Canadiens/Flyers Post-Game, Pronger, Leino, Sutter and More

Tough loss last night.

Although the Canadiens showed great resilience, tying the game on three separate occasions, they were unable to defeat the Flyers, who escaped Bell Centre with a hard-fought 4-3 win.

Carey Price had an unusually pedestrian .840 save percentage and his puck handling was often a disservice to his defence. With a team worst four giveaways on the night, his play with the puck also directly led to the Flyers' winning goal.

Of course, going one-for-nine on the Power Play did not help the Canadiens' case either.

And then, there was the refereeing. Chris Lee disallowed a Habs goal, citing minor incidental contact between Erik Cole and Sergei Bobrovsky. The fact that Zac Rinaldo and Wayne Simmonds made contact with Carey Price on the two subsequent Philadelphia goals apparently was of no consequence though. As for the penalties, the 15 distributed seemed to lack any consistent standard on either end.

Finally, Philadelphia received devastating news last night, learning that their captain Chris Pronger will be out for the rest of the season.

The reason for his absence?

If you said a concussion, you are spot on.

Chris Pronger joins a long list of concussion victims that currently includes teammate Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby, Marc Staal, Marc Savard, Joni Pitkanen and Jeff Skinner.

Makes you wonder. Are concussions becoming an epidemic? Or are they being treated more seriously and, as such, the above players no longer return as hastily as they once would have?

Habs News

HabsAddict.com - Canadiens - Flyers: Andrej Mezaros Third Period Winner Drop Habs 4-3

Habs World.net - Aligning the Canadiens

Hockey Inside / Out - About last night...

La Presse - L’attaque massive trop passive et non Chris Lee a coulé le Canadien

Montreal Gazette - Canadiens' power play searching for answers

Montreal Gazette - Philadelphia Flyers extend streak with 4-3 win over Montreal Canadiens

RDS - La sequence prend fin 

Hockey News

ESPN - Chris Pronger's season-ending injury brings new immediacy to concussion issue

ESPN - 5 Things: Goalie woes in Tampa, buyer's remorse in Buffalo, rookies rule in N.J.

Louis' Note: Scott Burnside mentions that the Sabres may have some buyers remorse regarding Ville Leino. You think? He is barely on pace for 30 points. This summer I had raised concerns because, in his North American career, the winger has never scored 20 goals and has only reached the 50 point mark once.

The Hockey News - Proteau: Kings would be wise to hire Dallas Eakins as head coach

NBC Sports - Roenick slams players, cites the “stupidity of the hits” that are happening

Sports Illustrated - Sutter’s L.A. decision, big ice, and the NHL’s shootout sickness

Louis' Note: Darryl Sutter to L.A seems like a horrible idea. Never mind that he has only gone past the Second round twice, his antiquated methods and knee jerk trades likely set the Calgary Flames back a few years. Is that the influence needed for the Kings?

TSN - Flyers' Pronger out for season with post-concussion syndrome

Kamal's Note: It's tough to overstate the magnitude of this loss for the Flyers. Philly, who's GM isn't afraid to make bold moves (see Richards, Mike and Carter, Jeff), is sure to be active on the trade market looking for a replacement.

How long before we start hearing the Shea Weber to Philly rumours?

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America)

Posted in: chris pronger,montreal canadiens,Philadelphia Flyers