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Game 80: HABS CLINCH NORTHEAST DIVISION
posted by Dave Stubbs at 21h07 EST on Apr 1
With the victory, Montreal has guaranteed itself home-ice advantage for the quarterfinal round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, which will begin at the Bell Centre on April 9 or 10 against an opponent not yet known.
With captain Saku Koivu and defenceman Francis Bouillon sidelined with foot injuries – Koivu a fracture, Bouillon too tender – and rearguard Mike Komisarek healing a hip, the Canadiens still came up with a tremendous effort against the Senators to earn their 100th point of the season.
The Habs now can focus their last two games of the regular season, at home Thursday vs. Buffalo and Saturday vs. Toronto, on improving their place in the conference for playoff seeding. They’re tied atop the East with the Pittsburgh Penguins, though the Pens have one more victory.
Canadiens' Christopher Higgins congratulates goalie Carey Price after tonight's game.
Chris Wattie, Reuters
Share the agony and ecstasy of Habs fandom and read live blogs from every game with Gazette columnist Mike Boone.
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Ole Ole Ole!!!
Is it just me, or do the fans always sing the Ole song if we're winning, no matter what city we're playing in? I don't just mean Ottawa - I mean Buffalo, LA, Tampa, everywhere....
www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat
NOW WHAT?!?
"Way too optimistic. If we can win one game without Koivu, we'll go into the playoffs on a positive note."
JF take your pessimism back to 2006/07 ...Hoegarden This win was for you!
FOR ALL THOSE WHO SCOFFED AT MY 7 - 1 prediction (we stand at 5 - 1)
BUF/TOR ... YOUR NEXT
LAST NIGHT YOUR MONTREAL CANADIENS SHOWED DEPTH AND 60 MINS OF GOOD HOCKEY!
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OFFICIAL ESPN CUP PREDICTION: Montreal vs San Jose
Yepper, it's in the bag.
Now we don't need to win the next two....ha ha ha..let's not go there !
Highlight of the night has to be Price nudging Neil's helmet, just enough to piss him off. That kid is a step ahead. His cross-check on Neil was also nice; a young Billy Smith he reminds me of.
Don't know what Gorges is made of (must be rubber) but man can he take it.
Sens trying to goon it up with him, especially Lapointe on the icing call. Cheap, very cheap.
As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, Gorges is the unsung hero this year and BG's best trade yet, with MaxPac on the way.
Shall we call the Dandy/Laps/Begin line our "French Connection" ? They sure kept the Sens bottled up in their end when they were on the ice.
RDS gave the three stars to Price, Kovy and Gorges, but I wish there was a way to jam Smolinski and Begin in there too. Phenomenal night from the support staff.
www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat
You're right - I was too pessimistic. But the weekend was really bad; I had nightmares that our wonderful season was going to come to a crashing halt with an ignominious 4-game exit from the postseason. Last night's victory was very convincing - one of our best games of the season. I still don't dare to think about the Cup, but this team will go far.
...and our Montreal Canadiens included 'Brisebois'... how about that?
Stats Highlights:
Goals For/Game: 3.14 (Rank: 1st)
Goals Against/Game: 2.68 (Rank: 13th)
Goal Differential/Game: .46 (Rank: 2nd)
PP%: 24.3 (Rank: 1st)
of note, two stats which have been slowly on the rise over the past few weeks which I think are very encouraging as we look to the playoffs:
PK: 82.4% (Rank: 15th)*
5/5: 1.04 (Rank: 13th)*
we still stink on FO Win% :)
FO: 49% (Rank: 22nd)
we are playing with confidence, with a purpose, with a NEW goal everynight...Price said it, first the division, then the conference, then the "....... ...", but did you notice he didn't say the "magical word"....destiny is at work and we are witnessing it.
on another note - LATRON
man how the mob sways in its fickle display of loyalty....I've always said the 'kid' is a keeper, not a BULLDOG!...he is on the rise. Suddenly he is QUICK, he has SPEED!, with over 220lbs and north of 6'4" he is a FREIGHTTRAIN POWERFORWARD at 20 years old!...did you see him outskate and outmuscle COMMODORE!....that was a LATRON milestone...reminded me of a fella called LINDROS who announced his coming by manhandling a champ called Messier on a breakaway...made Messier look like an old man.
LATRON HAS ARRIVED....and his timing is perfect.
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1. We will win the CUP
2. The BELL CENTRE should be rebuilt to sit 80,000 fans
3. Beware of the T.R.S.
Yes, he outskated him, and drew a penalty on the play. I think Latendresse is going to be a good player for Montreal for a long while. He is big, very strong, and has a good sense of how to put the puck in the net. He is still only 20, an age at which most players are still not good enough to get to the NHL. He has already played there for two years, with many more to come, I am sure.
and....he has the CH tattooed on his heart...
unlike that TRAITOR LECAV...
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1. We will win the CUP
2. The BELL CENTRE should be rebuilt to sit 80,000 fans
3. Beware of the T.R.S.
Funny how the Latendresse haters are suddenly anonymous when he plays well.
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1. February 19th, 2008, a day which will live in sublimity.
I hope we dont play Wasington.
can you imagine facing HUET...
PRICE vs HUET...the media would eat it up...what would Gainey be thinking watching that series.
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1. We will win the CUP
2. The BELL CENTRE should be rebuilt to sit 80,000 fans
3. Beware of the T.R.S.
It would be great....The master vs the Apprentice, like Vader vs Obey-One!
That's Obi-Wan Kenobi my friend.
"Are the Habs ready to pay the Price?"
Well need to beat the best to become the best... the playoffs will bring out different teams than the regular season for everyone, so we face who we face IMO... no short-cuts the Cup and bot what a battle it would be!
your right, we face who we face....this is going to be great!
Last night on RDS they talked about Chips.Anyone know if they're calling him up?
What they were saying is that A fella by the name of Brisebois (don't know if he is based in Hamilton or Montreal - Scout? advisor? but close to BG) advised Gainey that Chips has been playing his best hockey and had regained his confidence..... he further advised Bob that Chips is ready if he is needed.
thanks
Brisebois is Hamilton's GM, hired by Gainey last summer. He's was a top Player/Agent Lawyer that knows negotiate and the CBA rules Inside and Out...
tks CoutNY.... so, according to RDS last night, thats what Mr. Brisebois was telling Bob.... Chips is playing his best hockey, confidence back... he's ready when you need him!
Someone said he left the game the other night injured??? Not sure of the details...
yeah, i heard that... something about how well he's been playing lately. it would be nice to see him play again, but barring injury, i just don't see it happening.
WHAT A GAME!!! Fast-paced throughout! The Habs and Sens both played very good. Normally I'd say that the game could have gone either way, but the difference was Price. Seeing the solid saves and acrobatic moves, you just KNEW he wasn't going to let anything in.
So... Do we sit still and face Boston as the second seed? Or do we go for it and waste our energy trying to get the Eastern Conference crown?
Signature - http://habsbros.blogspot.com/2008/04/maple-leafs-apparently-giving-it.ht...
Shouldn't sit on it. Go for it. Don't when the next chance will come around.
Anybody see Lapierre cross himself when the penalty was called on Latendresse with 2 minutes left in the game? or whatever you call that when you do the Christian cross thing on your chest? That was hilarious..
I had the game recorded and I had to rewind to double check that he actually did. Never seen that before (unless it's the NFL). So why do you think he does it?
"Bless me Father for I *will* sin. I totally intend to crosscheck Neil in the face given the opportunity. Amen."
Signature - http://habsbros.blogspot.com/2008/04/maple-leafs-apparently-giving-it.ht...
or maybe, "please don't let them score while i'm in the box"