Caps Make Most Of Chances To Down Habs-Caps 5, Habs 1

The Washington Capitals capitalized on their opportunities to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-1 at the Bell Centre. The Habs carried the play through the 1st period, outshooting the Caps 10-7 and killing off a pair of Washington power plays. The 2nd started the same way and an early Canadiens man advantage appeared to give the Canadiens a great opportunity to get the games opening goal. But the Capitals scored short handed to go up 1-0 followed by another 2 goals to push the lead to 3. This signalled the end of the night for Habs starter Jaroslav Halak who allowed 3 goals on 13 shots. Carey Price came in to mop up and allowed a pair of goals on 23 shots. Tomas Plekanec scored the Canadiens lone goal to make it 4-1 early in the 3rd, but that's as close as they would get. Semyon Varlamov was the difference in this one, ending the night with 26 saves including several key ones in the opening frame. The Habs power play went 1 for 5 on the night while the Caps were held scoreless in 7 attempts. Some other thoughts from a tough one:

>Glen Metropolit returned to the lineup for the Canadiens relagating Sergei Kostitsyn to the press box. He played just 5:37 while linemate Mathieu Darche played only 2:22.

>Sorry to sound like a homer, but the officiating was terrible again. When Pierre Maguire questions 4 calls/non calls that went against the Canadiens, there are issues.

>Halak can't really be faulted on the Caps goals, but to win in the playoffs your goalies needs to make some of those saves. Varlamov did just that and allowed the Caps to escape the 1st before putting their chances away in the 2nd. Now let the discussions begin as to who will be in net on Wednesday for Montreal.

Sometimes games like this happen. Puck luck was on the Caps side tonight and the Canadiens couldn't get a bounce. I thought the 1st was maybe the best period the Canadiens had played in these playoffs, and the 2nd really wasn't that bad other than the score. They need to find away to put this one behind them and knot the series up at 2 heading back to Washington. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Hal Gill. Made some fantastic plays on the PK and was solid in his own end. Consideration also given to Plekanec and Cammalleri. Game 4 goes Wednesday night at the Bell Centre.

Caps Storm Back To Beat Habs-Caps 6, Habs 5 (OT)

The Montreal Canadiens built up a 3 goal lead, but ended up on the losing end of a 6-5 overtime game against the Washington Capitals. With the win, the Caps tied the series up at 1 heading to Montreal. The Canadiens started quickly with Brian Gionta scoring a minute in followed by Andrei Kostistyn at the 7:58 mark to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead and chase Jose Theodore from the Caps net. Washington would get one back before the end of the opening frame, but Andrei Kostitsyn scored 2 more in the 2nd to finish off the hat trick. The Caps cut the lead to 4-2 and then tied it to open the 3rd period as they scored twice in the opening 10 minutes. But Tomas Plekanec again put the Canadiens ahead only to see Washington tie it with under 2 minutes to play, then win it early in overtime. A. Kostistyn ended the night with 4 points, while Mike Cammalleri had 3 and Tomas Plekanec 2. Jaroslav Halak made 31 saves in a losing effort, while the Caps goalies combined to make 19 saves. The Montreal power play went 1/3, while the PK was perfect again killing all 3 Caps chances. The TSN crew questioned the Caps 2nd goal claiming goalie interference and Maguire even disagreed with a 3rd period penalty on Hall Gill. This confirmed the refing against the Canadiens tonight was god awful. Some other thoughts from a heart breaker:

>Pleks and company were on fire today combining for 9 points. Great to see Big Tits light the lamp.

>The Caps crashed the crease all night and it appeared to affect the play of Halak. The defence is going to have to do a better job of standing up, something they did perfectly in game 1, but the last 2 goals were a direct result of the defenders giving the Caps too much time.

>Sergei Kostitsyn didn't see the ice in the 3rd after the Caps 2nd goal. With the leash Martin has him on I would say there is a good chance we could see him in the press box for game 3.

I'm not going to lie, that game was a pretty big disappointment. The Habs built a nice lead, but couldn't hold on. Taking both games in Washington would have been massive, but a split isn't too bad either. Hopefully they can get off to a good start in Montreal and get the Bell Centre rocking. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Andrei Kostitsyn. Not much doubt about this one, hat trick and 4 points overall. Consideration also given to Gionta and Plekanec. Game 3 is Monday night at the Bell Centre.

Habs Take Game 1-Habs 3, Caps 2 (OT)

I can't wait to hear what the "experts" who predicted a sweep have to say tomorrow. The Montreal Canadiens weathered the storm early and came out on top 3-2 in overtime victory over the Washington Capitals in game 1 of their Eastern conference quarter final. Jaroslav Halak was great between the pipes for the Canadiens, ending the night with 45 saves including 18 in the first period alone. As expected, the Caps fed off their fans and came out blazing in the 1st period. Despite being outshot by a wide margin, the Canadiens went into the intermission locked up at 1 after a goal by Mike Cammalleri. That score held up until the 3rd when the Caps took the lead under a minute in. But the Canadiens got back on even terms when Scott Gomez scored at the 7:34 mark. The hero of the day was Tomas Plekanec who ended the game with just under 7 minutes to play in the first overtime, giving the Canadiens first blood in the series. Jose Theodore made 35 saves for the Caps in a losing cause. The power play went 1/4 on the night while the penalty kill was perfect in 4 Caps chances. One of the big story lines was the Habs holding superstar Alex Ovechkin to 0 shots on the night, something that is unheard of. Some other thoughts from a fantasitc start to the playoffs:

>What an effort by the defence corp. Spacek was amazing tonight against Ovechkin and the rest of the crew played almost as good. If they can keep it up all series the Canadiens have a good chance to win.

>Nice to see Cammalleri break out of his slump with the opening goal. Great rush as well by Gomez which led to goal #2. And who can forget Pleks who backed up his words with the winner.

>Halak made some incredible saves in the 1st and allowed the Canadiens to escape into the intermission with a tie. After that I thought the Canadiens found their legs and gave the Caps all they could handle.

Taking game 1 is exactly what the doctor ordered. This one should give the Habs the confidence to know they can play with the Caps when they are on their game. There sure weren't too many passengers on this night. But no time to dwell on the victory, it's time to look forward to game 2. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Jaroslav Spacek. Did a great job on Oveckin, broke up a 2 on 1 in overtime and for good measure set up Pleks for the game winner. Consideration also given to Halak and Pleks. Next game is Saturday back in Washington for game 2.

Playoff Preview-Round 1 Caps

The regular season is officially in the books and when the dust settled the Montreal Canadiens found themselves with the number 8 seed in the Eastern conference. Their reward? A 1st round match up with the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals. The Capitals lead the NHL with 121 points and a total of 318 goals scored, 101 more than the Habs. They also sported the league's top power play along with 7 20+ goal scorers and a pair of players with over 100 points. Scoring hasn't been a problem this season for the Capitals, but despite a hot run by former Hab Jose Theodore, keeping goals out remains a bit of a question mark.

The Canadiens went 2-1-1 against the Caps this season and held Ovechkin in check....or at least as in check as can be expected. There will be a ton of speed in this series and the Canadiens can't get into a track meet trading chances if they want to have a chance. Against a team like the Capitals, you will get scoring chances, that's for sure. But the key is to capitalize on these chances and minimize the opportunities the other way. Halak and/or Price will be one of the, if not the biggest key to the Canadiens success. Here's hoping the Habs can give the Caps a run for their money.

Schedule:

Thursday April 15 @ Washington

Saturday April 17 @ Washington

Monday April 19 in Montreal

Wednesday April 21 in Montreal

Friday April 23 @ Washington (if necessary)

Monday April 26 in Montreal (if necessary)

Wednesday April 28 @ Washington (if necessary)

Habs Take Care Of Business....Sort Of-Laffs 4, Habs 3 (OT)

The Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket to the post season by picking up a single point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the point, the Habs will either finish 7th or 8th in the East depending on the outcome of the Rangers/Flyers game tomorrow. Brian Gionta, Andrei Markov and Marc Andre Bergeron scored the Canadiens goals. Markov ended the night with 3 points, while Scott Gomez had a pair of assists. Jaroslav Halak had an off night, giving up a pair of goals that I would consider weak. He ended the night with 24 saves, while J.S. Giguere made 34 saves for the Laffs. The Canadiens hit 3 crossbars and a goal post or this one might have gone the other way. The Canadiens power play went 1 for 5 on the night, while the Laffs failed to score on their only chance with the man advantage. The Canadiens played without Sergei Kostitsyn who saw his spot taken by Darche. The CBC tandem of Bob Cole and Greg Millen were extremely pro Laffs, with Cole confused about pretty much everything about the game tonight. Some other observations:

>Ryan O'Byrne appears to be still paying for his rough game the other night, as he dressed but saw only 1:46 of ice time. His spot was taken by Bergeron who to his credit played a good game.

>With Bit Tits struggling badly all night, Martin made a move late in the 3rd to replace him with Darche. Seemed to work, as that line had some great chances in the 3rd.

>The Gomez, Gionta and Pouliot line was pretty good all night. They created a ton of chances and hit a couple of posts. Gomez was a monster on faceoffs, winning 58% of them including a number of key ones on the power play.

It would have been nice to get a win, but who cares the Montreal Canadiens are playoff bound! Looks like it will either be the Caps, Devils or the Sabres in round 1. All three provide stiff competition, but I think both can be beat if the Canadiens (and their goaltending) are at the top of their game. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Andrei Markov. When the chips were down he had a huge night. Consideration also given to Gomez and Gionta. Not sure when the next game will be, but I can't wait.

Poor Effort Leads To Bad Loss-Canes 5, Habs 2

Apparently somebody forgot to tell the Montreal Canadiens they had not clinched a playoff berth yet. The Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Montreal Canadiens enroute to a 5-2 win in Raleigh. The Habs had little jump until the 3rd period, but it was too little too late. The Canes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd before Brian Gionta scored to cut the lead to one. A Carolina power play goal to start the 3rd was quickly neutralized with a Marc Andre Bergeron blast to get the Canadiens back within a goal. But a pair of late Canes goals, including one into an empty net iced the game and left the Canadiens still without a playoff spot. Jaroslav Halak got the call in net and stopped 28 of 32 shots in a losing effort. Cam Ward was great in goal for the Canes, especially in the 3rd period, and ended the night with 30 saves. The power play went 0/2 while the penalty kill gave up a goal on the Canes only attempt. The TSN crew was able to rip the Canadiens all game in case anyone blind was watching the game...thanks for that. Some other thoughts from a tough game to watch:

>The Canadiens had all kinds of trouble with giveaways. Too many lazy clearing attempts and passes back into their own zone. Sometimes it's best to make the easy play....

>Martin juggled the lines playing Cammi with Gomez and Gionta. They looked pretty good, but couldn't finish. Pleks was stuck with A. Kost. and Pouliot who both had off nights. Both O'Byrne and Sergei Kostitysn were benched in the second, but they certainly weren't the most deserving 2 of this treatment.

>Sorry to pick on Martin again, but with 2:23 to go in a 2 goal game and a face off in the oppositions end is a pretty good time to pull the goalie. Of course he did not, instead waiting until there was 1:38 on the clock.

The Canadiens can never make things easy on themselves. For the second straight year the playoff race will come down to the final weekend. I just hope they don't leave themselves in a must win situation in the last game of the year. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Marc Andre Bergeron. Bergeron had a solid game which included a goal. Consideration also given to Markov and Moore. Next up, the final game of the season against the Laffs.

Habs Fail To Clinch A Playoff Spot-Isles 4, Habs 3 (SO)

The Montreal Canadiens picked up a point, but failed to punch their ticket to the postseason by dropping a 4-3 game to the New York Islanders in a shootout. With the Rangers losing, the Canadiens could have secured their spot in the top 8 with a win. They came within 2:01 of doing so, but gave up a goal to send the game into extra time. Tomas Plekanec, Maxime Lapierre and Brian Gionta scored for the Canadiens, who could not solve Martin Biron in the shootout, going 0/2. Jaroslav Halak made 40 saves for the Habs, but allowed a pair of goals in two chances in the shootout. Biron ended the night with 28 saves for the Islanders. The Canadiens also had to kill a penalty in the extra frame, when Andrei Kostitsyn was called for a hook with just under 2 minutes to play. The Canadiens were perfect on the penalty kill, going 3 for 3, while the power play was 1/2. Jaroslav Spacek missed another game with an illness. Some other thoughts:

>Some quesitonable coaching tonight left me with a bad taste in my mouth. First, having Pleks, Pyatt and Gionta on the ice late in the game, which eventually led to the tieing goal. I have no problem with these 3, but none of them play regularly on the same line. Also, putting Lapierre in the shootout was a dumb move in my opinion.

>The defence didn't play particularly well. Outside of O'Byrne and Gorges, the rest struggled. Too many turnovers, although I will give the Isles credit for working hard and being pretty quick.

>Cammalleri hasn't scored since he returned from injury. Seems to be a little off still. I'd like to see him fire some more pucks on net. I think if he gets one, he'll start to score in bunches.

Tough game against a determined Islander team. The Isles are playing loose, with nothing to play for and it showed tonight. The Canadiens missed an opportunity to clinch, but are still in fairly good shape in terms of getting into the playoffs. I won't even try to figure out the various scenarios. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game on this night goes to Tomas Plekanec. Pleks had a goal and was solid all over the ice as usual, including part of the penalty kill in overtime. Consideration also given to O'Byrne and Lapierre. Next action is Thursday in Carolina.