Habs Fall To Sabres, Halpern Returns, Prospect Roundup And More...

Good Afternoon Addicts!



Michael Ryder notched his 11th point in as many games
since joining the Habs in last nights loss to Buffalo.

 The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-1 last night, handing the Habs their second regulation time loss in 20 games. Ryan Miller played outstanding between the pipes for Buffalo turning aside 39 of the 40 shots fired at him earning the games first star.

With Toronto edging the Bruins 3-2, Montreal lost a quality chance to increase their lead in the standings over Boston.

Thomas Vanek scored both goals for the Sabres after missing one game due to a shot he blocked in the previous game against the Habs. Michael Ryder put Montreal on the board with his tenth goal of the season, his fourth as a Hab and his first at the Bell Center.

Montreal has a tough back to back series coming up as they will face the Penguins and Bruins on Tuesday and Wednesday night. It's the second time the Canadiens will face the two Eastern Conference powerhouses in back to back games.

In early March the Habs fell 7-6 in overtime against the Pens before beating the Bruins 4-3 the following night.

Habs And Hockey News

- Here's Andrew Berkshire with his weekly Montreal Canadiens Prospect Roundup.

- The Habs claimed Jeff Halpern off of waivers from the Rangers yeasterday addint him to the list of returning Canadiens along with Francis Bouillon, Michael Ryder and Michel Therrien.

- The Hamilton Bulldogs lost 4-2 to the Binghamton Senators last night for their fourth defeat in their last five games.

- Here's a few quick rumor hits from TSN as the April 3rd deadline quickly approaches.


(Photo from Habsblog.com)

Read More

Habs/Devils,Desharnais Extension,Habs North American Prospects And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

Jarred Tinordi (right) wll make his NHL regular season debut
tonight against the Devils.

It's been quite a slow week in Habsland with only one game, a 4-3 victory over the Senators, this week. The Canadiens are back at it tonight as they face the Devils in New Jersey. It's the teams second tilt of three this season with the Habs coming out on top 4-3 in their first meeting back in January.

While Montreal is heading into tonight's game after two days off, the Devils are playing their second game in as many nights dropping a 2-1 decision to the Philadelphia Flyers in a shoot out last night.

Lars Eller is coming off his most dominant game of the season. Eller scored the teams first goal of the night in Ottawa and provided the shoot out winner with a nifty move. Aside from his production on the scoresheet Eller finished the night with seven shots and played an aggressive game at both ends of the ice.

Raphael Diaz (concussion), Rene Bourque (concussion), Brandon Prust (shoulder) and Michael Ryder (lower body) will all miss tonight's contest for the Habs. Michael Blunden has been called up from Hamilton to replace Ryder and Jarred Tinordi who was also called up from the Bulldogs will make his NHL debut.

Hab killer Martin Brodeur is out for the Devils  with a back inury.

Habs And Hockey News

- David Desharnais will play his first game since signing a four year contract extension with the club.

- Our own Fred Poulin (@FredPoulin98) takes a look at the Montreal Canadiens North American Prospects Worth Watching.

- With the realignment given the green light, Habs Eyes On The Prize has explained the rules to the Habs new conference.


(Photo by Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Read More

Leafs Destroy Habs, Koivu Keepin'on, Habs Prospects And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

Well that certainly did not go well. The much hated Toronto Maple Leafs came into town last night and handed the Canadiens their worst loss of the year. Nothing went right for the Habs who - other than Brendan Gallagher - played as if they had no desire to even be on the ice.

The Canadiens were losing battles in the corners, getting bumped off the puck and while they may have directed 37 shots on Leafs goaltender James Reimer, it's safe to say at least 30 of them were directed right at the Maple Leaf on his chest.

After two straight losses to Boston and Buffalo and now a 6-0 pounding at the hands of the Leafs, some fans are starting to wonder just what team the Canadiens are this year. Are the Habs we saw through the first handful of games for real? Or will we start seeing a lot more games like the ones we've witnessed over the last week?

Habs And Hockey News

- Former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu is enjoying success at age 8 with the Anaheim Ducks. Koivu leads the team with 11 points through ten games and is second on the team with a plus/minus of +8. Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette caught up with Koivu before the Ducks 3-1 loss to the Stars on Friday night.

- Andrew Berkshire is back again with his week four roundup of Montreal Canadiens prospects.

- It's no secret that the Canadiens owe a lot of their success this year to their depth.


(Photo by John Kenney, Montreal Gazette)

Read More

Alex Galchenyuk/Brady Vail at 2013 WJC?, Plekanec's Advice to Gally, Owners Need to Speak Up And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

Alex Galchenyuk is fifth in the OHL scoring race

There seems to be a lack of hockey news this morning other than the usual lockout talk and the current theme of the week, decertification. With no update on either front I'm going to start with the upcoming World Junior Championships that will begin on boxing day.

Adam French is a blogger for the Phoenix Coyotes - remember them? - over at HockeyBuzz.com. French wrote an article on which forwards he feels will make the American squad. Among his choices are Habs prospects Alex Galchenyuk and Brady Vail.

Galchenyuk seems like a shoe-in. With last night's four point performance in an 8-2 win over the Peterborough Petes, Gally is now fifth in the OHL scoring race with 41 points - 15G 26A - in 25 games. The fact that the 18 year old captain is putting up these numbers on a less than dominant team - sixth place in the Western Conference - makes it that much more impressive.



Brady Vail of the Windsor Spitfires

 Brady Vail of the Windsor Spitfires is further down the chart tied for 37th, but is still putting up a point per game pace with ten goals and 15 helpers in 25 contests. Vail is also putting up his impressive stats on a team that is not exactly a powerhouse as the Spitfires currently sit in seventh place just two points below the Sting.

Will having two Canadiens prospect represent team U.S.A. make it harder for you to root against our neighbours down south?

Habs And Hockey News

- A few days back I highlighted a few questions regarding the Habs that have been left unanswered due to the lockout.

- Tomas Plekanec has a few words of advice for Montreal Canadiens top pick Alex Galchenyuk.

- Larry Brooks of the NY Post makes a good point on how the owners need to step up and let their voices be heard by the board of governors in order to end the lockout.

- With the lack of NHL hockey to watch, Ryan Kennedy of TheHockeyNews.com provides a list of exciting teams to watch from around the leagues.

(Photos by by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images North America)

Read More