The
Canadiens (44-27-7) return to the Bell Centre Saturday night to host
the Red Wings (37-26-14) after finishing up a 4-game road trip Friday in
Ottawa. The game starts at 7:00 and airs on RDS and CBC.
This is
the fourth and final game between the Habs and Wings this season. The
Canadiens earned their first win and their third point against Detroit
the last time these teams met in a wild 5-4 victory. Tomas Tatar and
Tomas Plekanec each had a pair of goals in the game while Thomas Vanek
picked up the game winning goal and added 2 assists.
What to Watch:
Max
Pacioretty popped in 3 goals and a pair of assists against the Senators
Friday, bringing him up to 38 goals and 59 points on the season despite
missing 9 games with injury. Pacioretty is 4th in the league in goals
behind Alex Ovechkin (49), Corey Perry (41) and Joe Pavelski (39).
Thomas Vanek had himself a 3-point night in Ottawa, giving him 9 points
in his last 5 games and 14 points in the 14 games he's been with the
Habs.
PK Subban was -3 with no points against the Senators,
playing a season low 13:39. His previous season low came the game before
when the Habs played the Lightning on Tuesday.
Gustav Nyquist's
scoring streak came to an end at 10 games last night when the Wings beat
the Sabres 3-2. Over that 10-game span Nyquist had 12 goals and 2
assists, but was held to just 1 assist when the Wings and Habs last met.
Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and an assist last night bringing him up
to 4 points in his last 3 games.
What's at Stake:
The
Canadiens moved two points ahead of the Lightning with their win in
Ottawa, but the Bolts hold the game in hand. The race for second in the
Atlantic and home-ice advantage could go right to the wire so every
point counts with four games remaining. The Red Wings have 5 games to
play and are comfortably holding down the first of two Eastern Wild Card
spots. While they're currently the 7th seed, the Wings are actually 6th
in points in the East, so they would need to be passed by the Flyers,
Blue Jackets and either the Leafs, Devils or Capitals to fall out of a
playoff spot.
Who's Out:
Douglas Murray
serves the second game of his 3-game suspension Saturday night, he'll be
available for duty when the Habs face the Islanders next Thursday. Josh
Gorges (hand) is getting close to a return but won't be in the lineup
Saturday. Dale Weise (wrist), Travis Moen (concussion) and Brandon Prust
(upper body) are also out.
For the Wings, Henrik Zetterberg
(back) is out for the regular season but is aiming to return during the
first round of the playoffs. Stephen Weiss (hernia) is out along with
Jonathan Ericsson (hand) and Dan Clearly (knee).
What Else:
At
95 points, the Habs have 4 games remaining to break 100 points for just
the second time since they won the Cup in 1993. The only other time
since then that the Habs broke 100 was during the 2007-08 season when they
finished atop the Eastern Conference with 104 points. Max Pacioretty
meanwhile has a chance to become the Canadiens first 40-goal scorer
since Vincent Damphousse netted 40 in the 1993-94 season.
The Question Mark:
What can PK Subban do to earn more ice-time and responsibility from Michel Therrrien?
Let us know what you think, leave us a comment or send us a tweet with the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.
Be
sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before
the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren.
Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.
The
struggling Canadiens (27-18-5) are in Detroit Friday to face the Red
Wings (22-18-10) for the first time this season. The game is set to
start at 7:30 and can be seen on RDS and TSN.
This is the first of
four meetings between the Habs and Wings this season. The game takes
place two years less a day since the last time these teams faced off.
The Canadiens scored a 7-2 win on Bell Centre ice that night, David
Desharnais and Erik Cole had 3 points each. The last time the Habs
played in Detroit was December, 2010.
What to Watch:
Carey
Price was pulled from Wednesday game in the second period after giving
up 5 goals in 21 shots. It was just the second time this season Peter
Budaj needed to step in to replace Price. Nathan Beaulieu played in his
second straight game on Wednesday, he finished the night at +1 and saw
close to 15 minutes of ice time.
The Red Wings have struggled
through injuries all season long, Drew Miller and Kyle Quincey are the
only Wings to play all 50 games so far. Detroit's top three scorers,
Henrik Zetterberg (42 points), Pavel Datsyuk (32) and Daniel Alfredsson
(30) have missed over 10 games each.
The injury woes continue for
the Red Wings as starting goalie Jimmy Howard is sidelined which means
Jonas Gustavsson will be in nets. The good news for Detroit is that
despite his 2.47 goals against average, Gustavsson boasts a 12-3-2
record this season.
What's at Stake:
After
allowing 17 goals in their last 4 games, the Habs are looking for a
solid defensive outing Friday night. The Red Wings are 5 points back of
the Canadiens as more and more Eastern bubble teams climb to within
striking distance of Montreal.
Who's Out:
The
Habs are still missing Alex Galchenyuk (hand), Ryan White (upper body)
and Davis Drewiske (shoulder). Call-ups Louis Leblanc and Nathan
Beaulieu are both expected to dress Friday night which will likely leave
George Parros, Raphael Diaz and Francis Bouillon in the press box.
The
Red Wings are missing top forwards Johan Franzen (concussion), Pavel
Datsyuk (lower body) and Stephen Weiss (groin), starting goalie Jimmy
Howard (knee) is also out, so are forwards Joakim Andersson (lower body)
and Cory Emmerton (hand). One positive note for Detroit is that Daniel
Alfredsson is expected to return to the lineup on Friday after missing
the last 6 games with back spasms.
What Else:
It
took a little over half the season but the Habs finally get to take on
their new division rivals for the first time this year. The Wings are
the only team the Canadiens haven't yet encountered this season, they
meet 4 times in the last 32 games. The Canadiens don't get to play in
Detroit very often, for David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty, this will
be their first NHL games played in Joe Louis Arena, the same goes for
Alexei Emelin, Brendan Gallagher, Michael Bournival, Louis Leblanc and
Nathan Beaulieu.
The Question Mark:
We want
to hear from you, between the players, coaching staff and upper
management which group needs to step up to get the Habs back on track?
Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.
Be
sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before
the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren.
Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.
Jets defenseman Ron Hainsy may be putting his career
in jeopardy
The more and more you look into the lockout mess it's easy to get caught up in what you think the owners are fighting for and what you think it is the players want. Looking at this mess as a whole it's easy to see what is wanted by either side as a group but it's also easy to lose track of what individuals have to lose.
When I say this I am mainly referring to the players. When an agreement is reached the owners will go back to making their millions/billions of dollars. For the most part the players will also resume collecting their hefty paycheques. For some though, it's not that simple.
Of course players who don't fall under superstar status or even the so called "middle class" will be less fortunate. Some players will be left without contracts because teams simply can't afford them due to cap restrictions. Others however may have to pay due to their stance on the current situation.
In an article put out yesterday by Elliot Friedman, it was said that Winnipeg Jets defenceman Ron Hainsey may never get another contract because of the part he's played in this lockout.
Hainsey made a claim that the owners threatened to pull a potential deal off of the table last week if union leader Donald Fehr was brought into the room. That claim was denied by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
There have been rumblings since this claim that after his existing contract, Hainsey will never again play in the NHL.
While nothing has been confirmed, it seems the players need to remember that at the end of the day the owners at the other side of the table are the same people who employ them. While taking a stand is one thing, is it worth it for these players to risk their career's over an argument that may put them out of a job?
Alas, there will be no NHL hockey in November. Just two weeks ago there was a wave of optimism after the NHL made their 50/50 offer with the potential of the season starting on November second, a full 82 game season at that.
Fast forward two weeks and yet another 191 games have been erased from the 2012-13 campaign. With the NHL all-star game and winter classic most likely to be the next games to be stricken from the season it's beginning to look like the entire season will be lost.
Hopefully I'm getting ahead of myself. I have been trying to stay as positive as possible through this whole ordeal, but there is only so long I can follow this mess with an with a hopeful attitude.
The longer this mess continues the more you have to wonder what will become of some of the players. There are some who may actually follow through with Ovechkin's threats and stay overseas when the two sides reach an agreement.
What bothers me more however is what might happen with players like Martin Brodeur, Jaromir Jagr, Teemu Selanne, Daniel Alfredsson and Martin St. Louis.
After the amazing careers the mentioned players have had over the years it would be quite a shame to see them retire due to an egotistical standoff between the two sides.
Puck Daddy had a piece focusing on St. Louis that clearly shows how frustrated and angry the older players must be feeling. St. Louis stated that with each passing day he is coming closer to finding somewhere else to play.
With a trophy case that includes an Art Ross Trophy, A Hart Trophy and a Lester B. Pearson Trophy all from the 2003-04 season, two back to back Lady Byng Trophies (2009-10, 10-11) and a Stanley Cup win in 2004, it would be quite a shame to see him finish his career somewhere other than the NHL.
You can argue that at 37 he still has a few years in him, heck Selanne still plays at a high level and he's 109, but you have to wonder how many of these veterans will even bother coming back after being through so many labor disputes. People do tend to get bitter and cranky as they age.
Habs And Hockey News
- Coach K returns with another "What If?" this time asking, what if the NHL strikes back?
- Dave Stubbs speaks to Habs Captain Brian Gionta about, among other things, the lockout. But not before reassuring us that the injury Andrei Markov sustained in Russia is not another knee injury. (Insert collective sigh of relief here).
- Donald Fehr released a statement regarding the cancellation of games throught December 1st.
However, the danger for the organization is that a longer deal — say four years — leads the blueliner straight to Unrestricted Free Agency, where he can then be lost for nothing.
A shorter contract allows the team a few years to evaluate the player and then, if warranted, negotiate a longer deal while his free agency rights are still restricted.
Then again, by letting the current situation persist, the team finds itself facing the very real risk of an offer sheet.
Upon returning from a family excursion to Israel, our Kamal Panesar came back to a surprisingly rough NHL post-season.
With your new favorite duo reunited, we discuss the early playoff madness.
Kamal Panesar: New York Rangers' forward Carl Hagelin was recently handed three games for elbowing Ottawa Senators' captain Daniel Alfredsson in the head. The right call, in my estimation. So why nothing for Weber on Zetterberg? Oh, wait, is it because he is a superstar?
Blech. Bush league.
Louis Moustakas: Bush league indeed.
Weber evading suspension is baffling. Perhaps it is because he is a star, as you point out, or perhaps the league does not want to dim the playoff hopes of one of its shining southern markets. Either way, the NHL once again missed a precious opportunity to set a proper disciplinary tone. And, in failing to suspend Weber, Brendan Shannahan has created more problems for himself.
First of all, from a public relations point of view, this is a nightmare. Following Hagelin's three game punishment, the New York Rangers released a statement mentioning that they "are thoroughly perplexed in the ruling's inconsistency with other supplementary discipline decisions that have been made throughout this season and during the playoffs." If that is not a thinly veiled reference to the Weber incident, I don't know what is.
Second of all, Weber walking away scot free sets the tone for the playoffs. Typically more aggressive teams like the Flyers, Rangers and Bruins all stand to be benefit from a more clement environment while teams not inclined to play in such fashion are disadvantaged.
In any case, do you not find the league's stance on such issues confusing?
Kamal Panesar: I find it inconceivable how the Gary Bettman NHL simply refuses to protect it’s assets (the players), and insists, stubbornly, on putting their collective heads in the sand. It is beyond childish and it only hurts the game. The fact that they refuse to admit there is a concussion epidemic, even though such non-pugilistic player like Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, Daniel Sedin, Carey Price, and many, many other superstars, were felled by this exactly problem this year.
When Brendan Shannahan became the head of NHL discipline last summer, the hope was that there was a new sheriff in town who would get away from Colin Campbell’s farcical disciplinary ruling style: one type of punishment for stars and one for everyone else.
And, to his credit, Shannahan started off that way. But he has backslid so severely that his rulings are now just as unclear, inconsistent and confusing as his predecessor. What will it take for this league to get it’s stuff in order? A death on the ice?
Louis Moustakas: The only thing that would truly shake up the league's culture of laissez-faire is if the rough and tumble negatively impacted their bottom line. Much like how the crackdown on obstruction occurred only after the devastating lost season of 2004-2005, I feel that, in the short term, it would take something equally dramatic to create a true shift in league culture.
However, with playoff excitement at a fever pitch and news that US T.Vratings are strong, I doubt Bettman and company feel any impetus for change. Heck, they barely seemed concerned about raising the maximum fine (2500$) in the CBA!
As for Shannahan, he has done a great deal to diminish his credibility this post-season. Not only was the Weber non-suspension an aberration, but then news leaked that he might reduce Carl Hagelin's suspension if Daniel Alfredsson returned to health sooner than expected.
It is all well and good to take into account injury in doling out a suspension, but it seems incredibly inappropriate to go back on a decision, doesn't it?
In the end, without wide ranging support and clear, quantifiable disciplinary guidelines, it is near impossible to fulfill Shannahan's role with any real success though.
Kamal Panesar: Ultimately, Louis, you’re 100 percent correct. Nothing will change. Moreover, there will be no impetus for Bettman et al. to change anything as long as ratings are high and the dollars are rolling in. It really feels like someone is going to have to die, on the ice, for the league to change its prehistoric ways.
Too dramatic? I don’t think so.
If we go back to the Zdeno Chara hit on Max Pacioretty last season, I thought that was the moment. My initial feeling was that Pacioretty was dead and that it was that defining moment where the league would be forced to change their ways. Fortunately I was wrong and Pacioretty ended up being alright. However, given the league’s recent, inconsistent rulings, I still think that horrific, Earth-stopping moment is around the corner.
I mean, unless the league makes clear decisions to curb unsafe behavior on the ice, this problem can only escalate.
On a final note, if you want an example of how to “clean up” the game, check out OHL commissioner, David Branch. This guy took it upon himself to clean things up and started imposing huge suspensions and fines for any dangerous plays and head-shots, without discriminating between stars and regular players. Well, in a matter of a season or two there are virtually no more on-ice shenanigans going on in that league—a league that many consider to have some of the best hockey in the world.
Now Branch and the OHL are taking it another step forward and talking about removing fighting completely.
That remains a topic for another day but, suffice it to say the NHL needs to get rid of the goonery, while keeping the toughness. There is simply no room for ANY player grabbing another player by the helmet and ramming his head into the glass. None. I don’t care if you are a superstar or a fringe NHLer. And until the NHL realizes and starts enforcing the rules as such, I will continue fear an eventual death in the NHL.
But that’s just me.
Louis Moustakas: My friend, your concerns and feelings are quite legitimate.
The worst part of all of this is that the league lacks clear direction, making things even more dangerous. Players hesitate to police themselves, fearing reprimand. Yet, when an incident arises, the disciplinary measures imposed are tepid at best. It creates an atmosphere where individuals are not held accountable for their actions, be it in physical or financial manner.
The Milan Lucic hit on Ryan Miller earlier this year is a perfect example. The Buffalo Sabres did not cause a brawl after Lucic's dangerous hit and, when they looked to the league for a response, the Bruins forward went unpunished.
Now, after years of watching the league do nothing, it seems the players have gone back to self-policing in these playoffs. But self-policing is a fine line, one that can quickly cross over to reckless vigilantism. Clearly, though, the league seems unaffected by these potential risks. And, until grave injury occurs, one suspects they will continue to remain indifferent to the situation.
---
Kamal is a freelance writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and featured columnist on PowerScoutHockey.com. Kamal is also a regular on-air contributor on TSN 990, CJAD, LiveSport New Zealand, and other radio networks.
Louis is an Associate Editor and Senior Writer at HabsAddict.com. Born in Chicago, Louis grew up in Quebec City where he earned Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Université Laval. Find him on twitter @LouisMoustakas
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)
The Ottawa Senators have been having a rough time of things lately with star forwards Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson each having gone seven games without a point. In addition, Alex Kovalev—whose name has been circulating in rumours as a possible trade acquisition target by the Montreal Canadiens—has gone five games without a point. It's no wonder then that the Sens are currently outside looking in on the playoff picture.
The Canadiens, riding a two-game winning streak, showed no mercy for their struggling opponent, dominating the neutral zone to outshooting the Senators 13-6 in the first period. Michael Cammalleri opened the scoring on the power play when he picked up his own rebound and put it high past Pascal Leclaire. The goal marked the 19th time the Habs have scored the first goal in 28th games.
Their record when scoring first now stands at 16-2-1.
A Habs turnover on a late first period power play allowed the Sens to tie it up with nine seconds to play. With an assist on the goal, Jason Spezza finally broke his seven-game pointless drought.
Unfortunately for the Canadiens, they stopped skating in the second period and allowed the Sens to dominate play. In addition, they fired blanks on a five-minute and four-minute power play, handing the momentum over to the Sens.
These big penalty kills swung the momentum towards the Senators but Carey Price was there to ensure his teammates didn't fall behind, as they were being outshot 13-9 in the second frame.
The Habs started skating again in the third and broke the 1-1 tie on a brilliant individual effort from Jeff Halpern. That goal seemed to put the Sens back on their heels and the Habs responded by potting two more goals in the third to seal the deal.
Final score: Habs 4 - Sens 1
Habs' scorers: Michael Cammalleri (9), Jeff Halpern (6), Brian Gionta (9), Roman Hamrlik (3)
Sens' scorers: Nick Foligno (2)
Three stars: 1. Michael Cammalleri, 2. Brian Gionta, 3. Jeff Halpern
Game Notes
1. Oops, Price did it again.
While Carey wasn't tested much over the first twenty minutes of play, he had to be solid during a second period where the Sens were outshooting the Habs 13-9. As the Sens seized the momentum off of two strong PKs and dominated play through the neutral zone, the reeling Habs allowed the Sens to barrage their netminder for 13 shots.
But Price, the iceman, was calm, cool and collected, as he has been all season, turning aside shots, swallowing pucks and letting out nary a rebound. The positionally-solid Price forced the swarming Sens to mostly hit him right in the crest with the puck.
Even a little physical contact and crease crashing by the Sens was not enough to throw Price off of his game, and he was even seen yapping at the Ottawa players after making a few great saves, a la Patrick Roy. This is a player who is in full possession of all of his faculties and is completely dominating the league as a result.
Price's GAA and save percentages are both third among all starters at a sparkling 1.92 and .936, respectively. In addition, the win was Price's 17th of the season in 26 starts, first among all goaltenders.
Is now a good time to start including Price's name in the Vezina and Hart trophy discussions?
2. Michael Cammalleri was the Habs best player.
With one goal, five shots on net and 18:43 of ice time, Cammalleri was the Habs best player not named Carey Price last night. He was all over the ice, combative, aggressive around the net and looked like the Michael Cammalleri who was tearing up the ice during the 2010 playoffs.
Driving to the net and working some stick handling magic, Cammalleri was a sparkplug on the second line and showed that "never quit" attitude that he's been missing since being teamed up with Scott Gomez.
While Cammalleri played some excellent hockey the weakness of his linemates was still evident. Cammalleri sprung Travis Moen clear in front of the Senators goalie with a beautiful pass, but Moen wasn't even able to get a shot off, let alone score.
The play illustrated the dire need for a scoring winger to play on that line.
Despite their recent struggles, the Cammalleri-Gomez-Moen line actually played one of their best games together until Gomez left the game with a lower-body injury in the second.
With Gomez now listed as day-to-day it will be interesting to see how Jacques Martin composes his lines going forward. Given the strength of the third line with Lars Eller, logic would dictate that Jeff Halpern, who scored a beautiful goal last night, will get the spot. But Jacques Martin doesn't always do what I feel is logical, so who really knows.
3. Brian Gionta has really come back to life.
With two points (1G, 1A) four shots on net and a plus-2, Gionta now has seven points (4G, 3A) and a plus-4 rating over his last seven games. While he struggled at the beginning of the season playing with Gomez, rather than withering away, he put his head down and worked his butt off. The points weren't coming and he was getting frustrated, but he was still doing the little things right to help his team win.
Since being switched to the Tomas Plekanec line, however, Gionta has rediscovered his scoring touch and has eight of his nine goals in the last 15 games. Add to that the fact that he is still leading by his quiet, hardworking example and you have a player who is a true leader on this team.
4. The Habs have surprising scoring depth.
The boon for the Canadiens and the secret to their scoring success has been the contributions from all four lines. While the Habs' second line has struggled—largely due to Gomez's ineffectiveness and Travis Moen's lack of top-six skills—the Canadiens have a bevy of players contributing on the scoreboard.
After last night's game, the Habs now have four players who have scored nine goals—Plekanec, Gionta, Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn—and are each on pace to score 26 this season. In addition, Benoit Pouliot has six goals and is on pace to score 18 this season—all of this from the third line while averaging 11:55 of ice time. Jeff Halpern too has been getting in on the action, scoring his fifth goal last night and is on pace to pot 15 this season—while averaging 13:16 of ice time.
Finally, each with four goals scored so far, both Maxim Lapierre and Scott Gomez are on pace to score at least 12 goals. Add it all up and the Canadiens currently have eight players who are on pace to score at least 12 goals, six on pace to score at least 15 and four that are on pace to score 25 or more.
When the Habs won the cup in 1993, they had 13 players who scored 10 or more, 11 who scored 12 or more, seven who scored 15 or more, four who scored 20 or more and two who score 30 or more.
While the current edition of the Habs are not quite at the depth level of the 1993 Stanley Cup Champions, if they can find a bonafide top-six scoring forward to play on the second line while still leading the league in goals against, the Habs will continue to be a top-tier team in the NHL.
5. Scott Gomez was injured last night, so now what?
Fans' wishes to no longer have Scott Gomez centering the second line came true last night when he left the game with a lower-body injury. Gomez went to the dressing room near the end of the first period, player two shifts in the second and was done for the night.
There is no official word on the extent or nature of the injury except that it is to his lower-body, likely his back, and Gomez is listed as day-to-day. While in theory, it is good that someone else will get a shot at centering the second line, in a way it was kind of unfortunate, because for a rare occasion the Gomez line was actually playing like a cohesive unit last night.
Jeff Halpern seems to be the heir apparent to the second line and not a moment too soon. I mean isn't it about time Canadiens management found a center to play with Cammalleri?
There is a slight temptation is see what Lars Eller can do playing on the second line and, perhaps even let him bring his winger, Benoit Pouliot with him. That being said, he has slowly been progressing well and I would be surprised if Martin decided to vault him into the top-six.
Another interesting option that was discussed on RDS's L'Anti-chambre last night, was to bring up both David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty from Hamilton. Both players have been playing together in the AHL, have great chemistry and are absolutely tearing it up.
While they clearly deserve a shot at the NHL level, the Habs seem to be taking a more cautious approach with young players of late. I personally have no problem with that and think that maybe it is a sign that Habs' management has learned from the errors of rushing too many young players through the system.
Either way you have to think that Pacioretty seems destined for a tryout on the Habs second line. All that remains to be seen is at what point of the season that will happen. If I was a betting man, which I'm not, I wouldn't anticipate Pacioretty getting a chance before the new year.
Standings and Next Game
The Habs are now riding a three-game winning streak, have an 18-8-2 record and 38 points in the standings. They are currently tied for third overall in the East with the Flyers, but sit in third in conference standings in virtue of their first place overall in the Northeast division.
The Boston Bruins are five points back of the Canadiens with two games in hand.
The Canadiens will enjoy two days off before perhaps their biggest test of the season: a Friday night matchup against the Detroit Red Wings, in Detroit. The Red Wings are 10-2-2 at Joe Louis Arena this season, so it will be no easy feat for the Habs.
Who will be the second line center? Will P.K. Subban be back in the lineup? Are the Habs ready to call up a player from Hamilton?
Tune in Friday to find out.
Sunday Shinny on The Team 990
A quick footnote to let you all know that I now have a regular radio segment on the Team 990 (http://www.team990.com) every Sunday from 8 am - 9am, on The Franchise Montreal Weekend morning show.
The segment is called Sunday Shinny with Gary Whittaker, Nick Murdocco, Amanda Stein and yours truly. We will be reviewing the Montreal Canadiens but also looking at happenings around the league.
Tune in on Sundays and send me your feedback!
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
