OK, that was a bizarre game.
Ryan White dropping the gloves with Stephane Veilleux only 10 seconds in? Check.
Alexei Emelin throwing the hit of the night on his own teammate, Erik Cole? Check.
White dropping the gloves with Veilleux, again, after the former decided to slash Carey Price. But the kicker on that was White punching Chris Campoli in the back as the threesome fell to the ice.
And it was all topped off by a blown third period lead, and an epic shootout fail, handing the win to the Habs.
Classic.
Final Score: Habs 5 - Wild 4 (SO)
Game Notes
It's all in the numbers...
This really was a game of numbers...
Numbers like the Wild, failing to get a shot on net for the first 15 minutes of the game. Like the Habs going 3-for-7 on the powerplay. Like Montreal holding a 4-1 lead with about 12 minutes to play in the game. Like the Wild scoring three goals in the last four minutes of the game, to send it into overtime.
There were other numbers too, like Scott Gomez getting a mere 5:55 of ice time. Like Emelin finishing the night with seven hits, none more spectacular than when he accidentally lowered the boom on teammate, Erik Cole.
Friendly Fire
Didn't see Emelin take out Cole with one of his patented hip checks? Here's vid of the Emelin-boom taking out Cole:
Ouch! That's gotta leave a mark!
The Talented Mr. Setoguchi
Yes, it was a bizarre night to be sure. And, to top it off, the Canadiens won, in the shootout, on what has got to be the biggest shootout fail in the history of shootouts.
Poor Devin Setoguchi not only flubbed the puck, but he then fell to the ice trying to recover it, handing the win the Montreal.
Here, see the hilarity for yourself:
Keystone cops, to say that least.
Fail for Nail?
Yes, for two teams that rarely play each other and have little hatred between them as a result, you wouldn't have known last night.
In a lost season, for the Habs, last night's bizzaro game stood out as much for it's Dark Backward feel as for it's entertainment value. And good thing too, because Montreal fans haven't had much to cheer about this season.
The good news, for Montreal, is that the win didn't put a dent in their unofficial Fail for Nail campaign. The Habs have 60 points in the standings, good enough for 28th overall in the league.
A top three pick? Sounds like a pretty good reward for the putrid season this team has had.
So will the Habs pick in the top three or, as TSN 990's Tony Marinaro suggested, flip their pick to Florida for Jonathan Huberdeau?
Personally, I think the chance to pick in the top three trumps pretty much any trade. That being said, while the Huberdeau idea might not become a reality, it's surely thinking outside of the box!
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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 contributor to the Sunday Shinny segment of The Franchise weekend morning show, on TSN Radio 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 9 - 10 AM. Listen live at http://www.tsn.ca/montreal/
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(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
