Game 41: Caps vs. Habs

Washington 4, Montreal 1:

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- It's official, Byron back in, and Carr is out. Habs lineup will look at such:

Pacioretty/Danault/Radulov

Lehkonen/Plekanec/Byron

Flynn/Mitchell/Andrighetto

Farnham/McCarron/Scherbak

- Not an enthralling start by the Habs first 5 minutes, Caps much faster and aggressive team - looks like the Canadiens might be a tad overmatched tonight.

- I'll be a broken record about this until the day I die, but Bobby Farnham is a massive waste of a lineup spot. Hudon, De La Rose, just about anything else, would be far preferable.

- Plenty of questions were raised about whether Nikita Scherbak was "ready" for NHL action - and while  these are very early days, I've seen nothing that justifies these uncertainties. He's fast, he plays smart, and as we've mentioned previously, he's excellent with the puck. 

- Habs "3rd" line (which really is barely an NHL 4th) of Mitchell/Flynn and Andrighetto getting their clocks cleaned so far this period. Looking pretty flat footed, and the Caps offence has taken advantage.

- And quite literally 5 seconds after that last comment is posted, the Caps Backstrom opens the scoring - guess who was on the ice for the Habs? 1-0 Washington.

- Is there a "top 6" forward in the NHL with a less dangerous shot than Plekanec? I'm pretty there there isn't.

- Habs pretty much totally overmatched in that 1st period. Sorry, Habs fans, there's little chance they'll be able to compete tonight, barring some lucky hockey bounces. 

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Shot attempts don't really reflect this one-sided play in that period, in particular how badly the Mitchell line performed against, well - everybody.

- Danault line's first shift of the period as much of a total disaster as possible without actually giving up a goal - Caps swarming the zone, Habs basically chasing pucks with total disorganization, Price forced to make two hard saves. Washington continues to dominate.

- Caps about twice as fast on the puck, Habs are just taking punches turtled in a corner. It's nearly getting ugly right now, Washington on the cusp here of adding to their lead.

- Even Therrien has noted the disparity, but in true Therrien style, he's sending out puzzling line combinations - the first being Flynn/Danault/Andrighetto. 

- Tomas Plekanec. Just nothing left. Shot, finish - it's just gone.

- Farnham chipping in counterproductively, as anticipated. Gets nailed for an avoidable interference penalty. Caps to the powerplay.

- Habs first man advantage, whole lotta passin' going on, not a whole lotta shootin'. The Canadiens do realize they're facing the stingiest defence in the NHL, right? They know they can't take the liberty of looking for the perfect play, right?

- Habs forwards have done almost nothing to get in Holtby's face. I know this is part of the Gallagher effect, but could marginal guys like Farnham at least do something to mix it up, maybe get Holtby off his game - something? Anything??

- Maybe the Habs are hung over from their long road trip? This team looks not a whole lot more rested than they did the 3rd period on Saturday night. 

- Another pretty lopsided period in favour of the Caps, kind of amazing that the Habs are just a goal down, and could conceivably get a point or two tonight. Realistically however, Washington is owning this game - it seems but just a matter of time before they find some insurance goals in the 3rd  to wrap this night up.

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- 2nd period was indeed, pretty ugly for the Habs, 5v5 CF just barely over 30%. Minor miracle the score is just 1-0.

- Scoring chances are interesting - Habs with some pretty choice chances right in the low slot, but Holtby has come up big:

- Habs 2nd powerplay, again looking too much for the perfect setup, lots of passing, no actual shots on Holtby. This is folly - the Canadiens are obviously letting Holtby into their collective heads.

- Lars Eller with a dumb penalty, which something Habs fans might remember him doing a lot of while in Montreal. Habs to their 3rd powerplay, will they actually get a shot on goal?

- Weber with a cannon drive so hard off the goalpost that the red light goes on. Tough luck for the Canadiens tonight.

- Plekanec scores (yes, that happened) on the powerplay, but Caps are challenging the goal, saying Byron bumped Holtby a moment before Plekanec put the puck in the net. Could be a close call.

- Challenge denied, and unbelievably, the Habs have tied the game.

- Not for long, as Jeff Petry makes a very bad play, getting snookered by some slick stick handling by Kuznetsov to make it 2-1. 

Great goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov to give the Caps a 2-1 lead. pic.twitter.com/OEOv7pCPBX

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) January 10, 2017

- Price misplays the puck (a rarity), Jeff Petry with a meek poke of the puck creates deep zone turnover, Connoly finishes the play at it's 3-1. So, after the Habs threw us all a little shade for a minute by tying the game, the Caps have (finally) established scoreboard dominance. As we figured they would.

- Ovechkin ties the Rocket with his 544th career goal on the powerplay, icing on the cake.

- Not the Habs worst loss of the season, but a little wake up call from reality that they're still a step away from being legitimate contenders. The Caps (yes, they are healthy) totally overmatched the short-handed Habs, who are doing themselves little favours by playing AHL-level fodder like Bobby Farnham, instead of younger, more capable hands. Habs head west to Winnipeg to play the Jets, hoping to have Andrei Markov back in the lineup, and hopefully sooner rather than later, the return of Alex Galchenyuk.

HALFWAY HOME: CAPS - HABS PREVIEW

Wow, we've reached the halfway mark of the 2016-17 NHL regular schedule. What a season it's been for the Montreal Canadiens. Filled with ups and downs, but mostly ups, the Habs will be home for their 41st game tonight, as they take on the top-flight Washington Capitals.

The Caps, very much unlike the Habs, enter tonight's game riding the wave of a virtually injury-free season, while the Canadiens continue to deal with an onslaught of hurt bodies that has made putting together a full game lineup a slightly challenging task.

The Habs, who on Saturday were down 7 regular skaters, managed to string together a victory, albeit against a not-very-good opponent in the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens won't enjoy the luxury of inferiority tonight with the Caps, who sit, amazingly enough, in 4th place in the Metropolitan Division. If the playoffs were to start tonight, the Caps, with 55 points, just one fewer than the Habs, as the 7th seed in the 2017 playoffs (and would if the post season started today, face the Canadiens), testament to a playoff format the NHL might want to reconsider this summer.

The Caps key to success this year? Playing low event games. Through this weekend's games, the Caps have the League's lowest shot event total (comprised of shots for and against) at 42.2.  St. Louis ranks second at 42.1, while Pittsburgh, with their high-octane offence unsurprisingly rates the highest at 52.0, with Montreal not too far behind at 48.5.

Not that there's anything wrong with playing "boring" hockey - it's usually a pretty good formula for success, born out from the expertise of Caps head coach Barry Trotz, who's well established for developing teams that follow a fairly structured, if not rigid approach that's very emphatic on checking and being responsible in your own zone.

The key to beating the Caps? Open them up - find a way of making the game faster and freewheeling. The moment Washington stops playing their system, they become vulnerable.

Which means the return tonight of skilled and speedy Paul Byron, who'd missed the past couple of games from an undisclosed injury (likely concussion) all the more important for the Canadiens, who are hoping to extend their 3 game winning streak. With Byron returning, Daniel Carr will be a healthy scratch (which means, amazingly enough, Bobby Farnham will get another start - oh well).

Back to the Caps for a moment, here's their lineup for tonight

Ovechkin/Backstrom/Oshie
Johansson/Kuznetsov/Williams
Connolly/Eller/Burakovsky
Winnik/Beagle/Wilson

Alzner/Carlson
Orlov/Niskanen
Orpik/Schmidt

Braden Holtby

Speaking of Holtby, tonight's goaltending matchup should also be a dandy - featuring Carey Price, the 2015 Vezina Trophy winner, against Holtby, who is the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner.

Oh yes, one more thing - the Caps are hoping to extend their current winning streak - to six games.

Puck drops at 6:40, EST.

Game 61: Habs vs. Caps

FIRST PERIOD:

- So what chances to the Habs have, realistically? Condon has the game of his life, Habs stay out of the penalty box, Caps can't stay out of the penalty box, Habs score on the powerplay. And one or two other miracles tossed in to help push them over the top.

- Caps, no surprise, more or less overwhelming Habs first three minutes, Justin Williams misses a wide open net off a juicy Condon rebound. This game might get ugly before it even really begins. 

- Hmm ... well, hmm. Habs seem to be hanging in so far. A stupid boarding penalty by the stupid Tom Wilson seems to have given Montreal a little momentum here.

- Well, well. Alex Galchenyuk drives the net and picks up a sweet rebound for an easy mark, 1-0 Habs. Caps look very much like a team that assumed tonight's game would be a gimme, maybe? Let's see how they respond.

- Eller/Galchenyuk line by far the best the Habs have put out this period, doing a particularly good job with the forecheck, zone play has been mainly in the Caps zone.

- One moment I think there's no way this Caps team won't be in the Stanley Cup Final, and then I see guys like Tom Wilson making stupid play after stupid play, and doubts emerge.

- Off a dumb Wilson penalty, Gallagher picks up a rebound off a Markov shot, and puts the Habs ahead 2-0. Caps, I'm assuming, are slightly stunned by what's transpired. 

- Huh. Go figure. One of the better periods of hockey played by this Habs team in three months. I'm sure Barry Trotz will read his troops the riot act during intermission, and expect the Caps to come out full guns blazing in the 2nd period. 

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Caps after 20 minutes. As you can see, Habs hung in there pretty good, putting out a 56.1% CF (5v5): 

- Um, okay. Another big rebound surrendered by Holtby, this time its Fleischmann who cashes in, and it's 3-0. Holtby yanked. Crowed stunned. I'm stunned. Hey, Victor Bartley with an assist! Nice!

- Chris Lee with a terrible interference call on Subban, probably because it's Subban. Draw your own conclusions. 

- Except for the first three minutes of this game, Caps lacking the kind of intensity we've seen from them all season. They've had trouble finishing plays (Justin Williams the culprit there), and don't seem to be taking advantage of Condon's weakness in handling the puck (surrendering rebounds, covering the puck). 

- Welp, there it is, point shot, relatively harmless, that Condon can't control, surrendering the puck at the side of his net, and Chimera easily tucks it home to make it 3-1. We've still got a lonnnng way to go.

- Gallagher isn't the guy you want to go to bat on a penalty shot, but you don't turn down the opportunity. Anyway, Brendan, stay in front of that net.

- Alex Galchenyuk, he can play hockey. So can Lars Eller who sets him up beautifully off a two-on-one. Habs lead by 3 again. The kids are putting on an outstanding demonstration of hockey tonight for the Canadiens.

- Condon with a ridiculous, if not incredibly lucky right toe save to keep the score 4-1. Seems like the bounces are all Habs tonight.

- Caps all over the Habs during a powerplay, Condon with some nice saves, a couple of the desperate variety, to save the bacon. Caps, however, seem to be feeling it here. Definite momentum swing in their favour. Clock can't tick down fast enough for the Habs.

- Here's that ridiculous save by Condon. I was wrong about it being his toe, it was his arm reaching back to save a goal. So awesome:

Let's talk about this. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/leGXU3xEiy

— yasmina (@galchengoal) February 25, 2016

- Habs taking advantage of their opportunities tonight, their powerplay chipping in, Galchenyuk and Eller looking awesome, and the Caps, for the most part, doing a lot of puck chasing. Habs with a big lead with 20 minutes left in a game virtually nobody thought they had a hope in winning. Tonight's effort, helped greatly by a fine performance (so far) by Condon, has been a group one. Canadiens getting rewarded richly.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Caps through 40 minutes. Late push in the 2nd period helped to boost the Caps numbers a bit. 

- Habs playing very cautiously the first five minutes. Not exactly a sit-on-it approach, but very tight, especially in the neutral zone. Attempting to trap their way to victory, no doubt.

- We're not quite done here, as the Caps make it 4-2 off a shot that Condon plays far too deep in his crease (beating him over the shoulder, sharp angle). For the most part, the Habs have been doing a fine job protecting their zone, but not burying some pretty good odd-man break chances. That's the difference between a winner and a loser I suppose. Can this loser team hang on to a (now) two goal lead?

- Now Mitchell gets nailed for a pretty clumsy high stick. We sit, and grow restless. This game could unravel very quickly. 

- Habs survive the PK, but can't fight another iffy goal surrounded by Condon, through the legs off a Burakovsky wrister. Nearly three minutes left on the clock, and the lead is down to one. Hoo boy.

- Empty net, Caps calling time, still think the Habs are gonna find a way of blowing this.

- Still kind of pathetic that the Habs are having to cling to dear life to win this game. No way the Caps should even be whiffing at pulling this out.

- Habs win, barely. The plan for tank is pretty much toast now, but still, it's nice to beat the best team in hockey. Sooooooo ... I guess we'll take it. Sparkling night by Galchenyuk and Eller, Condon, save a couple of lapses, was excellent. And for once, the Habs 4th line looked pretty decent tonight. 

YOU MAY WANT TO AVERT YOUR EYES. HABS VS. CAPS PREVIEW

Hooboy. We saw this coming down the calander, and now the day has arrived. The Montreal Canadiens, the worst team in the NHL (by a large margin) since December 3, against the powerhouse Washington Capitals, who haven't lost two games in a row this season.

Still not frightened? The Caps own the League's best offence (3.29 GPG), 2nd best defence (2.28 GAPG), best powerplay (23.2% efficiency), 4th best PK. Alex Ovechkin with 39 goals. Evgeny Kuznetsov with 64 points. Braden Holtpy with 48 wins on the season and a .924 SV%. Oh gawd, oh gawd. It's going to be a massacre.

What are the Habs going to do? VICTOR BARTLEY TO THE RESCUE! Yeah, Bartley, who was recently acquired as part of the abysmal John Scott deal which cost the Habs Jarred Tinordi, will make his Habs debut tonight because ... why not? Well, mostly because the Habs are now missing three defencemen from injury - Nathan Beaulieu is day-to-day, Jeff Petry is gone for who knows how long, and Tom Gilbert is done for the whole damn year with a broken leg. Soooo ... enter Bartley.

Also, for reasons that I can't quite understand, the soon-to-be traded Dale Weise will be in the lineup at the expense of Lucas Lessio. Why the Habs are willing to even risk Weise's health over a meaningless game that the Habs stand almost no chance of winning is baffling, But there you go.

Anyway, puck drops tonight at 7:10 EST. Mike Condon will start for the Canadiens.

Game 27: Caps vs Habs

The THIRD PERIOD:

- Shorhanded Byron to Flynn with a sweet move to beat Holtby. Habs deservedly take the lead.

- Man, that puck luck is so very strong with the Caps tonight, as Oshie blindly gets his stick off a harmless a looking point shot. 3-2.

- Habs powerplay, Caps basically conceed the passing lanes but stack shooting lanes with bodies. It's a crude way to kill penalties but it's working.

- Habs being more aggressive with defence being more involved at centre ice, seeking turnovers. Montreal continues to utterly dominant puck possession. 

- Without Holtby's performance tonight, Caps have no chance winning. Zero.

- And Dale Weise takes dumbass award, a slash with less than 2 minutes to kill his team's chances.

- Habs might have lost on the scoreboard tonight, but that doesn't take away from a most excellent and impressive effort. Even considering that Therrien again struggled to identify his best playing forwards (Galchenyuk line), the Canadiens really demonstrated tonight they're still the team to beat: 

 

SECOND PERIOD

- Habs and Caps through 20 minutes. Habs won shots on goal and shot attempts, but Caps still seemed to control period tempo:




- One significant (very) bright spot for the Habs in the first period - the utter lack of production by one Alex Ovechkin.

- Subban, still stuck on one goal, rings a 60 foot shot off the post, beating Holtby clean glove side. Holtby a couple of lucky plays so far to keep the Habs scoreless.

- Galchenyuk with a perfect pass setup to Andrighetto, who misfires with gaping net to shoot at. Holtby again catches a big break.

- Puck luck now owes the Habs. Whether or not that repayment will come tonight is yet to be seen. Still, the 2nd period has been very strong for Montreal - on the whole, they're easily outplaying their opponent tonight. Just can't quite seem to cash in.

- There we go. Eller as the powerplay comes to an end with a nifty backhand to forehand goal in front of Holtby to the the game.

- Habs totally dominating play as period progresses. Zone control and shot attempts, especially dangerous ones. Holtby just hanging on.

- Wow. Hockey. Oshie with a flukey goal off weird deflection gives Caps late period lead. 

- Habs with an outstanding 2nd period, a class way above the Caps with puck control and offensive pressure. Also dominant defensively. Puck luck a huge factor in the Caps holding an incredible 2-1 lead, however being completely outplayed.

FIRST PERIOD:

- Watching CSN's coverage of this game tonight. So far it's been pretty unbearable. We complain about the quality of hockey coverage in Canada - but it could be worse. Much, much worse.

- Caps strike on their first shot on goal, Condon caught snoozing a tad - Canadiens' defence penchant for wrapping the puck up the boards (yes, this time it was again Emelin) leads to a turnover and half a second later, 1-0 Caps.

- Habs first powerplay as usual, with good puck movement, but focused too much on setting up for high slot shot, which is easily being broken up or blocked by Caps PK defenders.

- Caps with 11 blocked shots before the game is even 7 minutes old, which is kind of insane. Credit for the blocks to Washington, but Habs shot attempts are coming from places where many bodies are in the way (i.e. from the high slot, as we noted earlier).

- Condon not exactly enthusing me confidence so far. More than a couple deer-in-headlight reactions to Washington shot attempts.

- Habs appear to be trying to suffocate the pace of this game, lots of puck dumps and icing attempts. Typical road game strategy, so odd that they're doing this on Bell Centre ice.

- Another odd piece of gamesmanship - Therrien essentially playing only 9 forwards in the period - 4th line has received just one shift, 59 seconds long. That's been it.

- Habs playing a pretty conservative period, the new lines struggling to find any sort of chemistry. But then we know that would be the problem well in advance. Therrien pretty much deploying just 9 forwards in the period, which is a strategy that cannot be maintained through 60 minutes. Looks like Habs are overmatched tonight, further hampered by Therrien's poor line deployments.





GAMEDAY PREVIEW: THURSDAY NIGHT HOCKEY!!! ARE YOU READY FOR SOME DIVIN'?!?

Huzzah! We've finally arrived at the game. The two very best teams in the Eastern Conference going head-to-head for Conference supremacy. This is the think that hockey dreams are made of. An orgy of brilliance. A titanic struggle between two ice weary titans. THE GAME TO END ALL GAMES.

Okay, well maybe tonight's game isn't quite as significant as I'm proposing, but it still should be a pretty good game! The Caps are riding a 5 game winning streak, and in the eyes of some analysts, have surpassed the Habs as the East's best team.

Yeah yeah, I know, it's Pierre LeBrun. That's all I could find. But still, the point is raised for discussion - are the Caps that good - nay, even better than the Habs?

This might come as a shocker to you given that you're reading a blog that only covers the Habs, but no. No. They're not.

Yes, the Caps stack up pretty well in the major stats -  3rd ranked offence (behind Montreal), 5th ranked defence (behind Montreal), 2nd ranked powerplay (ahead of the Habs), 9th ranked PK (behind Montreal), 7th in even strength offence (behind Montreal) ... I'm sensing a trend ...

More fundamentally, the Caps to date, haven't exactly had much of a challenging schedule. Of the 23 games played so far, Washington has played only 8 games against teams that now have above .500 records. EIGHT. Of those eight games, the Caps' record is 3-5. Not exactly compelling evidence that Washington is, indeed, currently the "best" in the East.

Hey now, what about the Habs schedule, you might ask? Well, here's the answer. Of the 26 games played by the Canadiens so far this season, 14 games have been played against opponents with +.500 records. FOURTEEN. Of those 14 games, Montreal's record is ... wait for it ... 11-1-2.

Indeed, if there's a marked difference between these two teams it's in how each has handled "lesser" opponents. The Caps record versus sub .500 teams is 14-0-1 (!!!), while the Habs are 8-3-1.

So ... who's got the better base stats, and who's been better against tougher opponents? The answer is pretty clear.

Of course, things have changed a bit the past week. The Habs have been hobbled by recent injuries to some of its franchise players, while the Caps come into tonight's game pretty much injury-free, save for Brooks Orpik, who's basically defensive addition through subtraction.

So, even with a little demonstration in reality about how the Caps aren't yet in the Habs league, this game won't be easy, injuries considered, and also that coach Michel Therrien is terrorizing his lineup with a series of line combinations that baffle the brain, referencing to putting Max Pacioretty along side David Desharnais, in a bid to get the later producing offensively again. Desharnais, if you hadn't noticed, has come back to earth the past 10 days or so - which was to be fully expected given how DD's percentages were unsustainable.

Regardless of that and any other bizarre inept ideas that Therrien will bring to the table, tonight's game should be entertaining - the fun starts at 7:40 EST, Braden Holtby vs. Mike Condon.


Wednesday News 'N' Notes:

Hey ho, here we go. Habs lines at practice this morning. Apparently "sleeping on it" had zero affect on Michel Therrien's brain:

Pacioretty/Desharnais/Weise
Eller/Galchenyuk/Andrighetto
Fleischmann/Plekanec/Byron
Smith-Pelly/Flynn/Thomas

Desharnais en rouge (Pacioretty aussi) et Plekanec en blanc. Changements de trios en vue. #CH #tvasports

— Marc-André Perreault (@MA_PerreaultTVA) December 2, 2015

Le sigh.

Also, this gem:

#Habs advise that the NHL's concussion spotter did not notify the team's medical staff about a potential concussion sustained by Beaulieu.

— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) December 2, 2015

Some days, it's just better not firing up the Twitter feed. The NHL's attitude towards head injuries continues to be a joke.

Annnnnnnnnnd ... looks like Michael Bournival won't get his opportunity to prove some worth - he was yanked from playing at practice, and will hit the waiver wires at noon. Betcha somebody scoops him up.

More in a bit.

Game Fourty-Eight: Caps vs. Habs

OVERTIME:

- Officials miss blatant Caps too many to start the OT.

- Lars Eller appears to struggling with confidence issues again, especially carrying the puck.

- OH my goodness. What a brilliant game winning goal by Max Paxioretty, driving the net and tipping a pin-perfect backhanded pass by Plekanec. Play started after excellent stutter step by Plecks, which created space along the wing that created a very narrow passing zone. Brilliant.

- Habs just do it again. Price with 2nd straight shutout, carrying his team through two brutally bad opening periods. This team totally defies gravity, except for Carey Price. MVP.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs better in the third, which feeds into the season-long pattern. Habs, I think, are a horribly prepared team for each and every game, and it takes the players a couple of periods to figure out their opponent and make the adjustments themselves. Coaches are glorified gate keepers.

- Habs powerplay back to being dreadful. Largely because they are again dumping the puck instead of carrying the zone. Net effect is that it takes this team way too long to set up their unit. Everything is systematically stunted and dysfunctional.

- Christian Thomas has arguably been the Habs best (most consistent) forward today.

- Oh man, Holtby has been great this period. Third period has indeed become a goaltenders showdown, unlike the first two when it was Price against the world. Habs will get another point, and for perhaps the umpteenth time this season, two points even though badly outplayed by their opponent.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs adjusted possession in the first period was 36%. I'm not going to say they played badly in the period, but they played badly in the period.

- Ovechkin can't out-muscle Subban in the crease so it's on to plan B: take a flop.

- Manny Malhotra. I actually wonder if he could beat 60 on the shit clock with his wrist shot. 40?

- Stupid, stupid play by Emelin crossing full-flight Ovechkin into a defenseless Price. The guy never observes, never learns, never thinks before "being physical". A true liability in just about every sense.

- Emelin double-downs with the stupid, gets nailed with a cross well after the whistle is blown, put Habs two short. Crazy stupid.

- Two posts hit in the span of five seconds, and Brown flops on top of Price. No interference call. Sigh.

- Ovechkin just took a 4 minute shift. That's Emelin stupid territory.

- Gee, I thought the Habs looked bad in the first period, this second period is making the first 20 minutes look like a walk in the park. Just a terrible, terrible afternoon, execution has been awful.

- The brief moments this team isn't playing on its heals, everything else is off the mark. Passes too far or too short, shots on Holtby wide of the net. It's making this an incredibly frustrating game to watch.

- Speaking of off the mark, Gallagher takes a Subban shot off the leg, and has gone to the room. In considerable pain. Oy.

- Well just a terrible period, even worse than the first. Caps outshooting 16-6. With MVP Price taking on the entire Washington team, and the Habs offense being just terrible, our early game forecast of few goals has come to fruition.

FIRST PERIOD:

- Weise is a significant defensive liability on the first line, and if not for a brilliant last moment check by Markov, it'd be 1-0 Caps before the one minute mark.

- Caps defense blocking everything in sight. Holtby nearly unecessary so far.

- Carey Price being Carey Price again. Therrien looks on and thinks "I'm the coach of a first place team!"

- Speaking of our esteemed coach, he appears to be matching Weise against Ovechkin, which is all sorts of insane.

- More than a few Caps forwards playing with a nasty attitude today. Let's see if that results in some stupid Washington penalties.

- Price appears to be in another Price-level zone today. Goals are not going to come easy today.

- That said, with exception to one or two even strength shifts, Habs are getting their socks played off today. Caps have almost all of the initiative, Montreal in total reaction mode.

- Not a good period for the Habs, they looked ill-prepared for the Caps speed and strong forecheck. It's the regular Habs pattern this year - their game preparation has been, for at least 80% of their games, simply atrocious.

HEY ALEX, MIND BEING DRUNK THIS AFTERNOON?

Woah, afternoon hockey! This Superbowl Habs weekend day game stuff. Whatever. We'll take it! Gets the important hockey out of the way early so the rest of us can devote the rest of our weekend to fun stuff!! Me?!? I ... uh ... will ... probably wash my floors.

Today, Habs will be going with the same lineup tonight as they did against the Rangers, which is fine as long as they play another game like they did against the Rangers, even with Weise on the top line, Emelin and Malhatra in the lineup, etc. etc. etc.

The matchup today is pretty simple. The Caps offense vs. the Habs defense ... sorry, I mean, Carey Price. Washington is playing well, beating the Pens with relative Wednesday night 4-0. They're a better possession team (which applies to just about anyone matched up against the Habs, I suppose), with a 52.5 relative. And of course, there's Ovie - who's leading the League in goals, as per usual.

Habs have been pretty good with these Superbowl weekend events, which of course, means exactly nothing. Washington last lost a regulation game in Montreal back in 2009 which means, of course, everything.

Here's hoping they can somehow overcome their self-imposed disadvantage courtesy Therrien's lineup choices, and muster up another win today. Which is to say, go Carey!

Puck drops at 1:10 EST.

Game Two: Habs vs. Caps

Overtime: 

- OT picks? I'll go with Galchenyuk and Ovechkin. 

- Tokarski and Plekanec with game saving plays. Brilliant.

- Does Desharnais get paid for not shooting the puck?

- Dustin's first NHL shootout? Here we go.

- Oh my god. Galchenyuk in the SO.

- Desharnais. See? Shooting means you score.

- Doh. So close. So very close, Dustin.

- Ovie. Nopes.

- Round 6. Gally eeks it through, and Habs get the extra point. Hellova game.

Third Period: 

- Pretty slow and sloppy start for the Habs this period. Hard to figure this team out tonight.

- Orpik just won't stop with the questionable hits - and why should he? He's not being punished for it by the officials.

- Hoo boy. Bourque bumps Holtby, and it costs the Habs a tying goal, which came after some fantastic work by Lars Eller working to win the puck deep in the Caps zone. Oh well.

- Plecks. The man is unstoppable. Great roofer from the high slot and the game is officially tied. As mentioned before, I thought the Caps might have come out too hard in the first and now lo and behold, they're struggling to keep pace on the ice.

- Bourque with a blast that hits the crossbar. Chris Lee calls it a goal (eventually overturned). How Lee stays employed ...

- Anyway, Habs have owned the third much the way the Caps owned the first. Washington basically trying to hold on to a tie.

- Subban misses his check but Emelin saves the day with seconds left. Won't say that very often.

- Very, very good period for the Habs, coming within a fraction of an inch from winning this game. Now to overtime, which this team was definably mediocre last season.

Second Period:

- Looking for Therrien to maybe focus on running only 9 forwards, at least until the Habs start showing signs of offensive life.

- One significant criticism of the Caps tonight - their shot attempts are mainly coming from 40+ feet away from Tokarski, who's made a few very good saves, but has mainly had to handle routine shots.

- Wretched slashing call on Parenteau. The officiating, sadly but not surprisingly, has been very poor.

- Habs currently on pace for two ... count 'em ... two 5v5 shots. For the entire game. Yeah, really.

- Holy cow, Galchenyuk. Incredible moves with the puck, a glimpse of future greatness, we hope.

- Halfway mark, Caps seem to be regressing a bit here, Habs are finding some legs. Perhaps Washington came out of the gate a little too hard?

- Remember how Eller rocketed out of the starting line last year? Yeah ... those were the days ...

- Orpik has delivered at least three dirty hits tonight, and the Habs are taking matters into their own hands, since the refs don't appear capable of doing it.

- Prust gets penalized for dealing with Orpik, or at least trying to. Caps get an undeserved powerplay.

First Period:

- Couple of good Saskatchewan boys between both sets of pipes tonight. Awesomeness.

- Emelin with Sunbban. How long can this possibly last?

- Eller takes a bad penalty for hook/trip. And .... drink.

- Habs PK looks strong again this season, sans Gorges. Speedy checkers are helping.

- Terrible, terrible turnover by Subban makes it 1-0. When he's great, he's great. But when he muffs it up ...

- Canadiens are uh ... disorganized in their own zone. As in, really, really disorganized.

- Nice pass and shot blocking by Weaver, Habs kill another penalty.

- 5 minutes left in the period, Habs still haven't registered a shot on goal. To say they've been bad would be very generous. To say they're lucky to be only down a goal would be a vast understatement.

- Subban called for a hook after an absurd dive by Ovie. Terrible officiating by guess who - Chris Lee. How is this guy still employed?

- About as bad a period as you'll ever see this Habs team play. Totally outskated through much of the frame, the first shot coming with barely more than 2 minutes left in the period, 15-2 total. Dustin Tokarski the only real bright spot in the period, at least giving his team the opportunity of somehow salvaging what is current a disaster. Would love to be a fly in the Habs dressing room during the first intermission.

LINEUP NOTES:

- Moen in, Bournival out.
- Prust in, Weise out.

As you were.


GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:s

UNDEFEATED!!

Yah baby, what a way to kick off game one of the 2014-15 season - breaking the tiny little hearts of Leafs fans right in their own backyard, with a delicate twist of a heartbreaking knife - the winning goal scored at the 19:17 mark by the Maurice Richard Trophy leader Thomas Turtlepleks Plekanec. So sweet. So very, very sweet.

Ah, but the time to savor such victory is short. The Habs are right back at it tonight in Washington D.C. as they take on the Ovie and Caps. Dustin Tokarski, who wrestled the backup job away from Peter Budja this fall, will get the start for the Canadiens.

As we mentioned in the season's first post, the Habs underwent some significant roster changes this summer. For the Caps, the changes went beyond the starting lineup, starting in April when they fired long-time general manager George McPhee, and replaced him with the relatively unknown Brian MacLellan, whose executive experience entering the office was pretty much ziltch.

MacLellan didn't waste much time shaking up the Caps roster, with a particular focus on shoring up the Caps shaky defense. First, MacLellan signed journeyman backup Justin Peters to backup the consistently inconsistent Braden Holtby.  Then as summer set in, Maclellan latched up Matt Niskanen for a big ol' pile of cash (7 years, $5.75m AVV), and his coup de grace, signing free agent Brooks Orpik for an astounding $27.5m, five year contract. That last mentioned signing was astoundingly perplexing, as Orpik has long held one of the worst possession numbers for a defenseman in the League. To commit so much money for such a long time to a 34 year old player with a terrible stats line won't help the Caps very much in solving their blue line issues this season, or the next, or the one after that, or the one after that, or the one after that.

So tonight! The Habs will send out Tokarski, and our eyes will be focused on whether we'll see another fine repeat performance by the like Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty, P.A. Parenteau, and yes, Alexi Emelin. All played very well last night in Toronto.

Puck drops at 7:10 EST. It's already game two!!

Game Thirty-Nine: Caps vs. Habs

First Period:

- Lots of buzz in the Bell Centre tonight. This game has suddenly become one of the hottest tickets of the season.

- Bad news comes early. Chris Lee tonight. Sorry Habs fans.

- World class saves by Price out of the gate. Caps' offense looks really good.

- The Bouillon-Beaulieu combo is making me mighty nervous. Caps trying to get Ovechkin out there when they're on.

- Pretty sure the word "quit" is not part of Gallagher's vocabulary.

- First five minutes was all Caps. Since then it's been mostly Habs. Working the puck out of the D zone with relative ease.

- Caps seem to be taking the "E" word to heart tonight.

- Eller opens the scoring, Caps offense way too flippant and fancy on the rush, and took way too much time hustling back to cover their man. Eller was all alone.

- Ovechkin gets called for a slash as time expires.

- Price with one of his best periods of the season, Caps had many fine chances. Big picture though, Habs were miles ahead on the fundamentals, especially transitioning out of their zone. For the most part, Canadiens did a very good job containing #8, who appeared more interested in hovering around centre ice for a break pass. Ovie wanting it all himself, I guess.


Second Period:

- Excellent first powerplay, should generate some additional momentum.

- Once again the Eller line is setting the tone for the game. They're the 3rd line but they're playing like the 1st.

- Since Caps went up 9-0 in shot total to start the game, it's been 15-3 Habs.

- Was at Jets game when Bell Centre scoreboard was hit. Just happened again. I swear it's not me.

- Ovechkin. You just know Price wants that back. Simply whiffed on what looked like a harmless wrister.

- Caps with all the mo now. Habs not moving their feet in their zone.

- And there it is. 2-1. Game turned on its head just like that.

- Pushback by Habs here. Lots of buzz around Caps net.

- Credit where credit due, Neuvirth has been very solid.

- Odd duck period, Habs were arguably the better team except for 1:46 when the Caps potted two iffy goals off a mysteriously and suddenly shakey Carey Price. Now the Habs enter some pretty unfamiliar territory. Trailing on the scoreboard after 40 minutes.


Third Period:

- Habs have one hit tonight from their defense. One. In 40 minutes. Alexei Emelin, where are you?

- If nobody else will bother maybe Tinordi is due a chance. At the very least you know he's good for a bodycheck or four.

- While we're at it should also mention Habs defense guilty of lobbing far too many long passes that have no chance of being received, many resulting in turnovers and quality chances for the Caps.

- Caps forwards have been ALL over Subban tonight, barely giving him room to breath and absolutely no lanes to shoot. Kudos there.

- At least Price couldn't see that shot. Not much consolation. 3-1.

- Habs have got nothin going here. Absolutely nothin.

- Chris Lee will require his usual escort out of the building. Just brutal.

- Caps have had a stick or a leg in front of anything resembling a dangerous shot or pass this period. Frustrating.

- Eller! We might do this yet.

- Frantic finish. Not sure how that puck didn't go in, but it didn't.

Pregame Game Preview

Bonjour! It's yet another night of live blogging from the Bell Centre, the seats at centre ice (yay) and the opposition none other than the very hot Washington Capitals and the even hotter Alex Ovechkin. This one won't be easy.

Just how hot are both the Caps and their captain? Well, last time we faced Washington they were firmly in control over 15th and last place in the Eastern Conference. Mr. Ovechkin was getting plenty of criticism not only for his lack of offensive production, but his lacklustre on ice effort. Some were speculating that the Caps would be scraping their season and dangling out Ovechkin for picks and prospects.

Fast forward a few weeks and the Caps suddenly find themselves in 3rd place in the East, granted that being a benefit from playing in the terrible South East Division, where there's an outside possibility that this year's division winner might end up with fewer points than the Conferences' 9th place finisher.

Still, Ovie has been on fire - scoring 15 goals the past 11 games, for a grand total of 25 for the season, tying him for the League lead. That ain't bad, turnaround-wise.

So tonight, keep number 8 under wraps, and you've got a good shot at victory. The Habs will almost certainly look to their number one centre, Thomas Plekanec, do to most of the Ovie shadowing, although keep an eye on Rene Bourque, who's making his return tonight after many weeks missed from concussion. Bourque will play on the Habs 4th line, so don't be surprised to see Michel Therrien send Rene out for a few shifts to cover Ovechkin in order to free Plekanec up for some powerplay shifts.

By now you've heard about the season-ending injury to Alexei Emelin, which is a very significant blow to the Habs physicality on its blue line, PLUS it means the Habs will have to lean more heavily on Frankie Bouillon, who to be frank, has been terrible the past three weeks, and now finds himself slotted as the #4 defenseman in a League where he ought be no higher than #6. What can ya do??

Carey Price will start tonight, while Michal Neuvirth, who's been pretty iffy this season, gets the nod for the Caps.

Game Seventy-Nine: Habs v Caps

Four to go. Nearly there. The finish line in sight and then we can take six months off and pretend none of this happened.

So we lost last night. Great!! The Oilers ... lost. Sheesh. Com'on Edmonton. This sucking is kind of hard to do. We might actually win one of the last four so WIN A GAME already.

Carey Price will start tonight. Or maybe not. It doesn't really matter.

First Period:

- Budaj actually gets the start.

- St-Denis having mobility issues, gets called for the trip.

- PK looked pretty solid, but then Campoli/St-Denis come on and leave Budaj high and dry. Caps strike early.

- I think it's fair game to reexamine Budaj's future in the off season. As a backup, he's performed alright. The question for debate is whether he fulfills the role of pushing Price in his performances - I think it fair to say that Budaj isn't and hasn't fulfilled that role.

- Habs offense has been as close to zero as humanly possible. Plekanec has been feisty this period, but is saddled with wingers utterly incapable of scoring.

- The old Ovechkin would have easily converted on those chances. Today's Ovechkin ... well ....

- It's a sure sign that something's gone terribly wrong when a 3-on-1 is surrendered and Pacioretty is the one guy back. Markov in dreamland. The collective quality of this team's play ... horrendous. Caps now lead by two. I sense a blowout on the way.

- Habs get a PP. Will they also get one scoring chance in the period?

- Plekanec with a reasonably challenging shot on goal. So that's one.

- Hah. How'd that get in? Cole with his 32nd. Habs play one of their worst periods all season and yet find themselves on the scoreboard and just a goal down.

Second Period:

- When Markov is QBing the PP this team is vastly more effective and efficient gaining the opposition zone. It's a skill that Kaberle was incapable of executing and Subban has yet to learn.

- Um ... uh oh? During the time out Markov stepped on the ice to do a few strides - definitely seemed to be favoring his leg.

- That noted, Habs management would be crazy to allow Markov to participate in the upcoming Worlds. They retain the right to forbid him from doing so.

- Desharnais hammering himself for not putting that puck in off Cole's shot. Game really should have been tied.

- The past four or five games the only Habs line that's produced scoring chances is the Desharnais/Cole/Pacioretty combo. Nothing else has been working.

- Habs with a good bounce-back period going. This game could have easily spun out of control into a blowout. But they've held tight, provided Budaj with some excellent protection, and given Neuvirth a few challenging tries.

- Eller very pretty setup to Geoffrion in front of Neuvirth, but he can't convert.

- Plekanec's feisty night finally pays off. Since Bourque and Blunden are totally incapable, Pleks does a solo rush and finishes with a tricky sharp angle shot that eludes Neuvirth. Tie game (deservedly).

- Haven't seen Markov since his little hurt skate. That ain't good.

- Really solid frame for Montreal, while Washington even with Backstrom's return, has looked really listless since taking a 2-0 lead. The Caps *have* to win tonight, which makes their disappearing act all the more mystifying. Sets up a compelling third period.

Third Period:

- Markov did have one more shift late in the second (during the Plekanec goal) a 40 second shift.

- Habs continue to push into the third. The Caps are really playing with fire. No way Montreal should even be competing for a win tonight.

- Ovechkin just watched Eller pass him by along the boards. Infuriating if you're a Caps fan.

- Pretty dismal PP for Washington, scattering of boos reigning down.

- Great save by Budaj on Ovechkin.

- Silly tripping call on Plekanec who was merely going through a motion of pulling the puck back from the drop.

- Caps PP tonight strongly resembling what ours has looked like all season - really bad.

- Fine effort by Cole draws a tripping call, and Habs go on the PP, oh-for-three so far.

- Pacioretty's wheelhouse slapper leaves much to be desired.

- How'd Bourque not get called for a slash? His stick breaking in two as he made a lazy slash check.

- Wow. Budaj in the wilderness close to the neutral zone than his own crease. Really got away with that one.

- Eller and Geoffrion with some nice chemistry tonight. Wonder if there's maybe some future potential there.

- Great block by St-Denis who has like his team, has bounced back nicely after a rough first period.

- Caps desperate to end this before regulation.

- Not to be. Habs earn a gritty point tonight, and depending on OT, possibly two.

Overtime:

This is the Habs' 22nd game this season where extra time was required. Crazy. Only 7 have resulted in gaining an extra point. There's your playoff spot right there.

Overtime:

- Campoli easily follows and then strips Ovechkin of the puck. That's how far he's fallen.

- What a great 125 foot pass from Markov right on the tape of a wide open Desharnais, who fails to do anything.

- Bourque with another open net missed to add to his large collection.

- Pacioretty looked like Gretzky there maneuvering around the Caps defense and setting up Eller who couldn't tip it home. So many great individual efforts wasted.

- And to shootout once more. 16th time this season. Caps desperately need this extra point to stay ahead of the
Sabres.

Shootout

- Hendricks will shoot first. Will he try his funky fake? Now's a good a time as ever.

- Yup. He does. And Budaj is frozen solid.

- Ovechkin almost lost the puck on that attempt.

- This just in: Habs are terrible in the shootout.

Game Sixty-Two: Habs v Caps

Happy game day!! Did you know if the draft were held today, we'd probably pick 3rd overall! Isn't that great? It's been an incredible season in Montreal. Even when we lose, we win. Everyone happy!

Well, I guess not everyone's happy. The Caps' Roman Hamrlik has a sad :o( ... poor Roman got benched by the League's craziest temporary coach Dale Hunter for taking a questionable penalty last week (relatively meaningless as the Caps were already well headed towards ANOTHER loss), and in response, the Hammer kinda threw his supervisor under the team bus.

OH ROMAN. A few months ago you probably thought you'd just signed yourself up for a sure-fire Stanley Cup ring, didn't you?

I just LOVE that page. Let's link it again, shall we?

ANDREI MARKOV GETTING CLOSE: So right now I'm watching the Habs do their morning skate in Washington, and guess who I see out there practicing with the boys? One Andrei Markov.

Markov was doing some pretty intense stops and starts, so that's a pretty good sign that he's ... getting ... close to a return?

TRADE SPECULATIONS: So the latest banter around the "insiders" is that the Habs have made significant inquiries about the Jackets' centre Derick Brassard. He'd fit the bill - local boy from Hull done good. Get that francophone quota up to an "acceptable" level. If you're going to be a losing team in Montreal, at least be a losing team with plenty of french speaking players! Then it doesn't matter, see?

But yeah ... if you're thinking Brassard is the heir apparent to Martin St. Louis ... welll ... er ... that's not likely.

But it's worth asking, I guess. Not sure what the Jackets are demanding or how difficult they are at the negotiating table (although they DID get fleeced yesterday by the Kings in the Carter trade ... so ... maybe?)

- Habs just wrapping up their morning skate - Markov was the 5th last guy to leave the ice, did some intense stretching at the bench just before exiting to the dressing room.

First Period:

- So Ovi returns tonight, which two years ago would have struck fear into the hearts of most Habs fans. How tines have changed.

- So Kostitsyn gets a "promotion" to the Plekanec line. Whether it's Cunneyworth's attempt to get him scoring, or the organization's attempt to showcase his abilities is anyone's guess.

- Um, yeah, Rene - you can't bodycheck the other guy's goaltender.

- Diaz lucky to not get an interference call on that Caps PP rush.

- Even with Gill's departure the Habs PK still looks very good.

- Caps' forwards making many attempts to carry the puck to the slot, Habs defense so far having little trouble swatting them away.

- Price with outstanding lateral motion keeping Washington off the scoreboard.

- Kaberle. Just. So. Ridiculously. Soft. In front of his net. Easy goal for Perreault. 1-0 Washington.

- Even if Kaberle were making no more than $1M a year, the Habs still probably wouldn't find a taker. He's our next "Gomez" as far as problems are concerned.

- Kostitsyn-related news: Just announced that Hemsky has resigned with Edmonton, which takes another potential forward off the trade market.

- Hemsky gets $5 million per, which is kind of crazy high. Can't blame him for grabbing that offer.

- Subban made the commitment to block that rush. If he misses, it's a 3-0 break for the Caps.

- Quite maddening to watch this team's offense flail around like a carp in a boat against a mediocre team like the Caps. How to explain it?

- Emelin's checks are fearsome. His shots ... not so much.

- Subban with an interception at his line, turns puck up ice and would have been part of a 3 on 2 break if he didn't peel away and retreat.

- Laugh or cry? It's now 235+ minutes and counting since Habs have scored on Washington.


Second Period:

- An NHL forward of average skill and ability would have easily put that puck in the back of that open net. Scott Gomez on the other hand ...

- Emelin called for a trip. The reply clearly shows he merely made body contact on Ovechkin. Bad call.

- Price with some superb goaltending on this Caps PP.

- Most of the play on Habs half of the ice. Second Caps goal seems inevitable.

- Shots are 4-4 in the period? The shot keeper must be dozing off.

- Eller with a bad giveaway, Emelin and Diaz completely asleep at the line, and the Caps Chimera scores.

- And now Ovechkin. Habs, all of them, standing around. Price with a total reaction of disgust. For good reason. He kept his team in this game and nobody responded.

- Unacceptable turn of events here. First the errors that lead to Chimera's goal - that kind of thing happens, but the response, which was a total team meltdown - simply not acceptable. Cunneyworth must start benching.

- White having maybe one of worst NHL games ever, -3 tonight. Also, Eller -2, Emelin -2, Gomez -2.

- Cole called for a pick. Looked incidental, but at this point, doesn't really matter.

- Habs chances of drafting as high as second overall taking a major step forward tonight.

- Kostitsyn with Desharnais and Pacioretty. Doubt that'll do much to light a fire.

- Over/under on Habs scoring ... I mean, actually scoring once on the Caps? I'm taking under.

Third Period:

- What is there to say, really? Game was over at 3-0. Actually 2-0. Habs did manage to score one goal (yay?) while shorthanded no less (I swear this team is more dangerous a man down than it is a man up) but otherwise Caps shot down an incompetent team. Fish in a barrel.

As stated before, team takes major step towards clinching #2 pick in the draft. 

Game Fifty-Two: Caps v. Habs

Anyone wanna talk about last night? Yeah, me either. It was the usual pattern, start fast, build a lead, and watch it just fade away. With 31 games left, and 11 points out of 8th, I think it's pretty safe to call this season a wash. So let the fire sale begin!!

Actually, no ... let's not. At least in the sense of just dumping anything that will move, because this organization has a pretty good core of players. But let's at least take a look at moving a few commodities that really don't have much of a future in Montreal beyond the end of this season. Campoli, Gill are two obvious candidates. Moen and Kostitsyn as well, although I think there's much merit in retaining both for next season and beyond (especially Kostitsyn). Of course in dream land, we'd be able to figure out what to do with Gomez (we won't, we can't), and Kaberle, after starting out nicely, has pretty much fallen back into the abyss, so that little trade didn't pan out. I doubt, though, anybody would be remotely interested. So we're stuck with 'em.

We're really in next year mode, I'm afraid. It sucks, but this team, which had MORE than enough talent to easily claim a playoff spot, and even challenge for the Division, is now seriously tinkering with last place, period. You can't define a season like this as anything other than disastrous.

ANDREI MARKOV IS ALIVE: Basu snapped this pic of Markov skating (apparently much more) in Brossard this morning. Is it possible he'll be return before the Easter bunny arrives?

Or ... with this season now pretty much over, do the Habs really play the safe cards and wait until next fall before putting him back into commission?

UPDATE: Markov just finished his skate. It wasn't any longer than last time. 20 minutes. He's still miles away from game shape.

- Habs announced that Budaj will start Saturday afternoon against the Caps. Price, I assume, will start Sunday.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT LAST NIGHT OR TODAY: PK's hit on Larsson last night. It's a beaut, eh?

DIRTY HIT UPDATE: The hit by Elias on Blunden last night (which will probably keep the later out of the lineup for the two games this weekend) didn't go unnoticed by the League, who brought the hammer down via a fine of $2,500, or about what Elias gets paid per shift. That'll really show 'em.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT GOMEZ UPDATE!!!!

Oh gawd. Really? Yup. Really.

If Cunneyworth had some semblance of humanity, he'd have Scott a healthy scratch today.

First Period:

- Campoli in, Weber out. Hopefully to showcase the former.

- The national anthems. My ears. They bleed.

- And that's why Budaj is the backup. A knuckleball, but still should have been stopped. Sinking feeling already started.

- Goals like that are moral killers, especially for a team as fragile as the Habs. Must respond quickly or this game could spin out of control quickly.

- A few cheers (jeers) as Gomez touches the puck. There was no song sung at 11:11.

- Maybe Budaj was a bit dazed from the anthems. I know I'm still in recovery mode.

- Habs trying to work the cycle, but Caps defense having little difficulty breaking it up.

- Linesman missed that offside, not that it matters much.

- Did I just see Kaberle attempt a shot on net?? It nearly deflected in.

- Not sure if it's because this is an afternoon game, but the crowd is really quiet.

- First impressions today, Caps are imminently mediocre, like so many others in the East. Makes it all the more frustrating that the Habs aren't competing for a playoff spot, there were so many games that could have been won, should have been won, against teams like Washington.

- Still a bit more about this mediocrity, Ovechkin looks terrible, at least by the standards of the Ovechkin we used to know. He's not nearly as fast, not nearly as agile. He still throws the weight around pretty good, but he strikes no fear. He's just an average NHL forward.

- Terribly forgettable period. No real pace, no rhythm. Two not very good teams clashing to produce a nothing result. I think the anthem set the tone. Please, get this over with so we can all go home.

Second Period:

- Gomez just recorded a shot on goal. With a shot that could and would never beat an actual NHL goaltender. #didgomezscoreyet

- The Caps were, remarkably, the Stanley Cup pick by The Hockey News before the start of the season. There's no way that's gonna happen. Not with this team the way they play.

- Carlson at 9:24 is currently the ice time leader for the Caps. Two years ago, that wouldn't have been possible.

- Eller/Darche/Gomez. That line has no chance. I mean, zero.

- Has Vokoun faced a single shot today that was even moderately difficult? I don't think he has. This is horrible.

- Vokoun just got tested, by Desharnais, who held on to the puck too long trying to go around the Caps netminder. Just shoot the puck, guys. Just shoot the puck.

- So penalty shot was called for Budaj trowing his stick? Looked pretty clear that it slipped unintentionally out of his hand. Oh well. It didn't matter.

- Habs just got their second scoring chance ... of the game. Six minutes left in the 2nd.

- Cole sets up Pacioretty with picture perfect cross ice pass, and he redirects it two feet wide. Pacioretty simply has to convert on those.

- Fans booing now. Mainly out of boredom, I suspect. At least the Habs are going to the powerplay. Now everyone can go to sleep.

- Habs have zero confidence. It's written all over this PP.

- Gomez sent out on PP. Crowd erupts with huge cheer.

- That was awful. The PP is a total disaster. The passing patterns were all mixed up.

- A lot of organizations would look at that 2 minute debacle, and immediately fire the coaches behind the bench. Problem is, we've tried that already.

- 20 minutes to go. It can't happen fast enough. The hockey on display today is a disgrace to the game. It really is that bad.

Third Period:

- Little push here by the Habs, but Caps are doing a pretty good job protecting their crease. Sensing a momentum shift, Washington calls for time (a strategy rarely if ever used by Cunneyworth the countless times the Habs were protecting a third period lead, by the way).

- Good number of shots on Vokoun coming from low percentage scoring spots. In other words, the Habs push is going nowhere.

- Budaj has trouble controlling the puck, Habs defense breaks down, forwards are standing around, and Hendricks scores an easy one. Total team effort by the Canadiens in giving up that goal. People already headed to the exits. Take me with you??

- The Bell Centre would make an excellent funeral home right about now. Hardly a sound to be heard. Maybe this is a good time to bury the season?

- There is 12 minutes left, but we already know there is no way the Habs will recover. That's a pretty sad, but true statement.

- Habs star of the game? Um. I'm stumped.

- Not to take anything away from Vokoun, but I'm pretty sure the game score wouldn't be much different if I was in goal for the Caps. Tough saves today: Zero.

- Subban gives a few fans something to cheer about with a check on Hendricks.

- Another wretched breakdown, Kaberle gives Semin a penalty shot and the Caps a 3-0 lead. Kaberle ... where to start? He's fallen back into the abyss.

- Very embarrassing game today if you're a Habs fan. I mean, really, really embarrassing.

- Is it too late to ask for Spacek back?

- See you again tomorrow!! It couldn't possibly be any worse than what we saw today, right?

Right?