Habs Cap Off Road Trip With Another Win-Habs 5, Panthers 4

Now all Habs fans can celebrate New Year's Eve in style. The Montreal Canadiens, in front of thousands of their own fans in Florida, defeated the Florida Panthers 5-4. The win brings their 7 game road trip to an end with 12 out of a possible 14 points in the bank. Hal Gill...yes Hal Gill, Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri, Marc Andre Bergeron and Benoit Pouliot scored for the Canadiens. Jarslav Halak wasn't especially sharp in net, but 2 of the goals were breakaways. Halak ended the afternoon with 32 saves while Tomas Vokoun stopped 37 for the Panthers. The game entered the 3rd tied but all that changed when the Panthers were whistled for a delay of game penalty at the 20:00 minute mark of the 2nd and then another just 13 seconds into the 3rd. Bergeron blasted his 10th of the year followed less than 3 minutes later with Pouliot's 2nd as a Hab. The Candiens power play was dangerous again going 2/4. The penalty kill ended the night killing 2 of 3 Panthers chances. Some other observations from an exiciting game:

>Markov had his worst game since returning, with several giveaways and a late penalty. He made up for it on the offensive side with 3 assists. Gorges also had an off night getting burnt on goal #1 and caught up ice on goal #2.

>A. Kost left the game in the 2nd after a hit by Keith Ballard. Pacs, who played tonight for S. Kost took his spot the elder Kostitsyn's spot on the top line after the injury and played well. Lapierre had a pretty good fight against Ballard later in the 2nd.

>Gomez, Gionta and Pouilot continue to shine. Their line produced 2 more goals. I'm not going to lie, I am really starting to take a liking to Pouliot.

If you would have told me when the road trip started the Canadiens would take 6 of 7 I would have been ecstatic. Having a nearly full line up makes a huge difference in all aspects of the game. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game...New Year's Eve edition goes to Scott Gomez. Loved Gomez's game tonight. He back checked hard and was dangerous in the offensive zone. Honorable mentions go to Pouliot and Gill. A rare Saturday night off but back at it Sunday afternoon versus the Sabres.

Canadiens Strike Down Bolts-Habs 2, Lightning 1 (OT)

The Montreal Canadiens worked overtime and came away with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tomas Plekanec was the hero in the extra frame beating Mike Smith with a shot on a 2 on 1 with teammate Mike Cammalleri. Brian Gionta had the other Canadiens goal while Carey Price stopped 34 shots for the win in net. It was another "who is the home team" atmosphere as Canadiens jersey's were everywhere at the St. Pete Times Forum. Smith ended the night with 33 saves and held his team in the game until they came to life in the 3rd outshooting the Canadiens 13-4 and tieing the game. The Bolts did a fantastic job on the red hot Canadiens power play holding them scoreless in 3 attempts. The Habs PK was perfect as well on both Lightning chances. Defenceman Roman Hamrlik returned to the lineup giving the Canadiens a nearly totally healthy lineup, only missing Paul Mara. Earlier in the day Pleks was announced as one of the players who will represent the Czech Republic at the 2010 Olympics, but teammates Roman Hamrlik and Jaro Spacek were snubbed. Some other thoughts:

>The 2nd line with Gomez, Gionta and Pouliot looked very good again. Pleks and Cammi had rough nights but obviously made up for it on the winning goal.

>The defence as a whole played pretty well. Markov played with Gorges, Hamrlik with Spacek and Gill with O'Byrne. It will be intesting to see how the pairings shake down when Mara returns.

>Pacs was a healthy scratch joining BGL who missed his 2nd straight. Bergeron played on the 4th line with Lapierre and Lil Tits.

Another big road win making it 5 of 6 on this 7 game trip. The Canadiens did a pretty good job holding the Bolts big guns in check until period 3 when the goal turned the momentum. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes tonight to Brian Gionta. Had a goal and continues to be like an energizer bunny on the ice. Consideration also given to Price and Gomez. Next up a New Year's Eve showdown against the Panthers.

Quarterly Report #2-Half Way Point

So here we are, 41 games into the season......the half way point. From a win/losses standpoint the Canadiens sit at 19-19-3 good for 7th in the east, but it should be noted that most of the teams in their conference have games in hand on the Habs. Slowly but surely we are seeing guys return from injury giving us a better look as to what this team is capable of. So here is a rundown of the good, the bad and some player grades.

The Good-Tomas Plekanec has been the best player on the Habs. Not only does he lead the team in points but he should also get some consideration for the Selke for his defensive play. His line of Mike Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn has turned into a legit #1 line. The special teams have been much improved and both the PP and PK are among the tops in the league (PP currently sits #1 at 25% and the PK sits #8 at 84.2%). This without Andrei Markov for most of the season makes it even more impressive. The goaltending has been very good to this point. There have not been many games that either goalie hasn't given the team a chance to win. Martin seems to be satisified to ride the hot hand in net and I have no problem with that. The Canadiens have managed to compile a respectable record despite all the injuries in the 1st half and are in the mix for a playoff spot. Seeing some key players return from injury is a huge positive.

The Bad-Secondary scoring has continued to be a big issue. With the injury to Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez has had a revolving door of wingers and none of them seem to be able to provide that offensive spark that is needed. Overall team defence hasn't improved much since the start of the season. Too many giveaways, the inability to get the puck out of the defensive zone and poor defensive zone coverage has led to a ton of shots and scoring chances by the opposition. The Canadiens continue to get outshot most games but the return of Markov should help the defence. Penalties also continue to be a huge concern. The Canadiens continue to be league's most penalized team (in terms of times shorthanded) with 183 times shorthanded (Coyotes are next with 172 having played 1 fewer game). They also continue to have the least number of power plays with only 120 (Bruins are next with 132 in 3 fewer games). I am not going to rant about the officiating because the majority of the Canadiens penalties are legit. I am more concerned about similar infractions being missed when the opposition committs them.

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

Forwards
Gomez-B->With Gionta on the shelf Gomez struggled. Has started to heat up as of late.
Gionta-A>Injured most of the 2nd quarter and was missed big time. Still sits tied for 4th with 8 goals.

Cammalleri-A+>Great pickup all around. Leads team with 19 goals and has meshed well with A. Kost and Pleks.

Plekanec-A+>Continues to be a rock. Solid in both ends and a team high 44 points.

A. Kostitsyn-B>Has totally turned his game around. Sits 2nd on the team with 12 goals and has scored at will lately. Possibly the addition of his brother has helped.

Max Pacs-B->Continues to play hard every game on the 3rd line. Needs to work on polishing up his offence.
Moen-A->Moen and Pleks have been an amazing team on the PK. Continues to add grit which is why he was signed.

Metro-A->A few bad penalties have hurt his rating. Still a great surprise this year with 10 goals and responsible play at both ends of the ice.
D'Agostini-C->On the team to score and he hasn't done much of that this year with only 2 goals. Had a chance with Gomez on the 2nd line but couldn't capitalize.
Pouilot-B+>Through 3 games he has looked impressive. Good size and loves to shoot. Can't wait to see how he does in Q3.
Lapierre-C->Very disapointing season so far. Appears confidence is gone.
White-B>Back in Hamilton now but did a good job while with the big club. High hockey IQ and energy guy.
Pyatt-B->Went pointless in 19 games but was a pretty responsible player overall. Returned to Hamilton.
Laraque-D>No shots on net and only a handfull of fights in 22 games. It appears injuries have really caught up with him.
Stewart-D>Back in Hamilton.

S. Kostitsyn-C>Only 4 points in 18 games since being called up, but has been very good on the PK with Gomez.

(J.T. Wyman (3 games) and David Desharnais (1 game) also saw action)

Defence

Markov-A>Recently returned from injury and the team is 5-1 with him in the lineup. Already has 7 points.

Hamrlik-A->Continues to log big minutes and play well. Suffered an injury and has missed the last 7 games.

Spacek-C>Paired again with Markov after Andrei's return. Offence has been lacking and has taken a few too many penalties.

Gorges-B+>Has continued to play well. Not a flashy d-man but effective.
Mara-B->Suffered a pair of injuries and is currently out of the lineup. Play has tailed off a bit from earlier in the year.
Gill-C>Has played much better after coming off an injury which saw him miss 14 games. Has been a big key on the PK paired with Gorges.
O'Byrne-C>Has struggled in the last few weeks. The number of penalties he has taken has hurt the team.
Bergeron-C+>Still a liability in his own end, but his power play skill has paid big dividends. Has scored 9 goals and 21 points while seeing limited ice time.
Carle-C+>Hamilton.
Belle-C+>Hamilton.

Weber-C>Hamilton.

Goalies
Price-B+>Earned a long stretch of starts with some great play. Focus and urgency appear to be back.

Halak-A->Sat for a while after Price got hot. Was able to get a string of starts lately and has been good while seeing a ton of shots.

LOL NHL, LOL.....-Sens 4, Habs 2

So let me get this straight. Less than a week after Ottawa coach Corey Clouston whines about his team never getting the calls and how his team has gone 3 games win which they didn't get a power play (see link attached http://tsn.ca/nhl/teams/story/?id=303315&hubname=nhl-senators) they in turn play an entire game without taking a penalty. Nah...can't be. I sure didn't see that coming. The Ottawa Senators erased an early 2 goal deficit and defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. The loss was the first in five games for the Canadiens on this long seven game roadtrip. The Senators had all 5 power plays in the game and made good on one of those chances. To be fair, the officials blew a call when they disallowed a goal due to apparent goalie interference, but that again was on a power play after a questionable call. Mike Cammalleri (with the franchises 20,000 goal) and Benoit Pouliot (his first in a Habs uniform) scored for the Canadiens. For the first time in a while, the opposition goalie outplayed the Canadiens one as Pascal Leclaire made several big saves among the 29 on the night. Jaroslav Halak stopped 24, with the last goal coming via the empty net. In other news the game looked sweet on my new big screen. Now some observations:

>Gomez, Pouliot and Gionta...yes Brian Gionta is BACK....looked good all night. They scored a goal and had 14 shots on net combined. Rumour has it Gionta got flashed by one of the many Habs fans in attendence...female I assume.

>Hey Martin. How about not playing the 4th line with the 5/6 defenceman all night. Ultimatley that combination led to the winning goal for the Sens. Didn't seem to matter as the 4th unit (Dags, Lappy, Lil Tits) was on in the last 3 minutes again.

>Markov made several sick passes, including a couple on the 2 Habs goals. But both him and Spacek had 2 penalties each. Hal Gill was bumbling the puck all night and Bergeron avoided taking a hit and the puck ended up in the back of the net.

Tough loss tonight after a very good start. The Canadiens controlled the play for the most part, but the Sens did a good job after taking the lead of limiting scoring chances. Halak wasn't all that sharp...not bad but just not sharp so I would expect we see Price next game. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Benoit Pouliot. His first goal as a Canadien and 6 shots on net. If that line can play like they did tonight every game the "secondary scoring" issue will be forgotten. Honorable mentions to Gomez and Markov. Next game is Wednesday versus the Bolts.

A Win Is A Win-Habs 3, Laffs 2 (OT)

From all reports, this game will be filed under the "stolen" category. The Montreal Canadiens blew an early 2 goal lead but came away with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. I was unable to take the game in, but talked to some others who watched it. Jaroslav Halak was the difference stopping 47 Laffs shots as the Habs picked up their 4th straight win on the road. Jonas Gustavvson turned aside 20 shots in a losing effort. Andrei Kositsyn scored the winner just 34 seconds into extra time, while Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez got the other goals. The power play continued it's hot play going 1/2 while the penalty kill was perfect in killing 4 Laffs chances. As noted, because I didn't see the game this post will be very brief.

Nice to get a win no matter how it happened. Next up the Sens Monday night in another road game. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Jaroslav Halak tonight. Not much doubt about this one, had another huge performance while seeing a ton of rubber (insert hooker joke here). Honorable mentions go to Pleks and Gomez. That is all.....

Canadiens Blow Away Hurricanes-Habs 5, Canes 1

So that's why the Hurricanes are in last place (I kid, I kid). The Montreal Canadiens exploded for 4 first period goals enroute to a 5-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. The win marked the first time since 1945 that the Canadiens had won a game on December 23 (useless stat of the night). After a strong first in which Cam Ward was chased after the Canadiens went up 3-1, the Habs decided to just hold on the rest of the way and ended up getting outshot badly, 47-24. Glen Metroploit with 2, Andrei & Sergei Kostitsyn and Andrei Markov did the goal scoring damage for the good guys. Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez each picked up 3 assists. Jaroslav Halak was pelted again in net ending the night with 46 saves. A dumb Aaron Ward boarding penalty on the first shift of the game led to the Habs first goal and Andrei Kostitsyn scored again soon after to make it 2-0. A equally as dumb Scott Gomez penalty (2 for cross checking, 2 for mouthing the ref off) allowed the Canes to make it 2-1, but that would be as close as they would get. Some other thoughts:

>Benoit Pouliot played his first game and looked decent. Nice smooth skater and a big body who isn't afraid to go to the net. I was prety confused as to who he was due to the fact he has a similar skating stride to Pacs and wears #57. He played on a line with Gomez and Lil Tits in hopes he can ignite some secondary scoring.

>Gorges Laraque only played 4:49 in the game. If he can't get ice time in a 5-1 game I'm not sure if he ever will.

>The PK was solid again allowing only 1 goal on 5 Canes tries. The PP continues to be lethal going 3 for 5.

3 road games into this long trip.....3 wins. Would have been nice to see them keep the foot on the pedal for the whole 60 minutes, but at the end of the day a win is a win. Halak continues to play well and get a lot of shots. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes once again to Tomas Plekanec. Pleks is playing unreal, that's the only word I can use to describe it. It seems like every game he is feeding someone (or some people as his assist total will tell you) a sweet saucer pass that ends in a goal. Add to that his strong 2 way play and he has suddenly become the team MVP. Honorable mentions given to Halak and Metropolit. Next up the Laffs on Boxing Day.

Canadiens Prospects At The WJHC

Tis the season to gather the family and friends around the television to watch the World Junior Hockey Championships. No where else in the world does this tournament mean so much as in Canada...frankly I'm sure most other countries don't even know it's being played. This years event will take place in Saskatoon and Regina (please god don't let Team Canada where those terrible green jerseys again...1 exhibition game is enough). Montreal Canadiens prospect Louis Leblanc (pictured above at the 2009 draft) was a late cut for Team Canada meaning there will be no Habs prospects wearing the red and white. In Leblanc's defence, his team at Harvard has only played 11 games (he has only played 9 due to injury). Junior teams have played 30+ by this point so he is at a bit of a disadvantage. Players like PK Subban and Carey Price have made the tournament even more exciting for fans of the Canadiens in the past few years with strong performances. There will be a few possible future Canadiens in the tournament. They are:

*Danny Kristo-RW (USA)-Kristo's 2nd year in the tournament. Is a freshman currently playing for the University of North Dakota. Has scored 6 goals and added 10 assists in 18 games this season with the Fightling Sioux. Had 1 goal in 6 games last year at the WJHC. Was the Canadiens 2nd round, 56th overall pick in the 2008 draft.

*Joonas Nattinen-C (Finland)-Nattinen will also be playing in his second WJHC. Had a goal and 2 assists at last years tournament. Currently playing with the Espoo Blues of the FNL where he has 0 goals and 3 assists in 18 games. Was the Canadiens 3rd round, 65th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

*Maxim Trunev-F (Russia)-Trunev is in his first WJHC with the Russians. Currently playing in the KHL for Cherepovets Severstal where he has 2 goals along with 1 assist in 21 games. The Canadiens selected him in the 5th round, 138th overall in the 2008 draft.

Best of luck to all the Canadiens prospects.....but I will still be rooting for Team Canada.

Habs Use Late Comback To Get Win-Habs 4, Thrashers 3 (OT)

It wasn't pretty to watch, but it was rather exciting. The Montreal Canadiens used a late 3rd period goal followed by another in overtime to defeat the Atlanta Thrashers 4-3. The Thrashers held a large shot advantage as well as a large scoring chance advantage but lost on the scoreboard where it matters. Marc Andre Bergeron was the hero, netting both the tieing and winning goals, while Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn added singles. Pleks ended the night with 4 points, while Cammalleri had a pair of assists. Jaroslav Halak was strong in net making 47 saves, while Johan Hedberg managed 19 stops. The penalty killing was very good again killing 5 of 6 Atlanta chances, while the power play continued to be hot going 2 for 3. This was illustrated late in the game when the Canadiens were whistled for a penalty with under 5 minutes to go and killed it successfully. The Thrashers were then assessed a minor with just over 2 minutes on the clock which led to the tieing goal. Overtime looked like a Habs penalty kill as Atlanta completely dominated, but an odd man rush ending with a Pleks pass to Bergeron finished the game. Some other thoughts:

>The top line continues to dominate, combining for 7 points tonight. The other lines....not so much.

>Markov makes a huge difference out there. Great passes, strong defensive play and a stability on back end. Gill was roasted on at least 4 occasions by the Thrashers speedy Russians.

>On the injury front, Mara left in the 2nd and did not return after taking a shot off the hand. Bergeron limped off the ice after scoring the winner. Moen limped off the ice and collapsed in the hallway, only to return a few minutes later in classic Moen "tough as nails" fashion.

Not pretty, probably not deserved, but a win anyway. The Canadiens have to find a way to limit the oppositions shots and to muster up some secondary scoring. Hopefully the return of Gionta and Hamrlik will help with that....and who knows what Pouilot will bring (recalled from Hamilton today). The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game was a difficult choice. Bergeron and Halak both were big keys to the win. But tonight I have to go with Tomas Plekanec. 4 points and great again on the PK. I hope BG can lock him up in the new year. The Canadiens visit the Carolina Hurricanes Wednesday in their last match before Christmas.

Habs Shutout Isles-Habs 3, Isles 0

Sounds like I missed a good game. The Montreal Canadiens picked up their first shutout of the season with a 3-0 victory over the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak made 40 saves and Andrei Markov paced the offence with a pair of goals in his first game back. The Markov story couldn't have been written any better. He once again proved just how valuable he is to the Montreal Canadiens. Glen Metropolit had the other Canadiens goal while Tomas Plekanec picked up another 2 assists. Martin Biron made 25 saves for the Isles, who went 0/6 with the man advantage, with 3 of those penalties going to Plekanec in the 2nd period. The Habs power play was on fire going 3/5.

It was a much needed win for the Canadiens in the first game of their long seven game road trip. Markov is a difference maker, that much is true. Having him on the ice for 20+ minutes a night is going to helped this team. Brian Gionta is also close to returning, possibly by Wednesday which would be another huge boost. I didn't get to see the game, so the Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the game is a tough one. On one hand it sounds like Halak was amazing, but with the return of Andrei Markov I had to give it to him with his 2 goal performance. Halak and Gomez get honorable mentions. Next up is the Thrashers on Monday.

Could It Be True?

RDS is reporting that all-star defenceman Andrei Markov will return to the lineup Saturday night against the New York Islanders. Markov hasn't played a game since opening night against the Laffs when he suffered tendon damage in his ankle after being cut by teammate Carey Price's skate. The original timetable for Markov's return was estimated to be some time in February. But it appears he is well ahead of schedule and received clearance from team doctors (I hope they know what their talking about) to play. Markov is arguably the Habs top player with seasons of 46, 49, 58 and 64 points in his last 4. He has played in 2 all star games and will more than likely anchor Russia's blue line at the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver.

In other injury news, winger Brian Gionta has resumed skating and is eyeing a return in the near future. Gionta suffered a broken bone is his foot and has missed the last 17 games. Despite that, he still sits 3rd on the team in goals with 8. Winger Beniot Pouliot will play his first game in Hamilton on a conditioning stint tonight. No word yet on how much time defenceman Roman Hamrlik will miss, but I doubt he will play Saturday.

Backstrom Leads Wild To Win-Wild 3, Habs 1

The Montreal Canadiens continued to have trouble putting the puck in the net as they were edged 3-1 by the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom was very sharp kicking out 30 Canadiens shots. Carepy Price had a bit of an off night making just 18 saves and letting in 2 he would probably like back. Despite what Pierre Maguire would lead you to believe the Canadiens carried the play for most of the game in the final 2 periods after falling behind 2-1 in the 1st. Andrei Kostitsyn had the Habs lone goal and his line with Cammalleri & Plekanec were buzzing around the Wild net all night. Trailing by a pair of goals in the 3rd led to Price being lifted with over 3 minutes to go to try to get at least one back. The Canadiens also had a late PP, their second of the night but could not capitalize. Thw Wild went 1 for 1 with the man advantage. Say what you want about tonights game, but the Canadiens worked hard. The fans were on them most of the 3rd but anyone with half a brain could see that the effort was there. Some other thoughts:

>The Canadiens need Gionta back. Secondary scoring continues to be a big issue with this team and hopefully he can help.

>Roman Hamrlik missed the game with a knee injury robbing the Canadiens now of their best 2 defenceman. Paul Mara returned from injury which helped ease the blow a bit.

>Carey Price as noted above had an off night. Regardless, the team needs to score more than 1 goal to win games. I don't know why Martin wouldn't have went with Halak tonight seeing how the team played the night before in New Jersey.

That makes 5 losses in a row. The Canadiens are hovering around that 8th seed and the next few weeks will probably have a big influence on the rest of the year. A long road trip which will see the Habs play 7 straight on the road, finally ending on New Year's Eve awaits. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Andrei Kostitsyn. Had a nice goal and several other great chances. Consideration also given to Gomez and Spacek. Next up Saturday versus the Islanders. I won't be able to watch so I will rely on my Dad for some analysis.

Habs Let Another One Slip Away-Devils 2, Habs 1

In a typical Lemaire/Martin low scoring matchup, the New Jersey Devils edged the Montreal Canadiens 2-1. It was another great crowd in New Jersey....looked about half full. The Canadiens jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as Travis Moen scored shorthanded just over 12 minutes in. The Devils enjoyed 4 1st period PP's, including a 5 on 3 for over a minute, but came away empty after some strong penalty killing by the Habs. A costly Carey Price mistake in the 2nd tied the game before the Devils got the winner with just 2:36 left on the clock. Giving up late goals in tie games seems to be a common theme for the Habs which could cost them dearly come playoff time. Neither team looked particularly sharp or energetic and the fabulous crowd only added to that. Price ended the night with 25 saves, while Martin Brodeur continued his dominance over his childhood team with 17 saves. The Canadiens, surprise, surpirse, only managed 1 power play the entire game. Some other thoughts:

>The Devils did a great job on the Habs big line who had been hot coming in. Gomez looked inspired centering Dags and Lil Tits. The few fans in attendance booed every time he touched the puck.

>Metro's bad penalties over the past 2 games cost him his spot on line 3. He played with Laraque and Pyatt, while Lapierre took his spot with his normal line.

>The defence played pretty solid, although an injury to Hamrlik late in the 2nd is cause for concern. He played just 1 shift in the 3rd before leaving for the night.

Another one bites the dust. The Canadiens have given away too many points late in games which could end up coming back to bite them later in the season. The bright spot is they played with one of the top teams in the league, which they have been doing for the last few games, but playing with top teams doesn't equal points. The Canadiens need to find a way to win games like this. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Travis Moen. Great on the PK again and had the only goal. Consideration also given to Gomez and Gorges. Next up the Wild tomorrow night. The Habs need a win.

The Latest Montreal Soap Opera-Halak Wants Out

Several media sources have reported that Jaroslav Halak has asked to be traded to team that will play him more. This was all but confirmed by Halak on TSN with his "maybe I did, maybe I didn't" comments...aka I'm not denying it so I probably did. I'm not all that surprised that this has happened, there have been rumblings in the past that Halak would like out of Montreal rather than stay and back up Carey Price. But my surprise is with the Canadiens fans reactions.

It seems the majority of Canadiens fans have the "I don't blame him" type attitude. Well, I blame him. Hockey is a team game. You do what is best for the team. If you happen to find yourself on the bench for long stretches you come to practice and work your tail off. You support your teammates and when called upon take advantage of the playing time to earn more of it. Most of all, you don't cause distractions, because a good teammate wouldn't do that. Now I think Halak is a very good goalie and a pretty good guy. But doing this hurts the team. It is a distraction and it hurts his trade value on the market. I've heard so many excuses from "he's got to do what's best for his career and family" to "being the backup in Montreal is a suicide to your career" to "he'll be a starter somewhere". First, the guy pulls in $800K a year to play the game of hockey. I'm sure his family is doing fine. Second, there are many teams where being backup is suicide if it is in Montreal (NJ, Buff, Van, NYR, Cal, ect.). Lastly if he was such a sure thing to be a started somewhere some team would have offered Gainey a good deal and we would be talking about how he was traded instead of asking for a trade.

Halak has started 11 games this year. When compared to other back up goalies, this is pretty good. Earlier in the year he had a string of good starts and appeared to temporarily dethrone Price as the starter. His stats are decent...902 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average. But it's clear Price has outplayed him as of late. After a slow start Price has improved his save percentage to .913 and his goals against average to 2.76. Halak has allowed 4 or more goals 3 times in his last 6 starts, Price has allowed 4 or more just twice in his last 17 starts.

So why not earn your ice time Jaro? Play so well when you get a chance the team can't possibly play the other guy. That's what should be done, but it appears that won't happen. Can you imagine if Price would have pulled the same stunt when Halak owned the crease earlier in the season? I want everyone to know that I like Halak, he seems like a good guy and he is a very solid goalie. But I am a Habs fan and I want whats best for the Canadiens.

It appears Halak will be traded, more than likely for a draft pick and Canadiens fans will whine how Gainey got hosed. Just remember if it does happen it can be placed square on Halak's shoulders.

Refs Decide Another One-Sabres 4, Habs 3

Unreal. Under 8 minutes to go in a tie game. Metropolit and Roy battle off a draw, some slashes are taken, a couple of punches are thrown...and the ref decides to give Metro the extra minor penalty. Ryan O'Byrne then proceeds to take a legitimate high sticking minor leading to a long 5 on 3 and the eventual winning goal. The Buffalo Sabres snuck away with a 4-3 victory. Why would the ref make the call on Metroploit. It was off setting minors, no more, no less. There are 8 minutes to go in a tie game....it's not like the game is going to get out of hand with rough stuff. Making a call like he did only makes sense early in the game after several scrums. Why play the hero card and cost one team the game. I still can't believe it. Andrei Kostitsyn continued his hot play with another 2 goals, while linmate Mike Cammalleri added a single. Kostitsyn ended the night with 3 points, while Cammalleri and Plekanec both had 2 point nights. Jarsolav Halak got the call in net and made 23 saves while Ryan Miller stopped 21 shots. Some other thoughts before my head explodes:

>The PK was strong again, holding to Sabres to only 1 goal (5 on 3) in 6 tries. The PP connected for 2 goals in 4 attempts.

>Ryan O'Byrne struggled, but the rest of the defence looked fairly sharp. O'Byrne did try to get something going with a 2nd period tilt against Adam Mair.

>Metro didn't see the ice after his penalty late in the 3rd. The top unit was very good, but the other lines couldn't generate much offence...although Lil Tits was really effective.

Tough loss again to a very good Sabres team. To look at the positives, the Habs proved they can play with one of the top teams in the league, even without 2 of their top players. Speaking of those players, Markov has resumed skating and is ahead of schedule. No word yet on Gionta but I would assume it shouldn't be much longer. Adding these 2 could be huge. Markov is not only a huge key to the PP, but also the best defender and shut down guy. Gionta is needed to help out Gomez and give the Habs some secondary scoring. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Andrei Kostitsyn. He appears to have found his groove. Honorable mentions to Pleks and Gorges. Next up, the Devils on Wednesday.

Thashers Hand Habs OT Loss-Thrashers 4, Habs 3

Family holiday commitments made it impossible for me to catch any of this game, so this post will be pretty short and stats based. The Atlanta Thrashers scored on the power play in overtime to come away with a 4-3 win. The Canadiens blew a 2 goal lead and spent too much time in the penalty box. Andrei Kostitysyn continued his hot play scoring twice while Glen Metropolit added a single. Carey Price stopped 30 shots (and after watching the highlights made 3 "you have no business stopping that" saves) while Johan Hedberg turned aside 16 shots. As noted above, the Habs PK was tested again and finally gave up the overtime winner after killing 33 straight chances to that point. The power play scored on 1 of it's 4 chances. Other than that, not much to say. Laraque got into a tilt, as did Lapierre. NHL network provides some solid highlights, which is good.

As for the Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game, that honor for this game goes to Andrei Kostitsyn. Big Tits had a couple of goals, both pretty nice to be honest. No honorable mentions because I really don't know who else played well. Next up Monday at the Bell Centre against the Sabres.

Refs Hand Pens Victory-Pens 3, Habs 2

Now I don't often complain that officials cost the Canadiens games. If you thumb through my posts you can see that. But tonight at the Bell Centre, the referees handed the game to the Pens. Whether it's just horrible officiating or the NHL has some agenda to give the Pens as much help as they need, who knows. The Montreal Canadiens came out on the short end of a 3-2 score against the Pittsburgh Penguins. With the score tied 2-2 heading into the 3rd, the Habs were assessed 3 straight minor penalties (2 of them were questionable calls), and although they killed them all, the Pens scored to take a 3-2. One of the calls occured when Hal Gill slid and knocked the puck away. Crosby then stepped on his glove and fell.....and that's a triping call? I'm sure it had nothing to do with it being Crosby. The Pens committed several infractions as bad if not worse than what the Canadiens were called for but did not recieved a single penalty in the 3rd. Then with just over 6 minutes to go, Maxime Lappiere threw the puck on net. It sat beside MA Fluery's pad until Lapierre chipped it across the crease to Scott Gomez who potted the tieing goal. Referee Chris Lee appeared to begin to signal a goal, only to stop at the last moment and wave it off. The reason I guess was that he lost sight of the puck. THERE ARE 3 OTHER REFEREES ON THE ICE, ASK FOR SOME HELP! The puck was never frozen, the goal was scored before any whistle blew, he refused to consult other officials or go to video review, & the call cost the Habs at least a point. Matt D'Agostini and Roman Hamrlik scored for the Canadiens. Carey Price stopped 38 shots while Fleury made 19 for the Pens. Some other thoughts from a tainted game:

>The PK again was very good holding the Pens scoreless in 5 attempts. The Habs PP went 1/3.

>Lil Tits had his worst game since being called up, with several giveaways and limited hustle. Dags got his first goal in a while which was nice to see.

>O'Byrne again looked nervous and ended the night with 2 penalties. Hamrlik, Spacek, Gorges and Gill did a pretty good job on the Pens top 2 lines.

Horrible way to lose a game. Chris Lee has screwed the Canadiens before and he did it again tonight. When an official makes a mistake like this and refuses to seek out the assistance of the other refs and/or video review officials he should be disciplined. Mistakes happen, no one is perfect, but the reason they put the 2 referee system in place is to prevent travesties like this. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Roman Hamrlik. Hammer had 8 blocked shots and a goal. Consideration also given to Moen and Pleks. Next up Saturday against the Thrashers. We'll cross our fingers Chris Lee isn't one of the refs.

Special Teams Carry Habs to 3rd Straight Win-Habs 4, Sens 1

The Montreal Canadiens used a strong goaltending performance from Jaroslav Halak and strong special teams to come away with a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators. The win was the 3rd in a row for the Habs and second in as many nights. Despite the game being in Ottawa, the Canadiens fans seemed to outnumber the Sens faithful with several "Go Habs Go" and "Ole" chants. The Sens held the territorial advantage throughout but the game was won and lost with the power play. The Canadiens went 2 for 3 with the man advantage while the Sens couldn't convert any of their 7 chances. Mike Cammalleri, MA Bergeron, Andrei Kostitsyn and Scott Gomez scored for the winners. Tomas Plekanec picked up 3 more assists, while Big Tits and Bergeron both had 2 point nights. Halak ended the night with 45 saves, while Brian Elliott made 23 saves. Jaro Spacek left in the 1st with what appeared to be a foot injury and did not return leaving the Habs short on the backend. Ryan White was recalled from the Bulldogs but was forced to leave as apparently the Canadiens didn't recall him correctly. He ended the night playing around 3 minutes, but all reconrd of him being in the game is now gone. If the Canadiens would have happened to have scored while he was on the ice the goal would not have counted. Some other thoughts:

>The officiating was god awful. The Habs deserved most of the penalties they got, but the Sens should have been called for about 4 or 5 more. A too many men penalty by the Sens late in the 3rd led to a Canadiens goal and the final nail in the coffin.

>Pleks, Moen, Gorges and Gill were once again the most effective unit on the PK, but Gomez, Lil Tits, Hamrlik and whoever he was paired with were execellent as well.

>The big line produced 2 more goals tonight (3 if you include Bergeron's). Pleks and Cammi build more and more chemistry every game and Big Tits appears to be heating up.

Nice to get 2 wins on back to back nights. Props to the Habs fans who turned Scotia Bank Place into the Bell Centre tonight. The game wasn't pretty, but a win is a win. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Jaroslav Halak. Halak was a rock in net, making several highlight reel saves among the 45 stops. Consideration also given to Pleks and A. Kost. Next up Thursday versus the Pens at the Bell Centre. Hopefully the Habs can keep the momentum going.

Text Book Defence Leads To Victory-Habs 3, Flyers 1

If you like defensive hockey, this game was for you. The Montreal Canadiens used some timely goal scoring and stingy defence to come away with a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. The two teams combined for only 28 shots, the Habs 13 and the Flyers 15, including 1 by the Canadiens in the 1st and 2 by the Flyers in the 3rd. The Habs had possibly their best defensive game of the year with air tight d-zone coverage and strong work along the boards. Andrei Kostitsyn, Mike Cammalleri and M.A. Bergeron scored for the Canadiens. Tomas Plekanec and Roman Hamrlik both had a pair of assists. Carey Price was strong again stopping 14 shots for the victory. After allowing the Flyers to score the midway through the 1st, Montreal potted 2 in the 2nd before a power play goal by Bergeron in the 3rd iced the game. In typical Canadiens fashion they took a penalty with under 2 minutes to go leading to some tense moments. The Flyers failed to get new coach Peter Laviolette his first victory in his second game since taking over from John Stevens. Paul Mara left the game in the 1st with an undisclosed injury (I would guess "upper body"). Some other observations:

>Gill and Gorges were once again very effective on both the PK and at even strength. O'Byrne had a rough night with a bad penalty and several giveaways. Hamrlik and Spacek were also solid.

>Pacs, Moen and Metropolit continue to play strong. All 3 work hard and play physical. Pacs seems to be getting better and better each game. Laraque got in a 1st period scrap and had an assist.

>The PP went 1 for 3 with Bergeron also hitting the crossbar with a blast in the 1st. The PK was great holding the Flyers scoreless in 4 chances.

Nice win over a hungry Flyers team. Anytime a team replaces a coach they usually play lights out for a few games at least. The Canadiens were able to match Philly's physical play and limit the number of chances by their skilled forwards. Tonight the Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Roman Hamrlik. 2 assists and 10...yes 10 blocked shots. Honorable mentions go to Pacs and Pleks. Not much rest for the boys as they travel to Ottawa to take on the Sens tomorrow night.

It's A Celebration Bitches-Habs 5, Bruins 1

What a night. The 100th year celebration came to an end on the date 100 years ago the Montreal Canadiens were officially created. The Canadiens didn't disapoint the sell out crowd or the many fomer Habs in attendance with a 5-1 victory over the Boston Bruins. The night began with many of the Canadiens greatest players taking a warm up, full gear and all. Then it was onto a ceremony recognizing the past greats, followed by the retiring of Butch Butchard and Elmer Lach's jerseys. Current and past players then got together for a photo before the action began. Special guests Viggo Mortensen and Gordie Howe helped introduce some of the legends. Another top notch ceremony celebrating 100 years of the greatest NHL franchise. Mike Cammalleri scored his 2nd hat trick of the year while Jaro Spacek and Glen Metropolit added singles. Carey Price was great in net stopping 37 shots, while Tim Thomas managed only 18 before being yanked to start the 3rd. A big stop by Price on a shorthanded breakaway followed by the Spacek goal got the crowd into it early. Then with the score still 1-0, the Habs killed off a 5 on 3 for a full 2 minutes. Mike Cammalleri scored his first soon after and the ball was rolling. The Canadiens tried to give the Bruins life in the 3rd by giving the Bruins 2 more long 5 on 3's, but the PK was too strong, ending the night 7 for 7. The Canadiens went scoreless in 3 tries with the man advantage. Some other thoughts from a great night all around:

>Gorges and Gill were excellent all night, especially on the PK. The 2 combined for 5 blocked shots and Gill had a pretty nice assist feeding Metro back door.

>Cammalleri double shifted on a line with Gomez when Lil Tits left in the 2nd with an injury. Gomez ended the night with 2 assists.

>White and Pyatt were in the stands tonight with Laraque back from suspension and Bergeron playing the wing. No word yet on Pouilot or Gionta, but when they come back moves will need to be made.

Only in Montreal could they pull off such a great night. Tons of past heroes made the ceremony special and the current team began the next 100 years on a high note. Only PJ Stock's dumb "only 6 teams" comment (followed by him getting put in his place by Dick Irvin......nice work Dick, why is PJ on television again?) and Ron Maclean's stupid comments to pretty much every person he interviewed were small black marks on the evening. As for the Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game, that honor goes to Mike Cammalleri. Had a hat trick...enough said. Consideration also given to Josh Gorges and Carey Price. Great to see the boys put on a nice show for the fans and the past players. Next game is Monday against the Flyers.

Habs Add Another One To The Loss Column-Sabres 6, Habs 2

The Montreal Canadiens pretty much let the Buffalo Sabres do whatever they wanted for the first 2 periods, and ended up getting thumped 6-2. It what is now becoming the norm, the Habs spotted their opposition a 2 goal lead and saw that increase to 4 before finally netting a couple of their own. Defensive zone coverage was again terrible......you'd think by this point some progress would have been made. Jaroslav Halak got the nod in net, and although his rebound control was questionable, he was pretty much hung out to dry, facing 29 shots in the 1st 2 periods alone (while the Habs only managed 8 of their own). Halak ended the night with 31 saves, while Ryan Miller stopped 21. Scott Gomez and Josh Gorges had the Canadiens goals. Not much else to be said, another poor effort. You cannot continue to give teams first period leads and expect to comeback. Some other thoughts from a tough game to watch:

>The line juggling continued again tonight with pretty much everyone playing with everyone. No combination was real effective. Nice to see Gomez end his draught.

>Hal Gill was healthy enough but did not play. After the effort of most of the defence tonight expect him to be in the lineup tomorrow. At times it was a comedy of errors. Nice to see Mara get the mitts off late in the game.

>The lack of PP's continued with the Habs getting just 1. The Sabres only had 2. Neither team could take advantage of their opportunities.

So there you have it, the losing streak is now up to 4. It appears preparation is an issue, as noted with the almost nightly slow starts. A team that has trouble scoring can't spot teams leads. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes tonight to Josh Gorges. Had a goal and saved another by sweeping a puck off the goal line (which for a former d-man like myself is at least equal to a goal). Consideration also given to Gomez and A. Kostitysn. Next up, the 100th year game against the Bruins tomorrow night at the Bell Centre. Hopefully the home team can pull out a win.....or the city may riot.

Chipchura a Duck

The Canadiens announced today that former 1st round pick Kyle Chipchura has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks for a 4th round pick in the 2011 draft. As I mentioned in yesterdays post it appeared his time in Montreal was nearing the end so this move is really no surprise. The Habs picked Chipchura 18th overall in the 2004 draft hoping he would continue to develop as a top notch checking forward. A sliced achilles tendon the season after his draft year appeared to hurt his skating even further and he was never able to solidify a full time spot with the big club because of it. A former captain of the Canadian World Junior gold medal winning team, many felt he would develop into a Bob Gainey type leader. This season has been a disaster for Chipchura going pointless in 19 games with 16 PIM's and a awful -10. He leaves the Habs with 4 goals and 10 assists in 68 career games along with 31 PIM's and a -17.

It's always difficult to give up on a former 1st round pick, but it was clear that Chipchura wasn't in Martin's plans for this team going forward. The games he did play he was used sparingly, especially in his last 4, playing less than 6 minutes each game. He appeared to be trying to do too much in his last few games with his limited ice time, causing turnovers by holding on to the puck for too long. Best of luck to Chips, you were a guy that always worked hard, but had limited upside due to skating issues.

Maguire Won't Be Able To Stand Up For A Week-Laffs 3, Habs 0

Pierre Maguire's hard on probably won't go away for a while. He got his ultimate wish, the Laffs beat the Canadiens. His "Leafs fans get excited" quote that he used in game 1 versus Montreal, only to see the team lose that game and their first 50 games (okay I'm exaggerating) was uttered many times again. Ron Wilson and Brian Burke are geniuses. Kaberle, Tlusty, Kessel, Stajan, Komisarek (who he called a steady defence partner for Kaberle....LOL) and Macdonald all should go to the hall of fame. Now that I have ranted about the pro Laffs coverage on TSN (although props to them for the 100th stuff on the Habs) I will discuss the game. The Canadiens did not play well, this I can admit. But it wasn't the domination the Maguire would have led viewers to believe, thank god he wasn't broadcasting on the radio. The difference in the game was the Leafs got a couple of bounces, the Habs didn't. The Laffs probably did have a territorial advantage, and any time you get shutout against a cellar dwellar like the Laffs it is emabarrasing but it's nothing I'm too worried about. Carey Price was decent between the pipes stopping 28 shots, while the Laffs tandem faced 26. Some other thoughts:

>Dags returned to the lineup and struggled...I hope it's just rust. Gomez also returned and had a few scoring chances but nothing to show for it. Chips continues to struggled badly and I would assume his time with the Habs is nearing the end (giveaway on goal #2, -2 in 1:59 of ice time).

>Leach was picked up on waivers by the Sharks leaving the Habs with just 6 healthy defencemen. As a whole, the group didn't play bad, but had trouble getting the puck out (blame can also be shouldered by the forwards).

>Martin tried all kinds of combinations on forward, so many I can't name them all. The PP went 0/2 and the PK killed both Laffs chances. An early PP in the 1st generated a ton of chances but no goals. The Laffs then followed that up with a pair of quick goals and the rest is history.

The Bell Centre fans were jacked up after the Als made an appearance with the Grey Cup, but by the end were booing the home side throughout much of the 3rd. Losing to the Laffs is unacceptable to most, especially on home ice, and for good reason. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight was a tough one. Not many guys deserved the recognition, but I'll go with Travis Moen. Mentions also go out to White and Pyatt. Next up the Sabres in Buffalo on Thursday before the 100th year game against the Bruins back home Friday.