Tough One

Habs lose to Bruins 1-0!? Ech! Tough one to take. After a solid game followed by a crappy game on Long Island followed by a total team game on Saturday against the Rangers, the Habs came out and played hard but didn't get the bounces -- or the puck -- past Bruins goalie Tim Thomas.

Montreal played a good game and came very close to scoring in the first period -- really nothing to fault except not taking advantage of the 4 minute powerplay from the late 2nd to early 3rd period courtesy of former Hab Benoit Pouliot.

Timmy Thomas played an excellent game and was the game's first star.

Mo' saves makes for a great Movember! Timmy Thomas' moustache bests that of Price as the Bruins beat the Habs 1-0 in Montreal tonight.

Carey Price couldn't be blamed on the only goal of game by Andrew "it was an equipment malfunction" Ference.

And d-man Alexei Emelin played the kind of rough and tumble game that we've all be waiting for, making smart plays and using his body against the boards which was great to see. The inexperienced Montreal blue line is still holding up for now. Hal Gill should be ready for Wednesday night in Carolina.

Price was named the league's first star of the week for the 2nd time this year after his two shutouts in a row. Unfortunately he needed a 3rd shutout in a row to get the job done tonight.

The Habs are playing well so this is the kind of game that, even with the loss, still needs to be used as a positive to push them forward and start building a winning streak of their own.

Meanwhile the Bruins have yet to lose in November and have won 9 in a row. No likee.

Tough week ahead as the Habs head out on the road for their game against the Hurricane on Wednesday to then play an awkward afternoon game in Philly against the Flyers on Friday due to Thanksgiving holiday in the States. I already don't like the sound of that.

Then we host the Crosby show on Saturday. This could be a rough week.

MEANWHILE, in Pittsburgh, Sidney "someone please get that Steckel" Crosby made his triumphant return -- in style as all the elite players seem to do -- scoring on his first shot on goal and ended the night with 2 goals and 2 assists. Nice one Sid the Kid. Can't wait until Pittsburgh plays the Leafs again -- I really hope someone takes that Steckel out. Wishing him all the best, except when he plays the Habs.

A Tale of Two 'Staches

I'm a much happier camper today.

Habs continued their recent trend with a solid bounce-back victory last night over the listless Sabres 3-1. Next game is Wednesday night at the Bell Centre against the Edmonton Oilers, a game they must win because the next night they play in New Jersey -- and we know what that means.

Hopefully they can start stringing some victories together and increase their lead at the top of the Northeast division.

A couple of statistics as it stands right now:

1. Habs are 2nd in the league in victories (15) -- which bodes well given the rule changes this season in regards to wins in regulation vs. extra time.
2. Habs are 2nd in the league in goals allowed (47) -- but league-leading Boston (42) has played 3 less games.

Last night's game was proof that no matter how good a goalie is, if the team in front of him is deficient, there's not much he can do. Ryan Miller played great but it still wasn't enough. Credit to the Habs though for keeping the pressure on him all night.

Is it only me, but isn't it more special when Andrei Kostitsyn scores? I seem to always be happier when he contributes. He was in the right spot to pot the first goal of the night, and made a sweet pass right on the tape for Gionta's first of the night on a 2 on 1. Even though we'd like more production from him, I think he's been very solid since the first puck drop this season, and hope it continues.

Kudos once again to Carey Price last night and too bad he didn't get the shutout, but no matter. Although he didn't get tested early, it is always a challenge for a goalie to stand for long sequences without much action -- which was the case for him last night.

Now that December 1st is right around the corner, the shavers will be coming out to trim off all of those ugly Movember 70's style mustaches. But maybe Carey should keep his? He looks like a young Bernie Parent -- someone who had some success in this league :)



Although Parent didn't need to use a Sharpie marker to colour his in!!! Good one CP!!