Habs Tale of Two Cities

Canadiens drop 3 of 4 points in back to back games against Bruins and Sabres
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If I said Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller would give up four goals five straight games in a row, would you think I was crazy? Drunk? Just plain stupid?

(Well I am fighting a cold right now.)

But it's true. Yet still, the Canadiens unfortunately reminded us of the team we painfully watched last year Thursday night in Buffalo when they gave up a two goal lead in the third to lose in a shootout 5-4.

For their part, the Canadiens came back strong after a disappointing loss to arch rival Boston Bruins, falling 2-1 on Wednesday night in Montreal but let the Buffalo game slip away. Twitter-folk were screaming for Peter Budaj's head but the truth is, he had a solid outing and kept the Habs in the game in the second when they ran into penalty trouble.

Thomas "I'm on fire!" Vanek celebrates his game tying goal with 2 seconds left against the Habs Thursday night. Buffalo won in a shootout 5-4.

In the Bruins game the Habs roared out of the gate but an inability to capitalize and a hot goaltender in Tukka Rask did them in. That and the fact that Boston is a strong third period team and with a quick goal 14 seconds into the third, the Bruins stunned the Habs who came out flatfooted eventually leading to the winning goal a few minutes later.

So it goes sometimes. I don't mind the Habs losing like that -- sometimes that's just the way the puck bounces. And Tomas Plekanec finished the night minus two.

But as good players often do, Plekanec bounced back with two goals but unfortunately it wasn't enough.

But what I do mind is how the Canadiens lost the game to the Sabres.

What's worse is how Montreal took leads into the third period only to lose both games. That's also like last year. Ulp!

Ryan White re-entered the fray replacing Travis Moen against Buffalo and you have to wonder what is going on with this guy. Game after game, he's taking unnecessary penalties and putting this team in difficult situations. And with the Canadiens in full control 4-2 in the third period, the guy takes another pointless penalty, opening the door for the Sabres to get back into the game -- which they did when Vanek scored.

Ryan White is essentially playing his way off the team and straight into the press box. Two losses in a row sting and we can feel the pressure ratcheting up. And boy Therrien was pissed -- a very quiet, controlled pissed, mind you -- in his post-game scrum. He didn't call him out by name at first, but it was easy to know who he was talking about. Then right at the end he mentioned White and how it might not have been his best decision to put him in back in the lineup. Oof!

Twitter was ablaze with rants and raves when it was announced that Budaj would get the call over Price against the Sabres but the Habs are entering a tougher part of their schedule and Therrien needs to keep him fresh. This was as good an opportunity as any to get Budaj a start.

And what can you say about P.K. Subban? After sucking it up and taking his two-year "bridge" contract he's clicked right away with Andrei Markov and has put up points in each of his four games.

I was a bit surprised with Subban's reaction to his goal against Boston -- not that it was flamboyant or anything but it was a bit more energized than I had predicted earlier. Against the Sabres, Subban blasted a one-timer off a Markov pass past Miller on a five-on-three and kept his reaction muted.

There's a time and place for everything.

Next game against the Leafs back in Montreal. No need to panic, but is it fair to say it's a must-win for the Habs?

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Big thanks, or in hockey talk, stick tap to Anthony aka HabsHappy on twitter for the brand-spanking new masthead image which now sits at the top of this blog. The guy has some serious talent and he perfectly visualized my Habs Fan in LeafLand handle -- no easy feat. Still need to do some additional work on the design here but again, I can't thank him enough for donating his special skills and generosity. Check him out at www.arttocanvas.com

Follow-moi on le Twitter: @HabsFanLeafLand

SUPERBOWL WEEKEND JUST SUPER FOR HABS

Canadiens Collect Four Points in Back-To-Back This Weekend

Coach Michel Therrien went on the record saying he wanted his team to send a message after losing 5-1 this past week in Ottawa.

Well I think the team received the memo.

Two strong team wins against divisional rivals the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators put your Montreal Canadiens in fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. And if you want to get technical about it, the Habs with 12 points are tied with the Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning -- and the Pens have played one more game but get the nod because they lead their division.

Who could have imagined this?

Well, GM Marc Bergevin and Coach Therrien, that's who.

But even they couldn't have anticipated their team going 6-2 to start the season. Hey, it's only eight games, but there's no doubt it's been night and day from last year and with a healthy team, excellent goaltending and scoring through the lineup, you're going to see results.

And there's the continuing, inspirational story of Max Pacioretty, who returned to action a week after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. He was scheduled to return in three to four weeks.

Last year's Canadiens gave up leads, lost games in OT and shootouts and found ways to beat themselves -- kind of like the Calgary Flames are doing this year.

This year's squad is playing a solid team game, standing up for each other and scoring goals. On Saturday the Canadiens came out flying and took it to the Sabres who looked flat and uninspired safe for Tomas Vanek -- who is making an early play for the Hart and Maurice Richard trophies.

But if we've learned anything from last year's Canadiens, one scorer or even one scoring line does not a team make.

And so after promising his mates pre-game he'd be better, Ryan Miller did his best to keep his team in the game by only surrendering one goal to Rene Bourque right at the end of the first period. Bourque nearly scored a few minutes back on almost the exact same play -- driving the net and deflecting the pass into the side of the net. Nice play. For a second he looked like Yvon Lambert, without the chest hair jutting out from his jersey.

Did you ever see Mike Cammellari drive the net like that? I tweeted this question to the official Calgary Flames twitter account last night. I didn't get a response.

Coach Therrien continues to keep his finger on the right button in getting the most out of Rene Bourque and he's been one of our most consistent players of this young season, scoring two goals in the Canadiens' 6-1 drubbing of the Sabres. David Desharnais and Lars Eller had big games too, D2 scoring twice and Eller scoring one along with two assists. The two Gallys also came to the party with Brendan Gallagher scoring the game winner and Alex Galchenyuk getting two assists.

But the Canadiens were in for a different test on Sunday afternoon with the well-rested Ottawa Senators in town and they grabbed the early lead on a nice top shelf shot by Jacob Silfverberg when he was sent in alone with a nifty pass by Patrick Wiercioch. Price had no chance.

The Habs special teams came to the rescue with David Desharnais and Erik Cole closing the scoring out in the first period to take the lead 2-1, though Cole's goal came just at the end of a power play. Desharnais' goal came off of a nice feed from Pacioretty who seems to be able to play no matter what is thrown at him. Just please Max, don't contract Hep C or anything!!

Then it was Carey Price the rest of way, turning back 32 of 33 shots and taking his record to 6-1. Carey Price, Vezina trophy winner sounds good. Though Carey Price, Conn Smythe trophy winner sounds even better! But I digress...

The Senators appeared to have tied the game early in the third but the goal was called off due to goaltender interference. It was pretty borderline in my opinion and according to Sean Gordon of the Globe and Mail Ottawa GM Bryan Murray was livid with the referee's call on that play. Well you win some, you lose some. Nice to see the Habs win some.

So the Canadiens are winning games all sorts of ways this year and don't seem to be counting on trends like having to score first or whatnot. The only trend that counts is winning, any and all ways.

Habs Nation is a very happy place right now and this sets up beautifully the BIGGEST GAME OF THE YOUNG SEASON so far against the hated Boston Bruins on Wednesday. Should be a good one.

Follow-moi on le twitter: @HabsFanLeafLand

Closing out the P.K. Subban Affair

Well P.K. Subban finally came back to his team with his tail somewhat between his legs. Now it's up for him to make good with his teammates and put words into action. And I think he will.

Throughout this process, there was a lot of emotion involved, some good some bad by fans and writers alike. Some were in favour of the Canadiens signing him to a longer term deal, which was reported that's what Subban wanted. He came out in the press to state he wanted his "fair value" and wasn't looking to break the bank. Using the press like that during a contract negotiation was a mistake by Subban, in my opinion.

That said from my viewpoint, making 5.75 million dollars (that's Canadian, folks) over two years sounds like breaking the bank to me. Especially for a young, talented rearguard who still has a lot to prove.

Coach Therrien spoke of being humble, having respect for the team, the fans and the opposition yesterday after Subban practiced with his teammates for the first time this season. Over the phone, Subban expressed his thanks to GM Bergevin, his father who has been a lifelong Habs fan, and even Andrei Markov. And that means no more "triple low-fives." Some liked that decision. Others felt it should've stayed in the room. Others thought Therrien was out of line. But those people are missing the point. Therrien's point is to respect the other teams and that this year, the team will celebrate wins by celebrating the fans at centre ice. Not particularly original, but the point is that it's about the team. It's about humility and maturity. It's about the logo on the jersey. Therrien even "scolded" team physician Dr. Mulder when he addressed the players in the locker room while standing on the Canadiens logo in the middle of the room, as seen on the series 24CH (more on this series in a future post). Players like that kind of thing by the way, and will only make the players that much closer to Therrien. So this year, no antics, even after a victory. Pay attention to what Subban's celebration is to his first goal scored. I'm absolutely sure it will be muted.

After the deal was made, the Canadien players were somewhat aloof, unwilling to discuss it. Markov wanted to talk about the upcoming games because that's what truly is important; Gorges wanted to talk about the team, and not one player in particular. Especially one that hasn't yet laced 'em up in game action this season. RDS reports that that will change as Subban is set to play against Buffalo in Montreal on Saturday.

I went on a blog radio show last Saturday saying that Subban should take his place on the team, take the two year "bridge deal" and earn his longer-term deal -- just like Carey Price and Max Pacioretty did. What kind of message would it have sent to the guys in the room if Bergevin signed Subban to a longer-term deal? The official reason was that the cap is going down next year and the team needs to watch the spend. But Bergevin is a former player. He know how it goes in the room.

It's about the team, not the player. If Patrick Roy or Jacques Plante can be traded; if Guy Lafleur can be pushed out -- then so can P.K. Subban. Pic: Brian Rotztein

Last weekend it was reported that Subban was returning home to talk it over with his family. And you know what needed to be discussed? It was most-likely this: you either take the two-year deal or sit out the season with the possibility of you being moved to any team around the league. That's what was at stake for Subban. And he made the right decision.

There's no winners or losers. But if you want to look at it that way, everyone won here. Bergevin signed Subban to the term he wanted; Subban gets to make millions and prove himself to his team and go for that longer-term deal for the team he rooted for as a child; and the fans get to root for their favourite rearguard. But you know I was keeping a total just for fun and the final tally was:

Bergevin 4 - Subban 2

Now I never called for trading Subban; nor did I ever state against his signing. All I want is what's best for the team. As does Bergevin. As does Therrien. As does Subban, so he says. But what I did say was that if it ultimately came to that, and Bergevin gets a deal that can better the Montreal Canadiens, then why not?

And by the way as I write this, RDS' Chantal Maccabee interviewed Subban in the warmup for the game against the Sabres and he said "help my team" twice. Now it's up to the player to turn words into action.

A few of you have asked about the "writer" who I had a bit of an encounter with in the Twitter-verse, who in my opinion was completely offside and unfortunately let his emotions get the better of him in regards to Subban. Without naming this person, for the record the "writer" does not contribute to the Montreal Gazette, newspapers or any other television affiliations. It begins with my response to the "writer's" tweet that trading P.K. Subban would be a 'disaster' for the Canadiens.

I didn't think his personal attack on me was justified. Here's the transcript. You can make your own conclusions. Please note that because it's twitter-speak, grammar and style are suited for that platform:

HabsFanLeafLand: disaster? Trading #roy that's a disaster. Hiring #houle as #habs GM that's a disaster. Trading#subban good if right deal

Writer: wrong.

HabsFanLeafLand: man as a GM you have to be open to every option team before player soooo wrong back, no matter the numbers

Writer: Trading players for attitude lead to this team being a joke for 10 years.

HabsFanLeafLand: no bad trades and bad drafting led#habs down that road and #Subban doesn't gel with the unit

Writer: Thats complete bullshit but have fun believing it.

HabsFanLeafLand: noneed for that I like #Subban but he's not bigger than the team and doesn't merit a better 2nd contract than #price

Writer: Except he does, and you're wrong. And confident in your ignorance.

HabsFanLeafLand: emotion is for the ice and not contract negotiations

All I can say is, I'm glad Marc Bergevin is the Canadiens' GM.

Follow me on Twitter for more of this fun! @HabsFanLeafLand

What'd I miss!? A lot, apparently...

GAMES NUMERO 4, 5 & 6 AND OTHER HABS STUFF

Wow! You go away for some fun in the sun for a few days and you can miss a lot in a lockout-shortened season.

For instance, I missed the Canadiens extending their winning streak to four before going down against the Senators in Ottawa in their first back to back of the season.

Buh-bye "triple low-five." The fans may like it, but you know what? The team lost a lot of games during the shelf-life of this celebration and it's time to leave it behind. 

It was universally stated by the media that the Canadiens lost the game in a four minute span in the second period where Ryan White took a bad unsportsmanlike penalty, put his team in the soup and the Sens scored three goals. It should be clearly noted that backup Peter Budaj was in nets for the Habs, while starter Craig Anderson was between the pipes for Ottawa. It's going to be that kind of year for Budaj but hopefully he can step it up when needed.

I missed a terrific performance by the two Gallys as they're now known, Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher against New Jersey last Sunday. Then head coach Michel Therrien announced after game four the two would stay with the team!!!!

Wow that's big -- big for the two youngsters and the team. Totally a major departure from the way the Canadiens have treated young talent in the past. A big deal was made of how Galchenyuk is the first eighteen year old to make the team like since Mathieu Schneider or Petr Svoboda or something. Nice. Well youngest to make the team since Guillaume Latendresse. But that's not saying much.

Youngsters are making their presence around the league with players staying with their squads. More on this after their true impact reveals itself after more games played.

The New Jersey game was supposed to be the first big test for this team. Well, they passed. Beating Marty Brodeur is always a bonus for this team because he plays so well in Montreal.

Then the Habs continued their winning ways against the Winnipeg Jets. They even came from behind in the third period. This team has character! Good! And the powerplay led by Andrei Markov has kept rolling along.

What else? Well my last tweet before heading down south was about Max Pacioretty who had an emergency appendectomy and would be out for roughly 3-4 weeks. That was Saturday. Today he went through a full practice with the team. This guy is unbelievable. Let's hope that's all for him in regards to the injuries but man the guy's healing and perseverance is inspiring.

And speaking of today's practice no way he's going to get his b@#!s  cracked by his teammates you know who made his first full appearance on the ice with his mates: P.K. Subban. This one is going to take a post of its own tomorrow. But let's just say I'm happy he took the two-year deal and I know the team and more importantly, the head coach, is going to break him in to the TEAM concept the Habs have been preaching this year. And so far, it's been working. The Habs are 4-2 without him, but are a better squad with this exciting, young rearguard.

Probably this means Tomas Kaberle will be the one to ride the pine or visit the press box. We'll see how it shakes down tomorrow afternoon against the Buffalo Sabres -- who had a nice win of their own last night against the Bruins in Boston.

Listen. Michel Therrien was on RDS' "L'Antichambre" all of last year and so it's quite well known what he thinks of Subban's showboating and style. Don't break the personality, but some things could be toned down, especially in the room. So it should be no surprise to anyone that today he came down on the "triple low-five" between Subban and Price after Habs wins. I don't mind it. This team is going to be "...more humble," in Therrien's words.

More on the PK signing and all that jazz in my next post.
Follow moi on Twitter: @HabsFanLeafLand

PS: Alex Kovalev scored the game winner for the Panthers against the Jets.

Gilmour Sighting and The Game

So one of our brethren Habs Fan in LeafLand sent me this story: last week he and his party were waiting for their table at a nice restaurant here in Toronto and the folks who were just leaving included one Dougie Gilmour. Yes that Doug Gilmour, the one who starred with the Flames and Leafs, before playing (somewhat admirably even if he bleeds blue and white) with the Habs.

As Gilmour is leaving, someone asks him: "Hey didn't you play for the Leafs?"

He smiles and utters some friendly thank yous through some burps...

Anonymous Habs Fan in LeafLand: "Wait! You also played for the Habs too!"

Gilmour: "Errr, yeah."

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Last night, yours truly went to the Leafs/Sabres game at the ACC with Riva. It was her first game here in Toronto. Actually she's never even been to ACC, not even for a concert. So I'm happy to report she had a great time and really appreciated the entertainment value that MLSE puts on for their overpaying customers.

Big shout out to Billy M. for supplying the tix.

And guess what? The Leafs, who hadn't won at home for the past 10 games, finally got a win -- with their AHL goalie to boot -- defeating the Sabres 4-3. Good game actually, because really for most of it the Leafs were dominated by a Buffalo team that had a lot riding on the 2 points; yet the Leafs were opportunistic and managed to eke it out.

Habs Fan in LeafLand at last night's game. The Leafs won their first home game since early February, beating the Sabres 4-3. Pic by Riva.

Up 3-1 entering the 3rd after scoring with .6 seconds on the clock to end the second period, the Leafs almost blew it. This one might really hurt the Sabres though since we know the Caps took 2 points from the Canadiens in Washington last night and Ottawa also won.

The Sens also won today, officially stamping their ticket to the postseason. 

The Leafs win was also important for the Habs to make sure Montreal finishes under the Leafs for the higher draft pick. It's looking more and more like the Habs will finish 3rd worst in the league, but they still have a chance at 2nd worst if Edmonton can win a few this week.

Speaking of which, good on the Canadiens to at least come back from a 2-0 deficit last night with goals from Erik Cole and Tommy Plekanec. I know Plekanec has had an off year, but he's still managed 16 goals -- and I gotta give the guy credit. He's had a clusterf@#k year playing with Cammellari and practically everyone else yet still finds ways to contribute. Hopefully he'll have a bounce back season next year playing with a healthy Brian Gionta.

Another shoot out loss. Wow. The Habs have 15 combined OT and shoot out losses this year. Something they definitely have to improve on next year.

This is the last week of the regular season folks. So we're out of the playoff dance, but take solace in the fact that it'll be a fun offseason :)

Top 5 Pick, Here We Come!!

Wasted!

No I'm not talking about me... well maybe a little bit. It's true. I'm wasted for having wasted my time watching last night's 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

What I mean is wasted (i.e. opportunity)... again! The Habs continue to waste any opportunities they have to crawl back into the playoff hunt.

Pricer had a solid outing for his team, but geez! Score some goals for the guy. Pic: Dario Ayala, The Gazette

Here they are, at home and fresh from the All-Star break. Everyone's happy and feeling good coming after 2 solid wins with the last being the 7-2 drubbing of the Red Wings. The team had an energetic practice, things were looking up. And then the game arrives...

What happened?

Well the Habs came out strong and took a 1-0 lead but then fell completely flat through the second period and gave up chance after chance until the Sabres were able to take the lead in the 3rd period and  never looked back.

Lack of intensity and desperation, Price says. Too many players playing from the sidelines.

But does this surprise anyone who's been following the team this year? You know what bothers me most? We're wasting terrific seasons from Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty. These guys have been great. MaxPac needs to work on his consistency but remember, just his first full year. Cole's signing was lambasted by many in the press and after a slow start, they looked right. But the guy has been pretty much Mnsr. Consistency from then on, and has also become the team's leader both on and off the ice. The guy tries hard. Where's that work effort from the rest of the team?

One of my fellow HabsFan in LeafLanders and I had a small agreement yesterday before the game: Habs win, they're going to make the playoffs. Habs lose, Habsnots!!!

My unfortunate yet precise prediction was that the Habs would indeed lose, just because each time this year they've had some momentum, then had a bit of a break, they've come out really flat to lose that next game. It's why they can't get on any sort of run. Everyone was saying after the Detroit win, too bad they had the All-Star break, just stalls their momentum. But you can't make excuses. Come on, the Sabres!? They're on a free-fall. They won only 1 of their last 8 away games for crying out loud. Tell you what. We're on a free-fall!!

But I don't think we need to blow up the team just because it finds itself in the bottom 5 of the league.

Good I say. But it is time for President Geoff Molson to enter the picture. Forget about the delusion of the playoffs. We can find our fun in watching the Leafs blow 4-1 leads like they did last night to the Pens and lose out on the playoffs by one point.

Yes Mr. Molson, you may just receive that letter I promised awhile back. Time to get things in order for the draft. That means letting Mr. Gauthier go and putting an able-bodied GM in his place.

Jeff Carter wants out of Columbus. Columbus wants out of the Jeff Carter contract. Let's take the chance and get rid of Gomez at the same time. Yah it's another silly contract -- but if you throw in that juicy number one pick this summer, it could be worth it.

Let's get that top 5 pick. The draft is going to be a good one, so why not? Even Director of Scouting Trevor Timmins probably wouldn't be able to botch that one up.

In the meantime, how about another trade? I got one for you: Let's swap a problem for a problem. Look we need to get rid of Scotty Gomez, right? Who by the way has a couple more kicks at the can before he can celebrate a full calendar year without scoring a goal. Columbus needs to get rid of party-boy and injury prone Jeff Carter, a guy who has offensive upside when he's engaged and healthy. So why not Gomez, Kaberle and Kostitsyn for Carter (who's currently hurt) and Columbus' 1st round pick in this summer's draft??? Which for all intent and purpose will either be 1 or 2.

Yes you heard me right, trade Kostitsyn. Look I love the guy, you all know that. But I don't want to see him leave for nothing. Carter's contract bites, but you know, it could be a gamble that pays off for the Habs, conditional on getting that 1st rounder.

Never happen you say? Just watch...

I deleted the "...me" above. Too Trudeau-esque.

Nailbiters Will Be the Norm

It's tough to win games when you're only scoring 2-3 goals a game.

But the Canadiens were able to pull out 2 wins doing just that, with subsequent OT winners first in Phoenix then in Nashville last night. The Habs finally ended their scoring futility against Predators goalie Pekka Rinne and got out of Nashville with 2 big points because of a nice wrister by Max Pacioretty in OT.

For the second game in a row the Habs had to battle through adversity with players coming back into the game after spending time in the dressing room, only to then come back and be difference players.

You da winning goalie!? You get the Subban low-five. Peter Budaj continues the tradition with P.K. after a solid 2-1 OT win last night in Nashville. (Photo: Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
 
In Phoenix it was Plekanec who took a bad a fall only to then ignite the Habs' offense, while last night P.K. Subban came back to the game after a big hit to then set up MaxPac for the game winner with some nifty puck control in the Nashville zone.

Once again, the Canadiens powerplay went 0-fer, but there was good puck movement and some nice opportunities so if the team continues this way it's only a matter of time it begins to break through with some regularity. Coach Martin has to be a bit concerned though especially with the fact that the team gave up another shorthanded goal last night.

Nailbiters will be the norm if the Canadiens can't score a bit more moving forward. It makes for exciting ends of games but I'd prefer a bit more cushion, thank you very much. In any case it's always positive for a team to win OT games.

Kudos also to the Habs defense for tightening things up for their goalies; Price was great in Phoenix and last night backup Peter Budaj was solid -- which has to be somewhat comforting for Coach Martin especially after Budaj's previous shaky performances.

And the return of Scott Gomez didn't seem to hurt at least. Played on the 4th line and powerplay, perhaps the Habs and Gomez are committed to make that move last. It's not a bad thing...if he can help the 4th line generate some speed and chances, it really makes them that much tougher to play against. Evolving to the 4th line is not the end of the world and it's something the Habs weren't able to do with Saku Koivu as his productivity started to slow. We just can't have a void on the first few lines like Gomez has been giving us. Meanwhile he was still a -1 last night.

Much needed wins help the Canadiens keep pace with their other rivals as things slowly begin to tighten up in the middle of the conference. Now back to playing 500 hockey, the Habs get the chance to build upon that when they play the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre on Monday night. A big game to keep things moving in the right direction and pick up a big 2 points on their division rivals.

The Sabres will be coming in hot and angry after they took a beating from the Bruins last night, highlighted by head goon Milan Lucic's hit on Buffalo goaltender Miller.

DESPERATION!!

DESPERATION!!! And I don't mean Habs Nation should be desperate. I'm talking about the way the Canadiens need to play to be successful.

Carey Price makes the save against the Avalanche's Milan Hejduk last night at the Bell Centre. Montreal lost the game in a shootout 6-5.

Off to a slow start last night and down 1-0 early on, the Canadiens ramped up their energies and began playing with desperation. And it started to show results.

For stretches last night, the Habs put a lot of pressure on Colorado and generated many scoring opportunities. There was desperation to their play and they were able to come back and take leads in various stages of the game, the last coming off of a two goal in 20 seconds spurt in the 3rd period to only give up the tying goal late while killing a penalty by Diaz.

So this is -- as they say -- a work in progress. There were a lot of encouraging signs for the team though. Cole, Gomez and Gionta ended their 0-fers. The Desharnais - Pacioretty - Kostitsyn line was great last night -- Pacioretty showed not only a scorer's touch but playmaking abilities as well on that sweet feed on Desharnais' goal -- which by the way was created only by the hustle and insanely good backhand pass of Andrei Kostitsyn.

Plekanec was... Plekanec. Too bad he hit the post in the shootout but dem's the breaks.

Price had an off night. He knows it and he'll be better. There's no doubt about that. But the defense does look a bit soft. Gill and Subban both had rough nights, Subban having his pocket picked in centre ice by Paul Stastny who then came in alone to slide the puck between Price's pads for Colorado's 4th goal of the game.

This team needs to play hungry, desperate hockey for 60 minutes until their defensive-end coverage finds its identity. It's also obvious for the time being that for the team to win, Price has to be practically lights-out game after game -- and he wasn't last night.

We're getting there. Last year we didn't start hard out of the gates either. And there's more optimistic news. Reports say that Andrei Markov will begin skating with the team next week. Let's hope he's not that far off from making his return. Not that we shouldn't put all our hopes onto his shoulders, but let's face it -- the Habs are a much, much better team with him in the lineup.

Next game is at home against the Buffalo Sabres -- the first real test of the season.

Play the System = Habs Win

Last night's 3-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils in Jersey last night was more of a morale booster than anything. But it also showed that the team took a step to evaluate themselves, and return to the kind of hockey that has proven to be successful for this team. Carey Price checks out what's behind him on Mattias Tedenby's penalty shot last night in New Jersey. The puck hit the post before touching Price's right pad to keep it out of the net. Photo by: Paul Bereswill, Getty Images. Jacques Martin's squad played a solid, 60 minute performance that wasn't fancy or spectacular. What it was was a team that decided to buy back into the system and do what it needs to do in order to be successful. It was a solid, much-needed win keeping the Habs in 6th place in the Eastern Conference, with 3 games to play. The Sabres lost in OT against the Caps, while the Rangers beat the Flyers in a SO this afternoon. So the Habs remain 2 points up on the Rangers, and 3 points up on the Sabres who have a game in hand. Mathieu Darche potted 2 goals, almost instant replays of eachother. He drove the net while Brian Gionta put the puck right on his stick allowing Darche to tip it past a helpless Martin Brodeur. Although the Devils weren't at their best, especially since they played the night before, Carey Price did what he had to do and only lost his shutout with less than 7 minutes left in the game. Darche provided a little of what has been missing on this team since Pacioretty went down to his injury: driving the net, using his speed, getting some important, but not necessarily pretty, goals. He's not MaxPac, but we need this kind of offensive push. P.K. Subban continued his fine rookie season with the 2nd goal of the game early in the 3rd period on the powerplay. And who was right in front of the net, but Andrei Kostitsyn. I don't know if this guy has grown up or finally realized what he needs to succeed, but he's been taking hits, giving hits and looking like one of our best all around forwards of late. Good for him. And the team only took one... that's right, one penalty during the game. In order for their offense to get in gear, the Habs need to stay out of the box and that's what they did last night. Hopefully their disciplined play continues. The turning point of the game came in the 1st period when Mattias Tedenby hit the post on a penalty shot while the score was still tied 0-0. If he scores there, game might have been very different. But luck was on the Habs side on this night. The Habs now return to Montreal for their last regular-season game against the Chicago Blackhawks. 2 points would almost certainly clinch their spot in the postseason. The team holds its fate in its own hands. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs continued their last season surge with a 4-2 win in Ottawa against the Senators. But unfortunately for them, they only gained 1 point on the teams they're chasing. And with the win, the Habs cannot be caught by the Leafs, so that's one less team to worry about. Good for the Leafs to hang in there. It doesn't look like the playoffs are a reality, but the team can certainly build on their play of late for next season. Ultimately though, the Leafs aren't as good as they have been playing of late, while they're not as bad as they were at the start of the season, especially with a good goalie backstopping them. I didn't like Ron Wilson's quote the other day saying "It doesn't matter who's in nets...the way we've been playing." Is he serious???? Give me a break. With an average defense at best, the team needs to rely on a good goalie who can save the day. Boy, I bet he wished he had started James Reimer in that game against Florida the other week. Those 2 points could have made a difference.