Game #56Dominance In TO; Habs Win Big 4-Pointer

Details

Date: 11/02/2012
Opponent: Maple Leafs
Location: Toronto

Win: 5-0

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Reimer (L), Gustavsson

Habs goalscorers: Cole, Bourque, Pacioretty, Eller, Darche
Opposition goalscorers: None

Play of the game

Eller has some serious moves and they never look better than when they are made to embarrass the Leafs defensively-challenged captain. After a good play in the neutral zone, Lars came in and mocked not only Phneuf, but Reimer too. It was a great goal, but, boy, did those three players help to make it look really easy.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec
Pleks had another great game as he is certainly in that playoff-mode (no, not the girlie type) that we need him to be in. He picked up 2 points again and now has 5 in the 4 wins. This was a good night to have Moen miss as Pleks' unit had little to do, but I do hope he'll be back beside Darche and Tom soon.

Mathieu Darche
The coach likes Darche, that much is obvious. But, what does he bring to the Habs? If anything, he brings passion and a love for the CH more than anyone on the team. This guy plays with all his heart and it makes up for any lack of skill. When you play with that much heart and you get that much ice-time generally things can happen for you and they did tonight with a goal and an assist.

Erik Cole
More of the same from the Habs' top forward. With the Habs playing as well as they did and Toronto playing as bad as they did Cole wasn't needed to be outstanding tonight. He didn't mind though as he still went about his business and notched his 20th of the season (17th in last 40 games). Could it be that Cole's leadership is finally paying off? Have enough of the Habs followed his lead such that we are once again a good team? As of now it looks that way, but let's check back in couple of weeks.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
The Leafs had two PP's before we scored our first goal. Without good penalty-killing this could have been a much different game, but once again we were excellent. Other than Price, no one was better than Gorges. In all he logged 7 minutes short-handed and frustrated the Leafs on numerous occasions.

Hal Gill
This was Mats Sundin night and no Leaf, current or former, was better than soon to be 37 year-old Hal Gill. I am thrilled about that, but one would think that there should be 20 pretty ashamed Leaf players in the dressing room right now. The best part is that Gill wasn't even that good. He was great on the PK and was our second best D-man, but there just wasn't a lot to do for any of the seven tonight.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
Price may have got lucky, thanks to the posts, to get the shutout, but he wasn't lucky that we won. He was so good early on and until it was 2-0 that he made the other players' jobs so much easier. A hot Carey makes this team better and that is exactly what we have on our hands right now.

Comments

Montreal dominated a game that we needed to win tonight. We played a tight first period and relied on some good D and PK'ing to get us there. After that, when the game started to open up, we picked apart their defence and that led to a plethora of goals. They out-shot us, but there was no doubt as to which team outplayed who. Winning, especially in regulation, was huge for us and to win 5-0 makes it that much sweeter. This was a total team-effort which has been the theme of our 4 wins in 7 days week.

2 weeks ago we thought that there was a chance. Last week, there was no way we could even continue to think about the playoffs. This week, what is it? Well, we are 7 points back of 8th and we have 26 games to go. Of course, mathematically, we are still very much alive. But, is this a team that can get another 35 points in those games? Even then, would that be enough? All along I have believed that we may as well go for it and now, of course, there is no change to that. I do think that it is possible, but not because I think that we are a spectacular team or because we were unlucky earlier in the year. No, I think it because, first and foremost, we have a pretty easy schedule till the end of the year (have a look yourself) and the other reason is that we are getting better as a team and, like it or not Ontario, other teams are getting worse.

I have 26 more games to watch this year, and I know what I'll be cheering for. Go Habs.

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Game #55 Habs Write Answers to Trivia Questions As They Clear The Isles in NYC

Details

Date: 09/02/2012
Opponent: Islanders
Location: New York

Win: 4-2

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Nabokov (L)

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty (3), Gomez!!!
Opposition goalscorers: Moulson, Streit

Play of the game

Could it be anything but? The time finally came for Scott Gomez to shoot at an open net from a good position. He was instrumental in keeping the PP play alive and had just set up a few brilliant chances earlier, so when the puck flew right to his waiting stick he deserved the time afforded him to snap his first goal in 12 months and a bit home. Might I say, the goal is also a good example of some PP luck going right, as he scored from Cammalleri's spot, something we know Mike couldn't do for an 11% PP.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Max Pacioretty - Game Puck
A hat trick from two absolutely fantastic shots beating a good goalie who was ready (ish). These were goalscorers goals, so it's no surprise that Max then is poised to become the first 30-goal man in a little while for the Habs. Apart from the goals he was a threat all night on breaks as he emulated Erik Cole's outside speed and poise. He ended with a ton of shots and attempts (10 and 16, respectively) to show for the fits he gave Islanders defenders.

Mathieu Darche
The very least one can do after calling someone dead wood is admit a good performance when he sees it. Darche has turned his game around of late with some more ice time and is suddenly a noticeably positive force for the good guys. I suspect that this is a good strategy against the Jets and Islanders, but will reserve judgment on its use in Boston games. Nevertheless, he played some good two way hockey while surging for a few chances. Moreover, this pairing with Plekanec has woken the very important player within the turtleneck, a very valuable thing indeed.

Erik Cole
Cole was at ease against the Islanders as he played the sidekick to superhero this time out. Of course, he played that role by doing exactly what he does at his best, creating good chances from almost nothing. It was good to see he and Max find so many openings.

Defencemen

Josh Gorges
The Islanders aren't a strong team full of depth, but as Pierre Houde rightly noted, Tavares is becoming a major handful. A testament to Gorges then that he battled with John for most of the night and came out a winner in the end analysis. I fancied Gorges chances to score that goal on another goalie, as well -- I thought the Nabokov save on him was a great glove grab.

Alexei Emelin
Whenever we complain about the Canadiens, there's usually some gripe that they are not very hard to play against (at least to the observer). But to a season's worth of evidence, Emelin offers them a defender to move towards the solution. He looks hard to play against, and the proof is in a lot of puck recovery and broken attacks. I liked him especially tonight as I noticed he was as determined as anyone. It seems like the rookie is finding his KHL form more and more every new game.

Goaltender

Carey Price
This game was a good example of how timing of goals matters. 57 minutes of shutout hockey gives a team a lot of time to build a lead against a team that also has to think attack. Carey was brilliant in allowing the breathing room for his teammates to go three up, and also to hold that as long as he did. The blemish on the record is only personal (lost a shutout he probably deserved most times). He deserves massive credit for backstopping a very important win here.

Comments

The Habs wrote some answers to future trivia questions tonight. Pacioretty scored his first career hat trick and scored possibly the latest third period goal in Canadiens history. I'm not sure if anyone has ever taken 16 attempts on net in the time it's been recorded either. Gomez, of course, broke his year-long duck. Cunneyworth went on his first three game winning streak. A few of these achievements represent some pretty big monkeys being left to stay in Long Island.

Back monkeys off-loaded, it's still hard to see where the team will go from here.

From all signs they look like players who want to make the playoffs today and who will continue to push a bit harder to get there. But we know that even the best efforts could end in tears because of the record compiled over 52 games, and the GM may not share his players' optimism. What we do know is that no one wants the Maple Leafs in the playoffs, not players, not GM, not many people other than Maple Leafs fans themselves, and so the next game will be approached for glory. A win there and things start to get in that deceptively believable realm again.

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Game #54Very Solid Effort Lifts Habs Over Pens

Details

Date: 07/02/2012
Opponent: Penguins
Location: Pittsburgh

Win: 3-2

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Fleury (L)

Habs goalscorers: Leblanc, Eller (1, SO), (Bourque, Plekanec - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Dupuis, Neal, (Malkin, Kunitz - SO)

Play of the game

The play of the game was the shootout, our lowly, pathetic shootout. Price contributed with some big saves and we got 3 goals. The best of the bunch was Bourque's as it put us up right off the bat and gave the team and the fans confidence that a win, against the Pens in this fashion, was indeed possible.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
He was dynamite on the PK early on and did a fantastic job at shutting down the league's best player all night. In the end he was rewarded for his selfless efforts when he scored the game-winning goal in the shootout. When he plays like he has done the past few games we are a better team. Let's hope that he keeps it up.

Lars Eller
Lars had an up and down game. He wasn't that dominant at times, but still managed a very timely goal and a beauty in the shootout. He didn't stand out too much beyond that, but it is notable that he was our only player that was +2.

Louis Leblanc
The kid scored a fantastic goal to put us up and played a pretty solid game otherwise. He was a threat in their end with 4 shots and played very well along the boards. I hope that he continues to progress, wherever he plays for the rest of this season, as there seems to be hope that he could be a good one in the years to come.

Defencemen

PK Subban
He was in their top players' faces all night and you could see the frustration building within the Penguins. Tonight he did everything right and was at his best. It has been a long season of realizing that he isn't a PP specialist, but it has been a thrill to watch him excel in our own end. He made the save of the game in the second when Price got caught; it was an impressive sliding stop.

Josh Gorges
Like PK, Josh was outstanding in our own end. He played the type of game against Malkin and Neal that Spacek and Hamrlik did two years ago in the playoffs vs. Ovechkin then Crosby. Josh is a coach's dream in the way that he works and follows the plan; is it just me or are more and more people following him?

Goaltender

Carey Price
Carey's weak aspects were on display tonight, but boy, so were his good ones. He made poor choices with the puck a couple of times and was almost caught way out for a goal. In the shootout he could have easily let him his usual 50% (4), but thanks to two posts only let in two. He also made 4 very good saves. Throughout the game, however, he was alert and was a huge reason why Pittsburgh never had a lead. Are he and his team heating up at the same time? Surely it is too late, right?

Comments

This was a fantastic game to watch and may have been the closest thing we'll have to a playoff game all year in Montreal. The fact that it was scorelss for so long made things get really intense and really exciting. Our PK generated some serious chances that got the fans into it and so, there was a great atmosphere in the building. We scored a very good goal and then a very lucky one thanks to a bit of cheating by Fleury. We didn't have too many offensive chances beyond those, but we kept it close. That is because our defensive play was spectacular. The short-handed goal was another demonstration of how bad our PP is, but otherwise our play was sound as we respected the gameplan.

Cunneyworth impressed me a few weeks ago when he started using 7 defenceman all as D rather than putting one on the 4th line. I like that concept and am happy to see it is still in effect. Another concept that I really like is the creation of a defensive line. Tonight Plekanec (probably our best all-around player) skated with Darche (who played 21 minutes; second amongst the forwards) and Moen. Having such a solid defensive unit which can shut-down the opposition's best is genius. Yes, Tomas is 'wasted', but we are then able to slip a 3rd and 4th liner on there and get better results than if we had Bourque or Kostitsyn on that line. This then frees up the Desharnais line and players like Eller, Leblanc, Kostitsyn and Bourque to play more freely. I liked what he did as I always am for new thinking in the game. You never know, the concept of having your top centre play with your two bottom wingers on a checking line is something that just may catch on!

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Why The Canadiens Lose

I don't know the definitive answer to this question. But I do have a feeling it is a little more subtle than two too many games in September.

Did the Canadiens preseason hurt the team? It's conceivable. But one then thinks back two years earlier, when even more players had to be integrated and a new coach had to set up a new system and notices a team that battled, had two centres scoring and a defensive scheme that put their goalie in the elite of the stats class.


Generally, I think we as fans have to take a cold shower and admit some things about this group of players that the organization has assembled:


1) They are not good enough to play the systems they have been asked to play
When they are asked to play with more energy than the other team, their lack of physical fitness is visible. Line changes are slow as exhausted players walk to the bench. This fitness thing takes a long time to correct, but how long?

Also, let's admit that they can't make up for fitness gaps with skill. There are now players that try on some moves, but just as often as not the puck is lost in the process. And game in, game out, we see how the key to the slot scoring positions elude the forwards on the ice.


2) The systems are stock systems, not custom

It's easy to lay all the blame at the players' feet. But the fact of the matter is that a coach, with a shelf life of two to three seasons, has to face up to the reality that over a tenure, 70% of the players he inherits will make up his core.

We talk about the coach's system and how the coach is trying to impose the way he thinks on the team. But have we yet seen a coach figure out a smart way to use Kostitsyn's slow, big frame with heavy accurate shot? Have we seen in two years a coach who takes advantage of Gomez's zone gaining ability, or Subban's? No. Not fully.

Rather we see the coach restraining or reforming these pieces in order to fit a set mould.

It can work, but it's the more difficult way to do things, and it takes time, and it results in seasons like this one.


3) There's not a star in sight

With all due respect to Tomas Plekanec, Carey Price, PK Subban and Erik Cole, the Canadiens simply do not possess the star power that probably a fair 20 teams in the league do (16 make the playoffs...). There's no natural goalscorer, there's no clutch playmaker, there's no one who turns a game with any regularity, there's no showstopper.

It's worse when one looks through the list of futures. It's possible that Gallagher is a diamond in the rough, but beyond him, it seems like a long list of "more of the same".

What's there is a lot of competent players who are willing to work hard, but who are prone to losing if a bounce goes the wrong way.


4) There's a lot of dead weight

A team of hard working competent players can win many Cups in a row with the right coach. But something that will limit these efforts (and would even limit a Gretzky led team) is players who don't really contribute.

For me, there are too many players for whom you could say a good game is getting more attempts (on net or not) than their equivalents on the other team and just mitigate the damage. I don't need to name the players, we've all got a feeling for this.

Having too many players that are net equals at their best asks those with more skill and talent to outdo their counterparts (the skilled and talented of the other teams. And remembering that some other teams have legitimate superstars, over a season this becomes a very heavy burden for the players it's being asked of.


5) Not enough commitment to development

This is probably the most unforgivable aspect of their neuroses. It is free to develop players well, it costs nothing towards the cap.

The Canadiens, with their warped vision of how much they stand apart from the other 29 franchises in the league make things awfully complicated for themselves when they jettison players for reasons not related to hockey.

A commitment to development for me would mean investing in those players the organization has invested their scouting and picks on. Not only on-ice development, but also off-ice. And importantly, not to expect that minimal effort will achieve enormous changes. One need only think of Mike Ribeiro to understand my meaning. A clear talent who liked to party and was acting up. Too much trouble for the team he was shipped out. And while the addition by subtraction probably paid for short term gains, the loss in quality could be seen as soon as months later.

Through some miracle, the Canadiens have managed to pick a lot of the pieces they needed to compete over the years. But a fear of hard work, or whatever it is, on the part of the organizations overall development mechanism has stripped it of scorers, playmakers and gamesavers over the years.


6) The goal is set too low

Playoff participation? Then anything can happen?

The margin for error when the goal posted on the locker-room wall is playoff participation is harsh. If you come within two points of the 94 you aimed for, you can be on the outside looking in. Teams that aim to win 60 games can fail and still cruise through the last ten games as they ready for April.

For too long the Canadiens have been too satisfied by just making the playoffs. For a while this was reinforced behaviour, because the team did indeed beat unlikely paths to higher rounds. Over the long run, this strategy is bound to turn up a few losing seasons, though.



From the looks of this, it seems that I am being pretty negative. But I prefer to say realistic.

I guess the important distinction is that winning more the 40 games in a season does not necessarily make you a winner. The Montreal team that made the playoffs and were swept aside by Boston in four a few seasons back were certainly not treated as such.

The silver lining is that there are probably fewer than a handful of teams at the moment who don't need to admit to one or all of these flaws. In a league where a small relative gain means leapfrogging over 10 mediocre franchises, the ground to cover isn't immense, at least for playoff participation.

But, as you know we dream of the highest standards on this blog. We fantasize about a time when the Canadiens, inspired by their great past (managerially speaking) will outstrip their rivals in every allowable department not directly related to restricted spending limits. In the realm of the salary cap, I think this is how a dynasty would have to be built, to get out of the Oiler-Penguin cycle of lottery luck.

Sure, we can paper over the cracks and say there was some bad luck, a few injuries and a busy fall. It is factually accurate. But in your heart of hearts, wouldn't you admit that even a team that started 5-3 with Andrei Markov was never going to post a 120 point season?

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Game #53 Habs Win On Gomer's Anniversary

Details

Date: 05/02/2012
Opponent: Jets
Location: Montreal

Win: 3-0

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Pavelec (L)

Habs goalscorers: Pacioretty, Emelin, Plekanec
Opposition goalscorers: None

Play of the game

The whole drama around the third goal was intriguing. Yes, it was a nice enough play. Subban did what a PP Dman should do and stopped only to lay off a pass. Pleks did what a #1 centre should do and walked in a scored. But the aftermath, the clear demonstration of hope that Gomez may have just tipped it, that he may have scored a goal on the very anniversary of the last time he did that. That was good stuff. Those minutes between the goal and the goal announcement were the best of the game for me.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
I believe this is the second game in a row for Pleks. Yesterday was a bit of a hollow honour, but today he won it from stiff competition. What he is known for doing best, he did best today. That goal he scored was why anyone thought he could play the point in the first place, and that Emelin set-up (sublime pass, btw) is why he's the best PK player in the league.

Max Pacioretty
The guy plays the Corsi game lie that's all there is. Many times to my frustration it's just shots from anywhere. But because Max can actually put some weight behind his shots (unlike today's honouree) he gets goals from it, so I can't hold him at fault. His goal (gamewinner and gamechanger) came from the classic throw the puck on net play. But other than that, he seemed to thrive against a hodge podge Winnipeg D.

David Desharnais
It wasn't as thrilling as his game against Detroit, but David was nonetheless quietly effective. He has stolen his place on the depth chart form a few red-faced players, and continues to cause blushes with his constant dome selections.

Defencemen

PK Subban
I have him in the dome in a game like today's because he managed to use all the tools at his disposal in this one, and he has more than anyone out there. While the HNIC analysts were drooling over Bogosian, it was Subban who scared forwards from entering the zone, it was he who set up a goal, it was he who played on the shutout garnering side. That's not to say he didn't leave anything to be desired. As usual, he did. But that's only a longing for the fan who can see and remember his own potential.

Alexei Emelin
With Desharnais, Alexei must be the most positive story of the season. Coming over from Russia he too some time to adjust. Half a season in, he's nailed his name to a locker room stall and advertised to the league forwards that the Habs zone won't be soft=play land anymore.

Goaltender

Carey Price
He got the win as part of the team effort, but you could tell he wanted this shutout for himself. And rightly. 0.913 doesn't mean what it used to and in a salary negotiating position, he needed more ammo. Well he got it with determined play and full concentration throughout. A thoroughly deserved shutout. I'd love to see a few more.

Comments

I'm not afraid to say I was dreading watching this game. As a rule, I hate losing. I don;t mind supporting a losing team, but not the one of this week that showed how many ways they miss the point of winning hockey. I'm not sure they have found the answer, but they did manage to entertain for long stretches and to be fair, they did everything that was required to win this.

The implications of this win are interesting. Because of the way things have been happening, all but one team in the league has decided the season is not over. So interestingly, the second to last place is in play. Rightly, I feel, the team, however, is talking about winning for the pride of the sweater and the city. A GM can't dispose of an entire young stable, so a culture of pride and winning may probably be as important as a prospect. What's more, the standings are stranger than they've been in years and there are three weak links in playoff positions in the East at the moment. If 85 points can make the playoffs, it wouldn't do to end with 83.

Speaking of pride. Can Gomez have any left? While the fans sort of, kind of, ironically willed him on, his coaches couldn't have cared less about his goal total. He played the least minutes of any player at ES. With all the injuries there have been, only 11 forwards, and some teammates little deserving of ice time as well, it's a matter of shame to this player with his stature and contract to say that the coach's got that dead right.

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Game #52 Washington Capitalizes on Lazy Habs Performance

Details

Date: 04/02/2012
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Montreal

Loss: 0-3

Habs Goalie: Budaj (L)
Opposition Goalie: Vokoun (W)

Habs goalscorers: None
Opposition goalscorers: Wideman, Hendricks, Semin (PS)

Play of the game

Concentrating hard, Josh Gorges uses a Jedi mind trick to convince Alexander Ovechkin that he is actually wearing a Washington jersey. At the end of a long shift, a tired Ovie succumbs to Gorges' will and passes him the puck rather then finding some creative way to score after falling on his arse or something. It was that kind of game.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Tomas Plekanec - Game Puck
A hard night to choose a game puck. Plekanec is really focusing on his back-end play this season and this has been contributing to his offensive drop-off. I really liked his play in our end and some of the great breakout passes he makes. His rush at the net off a great Subban exit pass in the last 30 seconds reminded me of what a competitor he is and how hard he works every shift, even if it doesn't necessarily show on any given scoresheet. One wonders why he wasn't matched more consistently against Ovie.

Erik Cole
One of those nights where you're stretching to fill the dome. Once again, the Cole/Desharnais/Pacioretty line provided the grand majority of our offense. I love the way this line starts periods with huge intensity, and Cole uses his size and speed to create a lot of the chances they get. Bourque can start taking notes.

David Desharnais
Could just as easily have been Pacioretty, but I liked Desharnais a little more. He's a fun player to watch and he goes hard to the net. He's got good speed and great sense, and I hope we can continue to watch him develop over the coming years.

Defencemen

PK Subban
One of Subban's major assignments was to stay on Ovechkin and not let him have a big night. The two were in each others' faces all game, and in my opinion PK definitely looked like the winner in terms of having a greater impact on the game. He seemed like one of the only Habs actually fully awake and into this contest.

Alexei Emelin
I love this player. He brings so much to the back end and really has great hockey sense. His -2 is a little unfortunate, as 1 was the Wideman goal and the other he was actually putting a body onto Laich, who was getting his stick on a rebound right in front of Budaj (while Kaberle disappeared behind the net). Made a lot of great neutral zone plays and took some well-considered shots while posting another 4 hits.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj
Again, a more than satisfactory performance from our backup in just his 3rd appearance in 17 games. The Wideman goal was a bit of a freak occurrence, and the skaters really hung him out to dry by leaving Hendricks all alone. And it doesn't matter who you are, Semin is going to score on a lot of his penalty shots. Of course, I wasn't too impressed with him drawing a penalty shot by throwing his stick at the puck, but at least he came up with the save on Brouwer.

Comments

What a sleeper. Some parts felt a bit like a soccer game, with prolonged bouts in the neutral zone that featured few scoring chances. I would have predicted that circumstances like that favour us, but instead we looked flat and lazy at times: Kaberle being out of position to allow Semin's breakaway and disappearing behind the net on the Hendricks goal, Bourque's lack of physical engagement and being a step or 3 back from Hendricks, Kostitsyn seeming to forget that offense can happen outside a power play...

You have to give the Caps credit for collapsing responsibly around their net and Vokoun for directing the rebounds very well. We never really established any kind of offensive presence despite outshooting Washington, especially through the 2nd period. Instead, Washington shut us out through the 10th consecutive period in our own building, and we frankly looked a little lazy and lackluster.

Some interesting moments, even if they weren't great. I can't remember ever seeing a goalie actually throw his stick at a puck before. The crowd was erupting into cheers every time Gomez laid his stick on the puck—tomorrow marks one year since he last scored a goal (against the Rangers). He looked more than a little embarrassed, I actually felt a little bad for him.

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Game #51Refs Blow It Again, Cost Habs Again

Details

Date: 02/02/2012
Opponent: Devils
Location: New Jersey

Loss: 3-5

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Brodeur (W)

Habs goalscorers: Desharnais, Kostitsyn, Darche
Opposition goalscorers: Parise (2), Clarkson (2), Zubrus

Play of the game

I am mad that we lost, but I will try and save that for later. In here, I will be serious when I say that the play of the game was Darche's goal (Kostitsyn's a close second). After New Jersey made a mess of it at our blue-line on their PP Pleks started skating up in the hopes of getting the puck. Gill read it well and found Tomas with a great pass. Plekanec made a great move that wasn't quite enough to beat Brodeur, but was enough to seriously trouble him. Darche supplied the support and notched his third of the year.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

Andrei Kostitsyn - Game Puck
Not sure why one of our top forwards of the season started on the 4th line and got only 2 minutes in the first, but it didn't seem to bother him. He was the most dangerous Hab all night and scored a very nice goal to give us a two-goal lead.

Erik Cole
Don't let the two pathetic penalty calls confuse you as Erik, once again, had a good game. He played a good, hard, clean game tonight, but that didn't matter to the refs. They see a head-jerk here or a plea to the ref there and it is to the box for our top player. The rest of this season is his opportunity to get more players playing like him as he knows he is here to stay (does he wish he wasn't?).

Max Pacioretty
Max competed again tonight and should be pretty happy with his game. I am not worried about the -2 when one is an empty-netter and another should not have ever happened.

Defencemen

Yannick Weber
I thought that Kaberle, Diaz and Gill were below what we need tonight and Subban and Emelin weren't at their usual high levels. One player that played above his usual, however, was Weber. He picked up an assist, was a +1 (only Gill, of the D, was also a +) and led the team in shots in a D-low 11 minutes. Whether he gets moved or will be back next year is the question; games like this help to improve both scenarios.

Josh Gorges
Our makeshift #1 was our best again tonight. I do miss a world where Gorges, a natural 3/4, could be playing on a second pairing. Let's hope that next year Markov and Subban live up to their bills.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Not the best game from Carey with 4 goals on 21 shots, but things may have been a lot different with better reffing. The first goal was weak, but after that there were two deflections and one shot that he couldn't have predicted. Tonight he wasn't any worse than Brodeur, the difference was that the luck was in Marty's corner.

Comments

The Canadiens played much better than they did on Tuesday and I think deserved to win this game. Players like Plekanec and Kostitsyn were better which added some punch to our attack. The plan, however, got derailed with poor decisions that favoured NJ. The team that can never do any wrong in the eyes of refs league-wide capitalized on a couple of those calls/non-calls and that is that.

The two worst calls of the night were the high-sticking call on Cole and the non-call on hooking against Cole. The 'high-stick' (or should I say stick accidentally to head, no matter the height of the head) call was brutal. Brodeur's head was below Erik's waist and was out of the blue plaint. The blade of Cole's stick made contact, Marty threw his head back and the ref bit. Can the NHL just change the rule and say if a stick touches a player in the head it is a penalty (if Brodeur's mask bled would it have been 4 minutes?) because they are not calling anything near what the rulebook says is a high-stick. The Devils scored a crucial goal on that PP.

The second incident involved Cole again. This time. late in the third, with the game tied at 3 (the time/situation of a game when we are told that refs can't make calls else lose their jobs) Cole was hooked badly coming out of the zone. Unlike most hooking calls, which are made to keep TV viewers happy with PP goals, this one actually had an effect on the play and on the player being hooked. Cole was unable to clear the zone. The puck was kept in, the game-winner was scored and the horns sounded. A perfect scenario for the NHL and fans in New Jersey who need wins as incentive to pump time and money into a foreign sport.

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