Pacioretty Bites Back

Ryder returns, Pacioretty scores two as Habs down Leafs in LeafLand 5-2

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What did that crime dog MacGruff used to say?

Take a bite outta crime!?

Well luckily there wasn't any biting going on, but there was a dose of revenge for the Canadiens as they marched in to Toronto and dominated the Leafs 5-2 at the ACC.

Max Pacioretty continued his tear of late with his first goal of two on the night helping the Habs to a 5-2 win against the Leafs in Toronto. AP

Newly acquired Michael Ryder was not a factor, but newly minted #11 was: Brendan Gallagher gave the veteran sniper his #73 and grabbed Captain Koivu's old number (which he wore with the Vancouver Giants), then proceeded to score the game winner on a nice deflection from a shot from the point.

One game with #11, one goal. I think it took Gomez over 80 games, right? Way to exorcise those demons kid.

The Leafs were up in arms as Tyler Bozak blew the faceoff for reasons that he thought the faceoff was going to be restarted. I say he gave up on the play, and David Desharnais did not.

The Canadiens dominated on the scoreboard and shots on goal; Max Pacioretty potted two and continues to  have the hot hand.

This game should have been out of reach earlier than the third period, but Leafs goalie Ben Scrivens made a few good saves, notably on Brendan Gallagher.

Carey Price didn't have to be great in this one, but I'm sure he would have liked to have back MacArthur's goal. Even if it was a nice passing play, he could have sucked that one up.

But he did excel on Mikhail Grabovski's penalty shot when the game was only 2-1 Habs; had Grabovski scored the game might have turned in another way.

Credit the Canadiens for being very disciplined and not getting pulled into the goonish play of the Leafs like the last time. Honestly now that I look at it, the Leafs look like the poor man's version of the Bruins. They want to play tough and with skill, but they're just goons with flashes of talent.

And I'm still not that sold on their goaltending, whoever is between the pipes. Scrivens was a bit soff on a few of the Habs tallies.

The Habs were a motivated team last night and have yet to lose in regulation since their 6-0 drubbing at the hands of these very same Leafs. It might have been all about getting "the two points" but this game proved my point in an earlier post that the Leafs made a big strategic error in embarrassing the Habs in Montreal a few weeks ago. They awoke the beast in the Habs -- now Montreal has something to play for against Toronto. The flame has been re-ignited for the Canadiens in this classic rivalry.

Well now that the Leafs had their rears handed to them in their barn, will they respond and go on a tear like the Canadiens responded after their drubbing??? I wouldn't bet on it.

No ifs and buts about it: the Canadiens are a much harder team to play against this season -- exactly what Coach Therrien wanted. They keep limiting their opposition to under 30 shots a game and are now starting to dominate in the faceoff circle. It's all in the little details. Winning, that is.

Habs have a tough weekend which could say a lot in where they stand in the conference next week. Back home to face the Penguins on Saturday, then off to Boston to play the Bruins on Sunday.

As always: SHOULD BE FUN!!!

You know that Twitter thing? Yeah, I'm on it: #HabsFanLeafLand

Habs Make Leafs Look Like Cup Contenders

Embarrassing performance by Canadiens at home against Leafs leaves team looking for answers

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Wha happen?

Huh?

Err... is this the Mongolian bar-b-q!?

Last night's game in Montreal against the Leafs -- was it one big "wake up and find Bobby in the shower" type dream!?

No. Unfortunately not.

But was it reality? Not entirely...

The Habs were looking to bounce back after two disappointing losses this week and maybe get some revenge for their opening night loss against the Leafs; instead they laid one very large egg in front of their hometown supporters, losing 6-0, their worst home loss since 1996.

Embarrassing is one way of looking at it. But it isn't the time just yet to push the panic button.

The Habs came out flat and lost faceoffs, puck battles -- you name it. And the Leafs to their credit came out with a lot of speed and pounced on Montreal's errors right off the bat.

Are the Habs that bad!? No sir.

Are the Leafs that good. Definitely not.

As always, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

In this lockout-shortened season, weird things are going to happen. Last night was definitely weird. The Canadiens couldn't establish any flow or net presence and made Leafs starter James Reimer look like Ken Dryden. Or maybe his brother Dave. Whatever, Reimer didn't have to work that hard to get his shutout, even if he stopped 20 shots in the second frame alone. He might have been tested five times all night.

Then the weird stuff happened in the third. The game was out of reach and Prust et al tried to at least send some messages for the next time. But when Colton Orr ran viciously towards Tomas Plekanec's knee, or when Mikhail Grabovski apparently bit Max Pacioretty's forearm in a scrum, things downright turned from the surreal to the nasty. Grabovski is set to have an NHL hearing Sunday afternoon.

But I'll tell you something. That was a major mistake by the Leafs moving forward against the Habs. You know why? Because the classic rivalry between the Habs/Leafs just hasn't been as strong from Montreal's perspective for a long time now. That's why for the last 10-15 years the Leafs seem to better the Canadiens, no matter how bad the buds are. They just get up for these games much more than the Canadiens, like they do for the Bruins.

But next time might be different. Next time the Habs have something to fight for, to get up for, to play for...

And that's all what Habs nation has right now after a loss like last night. Next time...

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24CH -- Entertaining but a bit soff

Like pretty much all of Habs nation I've seen the first two episodes of the HBO 24/7 type series 24CH which gives us an insider's view of the Montreal Canadiens like never before. This would've never happened under Pierre Gauthier's watch, that's for sure.

And it is entertaining, though a bit on the superficial side. Unlike the HBO series, the show doesn't seem to build on any storylines except that the Canadiens as a franchise are moving forward from last year's disaster. Maybe it's still a bit early, or maybe it's because it's only focused on one team, whereas the HBO had two teams to play off of. For me as in the HBO series it's the locker room stuff that I really enjoy. And probably the most evocative image -- for me at least -- was that of a Molson Centre staffer removing a picture of Scott Gomez from a wall.

The French version on RDS is also just a bit different than it's English counterpart on TSN, so I recommend watching both. Obviously the language of the players is English, so there's more footage of the players shown in the English version. And the music is different. The French version's soundtrack really was pretty cheesy. Glad to see they toned that down in the second installment which unfortunately only ran for a half hour. Doesn't seem long enough. In any case, 24CH is worth watching if you're a diehard Habs fan but as a show it doesn't bring as much of that sports documentary feel that HBO does so well. Maybe it needs Liev Schreiber narrating.

Follow me on Twitter: @HabsFanLeafLand

The Big Day... Well Sort Of

Intersquad game at Molson Centre; Scott Gomez Saga Continues; No News on P.K.; Who Will Win the Habs/Leafs Season Series??

Spirits and optimism runs high as the Canadiens continue their training camp. Today the big news was the return of Tomas Plekanec, whose status for the season opener on Saturday is still up in the air. But with his return we were provided a glimpse into what the starting forward lines might shake up to look like:

Cole - Desharnais - Pacioretty

Gionta - Plekanec - Galchenyuk

Moen - Eller - Bourque

Armstrong - White - Prust

Galchenyuk definitely looks like he's going to get his chance, at least for five games until a decision needs to be made. But the biggest surprise, according to what everyone is saying, is dman Jarred Tinordi. At 6"6, the power defender could be a cross between Craig Ludwig and Zdeno Chara. The coaching staff seems to be impressed with his progress. He may not make the squad, but he definitely could be a mid-season call up if the situation arises where his services are needed.

The Canadiens are trying to treat the intersquad game at the Molson Centre like a preseason game. So it should be good. It'll probably be a mob scene down there as entry is free. Enjoy it.

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The NHLPA and NHL have made some adjustments to the whole buyout clause as you may or may not heard. Funny how the two main characters in this saga, Wade Redden and Scott Gomez, are both in this situation due to the contracts they signed with Glen Sather and the New York Rangers.

Today both were placed on waivers. If they clear waivers as expected, both can then be bought out  before the puck drops on Saturday. That at least gives both players the chance to be picked up by another squad. The consensus is that the Canadiens did the right thing with Gomez, but I'm also happy that Gomez at least has the chance to get picked up and play this year. Even happier it'll be with another team. Maybe the Bruins!? :)

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No news from the P.K. Subban contract negotiations. Yahoo had a story on it today. My comment was that the Canadiens probably want to sign him to a two year deal -- like they did with Carey Price -- see how he matures, and then he can get his big deal. P.K.'s a big personality and it's no secret that he may have rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way inside the room. He needs to know his place and save his outgoing personality for the ice. Well I got three thumbs up in any case:

3Rate a Thumb UpRate a Thumb Down0

AriG  •  8 hours ago

If the Habs brass wanted to sign him to such a deal they would've before the lockout. They signed Price to a two year deal then gave him his term. That's what ideally they'd like to do with Subban, especially since he may rub some of his teammates the wrong way in the room. I think management would prefer to see how he matures over a couple of years rather than gamble on a longer-term contract.

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Who Will Win the Habs/Leafs Season Series??

The Habs play the Leafs five times this season... and no matter how bad they are, the Leafs always seem to play the Habs tough. I'm going to call it 3-2 in the Habs favour. What do you think?

GOMEZ TOLD TO STAY HOME

Scott Gomez Told to Stay Home; CBA Memo of Understanding Signed-Off; Training Camps Open; Classic Habs vs. Soviets '75

What was to be the big news Sunday was that the CBA Memo of Understanding was approved by the NHLPA and that training camps would officially begin -- but this morning Habs GM Marc Bergevin informed the media that veteran forward Scott Gomez was told to stay home and that he would be bought out this summer.

A surprise move to me at first given I felt the coaching and management staff would at least give the guy a chance. But with the P.K. Subban contract negotiations still not completed, it starts to make a lot of sense -- ultimately it's a cap decision. And after scrutinizing the new CBA, teams may not buyout an injured player and next year the salary cap will be going down -- so the team rightly doesn't want to take a chance.

The Canadiens have a lot of competition for the remaining spots on the roster and specifically for the third and fourth lines. On TVA the other night the pundits there debated as to what the starting roster will look like on January 19th when the Habs play the Leafs. With Lars Eller probably set to be the third line centreman, and Ryan White to probably pivot the fourth, Gomez becomes expendable.

Although injuries could change this very quickly, Gomez is still loose change. Petteri Nokelainen is injured but when he returns he could be a viable option for fourth line minutes. It also gives more creedence to the idea that Galchenyuk will get all the chances in the world to make this team.

Personally, I think Gomez cursed himself changing his number to "11" after he played with "91" during his first season with the Habs and put up very respectable numbers. That was Saku Koivu's number...

In the end, the Canadiens will pay his entire season's salary of over 5 million bucks, but next year after the buyout is completed his salary will be cleared from the team's cap space. Something kind of important when you are trying to sign one of your blue chip blueliners.

Bergevin was in Toronto yesterday to meet with Subban's agent Don Meehan and rumours have it that the latest offer was a four year/23 million deal -- which was summarily rejected. The goal was to have Subban signed in time for the start of training camp. Hopefully this will be resolved sooner than later as it'll only hurt the team and Subban's game-readiness if this drags on much longer.

As for Scotty G. his playing days with the Habs are now officially over. Bergevin mentioned in his presser that he took it like a professional. It's still possible he could be traded, but that would be a long shot at best. Let's wish him well.

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More news to come from Brossard from the Canadiens' training camp but for now we know that Nokelainen is still a few weeks away and now Tomas Plekanec is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

On a another note, it was also surprising to hear that Erik Cole is contemplating retirement at season's end and it was a bit astonishing to say the least that he would reveal this days before training camp was set to begin. Ultimately, it sounds as if he was very frustrated with the lockout and really enjoyed being home with his family. Hopefully he shakes it off and it doesn't affect his or the rest of the team's play. Thankfully the media has put it to rest and I will too...

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The other night RDS aired the classic New Year's eve '75 game between the Soviets and the Montreal Canadiens at the old Montreal Forum, who would go on to win their first of four straight Stanley Cups later that year.

Classic for sure. The byline goes that Ken Dryden didn't have the best game of his life, giving up three goals on thirteen shots, while Vladislav Tretiak shined with thirty-five of thirty-eight shots.

But man, what a team the Canadiens had!!!! Still gives me goose bumps: Steve Shutt, Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Guy Lafleur, Bob Gainey, Larry Robinson, Ken Dryden, Peter Mahovlich, Guy Lapointe, Jacques Lemaire -- and that's not even counting the likes of character players like Tremblay, Riseborough, Jarvis, Lambert and of course Coach Scotty Bowman!!!

Ahhh, a time when the Habs were da best and Montreal as a whole exuded a winning attitude. Even their singer of the national anthems, Roger Doucet, was the best.

How much would a team like this cost today?

No wonder the era of hockey dynasties is a thing of the past.

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WHY THE RADIO SILENCE? PART 3

HOW the HABS will SHAPE UP in 2013

I'd like to see an NHL where the Oilers and Habs are the top teams once again.

Good times.

Well according to some, half of that equation might come to see the light this year. Some are actually picking the Oilers to breakthrough in this lockout-shortened 2013 season. With three first round picks overall in a row, joined by Mr. Clutch Jordan Eberle and a host of other, young and promising talent, you never know.

And the Habs!? You just never know too...

This is going to be a bizaare, crapshoot of a season. So who's the say the Habs won't put it together right out of the gate? Quite a few players have a lot to prove.

Let's start with Captain Brian Gionta. He had a terrible season last year, riddled by injuries and so-so play. But he's a heart and soul guy, and I have no doubt his strong work ethic will be a shining example for the rest of the team. I'm not worried about him and expect good things from the guy.

Now let's go the other way. Scott Gomez. He's going to play in Hamilton, he's going to get bought out, he's going to get traded... anything but playing with the big club. But let me tell you something...

Randy Cunneyworth couldn't get through to Rene Bourque. Will it be any different with Michel Therrien?

The Habs are starting afresh and that gives Gomez the opportunity to reload, replenish, rebound, re-everything!! He'll be on the squad because the guy still is a good passer and maybe the lockout was a good thing for the guy, get away from it all and regroup. I'd like to see a more serious attitude from him instead of his loosey-goosey style of the past few years, but in the end he has to be himself. He's a good passer and could still be effective on the powerplay -- which couldn't get much worse than last year. 

But I can't see Scotty G. playing any higher than the third line. And with the new CBA, he can't get bought out until next year so... does he have it in him to have a bounce back year from his bounce back year!?

There's no doubt, the Canadiens will be a tougher, grittier team this year under the guidance of Coach Therrien. If the team buys into his system, the addition of Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong should give them some much needed toughness they've lacked for quite some time. Armstrong is another who has a lot to prove. He was on my list of players who was perenially hurt (like Rick-ety DiPietro) and is another of Brian Burke's mistakes as GM in Toronto (more on this below). But he had his best year with Therrien when they were both in Pittsburgh, and the guy grew up a Habs fan. So put up or shut up. I didn't like the signing at first, but given he's not taking up too much cap space, we have a lot to gain and little to lose.

Add a healthy Ryan White to the mix and we now have more than a few players who will drop the gloves and stand up for their teammates.

The team at least has a genuine first line. Max Pacioretty had the break out season we all knew he could have -- made that much more spectacular after the neck injury he suffered the year before. And he's only going to get better. 

Erik Cole was everything we could've asked for and ultimately will go down as Pierre Gauthier's best signing. He's big, powerful, a terrific skater and teammate and a leader on and off the ice. And David Desharnais? He's the straw that stirs the drink and he's also only going to get better.

Third overall pick Alex Galchenyuk will be the elite scorer for years to come. But probably not this year. I'd be surprised if they keep him with the big squad. But I'd like to be wrong. He had a good World Juniors tournament, but didn't put up points against the tough teams. And the Canadiens are chronic in taking their time with talent. But the new management might have other ideas. 

Maybe Lars Eller will continue to grow and take his game to the next level. He had a respectable year given everything that went on, put up some good numbers during the lockout playing in Finland and he's pretty solid defensively.

Travis Moen has a new contract and he's a great character guy who can chip in with some key goals.

Tomas Plekanec had a tough year too but he had to deal with the head case that was Michael Cammalleri in 2012. He's still our best two-way player and he also should be ready to go after playing in Europe during the lockout. 

Speaking of whiner boy Cammalleri, he took a puck off his face the other day and lost his front teeth. Karma baby! And the guy we got in that trade, Rene Bourque, just didn't look comfortable last year. To me, I think he was shell shocked by the trade and came in to an already tough situation. So now that he's had the time to digest it all, the guy could be a big surprise. He's huge and if he uses his size to his advantage and goes to the dirty areas -- with consistency -- he might be a welcome addition to the squad.

So as a team, we're a lot bigger up front. And that's a good thing. But what about the defense?

The Canadiens have a lot riding on young Alex Galchenyuk and hope he can be the big-time scorer the team hasn't had for years.

Well P.K. Subban is our most dynamic d-man and you know he'll be signed. Gorges is our most reliable. And Andrei Markov is as healthy as he's ever going to be. Now's the time for him to take back his elite status that he lost to injury the past three seasons. He's still got a lot left in the tank. The team is much, much better when he's in command of his game. He should have built up his confidence playing in the KHL so he should be ready to go.

We kind of have a bit of a glut on the backend and that's good. With Emelin set to build upon his strong second half of last year, Francis "the bull" Bouillon ready to make his triumphant return in Montreal, we also have Raffy Diaz, Yannick Weber and Kaberle in the mix. Jared Tinordi is playing well in the AHL and will eventually be a beast on the Molson Centre blue line, Frederick St. Denis proved last year he belongs in the NHL, and veteran blueliner Mike Commodore was invited to camp as well. So it's going to be a fight to the death to get that sixth d-spot. Personally, I like Diaz. He's a strong skater and seems a bit more at ease in tough situations than Weber. And Kaberle's effort just isn't consistent enough but he could help the powerplay.

A lot of "coulds" eh? Yep, a lot is up in the air.

One thing I do know for sure: CAREY PRICE IS THE MAN! He''s newly signed and locked in, newly married so his mind shouldn't roam dreaming of the finest Montreal has to offer and he's a year older and wiser. With him between the pipes, we always have a chance. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays 40-45 games this year. Sorry Budaj.

But how does it all stack up? If the Canadiens get off to a strong start, they could gain a lot of confidence as a unit, and surprise a lot of folks. They certainly weren't as bad as where they placed last year. But they're not quite ready to compete for the big prize. Too many "ifs" and "coulds". But you never know... the Kings proved that last year. It definitely hurts the team that there won't be any preseason games to test things out and allow some gelling to happen and for Therrien to implement his system. So the Habs squad of 2013 truly is a crapshoot. Put the puck in the net and get the most of their potential and they could go places. Stumble out of the gate and fall behind early and the golf season might start early.

But I'm going to take the optimistic route and predict that the Habs 2013 will make the playoffs and finish seventh in the conference. There's no way they're going to be any worse than last year and especially at home, where they were LAST in the league at home with 16 wins. That's not going to happen again.

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BURKIE GONE: UNDERSTANDABLE BUT WEIRD TIMING!

I like Brian Burke. He's a no-nonsense guy who speaks his mind and rolls to the beat of his own drum. And that's probably what got him the ax yesterday. We can only imagine how he rubbed the Leafs' new ownership consortium the wrong way. And he made a lot of bonehead moves. But what I didn't hear in the hockey media was that maybe ownership wanted to send a message to the team!? Maybe they want the players to think that nobody is safe and it's time to put up or shut up. And that's why he became the obvious choice to be the sacrificial lamb.

Burke is a quality hockey man and great for the community. And he had a tough go of it, losing his kid in a car accident and dealing with all the hoopla here in LeafLand. But some of his moves were questionable if not despicable in my view. Signing Ron Wilson to an extension, mid-season, when his teams never made the playoffs!? That was unacceptable. The team tanked after that. The Mike Komisarek contract? Ecch. Signing James Reimer after a good half of a season and anointing him as the starting goaltender? Big mistake. And the one he gets broiled on by everyone, the Phil Kessel trade. Kessel has performed and performed well. But he's an out of shape doughy little man coasting on his god-given talent and he ain't no leader. Burke gave up too much for him and worse, gave the bounty to the Bruins. For that, he probably deserved getting fired the way he did. 

Bergevin New GM, Gomez a Goner

The Canadiens are holding a press conference at 2pm today to introduce their new General Manager, Marc Bergevin.

Montrealer. Former player. Bilingual.

Seems to meet the baseline criteria.

Bergevin spent the past season as assistant GM in Chicago for the Blackhawks, working with GM Stan Bowman and obviously rubbing elbows with Scotty Bowman.

He's spent the last 7 seasons with the Hawks as a scout and as director of player personnel and we can trust he has an eye for talent, given Chicago's draft record of recent years (Toews, Kane, Keith). And he knows what it takes to win in the post-lockout NHL.

Bergevin spent 20 years as a defenseman in the NHL most notably with the Blackhawks, Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning.

All I can say is, good luck! You have much work ahead of you.

Pierre McGuire and Julien Brisebois were shortlisted but ultimately it's Bergevin who won the coveted position. Supposedly he's a bit of a hybrid between McGuire's encyclopedic player knowledge and Brisebois' number-crunching prowess.

Now, we find a coach...

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And probably Bergevin's first order of business? Buying out Scott Gomez. The underperforming pivot

This is the cap hit against the team if his contract is bought out:

2012-13: $3,523,810
2013-14: $4,523,810
2014-15: $1,666,667
2015-16: $1,666,667

Hard to imagine he'd report to the AHL team, so unless Bergevin could find a dance partner for a trade, this is the only option, barring he stays with the team to have another "bounce back" year.

Gomez is only 32.

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P.K. sidelined and back in Montreal. Unfortunately our young stud d-man hurt his knee and will now miss the entire World Championships. Reports say it's minor; Subban himself didn't seem too concerned when interviewed the other day, but hey, we have a recent track record of the team underselling the severity of knee injuries. Let's hope for the best.

Paging Dr. Recchi...Dr. Mark Recchi

Paging Dr. Recchi. Dr. Mark Recchi: This is great. I love it when telecasts have a sense of humour. And I also love the fact that this nickname is following the ex-Habs player into his retirement.

For sure, my anger towards Mark Recchi has diminished somewhat from last year after his completely offside comments about Max Paccioretty's injury -- something I'm sure (well I hope) he now regrets. After all, at the time he was coccooned within the warm and goonish confines of the Boston Bruins. Ultimately, I like you Mark Recchi. You were good player for the Canadiens and had an excellent, probably Hall of Fame-worthy career in the NHL, picking up three cups with three different teams. Nice.

Still this is terrific stuff and I'm sorry that this is how you may come to be remembered, but ultimately and I'm sure it's what makes it sting that much more... you only have yourself to blame.

Btw, will anyone ever break Dougie Jarvis' iron man record? I think not.

Enjoy this clip:



Scotty Gomez, say it ain't so: Rumour has it that Scott Gomez is already telling his posse that he does not expect to be in Montreal next year and that his contract will be bought out. But wait!? I thought this was to be your bounce-back year Gomer!? So much for that. Now he wants to go back to New Jersey. No shit. Nothing personal, but we can only hope it's true Scotty G.


Saint-Patrick signs deal to coach the Canadiens!? Beh non!! Yes now that the Habs are resigned to the fact that they will not be in this year's postseason dance, the rumour mill is beginning to pick up speed.

That means the weekly (soon to be daily) rumouring that Patrick Roy will be anointed the Montreal Canadiens' new head coach. Some say he's too hot-headed and unpredictable (namely, me) and others feel he might be a better fit in some sort of managerial role (obviously Pierre Gauthier wouldn't agree).

In fact, this rumour even stated that he's already signed a contract, which he quickly denied, but also didn't deny the fact that he'd be interested in the job if he was approached. Remember, this is a guy who turned down the head coaching job with the Avalanche a few years back. That takes guts.

In any case, I know there's a lot of folks out there who'd like to see this. I personally discussed the possibility with some when Martin looked done and indicated that I didn't think this year was right. That it wasn't a good situation for him to come into. That he deserved to start the year fresh, brand new slate and all.

So now given the options and the special requirements for this job, Patrick Roy could indeed be a terrific head coach for the Montreal Canadiens. He's a winner. He's a Habs alum. He's got passion up the wazzoo. He's perfectly bilingual. He's got a great head of hair. What more do you want?

Well Larry Robinson would be nice... if he were crazy enough to take this job. Think about how good he'd be with our young defense corps.

But seriously, though I still do believe Marc Crawford would be another good choice in this dossier (and he's also another hair boy) Roy knows the Montreal landscape and would not only be a crowd favourite, but a media darling as well. Us fans deserve it after the year we've been subjected to. There will be more on this, pho sho!!

L'arret incroyable!!! What a save!! Holy moly as a goalie I can really appreciate the skill involved to do this kind of thing. Sure flashing the leather always makes for good replays, but this truly is amazing. Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars just robbing the Coyotes' Oliver Ekman-Larsson in OT.

Funny enough, I just happened to catch this live. Originally I thought Ekman-Larsson missed the net or hit the post. Nope.



Stick tap to the dude behind the net wearing the old school Minnesota North Stars jersey. My fav of all-time (other than the Habs, of course).

And finally. I couldn't resist. Sorry Leaf fans:

Groundhog Day Habs Style

Yesterday was Groundhog Day. How fitting was that given the Canadiens did what they seem to be good at doing this year, over and over... and over? That is of course, losing a game where on 2 separate occasions they were up by 2 goals.


Punxsutawney Phil. This cute and well fed little critter saw his shadow yesterday. We saw the Habs's season go straight to the devil based on another repeat performance.

When will this stop? Certainly not this year. Yes, it's all about next year folks. I'm fine with it too. Sure I wanted to be bold and brash and be the first to predict a cup for our Canadiens this year, but hey, I'm not perfect. I'm the most American-Canadian you'll find. I sometimes shoot then ask questions. I like bourbon. And I don't like the winter...

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when he crawled out of his burrow yesterday. Isn't he cuddly? He certainly looks well fed. Anyhow that means six more weeks of winter!!! Which might be a good thing for the Habs, they need all the help they can get because their summers are fast approaching.

But as I've written previously, a top-five pick is terrific news, especially since this team isn't that far off. Yes, I really believe that. Hey, just because things don't seem to be working doesn't mean it's blow-up time. A car can be in perfect working order but if a tire is flat it won't go anywhere.

So that's that. On the bright side, Louis Leblanc was called up last night and had a good game. All in all it was a bit of a strange one though. Bourque's shot hit Desharnais off his head for the first goal. Puck stopped right on the line for Price on a Kovalchuk backhand in the first period and somehow stayed out. Elias hit Blunden from behind and got fined today $2500. Blunden will probably be out awhile. P.K. Subban just drilled and I mean pasted Larsson and sent him back to his childhood. Price let in a total stinker that even I could've saved. Then the refs decided they had enough and didn't want to go to OT, so they ignored a blatant hooking call when Cole tried to clear the puck out of his zone which led to Parise's game winner.

Well at least Ryan White and Travis Moen are about ready to come back to action. Don't expect Markov to play this year.

Ho hum, c'est la vie. And that's the season folks. So now... who should we pick in the 2012 draft with our top 5 pick? More on that to come.

NEXT GAME MARKS ONE FULL YEAR SINCE SCOTT GOMEZ SCORED A GOAL!!! Absolutely terrible and unacceptable...HE'S THE TEAM'S HIGHEST PAID PLAYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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.

A Familiar Refrain

Everyone all together now:

One-two-three, Habs take the lead.

Four-five-six, their opponents tie it late.

Seven-eight-nine, nothing in overtime.

Ten-eleven-twelve, Habs in shootout hell.

Scotty Gomez getting rubbed out along the boards. He's good at that.

Peter Budaj made the start in Pittsburgh last night and even with two separate two goal leads, the result was the same. The Penguins tied the game with less than 3 minutes left and we could all predict the final result from there.

I for one was hoping the team would press hard in the five minute OT period to do anything to avoid going to a shootout.

Another shorthanded goal allowed, another lead in a game the team should have won, another shootout loss. Another lost opportunity.

In a week of games where the Habs couldn't afford to end with less than four points out of a possible six, the Habs have one point in four as they prepare for their game against the Leafs here in Toronto tonight.

I'm not sure if I understand Coach Cunneyworth's shootout lineup which is seemingly adding to the problem. Just go with our strongest players: Pacioretty-Cole-Plekanec. Done. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Fine substitute with Desharnais or Kostitsyn, but don't deviate. We're going to win with our best players. The Canadiens just can't seem to score on the shootout. Desharnais made a nice move a la Mats Naslund but Fleury made the save. Kostitsyn broke his stick as he was about to shoot -- pretty much sums up the season so far. And Scott Gomez? A guy who hasn't scored in almost a year? He couldn't touch the twine. Websites are even popping up waiting to celebrate the anniversary of his last goal on February 5, 2011. Yippee! The countdown is on.

The Canadiens got goals from Lars Eller, Cole, Pacioretty and Kostitsyn on the powerplay. Earlier that day, I told two different people how I thought the Canadiens needed to station someone in the high slot on the powerplay -- a spot that was often manned by Andrei K. in the past. And where did he score his goal from? The high slot.

Coach Cunneyworth, call me. No excuses because you're in town -- it won't even be long-distance.

Start Weak Finish Strong?

Start weak finish strong? A metaphor for the Canadiens' 2011-2012 season?
Perhaps.

But it was exactly just that with last night's 4-3 shootout win in Carolina over the struggling Hurricanes.

Carey Price and his team started slow, fell behind early 2-0 but fought back to tie the game on two separate occasions to eventually win in a shootout.

A few positives from this game:
a) Nice to see the team come back from behind to win, especially in the third period;
b) The team finally won a shootout on Brian Gionta's goal (even if he was -3 on the night);
c) The team won a game when Carey Price didn't have his A-game;
d) Lars Eller scored a short-handed goal in the 2nd period which gave the team some momentum;
e) Scott Gomez injured!?

Travis Moen tips the puck past Cam Ward last night in Raleigh. Canadiens won the game 4-3 in a shootout.

Yes Gomez did not finish the game with a supposed lower-body injury...good or bad my friends!?

Minus Brian Gionta, who really misses the guy? He hasn't been an impact player at all for the Habs, and frankly takes up valuable playing time away from guys like Eller who was slowly coming into his own when Gomez was out previously.

One game out of 15 in Gomez's case is not good enough. We know that. Jacques Martin knows that. Pierre Gauthier must certainly know that. So why is he playing so much??

For the last few seasons the Habs have kind of limped into the playoffs. I wouldn't mind them getting on a roll late in the season for a change. Maybe this will be the year. After passing the quarter mark, the team is out of a playoff position, but only a few points back. So lots can happen.

And what are the positives thus far?

The emergence of Max Pacioretty as a Johnny Leclair type power-forward for the Canadiens.
The acquisition of Erik Cole, who has finally given the team power and speed on the wing and a net presence.
The ever-present, consistent play of Tomas Plekanec, our best all-around player and one of the NHL's most underrated players.
Josh Gorges regaining his previous form after a tough start -- proving he's the real deal and playing himself into a nice contract starting next season.
Travis Moen scoring more goals in 21 games than all of last season, with 7? Now that's a bonus. He must really want to stay with the Habs for next season.
The young defence play of Yannick Weber, Raphael Diaz and to a lesser extent Alexei Emelin, showing they can play and be effective on the backend in this league. Now you can add Frederic St. Denis to the mix.

And finally ...

Andrei Markov skating with the team... and set to make his return. Soooooon, we hope.

Phew.

There's plenty of room for improvement, including more consistency from Price; more production from Gionta and Cammelari; more production from the powerplay; and more consistency from Subban.

Tough game in Philly on Friday afternoon. Habs need to put together a winning streak to keep pace with the other teams in their division, especially if the Toronto Kesseleafs keep fluking off wins...

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.

Finishing Strong for an Even Stronger Start

Onwards and upwards for the Montreal Canadiens' 2011-2012 season.

Josh Gorges means business last night after taking on Ryan Malone in the third period last night in Quebec City. Habs won the game 5-1. Photo: REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger.

The Habs in Quebec City? Used to be quite the game when the Nords were still in town. Now backing the team from Montreal, Quebec City residents did their job pushing the Habs to their strongest outing of the preseason with a 5-1 romp in the rubber match against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

This is what we want to see all season: Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Erik Cole and Michael Cammalleri all scoring with a fluid Tomas Plekanec making plays; a solid Carey Price; a powerplay that creates momentum and a tight defense. Mathieu Darche chipped in the other tally for the Habs.

I thought Raphael Diaz had a good game and looked like he's ready to take a spot on the blue line. Campoli was also solid in his second outing as a Hab, but was taken out of the game after taking a shot to the head from reckless maniac Ryan Malone -- who must be having marital issues or something -- because the guy looked like a ticking time bomb ready to go off the entire game and he finally blew his lid in the third.

What I liked was that Hal Gill came to P.K.'s defense when Malone was about to start bashing on him, and Josh Gorges making Malone pay after the Campoli hit.

No doubt in my mind that Malone will get a suspension, given the precedents that Brendan Shanahan has set so far this preseason.

Is this our opening day lineup? The fourth line is still a bunch of question marks with Lars Eller, Travis Moen and Ryan White all recovering from injuries. Lars Eller has been cleared for contact but no word whether he'll lace 'em up for the opening night tilt here in Toronto against the Leafs. Last night it was Andreas Enqvist centering a line between Palushaj and Yannick Weber. And what about tough-guy Yemelin on the back end?

I actually like Weber up front and Palushaj showed a lot of energy last night. RDS' "Antichambre" crew roasted Enqvist after the game and it's true, he's not a big bruising type (he is Swedish after all) but the guy wins a lot of faceoffs and that will probably keep him in the lineup -- for the time being at least.

Mario Tremblay seems confident that Scotty Gomez will have a bounce-back season this year. So far he looks good and the pucks are going in for him. Time will tell but I can say after watching last night's game that he's definitely trying different things especially in going hard to the net so ultimately he's becoming less predictable -- which could make him a very dangerous player if he shoots when the opposition is expecting him to pass.

The Habs head up to Collingwood for a retreat and practice before their opening game here in Toronto. It all begins for real October 6.

Still a Work in Progress

Last night's game at the Bell Centre against the Tampa Bay Lightning was the closest thing so far to a regular season game in terms of lineup and flow and the one positive we can take away from last night's 4-0 loss is that it still is a preseason game and counts for nothing.

Scott Gomez watches as Tampa Bay goaltender Dwayne Roloson lunges for puck in Montreal last night. Photo: AP

Missed assignments, lack of finishing and a couple of other bounces leave the Habs looking for answers as we near the start of the season. I mean when you have a two-man power play for practically a full 2 minutes and fail to score, you know there's still work to do.

Peter Budaj got the start and was shaky right from the onset; probably the most astute and entertaining moment of the game came when RDS' colour man Marc Denis, standing next to Carey Price in between the two benches, commented that "... here's something you won't see very often this year -- Carey Price sitting next to me." True dat.

To his defense Budaj was screened on Stamkos' second goal in the first period by David Desharnais, who's probably still wondering why he was standing in front of his own goal on that play, but Budaj was as loose as a Vegas slot machine. Soft rebounds, swiss-cheese holey, bad execution. He'll take his spot next to Denis and probably won't look back from there. The Habs should have been down 3-0 if it weren't for a quick whistle on a Vincent Lecavallier slapper that dribbled through Budaj to roll into the net. On the other side Dwayne Roloson -- the only player left in the NHL born in the Sixties, was sucking those up with ease like a Dyson on dirt.

I guess there were a couple of positives from this game:

1) The Canadiens did have some good scoring chances, but just didn't bury them. That'll come;
2) Chris Campoli played in his first game as a Hab, and was solid;
3) Josh Gorges fell awkwardly on his repaired knee in the third period, but got up without issue.

Meanwhile Andrei Markov meets with his doctors today to find out where he's at. He's skating, just not with the team as yet. Get well Andrei, we need you.

Now the team heads to Quebec City to play the same Tampa squad to finish out the preseason. The Habs are 1-6 in the season that counts for nothing. It all begins in earnest in Toronto October 6.

ON ANOTHER NOTE:

MLB is heading towards its postseason and it is now apparent -- to me at least -- that the pendulum is starting to swing the other way for Boston sports teams. The Red Sox's epic collapse gives me hope that all the bad karma from the Bruins last year is slowly beginning to even out this year. Finger-pointing in Boston abounds and now reports indicate that former Expo Terry Francona is going to be fired as Red Sox head coach.

And to top if off, the Atlanta Braves (the team of the 90's -- phooey) also completed an epic collapse of their own, losing the wild card on the last game of the season to the St. Louis Cardinals.

I don't really hate the Red Sox like I do the Bruins, but dem Braves -- dem bums got what they deserved!!

When's that new stadium being built in Montreal, btw? :)

Max Scored 2?! Love it!!

Did I ever tell you about my theory about how preseason losses usually results in regular season wins? Well it's true. I don't have any hard figures to share with you, but it's just something I know to be true. Usually when the Habs shit the bed in the preseason, they have a strong regular season.

Let's hope this to be correct because the Habs lost their 3rd game in a row tonight in Ottawa against the rebuilding Senators. Carey Price et al fell behind 3-0 before Max Pacioretty scored two straight power play goals (nice Max, that first one must have felt amazing).

Well that's what this is for...work out the kinks, get back to the flow, find your rhythm. Scott Gomez returned to action and posted an assist on Max's first tally, along with Erik Cole. I like that. Keep it up boys.

Nathan Lawson, a pickup from the Islanders, came in to replace Price and got an assist on Max's 2nd goal. Boy, maybe this guy is after Price's job!? Shutout hockey, gets an assist. Reminds me of...well, me!! Just kidding. He's going down to the minors next week, like I certainly would -- as the water boy!!

SCRATCH THAT SHIT! SCOTT GOMEZ JUST SCORED WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE TO TIE THE GAME 3-3. ET LE BUT!!!! Way to go SG11. Now there's a man on a mission this year...watch out kids! Erik Cole and Weber with assists. Ahhhhhh. On to OT, but I don't care what happens now. This is possibly the worst fumbing in journalism since the 1948 US Presidential election where papers declared Dewey the winner. But I digress. I'm posting this before I change my mind. Game is now going to a shootout. Hope MaxPac scores the winner.

Serves me right to write posts before the game is in the books. A pleasant error to be sure. Hmm, Brock Trotter is -2 tonight. Not the way to make your case for the 13th forward...

In any case, the preseason continues tomorrow night with the Senators coming back to Montreal to play at the phone booth tomorrow night. Maybe they'll all go out to Chez Paree tonight :)

Wish I was there now...g'night.

NEXT TIME: I'M NOT THE ONLY HABS FAN IN LEAFLAND... and being from Montreal has nothing to do with it.

Goal!!!!

BREAKING NEWS: Sidney Crosby has been cleared to return to practice with the Pens!! No timetable as yet as to when we'll see him back in games. Good luck dude (unless you play the Habs in the playoffs). He shoots, he scores!! Been awhile since we've heard that to describe a the play of the Canadiens. Maybe it's more appropriate to say ... et le but! In any case, the Habs scored finally, almost a full 200 minutes after their last goal in Minnesota, defeating the golf course bound Atlanta Thrashers 3-1 last night in Montreal. A much needed win indeed. Roman Hamrlik was the one who finally broke the ice for the Habs, after the puck caromed off of the post a few times and he was able to tuck it into the open net. Phew! I was waiting for the ref to wave it off -- that's how bad it's been of late for the offensively-challenged Canadiens. And then wouldn't you know it, 11 seconds later, Gomez set up Darche for his 10th of the season to make it 2-0. Winning goal, it turns out. Funny game, eh? Canadiens played a solid if not somewhat nervous game -- totally understandable under the circumstances. Glad they got through it and picked up the valuable 2 points. The team is still in 6th, 2 points up on the Rangers who have a game in hand. But no time to rest... right back at it tonight against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, who kept their slim playoff chances alive with a 3-2 SO win against Washington. Other Notes: Brother Andrei Kostitsyn scored his 20th goal of the year last night into the empty net. 3rd time in his career he's reached the mark. When you think that Claude Giroux scored his 25th last night and everyone speaks so highly of him -- is Kostitsyn having such a bad year?? The answer is no. He's been hitting and taking hits a lot recently and seems to thrive outside of the bright limelight presented by the first two scoring lines. Way to go Andrei. I hope the Habs re-sign you. He scored quite a few game winners this year. Hal Gill high sticked. And then the Thrashers scored their lone goal on the play. The refs totally blew that call. But they had no choice to award the goal. Refs miss calls all the time -- just too bad the Thrashers scored on the play. Kudos to the Habs to not let that get to them. After all they still had a game to win. Leafs win, but gain nothing. The clock is ticking on the Buds' season. Todd Bertuzzi, nada. The NHL did not suspend Bertuzzi, no fine, nothing. I don't get it. He left his feet. He elbowed the guy to the head. It was pretty evident. Okay, his record has been cleared of the past (not sure I agree with this either), but at least give the guy 2 games to send a message to the players that hey, you hit the head -- whether accidentally or not -- you get suspended. Another dropped call on the NHL's part, in my opinion. Bill McCreary's last game in Montreal. The veteran referee is hanging 'em up at season's end. Not even working the playoffs. One of the best moustaches in the biz. Ending it where it all began for him, in Washington. He'll be missed, I guess :)

It All Comes Out in the Wash

What a way to forget about a bad game huh? Exactly what we and the team needed last night, with the Habs skating to a 5-1 victory over the newly hapless New Jersey Devils. The Devils!!!!

Pocketing 3 out of a possible 4 points over the last two games... hard to find anything wrong with that. Even Scott Gomez scored.

Our Montreal Canadiens seem to be quite resilient after a loss this year... which not only bodes well for the season, but for the playoffs as well (not losing 2 in a row in the playoffs is usually a very good thing).

It was great for the team to play a game right after the disappointing OT loss on Wednesday so they could skate it out and get back to their winning ways. It was also great that Martin Brodeur was in the stands for this one -- something that paid off within 11 seconds of the opening puck drop, when Brian Gionta jammed home the 1st goal of the game behind a seemingly surprised -- and un-ready -- Johan Hedberg.

A little over a minute later, Lars Eller showed some speed and swept in to tuck in a wraparound, and that was the end of Hedberg's night (after less than 2 minutes of play).

But let's not get too carried away with this one. Very happy to see Pyatt, Eller, Pouliot and Gomez score, but let's be honest. This New Jersey team is simply not very good, and they played even worse than that. They were listless last night, and one can only assume that Kovalchuk must be thinking "What have I done?"

Well what he's done is weigh down the Devils with salary cap issues for years, while bringing his negative energy to the team. But the real loser is Lou Lamoriello, who for possibly the first time in his successful hockey career, made a bad move. The "Sam Pollack" of his generation, he's now stuck with Kovalchuk. And Kovalchuk could have been in L.A. with the sunshine, the girls and probably, more goals! He has 4 goals on the year! Something smells very bad in Newark (well there's always a bad smell there, but you know what I mean).

Speaking of a bad smell, Dany Heatley and his San Jose Sharks come to Montreal on Saturday for a rare matinee outing. I've never liked Heatley and was glad to see the Ottawa fans tear into him last night. Well done Dany.

Hopefully the 60 minute version of the Habs shows up tomorrow and not the Minute Rice version. Puck drop is at 2pm.