Canadiens Thump Rangers-Habs 6, Rangers 0

I would pay a small sum of money to hear the post game speech John Tortorella berated his team with. The Montreal Canadiens offence exploded for 6 goals and a 6-0 win over the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre. Mike Cammalleri scored twice for the winners while Benoit Pouliot, Scott Gomez, Max Lapierre, and Tomas Plekanec added singles. Cammalleri ended the night with 4 points, while Plekanec, Bergeron and Spacek each had 2 point nights. Jaroslav Halak was solid when called on, especially in the 1st period allowing the Canadiens to take a 1-0 lead into the intermission. He ended the night with 32 saves and his 3rd shutout of the season. The Canadiens chased Henrik Lundqvist from the net near the mid point of the 2nd after putting their 3rd goal of the period by him. Rookie Matt Zaba came in in relief and allowed 2 more goals. It was another solid defensive effort by the entire team. The discipline was excellent as well, as Avery was Avery trying his best to goat Canadiens players into penalties. The power play scored twice in 5 tries, with one of those on a 5 on 3. The penalty kill was perfect again, killing both Ranger attempts. Some other thoughts from a successful weekend:

>Mathieu Darche is making the best of his opportunity with the big club. Nothing fancy, but doesn't hurt you when he's on the ice. Picked up an assist to give him 3 points in 3 games.

>Lapierre finally broke out of a long goal scoring drought with a hard working goal in the 2nd period. Martin continued to juggle the lines using Gionta with Cammi and Pleks, while Lil Tits returned to action playing mostly with Pouliot and Gomez.

>Excellent game for every member of the defence corp. Spacek was especially good, with 2 points and a few good defensive plays. O'Byrne had a nice scrap and looked sharp in his first game on the back end in a while.

What a difference a week can make. Last weekend the Canadiens played 2 of their worst games of the season. This weekend they turn it all around and play 2 near perfect games on back to back nights. These 4 points are huge as they climb back into a playoff spot. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game was a tough one. So many great performances, but in the end Mike Cammalleri takes the award. 2 goals and 2 sweet assists. Consideration also given to Halak for the shutout and Metropolit, who, despite not hitting the scoresheet, was amazing. Worked the corners to perfection proving heart trumps size. Next action is Wednesday against the Panthers in the first of back to back games in Florida.