Florida Panthers

Q: How do you completely destroy any – and all – momentum that was created by huge wins over the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers?

A: You play a complete stinker against the Florida Panthers.

…

Did everyone drink too much and pass out on the beach for a couple hours? Did anyone look at the standings and realize the importance of this game? Does anyone know how to play Jacques Martin hockey? (Besides the Florida Panthers?)

Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak stops a shot with Panthers' Cory Stillman waiting for a rebound Tuesday night. Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

Preview | Matchups | Tuesday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Tomas Plekanec | Brian Gionta | Mike Cammalleri | Josh Gorges | Ben Maxwell

• At a Glance: Its hard to win hockey games when you take only 17 shots on net and the Canadiens learned that the hard way in a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Tomas Plekanec had given the Canadiens a 1-0 lead near the end of the second period, one of only four shots on Tomas Vokoun in the second period. But things fell apart in the third period, with Shawn Matthias scoring a pair of goals, one on a penalty shot, as the Canadiens let two valuable points slip away. It was the first time this season that the Canadiens have lost a game when leading after two periods. Jaroslav Halak faced 29 shots and looked good through two periods, but couldn't hold the fort in the third.

• Key Moments: Matthias's goal on a penalty shot early in the second period put the Canadiens on their heels and set the stage for the Panthers win.

• What It Means: The loss snaps a two-game winning streak and Montreal saw its record drop to 25-24-5 and they remain at 55 points, but fell to ninth place in the Eastern Conference because of the loss. The Panthers now sit in eighth spot with 55 points and hold a game in hand.

• What's Next: The Canadiens are right back at it on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are then in Ottawa to take on the Senators on Saturday.

• MORNING AUDIO: Florida coach  Peter DeBoer | David Booth on recovering from his concussion | No Habs audio; team cancelled morning skate

In what won't qualify as a shocking move, Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin will start Jaroslav Halak in goal tonight vs. the Florida Panthers. Martin points to Halak's 2-0 record this season vs. the Panthers – he's 4-0 lifetime – and the fact the young goalie is coming off back-to-back wins with a .984 save percentage (63 saves on 64 shots) and a 6-0 shutout Saturday over the New York Rangers.

In Halak's most recent start against the Panthers, he made 38 saves in a 2-0 Habs shutout win on Jan. 7. The Habs goalie will face Florida's Tomas Vokoun, who also is coming off a home-ice 39-save, 2-0 shutout over Toronto.

Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak makes a save as Panthers' Nathan Horton skates by during second period Thursday night. Phil Carpenter, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Thursday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Mike Cammalleri | Brian Gionta | Jaro Spacek | Benoit Pouliot | Jaro Halak | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves for his second shutout of the season and Benoit Pouliot scored his fourth goal since being acquired by the Canadiens as Montreal defeated the Florida Panthers 2-0 on Thursday night. Pouliot scored a timely goal with 13 seconds to play in the first period with a perfect shot under the crossbar past Tomas Vokoun. Brian Gionta scored his 10th of the season into an empty net after a mad scramble in Halak's crease that almost resulted in the Panthers tying the game. The Canadiens took only one penalty Thursday, a rarity for them, and killed it off with ease. Montreal was 0-for-2 with the man advantage. The Canadiens fired 38 shots at Vokoun, who let out his share of large rebounds.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens failed to take advantage of a lengthy 5-on-3 early in the first period with Bryan McCabe and Stephen Weiss in the penalty box, registering very few shots.

• What It Means: The Canadiens won for the first time in 2010, and its their first win at home in five games. Their record improves to 22-21-3 for 47 points.

• What's Next: Next up for the Canadiens are the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Montreal then has a little rest before playing its next game on Jan. 14 when the Dallas Stars come to town, the Canadiens host the Senators on Jan. 16.

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin's daily briefing | Martin describes his team's system | Andrei Markov on Russian Christmas, the Olympics and his comeback | Markov on leadership and the vacant captaincy | Michael Cammalleri on many things

Canadiens head coach Martin decided against practice today, opting instead to send his team into Brossard's Bell Sports Complex gym for an off-ice workout.

Sergei Kostitsyn did skate for 30-plus minutes, just in a track suit, with team head athletic therapist Graham Rynbend. The emphasis, clearly, was feeling out his left ankle injury. The only other player on the ice today was goalie Carey Price, in a T-shirt and sweatpants, racing around for a half-hour or so taking slapshots at two empty nets. Any beer-league team would love this kid on the blueline or up front; seriously, he can play.

Andrei Kostitsyn (left knee) and younger brother Sergei seem to be highly doubtful for tomorrow's Bell Centre game against the Florida Panthers. No word on the starting goalie until tomorrow after the 11 am morning skate.

Canadiens' Travis Moen battles with Florida's Jason Garrison in Florida during Thursday's 5-4 Habs win.
Hans Deryk, Reuters

Preview | Matchups | Thursday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

• AUDIO: Max Pacioretty | Andrei Markov | Benoit Pouliot | Jacques Martin | Jaro Halak

• At A Glance: It was hardly classic hockey, but it surely was entertaining. The Canadiens twice fought from behind, jumped into a lead they would surrender then hung on to score a 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers.

It didn't come without a couple of notes of concern: Andrei Kostitsyn played only 6:30 on nine shifts before leaving the game after absorbing a hard, second-period check from Panthers' Keith Ballard. Kostitsyn's brother, Sergei, suffered a lower-body injury during the pregame warmup and was replaced at nearly the last minute by Max Pacioretty.

All you see of former Canadien Richard Zednik is the blade of his stick, but that's enough to tell you he scored on this wonderful effort against Montreal goalie Carey Price.
Doug Murray, Reuters

Preview | Rosters | Tale of the Tape | Play-by-Play | Faceoffs | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boone

AUDIO:  • Komisarek  • Price  • Carbo

Zero-for-Florida. Not the way the Canadiens had hoped to get going after the all-star break. Four straight losses. Not the way the Canadiens need to be playing as hockey means more and more by the game.

The Habs did zilch during their two-game trip to the Sunshine State this week, losers of two games in three nights.

Tonight it was a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, an ugly defeat in which the Canadiens were outskated, embarrassed even, by a fleet opponent while abandoning their goalie, Carey Price, to fend for himself with barely a shred of support. The teams each had 36 shots.

"A lack of effort? Lack of character?" head coach Guy Carbonneau asked.

Price has given up 14 goals in his last three games.

Panthers' Keith Ballard fights for the puck against Canadiens winger Sergei Kostitsyn Sunday at the Bell Centre. Tyrel Featherstone/The Gazette

Preview | Rosters | Tale of the Tape | Play-by-Play | Faceoffs | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boone Returns Wednesday

AUDIO:  • Carbo  • Komisarek 
• Markov  • Bégin  • Pacioretty

Game summary by Kevin Mio

The Canadiens looked to have the game against the Panthers Sunday afternoon well in hand at the start of the third period, but sloppy play made things a lot more difficult than they had to be.

Luckily, Andrei Markov saved the day for the Canadiens with the only goal in the shootout as the Habs pulled out a 6-5 shootout win. The Canadiens had a 4-2 lead at the start of the third, but they allowed the Panthers to score three goals, including one shorthanded, to force overtime.

It was a game that started off badly for the Canadiens, spotting the Panthers a 2-0 lead after the first period on goals by Brett McLean and David Booth. But the Canadiens exploded for four goals in the second period and could have had more if not for Panthers goaltender Craig Anderson, who was pelted with 19 shots in the second period.

Inside/Out's Mike Boone returns to his blogging and commentary duties on Wednesday when the Canadiens take on the Rangers in New York.

In the meantime, he invites his readers to use this space today to vent, praise or anything in between before, during or after the Canadiens-Florida Panthers game, a 2 p.m. start at the Bell Centre.

Canadiens' Maxim Lapierre celebrates his first goal of the game Monday night.
REUTERS/Rhona Wise

Preview | Rosters | Tale of the Tape | Play-by-Play | Faceoffs | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boone

Maxim Lapierre scored goals late in the second period and early in the third to give the Canadiens a 4-2 lead before completing his hat trick into an empty net with only seconds to play for a 5-2 Canadiens win.
It was the 3,000th regualr-season win in Canadiens history.
It's the second straight game that a member of the Canadiens has scored a hat trick. Andrei Kostitsyn netted his first career hat trick on Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
Lapierre gave the Canadiens the lead with four minutes to go in the second period when he roofed a backhander over an oustretched Craig Anderson from an almost impossible angle.
Then, less than three minutes into the third, Lapierre accepted a drop pass from Guillaume Latendresse and beat Anderson with a slap shot from the faceoff circle.

On the night he made a pre-taped appearance on Tout le monde en parle, Radio-Canada's popular celebrity talkshow, Alex Kovalev beat Tomas Vokoun in a shootout to give Canadiens a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers.

"He wanted to end it there," said Guy Carbonneau, "so he could go watch himself on TV."

And had Mr. Excitement been stopped, P.K. Subban was going to be next.

• The coach on many subjects, in English and French.

• Alex Kovalev says he's not in top gear just yet.

• P.K. Subban, the Quote Machine. This kid should skip an NHL career and go right into hosting a late-night talkshow.

• Yannick Weber (he uses the English pronunciation)  on playing against Peter DeBoer, his coach in Kitchener.