Post-game: Canada 3 - USA 2 (OT)NHL.com
Crosby clinches gold for Canada
Crosby's goal is 'so fitting'
Canada Post Game
USA Post Game
Luongo among the elite
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Showing posts with label crosby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crosby. Show all posts
Monday, March 1, 2010
Hockey Update - Hollywood ending for Canada, Post game, Luongo
Post-game: Canada 3 - USA 2 (OT)NHL.com
Crosby clinches gold for Canada
Crosby's goal is 'so fitting'
Canada Post Game
USA Post Game
Luongo among the elite
Like this story? Don't be selfish, Share it!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Men's Olympic Hockey: Team Canada Spanks Germany, 8-2, in Warmup for Team Russia
Like a cat sharpening its claws before the hunt, Canada warmed up on the Germans, yesterday, in preparation for today's monstrously huge quarter-final game versus Russia.In handily defeating the German team 8-2, Canada qualified for the medal round and in doing so has generated a little more cohesion on the ice.
While Monday morning saw Team Canada-nation in the throes of depression after the surprising defeat at the hands of the US, yesterday, during the third period, Team Canada had its faithful chanting "We want Russia!"
Despite a tentative first period against the Germans, Canada went into the intermission with a 1-0 lead on a goal by Joe Thornton, who's line continues to roll for Canada.
Canada looked, in the first, like a team who was feeling the weight of expectations and who was being crushed by the pressure.
Things changed in the second, however, as a Shea Weber blast from the point went past Germany's Greiss and through the netting.
Yes, you read that right. The puck went through the netting.
Play continued but was eventually whistled to review the goal, which ended up standing and making it a 2-0 game for Canada. Weber's goal was more than a little significant, because it was the first goal by a Canadian defenseman since the start of the tournament. After Weber's goal, you could see Team Canada relax and the floodgates opened up as a result.
1:09 later, Jerome Iginla who was skating on a line with Crosby and Stall, scored to make it 3-0 on the powerplay. That line continued to do great things for Canada, as Iginla scored another five minutes later on a beautiful cross-ice pass from Staal, to make it 4-0 for Canada.
There was a questionable moment for Team Canada's coaching staff as Rick Nash was hauled down on a breakaway resulting in a penalty shot, at 8:37 of the second frame.
In international competition, teams can pick any player to take the penalty shot and Mike Babcock chose to send out Sidney Crosby rather than Nash. Crosby's attempt was stopped by the German goaltender which wasn't the end of the world considering Canada's 4-0 lead.
The bigger problem was the missed opportunity to get Nash going—he has yet to score a goal in ten Olympic games lifetime.
While you can't really go wrong by choosing Crosby as a shooter, I can't help but wonder why Babcock didn't just stick with Nash. At 4-0 for Canada, the penalty shot was the perfect opportunity to give the guy who is struggling to score a chance to get that monkey off his back. Why not give him that chance? If Nash scores on that play, maybe he comes alive.
If Nash comes alive, Canada benefits as he is one of the players that they need to have firing on all cylinders if they want any chance of winning the gold medal.
After the penalty shot, it seemed like both teams fell into a bit of a lull. The result was that Germany scored a surprise goal with less than four minutes to play in the second.
With Marco Strum standing just outside the blue paint, he and Luongo got tied up allowing Germany's Goc enough time to go behind the net and sneak the puck past the far post with a wrap-around. 4-1 Canada.
Another point of interest on the night is that Babcock shortened his bench more than at any point during the first three games.
Patrice Bergeron, for example, only had 13 seconds of ice-time in the first period while Pronger rode the pine for most of the second. It is clear that Babcock is starting to ride his best horses as winning is all that matters now.
Canada continued to roll in the third as Crosby scored 1:10 into the third by tipping in a Staal cross-ice pass to make it 5-1.
A refreshing change for Canada in this game, was the contribution from all lines. Canada's fourth line grinders got on the board in the third as Brendan Morrow ground it out behind the net getting the puck out front to Richards in the slot who whipped it past Greiss to make it 6-1.
Scott Neidermayer was next for Canada, scoring on a breakaway at 11:22 of the third to make it 7-1. But, like Shea Weber being the first defenseman to score for Canada, the big news was that Rick Nash broke his bad luck streak in the third period.
Nash, playing on a line with Getzlaf and Perry, streaked down the right wing and roofed one past Greiss to score his first Olympic goal, if you can believe that.
I can't overstate how important that goal was for Canada, as Nash has been one of if not the, best player for Canada since the beginning of the tournament. His goal, scored on the eve of a monumental game versus Russia, should give the Canadian team a little extra offensive punch going forward.
Germany finished off the game by scoring on a 2-on-1 to make it an 8-2 with just over a minute to play. But, as the hometown crowd chanted "We want Russia! We want Russia!", we are reminded of how special the match that we will behold tonight is going to be.
Despite the game versus the German's being a gimmie, Canada did what they had to do and got some key players going in the process.
While Sunday's game versus the US was the biggest game of the tournament so far, tonight's game is likely to be the biggest of the entire tournament even going forward.
Heading into this tournament, it was widely believed that we would be witnessing a Russia versus Canada final.
Now, however, one of those two teams will lose tonight and finish outside of the medals.
This was a thought that seemed almost inconceivable two weeks ago, but now, with Canada's weak finish in the preliminary rounds, we are about to see the clash of the titans, a few games earlier than most had hoped.
Crosby versus Ovechkin. Canada versus Russia. The winner moves on and the loser goes home with no conciliation prize.
There really isn't much more to say than that. Tune in tonight to watch what is sure to be one of the best games in Olympic, and maybe even hockey, history.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Post Game Quick Hits: Habs 1 - Pens 3
Last night, the banged-up Pittsburgh Penguins beat the even more banged-up Montreal Canadiens 3 - 1, in regulation. The streak is dead. Long live the streak! Ok, it was a meager streak but the way things have gone so far this year, you have to make each baby step a celebration or you'll be waiting too long to rejoice! So without further ado, here are a few observations from last night's game:
1 - Despite losing the game and being outshot 30 - 19 and outhit 45 to 34, Montreal didn't actually play that bad a game. This team - which looked more like the Hamilton Bulldogs than the Montreal Canadiens - competed on every shift despite having played the night before. However, they looked over match and tired. You could see the effects of missing 8 regulars from their lineup and having played the night before. By the third period, they looked like they needed a collective nap!
2 - Pittsburgh did an amazing job of keeping the Plekanec (with Sergei K and Cammy) off of the scoresheet. Starting with Jordan Staal's line - who was on the ice almost every time Pleky stepped out there - and following through the rest of the lineup, the Pens used the home ice advanatage effectively to get that last line change and hence, the match-ups they needed.
3 - Plekanec continues to establish himself as a top notch center in the NHL. Despite being shut off of the score sheet, Plekanec played inspired hockey all night. He made hits, dug the puck out of the corner, setup plays and was generally combative. Despite having the larger Pittsburgh forwards leaning on him heavily, he was still able to create some chances and even gave Crosby a shot in the chops while battling for the puck.
4 - Price strong play continues. Despite only having a .900 save percentage last night, Price looked confident and firm in the net. He is handling the puck masterfully - which is always a sign of good confidence with Price - he is fighting through screens and traffic to track the puck, and he is moving nicely in his crease. The only blemish on his game last night was the second goal. On that play, Price had stopped a shot from the side of the net but didn't cover the puck up properly. It was loose enough that when Guerin poked at it, it squeezed through his pads and in to make the score 2 - 0. That is one that I am sure Price would like to have back.
5 - The oft heralded organizational depth of the Montreal Canadiens is starting to show. With a bunch of AHL players replacing the missing regulars, in the lineup, we can see that this organization has a bunch of NHL capablity guys. There are not really any superstars among them but they are definitely servicable NHL players. If you look at Pyatt, White, Desharnais and Wyman, these are all guys who are showing that they have the ability, smarts and right attitude to be players in the NHL. Going forward, this could be good for Montreal on the trade front. While these guys can all play in the NHL, most of them are the same or very similar type players. This means that some of them can become expendable.
6 - Sergei Kostitsyn looks like a new man. From his humble interviews with the press to his 'put your head down and work' attitude, he seems, and I do emphasize the word 'seems', to be a player reborn. With two assists and a +3 rating over two games, Sergei looks like he means business. Give him a week or so to further acclimate, and I believe the Montreal might get back a much better player than the one they sent down at the beginning of the season, in Sergei. If he continues to show the right attitude, contribute and play smart hockey, he should definitely have a spot somewhere on this team.
Overall, this past week has shown that, in my opinion, Jacques Martin is a really good coach. Love or hate him or his style there is no questioning the results. Martin has taken a team decimated by injuries and drilled a system into their heads that has resulted in wins over Washington, a shootout loss to Detroit and an insipred comeback win versus Columbus. That was 5 out of a possible 6 points. With the Pittburgh game, that gives them 5 out of 8 points. With one more game - in Montreal on Saturday vs. the Caps - to close out the month of November, Montreal still has a chance to get 7 out of 10 point in five games where I, personally, thought they would get none. Montreal can use the two day break before facing Washington on Saturday, to lick thier wounds. Hopefully they can get back some of their walking wounded from Team Clinic!
K.
1 - Despite losing the game and being outshot 30 - 19 and outhit 45 to 34, Montreal didn't actually play that bad a game. This team - which looked more like the Hamilton Bulldogs than the Montreal Canadiens - competed on every shift despite having played the night before. However, they looked over match and tired. You could see the effects of missing 8 regulars from their lineup and having played the night before. By the third period, they looked like they needed a collective nap!
2 - Pittsburgh did an amazing job of keeping the Plekanec (with Sergei K and Cammy) off of the scoresheet. Starting with Jordan Staal's line - who was on the ice almost every time Pleky stepped out there - and following through the rest of the lineup, the Pens used the home ice advanatage effectively to get that last line change and hence, the match-ups they needed.
3 - Plekanec continues to establish himself as a top notch center in the NHL. Despite being shut off of the score sheet, Plekanec played inspired hockey all night. He made hits, dug the puck out of the corner, setup plays and was generally combative. Despite having the larger Pittsburgh forwards leaning on him heavily, he was still able to create some chances and even gave Crosby a shot in the chops while battling for the puck.
4 - Price strong play continues. Despite only having a .900 save percentage last night, Price looked confident and firm in the net. He is handling the puck masterfully - which is always a sign of good confidence with Price - he is fighting through screens and traffic to track the puck, and he is moving nicely in his crease. The only blemish on his game last night was the second goal. On that play, Price had stopped a shot from the side of the net but didn't cover the puck up properly. It was loose enough that when Guerin poked at it, it squeezed through his pads and in to make the score 2 - 0. That is one that I am sure Price would like to have back.
5 - The oft heralded organizational depth of the Montreal Canadiens is starting to show. With a bunch of AHL players replacing the missing regulars, in the lineup, we can see that this organization has a bunch of NHL capablity guys. There are not really any superstars among them but they are definitely servicable NHL players. If you look at Pyatt, White, Desharnais and Wyman, these are all guys who are showing that they have the ability, smarts and right attitude to be players in the NHL. Going forward, this could be good for Montreal on the trade front. While these guys can all play in the NHL, most of them are the same or very similar type players. This means that some of them can become expendable.
6 - Sergei Kostitsyn looks like a new man. From his humble interviews with the press to his 'put your head down and work' attitude, he seems, and I do emphasize the word 'seems', to be a player reborn. With two assists and a +3 rating over two games, Sergei looks like he means business. Give him a week or so to further acclimate, and I believe the Montreal might get back a much better player than the one they sent down at the beginning of the season, in Sergei. If he continues to show the right attitude, contribute and play smart hockey, he should definitely have a spot somewhere on this team.
Overall, this past week has shown that, in my opinion, Jacques Martin is a really good coach. Love or hate him or his style there is no questioning the results. Martin has taken a team decimated by injuries and drilled a system into their heads that has resulted in wins over Washington, a shootout loss to Detroit and an insipred comeback win versus Columbus. That was 5 out of a possible 6 points. With the Pittburgh game, that gives them 5 out of 8 points. With one more game - in Montreal on Saturday vs. the Caps - to close out the month of November, Montreal still has a chance to get 7 out of 10 point in five games where I, personally, thought they would get none. Montreal can use the two day break before facing Washington on Saturday, to lick thier wounds. Hopefully they can get back some of their walking wounded from Team Clinic!
K.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Habs face big test in Pittsburgh
It is hump day, today, and with their 4 and 2 home stand behind them, and a Halloween home tustle against the Leafs ahead of them, Montreal prepares to take on the defending Stanley Cup champions Penguins, in Pittsburgh.
After an 11 game segment that has seen some many highs and lows, Montreal seems to be hitting their stride. Yes, the only 'real' test they have faced so far was Saturday nights 5-4 overtime win against the Rangers, but in today's NHL there is no such thing as an 'easy' game. If, however, one could look at Monday's game against the Islanders as a supposed 'gimme', then tonight's game against Pittsburgh is exactly the opposite and Montreal had better be ready.
The Pens are having none of the supposed Stanley Cup hangover that many teams go through in the following season. Their core of young players is as energized as ever and seem to be getting better every game. Hey, when you have Crosby (22) and Malkin (23) leading the pack, it is not surprise that this team is roaring out of the gates.
As for Montreal, the first 11 games have shown a bunch of individuals that have learned - and continue to learn - how to play as a team under the new Jacques Martin system. There have been some bumps in the road and many growing pains but now, after almost a month of play, this team is starting to take shape and I, for one, am eager to see how they fare against this dominant Pens team.
The encouraging signs, of late, have been that Montreal has tightened up their play without the puck. Whereas in the first 4 games, Montreal allowed about 144 shots against, they have kept their opposition to 166 shots against for the following 7 games. That is an impressive turnaround! It shows that the players are buying into and understanding Martin's system, and it is one that protects the slot, keeps the opposing team to the outside and reduces chances against, and for the moment at least, it seems to be working.
Another encouraging sign, of late, has been the contributions for players not named Cammalleri, Gomez or Gionta. In the past few games, players like Moen, Metropolit, Spacek, Hamrlik, Lapierre and D'Agostini have been showing up on the scorebored and playing hero. This is well needed secondary scoring on a team that relied far to heavily on the 1st line for too many games. The important thing is that that trend seems to be changing, and just in time too because there is no way Montreal would have ANY chance on the road, if their 1st line was the only one scoring. The opposition, having the last line change, would simply load up against and try to shut down Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta. Shut them down, and the Habs don't score.
Now, however, with the scoring staring to be spread across the line up, Montreal has a fighting chance on the road. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cammalleri riding shotgun on Plekanec's wing at some point tonight. Those two seem to have some magic together and with this new and improved Tomas Plekanec - he has got to be the early season candidate for most improved player - leading the charge, they might be able to do some damage.
With the forwards starting to round into form, and Hamrlik and Spacek getting more and more comfortable playing together, this might be a team that can hang on to a playoff spot until Markov comes back, in January/February. The thing I like the most, however, is that Martin is playing Halak. While Price is still the future of this team, I feel that a large part of the reason for him not progressing as quickly as we would like, is that he is not being challenged. Since Price arrived in Montreal, Gainey has inexplicably given this kid the soft seat. He has continually handed the starting role to Price and never made him earn it.
Ok, I agree that Price is extremely talented and should become an elite goaltender in the future, but if that is the case, then let him prove it. You can't make it so by willing it. You can't force it to happen by throwing him in the net, game after game, when it is clear he is not in the right head space - a la last season.
To his credit, Price has played well this season and Montreal doesn't get the first two wins of the season without his stellar play. While Price wasn't to blame for the subsequent 5 game slide, he simply didn't make a lot of key saves when the team needed him to. Halak, on the other hand, is doing precisely that, since he has been given the reins, and Martin - assumingly with the permission of Gainey - is letting him ride it out. This, to me, will ultimatley benefit the team as it will force Price to earn his spot as number 1 on this team, for this first time since Gainey traded Huet away. And, all things being equal, I believe that if they make it a fair fight between Halak and Price, that Price will win out because he simply has more raw ability.
So getting back to the task at hand - Pittsburgh - the thing that worries me is the sustained forecheck that they will heap on Montreal. If there has been one troubling sign, over the last few games, it is that the team seems to have a lot of difficulty in their own end when the opposition team forechecks aggressively and keeps on the Habs d-men. What seems to happen, is the Montreal's 'system' falls apart a bit. The team starts running around in their own zone and eventually leave their sentry posts, out of desperation, trying to get the puck out of the zone. What this does is open up room in the slot - which is usually well protected under Martin's system - and this often results in a strong scoring chance from the high slot, if not a goal.
We saw this defensive zone breakdown for a few sequences against the Islanders on Monday and on Saturday against the Rangers. With all due respect to both of those teams, Crosby, Malkin, Staal and the like, represent a much more tenatious forecheck and higher skill level than the Isles or the Rangers, so Montreal has to be on top of its game to prevent Pittsburgh from steamrolling them.
Win, lose or draw, tonight's game will be another, bigger, measuring-stick game and I for one am looking forward to seeing how this team fares against such a formidable opponent!
Enjoy the game!
K.
After an 11 game segment that has seen some many highs and lows, Montreal seems to be hitting their stride. Yes, the only 'real' test they have faced so far was Saturday nights 5-4 overtime win against the Rangers, but in today's NHL there is no such thing as an 'easy' game. If, however, one could look at Monday's game against the Islanders as a supposed 'gimme', then tonight's game against Pittsburgh is exactly the opposite and Montreal had better be ready.
The Pens are having none of the supposed Stanley Cup hangover that many teams go through in the following season. Their core of young players is as energized as ever and seem to be getting better every game. Hey, when you have Crosby (22) and Malkin (23) leading the pack, it is not surprise that this team is roaring out of the gates.
As for Montreal, the first 11 games have shown a bunch of individuals that have learned - and continue to learn - how to play as a team under the new Jacques Martin system. There have been some bumps in the road and many growing pains but now, after almost a month of play, this team is starting to take shape and I, for one, am eager to see how they fare against this dominant Pens team.
The encouraging signs, of late, have been that Montreal has tightened up their play without the puck. Whereas in the first 4 games, Montreal allowed about 144 shots against, they have kept their opposition to 166 shots against for the following 7 games. That is an impressive turnaround! It shows that the players are buying into and understanding Martin's system, and it is one that protects the slot, keeps the opposing team to the outside and reduces chances against, and for the moment at least, it seems to be working.
Another encouraging sign, of late, has been the contributions for players not named Cammalleri, Gomez or Gionta. In the past few games, players like Moen, Metropolit, Spacek, Hamrlik, Lapierre and D'Agostini have been showing up on the scorebored and playing hero. This is well needed secondary scoring on a team that relied far to heavily on the 1st line for too many games. The important thing is that that trend seems to be changing, and just in time too because there is no way Montreal would have ANY chance on the road, if their 1st line was the only one scoring. The opposition, having the last line change, would simply load up against and try to shut down Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta. Shut them down, and the Habs don't score.
Now, however, with the scoring staring to be spread across the line up, Montreal has a fighting chance on the road. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see Cammalleri riding shotgun on Plekanec's wing at some point tonight. Those two seem to have some magic together and with this new and improved Tomas Plekanec - he has got to be the early season candidate for most improved player - leading the charge, they might be able to do some damage.
With the forwards starting to round into form, and Hamrlik and Spacek getting more and more comfortable playing together, this might be a team that can hang on to a playoff spot until Markov comes back, in January/February. The thing I like the most, however, is that Martin is playing Halak. While Price is still the future of this team, I feel that a large part of the reason for him not progressing as quickly as we would like, is that he is not being challenged. Since Price arrived in Montreal, Gainey has inexplicably given this kid the soft seat. He has continually handed the starting role to Price and never made him earn it.
Ok, I agree that Price is extremely talented and should become an elite goaltender in the future, but if that is the case, then let him prove it. You can't make it so by willing it. You can't force it to happen by throwing him in the net, game after game, when it is clear he is not in the right head space - a la last season.
To his credit, Price has played well this season and Montreal doesn't get the first two wins of the season without his stellar play. While Price wasn't to blame for the subsequent 5 game slide, he simply didn't make a lot of key saves when the team needed him to. Halak, on the other hand, is doing precisely that, since he has been given the reins, and Martin - assumingly with the permission of Gainey - is letting him ride it out. This, to me, will ultimatley benefit the team as it will force Price to earn his spot as number 1 on this team, for this first time since Gainey traded Huet away. And, all things being equal, I believe that if they make it a fair fight between Halak and Price, that Price will win out because he simply has more raw ability.
So getting back to the task at hand - Pittsburgh - the thing that worries me is the sustained forecheck that they will heap on Montreal. If there has been one troubling sign, over the last few games, it is that the team seems to have a lot of difficulty in their own end when the opposition team forechecks aggressively and keeps on the Habs d-men. What seems to happen, is the Montreal's 'system' falls apart a bit. The team starts running around in their own zone and eventually leave their sentry posts, out of desperation, trying to get the puck out of the zone. What this does is open up room in the slot - which is usually well protected under Martin's system - and this often results in a strong scoring chance from the high slot, if not a goal.
We saw this defensive zone breakdown for a few sequences against the Islanders on Monday and on Saturday against the Rangers. With all due respect to both of those teams, Crosby, Malkin, Staal and the like, represent a much more tenatious forecheck and higher skill level than the Isles or the Rangers, so Montreal has to be on top of its game to prevent Pittsburgh from steamrolling them.
Win, lose or draw, tonight's game will be another, bigger, measuring-stick game and I for one am looking forward to seeing how this team fares against such a formidable opponent!
Enjoy the game!
K.
