on 19seconds shouldn't that final sequence be redone? Maybe I'm thinking of the CFL.

What have we learned tonight?
- Habs have 170 minor penalties so far. But how many are good?
- Andrei Kostitsyn is playing catchup with two more goals tonight. Currently challenging Price for this month's Molson Cup? (And Hammer).
- And how fast was that shot of his anyway? It couldn't be seen by the naked eye and wasn't even captured on film.
- Sergei Kostitsyn needs a finisher. So does Gomez. Lapierre isn't that finisher...
- Pleky and Cammy sketched out a play on the bench with their fingers. Once satisfied they told Andrei about it. Right after the Sabres goal, Cammy and the line combines to score. I wonder if that was the sketch?
- We need more Andrei Kostitsyn interviews.
- If that was Jaro trying to avenge the last Sabres game... Well, it would be nice if he could freeze the puck more often.
- Vanek was knocked down by a Forum Ghost behind everyone while on a faceoff.
- The ref furthest away from the play will call 2 minutes for playing defence on Josh Gorges, while the one who is closer prefers to let them play.
- YoMamaWeen still sucks at the Bell Center. Perhaps he's afraid of ghosts?
- When Kaleta scores, God kills a kitten. Save the kittens. (Shorthanded is even more painful).
- RDS screw up of the night: Called Lapierre "Latendresse". Yes Brunet, we know where your mind is. I can't wait for Thursday!
- Hal Gill is the penalty kill's best friend. Unless he's being interfered on during a 5-on-3 to no call. If a Hal Gill falls in the forest does anybody hear?
- MAB's new name is "il rate la cible". Facepalm.
- The media will give Tyler Myers a star for being a big rookie but completely ignore the herculean effort and amazing offensive set up magic of Plekanec. Infidels!
- And what the fuck was Hecht's star for? Being Buffalo's Plekanec? C'mon! You're LOCAL media not Buffalo media. Release your inner homer. Why not? That's what they do...
- Didn't go over 30 shots against tonight...

Keep your sticks on the ice, not in the faces. Cammy says it's upsetting. When Cammy is upset, I'm upset! Pleky is upset too! (My hamster and the hockey player).