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About last night ...
posted by Mike Boone at 0h35 EST on Mar 14
There's a long list of positives, so let's reel 'em off:
• Andrei Markov skated around the question when Pat Hickey put it to him, but the advantage of his early-season inactivity is the Canadiens' leader is fresh for the stretch run. Markov's 33rd game was one of his best. A goal, an assist and masterful control of he tempo at both ends every time he was on the ice.
• As Craig Rivet, Sheldon Souray and Mike Komisarek could have told him, Ryan O'Byrne is playing his best hockey of the season as Markov's physical, stay-at-home partner.
• Jaro Halak has won five in a row. When he saved the team's *** last year, Jaro's W streak was four. That third period stop on Marco Sturm was a game-saver. Jaro is the Canadiens' Number 1 goalie: end of story ... for now.
• Team D: Dominic Moore talked about taking time and space away from the Bruins. The team is skating, working hard at both ends of the ice and forcing opponents to make fast decisions. Jaro has not faced 40-plus shots since stoning the Bruins with 45 saves in Boston on Feb. 4.
• Props to the pro scouting department that Pierre Gauthier was running before he succeeded Bob Gainey.
– The early-season signing of Marc-André Bergeron saved the Canadiens' power play after Markov went down.
– Guillaume Latendresse is scoring in Minnesota, but Benoit Pouliot has WAY more upside and has saved the season for Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta.
– Dominic Moore is a revelation. The guy skates all night and he's not afraid to go into the dirty areas to fight for loose pucks. He's developing terrific chemistry with Sergei Kostitsyn, and their speed and skill is nicely complemented by Travis Moen's grit and work ethic. This is the best third line the team has had in a long time.
• The fourth line chipped in with 11 quality minutes. Maxim Lapierre and Mathieu Darche had six and five hits, respectively.
• No goons? No problem. Instead of Georges Laraque chasing Milan Lucic around and asking him to fight, Andrei Kostitsyn caught Lootch unawares and knocked him on his no-longer-intimidating ***. Shawn Thornton and Steve Bégin were invisible.
• Special teams had a very good night: PP was 1-for-3 and the PK was perfect on three shorthanded situations.
• Yeah, he makes too much money. But can Scott Gomez motor or what. Those flights through the neutral zone are some of the prettiest rushes we've seen since number 10 was flying down right wing.
• Player who benefitted most from the Olympic break? Gotta be Jaro Spacek. Playing brutal minutes while adjusting to the right side, Spatch struggled through tghe early part of the season. But he's a smart, albeit undersized, Dman whose plus-10 is a team best. Spacek was superb against Boston, and he tied Brian Gionta for the game lead with four SoG.
• As demonstrated by his wipeout of Lucic, Andrei Kostitsyn is strong as an ox. The guy is so gifted in so many facets of the game. He and Tomas Plekanec are primed to explode when Mike Cammalleri comes back.
A year ago, the only thing exploding was Bob Gainey's head as he watched his Canadiens stumble and bumble into and quickly out of the playoffs.
The late-season fold was so disillusioning Gainey blew up his team last summer.
We've spent 70 games assessing the makeover, and there have been nights when many of us wondered what hath Bob wrought?
The season isn't over.
If it takes 90 points to make the playoffs, the Canadiens will need 14 from their last dozen games.
Not easy ... but a lot more do-able than we thought before the Olympics.
And no matter what happens, there's the satisfaction of taking five of six games from Boston.
Spend St. Paddy's sucking on that, Bruins fans.
• • •
It's been two weeks since we've had a great Sunday hockey game.
Maybe the Hawks and Caps will deliver.
Puck drops at 12:30.
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Plekanec and the Habs
The Habs and Tomas Plekanec's agent, Rick Curran, continue to talk, and all signs point to the Czech center likely staying put instead of hitting the unrestricted free-agent market July 1.
"We continue to have positive conversations ... not likely to finalize any agreement until after the season has completed," Curran told ESPN.com via e-mail Saturday.
I suspect the Habs need to create some cap space after the season before fitting in any new deal for Plekanec, but it does sound like the Canadiens will likely retain him.
read more at http://espn.go.com/nhl/blog/_/name/lebrun_pierre/id/4993928/more-pens-b-tension-all-star-facelift
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
Ovie (like laps) is a 2 time offender who should get 4 games, but because Brian Campbell is a d-man, the NHL is going to say he should be expecting pressure behind his own ne
I'm not sure i have this correct but i'm pretty sure one of the new rules being proposed for next season pertaining to tie breakers is that the first tie breaker will be regulation wins. So,if 2 teams has the same amount of points,one team can have 2 less wins but 4 more overtime losses to have the same amount of points. But as long as they have more regulation wins they still get the last playoff spot? If i have this correct,does anyone else see this as wrong? Wins,no matter how you get them,should be the first tie breaker. If i have this wrong,please let me know.But this was the interpretation i got from it. Personally,i'd like to see the loser point taken out of the game. Are we the only pro sports league in the world that gives a point for losing?
The problem i have with it ian is that overtime/shootout wins get eliminated in a tie breaker but the loser point doesn't. Losing in overtime can help you win a tie breaker but winning in overtime doesn't? If a team has more wins they should win a tie breaker regardless how they got them.
Also, every one of those points indicates that the team did not get either a win in regulation or a win in OT/SO, so it is perhaps also unlikely that a team with a lot of OT/SO losses would be able to equal the basic number of wins of a team with which it ended up tied.
And you bring up a very good point, but to say you get a loser point for a regulation/OT loss and not for a shootout seems a$$ backwards.
Habs are playing some GREAT hockey and everyone is contributing. This will be an interesting week! AK46's hit was clean...
Read more:
http://www.habsaddict.com/2010/03/montreal-boston-sergei-kostitsyn-stars.html
It was clean but i couldn't help but laugh when the cbc idiots said how dirty it was. Especially millen(i think) was saying it was a head shot and would be a suspension next season. Thank god for rds.
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Kamal-Panesar/Montreal-Boston-Sergei-Kostitsyn-Stars-in-Habs-3-2-win-over-Boston-Bruins/137/26971
Lucic was just caught admiring his pass. I really liked the edge ak46 was playing with last night.
Just watched the highlights again, that AK hit was a thing of beauty! Hard to think of someone, save Matt Cooke, who deserves it more than Lucic, who never hits clean, and does a lot of his hits when the player doesn't see him coming, or long after he has passed the puck. Nothing at all dirty about it: he coasted into him, didn't charge, he kept his elbow tucked tight to his side, didn't budge on his skates, it was simply a solid collision. Lucic is an overgrown pousay, a big time coward, and his post game whining only proves this point further. Great to see Andrei making an impact other than just scoring goals, which is not the only thing a player has to do out there, although he got an assist for all you AK nit-pickers out there ;)
I dunno but since Mathieu Darche arived in Montreal and Halak is starting more and more, the team is playing better and having Moore on the roster helps.
But. I'll savour the W, and I do hope that they keep it up down the stretch and if they make the playoffs,still other teams will be fighting with us for that 7th or 8th position.
"We will win the Cup one day only with ? in the nets "
Replaying the game on RDS at the moment for those interested.
Bettman is such an arrogant little piece of crap - BUT - he is only the mouthpiece of the 30 owners. Their foray into the American south has been a disaster at the expense of Canadian cities. Hell, Anaheim, Carolina and Tampa all won Cups, ironically vs. Canadian teams and their fan base still remains small or is actually shrinking.
Wake up NHL!
As a Habs fan, I'm of course excited for this stretch run and hopefully playoffs, but I'm more excited about the coming seasons.
When a team is blown up and rebuilt like it was this past summer, it doesn't take 20 games or 50 games to gel. It takes an entire season. It can take two even. It can take a playoff round or two.
The new core is starting to settle in now, the chemistry is now starting to work out, the coaching is now starting to take effect, the goaltending is now getting stable. Any championship team did not become a powerhouse overnight. It taked at least a whole season of tinkering, experience, etc. This team doesn't even have a captain yet. The leadership vacuum will eventually be filled, the lines are starting to be set, and the players are starting to buy into the system.
I think you're right about how long it takes to build a winning team. We were all willing to give them about 20 games to gel, but it's only now, after nearly a whole season of work, that we're starting to see the team play consistently well. With chemistry taking hold, I notice that they're playing much less passively than they were earlier. Defensive zone coverage is less laborious and scoring chances against us are way down. The Bruins really didn't have many last night; Halak had to make one outstanding save and just be solid the rest of the time.
After the Olympic gold, Hitchcock was asked whether he found the Gold medal or the Stanley Cup more satisfying. He said right away the Stanley Cup because of all the seasons of hard work it took. The Olympics are a matter of a team being put together quickly and playing well for a short period; everything has to come together at the right time. Building a Cup-winning team is a long process that can take several seasons and often a lot of heartbreak - selecting and developing the right players, making good trades and free-agent signings, building a team identity, working out line combinations, building momentum, and keeping at it through a gruelling 82-game season. As Habs fans, we're seeing good things this year, and, with the core of the team coming together the way it is, we should see better next.
build a Cup-winning team - selecting and developing the right players, making good trades or free-agent signings, working on line combinations, building momentum, and keeping at it through a gruelling 82-game schedule.
Hockey socks!
Your right it takes two years to put a club together, unless you are the MONTREAL CANADIENS. Watch out for this play off run this year my friend.
Weekly stat report on how we measure up in the 30 team league.
We have improved substantially this week in most categories as we start to come together as a more consistent and balanced team.
The weakest part of our team is still our overall slower and softer D, but this will be addressed and improved with our maturing kids in Hamilton for next year.
Our goal tending is solid for years with two great young kids and our defensive minded forwards are as fast as any team in the league.
Goals Against--194, We are in 16th place, Last week we were in 14th.
Total Points---- 76, We are in 16th place, Last week we were in 18th
Goals For-------191, We are in 10th place, Last week we were in 17th
If we can toughen up defensively in our own end just a little more, this team is very capable of going much deeper in the play offs than most people believe.
I agree we can go deeper than people think.
I think we might even push the Caps to 6 games.
We're quite capable of beating Washington, as we've seen this season. We've given them a good game each time we've played them. I'd say we have an edge in goaltending and their defence is at best equal to ours
We won't be playing the caps as they will lose in 7 to the 8th place Bruins. We will get to send Brodour into early retirement in the first round after we pass the Sens for 5th place. Flyers will beat Pitt and Ottawa will beat Buffalo, giving us home ice for round 2.
The only team I do not want to face until someone softens them up for us later is Philly. We match up against the rest pretty well right now.
Is everybody finally warming to Jacques Martin here?? Wow, amazing what a win streak does.
I wrote from the beginning that he would do well because the Habs needed an establish NHL coach and finally got one after 15 years of plugging in rookies (some who have gone on to have some good success ELSEWHERE). In fact the last time Montreal hired an experienced NHL coach, who happened to have had some regular season success and playoff disappointment, he was named Jacques and the team won the Stanley Cup.
Martin brings a calm stability to the team. As for his "system", I don't really think he or the majority of the other NHL coaches have a set system. Hockey is a game that requires different "systems" within the game itself as it unfolds. The word "system" for hockey is dumb, it's called coaching.
Just another smart move by Bob Gainey last summer and one that doesn't receive any talk. JM is a solid coach and I'm glad the Habs have him.
I'm not a Martin fan. For years we all saw what his stacked team in Ottawa could do in the regular season only to see them choke to the Leafs in the playoffs. I'll be happy with him when the Canadiens get past the first round. Then I'll never dis him again. :)
They call me Shane
His Ottawa teams' Achilles heel was Patrick Lalime...
I admit that I have posted some negative comments on here about certain players quite often this year....maybe I am trying to fit in with the others...but regardless....I have got to admit that I am awfully proud of the Habs this year. I am not saying that JM is the coach of the year by no means, but to think that we are tied for 6th in the East with the barrage of injuries we have had to endure is VERY IMPRESSIVE...I only wish that Saku could be here to be a part of a team that actually has some HEART AND DESIRE....something that only Saku and very few others had while he was here...however, even I have to confess that I have really enjoyed watching this year's team night in and night out, which was often not the case during Captain K's tenure....
still hope we bring him back in the off-season though
Go Habs Go
I like our play since the olympics.We have finally won half of our games.Lets see what happens during the playoff before we annoint this a successful season.Anyone know our point comparison to last year after 70 games ?
Jeff, the Habs site runs a 3 year tracking page here:
http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/teamseasoncomparison.htm
These days I often look back to last year and compare my disgust and dismay then with my present delight. Near the end of last season I cringed at the thought of making the playoffs because I foresaw accurately what would happen. Right from the beginning, despite a great start to the season, there were disquieting signs that the team had major problems - guys not standing up for each other, inexplicable meltdowns, questionable work ethic. This season, despite all the disappointments, including massive injuries to key players and many one-goal losses, there have been a lot of positives. The team has shown tons of grit and character, they've rarely taken a night off or quit, they've stood up for each other, and they've developed great chemistry. It's taken most of the season and unremitting hard work, but we're seeing the results now. Six games over .500; the way we've been playing since the Olympic break, taking 14 points from our remaining dozen games doesn't look at all impossible.
Sergei Kostitsyn has 3 goals in his last two games. He has an uncanny ability to make pinpoint passes, he's fast, he's often in the right place at the right time. Late last year he was contributing almost nothing and taking lazy penalties. Guy Boucher and Jacques Martin deserve a lot of credit for the way they've turned his play around.
I love Dominic Moore. I was impressed by him last year when he was with Toronto, and he's being just as effective here. He's fast, intelligent and difficult to knock off the puck. He and Glen Metropolit are the type of skilled third-liners who know they have to lay it all on the ice every night or they'll find themselves changing teams with monotonous regularity. I hope we find a way to re-sign Moore (I'd like to keep both but it's unlikely); the clamour of disapprobation when the trade was made has died down lately.
The other day I was thinking about the main difference between Price and Halak this season. I think it's that while they've both been very good at some times and allowed bad goals or had bad games at others, Halak rarely allows a soft goal at key moments, like when we're tied or leading by one in the third, and he can often make a huge and difficult late-game save. We saw that this week. He gave up three bad goals to the Oilers (I think the third was the worst), but when the game was on the line in OT and the shootout, he was solid. And he rebounded from Thursday's bad game with a very strong performance last night. That save on Marco Sturm was a game-saver.
If we can beat the Rangers on Tuesday, we'll be in a great position despite all the games in hand which at one time I thought would kill us.
"These days I often look back to last year and compare my disgust and dismay then with my present delight. Near the end of last season I cringed at the thought of making the playoffs because I foresaw accurately what would happen."
Hockey is often a game of matchups. The Bruins had size AND speed last year and were getting a lot of scoring to go with a league-leading defensive game. With the lack of size amongst the Habs key forwards, the Bruins were essentially a Hab-Killing team. Had Montreal played New Jersey or Washington, I think they would have done a lot better.
Looking forward to the playoffs this season, the Habs look to be sliding in as a 6th, 7th or 8th seed (hard to see them keeping pace with the Flyers who have 3 games in hand, but the Senators could fall back), meaning they are looking at a first round matchup with Washington, Buffalo, Pittsburgh or New Jersey.
Of those teams, I do not like the Habs' chances against Buffalo (that team scares me because they always seem to up their play against the Habs) or Washington (who I would have taken in a heartbeat before the trade deadline). Pittsburgh has so much talent that in a seven game series, I think they win out. So I guess I am going to be pulling for a New Jersey - Montreal first round matchup, something I never thought I would wish for...the alternatives just don't work out in our favour.
I agree with everything you've written.
Dito JF
I think your comment about Halak is right on the mark. Let me quote it for those who missed it:
"I think it's that while they've both been very good at some times and allowed bad goals or had bad games at others, Halak rarely allows a soft goal at key moments, like when we're tied or leading by one in the third, and he can often make a huge and difficult late-game save."
Recent examples- OT and Shootout vs. Oilers, robbing Sturm (i think) of the tying goal late in the 3rd.
________________________________________________________ Audere est Facere- To Dare Is To Do
Over the next dozen games we've got the Sens, the Sabres (x2), the Leafs (x2), the Rangers, the Hurricanes (x2), the Islanders, Devils, Panthers and Flyers... It's not going to be easy to snag 7 wins out of those 12, but it'll certainly be exciting! Another big win Tuesday over the Rangers will go a long way toward keeping the other teams off Montreal's back. Crush em' while they're down Habs!
But in the same tone. The Bruins have to face much stronger teams and the Rangers, even though have an easier final month and bit are on the road for most of it.
Who said it?
"I love it when a plan comes together"
They call me Shane
2 points for while giving up zip? Beauty. Only 2 games this week, so there will be plenty of time to scoreboard watch as the laggers try to catch up. A win against the Rangers can put one of the final nails in that team's coffin.
It's nice to watch 4 good lines roll. When Cammy is back and playing well (3 or 4 games), the Habs will be a force.
I think Gomez would love to put that final nail into the Rangers.
the team is playing solid hockey but lets not get ahead of ourselves as many of our loses with a few bounces could have been wins but the same story with our wins could have been loses...as the majority of our games are tied or one goal difference in the third one lucky bounce can cause us to win these games but just as easily lose them...
Enjoy the ride and stop bitching. Negative nellies are easier to take when the team is playing like crap. Guess what? The Habs are NOT crap!
He's not bitching.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .He never called them crap.
I read his post and interpreted more of the same old negativity when the team is finally on a roll. habs001 is always emphasizing the negative and I reacted to it. It's his opinion, yes, but I don't have to agree with it. So, I responded with some hyperbole; that's poetic license.
Love the team and love with JM is doing.
Sure, it might not be interesting for us fans to watch the team play defensively at the end to preserve a lead, but that's how we will win games in the playoffs in my opinion.
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Komisarek: 0 - 4 - 4 (-9) http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8469460
...this is non-Hockey ...BUT ...whatever !
...Jay Baruchel is an actor from NDG you may recognize as the lead actor in She's Out Of My League ...He plays the nerd ...He has had steady work since 2001 in movies like 'Million Dollar Baby', 'Tropic Of Thunder', the upcoming Disney 'The Devil's Apprentice', etc....
...WHY I mention this is He still prefers living in NDG and doing Canadian film including 'The Trotsky' and still in-production 'Notre Dame de Grace'
...real cool, as much of My teen years were lived in NDG ...a great place to grow up in those days, with then a lot of Habs Greats
...I always thought it was a unique part of the Montreal fabric, and like I said it's real cool there will be a movie actually titled 'Notre Dame de Grace'
...well the producers can count on at least one customer wanting to pay admission when it premiers
...OK ! ...now back to Our celebration of beatin' dose dasturdly BeanBoys !
Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
AK`s hit was the highlight of the night for me. Good to see once again what a overgrown pousy Lucic is. Can`t take what he likes to dish out. He looks good in that yellow jersey that`s for sure. Let`s keep the W`s coming boys, this has been some good hockey to watch recently, and I see it getting better with the return of our two cannon blasters
It was his brother SK and it was just a good clean check. He could have lifted his elbow or shoulder to the head but he did not. I do believe it was interference only and therefor 2 min.
Sorry! after reading above I guess it was AK.
It was a great hit. I was watching the game on CBC and Carbo and Millen annoyed the hell out of me for saying it was a cheap hit. Shoulder to shoulder and it was Luchicken.
It is very satisfying to pay it back to Lucic. Seeing that he lost his cool and drew a penalty is icing on the cake. Made my night!
The hit by Kostitsyn was a dandy. Lucic really is becoming a pussy. Does he think he is immune from getting hit? I just wish Andrei Kostitsyn would play that kind of physical game more often than the dirtier kind of stuff that has given him a bad reputation around the league. If he did that, opponents would fear him rather than trying to hunt him down as they usually do now.
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"There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge...."
--Hunter S. Thompson
...I am a Guy that gets no thrill watching a hockey game unless one of the Teams is wearing either a Habs' Sweater or a Team Canada
...post-Habs tonight, My Boy Quent left-on the TV as I made supper and washed dishes, Myself looking to see Luongo pre-game and watch an occasional rush by Alfredson or Alex Burroughs (Senator & Canuck I would enjoy playing for Our Habs) ...in other words, though living out here in BC, I hardly ever watch the CBC games following the Habs
...so I was surprised how much I enjoyed After Hours with Scott Oake and Kevin Weekes ...really great relaxed personal conversations with Alfredson and Roberto Luongo ...so much more relaxed and insightful than the stilted or inane interviews We usually have to endure
...long story short ...in a perfect world, wish We had a Scott & Kevin doing these post-Habs
...Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049
Can't believe I missed watching this game live. Watching the truncated version on HNIC right now, can't wait to see this huge save on Sturm by Halak, it sounds like it was massive!! This team is rolling like crazy right now!
and you know what I thinks awesome about it? Gainey is sitting at home getting SATISFACTION.
Giggity
Gainey must be extremely relieved- he faced a lot of criticism for dropping the A-bomb on the 08-09 team, and for much of the season, in terms of points it looked as if his experiment had failed. Now we see the benefits of playing with consistent line-mates, we've avoided injury for a good stretch, and cammalleri's return should be all pleks and AK need to take off. When combined with the return of MAB, our powerplay should improve dramatically. Even strength goal scoring is not the problem it once was, and other players like Sergei stepping up is taking pressure of our big guns. I said earlier in the year that for this season to be a success, I require two playoff rounds won. We've played well lately against several contenders (washington, pittsburgh, NJ), so this goal doesn't seem as unrealistic as it once did.
________________________________________________________ Audere est Facere- To Dare Is To Do
Yeah I was getting some damn good satisfaction earlier too. Oh, you were talking about the game...
He left the organization with a playoff team, a properly organized farm and plenty of young talent. They can knock Gainey as much as they like, Burke never left half as much behind with any team he ran.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/