Hockey "bye" week, take 2

Hamster Pleky is bored.

A goal, an assist, 5 shots on net, and a plus 2. Who dat? If I told you it's Andrew Conboy would you believe me?

The Bulldogs have only played 3 games this season and Conboy already has 2 goals and an assist and a strangely quiet penalty sheet with only a 2 for unsportsmanlike conduct. (No idea what he did, but I doubt he's taunting teams with golf swings already). The 6'4" 200lb winger is off to a pretty good start. In preseason, Randy & Randy set him up on a line with Engqvist and Avtsin (who's known as the puppy dog 'cause he's the youngest on the team). At first I thought it was to give Avtsin some protection and for Engqvist to help on the defensive side. Seems they're doing way more together than just working the system. Derek Wills finds Conboy reminds him of Oilers' Zach Stortini who played for the Bulldogs when they shared AHL affiliation with the Habs. Unfortunately he can't fight like Stortini, but I can see the similarities in the way he battles, how he's a workhorse, and how he drives the net hard.

I just gotta say, the line of Conboy-Engqvist-Avtsin is so fucking weird on paper yet apparently absolute affective! In tonight's 5-2 destruction of the Rochester Americans, their line contributed to 2 goals (5 points). Avtsin picked up his first AHL goal off a centering pass from Engqvist after Conboy dug it out of the corner. Conboy's goal was his reward for picking the puck out of a huge crowd in front of the net where he flipped a backhand past Markstrom.

Yannick Weber has also started off well and registered multi-point games in all 3 played. Maybe it was the system Boucher brought in last year, but he struggled hard at times. Doesn't seem to be the case this year. He's back to accurately shooting missiles from the blue line with quickness and accuracy and makes me believe if the Habs powerplay continues it's struggles, Streit 2.0 will get the call. (I also believe that Weber's presence will make PK twice as good as he is as those two have this little thing that's been going on since their junior days). Weber opened the scoring tonight on the powerplay and closed the scoring for the Bulldogs, both using his devastating shot. I think he might have broken a record (previous held by Andre Benoit).

Another who struggled with Boucher's system at the start was Ben Maxwell, who switched his numbers around to be #19, now that Brock Trotter vacated the number on his way to Latvia. Randy & Randy got him playing with White and Pacioretty. Spent the summer building his strength seems to be paying off, and after a pretty good camp, he's got 3 goals and 2 assists in the 3 games played and was the scoring leader on the team before Weber blasted ahead.

The unfortunate part about tonight's game was the City of Hamilton. For a place that wants an NHL team so badly, they sure don't give much of a damn about what they already have. A whooping 1669 showed up for a rival, and I swear most of the were Rochester fans. Cheap, pro hockey? Move the Dogs here so I can get season tickets.

Koharski Jr, get a doughnut!

It must run in the family... A brother's bond. Ruining our lives, one bad call at a time.

Case in point he found a way to screw the Bulldogs after they started a hard game on actual ice (different from the slush at Copps Coliseum...ahem Mr. Billionaire?) and only managed to finally get one late while on a powerplay courtesy of one PK Subban for his first real pro-goal. And with 5 seconds left with Sanford on the bench, I don't remember who it was but they gloved the puck down and managed to push it in over the line but FUCKING KOHARSKI JR SAID NO GOAL! AHL apparently doesn't have play review? Bet he would have allowed that under-the-frame goal in Boston last night. Captain Darche was absolutely livid. The game ended with Sergei furioiusly whipping the puck at the glass.

Hopefully Sunday will be our revenge as the Bulldogs roll into Ottawa for a game on Sens ice.

The juicy bits:
- Seriously guys? Booing the Bulldogs now? Stay classy, Montreal.
- I had the great joy of sitting next to a wannabe Jacques Demers. I was very close to killing him. He would not shut up the whole fucking game... *grinds teeth*
- PK Subban will be a Hab sooner than later. And he just feeeeds off the crowd. He also will be the first one to try and turn the tide. He plays with a cocky attitude and wears his heart on his sleeve.
- Sergei is not an AHLer. He needs better linemates too.
- My one question for Guy Boucher is why is Subban not your main point shot? Sergei too? Just wondering... Oh and that one man on the line was the Pens' powerplay, and it wasn't good.
- Loved watching Boucher coach. He's always doing something. Every break, the team is huddled in.
- All you guys who suggested to bring Sanford up because of his "numbers"? Uh DO NOT WANT! He makes Jaro look like a Brodeur. And every time he plays the puck, he puts his defenceman in a terribly dangerous position. He's pretty much Marc Denis.
- I really didn't notice Johansson, which was kind of odd.
- Neilson and Conboy were big, tough, and mean. They're also pretty good around the net! And Conboy is fucking huge!
- Last time Weber scored two of the 3 goals. Tonight? He was having all kinds of problems...
- Bruiser was absolutely mental.
- First regulation loss for the Dogs, all because of Koharski.

Truculence

Um. Well, that was entertaining for a 2-1 victory. And the Canadiens are small how?

Any teeth left for tomorrow's game?
- Three As of the night were Gill, Gionta, and Metro. Or a giant and two oompa loompas.
- Eric Neilson got the punching hat trick. Though I can't say the third was actually merited because Bass jumped him from behind and tackled him. Tossed for keeping his gloves on? Ref needs more training.
- Gotta say though, all that fighting and Neilson didn't have a mark on him.
- And we saw emotion from Coach Martin! There was a twinkle of annoyance in his eye when Neilson was tossed for "control reasons", before he sent Metro to go talk to the ref.
- All jokes aside, he does actually talk behind the bench. Something people said he didn't do.
- Brother's observational comment of the evening: "It's weird seeing THREE forecheckers wearing red. What is this?!"
- Hal Gill standing next to Brian Gionta: the odd couple. Absolutely hilarious.
- I BORN A GIANT!
- Halak got the help of three posts. Good to see him back in true form.
- Sandman needs rebound control. Badly.
- Argh Ben, why'd you change your number. Now I forget you're out there!
- Fool me once, ok. Second attempt? Goal. Ben woke up the crowd.
- Ben also got a fist pump from Coach Kirk for that goal!
- Heatly who? I'd rather have Choochoo and Michalek if I were a Sens fan.
- I didn't know Robert Lang shrunk and changed his number to 21? Me miss empty net. Woo!
- Ooooh but it was nice to see them enjoying themselves. They played patiently, threw manrockets, and didn't shy away from intimidation tactics. And when Gionta couldn't hit the empty net, everyone had a good laugh on it. Though I gotta ask... Clouston? If you're pushing them to playoff level in September, I wonder how worn out they'll be by November... Not that I care.
- This game was Brian Burke approved.

In other news:
- I had a feeling that "cross check to the face" thing was the Remparts/Juniors game... Fuzz it out all you want. We all know who he is. Courts ruled it "assault with a weapon". Hello Mini McSorley.
- Speaking of hockey attacks. Fuck you, Phaneuf. If Morency was suspended for jumping off the bench and going after the caveman, Phaneuf should have been suspended for an attempt to injure. Oh wait he plays like that all the time!
- And today? Chimera was taken off in a stretcher...
- Brian Burke's hockey will be tried in the courts. No? Oh. They got Phil Kessel. Boston is retarded. And Kadri will now be lost in the system.