Game 79: Habs vs. Panthers

FIRST PERIOD:

- Charlie Lindgren is, at least at the present, the only viable goaltending prospect in the Habs system. No pressure or anything, kid.

- Reto Berra starts for the Panthers, contrary to our statement earlier that James Reimer would get the start. An interesting choice, given how much Berra has struggled this week, including the blowout loss in Montreal last week.

- Nesterov ... a little sloppy and casual in his first shift. Sure looks like Jordie Benn, and maybe Davidson, were the only beneficial trade deadline pickup by Bergevin. The rest, Ott, Martinsen, King and Nesterov - write-offs.

- That Plekaenc/Gallagher/Byron combo continues to roll along nicely. Line has been on fire for well over a week, as well as a strong start tonight.

- Danault/Pacioretty/Radulov joining in on the fun, Panthers are having a tough time winning puck battles in their own zone.

- Alex Galchenyuk - might he be rounding back into form? He looked great handling and dangling the puck behind the Panther's cage before eventually feeding the puck which finds its way onto Andrew Shaw's stick, a slam-dunk shot and a 1-0 lead. Both Shaw and Galchenyuk have shown little chemistry, perhaps due to a lack of communication, since they were placed together two weeks ago. Looked very good there.

- Plekanec and Danualt lines, all the Panthers can handle this period.

- Canadiens owned the period, although I'm not sure how much of that was Florida seemingly going through the motions. Don't see anyone on that Panthers side of the ice attempting to prove themselves for the next season - it's a pretty sad state of affairs. Anyway, hard to envision the Canadiens not causing their way through the next 40 minutes if this is all their opponent is offering as resistance.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Pretty meek, Florida. Pretty meek. Habs SA CF (5v5): 64.5%:

- 6 minutes gone, low event period so far, Panthers can't get much of anything going, except for the occasional long-range shot at Lindgren. Florida's only real sniff at scoring tonight has been during Ott line shifts. Otherwise, virtually nada.

- 2nd pair defeseman Jason Demers having a rough night 2/14, and we're not even at the half-way mark. He's been matched against the Danault line, and he's had his hands full.

- Gallagher virtually tackled from behind carrying the puck through centre, somehow it's not called.

- Hate to see a team dominate and then give up a sloppy goal, and hey, it's our old friend Emelin making an awkward and failed checking attempt, which frees up Marchessault, Lindgren making an awkward belly flop save attempt, and the game is tied.

- They've been buzzing the Panthers zone all night long, if anyone is most likely to get the Habs the lead back, it'll be either Gallagher or Byron.

- All of the sudden, the refs are calling penalties, even after earlier letting the Gallagher mugging go uncharged. Panthers with an extended 5-on-3.

- Panthers powerplay is horrid. Putrid. Tres terrible.

- Not a very good period for the Habs, whom I think might have taken their opponent's lacklustre, go-through-the-motions play too lightly, and while the officiating was, at best, uneven, it still doesn't excuse them for not putting this game away.

THIRD PERIOD:

- When you're outplayed in any period by the Florida Panthers, you have not played a good period. In that 2nd, Florida's SA CF at even strength was 53.3%.

- Julien mixing things up a little, as he moves Byron next to Galchenyuk and Lehkonen, and it pays off their first shift, as Lehkonen fires a blazing wrist shot that Berra might now have even seen, to give the Habs the lead back 2-1.

Kid's got a shot, eh? #MTLvsFLA pic.twitter.com/JOY4ahsAjT

— NHL (@NHL) April 4, 2017

- Still view this game as an inevitable Habs win, although Lindgren still looks a little nervous (it's hard to blame him). He's very much a stay-at-home goaltender. I've barely seen him move outside the blue paint tonight. Also wary of handling the puck. But he plays the angles nicely, very much like Carey Price.

- Panthers really stepping up this period, Lindgren doing an excellent job making the primary save, and covering up loose pucks.

- Well, we predicted either Byron or Gallagher would win, would Byron off a breakaway, Lehkonen blasting home a rebound be close enough? Insurance goal all but puts the wraps on this game.

- Rough night not only for Demers, Matheson and Petrovic. Just a rough night in general if you're a defender for the Panthers. Not fast enough to pick up the Habs speedy wingers tonight, Berra again mostly hung out to dry.

- Radulov with the empty net to finish the game, and the Habs officially cinch the Atlantic Division title, which is a wonderful luxury to own 10 games in advance of the playoffs. Can now rest bodies for the rest of the week without consequence. Very good performance tonight from Charlie Lindgren, Gallagher, Lehkonen and Byron another sparking night, and while they didn't tally points, the Danault line looked dangerous most of the evening. Everything coming up roses for the Montreal Canadiens, who can celebrate their excellent 1st place achievement.

GAME PREVIEW: NOTHING MATTERS UNTIL APRIL 12TH. HEY, WHY ARE WE STILL PLAYING GAMES?

Hey, Habs play tonight with absolutely nothing on the line. Ziltch. The Habs cannot go up or down in the standings. So the rest of the regular season schedule are basically glorified scrimmages. Which means, it's time for "important" guys to get pulled from the lineup. First up? Shea Weber:

#Habs: Shea Weber ne jouera pas ce soir contre les Panthers. Il est blessé au bas du corps. Charlie Lindgren obtiendra le départ.

— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) April 3, 2017

Yeah, yeah. The ol' LBI trick! Except that ... hrmmm ...

#Habs: Shea Weber s’absentera pour au moins les deux prochains matchs. Le CH l’a renvoyé à Montréal par précaution.

— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) April 3, 2017

Hrmmm. We'll see where that goes. Heck, if I'm pulling guys out of the lineup, let's give Andrei Markov a couple of days off. Or Max Pacioretty. Or Alex Radulov. Heck, let's just bring up the Ice Caps for the next week (yeah, yeah ... I know that's not possible, but still ... wherever possible, rest and heal).

As you might have caught from the first tweet, Charlie Lindgren will be the Habs starting netminder tonight, with Carey Price getting a well deserved night off, and Al (Tony) Montoya still recovering from whatever injury he has. This will be Lindgren's first NHL game in almost exactly 2 years. His last (and only NHL) game was April 7, 2015, a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

It's not only Weber who's out tonight - Jordie Benn continues to recover from another undisclosed injury, and will also not play tonight. So, the Habs' suddenly thin defence will look something like this:

Markov/Petry
Beaulieu/Emelin
Davidson/Nesterov

Meanwhile, on the forward lines:

Pacioretty/Danault/Radulov
Byron/Plekanec/Gallagher
Galchenyuk/Shaw/Lehkonen
King/Ott/Martinsen

Meanwhile the Panthers, who are also playing out the string with nowhere to go in the standings, have a few lineup changes tonight. Sitting in the press box will be Shawn Thronton (AWWWW!),

Huberdeau/Trocheck/Jagr
Jokinen/Bjugstad/Smith
Vanek/Malgin/Marchessault
Sceviour/MacKenzie/Sgarbossa

James Reimer will start tonight for the Panthers, against Lindgren. Puck drops at 7:40 EST.

Game 77: Panthers vs. Habs

Montreal 6, Florida 2:

FIRST PERIOD:

- Tim Raines comes out to drop the puck, and gets a thunderous applause. Great moment. Can't hardly wait for the day the Expos return to Montreal.

- Kind of a big game tonight for Reto Berra, who's trying to prove himself as a capable NHL goaltender. Guys who are playing for their careers can sometimes be especially difficult to beat.

- Berra looks pretty nervous, sure sign of that in a goaltender is how frequently he flops on his belly to make a save. Berra just got away with one with the Shaw line swarming the cage. 

- Emelin (stop the presses!!!) makes a very nice behind the back pass to help set up a nice play eventually ending with an uncovered Paul Byron, who fires an easy one past Berra for his 21st of the season. 1-0 Habs.

- Panthers look like a pretty unenergized bunch. Sometimes you'll see these eliminated teams play a loose and relaxed game, or by contrast, a demoralized game. Florida looking very much more the later than the former, so far.

- You know it's bad when Thomas Plekanec scores on you - Gallagher picks up his second assist. His play continues to advance nicely since his return from that hand injury.

- I think it's fair to say the Plekanec line is on fire. Byron with his 2nd tonight, Gallagher picks up yet another assist. Berra really hung out to dry - feel badly for him.

- Panthers defence is playing some pretty inexcusable hockey. So many missed checks, indifferent positioning, virtually zero physicality. I'd be very irked coaching behind their bench.

- 2-0 through 20 minutes. Incredible period for the Plekanec line, Emelin and Beaulieu were also especially good. Panthers throwing in the towel, which is a shame. Makes for a pretty uninteresting game. 

SECOND PERIOD:

- Lopsided 1st period, Habs SA CF (5v5): 64.4%. 

- Heat map is even worse. Poor Reto Berra. He never stood a chance:

- Plekaenc line at it again, they draw Habs first powerplay. Hard to figure out where this is all coming from. The line has been playing well the past little while, but not nearly at the level we're seeing tonight.

- One thing is clear, if you're going to dive, don't do it in front of, or around, Max Pacioretty.

- Another dubious penalty on Weber for a slash. Sure looks like the Panthers are trying to work their way into this one via dramatics. Refs are biting.

- Habs, perhaps with small measure of justice on their side, kill of an extended Panthers 2 man advantage. Carey Price looks as good as ever with his lateral movement, and that Habs PK also unrecognizable in comparison to it's play pre-Claude Julien.

- Whoops, Smith with a shot along the ice that may have got Price off guard. His reaction (Price's) appears like "damn, missed it." 3-1 with 9 minutes left in the period.

- Habs winning a lot in March in spite of having a pretty awful 4th line (self-inflicted via some poor acquisitions). That line not any better tonight, Martinsen and King are in way, way over their NHL heads. No way either of these two should be in any post-season lineup.

- Officiating chaos right now. Brad Watson up to his usual self.

- So Thornton, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, skates over and hammers Emelin in the face, and Emelin is charged with an extra penalty. 

- Ott given 10 minute misconduct for mouthing off to the refs. So that's an addition via subtraction.

- Panthers powerplay is tres terrible!  Even with the gift-wrapped calls, they're still going though the motions.

- Emelin got an extra 2 minutes for this. He may (or may not) have made contact with MacKenzie's face with his elbow. If so, then yeah, there's your extra 2.

Emelin/Mackenzie kerfuffle pic.twitter.com/mAzgg05rko

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 31, 2017

- With Ott out and sitting in the dressing room, Julien rotating in an extra body into that 4th line. Plekanec just did a shift with King and Martinsen. But really, it's all just clock killing hockey. Julien really needs to settle on what he's going to do, specifically, who he'll scratch come playoff time. Really find it hard to believe that either Ott, King or Martinsen are capable of playing without hurting their team.

- Lehkonen looks great. Gallagher looks even better. This is good news. Galchenyuk, however, still not meshing well with Andrew Shaw. I'm sure Julien is wary of moving Danault away from Pacioretty and Radulov, but as the Habs lineup currently stands, Galchenyuk is more or less a lost asset. 

- Chippy 2nd period, Panthers doing a good job trolling the Habs into retaliation stuff, which gave Florida a ton of man advantage time. Still, this game isn't nearly in threat for the Canadiens, who merely need to play one more smart period of hockey, and then they can book their playoff tickets.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Florida got a mess of powerplay time in that 2nd period, helping them to narrow shot totals, but at even strength, period was a wash, which is exactly what Montreal was wanting. 

- Pacioetty hits the 35 goal mark for the 4th time in his excellent career. Sweet perfect pass by Radulov (is he turning things around from a recent slump?) to make that goal possible. Panthers are cooked, even though they continue to embellish and whine for more powerplay time.

- Matheson makes it a 2 goal game, after Emelin makes a poor puck play from his own corner, attempting to clear the zone by playing the puck the opposite side. Puck kept in at the line, and 5 seconds later, it's 4-2. It's the little plays/errors that kill you - and Emelin is a specialist.

- Habs really slowing the pace down, no real interest in regaining that 3 goal margin. Bella still doing belly flops, you'd figure there's at least one more goal to be had. 7 minutes left.

- Gallagher, and there's that one more goal. Beautiful deflection off a Davidson shot, four point night for Brendan, a career high for a single game. 

- Danault, 6-2. But that goal was all Radulov stealing the puck and feeding another perfect pass in front. Florida's defence a war crime tonight.

- Game wasn't really in doubt from start to finish. The Habs official punch their ticket to the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

HABS HAVE THE DOOR WIDE OPEN BECAUSE THE PANTHERS HAVE GIVEN UP ON THEIR SEASON

Hey, just 6 games left in the regular schedule. Just two weeks before more than 1/2 of the NHL closes up shop for the summer, which just so happens to include the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers, for a fleeting moment, had aspirations of making the playoffs after having a decent run through the months of January and February. By the beginning of March, Florida were at 68 points, were just one point back of the Leafs for the 2nd wildcard spot.

Since then? Not good. The Panthers have won only 4 games in March, and have fallen 9 points behind the Bruins for that last wildcard spot, with only a half-dozen games left to play.

So while Florida confines themselves to booking golf vacations this spring, the Habs by contrast, are on the cusp of mathematically clinching a playoff spot tonight. A win, either regulation or OT, will ensure the Canadiens a date for extra hockey beginning either April 12th or 13th.

So here are some pregame notes, in neat point form:

- Florida's lineup tonight:

Huberdeau/Barkov/Jagr
Jokinen/Trocheck/Smith
Vanek/Bjugstad/Marchessault
Thornton/MacKenzie/Sceviour

Yandle/Dmers
Petrovic/Matheson
Pysyk/Kindl

- Despite Florida's season going into the toilet this month, it hasn't stopped center Alexsander Barkov from producing. Barkov has 6 points over his last 5 games. At least somebody still cares.

- Panthers are riding a 2 game losing streak, both losses coming to the hands of the Leafs and Buffalo Sabres. Previous to that, the Panthers decimated the first place Chicago Black Hawks 7-0. Hockey is funny that way.

- Habs have some lineup adjustments, mainly because of minor injuries.

Pacioretty/Danault/Radulov
Lehkonen/Plekanec/Gallagher
Byron/Shaw/Galchenyuk
King/Ott/Martinsen

Weber/Markov
Petry/Emelin
Beaulieu/Davidson

- Jordie Benn won't play tonight because of a day-to-day injury (undisclosed, of course). Ergo the Davidson start.

- Habs 4th line tonight will be as awful as awful gets. Amazing this team still wins with essentially only 9 qualified NHL forwards in their lineup.

- Al (Tony) Montoya is still unable to play because of an LBI. Habs recalled Charlie Lindgren as backup. Carey Price wasn't slotted to play tonight, but will because of the Montoya injury. It's likely that Lindgren will get a start in Florida this weekend if Montoya isn't able to return.

- Starting netminders are Reto Berra for Florida (2.22/.907) against Price (2.23/.924).

- Last time for the people of Montreal to see Jaromir Jagr in action? Tonight might be that night.

- Puck drops at 7:40, EST.

Game 36: Habs vs. Panthers

Montreal 3, Florida 2 (OT)

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Ryan Johnston, whom the Habs called up last night, will get his first start tonight. Zach Redmond is a healthy scratch. Johnston will pair up with Mark Barberio on the 3rd D line.

- Luongo late warmup scratch - Reimer will start in nets, which is probably a good thing for the Habs.

- Brendan Gallagher is beyond snakebit.

- Pretty stormin' start for the Habs tonight - maybe a little bit of venting in response to how passively they played the 2nd half of last night's game.

- Habs defence looks a little more active and organized early in the period - they were guilty of far too many unforced errors and poor D-zone coverage last night, basically rolling the red carpet out for Tampa's 3rd period comeback.

- Shea Weber story continues to build, but not in a good way. Skates in front of Montoya has Demeres releases an pretty easy wrister from 35 feet, a rebound going off Montoya, onto Weber, and into the net giving Florida a 1-0 lead. Weber didn't have a very good game last night, at least in his own zone. Yeah, he scored a powerplay goal, but that's just 1 in the past 15 games. If he's not contributing offensively, and hurting defensively, then we have a problem.

- Habs drubbing the Panthers in their zone, pelting Reimer with shot attempts from all directions, lots of rebounds, loose pucks, mad scrambles, but no goals. Something's gotta give, though.

- With exception to the lucky bounce that gave Florida the only goal in the period, that was a lopsided 20 minutes in favour of the Habs. Ryan Johnston had an excellent period in his debut, the defence in general looking sharper and more involved tonight. Canadiens had Florida on the ropes more than a couple of times - just couldn't quite finish. So far, so good.

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs 63.3% SA CF in that first period, Ryan Johnston at 90.0%, which shows just how good a period he had. 

- Here's an interesting (and telling) shot chart for Florida this season. They're above average with line and permitter shots, way below average in high percentage scoring zone. Relates well to our pregame analysis which illustrated the vast differences between their possession and goal production. Clearly their CF numbers have been padded this year.

- Habs with two powerplays to start the period, first was pretty meh. Habs manage to get a few pucks on Remier, but nothing especially challenging, Gaining the zone continues to be this unit's albatross. Second powerplay though, Pacioretty/Gallagher and Radulov swamp the Panthers with intense pressure, finally Pacioretty burying a shot to tie the game. Once zone control is gained, the Panthers don't seem to respond well, doing far too much chasing, not nearly enough checking.

Pacioretty's 15th goal of the year ties the game pic.twitter.com/DeHTagUxX1

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 30, 2016

- Even though this Habs team could use more depth up the middle, I still think that Jagr fellow would fit in pretty well on the wing.

- Montoya muffs a wrist shot by Trochek, 2-1 Panthers. Can't afford to give up goals like that.

- Pattern emerging here - Habs getting outskated as we hit the halfway mark of regulation, now taking available penalties, letting the Panthers take ownership of the game. We saw this before - 24 hours ago.

- Al Montoya kinda/sorta makes up for it with a crazy diving save to rob Ekblad and keep the Habs just one down on the board. Still, this Habs PK is pretty soft and disorganized, it's been woefully inconsistent this season, and has hurt the Canadiens badly this road trip. 

Al Montoya absolutely robs Ekblad. pic.twitter.com/8tLECQZsZi

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 30, 2016

- Gallagher going to the net, doing everything he needs to do, just hasn't found the back of the net. Not sure how much longer this will continue.

- Therrien firing up the blender - Danault centering Pacioretty and Radulov now.

- Not a good 2nd period for the Habs, outskated, outworked, outshot, and once again as a result, getting nailed for too many penalties. Could be some tired legs out there, but it's not much of an excuse - the Christmas break should have been more than enough to get them through this Florida swing. The game isn't out of reach - Canadiens must be disciplined, avoid the penalty box, and focus on the basics - more emphasis on forechecking to help them gain more possession in the Panther's zone. Otherwise, Montreal might be looking at extending a genuine losing streak.

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs got thumped in that 2nd period, just over 30% CF at even strength. Lucky to be only 1 goal down, truth be told:

- That said, Habs have dominated scoring changes at even strength, 12-6. So go figure.

- Early penalty killed, Habs pushing the puck, but having trouble making clean entires into the Panthers' zone. Simply not enough speed is being generated through the neutral zone.

- Danault line doing a good job with forecheck, keeping puck and pressure in the Florida zone. Reimer faced to make a good save on Pacioretty. It won't be easy, but Habs must follow this strategy if they want to even the score.

- Daniel Carr has moved from the 4th line to join Plekaenc and Lehkonen. The rationale ... I have no idea.

- First half of the 3rd, Florida just one shot on Montoya. Panthers sitting on this slender lead a bit, Habs doing what they should - more forecheck, getting pucks on net, driving the net. If they sustain this, they should tie the game before time runs out.

- Six minutes left, almost zero flow to this game now, which is good for Florida, bad for the team trailing on the scoreboard.

- Bjugstad with a clear-cut delay of game as he pushes the net off with the Habs pushing the puck loose on a rebound. Somehow the refs miss the obvious. 

- Less than 5 minutes left, Habs have to open up, pinch, take chances. No other option.

- Gallagher. Finally. Feed from Danault who makes a brilliant pass, and the game is tied with just under 3 minutes left.

Gallagher's first goal since November 26 is a big one. pic.twitter.com/hSyRKyk2yQ

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 30, 2016

- Florida pushing back, don't blow it boys, you fought this hard to tie the game, at least claim a point.

- Habs pushed hard, and were finally rewarded late. Panthers were just to reliant sitting on that lead - were outshot and out-possessed soundly in the 3rd. Here's hoping Therrien figures out proper OT deployment, and who knows - the Habs might get out of here with a win.

OVERTIME LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Therrien might want to use Gallagher an extra shift or two in this OT. Lightening in a bottle, and all that.

- Starts Danault/Pacioretty/Petry which is fine, Patches hits the post 6 seconds in. 

- Broken play, Pacioretty right on the tape to Danault to spring him on the break, beats Reimer blocker side, and the Habs get the 2 points. 

2016-17: NOT MANY HAPPY DANCES FOR PANTHERS FANS

It's not been a great season for hockey fans in south Florida. Their resident team, the Florida Panthers, have seen their hopes for a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 5 years go down the drain. The Panthers have endured injuries and internal strife, including the undignified firing of Gerry Gallant on November 28th, only months after Gallant was nominated for coach of the year in the NHL.

The Panthers have just 15 wins in 36 games, the Gallant dismissal a cautionary tale for any other teams tinkering with making a mid-season coaching switch. Since Gallant was literally dropped on a curb, Florida has mustered a 3-8-2 record, which roughly works out to a 56 point pace over an 82 game season. That's bad. Really bad.

Some have pointed fingers at injuries as being a culprit, and sure, the Panthers have endured their fair share, losing the likes of Reilly Smith, Alex Petrovic and Johathan Huberdeau, not to mention losing star forward Alex Barkov last night in a losing effort to the Leafs. But the Panthers haven't experienced an extraordinary number of injuries, as this chart from Man Games Lost illustrates:

While this chart was done a week before Christmas, it still underscores the point that performance has been the big culprit for Florida. This team has been terrible at finishing plays, none better illustrated than by this chart:

5v5 CF%    NHL Rank     GF60     NHL Rank     
52.4            6th              1.84       28th

That gives the Panthers a CF/GF ratio of 28.5, which is by far the worst in the NHL this season (L.A. is second worst with a 26.3 rating).  Actually, Florida's ability to finish plays is the worst recorded since the 2013-14 New Jersey Devils, who finished with a 29.2 ratio.

The source of these issues? It looks like shot selections. The Panthers own a shooting percentage just barely above 6%, 2nd worst in the NHL, which strongly suggests the team has been taking far too many low percentage shot attempts. An anemic powerplay, clocking in at just above 14%, hasn't helped much either.

For the Habs, the Panthers might be what's needed to help the team break back into the win bracket. Two tough losses last week to elite teams, and a loss last night to an inferior Lightening team after most of the Canadiens roster failed to show up for the 3rd period, and the Canadiens find themselves scrambling to keep their lofty position in the Eastern Conference.

Puck drops tonight at 7:40 EST.

Game 17: Panthers vs. Habs

Florida 4, Montreal 3 (OT)

FIRST PERIOD:

- Habs make line adjustments, with questionable results:

Byron/Galchenyuk/Gallagher
Pacioretty/Danault/Shaw
Andrighetto/Plekanec/Desharnais
Carr/Mitchell/Terry

Emelin/Weber
Markov/Petry
Beaulieu/Pateryn

Soooooo ... yeah. Danault has unquestionably been a very positive surprise for the Habs this season, but he doesn't have the speed required to make someone like Max Pacioretty productive again. That's just a poor deployment decision. Also, Desharnais on the 3rd line wing - that he's even in the lineup is a questionable decision, never mind that he's hardly the solution to Tomas Plekanec's big scoring problems.

- Scoring problems extend well beyond Plekanec, of course. Gallagher hasn't scored in 10 games, Pacioretty has only 2 goals the entire season.

- Weak hooking call on Jagr gives Habs early powerplay. Therrien sends out Chris Terry to start the man advantage.

- And there, finally, is a goa for Max Pacioretty - classic Max, he picks the top corner with a ferocious snapshot, and Habs grab 1-0 lead off the powerplay. Max tends to score in bunches, so that might not be the only time we hear from him tonight.

- Poof goes the lead, as Danault makes bad hockey mistake of trying to clear his zone by blinding firing the puck up the middle, it's picked off by Petrovic, who fires a shot likely screened, past Price.

- Kind of the issue with Danault - he often doesn't make the best decisions under pressure - not really the kind of guy you want centring wingers who are struggling to score. Danault's big improvement this year has been positioning - he's putting himself in places to produce scoring. But he's not a quick on his feet thinking type of player.

- Two Habs powerplays, two questionable deployments by Therrien - first powerplay sending out Chris Terry to start the man advantage - 2nd man advantage sending out Desharnais. Both players produce underwhelming results.

- One think is fast coming clear - this Habs team is not nearly as dangerous without Alexander Radulov in the lineup.

- Kyle Rau scores to give Panthers 2-1 lead. Totally unchecked in front, because Byron, who's not a first line winger, but is playing on Habs first line, loses his assignment. It might be presumptuous to draw conclusions, but this Habs team, sans Radulov, ain't nearly the same.

On second thought, "sweet pass" doesn't even begin to describe that dish.

Between the legs. No look. Right to the tape. 🙀 pic.twitter.com/0iKd4xMGGu

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) November 16, 2016

- That as a very bad, no good terribly awful bad bad bad ick ew yuck 20 minutes of hockey by this Habs team, certainly one of their worst all season. The line combinations Therrien has chosen are clearly not working - in particular the Andrighetto/Plekanec/Desharnais line, which was more or less a disaster in that period. Paul Byron also struggled, which should surprise no-one since he's not a first line winger, and never will be a first line winger. In any case, whatever "gameplay" Therrien devised heading into tonight's game is an awful one - some serious adjustments must be made or the Panthers are going to waltz their way to victory.


SECOND PERIOD:

- How bad was that first period of hockey by the Habs?? This bad:

A 29% corsi, and 22% (!!!) fenwick. Yeah. That was bad, bad, bad, bad.

- Desharnais scored? Well, that's not part of the adjustment plan. Markov doing the hard work, though - winning the puck in the corner and making a sweet pass to wide open Desharnais, who beats Luongo top corner. Tie game.

- Roberto Luengo, whose best days are long passed, can still catch a 95 mph puck pretty damn well.

- 8 minutes gone, 2nd period markedly better than the 1st for the Habs - puck possession numbers are beginning to level up a bit.

- Habs dominated first 11 minutes of the period, but since then, Canadiens defence has been guilty of many very sloppy plays with the puck and positioning, giving the Panthers some golden scoring opportunities, stopped only by the usual Price heroics. This has not been a stelar night for the Habs blue line.

- Luongo one big reason why the Panthers aren't trailing right now. Also, Tomas Plekanec continuing to struggle through an atrocious start to his season isn't helping much.

- Hrm, this is concerning. Malgin with a totally routine wrist shot from 45 feet from the off wing that Price fails to even react to with the left pad, and the Panthers are gifted a 3-2 lead. Been a very long time since I've seen Price give up such a soft goal - and it makes me wonder if he's feeling 100%.

- Big rebound period for the Habs fails to pay off on the scoreboard, as goaltending weighs in - although not the way you'd expect it to, with Luongo making many very good saves to keep the Habs from grabbing the lead, while Carey Price lets in an unbelievable softie. Net result, Habs fail to make up any ground headed to the 3rd period.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Pretty good 2nd for the Habs, shame they couldn't make up any difference on the scoreboard:

- Now it's Luongo's turn to make a bad play, Gallagher with a soft shot from along the boards is misplayed by the Panther's netminder, Byron puts home the loose puck to tie the game. Both netminders with some mental letdowns tonight, perhaps wise to just get the puck on net whenever the opportunity arises.

- Yandle suckers the refs into calling Chris Terry for a phantom high stick - he might get a nice little fine from the NHL later this week for the fake.

- So, 10 minutes left, game up for grabs. Not a lot of intensity between these two teams, both teams being rather cautious with the puck, taking few, if any chances, while attacking.

- 8 minutes left, it's been a pretty solid period of hockey by the Habs - they've firmly gained an edge in possession and shot attempts, Price has had little to deal with this period - Canadiens again need some support from players who are overdue (Brendan are you listening?) to maybe get 2 points out of the night after all.

- This has not been a great night for Petry - specifically forwarding the puck to his forwards. Passes have been elected, or just plain off the mark. It's resulted in far too many neutral zone turnovers that should actually be easy Habs zone entries.

- Another strong period for the Habs, good enough to earn them the tying goal and at least a point in the standings.


OVERTIME:

- Habs and Panthers after 60 minutes. Really has been mostly Habs since start of the 2nd period:

- Oy, Jeff Petry. This is not your night. Best to just keep him off the ice, especially in OT.

- Bad breaks for the Habs, as Galchenyuk's stick breaks while the Panthers control the puck in Habs zone, thereby giving them essentially a 3-on-2. Galchenyuk gambles, scurries to the bench, and in the meantime, Ekblad scores the winner on a shot that Beaulieu slightly redeflects, and the Habs home winning streak comes to an end, as does Carey Price's quest to tie a club record for consecutive wins. We said the Habs could have their hands full in the pregame, and that turned out to be the case, even though on the whole, the Canadiens were the better team tonight. That's hockey for you. Good breaks and (literally) bad breaks.


GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

Jaromir Jagr is in the building!! Everything is wonderful again!! Let's put up some stats comparisons to give you an idea that the Habs are going to be facing a pretty decent opponent tonight:

CF% (5v5):
Montreal 48.8 (22nd)
Florida 53.0 (5th)

SF60:
Montreal 29.2 (14th)
Florida 29.9 (11th)

SA60:
Montreal 32.7 (28th)
Florida 28.3 (10th)

PDO: 
Montreal 104.6 (3rd)
Florida 98.7 (21st)

PP/PK:
Montreal 22.9 (7th)/81.3 (18th)
Florida 16.7 (19th)/82.2 (15th)

So if you were a gambling man, who'd you put money on tonight? Carey Price is, of course, starting - but still, significant underlaying numbers give the Panthers an edge in just about every category. But yeah, goaltending - Price's line (10-0-0 .957/1.40) versus Roberto Luongo's (5-5-0 .916/2.30) is pretty lopsided, but still, with Alexander Radulov out of the lineup tonight due to injury, don't be surprised if Florida gives the Habs all they can handle, and stop Price in his quest to make Canadiens goaltending history by tying an 89 year old record currently held by Geroge Hainsworth for most consecutive wins.

Puck drops tonight at 7:40, EST.



GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

A few kitty-sized morsels:

- Alexander Radulov will not be playing tonight because he's caught the flu. THANKS CAREY. Habs have recalled forward Chris Terry, formerly of the Carolina Hurricanes, who was a free agent pickup this summer.

- Greg Pateryn will play tonight, meaning Joel Hanley will be scratched.

- Even though Radulov's absence kind of throws a wrench into the Habs lines, and even though Max Pacioretty is mired waist-deep in a scoring slump, we have this from John Lu:

#Habs Therrien confirms the Pacioretty - Danault - Shaw line will remain intact tonight.

— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) November 15, 2016

- Habs 4th liner Brian Flynn is still out with an upper body injury. No timetable on his return.

- Meanwhile, the Panthers will play Seth Griffith tonight. Griffith, who formerly played with the Toronto Maple Leafs as recently as 4 days ago, was claimed off waivers by the Panthers on Saturday.

- We get to see Jaromir Jagr play. Yay!!

Game preview in a bit.

Game 80: Panthers vs. Habs

FIRST PERIOD:

- So, welcome to the Bell Centre everyone, puck just dropped to start the game, we're live blogi .. and the Habs are losing. 1-0.

- Mike Condon. Perennial NH backup goaltender.

- Oh, hah. Took John Scott all of 10 seconds to be -1. At this point in the year, we gotta take any laffs handed to us.

- I know Florida is all happy about scoring before Sara Diamond got off the ice surface, but surely they knew there was 59:50 left to play, right? Habs kind of taking it to them since, regardless that awful first goal.

- Carr looking strong, just like he was before the almost season-ending injury. The Habs, as long as they're healthy, aren't that bad a team - the issue more or less seems to be depth beyond starters. Too many 4th liners on this team to shore up the loss of 1st and 2nd liners, was a significant component of the Habs undoing this season. Ideally, guys like Carr and Byron would find a firm place as 3rd liners, ready to take promotions only when necessary. Currently, the Canadiens have the likes of Mitchell, Matteau and Danault to pull slack, which simply isn't gonna do it.

- Scott gets lots of cheers when he's on the ice, a baffling response by who you'd expect to be a little more educated hockey crowd. Maybe I overestimated the prowess of the typical ticket buyer. Speaking of, there are still many an empty seat in the Bell Centre tonight.

- Lars Eller, I'm almost 100% confident, will be a consistently productive forward/centre the day he gets a couple of line mates, instead of the merry-go-round of wingers he's had to work with night in, night out.

- Emelin once again, for what is almost certainly literally the 40th time this season, goes for a big hit, misses, and leaves his goaltender out to dry. Condon with his best save of the period because Emelin doesn't think much.

- Even period, save the opening goal, both teams with unspectacular offensive efforts. Habs going through the motions, playing just hard enough to not embarrass themselves. The Panthers really should be taking a beating to their opponent. Maybe they will over the next two periods.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Not exactly the start the Panthers were hoping for, Brian Campbell with a careless tripping penalty within the first minute. It'll be fine with the Habs being on the powerplay, but still, Panthers lacking focus.

- Therrien puts Scott out for the powerplay. He literally could care less. Literally.

- Habs "adjust" their 2nd man advantage of the period by using four forwards, instead of having a totally incompetent defenseman paired with Markov at the line. Actually generates a couple of decent scoring chances.

- Lotta passengers playing with the CH tonight, including some with other letters on their chest which shall not be specifically named.

- Grant McKegg gets hammered into the boards by every inch of the 6'8" John Scott. Ouch. Panthers again nailed for a penalty, this time for a hold, as the Habs 4th line keeps them pinned in their zone. Gerry Gallant ought be miffed by what he sees from is troops out there. How many times will the Panthers be bailed out by the Habs awful powerplay? This can't go on forever.

- Indeed, it does not go on forever, as Galchenyuk pots his 28th of the season off a one timer pass from Pacioretty. Game tied. Panthers need to smarten up, and fast.

- Jaromir Jagr not much of a factor so far tonight, which is greatly disappointing.

- Well, not sure what the Panthers strategized during the 1st intermission, but whatever it was, it ain't working. At all. Habs have given Condon basically the entire period off.

- Whelp, wha can you say? Habs are outshooting Florida 27-11, scoring opportunities 15-6, CF% is 66.7% (5v5), and Bjugstad scores for long range, Condon muffing another shot. Hockey. What can you say?

- Habs utterly dominated the 2nd period, have pretty much dominated this game, and trail on the scoreboard. Goaltending the big factors tonight without question. Luongo standing on his head to keep his team in the game, Condon failing to make saves off shots that most net minders should save routinely. Hockey. What can you say?


THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Panthers through 40 minutes. Florida has been pretty wretched tonight. Life really is unfair.

- Lars Eller has most definitely not been a passenger tonight. Not being rewarded on the scoreboard, though. It's been that way for him most of the season.

- More Condon follies with the puck, McKegg backhands the puck in, and it's 3-1. Pretty atrocious night for the Habs netminder. Maybe his worst performance of the entire season.

- I'm guessing, wild guess, Carey Price for final two games of the regular season? I guess it's something to watch for. A motivator to tune in. Anyway, Habs can't win for losing, lose for winning. Lose for losing, even. Tonight the team took it to the Panthers, but lost because Mike Condon played much of the game in sleep-eez-dee mode, letting in 3 goals that wouldn't challenge an average AHL netminder. But then maybe that's all Condon is, ever was, and ever will be.

This season is almost over. The finish line is just a few days away. Still, it can't arrive soon enough.


HABS END SEASON WITH MORE HEAD-SCRATCHING MOVES

Have you hit the golf links yet? I've done a couple of outings at the driving range. It's been an early spring out west, just like it's an early spring for the Habs out east. In preperation for a very, very, very early extended summer vacation, the Habs are up to their old tricks of doing stupifying things with their lineup.

Latest case-in-point? The Habs yesterday called up the utterly futureless John Scott from the (also early vacationed) Ice Caps, for reasons that could only have something to do with selling tickets, because it's come to that. Scott, who has no chance of playing in the NHL beyond this season, will take up a precious spot in the lineup at the expense of Mike McCarron, who was banished to the rock so that he might take some cool photos of icebergs.

Other than a cynical attempt to fill increasingly empty seats in the Bell Centre, there is absolutely no rationale or excuse to put Scott into any lineup. End of topic.

So with that, here are the Habs lines tonight:

Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Gallagher;
Eller-Plekanec-Carr;
Danault-Desharnais-Andrighetto;
Byron-Mitchell-Scott

And with Subban still out of the lineup, here is the D:

Markov-Pateryn;
Emelin-Johnston;
Hanley-Dietz

In case you missed it, with Johnston in tonight, the Habs have had 15 different defensemen in the lineup this year. On a relatively healthy team, that's what you might see for the number of forwards used in an entire season.

Panthers are still in a battle for first place in the Atlantic Division, a spot they may win if only because the Tampa Bay Lightening received word over the weekend that Steven Stamkos is out for 4-6 weeks with a rib injury.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST.  One last time this season to check out the great Jaromir Jagr. He's worth the price of admission 50 times over any John Scotts.

Game 79: Habs vs. Panthers

GAME 79: NOBODY CARES ON A DAY LIKE THIS
So here's the deal. It's 24 degrees outside where I live. So I'm outside. With my family. Embracing early summer. That means, no live blog tonight because, sanity.

For what it's worth, Daniel Carr and Brendan Gallagher are back tonight. Mike Brown and Stefan Matteau are out. P.K. Subban still isn't playing. The Panthers are gunning for first place, we're gunning for nice golfing weather.

Puck drops at 7:10 EST. I'll be posting the blog later.

Enjoy the game if you're watching. If it's nice outside where you live, for crying out loud, turn off the TV set.

Game 70: Panthers vs Habs

SECOND PERIOD:

- Hey, we're joining in a little late tonight, the kiddo had a minor league playoff game (lost ... sniffs). Looked at 1st period stats, and it was pretty well, brutal. Expectedly brutal. Habs could only muster a 42% corsi.

- Bounces aren't going Habs way - that tends to happen when you're getting stomped. Bjugstad with a nifty puck bunt with the stick shaft, off a Condon rebound, and it's 2-0 Florida.

- See that Mike Brown got into a fight, once again proving his "worth", even though it's a total hockey crime he's in any lineup. There are 12 relatively precious games left in the season which are critical in helping this organization to get good looks at kids in the system. Instead, Brown is dressed. Inexcusable.

- Lessio looks good with speed and hockey sense. So does Danault - as a checker and grinder. Those two may very well factor in the Habs 4th line next season. This season, it's been pretty much a wasteland.

- Habs look pretty AHL'ish tonight - although that's expected. Still, awfully sloppy passing, Montreal really unable to muster anything resembling an offence tonight. Meanwhile, lots of ice time is being given to Darren Dietz, which is a positive development. Still doesn't excuse Mike Brown playing, though.

3-0, Condon, as usual, slow to move from post to post as Hudler bangs it home. This is going to be one of the more uglier results we've seen come out of Habsland in quite some time. Florida, to be blunt, is mauling their opponent. No mercy.

- Galchenyuk gives the fans something to cheer about, with the team basically almost unable to register shots on goal. I expect that will be the only time the red light is activated for the home crowd tonight.

- Habs with garbage time shots on goal in a period that they were resoundingly outplayed. Panthers not really extraordinary tonight, making regular passes, transitions are relatively clean and simple. But against an opponent that's utterly disorganized and chaotically structured, it's about as easy a win for the Panthers as they'll have all season.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Here's the two period lowdown - and it ain't very pretty.

- Wish I had something to say about this period, but there's little meaningful action. Waiting for Jagr to score, though.

- Barkov makes it 4-1, wide wide wide open in front of Condon. Emelin back to his bad old ways on that one.

- I'm watching this game from the comfort of my couch, and yet I can still feel the aura of despair from those paid in attendance. Been a long time since I've seen this organization so low (2005?).

- Who's looked good for the Habs tonight? Galchenyuk. Lassio ... yeah ... that's all I got.

- I'd boo this team if I was there at the Bell Centre, if they were worth the effort of being boo'd at. But even tonight's team and their effort - aw .. screw it. I'm going home.

- 4-1 final. Utterly dismal game. Even with Jagr in attendance. Nothing else to say - this team's rock bottom knows no end.



GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

Habs are in tough tonight, with still a depleted lineup against a top-tier Conference opponent in the Florida Panthers. Oh well. Here are some things to keep in mind.

- Habs get to play against Jaromir Jagr, which is always awesome. Also warrants the rationalization of actually paying to see the game tonight, a process that's become damn near impossible since the new year.

- Habs (expected) lineup tonight is thusly:

-Pacioretty/Galchenyuk/Andrighetto
-Byron/Plekanec/Mitchell (yeah, Mitchell. Oh well).
-Matteau/McCarron/Lessio
-De La Rose/Danault/Brown (the later taking up yet another precious start that could go to a young player who might have a future in the NHL).

Markov/Barberio
Emelin/Pateryn
Bartely/Beaulieu (HEY WE GOT SOMEBODY BACK!?).

Mike Condon (how many pucks will he misplay tonight? Over/under is 3).

- Panthers are fighting for top spot in the Division, which means tonight's game has plenty of meaning. Which means they won't be holding back against the hapless Habs. Which means it could be an ugly result.

- Even with Florida's somewhat surprising result in the standing this season, one area of concern is whether or not the Panthers have be riding a wave of luck. Florida's save percentage isn't sparkling - rated 13th in the League at .929. They have, however, been getting plenty of puck luck benefits, putting up a shooting percentage well above the curve at a 8.59% clip, which may not be sustainable in the tight checking post-season (which is to say, this team might be ripe for a 1st round upset).

- Puck drops at 7:40 EST. If you're in Montreal, go pick up a ticket. They're cheap, and also Jagr. I mean, com'on.


NO KIDDIN'. YA REALLY THINK SO, MARC?

Marc Bergevin on #habs:"Even with all the injuries, I'm not happy with the situation and we're going to evaluate it at the end of the season

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) March 14, 2016

The season ends in less than four weeks.

Game 39: Habs vs. Panthers

THIRD PERIOD:- Habs and Panthers after 40 minutes. It's ugly out there. Really ugly.

- It must be noted that Galcheyuk, who's one of the very few Habs players with a positive corsi tonight, has gone from being at the top of player usage tonight, down towards the middle, while Desharnas and Weise, both of whom have zero corsi, are now near the top. If I'm a General Manager looking at just the raw, basic stats, the red flags aren't popping up - they're stabbing me in the eyes.

- Well, Paciroetty now with Andrighetto and Plekanec, which is something resembling progress.

- Galchenyuk with a tremendous play to hustle back to break up a sure-fire Panthers short-handed goal, to keep the score 2-1. Even Therrien can't miss that.

- Barkov makes it 3-1, with Eller and Galchenyuk missing their assignment (it was probably Galchenyuk's). Killer goal, with the Habs continuing to struggle scoring more than one goal a night.

- Well, another disappointing loss. Habs looked like a pretty disorganized bunch tonight, a particularly rough night for the Habs 4th line, Desharnais and Weise were a disaster, even the Plekanec line looked pretty shaky - especially defensively. Actually, the Habs defense as a whole looked pretty shabby - the Panthers had far too many third skaters waltzing in on Scrivens, who delivered an excellent performance. The Habs play, in general, looks far less organized than even during their big losing slide, which is awfully concerning. It's as though the players are starting to tune out, and are "doing their own thing". That's an important mark of a team whose coach is losing control of the dressing room. We'll see what happens New Year's Day, but if it's anything like what happened tonight, it could be another ugly game for the Habs.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Panthers through 20 minutes. The chart looks bad, but a good chunk of it represents Gallant matching the Barkov line against the Desharnais line, which is getting crushed tonight.

- So yeah, as we said during the first period, Therrien is going to have to limit deployment of the Desharnais line, or the Panthers will continue to just steamroll pucks at Scrivens

- Barkov line eating Habs alive tonight. No way Jagr should be that free to waltz in on Scrivens 5v5, but the Habs 4th line wildly out of position, while Pateryn/Barberio got all crossed up retreating to their zone off the rush. 2-1 Florida.

- Half way through regulation, only three Habs players, Galchenyuk, Carr and Eller, have a positive corsi. That's .. uh .... pretty not good.

- Same story. Scrivens looks awesome, Bakrov line is steamrolling, and Jeff Petry flings yet another puck into the stands for a delay-of-game penalty.

- Habs 4th line has had a pretty brutal evening, getting caught up ice numerous times, giving the defence fits, and providing the Panthers with way too many glorious scoring chances.

- Eller with a strong game, moving his feet well, and draws a powerplay late in the 2nd.

- Speaking of the period, as we near the end of it, the Desharnais CF% is currently 0. Not sure whether to laugh or cry. I think laughter is apt.

- Carr rings one of the crossbar, so the PDO gods aren't done with this team yet. Andrei Markov looking totally spent on the powerplay, he really needs his time scaled back, or he might become totally useless by the end of the season. Anyway, another period where the Habs were totally outplayed, obviously the team having lots of issues dealing with back-to-back games - but even that considered, the score is just 2-1, which at the very least, gives the Habs a chance, however unlikely, of getting a point tonight.


FIRST PERIOD:

- Scrivens with a couple of amazing/acrobatic saves early in the period. The trade already looks good.

- Excellent embellishment call on MacKenzie after Flynn makes a pretty obvious trip. Like to see these calls made more often.

- Habs on a back-to-back, and the first few minutes are a pretty keen illustration if tired legs are an issue. Panthers winning most foot races, while Habs defence looking a little overwhelmed as forwards struggle to contain Florida's zone attack. This could be a long night ahead for the Canadiens.

- Habs' bacon being saved by some pretty spectacular goaltending by Scrivens. Now the Habs have managed to gain a powerplay. Hopefully that calms the momentum needle that's wildly swung in the Panthers favor.

- Ooooh, Pacioretty is feeling it. You can see it now. Picks up the loose puck in the slot, with Desharnais and Carr doing a nice job creating traffic in front of Luongo, gives the Habs a 1-0 lead.

- Holy moly, Ben Scrivens is having himself quite the debut period. He's giving the Habs everything they haven't received the past month - some outstanding goaltending to keep the Canadiens in the hunt.

- Gallant, like Cooper did last night, with apt line matching against Therrien, who has always struggled with the concept of playing certain lines and players against others. Somebody needs to bring this to his attention, or Florida will (eventually) work their way back in front on the scoreboard.

- Barkov scores late on the powerplay, Markov doing a pretty poor job clearing traffic (Jagr) away from Scrivens who didn't see the shot. Game tied.

- MacKenize with an obvious hit to Subban's head with his elbow. An infuriated Subban drops the gloves (probably unwise). The hit will probably get a review by the League.

- The thing is, there's no way the original hit by MacKenzie should have gone without a penalty call. When Subban looked over to the referee and saw that nothing was being done, he took matters into his own hands. That play symbolizes everything that's gone wrong with NHL officiating - nobody seems willing to make tough calls. Officials are more interested in "managing" the game by making hooking, tripping and holding calls.

- Habs got outplayed pretty badly in the period, but made up for it via some pretty good goaltending by Scrivens. Panthers clearly with more energy tonight, it certainly helps them to be playing on two days rest. Still, this doesn't excuse the Habs for their lackluster play - their defence needs to do a better job reacting to the Panthers zone entries, and clearing traffic in and around Scrivens. Meanwhile behind the bench, Michel Therrien has to be much more hands-on adapting to the line matching being done by Gallant. This means limiting the amount of time being given to the defensively weak Desharnais line.





A LIGHT AT THE END OF A DARK TUNNEL?

As the photo taken last night illustrates, Mike Condon raised his arms in celebration after Max Pacioretty scored the shootout winner in Tampa Bay, to give the Montreal Canadiens just their second win this month. It was a rare moment of happiness in what has been an otherwise dreadful and depressing four weeks of losing hockey.

Okay Mike, you can sit now. Enter ... Ben Scrivens! The Habs newest band aid asset will arrive on the scene as tonight's starter as the Canadiens take on the Florida Panthers in Sunrise. Scrivens was acquired on Monday from the Edmonton Oilers in return for the disgraced Zack Kassian.

It's not going to be an easy night for Scrivens because this year's Florida Panthers are not like the Florida Panthers we've come to know and enjoy playing against. The Panthers are riding a 6-game winning streak, their latest victim being the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night. Uh-oh.

Granted, the Panthers' current win streak has come against some pretty meager opponents, including the likes of the Panthers, 'Canes, Canucks and Devils. Still, Florida is a pretty good team this year featuring the wonderful and seemingly ageless Jaromir Jagr, who leads the team with 25 points, and Jonathan Huberdeau, who ... and this is true, was born THREE YEARS after Jagr started playing the NHL. Huberdeau has collected 23 points this season, 19 of them assists. Actually, if we're going to get all technical about Jagr's age, there are only 6 players in the Panthers entire organization that were born before he started playing in the NHL. SIX.

In any case, the Panthers are a nicely balanced hockey team - no big-time leading scorer, but a nice supporting crew - which means Florida, much like the Habs (are supposed to be played), come at you with 4 pretty decent lines.

This balanced attack is no accident - it fits very nicely with the philosophy of Don Gallant, who was an assistant coach with the Habs last year. Gallant has combined a youth-driven offence (Jagr aside), with a mainly veteran-driven defence to produce a pretty competitive team. The Panthers blue line, along with veteran netminder Roberto Luongo, have the League's third rated defence, and lead the NHL with the fewest goals allowed in the 1st period.

In summation, the Panthers are disciplined, well-coached organization. The Habs have their work cut out for them tonight.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST. Luongo vs. Scrivens.

Game Seventy-One: Habs vs. Panthers

THIRD PERIOD: 

- Panthers come out full throttle, just as we figured. Tokarski doing his best, but Habs defense really bending.

- Habs in turtle mode now, icing at every opportunity. Trying to slow the game to a crawl.

- Panthers almost universally dominating the game, first five minutes. No way the Habs can hang on for  15 more, barring a break or unforced Panthers error.

- Florida powerplay, Habs just barely survive. Meanwhile Subban is having an outstanding game, at both ends of ice. Doubtful the score is 3-2 for Habs without him.

- 10 minutes left. Florida now on pace to outshoot the Habs 25-6 in the 3rd period. Yup. It really has been that bad.

- Not the coach, but I'd be awfully tempted to call a timeout and read the riot act. Tokaraski is the wrong guy to stand on his head, yet that's what he'll need to do if the Habs don't get their gear in order to salvage this game.

- Small reprieve in the onslaught with 8 minutes left. But the second storm is surely about to begin. Habs desperately need something to stop the tide. 

- DSP with a stupid O zone hold, but Tokarski is actually doing a head stand routine, somehow keeping the Habs one ahead. Panthers running out of time - both this game, and their season. 4 minutes left.

- Hoo boy. Campbell nailed for a hook, with just 2:53 left. Killer penalty. Killer.

- And Galchenyuk nailed for O zone interference. Closed door is opened again. Unbelievable.

- And Jagr with O zone tackle to extinguish the Panthers hopes.

- Well, Dustin freakin' Tokarski. Bravo. Bravo.

SECOND PERIOD: 

- Powerplay continues to be a lost child in the wilderness, with no search and rescue crew dispersed.

- Don't know if it's an age thing, but Gilbert has been pretty bad the past 30 days, which fits with the general pattern of slow decline as the season has worn on. He may find himself the odd man out once the post season begins. 

- Brutal deep zone turnovers are killing this team. This time it's Petry, wearing his Oilers best, serving it up for Barkov. 1-0.

- 4th line production, go figure! Malhotra and Weise doing some nice screen work on Ellis, Emelin with a 55 foot wrister that's not seen or blocked. Tie game. 

- Sweetness, Prust to De la Rose, and 2-1.  But on a 2-on-0 shorthanded? Really? Tsk, tsk, Panthers.

- Florida, for whatever reason, tightened up like crazy after the clunky Barkov goal, leading to numerous unforced errors, and two goals for the Habs. Game hasn't been very logical so far.

- Prust loses his mark, and Pirri with a ridiculous snap shot that must have clocked near 90 MPH on the radar, ties the game. Can't blame Tokarski. It was an incredible shot that probably nobody could have saved.

- Great, great work by Eller to win the puck behind Eller and feed Subban who beats a somewhat surprised Ellis. 3-2. Subban the goal but that was 90% Lars.

- Habs slowly seem to be getting their act in gear, at least offensively. Defensively, this team is getting a little untidy, with forwards frequenly losing their marks. In any case, times are definately desperate for the Panthers - a loss tonight will be a killer blow for their post season hopes. So except them to come out hard for the final 20.

FIRST PERIOD: 

- Cred to Ellis, here's a guy that was buried nowhere a month ago, and he's managed to come in and keep Florida's faint hopes alive.

- Malhotra, Prust and Weise. A most agreeable 4th line.

- Five minutes in, we are not watching Class A hockey. I don't know if I can withstand 55 more minutes of this.

- Panthers so far with a better neutral zone trap, which is helping them generate more shots. Gerard Gallant doesn't get nearly enough credit for how well he prepares this team for each opponent.

- Habs first good scoring chance comes 12 minutes in, excellent save by Ellis on Gallagher. On St. Patrick's day, no less.

- After playing a relatively inspired 3rd period last night, which gave me hope that brighter times were ahead, Habs are right back to their mostly listless ways. 

- Jagr hooks Pacioretty on a break, and gets called. Funny how last night a different crew saw no violation on pretty much the same play.

- Shot clock says 13-9 Montreal. I say, no way. Apart from a couple of flurries, Panthers had most of the period under wraps, certainly generating more scoring attempts. Anyway, Florida the hungrier team, which should come as little surprise.

NHL GM MEETINGS DAY TWO:

The booze cart is out! And being pulled around the pool. Pina coladas for everyone! 29 degrees was the approximate high here today, under sunny skies. Tomorrow looks to be the same.

Oh yeah, 3-on-3 OT next year, probably. I think? I wasn't really paying attention.

Stay tuned for more updates.

GAMEDAY REVIEW:

So, over the past eight games, the Habs have won exactly two. I'm not saying it's time to panic, since we knew well in advance that March was a tough month on the schedule, but at this rate, the Canadiens are looking straight down the throat at a big tumble down the Eastern Conference standings. If they don't start winning, and doing it soon, Montreal stands a chance of losing home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

So, all this losing means the games, which a little while ago, held relatively little importance, now suddenly start getting significantly crucial. Tonight is no exception - for both teams.

While the Habs hold on to a top seed by their fingernails, the Florida Panthers are trying to claw and scratch their way to the a playoff berth. The Panthers enter tonight's game as they have any other game the past month - in desperate need of wins to narrow the gap between themselves, and the 8th place Bruins. Boston has a 6 point lead, with both clubs left with 13 games in the regular season.

So that all considered, tonight should be interesting. Games in Miami, at least for the past few years, haven't been particularly compelling. The big news in Florida, is of course, the health status of Roberto Luongo, who sustained an injury two weeks ago, isn't quite ready to return to game action. That means journeyman backup Dan Ellis will get the start tonight against either Carey Price or Dustin Tokarski (as of the writing of this post, nothing has been announced by the Habs of who'll start).

A couple of injury notes - Torrey Mitchell is out for at least two weeks with an upper arm injury, while the other recently acquired 4th liner, Brian Flynn, is a question mark for tonight's game.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST.

UPDATE: Tokarski will start, and Manny Malhotra will also get a start tonight, in place of Flynn, who isn't 100%.