Habs Drop A Heartbreaker-Caps 4, Habs 3 (SO)

The Montreal Canadiens blew a late lead and eventually lost in a shootout to the Washington Capitals 4-3. With the Habs up a goal late in the 3rd, Paul Mara was whistled for the usual Habs late penalty (questionable call, battling with a Cap in front...both or neither could have been called) with 16 seconds to go. The Caps took advantage of the 6 on 4 and tied the game and then won in a shootout. The Habs spotted the Caps a 2 goal 1st period lead before storming back and finally taking the lead just over 5 minutes into the 3rd. Jaro Spacek, Tomas Plekanec and Travis Moen scored for the Canadiens in regulation. Caps goalie Semyon Varlamov stopped all 3 Habs shooters in the shootout with Price allowing a single goal. Price ended the night with 20 saves, including a couple of beauties on Ovechkin, while Varlamov stopped 21 shots. The Canadiens played a solid defensive game until the last minute when all hell broke loose leading to the tieing goal. Spacek returned to the linuep and Leach played forward due to injuries. The Habs PP went 2 for 3, while the Caps went 1/3. Some other thoughts:

>Spacek and Hamrlik drew the task of playing against Ovechkin. Both rearguards had 2 point nights. Ovie had a goal and several good chances but that's to be expected.

>Bergeron was roasted on a 1 on 1 with Ovie and struggled again with giveaways. Overall the defence as a whole played pretty well, limiting the Caps to just 23 shots.

>Props to Ryan White for a huge shot block late in the game. Him and Pyatt appear to have earned a regular spot. Lil Tits was impressive playing with Pleks and Cammi. Chips was barely on the ice again, yet playing on the 2nd unit PP.....I'm confused.

Overall a pretty good effort against a tough Caps team considering the list of wounded players. It hurts to lose a game after giving up a late goal, but the team showed a lot of heart again to battle back from 2 down. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Jaroslav Spacek. He had a Goal and an assist as well as several strong defensive plays (we'll forgive you for the cough up leading to the Ovechkin breakaway). Consideration also given to Pacs and White. Next action is Tuesday against the Laffs. Rumor has it Komisarek might return from injury....we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Short Staffed Habs Come Up Short-Pens 3, Habs 1

The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins took advantage of a injury plagued Habs team enroute to a 3-1 victory. The Canadiens played the night before in Montreal and lost yet another player to injury, this time Andrei Kostitsyn, making the lineup even thinner for tonights game than it was before. Despite a good effort, Montreal couldn't put away some excellent scoring chances which could have made it a different game. Max Pacioretty scored the only Canadiens goal mid way through the 3rd to cut the Pens lead to 3-1. Carey Price made 27 saves while Pens goalie Marc Andre Fleury stopped 18 shots. David Desharnais took Big Tit's spot playing his first NHL game. Sergei Kostitsyn was reported to have a sprained ankle and would be scratched, but played anyway. The Canadiens went 0/1 on the PP and killed both Pens chances. Some other observations from the game tonight:

>I really like Roman Hamrlik, but he had a pretty bad game tonight. Several giveaways, including 1 that led to the first Pens goal.

>The injury to Big Tits forced some line juggling for most of the night. The Pens did a good job on Pleks and Cammi (and whoever they were out with that shift).

>Not sure what Martin was thinking putting Wyman, Desharnais, Bergeron and Leach on the ice a couple of times together. This led to chaos. Chips again was the low man on the totem pole when it came to ice time...not sure why that is.

A loss, but nothing to hang their heads about. Back to back games ending with the Penguins in Pittsburgh would be tough for any team, especially one with so many injuries. The list of wounded now includes Markov, Gomez, Spacek, Gionta, Gill, D'Agostini, Pouliot and A. Kost. Hopefully some of those guys will be back soon. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Travis Moen. Moen was great again tonight, hitting guys and blocking shots. Shout out to Pacs and Metro for strong efforts as well. Another tough test next when the Caps come to Montreal on Saturday.

Sorry To Disapoint You TSN-Habs 5, Jackets 3

Listening to Pierre Maguire and Gord Miller it was doom and gloom. The highly skilled Columbus Blue Jackets were schooling the Montreal Canadiens. There was nothing the Habs could do to stop them. It was like men versus boys. Who cares about injuries, no one could stop Rick Nash. 3 out of the top 7 d-men out, 2 of the top 4 forwards, no excuse, the Habs would have needed 10 guys on the ice to stop the Jackets on this night. And then the tide turned. The injury riddelled, resiliant, gutsy Montreal Canadiens pulled out a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Marc Andre Bergeron scored twice, while Mike Cammalleri, Glen Metropolit and Max Lapierre added singles. The Canadiens trailed 3-2 heading into the 3rd, but exploded for 3 goals and gave Carey Price some goal support. Price was great again making 33 saves, while former Hab Mathieu Garon stopped 24. The Jackets scored twice on 4 PP's and while the Habs went 0 for 3. The turning point may have come with the game tied in the 2nd. Rick Nash pasted Travis Moen from behind, yet because he's Rick Nash there was no penalty on the play. Moen then jumped up and "tried" to deliver a shot to Nash's head, only to completely miss....yet get a penatly leading to the Jackets 3rd goal. After that it was all Habs. Some other thoughts from a solid win:

>Sergei Kostitsyn...Lil Tits....played his first game and looked good picking up an assist. J.T. Wyman played his first NHL game, but only played 4:21. Chips looks to be on his last legs with the Habs, playing only 3:53.

>Spacek is on the shelf so Leach drew back in on defence. Bergeron played over 20 minutes and was good in all areas. Mara left late in the 3rd after getting hit with a puck in the face.

>Ryan White came close to getting his first NHL goal but missed the net (only to centre it to Bergeron for goal #4). Pacs had a couple of assists, as did Pleks who continues to roll.

I can hear in his voice how bad it hurts Maguire when the Habs win, and I take joy in it. A great effort by a severely undermanned team. Not too many passengers tonight. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to a guy who stepped in beautifully after the injury to Spacek. Marc Andre Bergeron picked up 2 goals and was great in his own end. Smart passes, good work in the corners, he really did it all. Honorable mentions go to Price and Lapierre. Next up, tomorrow night on the road against the Pens. Should be another tough test.

Latendresse and Pouliot Swap Uniforms

The Montreal Canadiens traded forward Guillaume Latendresse to the Minnesota Wild today for forward Benoit Pouliot. This brings an end to Latenresse's much scrutinized time with the Habs. In 232 games over 3 plus seasons with the Canadiens Lats scored 48 goals and added 37 assists along with 137 PIM's. He was a 2nd round selection of the Habs in 2005 and made the jump to the NHL in 2006. His spot of the Habs was constantly debated as many felt he was rushed in because he was French. Lats has never played a game in the AHL. He came to camp in 2006 and won over fans and coaches with his punishing hits and ability to finish around the net. It looked like the Habs finally had a true power forward. But his development slowed in his second year and many wondered if time in the AHL would be a worthwhile option. During his 3rd season he teamed with Maxime Lapierre on the 3rd line to be 2 of the clubs better players for most of the year. His play this season had disappointed many, scoring twice and adding an assist in 23 games.

In Pouliot the Canadiens get a player that was drafted 1 spot before Carey Price in the 2005 draft at 4th overall, but has struggled to earn a regular spot at the NHL level. He has played just 65 career NHL games and has scored 9 goals along with assisting on 9 others. He also has 30 career PIM's. Pouliot is currently injured with a wrist problem. A classic underachiever that I hope will find new life in Montreal. The Canadiens also announced that forward Sergei Kostitsyn aka "sir quits a lot" has been recalled from Hamilton.

So what do I think about this trade...hmmmm. I'm not going to lie, I was very critical of Lats when he first came up with the Habs. I think he was rushed, but had a great camp and the snowball started rolling. I think there were several times in his second year he could and should have been sent to Hamilton, but what's done is done. In year 3 I really started to like his game. Other than the fact he was a 3rd liner after most projected he would be a first line power forward, he was pretty impressive. Very tough to knock off the puck, threw some big hits and had a decent touch around the net. But this year he seemed to be in Martin's doghouse from the start and never got out. He just never really got on track. I would love to say I think Pouliot will reach the massive potential he once had, but that seems unlikely. If he couldn't crack the offensive starved Minnesota Wild lineup on a regular basis can he make an impact with the Habs? I guess time will tell, but at this point I think I am going to miss Lats. Here's hoping the gifted Pouliot can finally live up to his hype.

Extra Time Streak Finally Ends-Wings 3, Habs 2 (SO)

Well I think this weekend can be considered a success. The Montreal Canadiens overcame a 2 goal deficit after 2 periods, only to end up on the short end of a 3-2 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Mike Cammalleri scored both 3rd period goals after a penalty filled 1st period ended with the Wings up by a pair. The Canadiens took 6 first period penalties, including 3 at one time for Gorges Laraque after an accidental high stick followed by a dangerous knee, which could have easily been a 5 minute major. The Wings enjoyed 2 long 5 on 3's and converted on 1 as well as on 1 of the Laraque minors. The Habs refused to give up though after a scoreless second. Cammi potted his first just 9 seconds into the 3rd, followed by the tieing goal at the 8:45 mark. Lack of power plays continue to be a frustrating trend as the Wings were only whistled for 1 minor penalty the whole game. The refs missed a highstick on Laraque in the 2nd which would have been a 4 minute penalty (although after his 1st period penalties I have no idea why BGL was on the ice at all). Carey Price was solid again making 32 saves(14 in the first), while Jimmy Howard made 16 saves for the Wings. Some additional thoughts from another exciting game:

>Cammi moved onto a line with Pleks and Big Tits for the 3rd after starting with Moen & Metro and that move led to both goals. Big Tits had a pair of assists, including a beautiful goal mouth feed on the tieing goal.

>With Gomez out, Chips took his spot and saw limited ice time on a line with Lats and Laraque. White and Pyatt continued to impress. Pacs also had a very good game.

>With the Wings sending guys like Datsyuk and Zetterberg in the shootout, victory was going to be tough. Add to that 2 of the 3 regular Habs shooters are hurt (I got a little concerned when I saw Pleks was a career 1/10 in the shootout), and the result was expected.

Very good weekend by the blue, blanc et rouge....although they were just blue et blanc tonight sporting vintage jerseys. 2 very tough teams and 3 out of 4 points. The team should be proud of themselves for hanging with 2 of the better teams in the league. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Mike Cammalleri. This guy is a scorer and a great signing by Mr. Gainey. Shout out to A. Kostitsyn and Pacs for solid efforts as well. Another set of back to back games starting Tuesday against the Blue Jackets.

Very Impressive Win On The Road-Habs 3, Caps 2

I'm not sure how many people actually gave the Habs a chance to win tonight, but they did. The Canadiens held off the high flying Washington Capitals and came away with a 3-2 victory. Carey Price was great again in net making 32 saves including several in a frantic last 2 minutes when the Caps had a late power play and eventually a 6 on 4 advantage. The Caps got within a goal with under 3 minutes to go to set up the wild finish. Roman Hamrlik and Jaro Spacek did a great job on Alex Ovechkin holding him off the scoresheet. Travis Moen, Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri scored for the Habs, with Pleks and Cammi both having 2 point nights. Scott Gomez left the game in the 3rd with an undisclosed injury and Ryan O'Byrne returned from injury sending Jay Leach to the press box. Michal Neuvirth got the call for the Caps in goal and made 19 saves. The penalty kill was great tonight, killing all 3 Caps chances while the PP went 1 for 2. Some other observations from a very good road win over a very good team:

>As noted above, Hamrlik and Spacek were great against Ovie. Hammer also added an assist. Mara and Gorges also saw some time against #8 and performed well. Bergeron needs to stop passing the puck in front of his own net.

>Pleks, Bit Tits and Pacs saw a lot of the Caps big line as well. They created numerous scoring chances, including Pacs missing an open net on a 2 on 1 along with the Canadiens goal #2.

>Lats and Lappy didn't have their best nights. Both took penalties (although Lats ended up being evened up) which won't get them out of Martin's doghouse. Laraque returned to the lineup and got in a fight (sort of).

Big win tonight for the Canadiens. Of course they couldn't hold a 2 goal lead and took a late penalty to really make things interesting, but I like excitement. The Caps are regarded as a Stanley Cup contender and an even tougher team to beat at home. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight was a tough one. My choice is Travis Moen, who had a goal but also some big hits, blocked shots, and great penalty killing. Honorable mentions go to Spacek and Price. Another tough test next as the Wings invade the Bell Centre Saturday night.

Habs Pull Off Late Comeback-Habs 3, Canes 2 (SO)

Now that was exciting. The Canadiens scored with under 3 minutes to play in the 3rd and came away with a 3-2 shootout win over another injury plagued team, the Carolina Hurricanes. Andrei Kostitsyn beat Manny Legace with a shot from behind the goal line to send the game to extra time. This came after the Habs killed off 2 penalties in the last 10:30 and then had to kill another for the final 1:59 of overtime. Max Pacioretty had the other Canadiens goal and Max Lapierre scored the lone goal in the shootout for either side after 5 team mates missed before him. Carey Price made 30 saves along with 6 more in the shootout. Leighton and Legace combined for 33 saves for the Canes. After jumping out to 1-0 lead after the 1st, 2 mistakes in the 2nd cost the Habs a pair of goals and the lead, despite holding a 16-6 shot advantage in the period. The crowd at the Bell Centre booed for parts of the 2nd and 3rd but were electric in overtime and the shootout. Montreal played without Brian Gionta for a second straight game as he awaits the results of an MRI. Some other thoughts:

>The line juggling continued with Metro playing on the big line. That line was mostly ineffective tonight.

>Pleks, Pacs and Big Tits formed the second line and all 3 played well (and produced both goals). Lappy, Lats and Moen made up the 3rd line with Pyatt, White and Stewart on the 4th unit.

>Again, a couple of mistakes cost the Habs both goals, a bad giveaway by Spacek on goal 2 and a bad pinch by Gorges on goal 1. Mara and Spacek were both particuarly bad tonight.

>The PP struggled going 0/3. With Gionta out, I think Martin should try Gomez with Pleks and Cammi...but what do I know. The PK was great killing all 4 chances including the 4 on 3 to send the game to the shootout.

In closing I will say it was a good character building comeback win. The Canes are in the basement of the league so a loss would have probably caused a riot in Montreal. Sounds like O'Byrne may be back on the weekend tough back to back Caps/Wings games. I gotta give the Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight to Andrei Kostitsyn. He was dangerous all night and it looks like he actually has a bit of confidence. Honorable mentions go to Lats and Pleks, who had a pair of assists. The Caps in Washington will be a tough one Friday.

Quarterly Report

So here we are, 20 games into the season. I think some fans are surprised the Habs are doing this well after losing MVP Andrei Markov (and looking back at the teams record in previous years without him). But at 9-11, this season has been far from perfect.

The Good-Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri have been very good, combining for 16 goals and 29 points. Both know how to put the puck in the net. Tomas Plekanec has been arguably the teams top player, regaining his form from 2 years ago. Roman Hamrlik has seemed to put last season behind him and has been solid on the back end. Glen Metropolit has been great on the 3rd line, averaging close to a point a game, earning him PP time. Travis Moen has been all we hoped for....a bruising winger and has even chipped in with some offence. The goaltending duo of Price and Halak has given the team a chance to win most games. 4 on 4 the team has been deadly with the team going 5-0 in overtime and outscoring opponents 5-1 overall with 4 aside. The Habs are also 2-0 in shootouts.

The Bad-Secondary scoring has been non existent. Let's put it this way, last year Latendresse, Lapierre, A. Kostitsyn, Max Pacs, and D'Agostini combine for 67 goals last season. This year those same 5 players have lit the lamp 6 times. The power play has struggled badly without QB Markov, ranked 23rd in the league. The PK has been better as of late, but still only ranked 18th. Defensive zone coverage has been awful for the most part (forwards and defensmen), although when you have used 12 different players on defence, that's bound to be a weakness. The inability to get the puck out of the defensive end has also been a big concern. It seems rather than make the safe chip out, too many players and throwing it back to a teammate, and chaos ensues. The Habs have also taken WAY to many minor penalties, trailing only the Canes with 105 through 20 games. Overall, the Canadiens have had 64 PP's and been short handed 88 times.

Now the players report card. I based my ratings on not only play, but expectations.

Forwards

Gomez-B>Hasn't played bad, but $7+ million cap hit needs to have more than 11 points.

Gionta-A>Possible captain, 8 goals and continues to prove size doesn't matter.

Cammalleri-A>Pure scorer, worth every penny so far.

Plekanec-A+>Great in all areas, despite having a bunch of different linemates.

A. Kost-D+>Seems lost without his Russian friends. Previous seasons of 26 and 23 goals, but only 1 so far.

Max Pacs-B->Has played very well on the 3rd line, but most fans hope he is a top line power forward.

Moen-A>Grit, grit, grit. Great on the PK and has chipped in with 4 goals.

Metro-A+>Chance he would be the odd man out, has earned PP time and has 10 points while playing great 2 way game.

D'Agostini-C>Out with a concussion, has only played 11 games, but has just 1 goal & 1 point.

Latendresse-C->Still playing physical, but not scoring.

Lapierre-C->One of the Habs top players a year ago, has been mostly ineffective this year.

Chipchura-C+>Started on the IR, but returned only to have his spot grabbed by Pyatt.

White-B>4 games in, is a responsible player with some grit.

Pyatt-B>Gomez deal "throw in" hasn't looked at all out of place through 4 games.

Laraque-D>Injured again, who would have thought. 8 games and only 1 fight.

Stewart-D>Disasterous start, has taken bad penalties and made costly errors in his own zone.

Defence (I have not included Markov)

Hamrlik-A->Back to his old form. Steady and playing big minutes with Markov out.

Spacek-B->With only 6 points, more offence is needed, but he has been forced to log big minutes as well.

Gorges-B>Pretty steady again this year, but play has dropped a little from last season.

Mara-B+>Big body, works the 2nd unit PP and has been above average overall.

Gill-C->Has taken too many penalties and made too many mistakes. Still hasn't played as bad as Komisarek!

O'Byrne-B+>Played great in the little action he saw.

Bergeron-C->Has added offence with 6 points, but is a liability in his own end.

Leach-C+>Waiver pick up plays a simple game. Doesn't look out of place.

Carle-C+>Struggled in game 1, but was good the other 2.

Belle-C+>Good skater, strong on the boards. Was decent in his 2 games.

Goalies

Price-B+>Has stolen a few games and had some bad luck on others. Appears to be closer to 2 seasons ago's form than last years.

Halak-A->Has got some better goal support than Price and has given the team a chance to win in most of his starts. Record is 5-3.

No Title Will Do That Beating Justice-Preds 2, Habs 0

I often wondered what it would be like to see 1 team out hustle, out muscle and out think another team for a whole game at the NHL level. Tonight was probably the closest I will come to seeing that. The Nashville Predators dominated from the opening faceoff and came away with a 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens. If this was the Penguins or the Wings or the Sharks, you can see them getting outplayed by a top team. But the Preds, wow, just wow. I am usually a pretty positive guy about my Habs, hence the name of the blog. I can take mistakes, those happen. But when a team shows no effort, no hustle and no fight for a whole game, that is unacceptable. I would say every Predator outworked every Hab tonight, with the exception of the goalie. The rest of his teammates should be buying Carey Price drinks and giving him back rubs all the way home for putting him through that massacre. Price was unreal, stopping 53 shots, including 23 of 24 in the 1st alone. Pekka Rinne made 20 saves, and I can't believe the Canadiens got that many shots. The Habs were only down by a goal until the Preds capitalized on a 5 on 3 with just over 7 minutes to go in the game. Brian Gionta did not play, meaning Lats was back in after being announced as a healthy scratch. Some other thoughts before I go pour a stiff drink:

>Without Gionta, Ryan White played with Gomez and Cammalleri. Listen Martin, White is a 3rd line player, put a guy with a little more skill on the big line for the love of god (nothing against White, but he was a little behind the play with those 2).

>The defence turned the puck over many, many, many times. Gorges had probably his worst game I have ever seen and Spacek wasn't much better.

>The whole team got beat to pretty much every puck. The rare instances when they were able to get it out of the defensive zone, it was usually turned over in the neutral zone instead.

So that is that. Probably the worst game I have seen my Canadiens play in....well.....it might be ever. Other than Price, there were no bright spots in white jerseys tonight. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Carey Price. Not much more to say, he stopped breakaways, 2 on 1's, point blank chances...you name it. No real honorable mentions but I feel obligated to give them out since I have in every blog up until this time. So I will say Moen and Mara weren't as bad as the rest. Next up, the Canes on Tuesday. Things can't go any worse than they did tonight....right......right?!?!?

Canadiens Get Back On Track In The Desert-Habs 4, Coyotes 2

The Montreal Canadiens got back in the win column with a 4-2 victory over the Hami....I mean Phoenix Coyotes. After a quiet first 2 periods with both teams combining for a total of 22 shots, the Habs broke a 1-1 tie with 2 goals in a 1:02 early in the 3rd. The Yotes got one back mid way through the 3rd before the Canadiens iced it with an empty net goal. Mike Cammalleri, M-A Bergeron, Glen Metropolit and Brian Gionta scored for the good guys. Tomas Plekanec and Bergeron both had 3 point nights. Former Hab and all around nice guy Robert Lang scored the Coyotes first goal after Paul Mara accidently speared Carey Price in the neck.....at which time I thought....here we go again. Price ended up with 18 saves, while Ilja Bryzgalov stopped 16. The Habs PP was on fire going 2 for 2 and the PK was also perfect killing all 4 Yotes chances. Jaroslav Spacek was injured and did not play the 3rd. Some other thoughts before hitting the hay:

>Tom Pyatt was the latest player to audition on the 2nd line with Pleks and Big Tits. He wasn't bad, but I don't think he is much of an offensive guy.

>Lappy and Lats played with White. That line was on for the Coytoes 2nd goal and didn't see the ice in the 3rd. Lats had one of his better games in the last little while.

>The defence was pretty stingy. With Spacek hurt, Bergeron and Leach both played more than usual, which was kind of scary when trying to protect a lead. Hamrlik and Mara both played 24 minutes +.

>Price was pretty good in net. Didn't have much of a chance on either of the goals, the second of which went in off a Coyotes foot. Didn't have to make many big saves which was a nice change.

Nice to get another win on the road. It was certainly a Martin/Tippett game with both teams focusing on defence first. Nice to see the special teams come up big. As for the Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game, that goes to Tomas Plekanec tonight. Easily the best player on either team this game. Not only did he pick up 3 assists but had a couple of quality short handed chances as well. Consideration also given to Cammi and Bergeron. Next up is the Preds Saturday night in the home of country music. Price will be pumped.

Habs Drop Low Scoring Affair-Flames 1, Habs 0

The Canadiens had trouble finding the back of the net again as they dropped a 1-0 decision to the Flames at the Bell Centre. Miikka Kiprusoff was perfect in the Flames net stopping all 25 shots he faced. Jaroslav Halak allowed a first period goal but was unbeatable after that, finishing with 30 saves. The game was a physical affair with a couple of fights and several big hits. The PK for both teams were very good, with the Flames going 0/6 with the man advantage, while the Habs went 0/3. The Canadiens sealed their fate with 2:11 to go in the 3rd when Josh Gorges was sent off for holding, making a late comeback unlikely. The Flames have one of the best, if not the best defence corp in the league and it showed. Some other thoughts from the game:

>Martin broke up the big line and played Big Tits on the top unit with Gomez and Gionta. Gomez missed a breakaway in the 2nd or it could have been a different game.

>Lapierre played with Pleks and Cammi. Cammi showed some flashes of brilliance, but like everyone else came away empty. Pleks continued to play well and get under the other teams skin.

>The defence was pretty good. Jay Leach made his Habs debut and didn't make any glaring mistakes.

>Ryan White got into his first NHL fight and threw the body around all night. Lats played on the 4th line with White and Pyatt.

Another tight game, but another loss. The Habs record now drops to 8-10 on the season with the next 2 games coming on the road. Saw some good things tonight, but you can't win if you don't score. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Jaroslav Halak. Really good start for Halak, probably wants the lone Flames goal back, but made several other great saves. Honorable mentions go to Moen and Cammi. Thursday night against the Coyotes is the next one.

Habs Run Into A Hot Tender-Bolts 3, Habs 1

The story of the game was lots of chances, yet only 1 goal. The Canadiens came out on the losing end of a 3-1 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Antero Nittymaki was stellar in goal for the Bolts stopping 36 shots. The Habs fell behind early and went into the first intermission down by 2. Despite dominating the 2nd and 3rd periods, outshooting the Lightning 30 to 11 over that time, the Canadiens could only put 1 by Nittymaki, a power play goal by Brian Gionta in the 2nd. The Lightning restored the 2 goal lead late in the middle frame and held on for dear life in the 3rd. Carey Price stopped 18 shots in the Canadiens goal. CBC mouthpiece Greg Millen thought the Bolts played just a bit better than the Habs on this night...wow....just wow. Maybe I was watching a different game. Don Cherry then was ranting about Big Tits knocking 2 Bolts to the ice during a race to a puck on an icing. Both Tits and Walker of the Lightning hit each other, Tits was just stronger. Get a life Cherry, you too Mclean (who said he could have killed both guys). Maybe they should have "protected themselves" just like Mclean said players need to do on the hot stove. The Canadiens killed 2 of 3 Lightning PP's and scored on their SINGLE PP opportunity. Regardless, TB won. Some other thoughts:

>Newcomer Ryan White moved onto a line with Pleks and Tits after period 1. All 3 played well. Lappy and Lats were demoted after starting the game with Pleks and didn't see the ice in the 3rd.

>Metro, Pacs and Moen played hard again, had lots of chances but nothing to show for it.

>The defence was pretty good, but overall everyone (forwards included) could have done a better job at getting the puck out....again. Hitting the net with point shots is also something that needs work.

>Pleks was in Vinny Lecav's face all night, I loved it. Crowd was booing him as well, nice to see them giving him some normal opposition treatment.

With the loss the Habs drop back below .500 at 8-9. Just needed to put away some of their many chances to win this one. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Glen Metropolit. Metro had a great game, lots of good chances and solid as usual in his own end. Consideration was also given to Gomez and Moen. The Flames invade the Bell Centre on Tuesday. It will be a tough one, but hopefully they can get a win.

Habs Give A Point Away Late, But Get 2-Habs 2, Bruins 1 (SO)

The Montreal Canadiens finally ended their losing streak against the Bruins with a 2-1 shootout victory. The Habs opened the scoring in the 1st with a goal by Glen Metropolit and held the lead until the Bruins tied it with less than a minute to go in the 3rd. Carey Price sparkled all night and was perfect in the shootout stopping all 3 Bruins shooters. Mike Cammalleri beat Tim Thomas on the Habs first try and that's all they would need. The Bruins carried the play most of the night but Price was the difference making 42 saves. Thomas stopped 25 Montreal shots. The Habs actually appeared to take the lead early in the first, but Metropolit's first goal was disallowed, apparently for Travis Moen being in the crease. With a Bruins defenceman pushing him in there, I'm not sure what he was supposed to do to get out. Another head scratcher came late in the 3rd when Brian Gionta was whistled for an intentional offside, which didn't appear intentional at all. This led to a faceoff in the Habs zone and allowed the Bruins to pull their goalie, eventually leading to the tieing goal. The Bruins also had a goal disallowed as a rebound was poked by Price and slipped under the side of the goal while the net was being lifted. Some other observations:

>The big line was neutralized by that freak of nature Chara. They just couldn't seem to get on track all night.

>The 3 young guys, Matt Carle along with Ryan White and Tom Pyatt (both making NHL debuts) were solid. White picked up an assist for his first NHL point.

>Big Tits had his best game in a while. Threw some hits, set up Metro and was involved all night. Metro was also very good upfront again.

>The defence overall allowed a lot of shots, but didn't coughed the puck up as much. Bergeron struggled in his own end and Spacek didn't seem 100% after crashing into the boards in the 2nd.

So a road win over the Bruins. How ever it happened, I'll take it. Both teams have some injuries so certainly not a true picture of how good either team is. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game on this night is a no brainer. Carey Price was a rock in net, coming less than a minute away from a well earned shut out. Consideration was also given to Roman Hamrlik and Glen Metropolit. Next action is Saturday against the Bolts. Hopefully their French duo doesn't play lights out like they usually do against the Canadiens.

How About Playing Some Defence? Thrashers 5, Habs 4

What a display of defensive zone coverage that was. The Canadiens battled back several times, only to give the lead right back and eventually lose to the Thrashers 5-4. Carey Price was actually pretty solid in net and had little chance on 4 out of the 5 Atlanta goals. The Habs trailed by a goal heading into the 3rd, but Brian Gionta quickly tied it only to give a goal right back less than 3 minutes later. Tomas Plekanec then tied it again but the lead was handed back 34 seconds later. Too many blown coverages, too many point blank chances. Gionta scored twice while Pleks and Mike Cammalleri had the other Habs goals. Price stopped 25 of 30 shots. A few so called fans gave him a mock cheer after making a save after goal #5....nothing like mocking your own players....stay classy idiots...stay classy. Ondrej Pavelec continued his strong play making 34 saves. The Canadiens played without veteran defender Hal Gill who is on the shelf with a foot injury. Matt Carle made his NHL regular season debut and looked lost. Of course that didn't stop Martin from playing him to the bitter end, even after whiffing the puck at the Atlanta line and taking a penalty leading to goal #4. Matt D'Agostini also sat out his 2nd straight game with a concussion. Some other thoughts:

>The big line was rolling tonight picking up 3 goals and many other chances. Cammi missed a golden chance at the end of the 2nd only to steal the puck and score anyway a few seconds later. He then tossed out a "nice pass" to Peverley who coughed the puck up after a scrum.

>The defence and forwards both were awful in their own zone. Again, too many times did 2 Canadiens chase 1 Thrasher into the corner and get beat on a pass to a wide open guy standing in front.

>Carle and Bergeron both looked pretty bad. Bergeron sat for most of the 3rd before returning to the ice for Atlanta goal #5. Carle fell several times and look very nervous, which is understandable (the nerves, not the falling). I just don't know why Martin continued to put him on the ice. Can Spacek, Mara, Gorges, and Hamrlik not handle rolling 4 d-men for a period?

>Metro, Moen and Stewart also saw limited action in the 3rd. Metro has a point a game and Moen 4 goals. Might want to spot them in in place of Chips and Pacs every now and again.

Losing to the short staffed Thrashers is a tough pill to swallow, especially after battling back all night. You need to take advantage of teams that have depleted lineups and without Kovachuk the Thrashers are depleted. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes tonight to Brian Gionta. The guy was all over the ice tonight, scoring goals and setting up teammates. He could have had 4 assists if guys could have finished. Honorable mentions go to Cammi and Pleks. Next up the evil Bruins in Boston.