Game 29: Bruins vs. Habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Bruins through 40 minutes.

- For the most part, Therrien has been rolling the lines pretty evenly, nearly identical split for the Plekanec and Galchenyuk's lines.

- Rask is keeping his team in this. Could/should be 3-0 at this stage, but he's stoned Pacioretty and Plekanec in the 2nd and 3rd periods.

- There's the Rask effect, and Eriksson scores shorthanded, the puck bounce gods shining down on the Bruins.

- Oh dear, Ferraro with a snap shot that Condon must stop. And suddenly, it's 2-1 Boston.

- Habs corsi, when all is said and done, is going to be north of 60%, which means it's another game they've lost where they should have won. Hockey is maddening because you can never, ever figure it out.

- And that's the game. Emelin and Galchenyuk made horrid mistake deep in their zone, Emelin follows the puck and makes a terrible body check attempt, which completely turns the puck over deep, and all alone in front of the net is Bergeron, who turns Condon inside out.

- Now down two goals, and late powerplay, Therrien finally uses Eller. Asset management for a team that's struggling offensively continues to be baffling.

- Using Desharnais on the powerplay. Again. Just keep knocking my head against a brick wall. Therrien keeps sending him out, he never, ever shoots, and his passes are frequently off the mark.

- Therrien pulls Condon, puts out for the 6th man ... wait for it ... Brian Flynn.

- Okay, that officially sucked. But Tuukka Rask did it ... finally. He came into the Bell Centre, and stoned the Habs, kept his team in the game, and finally, the Bruins caught a couple of breaks, took advantage, Condon with some iffy late goaltending (again), Habs couldn't muster much on their powerplay, and it all equalled a loss, regardless of puck possession, which the Habs dominated. Dustin Tokarski tomorrow night.



SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Bruins through 20 minutes. In case you were wondering, there were a ridiculous 32 faceoffs in that period, Boston won 18 of them.












- An almost completely uneventful first 5 minutes, expect that Habs continue to contain the neutral zone, which has slowed the game down significantly, and the Bruins' attack to a near crawl.

- Habs are generating puck control in the Bruins zone, but their passing and shooting has been mostly permitter. They need to drive more traffic towards Rask, much like they did to open the game scoring. Since then, they've been very tentative, in particular the Galcheyuk line, which looked so good early in the 1st.

- Ah, finally. Andrighetto with nifty cross ice pass on the tape to Pacioretty driving to the net, forcing Rask to make his best save of the night.

- We mentioned this in our pregame preview, but to reiterate, a key part of Habs winning tonight is staying out of the box. So far, 0 Bruin powerplay opportunities as we hit the halfway mark.

- Good puck rotation on the Habs powerplay, but the setup is still too far out. Rask moves well laterally, so 35 footers aren't going to beat him.

- There's just no point using Desharnais on the powerplay, beside a person of last resort. Totally unable to finish scoring plays, which is kind of what you need from your centre with the man advantage.

- Looks like Krecji is done for the night, after taking a (clean) hit along the boards from Eller.

- Chara is a mess out there. His decline the past two years has been startling. Sad that Boston still plays him nearly 30 minutes a game.

- Divin' Bruins divin' again, this time it's Krug, and the official falls for it.

- That was an atrocious powerplay for the Bruins. They're one of the League's best? Hard to believe.

- Not exactly electrifying period of hockey, a mostly defensive clinic, the Habs were not able to generate many high percentage scoring chances, as the Bruins have done a pretty good job containing the slot, while the Habs have been (mostly) tentative driving towards Rask. Can't imagine this game finishing 1-0, but stranger things have happened.


FIRST PERIOD:

- Looks like Bruins are making warmup changes, Randell is a scratch, Talbot will draw in.

- Bruins also tinkering with defence: Morrow is out, Seidenberg is in.

- Plekanec line fast out of the gate. He and Eller are overdue for a goal or two.

- Pretty good start for the Habs, with strong offensive zone pressure which has caused the Bruins' slow and clunky defence, mainly the nearly almost always terrible Kevan Miller, to dangerously turn the puck over a couple of times.

- Whistle #16 at the 7:17 mark of this game. That's not a exaggeration. Actual total.

- Plekanec scores. As we mentioned about 10 minutes earlier. Slaps the puck in just below the crossbar.

- In any case, the Habs strong forecheck pays off relatively early, the Bruins are very sloppy around Rask. Poor Tukkaa.

- Byron looks more and more like a Plekanec protege. Pretty good both directions, really assisted with tremendous speed, but lacks the natural skills that turtleplecks brings to the table. Would be more suited to 3rd line duties.

- Still think the Emelin-Petry pairing is inane. Don't know where Therrien gets these ideas and continues to shove square pegs into round holes.

- Not sure what the record is for faceoffs in a period, but we must be getting close to it. 28 faceoffs in 14 minutes.

- Habs seem to be reeling back on the aggressive forecheck, devoting more time to cluttering up the neutral zone. It's reduced their scoring opportunities, but suffocated the Bruins ability to generate any kind of momentum.

- I'm gonna call it here - the next Habs goal, assuming they do score another, will be the Galchenyuk line. Really giving Bruins backend some fits in this period.

- Plekanec goal taken off the board, credited to Byron. It's been nearly two months since turtleplecks scored an even strength goal.

- Subban gives Marchand a little tap, Marchand responds with huge two hander. Ref puts both in the box, which is all kinds of stupid.

- Habs better team in the period, 24 hours more rest, they certainly have more legs than the Bruins, and applied strong pressure from the red line forward, which generated more scoring chances, and mostly confined Boston away from the Habs zone. Even with all the injuries, Canadiens' deeper bench making it hard for the Bruins to adjust and compete.

GAME 29 PREVIEW. PLEASE START TUUKKA RASK. PLEASE START TUUKKA RASK. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE START TUUKKA RASK

Afternoon update: TUUKKA WILL START TONIGHT. YAY!

Tuukka Rask. What's not to love about this guy? The tantrums. The stick breaking. The flip-outs. The sheer psychotic behaviour that makes Rask the classic Boston Bruin hockey player. PLUS HE'S A TEAM PLAYER:



If you're a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, you're a fan of Tuukka Rask. That is mandatory.

I mean, com'on. Rask is the greatest thing to happen to the Montreal Canadiens since ... man ... has anything great happened to this team in 20 years? Anyway, let the stat line tell the tale:

W: 145 L: 88 GAA: 2.20 SV% .925

Hey, those are pretty good numbers. Those are Tuukka's career stats. Impressive! Say, how's he fared against the Habs?

W: 3 L: 17 GAA: 2.74 SV% .906

Uh, yeeks? Well surely those numbers are better the past few season, since those have been Tuukka's prime years, right? Let's look over the past four seasons.

W: 2 L: 10 GAA: 2.72 SV% .904

Yeah, okay. You know what coach Julien? Better not start Tuukka tonight.

(please, please, please, start Tuukka tonight, Claude?)

Anyway, here are the lines tonight for les Bruins:

1: Marchand/Begergon/Connolly
2: Beleskey/Krejci/Eriksson
3: Vatrano/Spooner/Hayes
4: Rinaldo/Ferraro/Randell

Chara/Trotman
Krug/McQuaid
Morrow/Miller

Rask (?)

Scratches: Seidenberg, C. Miller

As per usual, the Bruins offence isn't half bad, the team continues to get carried by its powerplay, even though its defence is either old (Chara), inexperienced, or just plain terrible (Morrow/Miller).

Key for the Habs tonight? Don't take penalties, and if those do get called, kill the Boston powerplay. And hope that a certain player who wears a certain #40 gets to start. NOT SAYING WHO THAT PLAYER IS. But, it'll help.

Habs lines? Who knows, but the Michel Therrien blender seems to be pointed towards spitting up these combinations tonight. At least to start the game. After the first shifts, all bets are off.

1: Pacioretty/Galchenyuk/Andrighetto
2: Eller/Plekanec/Byron
3: Fleischmann/Desharnais/Weise
4: Carr/Flynn/Thomas

Markov/Subban
Petry/Beaulieu
Gilbert/Emelin

Condon.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST.


HAPPY GAMEDAY!

Branden Prust, you're a TERRIBLE PERSON for doing this. But in the meantime, let's watch:





HAPPY TUESDAY. THIS IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HABS TODAY

My #WarriorOfTheWeek is Emma. Emma is battling cancer everyday with a smile on her face. We were lucky enough to meet her today @natebeaulieu

A photo posted by Brendan Gallagher (@bgally.11) on Dec 8, 2015 at 1:14pm PST

MONDAY, HAPPY MONDAY - NEWS 'N' NOTES:

The weekend is over. Yay! That means we don't have to linger over losing to the last place team in the National Hockey League anymore.

A few bits of Habs news, of some importance:

- Alexander Semin was put on waivers this morning. Assuming he clears, and there might, just might be a couple of teams out there interested in claiming his bargain-basement salary, he'll report to St. Johns. Habs will clear his salary off the cap, save $150k.

- Jared Tinordi, meanwhile, was called up from the farm, his conditioning stint fulfilled. Whether he'll actually receive actual NHL game action - we'll have to wait and see.

- Hey, that presumption that Devante Smith-Pelly was a healthy scratch? Scratch that. Habs have place him on injury reserve today, lower body injury sustained during Thursday's 3-2 loss to Washington.

- Former Hab George Laraque turned 39 today. Happy Birthday George! Those in Montreal can testify that it's not unusual to see George out and about the city (I have bumped into him a couple of times, my own self). Ah, sweet life of retirement.

- Not Habs-related, but for those of who grew up on 70s hockey will be pleased (and perhaps even somewhat chagrined) to know Gerry Cheevers turned 75 years old today. SEVENTY-FIVE. Jesus. 75. Anyway, happy birthday Gerry! Even though you're a Bruin through-and-through, I have absolutely zero ill feelings towards you, because you never beat us.

Game Twenty-Two: Islanders vs. Habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Islanders through 40 minutes:

- And Gallagher is done for the night. This is obviously the news we were not wanting to hear.

- If Gallagher is gone for any extended period of time, the gate of opportunity has now opened for George Holloway.

- Alex Galchenyuk continues to shoot pucks off target. I still think he tries too hard looking for corners, which results in a pretty poor shooting percentage.

- Islanders pressing as we near the halfway mark of the 3rd. Habs playing an increasingly passive game as the frame progresses, which means the Islanders are getting more and more scoring chances.

- Islanders with a terrible powerplay, but somehow manage to score as the man advantage ends, as Markov and Subban get all kinds of messed up in front of Price. Game tied, and Dale Weise, who took a terrible penalty, can sit on the bench and think it over.

- Another symptom from playing a passive game. Your feet stop moving. When your feet stop moving, you take more penalties. Habs with three minors this period alone - one costing them the lead.

- ALEX GALCHENYUK. FINALLY.

- Habs powerplay strikes, a beautiful cross ice pass by Subban to Galchenyuk who finally, FINALLY scores. Habs take late 3-2 lead.

- Andrighetto given late game shift, with Habs leading by just one. Clearly, Therrien has been impressed.

- Islanders get nailed for too many men, with just 83 seconds left. An astounding stupid penalty at this stage in the game.

- Pacioretty. Empty net. Game. Set. Match.



SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Islanders through 20 minutes:

- Man, Alex Galchenyuk. Fires puck wide on a totally wide open net. At some point, this will go beyond snakebite, and he'll start to see his time dramatically reduced. Actually, that's already starting. The Galchenyuk line got least amount of ice time in the 1st period.

- Can't figure out the deal with Price - he's having an awful time controlling the puck, resulting in numerous rebounds off relatively simple shots. It's easy enough to write this all off as rust, but it's still very unusual.

- Based from what we've seen the first half of the game, I can't fathom how Therrien wouldn't be anything other than pleased by what he's seen from Andrighetto.

- Greg Pateryn is having another excellent game. He's in the lineup because of Emelin's injury, but he's been so good since getting the call, it's going to be awfully difficult, maybe impossible, for Therrien to take him out. This could make Gilbert the odd-man out.

- Habs 2nd powerplay clicks, as Weise does a nice job moving the puck tight before dishing off to Desharnais for an easy goal. Habs puck movement while on the powerplay continues to look excellent.

- Semin making hay since getting promoted. As long as he continues to generate scoring opportunities, he will get to play. Maybe even regularly.

- Oh dear, Gallagher takes a blast off the hand from short range. Looks bad. Really bad.

- Fleischmann, shorthanded. Vicious snap shot, Greiss with little chance. What an incredible pickup for the Habs. At $750K, possibly the greatest bargain in the National Hockey League.

- Gallagher's hand after that shot. I'm no doctor, but that thing sure looks broken.

- With Gallagher done, Semin has been promoted to the Plekanec line. Started the night buried on the 4th line, had a couple of good shifts, got promoted to the 2nd line, and now on the top line. Quite a night.

- Good period for the Habs, but possibly very costly, depending on Gallagher's status, which doesn't look good. Habs continue to outperform the Islanders in transitions, which has helped them generate far more scoring chances. As we said at the end of the 1st period, Habs simply needed to continue to play the way they are. Same applies for the upcoming 3rd period.


FIRST PERIOD:

- Rock solid first shift for Semin buried on the 4th line, good forecheck, and nearly tipped a Beaulieu point shot past Greiss.

- Habs doing a good job with zone pressure, another fine shift for Glachenyuk, who just misses off a rebound. If good scoring chances were goal, he'd probably be leading the League in scoring.

- Habs way faster than the Islanders early on. New York basically just in reaction mode, transition game sputtering so far.

- To be perfectly blunt, I don't quite understand all the hype around Hamonic - sure he's fast, yes he's young, but he's awfully sloppy with the puck at times. I don't think the Islanders are gong to nearly get the returns they're hoping for if/when he's eventually moved out west.

- Pretty good looking first Habs powerplay, puck movement was crisp, a couple of decent scoring chances - impressive considering how the Islanders PK is currently rated top of the League.

- Islanders look an awful lot like last year's Habs - lots of puck dump-and-chases, while the Habs have been almost entirely carrying the zone. Guess who's had almost all of the scoring chances so far?

- Still don't think Price is 100%. Gives up a huge rebound off a very routine shot from the line, and Tavares pokes in the loose puck. 1-0 Islanders.

- Hockey is like that. Habs controlled most of the period, but Islanders the only goal, in part because Price couldn't handle a simple shot, in part because Therrien put out the defensively weak Desharnais line against the Tavares line, which is just asking for trouble. That said, Habs just need to keep playing as they are. Eventually the bounces will start landing their way.


GAMEDAY GAME NOTES:

No detailed preview today - we're all familiar with the Islanders, having just played them a couple of days ago. That said ... here's a few points for consideration:

- Habs have a minor case of the injury bug. Torrey Mitchell and Devante Smith-Pelly are out with unspecified injuries. Sven Andrighetto, who will play alongside Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk, will get his first start of the season. Also called up for the Habs is George Holloway, a career minor-leaguer, who was a pickup from the L.A. Kings a little while ago. He'll likely not play tonight, but is up "just in case".

- Carey Price will start - will he look better than Friday? Price looked a little bit rusty at times, especially moving laterally in his crease.

- Speaking of netminders, it's unclear who'll start for the Islanders tonight. Jaroslav Halak struggled Friday, eventually getting yanked in the second period. Thomas Greiss came in on relief, and was solid.

More later, if there's anything post-worthy. Puck will drop tonight at 7:10 EST.

Game Nineteen: Canucks vs. Habs

OVERTIME:

- Therrien puts out Plekanec and Fleischmann to start the OT.

- Therrien clearly has no idea who his best playing forwards have been tonight. Neither Eller or Galchenyuk have received an extra time shift.

- Desharnais!! Habs with a fantastic, well-earned two points. Subban with a fine play shuffling puck over to Subban off the usual OT odd-maned break.

Canucks had an excellent first period, but after that, it was all Habs. Montreal's possession-emphases style really demonstrated its superiority tonight, as Vancouver couldn't withstand the ongoing pressure that mounted from the five minute mark of the 2nd period forward. The victory tonight is the kind that can really propel a team towards a solid winning streak. We'll see what happens over the next week, hopefully with a date forthcoming of Carey Price's return to the lineup.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Canucks through 40 minutes. See where everything went full throttle the other direction? That was the Eller goal. Hockey is a funny game sometimes.

- Habs deployment this evening has been all over the map. Mitchell taken from the 4th to the 2nd line, at Semin's expense, even though as a unit, Galchenyuk/Eller/Semin have had excellent possession.

- Another Habs powerplay, looks pretty good, but can't score. Canucks have dodged some pretty big bullets tonight. This game really ought be at least tied.

- Subban, for whatever reason, has struggled this year taking shots off clean passes fed to the point. Another big whiff tonight.

- Semin with a pretty bad holding penalty away from the play. That might just seal his fate in another return to the press box.

- Saw the Semin penalty replay. It was bad. Really bad. He might not see another shift tonight.

- Canucks are playing a pretty good one goal lead 3rd period. Doing good job containing breakouts and centre ice, and hustling back to their zone to break up Habs possession. Things settling in a bit.

- Semin now benched. He may never play another shift in Montreal again. Given how he signed, he may never play another shift in the NHL again.

- Habs freewheeling more through centre, but so far, haven't been able to solve Markstrom. Time running down, Canadiens will eventually have to get its defence more involved if they hope to tie this up.

- 4 minutes left, Canucks in full puck dumping mode. It's insane, but it's paying off. They might just hang on to this.

- Fleischmann scores!! But will it be challenged??

- Nope. Weak goal surrendered by Markstrom. Canucks tried to Hab their way to a win (ca. 2014-15), but couldn't run the clock out.

- Well, giving up the tying goal at least has shaken the Canucks offence back to life. They realize they'll have to earn a win by having to, you know, try to score.

- And overtime we go, against a Canucks team that 0-5 in extra time this year. Well-earned comeback for the Habs tonight.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Canucks thorough 20 minutes of weird hockey:

- Just a weird period, hampered by the feeling that Mike Condon, whom just a few days ago seemed like no puck could get past, doesn't seem to be able to make those "big" saves any more. At least, that's my perception at the moment.

- Condon gives up a weak one off a 50 foot shot, puck going right under his pads. Another powerplay goal given up. This game is pretty much toast.

- Amazing how the season has just turned completely around for Condon, on a dime. He could do no wrong just three days ago. That's how quickly it can go wrong.

- Habs 4th line Mitchell/Flynn/Smith-Pelly are having a disastrous evening. You don't even want to know what their fancy stats look like, except they bear an uncanny resemblance to a black hole.

- Canucks make an atrocious line change during a powerplay, giving Eller free reign right through centre ice, a snapper beats Markstrom cleanly, and suddenly the Habs have some life? 3-1.

- Great snap shot by Eller, but Markstrom did look a little sluggish in reacting to the play. Habs would be wise to test his glove side a few more times.

- Well hey now, we have ourselves a game. Pacioretty with pressure behind the net generates deep zone turnover, Gallagher feeds the puck back to Patches, who scores his first non-empty net goal in 10 games. 3-2 knuckleheads.

- Now Vancouver is nailed for too many men - and the Canucks are reeling. Habs with big opportunity to, believe it or not, tie this game.

- Markstrom with a fantastic glove save off a Subban howitzer. What I said about Markstrom's glove hand? Forgetaboutit.

- Habs don't tie the game with the man advantage, but oh boy, does it look like one hummin' unit right now. Amazing they haven't scored tonight. They might still. Lots of hockey to be played.

- Galchenyuk continues to buzz around the ice, but he's having a very tough time getting recognition from his coach. Barely 7 minutes played as the 2nd period winds down.

- Lots of officiating inconsistency from Tim Peel tonight, which is pretty much the norm for him. It is, however, creating lots of frustration amongst the players on both benches. Nobody really seems to know what the penalty threshold is because it's been a moving target.

- Another weird period. After the Canucks took a 3-0 lead off a weak goal surrendered by Condon, the air totally end out of the Bell Centre. Habs looked like they'd given up. Then Eller scored a shorthanded goal off a bad Canucks line change, and everything changed 180. Montreal still with lots of momentum they've generated since the 5 minute mark of the period, and have firmly taken control over puck possession and game tempo. Makes for a very compelling 3rd period.


FIRST PERIOD:

- ANNNNNNNND we're off, anddddddd it's a terrible start, as Petry going back into his own corner, passes behind to Chris Higgins, who stopped playing for the Habs about 7 years ago. Condon basically left to his own. 1-0 Canucks!!

- Habs are very much puck handling team for zone entries, Canucks are very much dump and chase. That's worked once for Vancouver once, but only because of Petry's error.

- Habs look like a team riddled with rust - which is kind of perplexing. They're having regular practices, but like Saturday night, Habs guilty of making a variety of very avoidable mistakes. Very weird.

- Habs pretty awful handling the puck in their own zone, and the Canucks are dominating neutral zone play. It's combined to produce a very one-sided first 8 minutes of this period, in favour of Vancouver.

- Missed passes, fumbled pucks, players caught offside. This Canadiens' team looks punch drunk. It's all very odd.

- Habs first powerplay looked fantastic, Canucks very fortunate to still be leading 1-0. Hopefully that two minute advantage gets the Habs' gears turning again.

- Galchenyuk is moterin' tonight. He, like Pacioretty, is way overdue for a scoring eeksploshun.

- Brendon Gallagher with a not-very-smart high stick on Daniel Sedin, trying to bat a puck high in the air. Sedin on the ice, blood pouring off his face. 4 minutes for Gallagher, every second deservedly.

- McCann makes it 2-0. Habs PK not a very good job watching the passing lanes, McCann with one of the easiest goals he'll ever receive. Condon no chance.

- Half of McCann's goals this season have been against the Habs. Three of them. In less than four period of play. Habs killer.

- Habs 2nd powerplay also looks pretty decent, but it just feels like the puck luck gods have their scopes firmly planted on this Montreal team. Bounces seem to be all going the other direction. PDO numbers are nearly 100, but what do stats mean, anyway?

- Strange period. Canucks started strongly, benefiting off a mistake made by a Habs player who rarely makes any kind of egreious errors. Habs seemed to have trouble adjusting to Vancouver's neutral zone play, and looked like a team having trouble shifting out of second gear - at least until their first powerplay. Then Gallagher's high stick, and Montreal downshifted once more. This team is clearly in a bad funk, and only time and perseverance will get them out of it.

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

HAI!! (waves).

Hey, in case you follow this blog (and you probably don't), I haven't changed my position from two weeks ago when I wrote about how terrible the Vancouver Canucks are as horrible a hockey team as the jerseys they wore in the 1970s and 80s, and then watched as they soundly beat the Habs 5-1. NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

Since Vancouver's resounding victory over our hopeless Habs, the Canucks have gone on to lose to the Dallas Stars (okay, fine), the Pittsburgh Penguins (sure, that's possible), the Ottawa Senators (I just giggled), the New Jersey Devils (haha .. oh yeah?), the Buffalo Sabres (lolz), and the Toronto Maple Leafs (BIG LOLZ).

I repeat, this Vancouver team is going nowhere, in a very very fast direction. Are we good now?

Tonight? They're really screwed. Not only will Vancouver be missing the services of one Brandon Prust, who haunted the Habs last game, but they're also missing Luca Sbisa and Brndon Sutter because of injury, AND Alexandre Burrows, whose wife is apparently in labour.

In other words, this terrible team is playing with nearly half of their terrible roster. Not good!


Meanwhile in Habsland, Mike Condon, whom apparently forgot to bring his eyes along to Saturday's game vs. the totally awful Colorado Avalanche, will get an opportunity to redeem himself. Condon, as well as Alex Galchenyuk (beside Alex Semin!), and Max Pacioretty, all of whom haven't scored in about 17 years, are just ready to burst out with a pile o' goals against a terrible team like the Vancouver Canucks.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST from the lovely warm confines of the Bell Centre. REVENGE IS OURS.

Game Eighteen: Avs vs. Habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Avs through 40 minutes. It's one of those nights where you throw everything out the window.

- Tokarski will start the 3rd period. Condon can only hope that tonight was an aberration. His save percentage tonight was .636. Ouch.

- Therrien would be a fool to not give him another start next to Galchenyuk next game. This line has had excellent chemistry tonight, more so than any game where Smith-Pelly, Flynn or Byron was on the line.

- Methinks frustration is beginning to settle in with Pacioretty. He's gone from sniping to just hammering the puck at the net. Besides empty netters, it's been a while for patches.

- Berra with a A+ performance tonight. The Habs have fired more than a few howitzers at him during the evening, but he's been there every time - excellent, fearless positioning, and very good rebound control. Frustrating to play against.

- Duchene on the powerplay. Tokarski gives up the rebound(s), puck is roofed. 5-1. As write-off a night of hockey as you'll ever witness.  

- Attempts tonight are ridiculously one-sided. Might even up a bit now that we've entered the garbage phase of this game, but there's no way Colorado can expect to win many games this season if they continue to follow this formula. 

- Garbage time, garbage goals. 6-1. Tokarski just hung out to dry. Nobody is really bothering at this point. Just get the rest of the period over with.

- Well, what can you say? Awful game, at least as far as the scoreboard and goaltending was concerned (from the Habs perspective). But there was a lot of good in the game - Habs had resounding puck possession and zone pressure, the Galchenyuk line, even sans a point, looked revitalized with Semin back in the lineup. Habs just need to forget about tonight, and look forward to the future - possible with Carey Price back at the controls. 

SECOND PERIOD:

- I don't think the formula is very complex. Habs need to keep doing what they're doing. Berra is human, and hopefully whomever is in net for the Habs can actually stop the puck.

- Habs come out strong again, but just can't seem to find the right combination to solve Berra. Still think something eventually has to give here.

- Habs continue to apply tremendous zone pressure on the Avs, who are being badly outskated. Just waiting for the shoe to drop.

- Finally! Plekanec to Gallagher who banks in a rebound. Habs are finally on the board and back in this game.

- Momentum continues to heavily favour Montreal, Galchenyuk line really impressing tonight. And now the Canadiens get another powerplay opportunity. Could close to within one.

- Annnnnnnnnd .... wow. Habs swarming on the powerplay, Avs come out on a 2-on-2, and Comeau beats Condon on the wing. A terrible goal. Condon having a nightmare of a night.

- One of those nights. Can't really say anything different than I already said before about the first. The Habs totally domiating at both ends of the ice except in one critical area - goaltending. The Avs with Berra have been terrific, the Habs with Condon have been awful. Montreal with nearly 70% possession through 40 minutes, but it don't matter a wink if your goaltender has trouble handling beach balls.

FIRST PERIOD:

- Here's the Avs lines for tonight:

1: Grigorenko/MacKinnon/Duchene

2: Comeau/Soderberg/Iginla

3: McLeod/Mitchell/Martisen

3: Everberg/Street/Skille

Beauchemin-Johnson

Holden-Barrie

Gormley-Guenin

- Roy goes with Reto Berra, for whatever reason.

- If first three minutes is any indicator, this Avs defence is ... uh ... not good. Ooodles of open space in the slot.

- Grigorenko opens the scoring off s bit of a softy. Desharnais loses deep zone draw and the entire line has a total defensive meltdown checking their man. Yet another example of why this line is easily the weakest on this team in their own zone. 1-0.

- Habs first powerplay doesn't show much, but Avs defence continues to play pretty passively with their slot. Seems like the ideal scenario for Pacioretty to snipe a couple of goals tonight.

- Avs might have the only goal, but the Habs are skating circles around them in the period. I cannot imagine how Denver stays ahead for much longer.

- I can't ... wow. Avs score two more, the first off a crazy puck bounce off a draw, second off a weak backhander that beats Condon. Totally stunned. Habs were in full control, but somehow now trail 3-0. 

- So the Habs outshot their opponent 17-8, and trail .... unbelievably ... trail 3-0. Berra was excellent, Condon came completely unravelled. I guess that sums it up?

The upside? There are two periods left to bail this out. Will Tokarski start the 2nd? It's not out of the question.

GAMEDAY PREVIEW:

We'll keep this short, simple and to the point. The Colorado Avalanche are a terrible hockey team. They have an even worse coaching staff, headed by one Patrick Roy.

The Avs, at least on paper, aren't a terrible group. They have star centre Nathan Mackinnon, the young sniper Gabriel Landeskog, possible future trade bait Matt Duchene, the dependable Tyson Barrie - heck, we can even count in old-man Jerome Iginla. The Avs are by no means, full to the rafters with talent, but they've got a fairly decent base.

The way in how the Avs play, however, is dreadful.

Heading into the night, Colorado has, by far, the worst possession numbers in the entire League. A 5v5 Corsi percentage of 43. A 26th ranked 5v5 Fenwick percentage of just 46. Their inability to maintain simple puck possession has resulted in a 16th rated offence, and a 26th rated defence. These are bad numbers.

It's not as though this is some kind of seasonal aberration. The Avs were just as terrible last year, when they finished the season with a 5v5 Corsi percentage of 43.1%, which (somehow) led to modest offensive production (10th rated offence), but still poor defensive figures (22nd rated).

So one year on, with a roster of more seasoned young guns, the Avs are actually receding. There's only one way that happens - by playing a poorly organized game. There's only one main reason for playing a poorly organized game - coaching.

Surely, by now, the higher-ups in the Avs organization have recognized the problem. The big question is, when (or even if) will they take action by dismissing Roy? Speculation has been swirling this week that a firing might be coming as soon as next week, although the Avs win last night against the equally hopeless Bruins might have kept the flames away for a few more days.

Anyway, tonight the Avs, on less than 24 hours rest, face the daunting task of visiting the Bell Centre to take on the League's best team. The Canadiens have a significant lineup adjustment tonight, with Paul Byron getting scratched in favour of Alexander Semin, who will get a big chance to prove his wares. I've been a pretty big advocate for Alex since he was removed from the lineup last month - and hopefully, just hopefully, he plays a game that meets the expectations of his coach.

Puck drops tonight at around 7:10 EST. There will be a moment of silence before the game in recognition of the events overseas. Semyon Varlamov starts for the Avs, Mike Condon for the Habs.


Game Nineteen:

Hey guys, it's kind of a crappy day in the world, with everything that's been going on the past 24 hours or so. Going to lay low a little bit, will put up a blurb about tonight's game later Saturday afternoon. Probably something about how terrible Patrick Roy is as a head coach. In the meantime, please enjoy this picture of Mr. Roy listening to his General Manager about his employment future.

GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

- Looks like Alex Semin will return to the Habs lineup tonight, as Paul Byron is a no-go. So the whole "Semin is done in Montreal", as reported by Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette is ... well, why does the Gazette still employ Mr. Hickey?

- Alexei Emelin is a "?" for tonight. Will this give Jarad Tinordi a start?

- Who'll lose his coaching job first? Claude Julien, or Patrick Roy? Either is fine for me.

Game Fifteen: Islanders vs. Habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Islanders through 40 minutes. As you may note, Islanders dominated possession and shot attempts in that 2nd:

- Byron definitely not meshing with either Galchenyuk or Eller on that second line. And the merry-go-round of 4th liners continues.

- Brendan Gallagher is simply an outstanding forward in the attacking zone. I can think of few others, actually, I'm hard pressed to think of anyone else, who has the same level of physical presence and puck command. He's borderline elite.

- Huge break for the Habs as a puck played up the boards on what would have been an icing, hits the linesman and gives Fleischmann an odd man break with Desharnais. 2-1 Habs. A quintessential puck luck play in favour of the team that's arguably been outplayed so far.

- This is very much 2014-15 Habs type of game - so the next obvious question is, will they try to sit on a one goal lead with 13 minutes left?

- We have our answer, and it is no. A beautiful shift by the Plekanec line, and even more beautiful is the way they cycled the puck in the New York zone. Gallagher to Plekanec to Pacioretty to Gallagher for the tip in. A work of art. And a 3-1 lead.

- Condon has had more than a few strokes of luck this season, giving up rebounds from the point, and diving on his belly. Lots of missed opportunities by his opponent so far, but eventually, that luck is going to run out.

- Habs now trying to protect the lead by stacking their blue line - which is an okay strategy as long as you ensure your opponent can't gain the zone. If they do, you're in trouble. Islanders have done it a couple of times.

- Habs just chipping everything away in sight. Islanders are generating more and more chances, as Montreal is pretty much surrendering two-thirds of the ice. Four minutes remain.

- Apart from the sit-mode that the Habs are working on right now, Montreal much better with zone exits this period. It certainly helped them to sustain some pressure after taking a one goal lead.

- Plecks with the empty netter, a conservative victory tonight against a pretty fast and skilled Islanders team. Sometimes you don't aways have play better to win games. Habs simply took advantage of the chances that were provided (puck off the linesman), while the Islanders did not (Tavares missing the empty net). Good teams, really good teams, tend to do that a lot.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Islanders after 20 minutes, Montreal with a distinct edge:

- Still not convinced Tavares isn't 100%, missing a wide open net during the Islanders first powerplay.

- Okposo opens the scoring off the rush with the powerplay running out, Subban/Markov a bit too passive retreating on the rush, and Condon is caught flat-footed. That's Condon's big weakness - there are periods where he's not moving his feet enough, making him particularly vulnerable on snap shots and breakaways.

- Powerplays, even if they don't score goals, can help produce lots of momentum, and get forwards moving their feet faster. The Islanders, since that man advantage, are distinctly quicker than the Habs right now.

- Almost halfway though the 2nd, it's been almost all New York this period. Shots, shot attempts, zone pressure. Habs are getting steamrolled.

- Fans definitely not getting their money's worth. Islanders have focused on carrying the zone, but haven't been able to string together those passes to finish scoring plays. Habs are looking like last year's team - lots of puck dumps, lots of chases. Very boring hockey.

- Most exciting part of the period comes with less than 10 seconds left. That pretty much sums it up.

- Islanders much better period - they're implementing a strategy that focuses on their speed advantages, Habs playing very much a road game at home tonight. Very close checking, very risk-adverse. Makes for a pretty ho-hum game, which is probably just fine from New York's perspective.


FIRST PERIOD:

- Islanders seem more determined to hit bodies than to construct meaningful offensive rushes. At least so far. If this is the Islanders "formula" for winning, that is, hitting like it's 2006, then they're in for a shock come the playoffs.

- Pretty tight checking period - both teams doing a very good job forcing wingers wide on the rush. Shots are either being easily blocked, or easily saved.

- When the play isn't being forced to the permitter, it's being dumped in. Both teams doing a lot of that in this period, Habs especially so. Their strategy tonight looks to be very, very conservative.

- Islanders penalty kill is a clinic. Absolute perfection covering passing lanes in their zone.

- Amazing how many times Subban has hurt his own teammates with that cannon from the point. I know this is a terrible thing to write, but are they shots impossible to avoid from 40 feet? Smith-Pelly the latest victim.

- Smith-Pelly might be able to drive the net, might be able to draw penalties, but he has almost no ability to score actual goals. Therefore, he's no business playing on that 2nd line. Oh well.

- I give up arguing that Dale Weise should never be on the powerplay. He scores yet another one off a nifty deflection off a Petry point shot, Weise's 8th of the season. He's having a crazy incredible season so far.

- To put Weise into perspective, most reasonable estimates would have Weise top-end season goal production at 15. He's already more than halfway past that mark, 1/6th of the way through the season.

- Good period for the Habs, they played it very safe, but still had control of the tempo with the Islanders focusing more on hits. Net result, the Canadiens had most of the offensive zone play, leading eventually to the opening goal. So far, so good.


HABS AND ISLANDERS GAMEDAY GAME STUFF

You know, I'm still bummed out about the whole Semin situation, so I'm going to keep this to a minimum, in point form.

- First big story - John Tavares, who was reportedly sick as bedridden dog over the weekend, will play tonight, although there's no indication he's at 100%.

- Habs will play the same lineup tonight, which means it's Smith-Pelly on the 2nd line.

- Here's some things to keep an eye out for as you watch the Islanders tonight: The Islanders' numbers into this season are slightly worse than last, possession-wise. But then again, they've been a little Jekyll and Hyde, winning and losing by larger than average margins.

- Islanders' special teams are ... kinda really pretty good so far. New York has the 3rd best powerplay in the League clocking in at 27.6%, while their penalty killing unit is top-rated, with a 90.9% success rate. In other words, the Habs would be wise to just keep this game 5v5 for as much as possible.

- New York's goaltending has also been solid, running under a split system. Thomas Greiss, who's the Islanders' 1b netminder, has posted a .924 SV%, while Jaro Halak, goaltender 1a, comes in with a .936 SV%. Halak will get the start tonight.

- Even though he's missed 3 games from illness, Tavares still leads New York with 11 points. Contain Tavares, and you contain the Islanders.

- Well writing that didn't work. I'm still bummed out about Semin. This team ... I tells ya ...

IT'S OVER BEFORE IT BEGAN. THERRIEN BREAKS UP WITH SEMIN AFTER FIRST DATE

So this is how it ends? So abruptly? So rudely? So ingloriously and ignominiously?

Alexander Semin, if a report yesterday by a very, very old man are accurate, is done in Montreal.

And you know what? It's a shame. A total shame.

Semin's excommunication from the team seemed to start off innocently enough. Semin had a couple of "bad" games (at least by Therrien's standards), so he became a healthy scratch. Brian Flynn took his spot for a couple of games, a fruitless venture since Brian Flynn is, has, and will never be, a 2nd line winger.

Okay, back comes Semin ... oh wait ... nope. Now comes in Devante Smith-Pelly, who's had a few decent shifts besides Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller. That's including the times when, for whatever reason, Eller wasn't benched by Therrien for committing some kind of heinous hockey crime. We're still not sure what Lars did.

Thing is, we're still not entirely sure what Semin did so wrong. Yes, he wasn't scoring goals rapid fire when he suited up, but then again, he didn't need to. The Habs have been one of the top scoring teams in the League this season, to an extent that they've been winning even in spite of also having the greatest goaltender on the planet. The Canadiens have enough depth to overcome periods when a particular line isn't scoring many points.

Besides, when he did take his shifts, Semin, as well as his linemates, did well with puck possession. In 10 games, Semin's 5v5 close adjusted Fenwick was a very solid 56.6%. If Semin can be found at fault, it was for his luck, possessing a 98.6 PDO, on a team whose total average is frequently above 104. In other words, the points were eventually going to start arriving for Semin, given enough time.

However, 10 games are all he got. 107 meager minutes of ice time to prove his worth, which by the way, was and still is a bargain. $1 million for a guy that's a former 40-goal scorer. Of course, we never expected Semin to score that many this year, or for that matter 30 goals. Or possibly even 20.  At the end of the day, Semin was serving a purpose on the Habs second line - he was an asset to his linemates - his line was generating very good possession. Semin was doing what he hoped he would do.

Coach Therrien, however, saw it differently.

And now, with 4th liners trying to fill the 2nd line gap, the Habs are a slightly worse team because of Therrien's decision.

Game Eleven: Habs vs. Oilers

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Oilers through 40 minutes. That second period was just about as bad as you thought it might be for Montreal:

- Subban with a ridiculous stick scoop to keep the Oilers from narrowing the lead to one goal. That's how much the Habs are flirting with blowing this.

- Oilers matching McDavid line against the struggling Desharnais line. It's a good matchup, with Montreal's 3rd unit really sluggish to match Edmonton's speed.

- Here we go. Davidson a blast from the line on a four-on-four where a second earlier, there were four Habs in the corner puck chasing, and the lead is one. Good riddance for trying to sit on a lead for nearly 30 minutes. 

- Oilers pushing hard, mighty hard now, and Montreal is reeling, just barely hanging on in their own zone. Edmonton on the cusp of tying this game.

- Weise, puck on his stick, close to two seconds to shoot the puck into an empty net two feet away, somehow, someway, misses. Simply putting the puck in would probably had ended this game. But now ...

- And there is it. Pouilot. Another Habs offensive breakdown. Habs fully deserved blowing this lead. Didn't bother playing in the second, and basically handed everything to Edmonton in the 3rd. Collapse is nearly complete.

- Habs seem to be resigned to OT, which isn't much of an option, given that McDavid is playing out of his mind right now. Montreal will almost be certainly curb stomped 3-on-3.

- Collapse compete, Oilers shoot in, Desharnais is easily stripped of the puck, as though he wasn't even there, and one second later, the Oilers win the game. 

- Disgrace. Total disgrace. The Habs had a 3-0 lead, were skating circles around their opponent, and then took a collective vacation at the start of the 2nd period. Instead of continuing to be aggressive, they went into a total shell. And it cost them an easy win. Scratching Semin, putting Flynn on the 2nd line, looks like a catastrophic move, as Flynn gave the Habs close to nothing tonight. This is the kind of a loss that can send a team reeling for weeks. And given how this team was prepared, and how it held it huge lead, it'll be fully deserved. Awful, awful, awful game for the Habs.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Oilers through 20 minutes:

- Remember how we mocked McDavid for that dive in the first? It really was that bad:

- I know Scrivens' career took a dive off the cliff, but Talbot doesn't look like much of a solution. 

- Habs increasingly passive as the period goes on, allowing Oilers free reign to carry the zone and take shots at Price. Three goals ain't insurmountable, guys. Punch your cards when the clock hits zero.

- Dale Weise playing the kind of game tonight that likely got Alexander Semin scratched earlier today. Fair is fair, right coach?

- Habs really going through the motions, on pace for two shots in the period. Pretty dismal effort by a team that's clearly trying to coast their way past an inferior opponent.

- Desharnais has been a possession dearth tonight - constantly getting pinned in their own zone. Brian Flynn next to Desharnais has lacked any form of cohesion. 

- Habs lone powerplay a hot mess, which isn't exactly surprising since this team has been so focused on slowing the game down to a crawl this period that passing accuracy has pretty much fallen into an abyss. 

- Referee TJ Luxmore, who's only called 30 NHL games, nails Fleischmann for high sticking, which never goes higher than his waist. Oilers convert on the man advantage to make it 3-1. Luxmore looking a bit over his head tonight.

- Well, Habs three goal lead is now two, and it could have been worse, given how much they sat on their lead in the period. Coach Therrien needs to remind his players that their formula for success this season has been to not sit on any kind of lead. They cannot afford to coast another 20 minutes against this Oilers team, which has the capacity of scoring goals in bunches. 

FIRST PERIOD: 

- So how long before Therrien gives up on playing Flynn on the 2nd line? How long afterward does Dale Weise take that spot? Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how that line produces. Fans might pine for Semin at the end of the night.

- Both teams sputtering badly out of the gate ... no rhythm at either end of the ice, scoring chances have been next to zero so far. This is the type of game you like to play if you're an overmatched visiting team. Thing is, it's the Oilers who are overmatched.

- Habs strike on the powerplay, doing a pretty impressive job passing in the Oilers zone, before Subban releases a point shot that's deflected in by Gallagher. Habs man advantage continuing to show improved confidence. Maybe this 18 month long powerplay nightmare is finally over. 

- Darnell Nurse looks like the real deal. The rest of the Oilers defence, though ... yikes.

- Connor McDavid does a grand belly flop looking for a cheap penalty. 

- Oilers sloppy defence strikes again, poor turnover at their line gifts the puck to Torrey Mitchell, who snaps the puck top corner. Mitchell continues his amazing season start. Whowouldathunkit?

- Wow. Edmonton's defence is just a mess, Markov a lovely pass to a WIDE open Galchenyuk, who has an easy tap in to give the Habs a 3-0 lead. Our pregame speculation about whether this Edmonton team has the defensive horses to get them to the playoffs? Not a chance.

- Brian Flynn looking mighty impressive on the PK. Really wish he'd get more time on that unit.

- Habs more or less taking Oilers to school in that period, with Montreal's forwards causing headaches and turnovers like crazy. Edmonton's defence is, to use a couple of words, pretty woeful. Their offence wasn't anything to write home about either, as the Oilers had difficulty setting up quality chances off the rush - which their scoring lives (or dies) on. Puck luck killed Montreal in Vancouver, tonight it hasn't been a factor, and it's been pretty lopsided.

OKAY. NO MORE MESSIN' AROUND. THE OILERS ARE DONE SUCKING!

Has the "City of Champions", and their beloved hockey team finally turned the corner? After 10 years in the NHL hinterlands, could these, the Oilers of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, finally ... FINALLY be icing a competitive team?

The answer, quite clearly is ... we're not sure!

Man, it's been a rough 10 years for this organization. Five bottom basement finishes in the standings, five first overall draft picks, 4 in the past 6 years, and still ... this team hasn't had much of a sniff at a playoff spot since they were (yes, it's true) in the Stanley Cup Final wayyyyyy back in 2006.

Ah, BUT THIS YEAR IT'S DIFFERENT cry out the Edmonton faithful. To a certain extent, they're right. This year's Oilers team is different - is unquestionably better.

Still, are they a playoff contender in 2016? Probably not. We think.

The Oilers big move during the summer was, of course, the drafting of Connor McDavid, who's, as you may have noticed, is off to a terribly good start in his rookie campaign. Five goals and assists in ten games, he's been playing so well that he's making his linemate, former number one overall draft pick, Nail Yakupov, look good. That alone is a pretty impressive achievement.

The story with Edmonton is the usual - an offence with awesome potential and a defence that ... well ... it's an ongoing project.

At the very least, unlike the years of doom and gloom under Kevin Lowe, Edmonton is actually paying attention to their blue line. Leading up to the trade deadline, the Oilers acquired Eric Gryba from the Senators (yes, he of the dirty head check to Lars Eller three years ago), and over the summer, signed Justin Schultz and Brandon Davidson to a (just) one year extensions, and picked up free agent Andrej Sekera and gave him a six year contract. Then there's prized defensive prospect Darnell Nurse, who scored his first NHL goal earlier this week.

So what's the effect. Well, the Oilers are no longer in last place, defensively, at least so far this season. Last year they were ranked 30th overall, this year, 23rd, in goal averages per game. In shots allowed per game, they've gone from 30th, to 22nd. Their penalty kill has also improved, now ranked a respectable 15th overall.

These are improved numbers, but they still aren't great numbers. The trend though, has been established, and it's mostly positive. If the Oilers don't make it to the post season this year, it's a pretty good bet they will in the very near future.

Meanwhile, over in Habsland ... the Canadiens are dealing with a one game losing streak, thanks to some bad bounces and generally sloppy defensive play in Vancouver Monday night. Tonight, the Habs will be making their first lineup adjustment of the season, with Alexander Semin (as predicted on this blog a couple days ago) getting a healthy scratch tonight, his spot on the 2nd line will be taken up by (drum roll please) ... Brian Flynn. WHAT? Yup. Brian Flynn. The Habs 4th line, which has been mostly awesome this season, is being taken apart by Michel Therrien - so hey ... don't look at me about this stuff, I'm just reporting.

Still, pound for pound, ounce for ounce, and on paper, the Oilers are heavily overmatched tonight. There is no *good* reason why the Habs shouldn't get back on the winning track tonight.

We're sure about that. Well, kinda sure. Actually, we have no idea!

Puck drops at 9:10 EST.

Game Five: Rangers vs. Habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Rangers through 40 minutes: 

- Price levels Kreider behind his net, how awesome is that?

- DSP, who's had a pretty strong game, is on the second line, at Semin's expense. That leash was pretty short.

- Gallagher, not for lack of effort, has had more than fair share of scoring chances is season - eventually they'll start going in.

- Wonderful work by Semin, now back on his line, feeding Desharnais who's robbed by Lindqvist. That's the kind of play the Habs need more of from Semin.

- Very slow and shaky shift by Habs 4th line, the Rangers quickly seizing on their shift by sending out their top line, and totally hemming Habs in their zone. Therrien must be cautious as we get to the later stages of the 3rd.

- I fear, with 5 minutes left, Habs will try to sit on this. Must maintain string forechecking mindset because the Rangers can score one in a hurry.

- Habs with good pressure, 4 minutes left. This is a more aggressive late lead team than I remember compared to last season.

- Habs by far the better team in the 3rd - game would easily be long over if not for Lundqvist's heroics.

- Habs justly rewarded. Weise with a weakish goal past Lundqvist, but his shot never happens if not for some outstanding work by Desharnais who out fights two Ranger defensemen for the puck to feed Weise. Desharnais demonstrating hockey excellence.

- Plekanec with the empty netter, and for the first time in their 106 year history, the Habs start the season 5-0. A well deserved victory. Montreal really dominated the Rangers from the start of the second period forward. Now the conversation begins - is this Habs team elite? They've got the record so far to prove it.

SECOND PERIOD:

- First period chart, note how at about the 12 minute mark, the Rangers essentially took over the game. That's the trend the Habs need to worry about.

- Habs not coming out as aggressively as they need to be. Rangers are going to continue to dominate this game if Montreal doesn't step up.

- Habs powerplay zone entries are a tire fire tonight. Their zone exits too. Shield the eyes of your children. 

- Habs are only, and I repeat, ONLY generating shot attempts by carrying the zone. Can somebody behind the bench please notice this?

- Subban/Markov guilty of some pretty sloppy turnovers tonight. Fortunate that the Rangers haven't scored one or two off their giveaways.

- Habs gamble a little bit, Subban going in very deep to keep the puck in the Rangers zone, and Fleischmann cashes in off a point shot. Habs with an unexpected 1-0 lead.

- Lundqvist showboats with a glove save off Gallagher. Thing is, his team is still losing. 

- Beaulieu misses an empty net on the powerplay. Now wondering how much of this futility is snakebite. Any way, Habs defence certainly needs to be more engaged with the man advantage - Markov used to come up off the line all the time, he rarely does that any more.

- Habs have slowly but steadily improved their possession as the period has continued - mainly because they're winning puck battles at centre ice. 

- Markov showing his age a bit tonight, has struggled to adjust to the Rangers speed and forecheck.

- Emelin, who still really should never be on the PK, with a clunky chip of the puck over the glass, giving the Rangers a very long 5-on-3.

- Price doing a remarkable job killing off this 5-on-3, notwithstanding Kredier barreling into him in the crease. 

- Carey Price is a freak of nature. The saves he's made in the past two minutes have been ridiculous. Everyone on their feet in the Bell Centre.

- After a pretty ho-hum first 15 minutes, things got pretty interesting pretty fast. Habs with crucial two man kill thanks to Price's heroics, which might end up being the difference tonight. The Canadiens did a much better time with transitions in the 2nd period, which helped them even the possession scales a bit more towards the mean. Third period should be plenty of fun, Lundqvist vs. Price.

FIRST PERIOD:

- So what's the "big thing" the Habs are promising for tonight's game?

- Players are just starting their warmups at the top of the hour, so fair to assume this game won't start until at least 7:30 local time - maybe even later.

- Guy Carbonneau, who I assume was the only one available to represent the last Habs captain, hands it off to Pacioretty. Now everyone is getting a chance to carry the torch. Hopefully this game starts by Friday afternoon.

- That's a dirty, dirty hit from behind on Pacioretty by McDonagh. This League really ought to look at implementing automatic 5 minute majors on those kind of hits.

- And the Habs powerplay off to a craptaculour start, completed by silly tripping penalty committed by Gallagher.

- Apparently, it was Dan Girardi who did the check from behind, not McDonagh. Brad Watson having trouble reading sweater names and numbers.

- Pretty tight first half to the period - both teams pushing forwards back quickly into their own zone during transitions. Lots of open ice in the neutral zone, but things get pretty busy.

- Pacioretty with partial break, got a backhander away on Lundqvist, but was clearly tripped.

- Awful, awful embellishment call on Emelin, who got hit in the mouth by Nash. Nullifies an aggressive roughing penalty on Nash.

- Let's see how the Habs can muff up a long 4-on-3 advantage. They'll find a way.

- Habs will need to adjust to playing against a team with a very good defense. They've been spoiled by their experiences in Boston and Pittsburgh, whose defenses were guilty of some pretty awful giveaways and zone transitions. Rangers' blue line is very disciplined. Will be a tough two points tonight.

- Rangers doing much better job with passing and puck control. Their possession numbers are pretty dominant this period.

- Man, Rangers east-west are just so fast, so clean. This will be a team to reckon with.

- Habs were reactive for most of the last half of the first period, Rangers really seemed to find their legs as the period progressed, and had the clear overall edge. Lundqvist with some tougher saves than Price, but from a big picture perspective, Habs will need to be far more aggressive with their forecheck in the 2nd period for a reasonable chance of victory.

 

HEY, WE GET TO PLAY A HOME GAME TONIGHT!

Ah, home sweet home. Actually, do we even want to not stop playing on the road? Four-fer-four, including a couple of pretty impressive wins over the Sens and the Pens to end the season-opening road trip. Now, suddenly, the Habs find themselves owning the title for best start to the 2015-16 NHL season.

So tonight, the Habs take on the Rangers, whom we still haven't forgiven for targeting our franchise goaltender for the sake of eliminating the Habs from Stanley Cup contention two seasons ago. Nope. Never gonna forgive, never gonna forget.

The Rangers had an offsesaon that was not dissimular to the Habs. Like Montreal, New York was active in making moves necessary to keep their roster pretty much in tact.

The Blue Shirts, as good responsible teams must do, kept an eye on their cap, necessitating a few moves to keep their payroll under control. Carl Hagelin and backup netminder Cam Talbot were shipped out of town in return for a handful of draft picks,

The Rangers were pretty quiet on the free agent front. They signed forward Viktor Stalberg and ... well .. that's pretty much it.

The message sent from the Rangers' front office this summer was pretty clear - they still believe the roster they've assembled is a winner. Not unlike the same message the Habs front office sent - with the Canadiens adding Alexander Semin via free agency - their only "big" roster addition before the season started.

The teams are the same.  A year old, mind you, but fundamentally unchanged, and as hopeful as ever that this will be the year the Stanely Cup is finally raised in their cities.

Habs and Rangers lineups tonight are unchanged. Lundqvist vs. Price, to the shock of no one. Puck drop will be ... who knows?  Probably around 7:20, after all the pregame ceremonies are done.