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)

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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)

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Canada Beats Sweden In SO, Disclaimer Of Interest A Go? And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

Team Canada's Boone Jenner may face supplementary discipline
after his late hit on Swedish defenseman Jesper Pettersson.

After falling 3-2 to Finland in pre-tournament action on Thursday, Team Canada bounced back with a 2-1 shoot out win against Sweden yesterday morning.

Jonathan Drouin of the Halifax Mooseheads scored Canada's only goal in regulation tying the game in the third period. Jonathan Huberdeau of the Saint John Sea Dogs scored a beauty in the shoot out before captain Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers netted the winner.

Habs prospect Sebastian Collberg assisted on Sweden's goal scored by Alexander Wennberg. Collberg was impressive on many of Sweden's power plays setting up chances and showing impressive puck control with nifty stick work.

Canada will begin the tournament on Boxing Day against Germany. Wednesday's game should be used by Canada to work on their discipline. Their constant trips to the penalty box could cause the Canadians problems further in the tournament if they spend too much time on the p.k. against stronger teams in do or die situations.

As if Canada's on ice penalties aren't trouble enough, Boone Jenner may face suspension after his late hit on Jesper Pettersson left the Swedish defenseman with a dislocated shoulder and a fractured wrist.

Alex Galchenyuk, the Habs only other prospect in the tournament was also on the losing end of pre-tournament play as Finland defeated Team U.S.A. 5-1.

Habs And Hockey News

- Back on the lockout front, the players have voted in favor of filing a disclaimer of interest. The NHLPA has until January 2nd to file the disclaimer if they choose to do so.

- Patrick Kearns (@PatrickKearns) of TheFourthPeriod.com provides a fun lockout free article delivering 25 Christmas gifts to players and personnel around the NHL.

- Team U.S.A. will finalize their roster today, making three last cuts before kicking off their tournament debut against Germany on Thursday.


 (Photo by Darren Makowichuk/QMI Agency) 

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Hudon To Miss WJC, Bealieu And Tinordi Progressing, Spengler Cup And More...

Good Morning Addicts!



Habs prospect Charles Hudon will miss the WJC due to
a lower body injury.

 Only four days left until the start of the 2013 World Junior Championships. Canada lost their first pre tournament game against Finland  on Thursday but will get another shot this morning against Sweden. As soon as this post is written I will be sitting in front of my television gettting my first taste of the tournament.

As eager as I am to watch some hockey I must say I am quite disappointed I will not be able to watch Charles Hudon. Hudon, Montreal's fifth round draft pick in 2012 injured his back in practice on friday and was ultimately replaced by Mark McNeill of the WHL's Prince Albert Raiders.

Hudon has been having quite a year in the QMJHL so far this season notching 18 goals and as many helpers for 36 points in 27 games for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

On the bright side, Habs fans will be able to catch a glimpse of the Canadiens second overall pick Sebastian Collberg who will be suiting up for Sweden.

With Hudon having to back out - pun intended - Collberg is one of two Habs prospects still in the tournament. The other of course being Team U.S.A.'s Alex Galchenyuk who has been absolutely destroying the OHL this season. With 27 goals and 34 assists, Galchenyuk sits in second place for points - one behind Ryan Strome of the Niagra IceDogs - and tied for first in goals with the IceDogs Brett Ritchie and Boone Jenner of the Oshawa Generals.

Habs And Hockey News

- The Hamilton Bulldogs continue to struggle as they fell 2-1 to the St.John's Ice Caps last night. The 'Dogs now have won only once in their last five games as they remain in the AHL's Western Conference basement along with the San Antonio Rampage.

- Dan Kramer (@DanKramerHabs) of AllHabs.net takes a look at the progression of Habs Prospects Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi.

- With all the excitement surrounding the WJC, let's not forget about the Spengler Cup. Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisNHL) of The HockeyHouse provides Team Canada's roster as well as every other team's roster for the tournament which also starts on Boxing Day.


(Photo fromhttp://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/culture_physique/2012-2013/chronique.asp?idChronique=263544)

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Habs Overseas, Labor Conflicts In Sports, Fehr Dedicated To Players And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

It is only a matter of time before these morning updates become strictly lockout related. As the stoppage in hockey continues it gets tougher to find stories that don't include the labor negotiations.

It is for this reason that I will focus the main part of this mornings news on the Habs overseas and their prospects. Andrew berkshire of Habs Eyes On The Prize has been following the play of Canadiens players overseas as well as their rising talents and has been keeping track of their progress.

With no Habs hockey to watch so far this season and their players and prospects spread out around the world and it's many leagues it's tough to keep an eye on them.

Berkshire has made that quite easy with his weekly updates by documenting their week's stats and keeping track of their season totals. While the piece makes it easy to keep up with what's going on in Habs world, it would be much simpler if they were playing together on the Habs roster.

Habs And Hockey News

- Deepak Malhotra teaches negotiation at Harvard Business School and writes an interesting piece on the labor negotiations. In his article he explains why there are so many conflicts in pro sports.

- Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period seems optimistic that we will see NHL hockey sooner rather than later.

- The New York Post's Larry Brooks is less optimistic as he claims all Bettman is interested in is shutting down the NHL.

- Here is an interesting and informative look at they type of man Donald Fehr is, and why he is the right man to be backing the players.

- Ben Eager of the Edmonton Oilers seems to be taking is frustration out on bouncers, way to go Ben. Please note the sarcasm in my typing.

(Photo by Source: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images North America)

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NHL to Make Offer, Plan Bs, Time For Phoenix Coyotes and More

Good AM hockey fans!

Talks between the NHL and NHLPA are set to resume today, with the NHL reportedly getting ready to present a new offer.

Part of me fully expects some form of lockout at this point. But I also harbour this foolishly optimistic notion that the League could present a decent proposal, a starting point from which to work from.

Wishful thinking, no doubt.

Habs and Hockey News 

- Speaking of potential lockouts, a few more players have spoken out on their potential plans should their be a lockout. ESPN's Morning Links also features a few stories on the subject.

- Seems potential Phoenix Coyotes owner Greg Jamison still needs more time to finalize his attempt to purchase the beleaguered franchise. This is truly turning into the Neverending Story....

- The Hockey News wraps up its annual predictions, revealing their pick for top spot in each conference. Speaking of predictions, USA Today compares the ever-connected Nashville Predators and Detroit Red Wings. Their conclusion? Nashville should come out on top.

- Habs Eyes On The Prize continues its look at the best Canadiens under 25, today looking at number ten, Sebastien Collberg.

- Here is quirky story out of Sweden, courtesy of USA Today. Apparently, a star in Sweden's Third Division intentionally punched his coach, therefore being released from his contract with the team which in turn allowed him to sign in the Second Division. In any case, the story is worth reading — especially for the pun at the end of it.

- Finally, don't forget to look at Amos Legault's interesting retrospective on the NHL's old goaltending rules.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America)

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Habs grab Collberg, Leafs, Flyers trade, Draft Roundup and more

Morning puck fans!

The 2012 NHL entry draft is now in the books, and what a draft it was!

We didn't see players like Roberto Luongo or Rick Nash traded (yet), but others like Jordan Staal were moved. In addition, the Leafs and Flyers swapped Luke Schenn and James Van Riemsdyk.

On the latter trade, did you really expect Brian Burke to go through draft weekend without making some kind of splash?

Me either.

On the Habs front, many are saying that the Habs came out as the biggest winner of this year's draft. Picking Alex Galchenyuk with their third overall pick, the Habs scooped Sebastian Collberg and Dalton Thrower in the second round.

These picks were rated, overall, much higher and Collberg was expected to go in the first round.

Sound like success to me!

Habs News

Hockey Inside/Out - Canadiens draft Collberg, Thrower in second round; Bozon in third

RDS - Comparé à Alfredsson

RDS - Collberg, Bozon et Hudon avec le CH

TSN - BERGEVIN EXCITED BY CANADIENS' PICKS AT NHL DRAFT

Habsworld.net - The Habs at Day 2 of the 2012 Draft

Hockey News

TSN - MAPLE LEAFS TRADE SCHENN TO FLYERS FOR VAN RIEMSDYK

TSN - LEAFS TRADE RIGHTS TO GUSTAVSSON TO JETS FOR CONDITIONAL PICK

TSN - AFTER DRAFTING YAKUPOV, OILERS SHIFT FOCUS TO ADDING SIZE

ESPN - Luongo, Nash survive trade winds at draft

THN - Plenty of interest in pending UFA Justin Schultz

(Photo: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

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