Game 28: Lowly Lightning down Habs 3-1

Bob Gainey has lunch with Benny... http://habsbros.blogspot.com/ Peace Out ______________________________________________________ Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Earl of Fluppitburg, Baron of Flopshlupshire and Knight of the Flannel Republic.

Injuries or no, there's no excuse for losing to a team like TB 1 game after having beaten the Flames. I didn't see the Habs' game, I was at the Spitfires 1st game at the Hangar, which they lost 4-0 to Belleville. It's gonna be a bad day...LOL

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2008/12/11/page-obit.html ...Betty (Bettie) Page Dead at 85 Whats this link doing on HIO ?... well, ...I'm glad you asked !...in the 50s I was 6 years old and watched my first Montreal Canadiens game on a grainy black & white TV following the 'Juliette Show',...THe official beginning of my initiation as a lifelong (...less 6 years) Habs' Fan... ...at 8 years old, visiting my best friend's apartment up the hill on Ridgewood, we found his ol' man's girly mags under his mattress, and there like a rad surf wave smashing on the beach was what was to become 'the other' icon of my precocious youth... bopping Betty Page... Didn't quite know what to make of her at first, but I learned in time... ...The Habs & Betty Page... 2 of the most influential icons of my formative years and sentient being... I know not one of you gives a flying fig... but just try to humor me... Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049

Hey Dave, What's the status on Saku Koivu? Do anybody know anything about the stent of Koivu's injury? Dying to hear? Cheers

So before the game, Guy Carbonneau warns his players about two specific guys on the Tampa Bay team. Same two players who have demolished the Habs in previous outings. Hmmmm.....isn't it the coach's job to take the proper steps to counter these two fellows? As in: have specific players or a line shadow them for the entire game? Carbonneau is paid to coach and be strategic. I'm afraid cautionary warnings and motivational platitudes just won't cut it in dealing with the likes of Lecavalier and St-Louis.

I will KEEP Latendresse. His work ethic and heart win in any contest. He hits, he can score, and he is a big presence on the boards. He is 21. He is doing just fine. Get rid of Lats, but Kovy is ok??? Begin, Lapierre and Kostopoulos are all doing as well or worse points wise and they have played more games (except Begin). He is also +3 which is better than the Begin, Laps and Kost... MAKES NO SENSE...

habs are the spitting image of their coach- cocky,, arrogant and full of sh@#$%^t.

I for one am worried. The injuries are starting to mount up. I don't think Komi is ready to go, dandy is ought a couple of months, higgy ??, and now Saku. I think it is time to forget the bolts and look ahead the line up that will face the caps is pretty depleted.

Does anyone know if Kovy has changed sticks"brand,curve,etc",he sure's having trouble controlling the puck this year.

just think about it...we had nobody on the ice tough enough to fight Lecav... we had nobody willing to fight Downie... wonder what our NEW problem is...we didn't have this problem last year against filli in the playoffs did we?...we were so tough last year, wonder whats been put in the water bottle to pacify us this year. when is breezegoon going to unleash that power and start pulling some Scott Stevens style that we know he can do! when is Kostop going to be that Probert that we know he can be! and when is Begin going to unleash the Tony Twist that he has! just think how far we are from winning the big one... ---- 1. Breezegoon is the key to our success this season.

Wow did Lats ever come back into the lineup and make an impact last night....lol..get rid of this dud now BG..it is downright embarassing having him out there when he cant even keep up to the play 3 games without out him wasn't enough...

So did anyone else see that flagrant "spear" to Pleky from VL4? It was right in front of the ref on the faceoff dot. Now, it wasn't a vicious spear, but it was still to the gut and in front of the ref! The punishment? "Neither of you get to take the faceoff." Weak... We need to go back to Benny for more advice: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/

why oh why do we play to the other teams level? we always do that. when we play a good team like the rangers we play up to there level and even beat them.when we play atlanta or useless tampex bay we play waaaayy down to there level and lose. hasnt carbo addressed this? ok other teams rise up to tryn beat us, but come on. stop floating thru garbage teams.like guy lafleur said play every game like it was ur last. koveys lackadasical attitude seems to be catching at times with the team.i payed huge bux for tix for wash vs mtl the dr.jeckel team better how up and play great that night. to those who say here, oh stop being so negative, hey habs fans do not except losing period.send that crap skater do f all lats back to pee wee, bring up weber and max pac.

First of all, the loss is MY fault. I knew I was jinxing the game by changing to a happier avatar yesterday afternoon. Second of all, I echo Ian's comments that considering our inconsistency, we're in a pretty good place. I think that Carbo has done a good job (though he seems to take some round-about routes to get there) in improving the team. Though I think the problems of consistency are partly leadership issues.... and leadership starts there. One point mentioned below is that some of the players might have been afraid to fight for fear they'd take a 'bad' penalty. It's NOT a bad penalty if it wakes up your team... no-one did that last night. Many had opportunties: Being, Tom, O'Byrne.... among others. NONE did. We got doggy-boned by Vinny and his spear, more than once. And we lay down for it. ~Listen to the smart dog!

Remember table hockey?#84 reminds me of a table hockey player.When the game got old after a few years the pegs got worn down and the players would shake and wobble ,they didn't respond .With his stiff skating style and lack of quick response to the action ,mediocre hands and lack of vision I'm starting to think he played it too much growing up..

Alright, its time to evaluate what we have, where we are and what we need to do to make this centennial season a success. We've been watching this team intensely for almost 30 games, so there is no surprises, no unknowns, we know EVERY PLAYER PERFECTLY - what they can do best and what they do worst. Ranked from best to worst: Koivu: the captain and leader, highest level of talent and heart, we are lost without him - I hope he retires a Hab. AndreK: our most dangerous offensive threat, great puck control, skating and hitting, sometimes needs to be hit to spark his capabilities. Kovy: still the most talented on the team, uses his strength by hitting and puck control down low, needs the right linemates to compliment what he brings. D'ags: superior speed, stickhandling, shooting, no fear, always goes to the net, easily 2nd line material. Lang: slow but smart, strong on the puck and knows where to be Tang: needs fast linemates (not kovy/lang) has speed, passing/vision, hasn't disappointed, but could disappear if not used correctly. Plek: has been saddled with 4th/5th liners, has great speed and puck control - needs to play with 1st/2nd liners BGL: brings the BGL effect to the game, and it is needed almost every game Laps: has taken ownership of the 4th line - youth and drive, can be moved to the third line. Kostop: 4th liner maximum, doesn't have the hands to be higher than the 4th line - that simple. Begin: needs to play at 150% every game to be effective - but Carb is playing these guys too many minutes - 4th liner Higgs: has proven that he is a 4th liner, great hustle but zero playmaking and fumbling hands - has missed too many goals Sergie: could have been a 1/2 liner, but is a confused adolescent. stopped skating north south, now likes to go lateral and gets killed. Lats: has sunk to a 4th line fillin - unfortunate, but if he just crashed the net....well that game was in the 80's (leclair) he is obsolete. Markov: is doing his job and doing it well, don't ask for more Komi: great...but where the hell is this guy? a little scrap and he's been out the whole season! Hammr: is doing his job and doing it well, don't ask for more Cube: if i play'd in the NHL i'd only want to go on the ice when this chap was on, because he'd watch my back - warrior. Gorges: believe it or not, this guy can be a top 4 defenseman. Obryne: playing only to not make mistakes because of fear of Carb, but then makes the mistake - plays a decent game and can only get better Breeze: Brutal. Price: Gainey is a genius Halak: hot / cold - but is usually hot when it counts. Carb: too much juggling conclusion: Its time to experiment with a few more callups - Pax, Chip, Web, Stew and whoever else is showing promise. now is the time to test these guys - the Habs are good, but not great, we need to test the waters internally and then externally. if the internal talent doesn't cut it - then gainey needs to pull the trigger. as of right now we don't have what it takes to go all the way.

Here is how we match up in a 30 team league, this week. Goals Against-73 We are tied with Chicago for 6th place. 7th last week. Total Points--37 We are alone in 5th place. We were in 6th place last week. Goals For-----84 We are tied with Toronto and Calgary in 12th place. We were 14th last week. It is amazing to me that we are still in 5th place in the league, even with our inconsistency.

What DID Gainey talk about with "Benny"?...http://habsbros.blogspot.com/ Peace Out ______________________________________________________ Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Earl of Fluppitburg, Baron of Flopshlupshire and Knight of the Flannel Republic.

Rumor Mill... Gainey about to make a trade with the Chainsaw Boys.... Our full team for Vinny & Louis... Straight up ! Your thoughts ? Habitant means PASSIONATE HOCKEY http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=423049

What's with OByrne?Does he think that he is one of the special people?Does he think his skills are so good that he doesn't have to drop the gloves ?Or is he just a giant pussy ?He had a great oppurtunity to spark the team with a scrap .He could have done himself a career changing favour and ignited the crowd last night , but instead he just exchanged face washes and looked all pouty ..I didn't relly follow his career, but did he ever fight ?If not, then he is totally useless ..

When you're having trouble scoring goals go to the net. Kovalev's partial break was a good example of what not to do. As soon as he felt a little pressure he took a shot right into Kolzig's chest rather than trying to make something happen by driving hard to the net. The only one I see consistently going hard to the net is Dagger. 4 goals in 6 games isn't bad is it? Lats goes to the net but he stands off to the side and doesn't make any attempt to screen the goaltender. Pretty sad to watch really. A lot of these guys have to start driving to the net and putting pressure on the goaltender and the D rather than dancing around trying to make a highlight reel play. They have to start playing playoff type hockey NOW. A puck control game is great, but when you turn the puck over all the time and dance around the outside of the rink you end up losing to teams like Tampa Bay.

IT IS A GIMMIE ON PAPER FOR A TEAM!!! But the fact of the matter is we are not a team yet. We are a group of very talented hockey players, putting in effort as individuals on the ice. It matter not who plays with whom. There is just not any team play at all. Last night I watched group after group do the same thing time and time again. One pass up the ice and the next move was to dump it in. Someone might put in an effort and kept it in the corner or the half boards for a while, before shooting on net. And basically that was the game. We would just shoot at a goalie who was already square to the puck, and hope for the best.No one was going hard to the net for deflections or rebounds. In the whole game there was not one passing play in front of their net that produced a shot. All the shots were well after the goalie was already square to the puck. No two or three way passes in the total game, except for up and down the outside boards.There was not any team play what so ever, no one in front of the net before the shot was taken, it was like pitch and catch out there. Until this group of players become a "team" with pride in their work we will continue to be a middle of the road group of hockey players. And if the Vets, like Kovalev Tanguey and Lang can't get it up for inferior opposition, put them in the press box,and bring in the whole top line from Hamilton. At least they want to be here. The coaches can talk until the cows come home, the players are far to comfortable with themselves. It is definitely time to let them know that this is unacceptable work and make a move. When the players take over and manage the ship, you just have chaos.

OK Folks: Habs are on pace for 108 points - that's a good thing. Last nights game is a perfect example of the new NHL, one bad play and one bad bounce will often determine the outcome. Tampa's third goal was the result of poor PP passing and poor work ethic on that PP. Habs had two chance to controll the puck and they did not. Then Markov hits the post in the third... those two plays make it a tie game. The majority of goals in the NHL are the result of a poor play by the other team (bad decision or not working hard enough). If the Habs can keep the work ethic at a high level they will do very well - they have the talent. IMO there have only been 3 bad losses this year. Last night and the blowouts by Boston and Toronto. On the other hand there have been a few very good wins - @ Philly, @ Detroit, @ Minnesota, Rangers. The rest of December will be very interesting.... again hard work is what is needed.. each and every shift - back to my earlier point - the NHL is no longer a league where the better teams wins based on talent alone.

I don;t unerstand why BGL is not used more.*** he does not have to drop his gloves every second and i get it that he is not a great skater but running Halak, frankie fighting some monster and from what i could tell Vinny almost laughing at us..spearing...arghhhhh. i have seen this so often makes me sick.

I read a post yesterday (I forget who it was), but it was bang on. The Habs bring their 'A' game against good teams and then phone it in against the bad ones. At least their PP clicked for 1 goal: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/ That being said, Tampa trapped something FIERCE! BORING...

It's very inspiring to hear some moron talk about how great it is to come home and play in front of family and friends and beat the home team. That would be the same team the puke turned his nose up at a few months earlier. It gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling. I know, I'm just bitter. But I get sick of hearing that B.S. from some clown that decides to hang around the beach for the next ten years because, well, he's already got the ring and if he decides to take the night off nobody knows who the hell he is down in Tampa anyway. Inspiring stuff from a truely inspirational Quebecer. GO HABS.

Can Bryan Burke Inject Some Passion Into The Habs Leafs Rivalry http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2008/12/12/690485/can-bryan-burke-inje... Now that Brian Burke has finally landed in Toronto and fullfilled hockey's longest lasting subliminal courting, how soon will it be before he is able to bring about a ressusitation of the old rivalry between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs. I'm not talking Kovalev elbows Tucker passion. I'm not saying Mats Sundin burns the Habs with a killer late third period goal passion here. What I mean to say, is how quickly can Burke get the Maple Leafs to contender status, and can he achieve that in concert with a Habs peak that sees both clubs battling it out in the playoffs for the Eastern Conference title? I know I want it. You know you want it too. It will be a moment that both Leafs and Habs fans have been thirsting for, for years - decades even!

Yes, it's true. When Lecavalier and St. Louis play in Montreal, they bring their A-game and it shows every single time these guys come to Montreal to play against us. BUT, we should have beaten this Lightning team! There's no excuse whatsoever.

Chipchura can't be called up, he's currently injured and he's out for the next week.

I don't even know what to say about this one. Weak? And when will the injuries stop! It's getting absolutely ridiculous. http://yourhabs.com - My Montreal Canadiens Blog

I didn't think they played that bad. Sometimes we have to give credit to the other teams. Granted, on paper, we should have won, but the game is played on the ice, and Tampa actually does have a couple good players who love to play here, and beat the Habs. Not to mention the play of Kolzig. Theer were only 3 players on the Habs that stuck out to me as "bad" or a similar verb. Those 3 were: OB (bad-no confidence). He needs a few games in Hamilton as a top 4 D to gain his confidence back. Lats (invisible). Also no confidence. He needs time in the minors, but that isn't going to happen. I'm stumped. Halak (shaky). He'd like that first goal back. The way he played is pretty normal for a guy who plays once in a blue moon. Nothing to worry about though. He'll have a game like that every now and then. The rest of the guys were ok. Not great, but good. There were probably other bad ones as well, but those 3 stuck out most for me. How about Breezer almost getting 2! If that puck hadn't changed direction, forcing him to adjust his shot, he would have put that away! Right now, he's the only offensive-minded D-Man besides Markov, and he's not a liability out there either. Back to the drawing board, Guy. Keep the faith. Your boys are ok. Go Habs Go!! "I can't hear what Jeremy(Roenick) is saying because my Stanley Cup rings are in my ears" - Patrick Roy Habsrule

This definitely has to be the low point of the season so far. One night they play well and the next night they don't show up to play. The coach has to take some responsibility in how this team is playing lately. I didn't see the game last night? But I saw the highlights this morning. The team had their chances and couldn't get a bounce to go their way by the looks of it. Here are some of the problems this team needs to adjust too. (1) They need to take the puck to the net more often throughout the game and this will create better scoring chances when they do this. Play the game with intensity and drive to the net at every opportunity especially on the PP. Get a man in front of the net period. (2) BGL needs to be in the line up for every game. His presence alone will dictate the outcome of most games. Other teams won't try to play with an edge when BGL is sitting on the bench. I can't believe the players didn't stand up for Halak last night. C'mon when Downie runs your goaltender like he did. Someone should have drop the gloves immediately and go after the guy. That didn't happen last night. Geeze!! Look at the other night for example when Markov hit Phaneuf. Enough said. (3) What I read throughout this post was the play of GUI. No show again tonight by the sounds of it? Can someone explain what's wrong with this kid? He complains and don't execute when he is put back into the line up. It's time to put up or shut up with this guy. Send him down period. (4) Habs defence is very weak and needs to improve in that department. It's time to get a guy who can help this team in a big way and who can BG get right now? Is Jay Bouwmeester available as well Ilya Kovalchuck? (4) Carbo needs to stop being Mr. Nice Guy to the players. He's the coach and he has to show he means business. He got to start benching his star players if they are not playing up to calibre and to send a message to the rest of the team that enough is enough. Maybe this team will get the message that they have to come to play with more heart each and every night from this day forward. (5) Carey Price has to play every game for this team has a chance to win each night. Carey is young and should be able to handle the pressure on any given night. Halak is a great goalie too. But Carey is the MVP of this team and has shown that so far this season. Halak should only play when the Habs play back to back games. (6) It's time that this team start showing they belong in the NHL. C'mon boys, show some life and passion for the 100 birthday by playing like you all can. It's time to get down to playing and show some effort by taking the body and in your face hockey. Get dirty and don't back down or shy away from the rough stuff. Dish it out and get nasty or else back your bags to AHL. (7) Can anybody else add to this? Thanks for reading my post. Go Habs Go!! Go Habs Go!! Shape up or Ship out. You’re Choice? Take it or leave it?