Habs Penalty Kill Struggles In Game 1-Pens 6, Habs 3

The Montreal Canadiens dropped the opening game of their 2nd round series to the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3. The Pens scored 4 power play goals and chased Jaroslav Halak from the net by scoring 5 goals on 20 shots. PK Subban scored his first NHL goal to open the scoring, while Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta also scored for the Canadiens. Gionta and Scott Gmez picked up a pair of points each. Halak, as noted above made 15 saves, while his replacement Carey Price stopped all 3 shots he faced. The Penguins also added an empty net goal in the final minute. Marc Andre Fleury made 28 saves to pick up the win for Pittsburgh. After such a great opening round, the penalty kill allowed the 4 goals mentioned earlier in just 4 Pens chances. The Canadiens power play went 1 for 4 on the night. The Habs were dealt a crushing blow in the first period when all-star defenceman Andrei Markov left with a lower body injury. Early reports say he left the rink on crutches which is never a good sign. Some other thoughts from a tough game:

>Halak had a bit of an off night. He looked tired and just couldn't make the stops when needed most. Hopefully he can come back like he did after getting pulled in round 1.

>At the end of the day, you cannot allow 4 power play goals and hope to win. The coaching staff needs to make some adjustments to make sure that doesn't happen again. The Canadiens also have to avoid taking such stupid penalties (too many men, delay of game...etc.).

>Andrei Kostitsyn had a horrible giveaway that led to a too many men on the ice penalty, and then a goal. He didn't see the ice much after that. Martin moved Moen with Pleks and Cammi, while Pyatt (and sometimes Pouliot) took Moen's spot with Gomez and Gionta.

The Canadiens look pretty tired as a whole after that draining series against the Caps. Despite that, with a few saves and some better penalty killing this game could have gone the other way. Their ability to make adjustments on the penalty kill, the play of Halak, and finding a way to cope without Markov (potentially) will decide if they can win or not. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight was a pretty easy choice. PK Subban scored his first NHL goal and made great plays that led to the other two. This kid is special, that's for sure. Consideration also given to Cammalleri and Gionta. Game 2 goes Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, thanks NHL for giving the Habs so much rest.

Playoff Preview Round 2-Pens

After knocking off the Presidents Trophy winning Washington Capitals in round 1, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves with a spot in the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. Things don't get any easier for the Canadiens as they will enjoy a night off followed by a Friday night date with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. So much for things getting easier. The Pens defeated the Ottawa Senators in round 1 4 games to 2 after picking up 101 points in the regular season, good for 4th in the East. They also scored the 2nd most goals in the Eastern Conference, led by Crosby with 51. Surprisingly, the Pens power play ranked 19th in the league during the regular season, while the penalty kill was 9th.

The Penguins won the season series 3-1, with the Canadiens only win coming in the final matchup at the Bell Centre. Like in the Caps series, controlling the Pens big guns will be a huge key to the series. Crosby and Malkin give the Penguins two of the more skilled centres in the league. The Canadiens defence and Halak will have to continue their strong play. Probably the biggest question mark for the Pens is goaltending, where despite Marc Andre Fleury having a cup ring, he still is considered beatable on some nights. Strong goaltending and timely scoring will be the recipe for success once again in this series. The Habs will once again be massive underdogs but I'm sure they have some confidence after taking out the Caps in round 1. Here is the schedule:

Friday April 30 6:00 pm @ Pittsburgh

Sunday May 2 1:00 pm @ Pittsburgh

Tuesday May 4 6:00 pm @ Montreal

Thursday May 6 6:00 pm @ Montreal

Saturday May 10 6:00 pm @ Pittsburgh (if necessary)

Wednesday May 12 TBD (if necessary)

Game 7 TBD (if necessary)

Habs Shock The Hockey World-Habs 2, Caps 1

I'm not sure if any expert actually picked the Montreal Canadiens to upset the Washinton Capitals in their 1st round series, but that's exactly what they did. The Habs completed the 2nd biggest upset in NHL playoff history by defeating the Capitals 2-1 in game 7. The win completed a comeback that saw the Canadiens erase a 3-1 series deficit, with 2 of the final 3 wins coming in Washington. The Capitals finished a whopping 33 points ahead of the Canadiens in the regular season standings and most experts had a great time discussing how bad the Habs would embarassed in this series. Marc Andre Bergeron and Dominic Moore scored the Canadiens goals. Moore's goal in the 3rd period made the score 2-0, but the Capitals responded 1:20 later to make things interesting. Ryan O'Byrne then took a penalty with under 2 minutes to play to set up a wild finish. Jaroslav Halak was amazing again making 41 saves for the win. Seymon Varlamov made 14 saves in a losing cause. Both teams had goals disallowed in the 3rd period. The Canadiens penalty kill continued to be another huge story, holding the Caps scoreless in 3 tries and allowed only 1 goal the entire series. The Habs power play clicked again, going 1 for 3 on the night. Some other thoughts from a great night:

>Hal Gill was awesome again tonight. I gave Gill a lot of grief over the regular season, but he has stepped up his game and been a force on the blueline so far in the playoffs. The rest of the defence was solid as well.

>The Canadiens once again rolled 3 lines, with Metropolit and Pouliot seeing limited action, although Pouliot took Moen's spot in the 3rd. Not sure if there was an injury to Moen or what the deal was.

>Shot blocking was a big factor in this series and was once again tonight. The Habs had 41 blocked shots tonight, with Gill and Markov having 6 a piece.

This can only be described as a monumental upset. Going into the series I figured it would take great goaltending and timely scoring to win this series. That's exactly what the Canadiens were able to do in the final 3 games. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Jaroslav Halak again. What a performance again tonight, he was fabulous. Consideration also given to Gill and Markov. Next action, round 2 Friday in Pittsburgh against the Pens.

Habs Force A Game 7-Habs 4, Caps 1

The Montreal Canadiens refused to let their season end as they defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 in front of a crazy sellout crowd at the Bell Centre. The win forced a game 7 back in Washington against the top seeded Caps. Jaroslav Halak was unbelievable in net for the Canadiens stopping a whopping 53 shots for the victory. Seymon Varlamov made 18 saves in the Caps goal. Mike Cammalleri scored a pair of 1st period goals 1:39 apart to give the Canadiens the early lead. Max Lapierre scored early in the 3rd followed by Tomas Plekanec icing the game into an empty net to send the crowd into a frenzy. The Canadiens penalty kill was a big factor again holding the Caps scoreless in 6 tries, including a long 5 on 3. The Canadiens power play went 1 for 5 on the night. For those who believe there is a conspiracy against Canadian teams, the Habs were assesed 3 diving penalties in the game, with 2 of those being the only call on the play, both to Max Lapierre. To put this is perspective, there were 3 diving calls made in the entire NHL regular season that were the only penalty on the play. Yes I lost it a few times because of these calls. Some other thoughts:

>The story before the game was the Canadiens recalling PK Subban from Hamilton. PK played great like he did in the regular season, picking up an assist in just over 10 minutes of ice time. During his first shift the crowd was chanting his name after knocking a Caps player down...man they (we) love this kid.

>To make room for PK, Sergei Kostitsyn was in the press box. This forced the Canadiens to roll 3 lines most of the night, with Pouliot and Metropolit seeing just over 5 minutes of ice time. Lapierre played on the 3rd line with Pyatt and Moore.

>Props to Gill and Gorges again tonight for a huge effort on the penalty kill. Both have been warriors in these playoffs and a big reason the Canadiens have been hold the Caps power play in check.

For a team that was supposed to be dispatched in 4 games, the Canadiens have made this into quite a series. The story of tonight was strong goaltending and timely scoring. Hopefully the Habs can carry this momentum into game 7. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game tonight goes to Jaroslav Halak, no doubt about it. He was a rock tonight and the star of the game. Consideration also given to Lapierre and Cammalleri. Game 7 goes Wednesday in Washington.

Not So Fast Caps-Habs 2, Caps 1

The Montreal Canadiens have lived to play another day. The Canadiens forced a game 6 back in Montreal with a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The Caps still hold a 3-2 edge in the series, but were the heavy favorites to wrap up round 1 on home ice. But the Canadiens had other plans as they scored twice in the opening 7:01 to jump out to a 2-0 lead. The Caps would cut the lead in half early in the 2nd, but Jaroslav Halak shut the door the rest of the way to pick up the win. Halak was remarkable, making 37 saves, while Seymon Varlamov stopped 26 for the Capitals. Mike Cammalleri and Travis Moen scored the Canadiens goals. Both teams struggled on the power play, with the Habs going 0/6 and the Caps gonig 0/4. The Caps were caught for too many men on the ice in the final minute after Varlamov made his way to the bench, only to retreat as the puck slid towards the net. The problem was the extra attacker had already joined the play. Some other thoughts from an exciting game:

>Martin moved Moen onto the Gomez line and it paid dividends. Pouliot has been struggling and Moen gave that line a physical dimension they had been lacking.

>Martin also cut the bench down in the 3rd, with Hamrlik and Bergeron seeing little ice time in the final 10 minutes. O'Byrne/Markov and Gill/Gorges were given the task to limit the Caps chances to tie the game.

>Hats off to the Caps penalty killing for doing a good job on the Habs tonight. They are forcing all over the ice and the Canadiens are making some poor decisions. Might be time to simplify things and just throw it back to the point and get some shots on net.

Nice to see the Habs come out with an inspired effort as they faced elimination. Many said this series would be over in 4 (or 3 according to PJ Stock) but we will see a game 6 back at the Bell Centre. Hopefully Halak can play well again and the Habs can come up with another strong defensive effort. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Jaroslav Halak. Halak made 37 saves and was spectacular all night. Consideration also given to Moen and Cammalleri. Game 6 will go Monday in Montreal as the Habs again try to stave off elimination.

Ovechkin Shows 6 Year Old Flag Boy Who's Boss

Last year at this time I was an Ovechkin fan. The guy was an exciting sniper who had personality. As this season went on, Ovechkin had several questionable hits. This wasn't anything new in his career, but so many in one season was alarming. I began to grow tired of the constant excuses as to why it wasn't his fault that he hurt this player and that player. Seeing him dodge suspension after suspension while others who did similar things had the book thrown at them. It had nothing to do with the Canadiens, none of these hits happened against them, it had to do with the fact he seemed to always get a free pass, no matter what he did. Suddenly I genuinely felt bad for Crosby and the flak he has taken the past couple of seasons for diving and whining. I admit I have criticized Crosby in the past for things like this. Right from the start these two superstars have been rivals, not only on the ice but in the media where one "boring" player tries to compete with the "flashy" one.

The latest Ovechkin incident has only added to my dislike for him. Before game 4, Ovechkin did his usual pregame ritual of skating directly to the bench, stopping and jumping in. The only difference was that this time there happened to be a 6 year old child living out a dream of holding a Montreal Canadiens flag in front of a sell out crowd standing where Ovechkin usually stops. Ovechkin went on with his ritual, icing the poor kid as he stood there confused. Some may not think this is a big deal, but think of how this kid felt seeing a 225 pound NHL player barreling down on him, then snowing him with ice. His reaction appeared to be fear and confusion as he glanced at Ovechkin and then tried to move over, probably thinking he was in the wrong spot. So what could Ovechkin have done differently. If he indeed "had" to do his ritual, why not stop 2 feet over and avoid spraying snow on the kid? How about tapping the youngster on the head or shin pads if you spray him with ice so he doesn't have to worry he did something wrong?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Pv9VD_5Ew

Some will say I am over reacting, and who knows, maybe I am. But this whole incident got me thinking what the best way to determine if a situation like this is bad or not. I came up with this....anytime I am faced with a decision like this, I'm going to picture Sean Avery (the league's biggest dirt bag) doing the same thing. If Avery did this, would people stick up for him saying he was just having fun or just being "Avery"? I highly doubt it, but just like every other time Ovechkin has crossed the line, people chalk it up to him just being "Ovie". That's fine if you are shooting your mouth off in the media or performing an over the top celebration, not when you are spraying a 6 year old with snow. Time to grow up Ovechkin.

Good Effort But No Victory-Caps 6, Habs 3

The Montreal Canadiens find themselves on the verge of elimination thanks to a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals in game 4 of their 1st round matchup. The Canadiens controlled the play for the first 2 periods, but found themselves in a 2-2 tie thanks to a Caps shorthanded goal with just 7 seconds to go in the period. They then added a pair of quick goals half way through the 3rd to take a 4-2 lead before scoring 2 empty net goals, with a Habs marker in between. Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta and Dominic Moore scored for the Canadiens who outshot the Caps 39-38, including 21-9 in the 2nd period alone. Carey Price got the call in goal for the Habs and made 32 saves. Seymon Varlamov was great at the other end making 36 saves and holding the Capitals in it through 2 periods. The Canadiens penalty kill finally allowed a goal in 5 Caps chances. The power play went 1/4 on the night, but as noted gave up a back breaking shorthanded goal for the 2nd game in a row. Some other observations:

>Hamrlik was the direct cause of the shorthanded goal tonight, as he was in game 3. I really don't know what's going on with him, he is usually one of the more reliable players on defence. Spacek missed the game with an injury and Ryan O'Byrne drew back in to take his spot.

>The forwards had a ton of chances, but just could not turn those chances into more goals. Sergei Kostitsyn was back in, with Darche in the pressbox.

>Price played well and really didn't have much of a chance on the Caps 4 goals they scored on him. The Caps again took advantage of the Canadiens mistakes.

Other than the errors, the Canadiens deserved to win this game. They outworked the Caps most of the night, but at the end of the day if you can't score on your chances and you make mistakes at key times, you won't win. Some fans might be upset, but you really can't say this team didn't leave it all on the ice tonight. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Glen Metropolit. Had an assist and a great shot block...all this from a guy that came back 3 weeks early from injury to play. Consideration also given to Cammalleri and Gionta. The Canadiens will now try to keep their season alive Friday night in Washington.