The good news is ...:
... the beer store is open till 11.
OT 00:00:
What a flurry! Man, this is going to be a fun season.
OT 00:09:
Lang, Kovalev ... what a show!
OT 00:59:
What a set-up by Tanguay! This guy is a great passer.
OT 4:00:
Canadiens looking confused
3P 00:00:
Man, Sergei had the game onhis stick!
3P 00:48:
Good timeout by Carbo. Pleks line was tired, faceoff in their own end.
3P 2:40:
Lang blocks a shot on the PK. I LOVE THIS GUY!
3P 4:00:
Kovy great on the PK, also Pleks and Markov
3P 4:40:
Very weak call on Gui! ... considering a 1-1 game, late
3P 4:40:
Max Lapierre doing exactly what's going to keep him in the NHL
3P Break:
Shots are 32-22. Has Carbo benched Bégin? Nope, there he is
3P 7:00:
Miller played Kovalev perfectly. Pierre Houde says the ice is getting bad in this period. Hot day in Buffalo.
3P 7:49:
The new faster Gui! scoots behind the Buffalo D and sets up O'Byrne for a slapper. I think Gui! is going to have a big season.
3P 8:25:
Pleks line nearly victimized.
3P Break:
Great PK, but tense moments. And then another great shift by the Lang line.
3P 11:50:
lang's even good on the PK
3P 12:40:
Price, sprawling, robs Vanek.
3P 13:30:
Graham Rynbend is still fixing Sergei's face.
3P 14:40:
Both Kostitsyns get their bells rung. And Bégin takes a very ill-timed four-minutes worth of penalties. Unless Price is great, this is the game here.
3P 15:40:
Gorges saves Breeze's ass
3P 16:40:
Lang line by far the best of the Habs
3P 17:30:
Canadiens HORRIBLE in their own end.
3P 19:00:
I don't get shoot-ins on the PP
3P 00:00:
This should be good. Not a classic so far, but the goaltending has been sharp and there are flashes of what the Canadiens attack will be once they know each other's names.
Stats:
Markov has played 16:21, Roman Hamrlik has blocked four shots, Faceoffs are 19-19, blocked shots 9-9, Canadiens have 14 muffed and wide shots ... Theodore yanked after 10 shots, three goals
Michel Bergeron:
Second-guessing Carbo. Fun .... but which coach is talking to a room full of NHL players and who's talking to Alain Crête?
Guest analyst:
Sidhu:
Second period thoughts:
- Lang looks great, he's got long reach, skates well, and has had some good scoring chances
- Lang and SK74 displayed some amazing chemistry
- On the other hand, the Koivu-Tanguay duo doesn't look so hot
- OB came to play, he has had some turnovers and a penalty, but he's in the game
- His partner, Hammer, is a rock. The guy competes every night.
- Dandy's lack of play in the first was prob due to the heavy special
teams use in the first. Carbo def rolled him in the four lines in the
second.
2P 00:00:
Lang hits the post on the PP. He's the best of the Canadiens tonight. Benoit Brunet points out that we're seeing early-season sloppiness.
2P 1:02:
Fourth line hustles the Sabres into a penalty.
2P 3:00:
Price very sharp after not having much work. Not a good defensive shift for the Pleks line.
2P 3:56:
Momentum is all Habs. One good shift after another. But a goal would be nice.
2P Break:
Three good shifts in a row. The Pleks line is coming alive. Kovalev handled the puck too much – what's new? – through the first 30 minutes.
2P 6:09:
Bad change and Paillé, who's been good tonight, gets a shot on Price.
2P 7:00:
Love the Langer!
2P Break:
MacArthur went around Markov too easily. I haven't liked the D tonight.
2P 10:08:
Briiliant set-up, Pleks to Hamrlik. Nearly a goal.
2P 11:00:
You see flashes of why Tanguay must have driven Keenan nuts.
2P 11:35:
Not much work for the fourth line tonight.
2P 13:00:
O'Byrne saves Gorges' ass.
2P Break:
Nice passing on the PP. Price robed Paillé shorthanded. Hey, AK46 is dressed tonight: he just broke his stick.
2P 15:50:
There's a switch: the Captain gets hooked.
2P 17:30:
Lang's passing is wasted on Kostopoulos. Not a great night for Roman Hamrlik.
2P :
Great three-way passing among Markov, tanguay, Koivu
2P 00:00:
Canadiens have to start coping with the Buffalo forecheck ... Mark Streit has a goal and an assist ... José Theodore beaten three times by Atlanta in the first period (including one by Ron Hainsey) ... Joel Bouchard is very animated in the RDS studio. He's going to be good.
Between periods:
François Gagnon makes his debut. Fire the lighting director.
1P 00:00:
Sabres on target for 45 shots. Not good.
1P 1:20:
Has Mathieu Dandenault touched the puck in this game?
1P 2:00:
RDS screwed up a break.
Third break:
O'Byrne shows you flashes. Great skater for a guy that size.
1P 4:00:
Some nice shifts for Gui!
1P 5:40:
Ryan O'Byrne: The unOrr.
1P 6:20:
Hamrlik knocked Vanek into Price. Shots are 10-4 Buffalo.
1P 7:50:
Breeze is still a useful PP weapon.
1P 8:30:
I don't love Tanguay as much. Terrible penalty.
1P 9:25:
Way to sell it, Pleks!
Second break:
Dumb play by Derek Roy: high-stick in the o-zone while on the PP. Good game so far. Lots of skating by two fast, skilled teams. But I hated that Buffalo goal.
1P 11:10:
Man, the number 1 defence pair did not look good on that goal.
1P 12:20:
Horrible mistake by Komisarek lets Tomas Vanek skip in alone on Price
1-1
First commercial break:
Looking REALLY good so far. All lines rolling. D clearing zone crisply.
1P :
The thinner Price looks very quick. SK74 on the PK.
1P 15:40:
Brilliant. Breeze gets flattened by {aillé and goes for retaliation. Keep your head up!
1P 17:02:
ROBERT LANG!!!
1-0
Love this guy since training camp. Very smart heady player. Knows what to do with the biscuit and will make sweet music with SK74
1P 18:00:
Pleks line in constant movement in the o-zone. Dazzling.
1P 19:20:
I love Tanguay on that line already
Kovy for St. Hubert BBQ:
"Mr. Gainey told me Montreal has a special flavour. It was first time I saw him smile."
M.I.A.:
Chantal, phone home.
Lindy Ruff:
A damn good coach
Buffalo player intros:
To the Stones" Street Fighting Man? And we complain about U2. It's still 1969 in Buffalo.
New studio duo:
Joel Bouchard really knows hockey. He'll be great with Demers. He loves Carey Price.
I love Carbo:
Two feet on the ground
Nice threads!:
Benoit Brunet. Very GQ
The "second national anthem":
Newly-recorded by the Toronto Symphony ... and sounding good. Love the bongos.
Predictions:
Demers and Raymond: First; Morissette: Third, behind Philadelphia and Washington; Bouchard: Second, behind Rangers ... but he picks Canadiens to win the Cup. The other three like Detroit.
J'ai hâte ...:
... que ça commence. But there will probably a whole load of pre-game crap. But no Sarah Palin
Michael Ryder:
scoring a Michael Ryder goal against Colorado. Boston will be tough. Thatig Wheeler kid made the club.
La Ligue en question:
Jacques Demers, Dave Morissette and Bert Raymond, with Yanick Bouchard as moderator ... Big factor mentioned by Morissette: all the teams will be laying for the Canadiens ... Raymond sees Captain K slowing down this season ... Big Imponderable: Injuries ... Demers sees the Rangers and Washington better ... Interesting factor mentioned by Raymond: 10 guys without contractsfor next season, all watching their ice time. Allocating it will be a challenge for Carbo ... Three-year contract is important for Carbo. Lame-duck coaches have trouble with their players ... Key for Gui! Movement. If he stands still, says Demers, he's useless. Morissette thinks Lang and SK74 will be good linemates for him (I agree) ... Key for Higgins: going to the net. Demers says very few players can score from anywhere, Higgins isn't one of them ...
AK46:
scoring some beauties in the RDS highlight reel
On RDS:
Pierre Boivin talking about the kind of fast, talented team that appeals to Quebecers.
Buffalo lineup:
Jason Pominville-Jochen Hecht-Daniel Paillé, Derek Roy-Tomas Vanek-Drew Stafford, Tim Connolly-Ales Kotalik-Maxim Afinogenov, Andrew Peters-Adam Mair-Patrick Kaleta
Tony Lydman-Teppo Numminen, Henrik Tallinder-Craig Rivet, Jaroslav Spacek-Nathan Paetsch or Andrej Sekera
Ryan Miller in nets
Summit raffle:
Check it out. Proceeds to the Gainey Foundation.
Yvon Pedneault's five keys:
Busted with them at the airport. OK, bad dope joke this early in the season. The Canadiens' keys, per Monsieur P.:
1. Carey Price
2. Alex Kovalev
3. Andrei Markov (Pedneault doesn't like his move to shooting guard ... and neither do I)
4. The penalty kill
5. Carbo
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