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About last night ...
posted by Mike Boone at 1h14 EST on Dec 8
Martin, who has a good – albeit rarely displayed – sense of humour, joked about the defensive struggle and said the Canadiens had executed a game plan he's been working on all weekend.
The coach was in a good mood because the unentertaining nature of the game notwithstanding, there were many praiseworthy efforts among Martin's troops.
Holding the Flyers – an alleged but troubled Cup contender – to 15 shots is an accomplishment, especially on the heels of a big win against Boston.
Carey Price was beaten for a shorthanded goal when Daniel Brière decided he was Maurice Richard and scored with Ryan O'Byrne draped all over him. Other than that, the goaltender's work was impeccable on a quiet night at the office.
The Canadiens blocked 27 shots (on the heels of 22 against Boston). The leader was Roman Hamrlik, who blocked 10, had two assists, played 24 minutes and was the same rock-solid presence he's been since Andrei Markov was injured.
There have been many nights this season when you get an inkling of why Hamrlik was the first overall draft choice (by Tampa Bay) in 1992. He's not spectacular. He doesn't have Markov's skating ability r offensive flare, and Hamrlik doesn't deal out bonecrushing checks like his former D partner in Calgary Dion Phaneuf.
But man, he's a smart hockey player. Hamrlik played 26 shifts and he'll handle the puck maybe three, four times during each. That's about 100 tocuhes on the game, and you can count on one hand the number of times Roman Hamrlik fails to make a sound, safe play.
Bob Gainey was criticized for the contract he gave Hamrlik: four years at $5.5 million per. But he's certainly earning every nickel of it tis season. Hamrlik will play a major role in getting the Canadiens into the postseason or, if they fall out of the chase, he'll be a attractive commodity for a contender in need of D help on trade deadline day.
But there's a lot of hockey to be played before February – including the second half of a back-to-backer Tuesday night in Ottawa.
Fearless prediction: The Senators will get more than 15 shots. And the Canadiens will exceed 13.
Paul Mara was hurt in the first period and will not make the trip. That means Marc-Andree Bergeron, aka Streit Lite, probably will be moved back to D, joining a corps that's putting together a string of impressive performances.
Hal Gill played 22:43 against the Flyers, including four minutes on the PK. As Martin noted, Gill's return means Jaro Spacek does not have to play as much in shorthanded situations (2:10 last night), which saves an older, undersized Dman for 5-on-5 play.
Josh Gorges had two hits, blocked three shots and played a steady game against Scott Hartnell and other big Flyer forwards who might be expected to feast on a small defenceman. Ryan O'Byrne played only 13:37 – we'll see more of him in Ottawa.
The Canadiens have not allowed a power-play goal since Eric Fehr scored for Washington with 12 seconds remaining on the clock. That was four games ago. The PK has become a strength for the Canadiens, with splendid work by Tomas Plekanec, Travis Moen and – replacing Tom Pyatt and Ryan White – Scott Gomez and Sergei Kostitsyn.
The latter two keep showing signs of developing some chemistry. With Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn and Mike Cammalleri (16 ... and counting) as the top line, I foresee some long-awaited secondary scoring coming from Gomez, Brian Gionta and either SK74 or Benoit Pouliot (if he ever plays).
A great line last night, through they didn't figure in the scoring, was Glen Metropolit, Moen and Max Pacioretty. Metro went 15-8 on faceoffs and battled the Flyers for every loose puck. Moen was Moenesque with a couple hits and solid puck support in the D-zone. Max-Pac, who was good against Toronto, was even better last night. Inaddition to having the Canadiens' only shot of the first period, the kid had a team-high four hits and terrified the Philadelphia D with his speed, competitiveness and creativity in the offensive zone.
Don't look now, but Pacioretty – whom many of us had consigned to Hamilton – may be turning into the kid of power forward the Canadiens thought they were getting when they overlooked David Perron to draft him.
Max Lapierre began the night centring the fourth line and ended up on the wing with Gomez and SK74. Max is using his speed and not trying to do anything fancy. He may be coming around to the form we saw last season. His feed to Cammalleri – after using a foot drag to befuddle the Philly defender and oblige Brian Boucher to slide over and cover – was a the play of the night.
Anyone I've overlooked?
BGL landed some good shots in a stupid, pointless fight with Riley Coté that occurred less than three minutes into the game.
I counted three solid Laraque lefts.
That was more shots than his teammates had in the first period.
Again, not not a classic to start the Canadiens second century .... or did the Bruins game start it? I can never figure that stuff out.
Two in a row for your Montreal Canadiens – in ninth place and inching up.
On to Ottawa.
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My only question now is BGL. I entirely understand the need to have a tough guy like him in selected games against certain teams. I see the mutual deterrence aspect. I just don't understand the staged events, the invitations, the whole made-for-TV spectacle of it all. It's not hockey, it's WWF, it's UFC, it's the wrestling bears of Moscow. BGL adds nothing to the game of hockey in this role. He actually has some skills (few I'll admit but some nonetheless) and fighting is definately his strongest. I just don't get the staging crap. Go out there, play your position and take out your man if you must but stop being so damned polite. I guess the league has forced this type of player on us with the instigator rule. So an invitation gets around it. Sigh...rant finished.
He started the play that led to the gwg. And is it just a coincidence we beat two of the toughest clubs,w/o them beating on us ?
Well, as you note, you answered your own question.
It's not just the instigator, however. If BGL drops the gloves and starts pounding on a guy who doesn't fight back - cause it's clear as day that very few guys are in the mood to be at the receiving end of his fists - two minutes in the box would be the minimum. Martin would crucify him.
When it comes to actual fights, BGL is really handcuffed.
Sometimes we make teams look good and sometimes they make us look good. Flyers will get out of their funk soon and I'm glad it wasn't last night. We played well enough and circumstances allowed us to win. Great! No complaints especially with Sabres losing last night. Tonight maybe a little tougher but Sens not exactly tearing it up right now either. Hopefully we will play another smart game and take advantage of our opportunities and limit theirs. Key divisional 4 point game...Need this one!
"Don't play to get into the Playoffs - Play to WIN the Division"
IT'S A TEAM GAME - Go Habs Go!
Cammalleri = Maurice Richard Trophy Winner... after the game i had a sudden urge to listen to this song, anyone else?
Yao know what i Ming http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH4JPgVD2SM
Cammalleri is a natural scorer and may even come close to 40 goals, but forget about the trophy. There's a bunch of guys that will hit 40 and 50 this year, including Heatley, Marleau, Sid the Kid, Stamkos, Gaborik and the eventual winner Ovechkin.
Cammy has 16 in his past 24. That's 2 goals every 3 games. If you consider the first six games as an aberration brought on by being new to the team and having stiff hands a bit because he was trying too hard to get that first goal and not just playing naturally, 2/3 over the final 76 gives you 51 on the season. Not saying it's gonna happen, but 16 for 24 is nothing to sneeze at, and I really wouldn't be surprised to see him hit 40+.
I didn't watch the whole game but what I say was old school reffed hockey. The hooking, the interference, the tripping that went uncalled in the third was brutal! And that works for the Flyers. No wonder the teams had so little scoring chances. The penalties that were called, on Carle for example, he must have counted to five before lifting his arm up.
"vut it is is vut it is" ...2 points against a team we are battling with. I'll take it.....it wasn;t the most entertaining ...well let's be serious it wasn't entertaining at all but it was a win and we need those badly. As noted by a few others I think that BGL's fight did actually set the tone early in this one for some odd reason.....in some games when he fighths early it seems to have the opposite effect and opposing teams seem relieved to "get it out of the way"....with Philly and their goon depth I think it actually worked a little bit and I have to albeit very reluctantly credit BGL for helping to tame the Flyers last night....there now that I got that painful admission out I already feel better.
Hammer played another stellar game...last year he had an off year but he seems to have regained the form of two seasons ago. In the third period he twice thwarted strong efforts from Scott Gomez that could have changed the complexion of the game. Gomer made a tape to tape pass across the Habs zone but Hammer was there to save the day and a beauty drop pass was almot cashed by Carter....again Hammer to the rescue. If not for Hammer's strong performance Gomez may very well have had two key assists and that result could have been different. On a morepositive note Gomez is one of the best forecheckers I have ever seen...his speed gives d fits and he seems to always be thinking on the defensive side of the puck about where to steer the play.....you can see the NJ Devil in him everytine he forechecks....now if only he can get some offense generating.
Now let's focus on what I believe to be the most positive thing we can take from this season to this point ....I am starting to honestly believe we are much, much better than our record and once everyone gets on the same page things are going to brighten up. We are a second tier team IMO when healthy...we aren't even close to there with the Washinton's, Chicago's, Pittsburghs and San Jose's but I think we will be a lot closer to the Sabres, Devils and Flames then people think (in a perfect world and helathyor at least healthier than these teams). I realize this a very bold statement and one that is very dependant on health which sort of deflates its validity but if things go our way and we don't get injury bitten so hardly again I am quite confident the playoffs are in our future. I don't believe this because of the wins here and there or the fact that we are hanging around. I believe this because I see so many more options if and when heealthy and there does appear to be life in those Belarussian veins of both Kosty's after all. I think Gionta and Pouliot are going to help greatly and obviously we know Markov's impact. You add those three to the mix and all of the sudden you have instant pp improvement, better depth throughout the lineup and in theory three lines capable of scoring. We are not going to be an offensive juggernaut but I think we'll at least be adequate if we can maintain the defensive focus we are displaying. I think I am starting to realize that there will be long term benefits to Martin's approach. He is defining roles and rounding out the games of the kids slowly but surely.
I think he has sacrificed points this year in teaching his lessons but they appear to be for the greater good and I am not so sure how concerned this team really is with this year...but I still think there is ample hope despite . You combine the injuries with new system and coach, the fact these guys have hardly played together, been shuffled all over, all been thrust into different roles, etc.....and our dismal record doesn't seem so dismal. Two weeks ago I was more concerned and rightfully so....but it seems that the torrid three point game pace of the early season has let up and the early point predictions of 96-98 points required to make the playoffs have lessened since then. I think this is probably because the West is playing great hockey right now. Ijust looked at the standings and only one time in the West is less than .500 over their last ten games. We still are further back than the standings indicate with games in hand factored in but the picture sure looks much better with several teams in the East around us in the standings all imploding simultaneously. There is a bit of light at the end of this tunnel and the Western Conference is to thank IMO.
MaxPac has been great and his taking that extra stride ALWAY when forechecking and chasing at it is paying off hugely as his stride is both long and quiick...if he can learn to realease the puck quicker he will scorea tom off of turnovers. Sergei has been great too lately and appears to be a project of Martin which bodes well for his future as a HAb ...I think. if Pouliot can play near to as well as those two have then when healthy we should be alright. Cammalleri is scoring lately but I have a bone to pick with this guy and I almost feel bad in doing so but the guy has to pass the damn puck once in a while.....ANY time he is in shooting range he tends to shoot...not necessarily a bad thing with his shot in theory and normally but opposing teams know he is our biggest/only threat we have so they are quickly converging on him and blocking lanes.....he is very deceptive and I can think of about 5 times in thelast couple games where AK, Lapierre, Pleks were open and both the defenders and goalies challenged Cammalleri and all he had to do was look net and hit his teammates and there would have been yawning cages. I really, really like Cammalleri's game but I think with the way our offense has ben starved he has tried to singlehandedly solve our scoring problems and at sometimes this has been costly IMO....then again sometimes he has managed to succeed though ...so....not sure if he is doing the right thing or not but it sure must be frustrating at times for the ther guys who know there are only a handful of opportunites a game to get open like that. Anyways.....that is my rant on Cammo that I will probably get lambasted for but I feel it has to be said because he is trying to do too much at times from where I sit and I hope it gets nipped in the bud before it becomes a more severe case of Kovalevian Headinassitis.
Gill.....great on the pk and plays some really good games in our end but we have to realize what we have there and take the good with the bad...because there will be bad...he will get victimized in open ice again and turn pucks over again but down low in our end and on the pk he is very good. As long as we are healthy enough to use him to his strengths he can be of great use.....on the road and with a depleted lineup....yiiikes.
PP.....with all of my pet peeves right now with our pp I could stock a pet store. First of all....why in the world with no Markov is Bergeron leaving the ice after 40 seconds...he is needed out there to spread the pk. And that second unit has Metro on it as well when Sergei K is probably the second most poised guy in the o zone we have...play the kid on the pp not the pk. This may be another Martinian motivation effort and trying to involve Sergei in the pk to get his heart in the right place but if it isn't I would be worried long termas Metro is not the guy for that situation. Metro seems to surprise with offensive output here and there but should notbe a regular fixture on the pp IMO. Metro is a grit guy with soem surprising skill and a relentless work ethic, a character guy who seems to be impossible to dislike.....but consistent pp time? not so sure and I hope that is short lived as we get healthy. Why do we never mix things uop or actually use set plays? why doesn't bergeron shoot more? why is it when our pp gets set up do other teams play us so aggressively? First and foremost they have no respect and no need to if we don't establish at least three threatening areas to spread them. That is what made us effective the last few years, Kovy off the wall...Markov and his vision and a cannon from the right. This crap where we toss it to our left point man who often has the cross ice pass but is afraid to make it, Cammallerri circling a la kOvy but almost always shooting and therefore allowing teams to simply block it and Bergeron not shooting as often as he should and always being the first guy off the first unit to head to the bench are all annoying. I know I know less about hockey than Jacques Martin's left second toe but c'mon what the hell is going on with our personnel decisions on our second pk and are these problems not blatantly obvious?
We are in the hunt again and starting to se many more positives but there arre still questions on D when we are healthy...whos sits? is someone moved? will we ever have tow orry about it because it seems we are never helathy anyway?
BGL? he was useful against Philly but how often is he? What the heck are we going to do with Jaroslav Halak? he is wasting away in very crucial formative years....
Big game gaist the Sens tonight...very big game and if we can pull this one off it will be a huge lift IMO...the time is now with all of these games against the East. Getting to the Sens early would go a long way tonight and nothing would make me happier than shutting down Kovy..which likely means staying out of the box if we can. The Sens always bring their best when they play us so I am kind of optimistic that we shold have some serious life despite the back to back thing given we played most of last night in the neutral zone...our d should be relatively well rested considering what would have been expected following a game with the Flyers.
Just a thought on Cammy. That guy is a terrible passer. Mr. giveaway. Really not good at it. i rather he just keep shooting.
It's true that he's not a good passer,but I wouldn't call him mr. giveawy. he's a sniper and it's been a very long time since we've had one
You have put a lot of thought in this post. Some I agree and some don't.
- Cammalleri will never become Kovy. Cammalleri is a sniper while Kovy hogs the puck. Cammalleri usually trails the play while Kovy starts his "magic" from center ice.
- As for the PP, Mara is a weak partner to MAB. His shot is weak and couldn't control the pass when he pinches in. Hamrlik is not as good as Markov but is much better than Mara on the PP. We can then use Gorges and Spacek as the 2nd pair on the PP.
- I understand why Metropolit is used in the PP. He has a right handed shot a la Lang and Ryder. He also goes to the net. Cammalleri is replacing Kovy on the right side. The key to success is to have MAB and Cammalleri firing at the net. If we have Hamrlik on the point, he can also pinch in.
- Our defense looks more solid with Gill and O'Byrne back in the lineup.
- I see improvement in our breakout last night. The forwards are ready to receive passes from the Dmen. Martin's system starts to work.
re cammalleri.....i know he won't be kovy but he is handling the puck too long the last week and a half and is not even considering passingwithin 3o feet of the net....I know there have been a few times where a pass would have almost certainly been a goal and anyone who has ever played knows how frustrating that can be...the kovy jab was a bit extreme...I know he has the vision but he is taking on too much right now and that can have an adverse effect on linemates if it continues for any length of time. Have younoticed that or is it just me.
pp....I just think we need to have those cross seam passes be an option again and that means keeping a strong shot on the right point, a left point man with vision AND a willingness to make the pass and keep the pk honest. Hammer can make that pass but he is just wired for safety and doesn't try it...the reward far outweighs the risk as it would only result in a 2 on 2 coming our way if picked off.
I get the right handed thing maybe on a 5 on 3 (event hen I wouldn't use him though)but we didn't have a right shot for years and had the best pp around...Metro is just getting attacked and our second unit is getting zero pressure...if they even gain the zone.
I agree on the breakout but last night was weird as the neutral zone was an obstacle course and most of the game was spent there.....so was it a result of Philly giving us the zne and trying to turn us over in the neutral zone? hard to say...but we weren;t turning many pucks over in our end and even Gill never had any real issues making passes or getting pressured.
I have read college essays that are shorter than this post. Try breaking it up into more than one next time and it will be easier for us to respond to.
Dude, get your own blog! This is Boone's stage!
Brian Burke = Overrated Loud Mouth POS
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like "I feel a bit lightheaded, maybe you should drive." Suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us, and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, and a voice was screaming "Holy Jesus. What are these goddamn animals?"
Sorry. Every time i get lost reading something my mind wanders to Hunter Thompson. Now that is how you start a rambling diatribe.
that said, some good points in there. i am also concerned about Halak, he will undoubtedly be needed again and if it goes anything like last time all the momentum will disappear. Not sure how we keep him going, unless we move him and replace with someone who is more accustomed and successful in a true backup role.
ROTFL. Good one! I didn't read a word for fear it would like when the ether kicked in.
Stellar use of a Hunter S. quote there BHF. "As your attorney I advise you to tell me where you put the goddamn mescaline".
I'm not gonna lie, I didn't read the whole thing.
It's way too long.
I like reading your posts but there has to be a way that you can shorten them
You will always be a Canadien in my eyes, Saku
I think if we concentrate on winning our division as opposed to chasing 8th in the conference then we will be chasing a reasonable and achievable goal. I'd settle for 3rd overall and home ice anyday.
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
Someone please tell me ---- am i being to harsh ??
I understand we just played two soild games with great outcomes ....... but is it to early "yet again" to be singing this teams praise? ..... we do not have to look back to far to see two of the crappiest games played by this team either and wow not many of us were nice about any of these players .... look i understand winning makes us all feel good ...... but maybe a bit soon for us to be jumping up and down i have hope but im not convinced yet about this team ...... i am cautiously happy ..yet not convinced
Agreed. When i look at other lineups, the potential for our team to excell is there for sure. The keys are defense by commitee, good goaltending, and players who are paid to score, scoring. Believe it or not, the grit on this team is better than I have seen in a long while.
I know laraque gets a lot of grief on here, and i suppose most of it is deserved, but he has to stop asking questions and start knocking heads if he wants a role on this team.
When you look at Lucic, Chara, even Thornton from Boston, they can play tough, hard-hitting hockey. Thornton doesn't ask to dance, he's already got the tapping shoes on. lARAQUE CAN POUND HIM ANY DAY OF THE WEEK, BUT HE HAS TO BE MEANER IN ORDER TO STRIKE FEAR INTO THE OPPONENTS. If he doesn't, then he is as useless as he looks.
Still livin' in 1993. Jonathan B.
There's a tough month ahead, especially the road trip at the end of it. Come January 1st, maybe, maybe by then we'll have an idea of where we're heading. I'll admit I was ready to write this team off after the Buffalo game. I am cautiously optimistic but I am well aware that .500 hockey wont cut it until Markov and Gio get back. Habs need to start putting together a .650-.700 win percentage from here on in.
feel free to sit in the corner and mope while the rest of us enjoy our successes and jump up and down
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
Any good team has clear, specific roles for each member, we are seeing that develop here. Hopefully long gone are the days when pests, bangers and defensively sound forwards with speed believe they are the second coming of Guy Lafleur.
We can thank Jacques Martin for implementing the appropriate culture and being sharp in his assessments. However, at the same time we should recognize that it was Bob Gainey who clearly identified the need to better define each individual player's role and who took the steps to guide the team in that direction; both through the coaching changes and in some cases in his player decisions.
If you want individuals to suceed and grow; thoroughly assess each individuals' capacities and give them clearly defined roles that they are well suited to and in which they are likely to have success. Then challenge them to excel in these roles. As their confidence grows and they attain a certain level of comfort, or mastery, the very best of them will show the capacity to expand their roles.
You can see this approach working wonders for many of our players, perhaps most encouragingly for our youngest and least formed, like Pacioretty. This is the recipe that may turn a guy like Benoit Pouliot from a bust into a solid and valuable top line forward. I look forward to seeing what will come of this opportunity.
MaxPac's been the biggest surprise for me this year.
He started out strong last season, then quickly lost his way. My only guess is the young turk brought his AHL game to the NHL which, at first, worked but then, in the glare of the big league, his lack of experience shone in rookie mistakes. Avoiding mistakes - and seemingly only that - then became the mantra and MP's play became stilted.
It looked like things weren't going to get any better under Martin, then pow! Over the last month and a half or so, MP's play has refound its fearlessness. This can only be explained by a coaching approach that, although discourages bad habits, is more focused on reinforcing a player's positive traits and talents. You eventually regain form but on a more solid, NHL-styled foundation.
This is not to suggest Martin is Jack Adams material, just that he's a better coach than Carbo, at this early point in Carbo's coaching career. Guy's a smart guy and a proven winner. I don't know what kind of coach he will eventually become but he can only get better.
Speaking of Carbo, I'd like to highlight something Jack Todd - yes, Todd is my media whipping boy, but let's face it, he makes it so easy - wrote in his MMQB column yesterday: "We here at MMQB Central are still chuckling over the ovation accorded Guy Carbonneau during the centennial celebrations Friday night. Sounds as though the verdict is in: GM Bob Gainey should not have fired head coach Carbo."
Is it even necessary to point out what is so fundamentally wrong with that picture?
Like I said, Todd makes it so easy.
if Benoit Pouliot lives up to his draft selection we'll be making like gangbusters. I'd like to see him do a stint in the A before coming to the big team.
Great post. I completely agree in the case of Pacioretty. If the approa ch works with Pouliot, we're in for a treat.
Hamrlik has been great this year. Getting Spacek has been great for him.
One of the little things that Hamrlik does so well is lugging the puck up to the red line and dumping it in deep. He did it so many times last night. At one point last night, he reminded me of Robinson. Beautiful.
Two points come in handy come April??? I think denying anoter team a loser point come April is more like it. All wins are needed, the more the better. This next month is going to be tough, especially the huge road trip at the end of it. The Habs need to come out of this month with wins in hand. I am not a fan of making it into the playoffs in 8th place, unless of course that 8th place was due to a season ending surge.
I still haven't figured out which team this Habs team is. The Buffalo and Boston games were like night and day. One thing though, the way they've performed the last two games gives me cause to pause and maybe even surmise that there's better things to come from this group. In other words the potential for improvement is there which makes this team look even better than they look now. Maybe the end of the centennial is a crossroads that the team needed. The next 3 weeks are huge!!!
our team's back is up against it, i'm afraid. the boys need to play with a .615+ winning percentage for the rest of the season to get to 94 points; 94 points is what i guess the eighth-place team in the east will need. i like the way our team competes but i don't think that we can go .615+ the rest of the way. if it doesn't happen, i hope bob will be able to make some trades for useful players or picks unlike last season.
that's true, but so do the other teams that surround them. A few of those bubble teams will put themselves into a better position as the season goes on, we just have to hope that the Habs are one of those teams.
I still say that the division is up for grabs!
Still livin' in 1993. Jonathan B.
I had to work last night. I'm kind of glad I missed the soccer match. However, blocked shots is an important stat and every win is a good one. Lapierre to Cammy and in was sweet! Go Habs!
Steve good job again. Will I see you in Ottawa tonight with about 20 others from our HIO family.?? Should be another fun time taking 2 points from the Sens and having a pint with some of our great HIO family.
About Spezza, Cheechoo and Kovalev are cut from the same piece of cloth. We all are aware of Kovalevs floater game but I had the displeasure to watch Spezza and Cheech play here in Belleville for to many years. Both of them have been gifted with geat hands and both can play this game at a high level when they want to. But both are the laziest players that I have seen or billeted in all my years of being involved in hockey.
I saw Cheech score 5 goals in a 7th game to win the league championship in the OHL. He had been challenged by everyone to step up for that game and his whole family was brought in to town from James bay area for the game. The ability is there, the desire is to go hunting and fishing in the north and enjoy his native roots, not to excel at this game with extra effort.
And Spezza who has been blessed with great talent, gets by with an ability to say the correct thing and talk his way to tomorrow. Caused by being brought up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
The two great players that Ottawa have who bring it every night is Alfredsson and Fisher.
BGL's go-to last night was the turning point. Of what, I have no idea!
The big differance in Price I see now is that he is not letting in that next backbreaking goal and therefore giving out team a chance to score and get back in the game.
He is playing well but I hope he only plays 4 or so straight give Halak a game so he's a bit sharp and Price gets a day off ....
I think he's right up there with Fleury know and should challege for teh # 3 goalie spot onm Team Canada or is it to late ??
Big one tonight. If we can get over the 500 mark and get some consistency going, when markov and BriGio get back, we'll be hopefully battling for 6 or 7th. One thing though, our division is there to be taken, and any team from buffalo, boston, ottawa or Montreal can get it. The leafs just plain suck corn
Still livin' in 1993. Jonathan B.
A far from spectacular game but a valuable 2 points. Once we went ahead the Flyers had few scoring chances despite the difficulties we sometimes had clearing our zone. Price did not have to be great and with only 15 shots had an easy night, so I hope Martin starts him again tonight (also in view of the fact that Halak has yet to win on the road this season).
Lots of positives to take from this. Over the last few weeks our defense has really solidified and Hal Gill, who was so much criticized early on, has been an important contributor, especially on the penalty kill. It's good to see Hamrlik getting some of the credit he deserves, and another whose contrivution is invaluable is Gorges. The Bergeron signing is looking good these days; I thought he did a good job in the Boston game on the fourth line, and even on defense he looks more comfortable than he did his first few games. I hope Mara is not seriously injured; with Gill back, our over-worked top pair were playing fewer minutes which should pay dividends later in the month with so many games. The first few games of the season, our penalty kill was at about 65%; now it's over 80% and is one of our strengths.
Over the last dozen games or so, Max Pacioretty has shown steady improvement, almost from game to game. I was one of those who thought at the beginning of the season that he should be in Hamilton and I worried that the Habs were rushing him and his development would suffer, the way Latendresse's clearly did. But Jacques Martin said he was a player who could learn on the job, and it's looking these days as though Martin was right. He's learning to use his size and speed, his decision-making is much better, and he no longer seems to be half a step behind the play.
I don't know how much Laraque's presence had to do with it, but that was not the big bad Philly team we usually see. I expected them to come out hitting everything in sight, crashing and banging and charging the net to erase the bad taste of Saturday's drubbing. Instead they were almost docile, and our defense did a good job of keeping them mostly away from Price's crease. Laviolette, who seemed an odd choice to coach Philly, may be trying to change the way they play, getting them to rely less on toughness and more on speed. If so, it's going to be a difficult transition for the team to make. There is also talk of a rift between Mike Richards and Chris Pronger, who is apparently questioning Richards' captaincy. And the team has not been satisfied lately with Emery; if that deal turns out to be a bust, they'll have their perrenial goaltending problem on top of everything else. Whatever, I'm glad we were able to take advantage of it.
Very good post.
Steve close your word processor off, you have a well deserved day off. NO wait!....get up here, I have an extra shovel for you! hehe Man am I ever snowed in here. 24+ inches since last friday. Today we have sunshine and what a releif that is.
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
great post i think that Pacioretty's improvement is due to him playing with Metro, i hope that martin has Pacioretty play with Metro and Moen for the rest of the year and just jive him some more time on the PP to give him that offensive boost.
"The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt
Jane - Another fabulous post. I can stop typing my summary right now.
Im glad to see people are finally recognizing Hamrlik. I been calling him the habs MVP for the past 2 years. I was really shocked so many wanted to send him away 'just to clear cap space' this offseason.
Same here! And i get more and more annoyed everytime soneone suggests he should be traded and he's not worth his 5.5.
- A
"I'm hope this is one of those games we can look back on in the spring when we win the Stanley Cup and we can say that this is where it started," Mike Cammalleri. Captain Cammalleri
For a game that I had to catch on Canadiens Express (even that was boring!), I think the team played solid defense all around. 27 blocked shots! Hammr only had 4 less saves than Price? On the contrary to some of you who want to forget this win, I would actually keep it in mind. No matter how disorganized the Flyers looked, with the talent of Briere, Richards, Carter, Van Riemsdyk (who can shoot! I know from my pool), Chris Pronger, they were held to the outside the whole game.
Unheralded heroes:
On a side note, boy is Ian Laperriere ugly! And I thought Brind'Amour was bad! Also, I would start Price tonight to face Kovy and friends. Kovy has a grand total of 4 goals this, the same as Hammr. Moen (6), Metro (6), Gio (8) and MAB (6) all have more goals than him. And Metro has as many points as Kovy (14). As much as I like The Artist, I wouldn't pay him 5 million for that.
I've long maintained, Harani, that Brind'Amour wins so many faceoffs because the mere sight of him scares the life out of opposing centremen.
some interesting stats cammalleri and pleks are in top 30 for 2 different catagories both in points (camm is 30th at 26 and pleks is 25th at 28 points) pleks in assits (9th with 22) and camm with goals (10th with 16)
correction Camm is in 3 catigories he is in 20th for plus- at plus 11
its nice isn't it!
"The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt
and as of last night he was 3rd for game winners with 4.
- A
"I'm hope this is one of those games we can look back on in the spring when we win the Stanley Cup and we can say that this is where it started," Mike Cammalleri. Captain Cammalleri
Was last night's game entertaining? Only if you're a coach that preaches defence first. If so, you were giving both teams a standing ovation at the end of the 3rd period.
Was last night a real indicator of how bad Philly is, or how well the Habs played defensively? After allowing Briére's goal on the first shot, Price was solid. Too bad, too, because this should have been a shut out.
Is Hal Gill a tower of power or what? He was simply dominating last night. Pleks may not have played his best game, but he still found AK46 in front of the net for that howitzer that tied the game. Howitzer? It was more like a pop gun, but it went in, demonstrating that the Forum ghosts seem to have taken residence at the Bell Centre.
All in all, not a bad night, excepting the Mara injury. Whodathunk that the mighty Flyers, with that acquisition of Emery would have pretty much the same record as the injury riddled Habs?
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Beliveau- his legend is 600' tall and growing...
A W is a W any way you look at it. I only hope this isn't the game plan for the future. The team skated hard last night, as they did against the Bruins and if they keep this up and get solid goaltending they can win on any given night. The Cammalleri goal was a beauty (was Lapierre channeling Elmer Lach?) and MAB is providing a laser for insurance was icing on the cake. When Markov comes back we'll have two dangerous PP D pairings with either Markov and MAB and Hamrlik and Spacek or some combination thereof. I like these weeks with four games, back to back hockey!
"Again, not not a classic to start the Canadiens second century .... or did the Bruins game start it? I can never figure that stuff out."
The Bruins game started it....same as a birthday, on that day you begin another year...
Missed the game (shi**y work!), but sounds like a snoozer anyway. Good for Cammy getting another - almost on pace for the big five-oh. Good luck to him! A win is a win, though, and we need the points.
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"The System" is the new black.
Well, Boone. IMO your summary tonight is little off the mark - unusual.
I don't think JM would be pleased hearing that this game was "his" type of hockey. There were broken plays, cough-ups, poor executions all over the ice from both teams - 1st period proving to be the worst of the three.
Price didn't have to be great - congrats to the D in part for that. But, as you said yourself in your game blog, he gave away the puck on more than one clearing attempt. Some even debated the "softness" of the goal, too. Nevertheless, he's having a pretty good year so far, even tho his W/L column doesn't reflect that fact.
MaxPac's creativity, eh? Sure... if you're job is a taste-tester for Saltines. I agree he played well, worked hard, and skated miles. If gaining the zone and shooting or passing straight across the front of the net is being creative, then sure! I like what I see from Pacs. I think he'll be more of a scoring threat if he works on a quicker shot release. His shot is actually good, but you can see it coming long before the puck leaves his stick.
Oh, and wouldn't this technically be the second game of the Habs' second century? Your birthday is the first day of your next year, no? IMO, they're 2-0 post birthday party!
Hey, I'm glad for the 2 points! But, let's leave this game behind and try to forget about it quickly. Habs will have to play a much better game vs. Kovy's new home boyz. Like you said, there will be more shots to face in the nation's capital.
Some Statistical Analyses of Carey Price's Last 13 Games:
Record: 7-4-2. This is only 7-6 in Win-Loss terms, but spread it over a 65-game season: 35-20-10.
Goals Allowed: 28. No empty-net goals against.
Goal Support: 30. The Habs scored 2 goals or fewer 7 times during those 13 games, including being shut out twice. Price managed a .500 average in the other 5 games, however, going 2-2-1.
Minutes Played: 799. 13 x 60 = 780, +20 minutes of overtime, -1 minute when he was pulled vs. Tampa Bay. Of note: he hasn't let in a goal in OT since October 3rd. He gives the Habs a chance to win each time they play in extra time; stopping 16 OT shots in the 4 games that went past the buzzer. (The Habs were outshot in each one of these 4 overtimes, for a combined shot total of 16-6 against.) Talk about clutch.
Shootout Numbers: 3 goals on 14 shots, for a .786 SO%. For comparison: NHL Leaders with 12+ shots faced: Varlamov, 3 goals on 20 shots, .850 SO%; Thomas, 2 goals on 13 shorts, .846 SO%; Martin Brodeur, 5 goals on 19 shots, .737 SO%
Shootout Support: 2 goals on 13 shots, for a 0.154 average. The fact that Price managed to get the Habs two SO wins in 4 attempts with a 2-for-13 offense is really impressive.
Despite all the games Halak played in the early going, Price has now played 1294 minutes in total since the beginning of the season. Let's compare his recent numbers to the season totals of some bona fide Number Ones, though:
GAA: 28 goals / 13.316667 games = 2.10. NHL Leaders with 1200+ minutes played: Miller, 1.85; Bryzgalov, 2.07; Brodeur, 2.20.
SV%: 384 saves / 412 shots = .932. NHL leaders with 1200+ minutes played: Miller, .936; Kiprusoff, .927; Nabokov, .923
Shots per minute: 0.516, or 30.96 shots per 60 minutes, on average. For comparison, the guys I just listed: Kiprusoff, 0.507, or 30.42 spg; Nabokov, 0.499, or 29.94 spg; Miller, 0.484, or 29.04 spg; Brodeur, 0.455, or 27.3 spg; Bryzgalov, 0.441, or 26.46 spg.
I think what these numbers show is that, based on his recent performance, Price has the potential to be, even at the young age of 21, one of the best goalies in the league for reasonably lengthy stretches at a time, despite being on a largely unimpressive Habs team who don't do much to help him out either offensively or defensively. Whether he makes us all forget that 0-6-0 run he had from early October to early November as the season progresses is anybody's guess, but when this kid is on, he's on, and he's been on for more than a month now.
Note: All stats for Price include tonight's game against Philly, all stats for other goalies are as of last night's games. I doubt that would drastically change any of the data, though.
Yes, but how does that 13 game run compare the best 13 game stretch of every other goalie in the league?
Every NHL goalie has the ability to get hot...cherry-picking the good stretches to make a point isn't always useful. I'm not disagreeing with the assertion that Price is an outstanding young prospect, just the way of approaching the argument. If you are going to compare Price to the other goalie's performance on the season, than let's be fair about it. Price currently ranks 17th in wins, 25th in GAA and 21st in SV%. His numbers are improving, but he has a long, long way to go before he joins the ranks of the elite in the NHL.
The best goalies are the best because they are consistent, as you showed by comparing Price's peak performance on the year to their full-year performance. Price is rapidly getting there, but he is still prone to stretches where he exhibits a bewildering lack of concentration and focus. Let's allow the kid to grow into the job instead of constantly trying to compare him to the game's best.
The young goaltender manning the net for the Habs right now is not Patrick Roy, he is not Ryan Miller, he is not Martin Brodeur and he is not Ken Dryden. He is Carey Price, and that is perfectly okay by me.
My point was that he has the ability to put up elite numbers, not that he was elite yet necessarily. Obviously if you compare his whole-season stats to the rest of the league, it's not that impressive right now. Nevertheless, 13 games is well over half of the games he's played to this point, and not an insignificant stretch by any means. The fact that his numbers over the last 13 games would put in the top 3 in the league in both GAA and SV% if they were over 20+ games is pretty telling. We'll see how he does over the next 7-8 games, but I just wanted to put some stats together because I think Price has gotten unfairly criticized a lot this season when he's been playing some damn impressive hockey as of late, that's all.
great post just one correction Price has no goals against in OT this year the only to loses in extra time this year are the last to shootout lose vs the caps and red wings.
"The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt
So in essence Price has had a sv % of .932 but only a 7-6 record in the last 13 games? If so, that kind of sucks, youd think the teamd be at least 9-4 with a sv% like that. Its our forechecking to blame, it sucks.
I was going to make something like that but exams have kept me busy. THAT is money! The Franchise is just getting warmed up!
I personally do not think BGL's fight was pointless and stupid as Boone and other posters during the game stated...Philly is a tough team and without BGL in the lineup, players like Pronger/Hartnell etc may have tried to take liberties with the small Habs forwards. Instead BGL was dressed, got in a fight, and from then on nobody tried to decapitate Cammy etc with a cheap hit. His presence is big, why do people not understand that? He obviously is not the greatest player in the world, and his point totals and fights may have decreased from when he played with Edmonton or Pitts, but there is no denying his presence is felt by opponents!
I agree 100 %. the players say it also. But you won't change the mind of people who hate fighting or have man-love for Pyatt and/or White.I bet our record is better with BGL in,than those 2 minor leguers.And BGL's play at the blue line started the rush that led to the game winning goal. he gets no mention for that,but there would have benn 100 pots if those guys did the same thing
the number of pp chances is getting to be a joke...the goaltending never was a major issue and the d is very solid...the key to moving up in the standings will be the ability of the forwards who have scored 3 or less goals first 30 games to score at least 2-3 more goals next 30...
I like the praise for the Metro/Moen/Max-Pac line, they're such an efficient line that provides everything the team needs for checking forwards with some scoring threat mixed in. Playoffs will come because of these guys, count on it folks.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
When healthy!
Gomez - Cammy - Gionta
AK46 - Plecs - SK74
MaxPac - Metro - Moen
BGL - Lapps - Pouliot (D'Ags? Pyatt?)
Markov -Hammer
Gorges - Spacek
Gill - Mara (MAB? O'B?)
Looks like we'd be STACKED!
I'm going to have to disagree and go with:
Cammy - Pleks - AK46
Pouliot/SK74 - Gomez - Gio
SK74/Pouliot - Laps - Dag/Pyatt
Moen - Metro - Max
"A month before the season I stop putting ketchup on my french fries." -Mario Lemieux on his off-season training.
I like your lines much better, then again Gerbie's been screaming for Sergei and he was right. Maybe his line Euro might actually have some potential.
I still prefer:
Cammy - Pleks - AK46
SK74 - Gomez - Gio
I thought you hated this team? Aren't you a sens fan now?
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
lol! "when Daniel Brière decided he was Maurice Richard"
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"
Great recap.
However, take BGL's "stupid, pointless" fight out of the game; pretend it never happened and he wasn't dressed. Not sitting on the bench. Nope.
Does anyone really believe the game would have played out the way it did under those circumstances?
Against Philly?
I've said it before and will say it again, then will undoubtedly probably feel compelled to say it a few more times in the future: Be careful what you wish for.
And on a final note: Carey Price.
JD
JD, I believe your take on the Big guy is quite astute. Especially now that his off-ice activities have become less prominent.
Max Pac was my star of the game. I am so impressed by his progression. And his speed is deceptively fast. Never mind SK for the second line (and isn't it long overdue that we are acknowledging Pleks as the number one center, and not just deferring to Gomez's salary?!), Max Pac may be just the guy for that G & G line, when Gionta is back.
And what can you say about Metro? That guy never makes a bad play. Whether he's checking or creating offense, he's always doing something positive.
I agree completely. Pacioretty is surprising me more every game, and I'm absolutely delighted. Boone put it well with "creativity in the offensive zone".
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"
Max Pac is really starting to blossom. I expect that after the olympic break he will go on a bit of a tear and tantalize us with glimpses of what is to come.
His development is a major reason why Gui was dealt when he was. With Max developing into a better hockey player Gui became redundant.
Another great read! By the way Boone, when I said the other day that your emotion was clear through your writing I meant it positively, not negatively. I enjoy the 'About Last Night...' coming out right after the game when the thoughts are still shooting through your brain about what just happened. Love the passion, it's what being a fan of the Canadiens is all about!
PS. Briere's goal was even strength, hence why O'Byrne was on the ice.
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http://berkshireonthehabs.blogspot.com/
a win's a win. thought it was a little weird seeing Cote celebrate after getting fed some fists.
Boone, you forgot to mention that beautiful play from Laps to Cammy. What a move to school the philly d-man. I think that was the highlight of the game.
Absolutely. That was one of the nicest Habs goals I've seen in a while.
Good job, Lappy!
You're absolutely right, man. I've added that.
Pacioretty played most of the game with Pronger in his face and didn't look like he noticed at all. I'm actually just glad Pronger didn't elbow the kid. Seems to have mellowed a bit eh?
I agree with everything you said, The first period was the most boring 20 minutes of hockey this whole season, but after that, it got better... thank god.
the 3M line has been our 'best' line (not scoring wise) for about 3 weeks now, they are constantly keeping the puck in the offensive end and putting a ton of pressure on the D. I absolutely love watching them!
As All_Habs pointed out on twitter, the turnovers tonight were horrible, especially by Gomez. 2 right onto the Flyers sticks! Oy!
Besides that though, Our team is finally showing some signs of life, and it's going to be an interesting remainder of the seson. Go HABS Go!
- A
"I'm hope this is one of those games we can look back on in the spring when we win the Stanley Cup and we can say that this is where it started," Mike Cammalleri. Captain Cammalleri
so we'll see Pyatt back in the lineup tommorow?
Probably. Or call up Carle or Belle
hmmm...ya MAB looks to have come into a new comfort zone as a 4th line/PP guy...would like to Belle again that dude has some size for sure...
but i do wanna see my boy Pyze get back in there...
other than cranking Hartnell (which was friggen awesome), I think D'ags played pretty poorly...there was one shift where I'm sure I counted about 3 giveaways from him in about 35 seconds
Nothing like taking a break from winter exam studying to read an excellent post from Boone. I hope the team plays well tomorrow. Interesting, albeit somewhat peculiar, game tonight. I'm glad we emerged victorious.
gotta beat those reeling senators and stick it to alex kovalev...can't go 0-2 against that gandalf.
- let's make it a triple crown: Impacts, Alouettes and now the Canadiens!
ahhhh...yes
now time for sleep
Haha same here. Thanks Mike, now I could sleep in peace.
ditto!
- A
"I'm hope this is one of those games we can look back on in the spring when we win the Stanley Cup and we can say that this is where it started," Mike Cammalleri. Captain Cammalleri
caught that quote too, he loves playing here , the sweater glows on him .
haha! likewise. L'heure du dodo.
"love cannot drown truth, Nefertiti"