The
Canadiens (38-25-7) are home to host the Blue Jackets (35-27-6)
Thursday night at the Bell Centre. The game starts at 7:30 and can be
seen on RDS and TSN-Habs.
This is the third and final meeting
between the Habs and Blue Jackets with the Canadiens aiming for the
season sweep. The Habs have won a pair of close games. In their 5-3 win
in Montreal, Plekanec's game winner came with just over a minute left in
the game. When these teams played in Columbus, the Habs earned a 3-2
shootout win, David Desharnais had the only penalty shot goal.
What to Watch:
Thomas
Vanek scored his first goal as a Canadien Tuesday night, and then his
second, and then his third. The hat trick was the 8th of Vanek's career,
he had 4 3-goal games in 2007-2008 alone. The fourth line of Travis
Moen, Dale Weise and Brandon Prust have combined for 4 goals over the
past 2 games for the Habs, they played an integral role in the 6-3 win
over the Avalanche on Tuesday
Despite
directing 47 shots at Anton Khudobin, the Blue Jackets lost 3-1 to the
Hurricanes on Tuesday, scoring their first goal with less than a minute
left in the game. Former Hab James Wisniewski had 6 shots on goal
Tuesday, bringing him up to 140 on the year, 6 shy of his career high
for a season. With 26 goals and 51 points, 21-year old Ryan Johansen
leads the BJs in scoring.
What's at Stake:
The
Lightning's 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs draws the Bolts even with the
Habs at 83 points and leaves the Leafs a step behind at 80 points with
two more games played than Tampa and one more than the Canadiens. The
race in the Atlantic division is strictly for second place, the Bruins
have a 16 point cushion with the season winding down.
After
missing out on the playoffs last year by virtue of a lost tiebreaker to
the Minnesota Wild (both teams finished with 55 points but the Wild had 3
more regulation or overtime wins), the Blue Jackets once again find
themselves tied for the final playoff spot with the end of the season
looming. The team is looking for just their second playoff berth in
franchise history, as well as their first postseason victory, they were
swept by the Red Wings in their first trip to the playoffs.
Who's Out:
Michael
Bournival (concussion) is healthy enough to play but has been sent to
Hamilton on a reconditioning assignment. Josh Gorges is still out with a
broken hand.
The Blue Jackets are missing rookie defenseman Ryan Murray (lower body).
What Else:
For
the second straight game, the Habs welcome a Vezina trophy winner
to the Bell Centre, and this time, he'll actually be between the pipes.
After the Patrick Roy show swept through town on Tuesday, the Habs play
host to last year's top netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky. Bob the goalie has
take a bit of a step back from last season when he posted a 2.00 GAA
and a .932 save percentage, this year his goals against average is up to
2.49 and his save percentage has slipped to .919.
The Question Mark:
Let
us know what you think, if the Canadiens played to their their full
potential, how far could they go in this year's playoffs?
Make your voice heard by leaving a comment or sending 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.
Greetings Habs addicts! Sorry I've dropped off the face of the Earth since the Habs were eliminated by the Bruins!
However, the rumours of me hanging myself with a chain-link of Italian sausages have been widely exaggerated.
:-)
The reality is that my wife and I are expecting our first child (a baby boy) on the 23rd of June. Ever since the Habs were eliminated I've been immersed in renovations, painting, cleaning, assembling things, putting up fixtures and the like!
I'm not done yet and will still be in and out of the blogosphere for a bit, but I had a little time today to resurface, let you all know I'm still alive and that asap I'll be blogging again on a regular basis.
There a ton of things on the Habs' plate this summer starting with a potential reconstruction of the back end.
Word has it that Pierre Gauthier and Andrei Markov's camp have already been in touch and that they will get down to the nitty-gritty as soon as this month. If I was a betting man, I'd say Markov will be locked up and quickly. He should come in at around $5 to 5.5 Million on a two to three-year deal.
That might sound risky on the surface but remember that at 32 years of age, if Markov is injured again, his salary will come off the cap by placing him on the LTIR. If he was over 35 when he signed like, say, Jaroslav Spacek, then the Habs would be stuck.
As such, I think PG will pull the trigger on a new contract for Markov with a slight hometown discount.
The other name being discussed is UFA James Wisniewski who, according to La Presse, said he loves Montreal and would want to stay. He went on to say that he is more interested in playing for a winner than just going for the big bucks, and he thinks the Habs could be a powerhouse in a few years.
That's nice and all, and I don't doubt that he means what he says, but the reality is that he will likely hit the open market. This doesn't preclude him from signing with the Habs but with Christian Erhoff—if he even hits the open market—as the only other offensive free agent defenseman to speak of, it's fair to say that someone will overpay for Wisniewski.
As such, I fully expect him to walk as a UFA, signing a lucrative $4.5 to 5 million deal with some team out there. His real value is closer to $3.5 million and, if I were GM, I wouldn't pay anything more than $4 million.
Lots of question, few answers.
But, as the days get longer and the weather gets warmers we'll start to find out what kind of team Gauthier is going to ice for the 2011-2012 NHL season.
New Sunday Shinny Podcast
In this episode of the Shinny, Gary Whittaker, Kamal Panesar, Amanda Stein and Sean Coleman do a detailed breakdown of the Habs, from players to coaches to management.
-We look at how they all performed, who should be kept, and why.
-A look around the league
-Bruins/Lightning predictions and much more!
Click play below to listen in (listing time 41:26):
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
Why do people lean on stats so much? On numbers? On wins and losses of preceding editions of current teams?
It never seems to amaze me how much focus is put on things that, if you think about it, have no bearing on the present. I mean who cares what last year's team did? What does that have to do with this year's team?
So this morning, with the Montreal Canadiens facing elimination at the hands of the Boston Bruins in Game 6, things are no different.
If you were to pick up a newspaper or reading a hockey website, you'd hear how the Canadiens were 5-1 in elimination games in last year's playoffs. You'd also hear how the Bruins have never won a playoff series after losing the first two games—they have failed to do so in 26 tries.
But what bearing does 26 previous iterations of the Bruins, with different players, coaches and playing in different eras, have to do with the success on the 2011 Bs?
What too does the Habs 5-1 record in last year's playoffs have to do with a team with Carey Price instead of Jaroslav Halak, and missing Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges?
The answer is, very little if anything at all.
The fact is that it's become a cliché to bring up stats from years gone by in an effort to predict how a team will fare in the present. The bottom line is that these numbers are, like my good Twitter friend @touteparpillee said, merely historical indicators.
So what does matter?
What is relevant then, if we can't look at back-stats to try and determine the fate of the Habs tonight? I would say, to start with, current stats from the current series.
As I said in my Game 5 postgame piece, if nothing else, these two teams have shown that they are very evenly matched. They both win based off strong defense and excellent goaltending—although neither have been consistent through five games this series.
So the first thing that stands out, to me, is the even-Steven 12 goals for and against for both teams. With the last two games being decided in overtime, this really has been and continues to be a series that can go either way.
Another interesting stat, and part of the reason for the Bruins three-game win streak, is that Boston has eight players with at least two points over the last three games.
Eight players and not one of them is named Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton or David Krejci.
The Bs No.1 line, that was supposed to body the Habs out of the rink, has not been a factor in any game in this series. Whether because of the defensive blanket Montreal has thrown over them or their own ineptitude, Lucic, Horton and Krejci have failed to be difference makers—save for Horton's Game 5 overtime game-winning goal.
So while their top guns have been silenced the rest of the Bruins' considerable depth has picked up the slack and they are winning as a result. The bulk of the Bruins scoring in the last two games has come from the bottom-nine and their defense. Players like Rich Peverely, Chris Kelly, Michael Ryder and Brad Marchand all having three points—Peverely's three were scored over his last three games—while Patrice Bergeron has five points over the last three.
In addition, Tomas Kaberle and Dennis Seidenberg each have two points over the last two games, while Andrew Ference has two over the last three.
The bottom line is the only response Montreal has had, is P.K. Subban with two points in his last three and Michael Cammalleri with seven points in five games. Moreover, key forwards Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta each have only one point in the last four games.
That's just not good enough.
A test of character
The Bruins have shown incredible resolve and character by battling back from a 2-0 series deficit. Boston's three-straight wins gives them a 3-2 series lead and has pushed the Habs to the brink of elimination.
So as much as the Bruins demonstrated tremendous character it's now the Canadiens turn to show what they're made of.
With players like Hal Gill, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Brent Sopel and Travis Moen all having Stanley Cup rings, the Habs have a veteran core who has been there before and will have their teammates ready tonight.
Add to that the calming play of Carey Price, the all-star contributions of P.K. Subban, the grittiness of Ryan White, the sheer determination of Mathieu Darche, the physical play of Andrei Kostitsyn and the renaissance of Michael Cammalleri, and the Canadiens have all the pieces they need.
If there is one thing Montreal has shown this season it's the ability to win when you least expect them to. Moreover, they have been able to overcome the seemingly disastrous losses of their top two defenseman; Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges.
As such, and reading all the press clippings, this is a team that is not nervous, worried or concerned in any way about tonight's game. They know what's at stake but actually seem to be brimming with confidence and a laser-point focus. It's that tunnel vision that will allow them to feed off, but not get consumed by, what will be a ravenous Bell Centre crowd tonight.
The Bruins might have a size advantage—an advantage they have failed to press—but Montreal's smaller forwards have big hearts. They are not about to bow out at home in a game and a series that is still very winnable for them.
What to expect
This has been a series of momentum where games have been decided by the slightest of margins and, often, errors. Each game has been a microcosm of the series, with momentum swinging back and forth and more than just momentary lapses of defensive reasoning on both sides.
As such, I expect tonight's game to be no different from the previous five. It will be a tight game with neither team yielding an inch to the other uncontested.
If there was a major fault to the Habs' play in Game 5, it was that they sat back for two periods before finally pressing the play in the third. Once they woke up, they got on the scoreboard and forced overtime.
That strategy won't work on a consistent basis and Montreal, who will be buoyed by the crowd, has to attack Boston right off the bat. The Bruins know the Canadiens will come at them hard and Montreal has to oblige them, score the first goal and use the momentum to put Boston down quickly.
Just as they did in Game 4, the Habs would do well to jump out to a multi-goal lead. They surely won't lose the game again if they get out front on the scoreboard.
Injuries
In Game 5, David Desharnais played his best game of the postseason. So much so that he earned a promotion onto the second line with Gomez and Gionta. Well, unfortunately for the Habs, DD tweaked his knee near the end of the game and will miss tonight's critical Game 6.
In addition, James Wisniewski seemed to have hurt his back last game. He will be a game time decision but is unlikely to play. As such, it's looking like Jacques Martin will insert Paul Mara and Yannick Weber into the lineup.
Mara will likely play next to Brent Sopel as the Habs' third defensive pairing, while Weber will be used as a forward on the fourth line with Tom Pyatt and White.
A date with destiny
I originally picked the Bruins to win this series in six games and, if they win tonight, I will have been right. That being said, I just can't see the Habs season ending at home tonight after such a hard fought season and series.
I think they'll take the play to the Bruins, winning the game and forcing a Game 7 which, insanely, would be tomorrow night in Boston.
The Canadiens know what they need to do, the veterans have been there before and now is time for them to execute.
-Jacques Martin and the Canadiens' system
-The Canadiens so far in the playoffs
-Is this the end of the line for the Habs or can they push the series to seven?
-A quick look at the other playoff series and much more!
Click play below to listen in (listing time 37:17):
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
45,000-plus fans and media are ready to brave the frigid temperature of Calgary, Alberta tonight in the second ever NHL Heritage Classic. The last classic took place eight years ago with these same Montreal Canadiens taking on the Edmonton Oilers.
After a few days of festivities the hype is over, the PR jobs are done and the players are ready. Today, at 6:00 PM EST, the puck drops for the 2011 Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
Lost in the publicly televised Habs practice, the players trying on different types of long underwear, hoods and socks, and the chicken broth at the bench to help keep them warm, is the fact there there are a hugely important two points on the line tonight.
Standings
The Habs, who have been in a free fall of late going 1-3-2 in their last six games, need the win to keep pace with the Bruins and keep a buffer on the teams behind them. More importantly, they just need a good showing and two points will go a long way towards turning around a road trip that started on a terrible note in Edmonton on Thursday.
A win will also snap a two-game losing streak by the Habs.
The outlook is decidedly more positive in Calgary where the once cellar-dwelling Flames have turned their season around, sitting in a four-way tie for fifth overall in the West with 68 points.
Calgary is actually in ninth at the moment due to their 60 games played and 30 wins to the Ducks' 32, Stars' 31 and Kings' 32. However, going 7-1-2 in their last ten games and 10-1-2 in their last 13, the Flames are a team on fire—pun fully intended.
Goaltending
Carey Price will get his 53rd start of the season and will be donning his new Heritage Classic mask.
For those who haven't yet seen it, take a look at these pictures because it's a bit difficult to describe and a bit hilarious to look at!
Well at least I think so.
For the Flames, expect Miikka Kiprusoff to get his 13th straight start and 52nd of the year.
Price has the better numbers out of the two, but stats don't necessarily matter in a game where the sun will be shining brightly and possibly making it more difficult for these work-horse netminders.
Special Teams and Scoring
The Flames are a much more offensive team than Montreal with their 8th overall 2.9 goals-for per game, to the Habs anemic 25th overall 2.6 per game. The Habs, however, have the edge in the goals-against department with their 8th overall 2.5 per game to the Flames 17th overall 2.8.
As such, you would expect this game to feature defense versus offense meaning the that Price will have to be sharp.
The Habs have a huge advantage in the special teams department with the ninth best power play at 19 percent, and sixth overall PK at 84.8 percent. The Flames will counter with a below average 19th overall PP at 16.8 percent and 17th overall PK at 81.4 percent.
Despite the Habs top-10 PP, they have gone only 2-for-16 in their last four games for a pitiful 12.5 percent efficiency.
Roster Changes
Montreal is getting a bevy of players back in the lineup today with the return of Hal Gill, Michael Cammalleri and supposedly James Wizniewski. The Wiz, who took a shot in the face last game and went to the hospital with a severe facial laceration, was practicing yesterday with a full face cage, a wicked shiner and a Frankenstein-like gash on his face.
Even if the Habs only get Cammy and Gill back, it will provide a well needed boost for the team.
If we go by the lines at practice yesterday, it looks like David Desharnais will finally be getting his shot as the second line center, playing between Cammalleri and Benoit Pouliot.
Defenseman Jaroslav Spacek continues to be on the sidelines with no real word on the extent of his injury or potential length of absence from the lineup.
The Flames are a relatively healthy team but continue to be without the services of Daymond Langkow, Raitis Ivanans and Adam Pardy.
The puck drops at 6:00 PM EST.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
There you go Habs fans, the "easy" game on this three-game road trip is out of the way! Wasn't that fun? Wasn't that easy?
No, it wasn't.
With the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers facing off at Rexall Place last night, the Habs had a chance to kick off their Western road trip with a win against the worst team in the league.
Instead, Montreal allowed the enthusiastic Oilers to skate at will in their zone, getting several quality scoring chances from the high slot in the first period alone.
The Oilers got the party stared when Ales Hemsky waltzed through the Canadiens' porous defensive coverage and wired a wrister top shelf past Price. After the goal, Edmonton completely dominated the rest of the period as the tired looking Habs struggled to keep up.
As has been the case far too often this season, Price was left to his own devices and had to make four or five huge saves to keep it a one goal game.
Montreal came back to life in the second, dominating play, outshooting the Oilers 17-8 and tying it up at one on Jeff Halpern's ninth of the season. Despite his horrible rebound control, Edmonton goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin made the difference in the second, and the Habs were simply unable to capitalize on their chances.
Unfortunately for the Habs, down to only five defenseman, the wheels completely fell off the cart in the third.
Price, who had been solid all game, let in two weak goals in a 15-second span, giving the Oilers a 3-1 lead. While P.K. Subban's ill-timed pinch and Andrei Kostitsyn's lackadaisical defensive coverage allowed the Oilers' players to score, both were shots that Price should have had.
Ales Hemsky sealed the deal with his second of the night into the empty net to sweep the season series against Montreal.
Final score: Oilers 4 - Habs 1
Habs' scorers: Jeff Halpern (9)
Oilers' scorers: Ales Hemsky (11, 12), Jordan Eberle (13), Ryan Jones (13)
Three stars: 1. Nikolai Khabibulin, 2. Ryan Jones, 3. Jordan Eberle
Game Notes
1. Give 'em a break!
With the injury bug raping and pillaging the Canadiens defensive ranks this season, GM Pierre Gauthier acquired Paul Mara from the Anaheim Ducks yesterday. It was a depth move needed to shore up the Habs blueline with Jaroslav Spacek joining the walking wounded this week.
While Mara was scheduled to play last night, his equipment didn't show up in time, meaning that he ended up being a healthy scratch.
If that wasn't enough, James Wizniewski blocked a shot with his face early in the game, fell to the ice in a pool of blood and was sent straight to the hospital.
This meant that the Habs, who already looked tired, were left with only five defenseman, three of whom were rookies.
To a man, the Canadiens defenseman did double duty clocking in with ridiculous amounts of ice time as follows:
P.K. Subban, 29:29, Roman Hamrlik, 27:36, Alexandre Picard, 23:23, Yannick Weber, 27:38, Brandon Nash, 8:30, James Wizniewski, 3:24.
Considering that the Wiz was gone after the first period and the Nash was nailed to the bench during the second, that left four Canadiens' defenders to do the job of six. That is too much to ask of any defensive squad and you could see that players like Subban and Hamrlik were completely gassed by the third.
The defensive corps fatigue was a huge factor in this loss, as the defense and the team in front of it, completely collapsed in the third period.
2. Andrei Kostitsyn came to play.
Well, at least in the first period he did.
He had a few plays in the first where he took the puck to the net with conviction, something he hasn't done in months.
AK actually had the Habs best scoring chance of the first when he took on two Oilers defenders, undressed them with a great fake, cut to the net, beat the goaltender but had the puck poke-checked away by Khabibulin.
As the Team 990's Conor McKenna pointed out on Twitter last night, that is Kostitsyn's career in a nutshell.
You've got to feel for the guy who surely knows that his time is very likely up with the Habs.
With Pierre Gauthier scouting the Sharks/Capitals game last night and assistant GM, Larry Carriere, scouting the Predators last few games, you know the Habs are looking to make a move. And whatever they decide to do, you would have to think that Kostitsyn is almost a lock to be moved out of town within the next week or so.
This is a fact that he is undoubtedly aware of.
3. Benoit Pouliot looks like a different player.
RDS analyst, Denis Gauthier, hit the nail on the head when he said that Pouliot seems like he plays up or down to the level of his linemates.
Since being paired with David Desharnais and Ryan White, Pouliot has become a different player. Moreover, Desharnais—who made Dustin Boyd look like a 50-goal scorer in the AHL—continues to spur Pouliot to greater heights.
Desharnais skill, vision and grit, paired with Ryan White's energy, determination and nose for the net are lifting Pouliot to another level. As such, he is perhaps starting to look more like the fourth overall draft pick that he is.
Playing big, hitting, shooting and always going to the net, Pouliot looks like he might be starting to live up to the projections.
Jacques Martin shuffled his lines a bit in the second, pairing Pouliot with Halpern and Lars Eller and it bore immediate fruit. Pouliot, who until recently hasn't been known to crash the crease, charged the blue paint on a Lars Eller goal-mouth shot, knocking the defenseman out of the way and leading to a scramble.
This allowed Halpern to get the rebound up and over a fallen Khabibulin, knotting the game at one.
We sometimes forget that Pouliot, who far too often plays small, is actually 6'3" and 195 lbs. Lately, he has actually been using his size and if he continues to do so he will be a very effective player for the Habs.
4. Lars Eller played his best game in a Habs uniform.
I'm not sure where it suddenly came from, but Lars Eller was a beast last night.
For most players, their play starts getting better and better, game and game, before they have some kind of breakout. With Eller, it was exactly the opposite as he has basically been invisible the last few weeks on a sputtering line with Gomez and Kostitsyn.
Last night, however, with Coach Martin mixing up the lines in the second period, Eller found himself on the wing with Halpern and Pouliot and the combination was dynamite.
On one of their first shifts together they scored the Habs first goal with Eller driving to the net, Pouliot knocking the defenseman out of the way and all three players jamming at the puck around Khabibulin.
The result was Halpern's ninth of the season and an assist for Eller, in a sequence where the Pouliot was being double shifted.
If Eller can keep that kind of gusto up it will go a long way towards helping revive the dead Gomez line. Or, if Martin decides to mix up his lines, Eller's play will be a boon wherever he plays.
5. Scott Gomez finally showed up!
For the first time in months, Scott Gomez played like a bonafide second line center.
He was skating, making great passes, using his speed and shifty play to setup scoring chances and make things happen in the offensive zone.
It's no coincidence that in the same game that Gomez showed up, his linemate, Andrei Kostitsyn, also played his best game in months.
Gomez played so well that he was rewarded by Martin, by being reunited with his long time linemate Brian Gionta—Pouliot was the third man on that line. They only had a few shifts together but they looked really good. Perhaps the wise old coach will keep them together for a stretch.
The biggest problem for Gomez is that despite his strong play, he still somehow managed to finish the night as a minus-2. In case you’re counting, that gives him a team and career low minus-18 for the season.
This horrendous stat gives him the seventh worst plus/minus in the league, at minus-18, placing him 824th out of 838 players in the league.
Ouch.
For a guy who was raised in the New Jersey system and who is a career plus player, something has gone seriously off the rails for Mr. Gomez this season.
Standings and Next Game
After a three-game winning streak to start the month of February, the Habs have now gone 1-3-2 in their last six. The loss keeps them stalled in sixth overall in the East with the Rangers closing on them and the Bruins trying to pull away.
Ahead of the Habs are the Bruins with 71 points and one game in hand, and the Caps with 70 points and the same number of games played.
Behind the Canadiens are the usual suspects but their lead over them is starting to evaporate. In seventh are the Rangers with 66 points, Carolina in eighth with 62 and one game in hand, Buffalo in ninth with 60 points and three games in hand and the Thrashers with 60 points.
Things don't get any easier for Montreal who have two days off before the Heritage Classic in Calgary on Sunday. At 7-1-2 in their last ten games, the Flames are one of the hottest teams in the league.
The only good news is that it is looking like both Hal Gill and Michael Cammalleri should be in the lineup on Sunday.
And not a moment too soon!
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
The battered and bruised Montreal Canadiens are back at home to take on the floundering New York Islanders tonight at the Bell Centre.
Montreal is coming off a raucous affair against the Bruins that saw both teams explode for a collective eight goals in the second period and 187 penalty minutes on the night. And while the Canadiens got thumped 8-6 on the scoreboard they were also manhandled physically with several non-fighters being forced to drop the gloves.
As such, you'd expect the emotionally spent Habs to be in rough shape tonight against the Isles in a game that Montreal needs to win. They need the win to keep pace with the Bruins—who now have a four point lead over the Habs for first in the Northeast—but more importantly for their morale and ego, both of which might have taken major hits last night.
For the Islanders, life in the NHL has been cruel, at least this year it has. The Isles have been decimated by injuries, most notably to their goaltenders, meaning that backups of backups of backups are being called on to play goal.
New York is coming off of a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Leafs last night, so they will also be on the back end of two games in as many days. In a season where highlights have been few and far between, playing at the Bell Centre could be seen as a treat, of sorts, for the lowly Isles.
Standings
Montreal is sixth overall in the East with 65 points in 55 games to the Islanders 15th overall position with 41 points in 53 games.
The Islanders are one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers for the dubious distinction of being the worst team in the NHL.
Goaltenders
Carey Price will be getting the rest tonight in favour of Alex Auld, who will be making his eighth start of the season.
The goaltending picture is much murkier for the Islanders who have been hit with a rash of injuries this season. Rookie Mikko Koskinen is scheduled to get the start with Kevin Poulin sidelined with a dislocated knee cap, Nathan Lawson out with a knee problem and starter, Rick DiPietro, out for a few weeks with a broken facial bone.
Special Teams and Scoring
Even with the Habs going 4-for-8 with the man-advantage last night, their PP is only 13th overall, operating at 18.2 percent efficiency. Their PK, on the other hand, is sixth overall at 84.7 percent.
Despite their horrendous record in the standings, the Isles have a very respectable 12th overall penalty kill, at 83.1 percent, and a 15th overall power play, at 17.7 percent.
Neither team has been setting the league on fire from a scoring perspective, however, with the Habs managing 145 goals for to the Isles' 131. The big difference, however, is in the goals against department where the Habs have the ninth lowest goals-against total with 139, to the Isles' 26th ranked 174.
So while both squads are sure to be tired tonight, the Canadiens need to get on New York early and often for their best chance at squaring this one away.
Miscellaneous
Tonight marks the first time that James Wizniewski will be facing his former team and, as such, I'd expect a big game from him tonight.
The Montreal Canadiens recalled Ryan White from Hamilton but Coach Martin would neither confirm nor deny that he will be in the lineup, saying that a pregame warm-up would determine his lineup.
With Scott Gomez, Andrei Kostitsyn and Lars Eller being benched for most of the third period last night, it will be interesting to see what Martin does with his lineup combinations.
Could tonight be the night that David Desharnais starts the game as the second line center?
Game time is at 7:30 PM.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)
With the Twitter airwaves buzzing from news of Maxim Lapierre being traded to the Anaheim Ducks yesterday evening, the slumping Montreal Canadiens were in Florida to take on the Panthers.
The game was the seventh and final match in a brutal end-of-year road trip for the Habs that had seen them drop all but one decision. After going 1-5 so far on the road trip, to say that the Canadiens needed the win would be the understatement of the year!
The game started off with good rhythm for both teams until the Canadiens got themselves into penalty trouble. Montreal again spent too much time in the penalty box, handing the Panthers three power plays in the first period alone and six on the night. But the 11th place Panthers weren't able to muster much with the man-advantage as the Canadiens' penalty killers went to work, successfully killing all six PKs.
After a sleeper of a first period, Florida opened the scoring 28 seconds into the second when Stephen Weiss was left alone in front to pot a Christopher Higgins rebound. Dmitry Kulikov followed that one up with the Panthers second of the game 2:13 into the second and all seemed lost for the Habs.
Their body language slumped and they looked like a defeated squad that was feeling sorry for themselves.
Fortunately for the Canadiens, new comer James Wizniewski breathed life into the depressed-looking Habs, when he fired a howitzer past Tomas Vokoun on the power play to make it a one-goal game.
The game brought the Canadiens back to life and they poured it on, outshooting the Panthers 21-10 in the second frame and tying the game less than two minutes later on another power play.
The teams were deadlocked heading into overtime with the Habs outshooting the Panthers 46-22, until Wizniewski picked up the rebound off of a Michael Cammalleri shot to seal the deal at 3:41 of the extra frame.
Final score: Habs 3 - Panthers 2
Habs' scorers: James Wisniewski (4,5), Brian Gionta (13)
Panthers' scorers: Stephen Weiss (11), Dmitry Kulikov (3)
Three stars: 1. James Wizniewski, 2. Tomas Vokoun, 3. Scott Gomez
Game Notes
1. The Canadiens looked tired.
The Habs played less than 24 hours prior to the game in Florida and their level of fatigue was through the roof from the start of the game. The Canadiens looked much like they did in the third period against Tampa the night before, for most of the first half of the game, which is to say not very good.
They were losing all of the 1-on-1 battles, weren't skating, going back to the bench with their heads down and, overall, just looked defeated.
Once the Panthers got on the board, that energy of defeat only amplified. Good thing they were able to score a couple of goals in the second period because that would have been a long back nine for the Habs!
2. The penalties have got to stop.
The Canadiens have given up 27 penalties over the last four games, or an average of seven penalty kills per game. Fortunately for the Canadiens, their 87.8% penalty kill continues to be at the top of the league. As such, the Habs only let in three goals on those 27 opportunities.
That being said, the Habs must find a way to cut down on the lazy penalties like hooking, tripping, interference and the like. These penalties point to players who are trying to take short cuts, that perhaps aren't skating or giving that little extra effort and who end up sticking their arm out or using their stick as a result.
With the Canadiens are averaging 14 penalty killing minutes over the last four games, it means that their offensive players are sitting on the bench that whole time. Players like Michael Cammalleri need to be playing in order to get a feel for the game and sitting for long stretches like that makes them less effective.
For a team that has trouble scoring that doesn't sound like a winning formula.
3. Yannick Weber played his best game in a Habs uniform.
I don't think it is a coincidence that Weber played his best game during the same match that Jacques Martin used him alongside Spacek, on his natural right wing. The move also puts Spacek back on the left side, a position he has played his entire career except for his one and a half seasons in Montreal.
While Weber also took a semi-regular shift with James Wizniewski, he was more often than not on the ice with Spacek and the result was excellent for the Habs. You could see that having a veteran presence to work with made a world of difference to Weber, who is usually paired with Alexandre Picard lately.
Last night, Weber looked calm and poised with the puck—as did fellow youngster P.K. Subban who was paired with Hal Gill—and he made smart passes and took quality shots on net.
More importantly, Weber played excellent on the defensive side of the puck.
The same holds true for P.K. Subban who has been paired with Hal Gill the last few games. As much as Subban looked like a loose cannon over the last ten games or so, he has looked more in control on the ice the last two games. I think a lot of the credit for that goes to Hal Gill.
Weber and Subban are young players and the defensive positions has the biggest learning curves in hockey. As such, if either or both of these players are going to have success in the NHL they need be paired with a veteran. No offense to Alexandre Picard, but he simply does not have the experience or the skill level to help players like Subban or Weber.
Why it has taken the coaching staff—who has over 1000 games coached in the NHL—this long to figure it out, I'll never know.
4. This team is made up of a bunch of islands.
The Habs pulled one out of the fire yesterday thanks to a successful power play that was driven by new guy, James Wizniewski.
Until the Canadiens scored, however, they looked like a bunch of individuals or islands out on the ice. There was little to no cohesion, the players looked lost or disinterested and many of them looked like they were trying figure it out all by themselves.
Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta, Benoit Pouliot, Andrei Kostitsyn, Subban and even Maxim Lapierre before he was traded, are all players who looked isolated. They were dealing with their problems by themselves and not as a team.
Cammalleri looked frustrated at his lack of production, Subban was struggling since being benched by Martin, Gionta looked like he was being crushed by the teams lack of success, Pouliot looked like he was lost on the ice just waiting to be benched and so on.
So as much as everyone has talked about this team being united and one of the best rooms they've played in, they no longer look like they are playing for each other. In fact, most of the players look like they are trying to fix or ignore the problem all by themselves, and that is never a recipe for success on the ice.
While some of this can be attributed to the losing streak, it just looks like too many players are defeated even before the puck drops. That, to me, wreaks of a team or players who have quit on their coach. A room full of individuals rather than one cohesive unit that goes to battle for each other.
With the win last night the Canadiens prevented their first four-game losing streak of the season and perhaps turned the ship in the right direction. But the situation is tenuous and if they can't start stringing together more than two wins in a row, I fear that things could take a turn for the worse.
5. Wizniewski makes a big difference to this team.
What a difference one player can make to the complexion of a team.
Wizniewski, known for his offensive abilities, an excellent first pass and his pugnacious play on the ice, so far seems to be the fix that cures whatever is ailing the Montreal Canadiens.
The Wiz got the party going last night, firing a bullet of a shot past Vokoun on the power play, with traffic in front. The goal energized that Canadiens who looked ready to pack it in, and sent them on the road to victory.
One of the biggest effects he has is on the power play where he seems to settle the Canadiens down with his calm, patience from the back end. That coupled with his vision on the ice remind me a lot of Andrei Markov, who would calmly setup and execute the power play like an army general.
On the tying goal, Wizniewski calmly skated the puck into the offensive zone and circled at the blueline, allowing his teammates to get setup in the zone. This is something that has been missing from the Habs power play all season, as they have too often tried to take a shot or make a play immediately after crossing the blueline.
In addition, when Wizniewski shoots the puck he has his head up which allows him to properly read the play rather than shooting it into the defenders shin pads.
The ability to setup and to calmly see what is going on on the ice before making a pass, taking a shot or making any other decision, is a crucial ingredient to PP success.
Players like Subban and Weber have been rushing too much, shooting when there is no open lane or no traffic in front and making low percentage passes. Wizniewski is a breath of fresh air and his abilities take considerable pressure off of Subban, Weber, Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek.
Wizniewski finished the night with three points (2G,1A), six shots on net, four blocked shots and 23:31 of ice time.
Perhaps some of what he's got will rub off on Subban and Weber!
Standings and Next Game
The win give the Canadiens a 21-16-2 record good for 44 points and eight place overall in the Eastern Conference standings. Ahead of the Canadiens are the usual suspects of Atlanta (46 points, two more games played), the Rangers (46 points, one game in hand), and the Boston Bruins (first in the Norhteast, 45 points, three games in hand).
The Hurricanes are sitting six points behind that Canadiens with three games in hand.
The Habs now, mercifully, travel back to the comfy climes in Montreal where they take on the Atlanta Thrashers in a 1:00 pm matinee on Sunday, before having three days off.
The game is a huge four-pointer against a team the Habs are in direct competition with for a playoff spot. As such, you'd hope they carry some momentum from their inspired comeback win over the Panthers into Sunday's game.
On a different note, I want to take this opportunity to once again wish you and yours a happy new year! All the best in 2011!
(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images North America)
Last night's match between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning got started on an interesting note with former Habs property and Hamilton Bulldogs goaltender, Cederick Desjardins, being announced as the surprise starter for the Lightning.
This was to be his first NHL game and it was against his former organization.
The Habs started things off with a bang, clearly intent on reversing their recent fortunes, when Max Pacioretty drove to the net and fired the puck from the right side. The puck went in off of Brett Clark, only 58 seconds into the game, who was trying to cover Brian Gionta.
After the goal, the teams traded power plays and the Habs' new edition, James Wizniewski, showed fans why he is so good from the point, ringing a bullet off of the post.
Tampa's Desjardins looked shaky between the pipes but settled down over the latter half of the first period.
With the Canadiens holding a 1-0 lead and doing a good job of stifling Tampa, the team proceeded to take two too many men on the ice penalties, only 45 seconds apart, handing the Bolts a 5-on-3 advantage.
Tampa made no mistake with Martin St. Louis firing one short side past Carey Price, who was cheating away from his post. That goal gave Tampa all the momentum they would need as they potted another one before the frame was over, taking a one goal lead into the intermission.
The final nail in the Habs' coffin, however, was when Steven Stamkos was awarded a penalty shot on a generous call by the ref. His spin-o-rama move fooled Price, giving Tampa a two goal lead. After that goal, the Habs seemed to give up, essentially going through the motions for the rest of the third period, unable to produce any offense.
As has become the case far too often this season, the Canadiens were simply unable to bury their chances early in the game and it came back to bite them.
Final score: Tampa 4 - Habs 1
Habs' scorers: Max Pacioretty (2)
Tampa scorers: Martin St. Louis (16), Pavel Kubina (2), Steven Stamkos (30, 31)
Game Notes
1. Wizniewski made an instant impact.
On his first shift, Wizniewski had four shots from the point—despite the official stat sheet saying he only had one—as Lars Eller and co. kept setting him up for his wicked one-timer.
On the Habs first power play of the game, 3:35 into the first, Wizniewski fired a bullet off of the post. While he didn't score, that shot illustrates exactly why the Canadiens went fishing for this player.
While Yannick Weber and P.K. Subban also have hard shots they tend to miss the net more often that not. Wizniewski not only hits the net but his shots are always two feet or less off of the ground; ideal for deflections and big rebounds.
Wizniewski also lived up to the promise of being a minute-munching defenseman, playing 21:48 of ice time, second on the Habs only to Subban's 23:27.
One game does not make a season but suffice it to say that "the Wiz" will make a difference on the Canadiens' back end.
2. Jacques Martin found some nice interesting defensive pairings.
With Josh Gorges sidelined due to injury for a second game in a row and Alexandre Picard sitting as a healthy scratch, Coach Martin had to get creative with his defense.
For the first time since taking over the helm of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin had three righties and three lefties in his arsenal. But despite this apparent boon, Martin chose to keep the two lefties together—Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek—and the two righties together—Yannick Weber and James Wizniewski.
Of course he did.
Fortunately, things worked out pretty well for the stoic coach.
Weber and Wiz looked good together despite both being right handed shooters. Moreover, they look like a pretty good combo on the first wave of the power play with both being able to fire the puck with authority from the point.
Personally, I'd still prefer to see them each paired with a lefty defender, but that's just me.
The other pairing that Martin used was Hal Gill and P.K. Subban and they also looked decent, with Gill's veteran presence seeming to calm Subban a touch. Also, given Gill's playing style and lack of speed, that is a combo that should allow Subban to focus on the offensive side of the game knowing that Gill can cover up for him. But Gill is a slow skater so there could be instances where he would be unable to cover up for Subban. This means that P.K. will have to be that much more vigilant.
Last night that wasn't the case but, depending on how long Gorges is out of the lineup, it could become a problem.
When Gorges is back in the lineup—he won't be playing against the Panthers today—you would have to think that Yannick Weber and Alexandre Picard will be the odd men out.
That is unless the coach is going to go from playing Subban a team high 23:27 to placing him in the press box again.
3. The Habs system is one-dimensional.
It is no secret that Jacques Martin is a coach who likes to employ the trap.
You know, that one-man forecheck that is meant to push the opposition to the outside only to come face-to-face with four Canadiens players in the neutral zone, forcing a turnover?
Well this system, so far this season, has only seemed to work when the Habs score the first goal of the game. Now, the Habs scored the first goal last night and still lost the game. That is because scoring first for the Habs doesn't guarantee victory, it just makes it possible.
When trailing after one period, the Habs have yet to win a game this season.
Why?
Well, if you watch Martin's strategy, he uses the one-man forecheck regardless of whether the Canadiens are winning, losing or if the game is tied. It's a passive system that relies on the counter-attack and taking advantage of mistakes, rather than pushing the play the way Tampa does.
The result is that the Canadiens continue to play defensively when trailing instead of opening things up in order to create more offense.
Last night was no different as the Canadiens, down by a goal to start the third, continued to play their passive style. The result is that the players who should be trying to score goals are too busy hoping for a turnover rather than trying to forcing one.
I have never hidden the fact that I am not a fan of Jacques Martin. I think that he is a coach who uses an antiquated system that worked better before the lockout, when there was still a red line. Now, however, it is becoming more and more obvious that it is a system that just does not work, at least not with the players he has.
I just hope that someone upstairs in Canadiens' management sees the same thing I do.
4. What purpose does Maxim Lapierre serve in the Canadiens lineup?
While Lapierre had a bad season last year, he rediscovered his game during the playoffs where he become a key cog in the Canadiens lineup. Combative, in your face, aggravating, fast, hitting players and scoring timely goals, Lapierre looked like he would be part of the core of this team for years to come.
Last year, Lapierre had a rough regular season largely because he was recovering from an ankle problem for most of the year. This year, however, Lapierre is in perfect shape and he has yet to show up for work. Averaging 11:44 of ice time per game and with eight points (5G,3A), Lapierre is simply not contributing anything on the ice.
Moreover, in the past 10 games, Lapierre has one goal and is a minus-six.
Not only is he not getting any points, but he rarely hits anyone, makes lazy defensive plays and, overall, just seems to be going through the motions. With players like Ryan White, Dustin Boyd and David Desharnais in Hamilton, I'd rather take a shot with one of them and move Lapierre out of town. I know, Boyd will never happen seeing as the team has already waived him twice, but I would still prefer to see him in the lineup than Lapierre.
Lapierre is an RFA at the end of the season and I for one would be happy to give him his walking papers. While he is not alone in his lethargy, this is a player who is doing nothing to earn another contract.
5. The Habs best players are not being their best players.
Tomas Plekanec, Michael Cammalleri, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Andrei Kostitsyn have a collective 10 goals and a minus-14 rating over the last 10 games. It is no coincidence then that the team has gone 2-8 over that same span.
Moreover, the Canadiens as a team have scored only have nine goals in the six games so far on this seven-game road trip. Worse yet, night in and night out too many players look like they are dogging it on the ice.
Benoit Pouliot, Michael Cammalleri and Maxim Lapierre among others, look disinterested most of the time, like they are just going through the motions and are simply unhappy.
Cammalleri in particular, seems to be one unhappy camper on the ice. In fact, he hasn't really been the same since Jacques Martin pulled him off of the Plekanec line at the beginning of the season and placed him with Gomez. He has three goals in the last 10 games, 12 on the season and is on pace to score 26.
That is simply not enough production out of the Habs' top sniper.
All of these problems point to a team that has or is starting to quit on their coach. Now, given how close Pierre Gauthier and Jacques Martin are, I think it is highly unlikely that there will be any coaching changes taking place any time soon. But with each game that goes by and each loss that piles up, the slippery slope that the Canadiens are on gets all that much more slippery.
Coaches don't tend to get fired lightly and given the track record between Gauthier and Martin, I would think the same would hold true in this case. That being said, if the Canadiens can't turn this losing streak into a winning streak pretty quickly, something's got to give.
Standings and Next Game
The loss moves the Habs' record to 20-16-2, stalled with 42 points in the standings.
Ahead of them are the Atlanta Thrashers and New York Rangers each with 46 points. The Habs have two games in hand on the Thrashers and are even with the Rangers.
Just out of reach in their division are the Bruins with two games in hand on the Canadiens and 45 points in the standings.
In the Habs' rear view mirror are the suddenly hot Carolina Hurricanes who have two games in hand and 38 points in the standings.
The Canadiens have no time to cry about spilled milk, as they are taking on the Florida Panthers at 5pm today in Sunrise. Whatever the outcome is tonight, this road trip from hell will be over and so will 2010.
So have a happy and safe new year and try to have fun, whether the Habs win or not!
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)
