Game 6 - ECQF: Habs vs. Rangers

New York 3, Montreal 1:

FIRST PERIOD:

- No lineup changes tonight for the Rangers. Can't be blamed for trying what's been working.

- Man, could be a bushel of "last games" tonight for many Habs players. Galchenyuk. Radulov. Markov possibly. Beaulieu might have played his last Thursday night. Team dismantling may begin in earnest over the next few weeks.

- To a certain extent, Max Pacioretty's reputation is on the line tonight. He's already gained the rep of being a "slow producer" in the playoffs. That might grow to "non-producer" if he's not able to make a direct impact tonight that produces a Habs victory.

- Heckova first game shift by the Plekanec line. Hoping that sets some of the tone.

- Pacioretty inexplicably fights Vesey, which is a trade the Rangers will gladly take. Why is Max fighting? To inspire his bench? Has it really come down to this? That's desperation.

- Whelp, that first shift from Plekanec looked really good. I guess that's when everyone else punched out for the night? Little to nothing to speak of since, including two poor shifts by the Danault line which was spent mostly in the defensive zone.

- Habs offence very much dump and chase, and a strong forecheck from Radulov results in a turnover, with Emelin driving close and firing a great shot that gives the Habs a 1-0 lead. Alexei Emelin. That happened.

- Pretty significant contrast in the appoarch to gaining puck possession in the offensive zone. Habs almost entirely dump and chase so far, the Rangers almost entirely carrying the puck into the Canaadiens zone.

- Galchenyuk makes a possibly significant contribution, drawing a tripping penalty. Habs powerplay, which this team desperately would like to see some goal production tonight, goes to work.

- That was a zero powerplay, not aided by lines featuring King/Ott/Bryon. What is Julien doing?

- Brendan Gallagher is in warrior mode again tonight. Danault and Pacioretty nowhere to be see. At least for the first 15 minutes.

- Habs doing a better job this period on the forecheck, even though the Danault line is really struggling to get their legs moving. Danault continues to be very passive with the puck, and Pacioretty has been largely isolated. If that line doesn't get it going, and in a big hurry, it's going to be lights out for the season.

- Lundqvist is giving up some rebounds tonight - there's been more than a couple of loose pucks off shots in high danger areas. More net crashing might produce more Habs scoring. Might.

- First good shift featuring sustained pressure by the Danault line. Comes with just under 2 minutes left in the period. Lots of work down low around Lundqvist, but in so tight that nobody can really push the puck in a dangerous way.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Possession stats were very positive for the Canadiens in that 1st period, 64.3% at even strength:

- Scoring chances in that 1st period were 15-5 Habs. That's pretty impressive. But is it sustainable? We saw on Thursday night that playing hard (and well) out of the gate is only a good model if you're able to build a maintainable lead on the board. Habs' goose was cooked when they came out of the 2nd with only a tie score. Sooooo .... this period will be mighty important - the Canadiens must hold if not, extend their lead if they hope to play again Monday night.

- Benn for holding, Rangers 0-percent powerplay goes to work. Would hate to see if finally click here.

- And it clicks. Habs PK just not fast or aggressive enough, Zuccarello with a snap shot that Carey Price likely should have stopped. Anyway, the streak is over, the Rangers have scored on the man advantage, and the game is tied.

- Rangers are pretty inspired now - maybe it's because Price let in a weak goal (by his standards). Any perception of weakness, can make an opponent play well above his shoulders.

- Habs again not putting enough bodies in front of Lundqvist tonight.  Unless it's Shea Weber from 20 feet, this man will not be beaten if he sees the shot.

- End to end action going here, which is the kind of hockey the home team loves to play. Habs still searching for a leader here, somebody to rise to the occasion. No sign of that in sight.

- Galchenyuk with some lost shifts this period. But that's often what happens when you force a centre out on the wing. Flynn isn't doing anything up the middle, more often than not this line has been a defensive liability.

- Rangers dominating this period, and not by coincidence, putting plenty of bodies in front of Price. Why the Habs aren't willing to do the same to Lundqvist is an eternal mystery to me.

- Huge mistake by Julien, who puts out the 4th line for a d-zone face-off, with the Rangers dominating the period and all the momentum. Shockingly, Ott and King don't know what to do, fail to cover the passing lanes, and Zuccarello is sprung totally wide open for a slam dunk 2-1 lead. That's a killer mistake that may very well cos the Habs their season.

- Habs late period powerplay. Sure, it's just the 2nd, but these are desperate moments for the Canadiens, who've been hammered throughout the period. Scoring here would surely be a deflating moment for the Rangers.

- Habs got hammered in that period. Blitzed. Dominated. The Rangers have all the momentum, and are absolutely pounding this team out of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It'll take a minor miracle for this series to go back to Montreal for a 7th game.

THIRD PERIOD:

- CF breakdown doesn't look horrible for the Canadiens, except that they're getting outplayed, especially in that 2nd period:

- The big bad news for the Habs tonight is the poor performance by the Danault line - each has been under 45% CF, Danault the worst at just over 41. That's pretty terrible for what's supposed to be your number one unit. Their total inability to make a goal scoring contribution this series is obviously one big reason why the Habs find themselves firmly on brink of elimination.

- Just keep the damn 4th line off the damn ice. It's killing this team. Fine, rotate McCarron into some 3rd line shifts, maybe give Flynn a breather. But no more 4th line. They're awful. It's done. Just stop this.

- Oh, speaking of Flynn. His play at centre isn't helping. Hasn't helped. Must be stopped. We have 15 minutes left. Stop doing losing things.

- 12 minutes left. At some point Julien has to play just two lines of his big guns. That time might just about have arrived.

- Kreider high sticks, Weber. 11 minutes left. This might be it, right here.

- Just pass the puck around the permitter on the powerplay with your season just about out of time.  That'll show 'em!!

- Just sag right now. I think this team, even though just behind a single goal, knows it's beat. 6 minutes left.

- 5 minutes left. Habs haven't even had a sniff of a quality scoring chance this period.

- 4 minutes. Still no scoring chances. No 1st line threat. It's dismal.

- First great scoring chance goes to Plekanec, but Lundqvist makes a great left pad save, less than 2 minutes on the clock. Now 1:17 left, Price on the bench. This is really finally it.

- Empty net, and the season is over. Lot's of post-game, post-series, post-season thoughts, but I'll take a little while to let it all settle out. One this is sure, there's a lot of responsibility to go around, players and management. More on that later.

NHL media. Better days for the Habs, when they properly utilized Alex Galchenyuk

THIS IS (LIKELY) THE END, MY ONLY FRIENDS, THE END

Enjoy the game tonight, it might be the last game you'll see with Alex Galchenyuk in a Habs uniform. Or Nathan Beaulieu.

Oh, wait. Beaulieu isn't playing.

Nope, he's a healthy scratch for the do-or-die game 6 tonight at Madison Square Gardens. Also Torrey Mitchell, who at this point is leading Max Pacioretty in playoff goal scoring. Also Andrew Shaw, not because he's largely been ineffective offensively, but because he's out from an upper body injury.

So who is playing? Brandon Davidson is back. And Mike McCarron. And Brian Flynn, who'll centre the Habs 3rd line, putting Galchenyuk out to flounder on the wing.

For a do-or-die game.

Enjoy it. It's like the last Habs game we'll see for 5 months.

Game 5 - ECQF: Rangers vs. Habs

FIRST PERIOD:

- I've written it before, I'll write it again - having been to Habs playoff games at the Bell Centre, the TV does the actual noise level there no justice. Atmosphere looks particularly electric tonight.

- That was a rousing pregame and anthem. If the Habs lineup wasn't juiced by that, they'll never be.

- An incredible left pad save by Carey Price on Mats Zuccarello right off the bat. Weber and Markov with a big miscommunication there to give the Rangers a sparkling opening minute chance.

- You probably have to bury this chance. This is a significant blown opportunity:

- Alexei Emelin looking ... uhh ... unsteady. Beaulieu's going to have his hands full tonight. Julien might be second guessing his decision.

- Bogus hook on Emelin, Habs kill the Rangers powerplay (again), but it looked pretty good. Habs be wise to avoid the box tonight. Got the feeling New York is finally zeroing in on getting that unit back on track.

- Lot of finger pointing directed at Pacioretty past 48 hours, which given he's a 35 goal scoring captain, is to be expected. But my eyes are firmly on Danault, who's really struggled to generate chances off a forecheck. He's been carried by his wingers most of this series.

- One strategy has become clear early - crash the crease and look for rebounds around Lundqvist. That's all fine and good, since Henrik is apt to give up the puck from time to time, but I'd still like to see more bodies attempting to block his vision. 

- Rangers doing a really good job stunting Habs ability to exit their zone effectively with the puck.

- Lehkonen! What a marvellous story he's turning out to be in these playoffs. Rangers Staal far too slow retrieving a dumped puck in their zone allowing him to muscle in to generate not only a puck turnover, but a quick wraparound that appears to have taken Lundqvist by surprise. That's a goal-scorers goal right there. To think this is Lehkonen's first taste of NHL playoff action. What a huge addition for the Canadiens franchise.

Lehkonen stole the puck, created a scoring chance, got his own rebound and out muscled his coverage to score.
Playoffs performer. pic.twitter.com/A4jVqJtr3k

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 20, 2017

- That play by Staal a weak spot for this team - defensive depth. Their first pairing is excellent, but drill past to the 2nd and 3rd pairings, and there's a lot of opportunity for the Canadiens.

- Habs buzzing on their powerplay. It also looks dangerous. Both team's units might have a say in the final result tonight.

- Oy, Fast with a shorthanded goal. Galchenyuk with a tough pass back to Beaulieu, who in turn, doesn't do a good job retreating to his zone, with Fast beating him hard inside to tie the game. 

- Gallagher responds before the powerplay expires with a ridiculously open shot from the slot. An outstanding response by the Habs to the shorthanded goal. Deflating turn of events for the Rangers. 

- Claude Julien with a surprise move here, Galchenyuk placed between Radulov and Pacioretty. Not only is that the coach saying "don't worry" about the Fast goal, but it might be the first substantial sign that he's running out of patience with Danault, and might be slowly inching towards giving Galcheyuk another shot at some 1st line action.

- Andrei Markov and Rick Nash hate ... HATE each other. Just get a room, guys. 

- Speaking of hurting, Gallagher gone to the dressing room before the period expired. Ut-oh.

- An intense opening period, to be expected since it's the 6th game and the series is on the line. I was surprised by how wide open the game became, both defences have (for the most part) played pretty responsible hockey. Not tonight - the forwards are dominating the tone and pace of this game, which is fun to watch, but not advisable if you're the visiting team. Could be more than a few goals scored to come before this night is done.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs dominating that first period, 66.7% SA CF:

- Heat map also shows Canadiens edge in the 1st period. High danger scoring chances, 6-2 in favour in Montreal:

- Gallagher's status is unknown, but one thing we do know - Mats Zuccarello delivered a very illegal two handed slash to Gallagher's ribs towards the end of the period. At the very least it wasn't on his wrist or hand, but that's still a play capable of knocking someone out for the night.

- Gallagher starts the Habs 2nd period with a shift, looked okay I suppose, maybe a little tentative around the puck?

- 4th line impact! They draw a penalty and it's McDonagh who goes to the box. So opportunity is at hand.

- Zuccarello again with nasty stick play, hitting Byron high and hard in the face. Habs more powerplay time.

- Lots of buzzing in the Rangers zone, not a lot of shots on Lundqvist. Pacioretty is officially snakebit.

- Canadiens kind of turning the tables on the Rangers tonight, with a far more physical game. It's been a double-punch effect because while they're outhitting New York, they're also vastly out-chancing them. As this game progresses, it's going to be increasingly more difficult for the Rangers to compete, they're going to get worn out down the stretch.

- Even during times when the Rangers have the puck set in the Habs zone, they can't get anything remotely dangerous away. Habs defence so fast on the puck, or delivering thumping body checks, that New York just can't maintain the zone.

- Still hard pressed to argue that Emelin is any sort of an upgrade over Brandon Davidson. 

- Hoo boy, Rangers tie it up with more defensive errors, this time it's Shea Weber not picking up the streaking  Skjei, and although vastly outplayed most of the period, the Rangers are going to be the only team who've scored a goal in the period.

- Rangers pretty pumped by that game-tier. How could you blame them? Lundqvist held them in, and they're even on the board. 

- Massively disappointing period for the Canadiens, who routed the Rangers nearly every minute of the period, and the Rangers were the only team that scored, taking advantage of a defensive miscue. For the Rangers, they'll be overjoyed with a tie game result. For the Habs, how could they not be deflated for the 3rd period? They've worked so hard, dominated possession, but don't even have a lead to show for it.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Kind of astonishing graphic here, but the Habs with 59.2% CF at even strength finding themselves fighting for their lives:

- While the outcome of this game remains a great uncertainty, one of the post-game storylines will be the position that Claude Julien ought consider putting Davidson back in for Emelin. 

- Keep eyes on Kreider, he's had some pretty solid shifts this 3rd period. His game might be waking up.

- Much more of a grinding 3rd period, vastly different than the style of game we saw periods 1 and 2. This is more resemblant a road team period. That's bad news for the Habs.

- Canadiens sure look like a team playing for an OT point in this period. Not happy with what I'm seeing.

- Julien looking for answers here. Danault centering Pacioretty and Lehkonen. 

- Looks like our worst fears realized - Rangers came out of that 2nd period very upbeat, the Habs in the 3rd look pretty deflated. Nothing wrong with dominating your opponent, but if you can't convert that domination into victory in short order, you're far more likely to lose. That might be what happens to the Canadiens tonight.

- Max Pacioretty's intolerable woes continue, as he's stopped off a clear-cut breakaway. 

- Gallagher gets slashed, and this time it's called. With less than 6 minutes left, to say this man advantage is important would be a massive understatement.

- Nada. Safe to say with 3 minute left, next gaol wins the game, and in all likelihood, the series.

- Not that any of us can take it, but we're headed to OT. The Rangers will be very happy about that, not only because they're the road team that's been largely outplayed tonight, but because the Habs lost most if not all their substantive momentum in that 3rd period. Have to figure New York has the distinct advantage in the extra period, or periods.

OVERTIME:

- Rangers were by far the better team in the 3rd period, again to be expected when you get outplayed for most of the night, and still manage to find yourself tied on the scoreboard. So many reasons to suspect the Habs won't find a way of winning this game tonight.

- Well, here's likely the whole season, and all of it's promise, on the line. Grab a seat and maybe a hanky or two.

- Not an ideal start for the Habs in this OT. Their offence is wildly disorganized, the Rangers with far more effective zone entries. Stomach in sinking here. Just doesn't look good.

- Habs have clearly lost their mojo. They'l need a huge break to win this game.

- Rangers with a couple of icing. Game pace is at a crawl.

- Flip a coin. Habs getting a little more footing as the game has progressed. Rangers chances have been relatively limited from the 5th minute forward.

- Chris Kreider just missed a wide open net. He won't sleep for a week if the Rangers don't win tonight.

- Rangers with some pretty persistent forechecking, you'd have to figure that's eventually going to pay off sooner rather than later.

- Habs basically holding on for dear life. 7 minutes left, shots are 9-2 Rangers. There's just no way the Canadiens can hope to win this game unless something very dramatic happens in a big hurry.

- Can we get to intermission? That's about the only hope left for the Canadiens.

- There you have it. Emelin with a poor turnover at centre ice, Rangers pounce. Mika Zibanejad from Kreider, and the Rangers take game 5. It was but a matter of time, and time just ran out for the Montreal Canadiens.

- Just no way of putting a positive spin on tonight's results. Yes, the Canadiens dominated the first 2/3rds of the game, in particular the 2nd period, but they couldn't finish their opportunities. It's been a story this playoff series, and for that matter, the past few seasons for this organization. Not enough finish. So the bucks will stop at a few places. Danault and Pacioretty have failed to produce. There's no other way of spinning it. While Pacioretty has at least generated his fair share of shots, none has managed to find the back of the net, and for a bottom line sport, that's not going to cut it. Danault, meanwhile, hasn't been doing either of his wingers favours for playmaking. More often than not, he's losing puck battles in the offensive zone. That's not going to cut it.

Besides the guys who are supposed to score, it was another frustrating night for Alexei Emelin, who was easily the slowest defender on the ice for either team, and made far too many errors, including the game-losing goal, for Julien to continue to rationalize his presence. At least Brandon Davidson, who might not be as physical, contained his mistakes to the minimum.

Goaltending, Lundqvist continues to be the story of the series, overshadowing Carey Price who hasn't let in a bad goal this series, but instead has been the victim of mental mistakes by the Canadiens, either in their own zone, or at centre ice.

And so the Habs are faced with the unenviable task of having to win two in a row in order to save their season. It's possible, but it's highly unlikely. 

=====================================================================

GAME 5 PREVIEW: CAPTAIN, OH WHERE IS MY CAPTAIN?

The Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers square off tonight for game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarter final with much on the line. The victor tonight will have a sizeable advantage towards winning the series. For the Rangers, a win tonight means they could wrap the series up on home ice Saturday, for the Habs, a victory means they'll get two kicks at wrapping things up, including another home date, assuming we reach a 7th game.

So in advance of the puck drop, here are some point form things to consider:

- Alexei Emelin will be back in the lineup tonight after missing the past three weeks from a lower body injury. He'll play on the 3rd line alongside Nathan Beaulieu. While the Habs were making do with Brandon Davidson on the 3rd pairing, Claude Julien wouldn't dare keep a veteran like Emelin out. One matter for consideration - both Emelin and Beaulieu are left handed shots, it's expected that Emelin will play the left side, and Beaulieu the wrong wing. That could have an impact.

- Lots of talk amongst the media about the production, or lack of, from captain Max Pacioretty, who's yet to score in the playoffs. Pacioretty addressed the questions yesterday, in a slightly defiant tone:

"That's just the way life goes in the playoffs. I'm trying hard, I feel like I'm playing a pretty strong game right now. My last game wasn't great, but I don't think it was bad. But there are other areas to help the team win; I'm on the penalty kill, I'm playing big minutes. I'll leave the rest up to you guys, I guess, and just worry about this team."

That doesn't sound like someone who's too worried about his play. The fact is, Pacioretty like many other goal scorers, tends to be streak with his production. Pacioretty's playoff performance history also bears a slow start pattern. During the Habs run to the semi-finals in 2014, Pacioretty scored just 1 goal in his first 9 playoff games, but tallied up 4 over the final 8 before the Habs fell to the Rangers.

So the captain says not to worry, because he's not worried.

We're fine with that position, but the Habs do have a rather important matter at hand, and that's beating the Rangers at least 2 out of the next 3 games. Otherwise, his goal scoring, good or bad, becomes a moot subject.

- Apart from Emelin starting (and Davidson sitting), Habs are expected to play the same lineup tonight as they did for game 4.

- Over on the Rangers side, many accolades being thrown towards Henrik Lundqvist, whose performance this series has helped to save his team's bacon. While Lundqvist's save style hasn't always been pretty, it's gotten the job done. During game 3 the Habs seemed to crack the code a bit by playing an aggressive drive to the Rangers net, while also getting bodies in front of Lundqvist's vision. On Tuesday night, however, the traffic around the Rangers crease wasn't nearly as busy, and accordingly, the Habs came away with one paltry goal. Expect the Habs to try to create more havoc in the crease tonight.

- Rangers are making no changes to their lineup tonight, which means no Tanner Glass again. Here's how they will likely start tonight:

Jimmy Vesey - Derek Stepan - Rick Nash
J.T. Miller - Kevin Hayes - Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Pavel Buchnevich
Michael Grabner - Oscar Lindbert - Jesper Fast

Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
Marc Staal - Nick Holden
Brady Skjei - Brendan Smith

- Perhaps one of the more astonishing facts that this series is tied, beside the fact that Lundqvist has been standing on his head, is the Rangers have managed to win 2 of 4 games while batting 0.00% with their powerplay. While it's anyone's ball game as to who wins this series, if New York can't produce offence with the man advantage, it strikes a significant blow to their overall chances of winning the next 2 out of 3.

- It's Carey Price vs. Lundqvist. Puck drops at 7:10 EST.

Game 64: Blue Jackets vs. Habs

Montreal 1, Columbus 0 (OT):

FIRST PERIOD:

- Habs warmup adjustments, Desharnais, Andrighetto and Nesterov are out, McCarron, Flynn and Cornelius (Benn) will start.

- So revised Habs 4th line is Flynn/McCarron/Mitchell, FWIW.

- Hartnell purposefully slews Price, and somehow escapes not only a penalty, but retribution from any Habs player on the ice. 

- Habs with a pretty good start, players seem to be formulating some good chemistry. Passes are crisp, positioning is strong. 

- Habs really outworking the Jackets here, have drawn two early powerplays mainly because the Jackets are being so badly outskated.

- Have I mentioned how bad NHL Gamecenter is? I don't think I've clearly articulated that before. So let me say this: NHL Gamecenter is bad, very bad. Currently locked out of the game stream for reasons unbeknown.

- Game settling in, even though there haven't been very many whistles. Habs doing a pretty good job in their own zone, seems to be more structured tonight - Benn with relatively uneventful shifts, which is just fine if you're a 3rd liner.

- Not so sure about Price - Jackets have hit the post 3 times this period, meaning Price is giving Columbus only exactly what he needs to (or more likely, he's been lucky).

- Yet more poor defensive play by Emelin - he just can't handle any opposing forward who has even average NHL speed. Gets nailed for a hold because he can't adjust to the rush, and sends the dangerous Jackets powerplay to work.

- Julien doesn't mess around - sends out Benn first line PK.

- Columbus's powerplay looks pretty much just as potent now as it did earlier in the season. Passing the puck on a string, Canadiens PK doing a lot of chasing, Price puck blocking. Canadiens must most definitely stay away from the penalty box from here on out.

- Jackets really building off that man advantage. That's the danger - not only do you have to defend against a potent man advantage, you then have to work your pants off afterward to reclaim some semblance of momentum. 

- Bobrovksy very sharp this period. I think we can say with great confidence that 11 goals won't be scored tonight, 10 by Columbus. 

- First period complete, a satisfactory 20 minutes. Habs started strong, Jackets got going later part of the period, aided by a powerplay boost courtesy more bad Alexei Emelin hockey. Even though it's been more than 3 games since Montreal scored at home, it's important to hold a team scoreless the 1st period in light of what happened earlier in the season. 

SECOND PERIOD:

- Here's the first period, Habs CF% just 42.2 at even strength, but large piece of the start of the game was on the powerplay. So grain of salt.

- Woah, Desharnais has been traded, to Edmonton for defenseman Brandon Davidson. 

- While we mull over the Desharnais trade, which is pretty clearly a Habs win, there are a few ways to contemplate the ramifications. It gives the Habs a little more blue line depth, which means Bergevin might be inclined to trade Beaulieu, or offload Emelin. It also gives the Habs the opportunity of exposing Davidson instead of Benn in the expansion draft.

- Okay, back to the game. Another strong period start for the Habs, Shaw's stick shattering in what likely would have been the game's first goal. Still, Habs containing the Jackets transition, and have distinct edge in play at center ice.

- Galchenyuk misses a great chance in close, Habs should start worrying about converting their opportunities before they eventually dry up.

- Weber, again tries to dump the puck up the boards, which results in a bad turnover, Price bailed out again by the goalpost. We've said it before, we'll keep saying it - there needs to be a culture shift in the way the Habs defence handles the puck in their own zone. Too many giveaways resulting in high percentage opposition chances - come playoff time, assuming the Habs make it that far, that kind of play will kill you.

- Emelin. Hoo boy. At some point you just gotta shake your head and look the other way.

- Habs are the better team tonight, which means this team has taken some strides the right direction, in light of who the opposition is. Montreal much faster with the puck, getting far more high percentage shots and shot attempts. Apart from the posts Columbus has hit tonight, it's been a pretty quiet night for Price.

- Columbus wingers have tried repeatedly to go wide on the Montreal defence, and with exception to Emelin, it's largely failed tonight. Big reason why the Canadiens have been able to contain the Jackets.

- Weber takes Danaut down with a slapper - it baffles me how Habs forwards are putting themselves in harm's way even after what's happened to Gallagher et al.

- Looks like Jenner, who's been a hothead most of this period, is getting nailed for a slash to end the period. Starting the period with clean ice is a big advantage.

- Really solid period for the Habs, they're the better team tonight. Canadiens defence doing a nice job containing the slot, and pushing much of Columbus' attacks to the permitter. Habs again hampered by inability to finish scoring opportunities, but they're clearly outworking and outskating their opponent, which in a close contest, are favourable conditions for victory.

THIRD PERIOD:

- CF chart is even split, but eye test says Habs have been much better team through 40 minutes:

- Clean ice sheet powerplay miserably wasted. Oh, well.

- Man, Danault. One goal in February. This lack of production also can't go on indefinitely. Not with guys like Pacioertty and Radulov on your sides.

- Habs best scoring chances tonight coming off rushes, Jackets off scrambley shots. Would rather been former than later.

- Pacioretty strong, Radulov strong - the usual suspects. Galchenyuk has quietly played an outstanding game on both ends of the ice. 

- Other the other end of the spectrum, the 4th line not clicking tonight - not sure what the issues are. Likely Flynn's presence, Mitchell still hasn't quite figured out McCarron (and vies-versa).

- Jordie Benn, responsbile, efficient and effective tonight. Solid Habs debut.

- Yikes, Radulov tried to sneak in an interference in the Jackets zone, and got caught. Columbus back to that fierce powerplay. Hold your breath.

- Gutsy PK there, Benn with two key shot blocks. Pinned in their zone, they were exhausted, but got the job done.

- Bobrovsky's had far more difficult saves to make tonight, and he just made a beauty off Pacioretty side of the net, somehow keeping the puck out as Max jammed away with Bobrovsky's flat on his stomach. MVP of the game clearly to the Jackets' netminder. This game should already be over in favour of the Canadiens.

- 2 minutes left, Habs pushing, Bobrovsky's been outstanding. Might need a greasy or lucky bounce to find the back of the net.

- Maybe Bobrovsky in their heads, Habs being a little too passy with the puck, looking for perfect play. 

- Simply outstanding effort by the Canadiens tonight, full marks to the lineup who gave maximum effort. Certainly the most complete game I've seen this season. Another OT, but if you'd offered me at least a point out of tonight's game, I'd have taken it in a heartbeat.

OVERTIME:

- Woah. What a sequence. Bank pass springs Pacioretty off a break, stopped by Bobrovksy, loose puck and the puck may have just barely crossed the line. But was the whistle blown? Did Pacioretty push it in with his hand? Crazy play.

- Puck clearly drifted over the line. There's white ice. This has got to count.

- For what it's worth, Price could have frozen the puck, but instead dished it off to Danault who made a brilliant bank off the boards to give Pacioretty the breakaway. What a play by Danault.

- Unbelievable. How can that not be called a goal? My god, NHL. Get your act in gear.

- Price brilliant series of saves to keep his team alive. 

- Incredible work by Markov, and draws a holding penalty. Jones to the box. Habs to the OT powerplay.

- AK27 ONE TIMER TURN OUT THE LIGHTS. What a win for the Canadiens. Best of the season. 

GAME PREVIEW: ALL HAIL NEWEST HABS ADDITION YUKON CORNELIUS

Hey, did you hear the latest? Habs G.M. Marc Bergevin totally dumped that freeloadin' Greg Pateryn who so happens to have a wife that doesn't much care for the french people, for the gun slingin' sled dog owner Yukon Cornelius! Now, I'm not exactly sure what Yukon's Corsi percentage is this season in 5v5 situations, or what his average shot block per game averages are, but I do know this: You put an ax in this man's hands, and he'll love you just about as much as he loves that ax:

Mmmm ... yeah, baby. That's some hot tasty ax there.

Yeah, I already hear you fans already complaining. How could this guy with the kink hardware obsession who's spent most of his life riding behind sled huskies made out of plasticine possibly help the Habs defence?

Well I got four word response for you:

NO. MORE. ALEXEI. EMELIN.

Yeah. That shut you up real good, didn't it? No more Emelin! Well, except for tonight, as the Canadiens host the (uh-oh) Columbus Blue Jackets from the Bell Centre. Just in case the trauma of November the 4th of our Lord 2016 caused you a mind wipe, these are indeed the same Blue Jackets who shot 10 cannonballs through the mangled corpse of Al Tony Montoya. Ya know, I think it was that night above all others in this crazy up and down season, that caused Bergevin to seriously reconsidered his foxhole choices.

So, here we go. Gulp. The Jackets' lineup tonight:

Jenner/Dubinsky/Atkinson
Foligno/Wnnberg/Bjorkstrand
Saad/Gagner/Hartnell
Hannikainen/Anderson

Werenski/Jones
Johnson/Savard
Murray/Nutivaara

Sergei Bobrovsky

Whoops, you might say, you missed a guy. NOPE. The Jackets usual 4th line William Karlsson was suddenly taken ill during practice this morning and immediately sent back to Columbus, which kind of screams mumps, doesn't it?

Oh great. Just what the Habs need. Mumps floating around their hockey rink.

So advantage Habs!! What do the Canadiens have running tonight?

Pacioretty/Danault/Radulov
Lehkonen/Galchenyuk/Gallagher
Byron/Plekanec/Shaw
Andrighetto/Desharnais/Mitchell

Weber/Markov
Petry/Emelin
Beaulieu/Cornelius

Carey Price

So, what do you need to know leading into tonight's game?

1. Columbus is still a pretty good hockey team. Not sixteen straight wins in a row great, but still good. Speaking of "the streak", the Jacket's record since it ended back on January 5th is 13-10-1. Decent, but not spectacular.

2. The Jacket's powerplay, which was at one point running an insane nearly 30% success clip, has cooled off since the end of the streak. It's now at just over 22%, still very good, but they've tumbled from 1st to 5th in the League.

3. The Jackets still enjoy some pretty healthy puck luck - backed mostly by what one might consider an unsustainable shooting percentage that's currently a shade below 11%.  Then again, the Jackets play a pretty structured game offensively, where a preponderance of their shot attempts are taken from higher percentage scoring positions. Habs will need to play a pretty tight and organized defence, especially around their slot, if they hope to limit Columbus' goal totals tonight.

4. Max Pacioretty's 30th of the season scored last night in Jersey, his 4th straight year of 30+ goals, puts him in some very elite franchise company. Only two, that's right, only 2 other players in Montreal Canadiens history have had more than 4 years of 30+ goals - Guy Lafleur (6 straight years) and Steve Shutt (9 consecutive seasons). Factoring in the dead puck era, folks, Max Pacioretty is already building a pretty good case for Hall of Fame entry.

Puck drops tonight at 7:40 EST.

Game 57: Blues vs. Habs

St. Louis 4, Montreal 2:

FIRST PERIOD:

- Pacioretty is doing warm-ups, which is a pretty good indicator he'll play tonight (although he could withdrawal even minutes before gametime, if he's too sick to play. If Max goes, then Habs will have the same lineup as they did Thursday, with the same healthy scratches.

- Pacioretty is officially good to play tonight. Out go Desharnais and Flynn.

- Habs pay tribute to a man who had billions of dollars and then got taxpayers of a bankrupt city to hand him over hundreds of millions more for his own arena. Good job guys. Good job.

- Habs start out strong, and then Montoya goes and falls down as Pietrbngelo takes a simple wrist shot from the top of the circle. 1-0.

Played at its highest levels, goaltending is pure grace and beauty, physical poetry, the very form of agility, flexibility, and balance. pic.twitter.com/lvySFBUgIH

— InGoal Magazine (@InGoalMedia) February 12, 2017

- Blues getting good looks at Montoya, and more pucks on goal. Blues doing much better job breaking up any semblance of an attack in their zone, Habs defence again playing their usual passive selves.

- Not sure if this has anything to do with Mike Yeo, but the Blues look far more prepped tonight, even though they've had 4 games in the past 6 months. They're freewheeling in the Canadiens zone early in this period.

- Habs first PK survives without surrendering a goal (or shot), but St. Louis spent most of it with excellent command of the puck in the Montreal zone. That's a worrying sign for future Blues man advantages.

- Canadiens looked good for about the first 2 minutes of this game. Then Montoya fell down, and it's been pretty dreadful since. Can't fathom that the Habs are so mentally fragile that they'd break over a fluke play like that, but they've gone into hiding.

- Masterful job by the Blues defence tying up bodies and stripping pucks from Habs forwards. Canadiens can't muster shots on net.

- Weber with a cannon beats Allen clean as a whistle, Pacioretty adds to his point total, but the whole play started after Radulov gave Pietrangelo a crunching hit, generating a deep zone turnover, and seconds later, the Weber goal. Radulov is ridiculously good at just about everything, including bodychecks.

- That Radulov game seemed to change the dynamics of this game, giving Habs a definite boost. Otherwise, the period was pretty much the Blues on both ends of the ice, the Habs are going to have to match St. Louis' close checking ethic from this point forward if they hope to compete. Also wouldn't hurt to crash a few more bodies in and around Allen, who looked suspiciously weak-ish on that Weber goal.

SECOND PERIOD:

- McCarron gets into a tussle with the marginal Edmundson, which isn't going to help him get a full-time NHL job. I sense McCarron is growing frustrated with his performance and ice-time during this latest call-up, which is a shame since the door has never been this wide open for him. With Gallagher returning, David Desharnais basically is the odd-man out of the Habs lineup, which means that all McCarron has to prove is value over Brian Fynn, which isn't relatively speaking, a huge obstacle.

- Fast transition starting with Allen forwarding the puck all the way to the Habs blue line while the Canadiens were on a change opens the door, Perron with a snapshot that beats Montoya clean between the legs, while Makov and Pateryn are caught flat-footed. 2-1 Blues.

- I had hoped the Canadiens play this period with a bit more checking ferocity, but they seem more mindful of doing puck dumps either out of their zone, or into St. Louis's. Hard to fathom this being a winning approach, already we're seeing it pay off, in the Blues' favour.

- Brilliant shift by Beaulieu, and Radulov again doing incredibly hard work generating puck turnovers in the opposing zone, and I think maybe Pacioretty scored with Beaulieu the assist. In any case, great shift by a Habs defender who's not had the year he, and those who follow this team, had hoped for. But he's having a tremendous game tonight.

- Radulov, we've already said, but bears repeating, does it all - but what he's really good at is winning battles, and churning out positive turnovers. Two of them tonight have led directly to both Habs goals. When will that damn extension contract be finalized?

- Torrey Mitchell really struggling tonight - there's another regular who might be feeling the heat in short order once Gallagher returns and lineup spots become precious. Assuming McCarron sticks, only one of Mitchell, Brian Flynn or David Desharnais can play.

- Pucks haven't been going in much lately for Artturi Lehkonen, but it's not because he's playing soft or poorly. Mainly puck luck, or lack thereof.

- Killer late period goal for Berglund, Pateryn and Markov again playing some overwhelmed defence, not aided much by zone wandering by (zoom!) Andrew Shaw, and the Blues exit the period up 3-2. 

- Shame that late goal, totally preventable if the Habs keep their legs moving, but some (*cough*) were coasting around their own zone, waiting for the clock to drain out. Habs really needed to go to the 3rd tied ono the board against a better playing opponent. Matters are significantly more difficult trailing, as the Blues can now play their game of disciplined zone checking, a huge advantage.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs haven't been bad tonight, quite good actually. But breakdowns in their own zone have helped lead to each of the Blues' three goals tonight, Pateryn and Markov pairing really struggling. 57% CF even strength. Not bad.

- Can't fault the Habs effort so far, but again, as they have so many times this season, the offence is gaining the zone well enough, but they aren't convert many gains into quality shot attempts from good spots. Too many dart shots from long distances, little chance of actual goals being scored.

- Danault line it goes without saying, Habs best tonight, especially creating scoring chances. Radulov doing the gritty work, Pacioretty getting his body into the right spots. 

- Mid period powerplay, lots of shot attempts from Weber and Markov, with Lehtora apparently with a death wish putting his body directly in front of the attempts, but that's about it. Not much Habs traffic in front of Allen, perhaps in fear of getting hit by that Weber shot. Begs the question, what's the point of setting things up that way??

- Blues are stacking the line, Habs barely able to enter the zone. Time is running out.

- 3 minutes left, Habs with little choice now but to roll all the dice and pinch like crazy, as the Blues are doing an excellent trap. The only semblance of offence is coming when Radulov hits the ice. Otherwise, the Canadiens have been totally contained from generating any kind of quality shots on Allen the further this period has progressed.

- Habs going out with a whimper here. 

- Pretty lame attempt tonight. One line showed up. Not gonna be nearly enough to do it.

- Habs just unable to solve the Blues in that 3rd period, who even with just a one goal margin most of the frame, didn't appear to be in any real danger of losing. The NHL today has few margins for error, and tonight, the Habs were undone by early mistakes in their own zone, and after that, they simply couldn't recover. The late 2nd period goal, a direct result from certainly Habs forwards being far too casual in their own zone, stuck the killer blow. A disappointing loss, and another reminder that this Habs team struggles against opponents who are at least above average. This does not bode well for the playoffs, assuming they get there, of course.

GAME PREVIEW: IT'S BEEN A SAD SEASON IN ST. LOUIS

It's hard to believe now, but just 7 short months ago, the St. Louis Blues were playing for a berth into the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. The Blues eventually succumbed in six games to the San Jose Sharks, but even in defeat, there was plenty of reason to believe that St. Louis were a very serious team on the brink of realizing a franchise first Stanley Cup Championship.


Fast forward a few months, and everything that was hoped for after an excellent playoff run, has come to naught. The Blues, instead of running away with their Division this season, have found themselves in a dog fight just to qualify for the post season. With 28 wins in 55 games, the Blues hold down the last playoff spot in their Division, but only barely, just a point ahead of the Nashville Predators minus a game in hand. It'll be a dog fight to the finish.

The ongoing story this year has been goaltending. After an impressive run last year, the Blues made a long-term commitment to Jake Allen, signing him to a $17 million, 4-year contract extension. The deal raised a few eyebrows, not only because up until the ink was drying on his new deal, Allen had only put together one bonafide season of 1st-string goaltending, which of course, just so happened as he headed toward free agency. Previously, Allen had strung together solid, albeit unspectacular numbers in his rookie and sophomore seasons, with save percentages hovering around .910, the kind of stuff you'd normally hope for from a backup, not your main starter.

So when Allen hit the ditch this year, putting up the League's worst goaltending stats for 1st stringers, including a save percentage that hovered around a meek .890, the Blues found themselves in plenty of trouble, winning 8 games in November, 6 games in December, and just 5 games in January. Eventually, the Blues simply told Allen to stay home for a few days, so that he could "reset" his game.

That little ploy happened 3 weeks ago. Initially, it didn't seem to work, after Allen took a thumping at the hands of the Minnesota Wild (who are good) and the Winnipeg Jets (who are bad). And the Blues just kept on losing.

This month however, somethings .... changed? After getting drubbed by the Jets, Allen put together a solid outing February 1st in a 5-1 win over the Blues. He then followed up that with a shutout in his next start against the Senators, and on Thursday night, backstopped St. Louis to a 2-1 OT win over the cure-all Leafs, impressively stopping 31 Toronto shots.

So ... maybe, just maybe, the worm has turned for Jake Allen. The Blues certainly hope so, because without dependable goaltending, their odds of making it to the playoffs, never mind competing for a championship, are slim to nada.

Tonight, the Blues takes on the slumping Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. The Habs are coming off a wild razor-thin victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night, two nights after the Canadiens somehow managed to get trashed by the downright horrible Colorado Avalanche. Max Pacioretty, who was dazzling against the 'Yotes, scoring his 26th and 27th goals of the season, is a game-time decision because of the flu. Meanwhile, Paul Stastny, the Blues first line centre, won't play today because of an LBI.

With Stastny out, St. Louis is likely to go with this lineup:

Paajarvi/Steen/TaraSenko
Schwartz/Berglund/Jaskin
Agostino/Lehtera/Perron
Upshall/Barbashev/Reaves

Bouwmeester/Pietrangelo
Gunnarsson/Shattenkirk
Edmundson/Parayko

If Pacioretty does play, expect the Habs to go with the same healthy scratches tonight as they did on Thursday, with David Desharnais, Brian Flynn and Nikita Nesterov watching from the press box.

Jake Allen vs. Al Tony Montoya. Puck drops at 7:10, EST.



GAMEDAY NEWS:

Let's run it down.

- Max Pacioretty and his entire family have the sniffles. He's a game time decision tonight.

- We already know who's in the front of the line for healthy Habs scratches: David Desharnais, Nikita Nesterov and Brian Flynn.

- Brendan Gallagher won't play tonight, likely won't play tomorrow. So next Saturday it is?

- Speaking of starting, Al Tony Montoya starts tonight for the Habs. Carey Price will play tomorrow night against the Bruins.

- Paul Stastny won't play tonight for the Blues. He's got 35 points this season including 15 goals. Not a guy easily replaced.

- Billionaire Red Wings owner Mike Illitch died yesterday. We wrote about him last November, mainly about all the terrible things he did to the bankrupt city of Detroit and its taxpayers to get himself a new arena at almost zero cost. He will not be missed.

Game preview shortly.

Game 38: Habs vs. Preds

Montreal 2, Nashville 1 (OT):

PREGAME NOTES:

- Apparently Max Pacioretty is okay, and will be playing tonight.

- So with Pacioretty starting, Habs lines will be:

Pacioretty/Danault/Gallagher
Byron/Mitchell/Radulov
Lehkonen/Plekanec/Flynn
Carr/McCarron/Terry

Emelin/Weber
Beaulieu/Petry
Barberio/Johnston

Carey Price

- Here's the Preds lineup:

Forsberg/Johansen/Arvidsson
Wilson/Fisher/Neal
Fiala/Ribeiro/Smith
Sisson/Jarnkrok/Watson

Josi/Ellis
Ekholm/Irwin
Weber/Granberg

Pekka Rinne


FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- If I were a Preds fan, I'd boo too every time Radulov touches the puck - at the Nashville front office for their decision to walk away from him.

- Nice little video tribute to Shea Weber during a commercial break, Weber looking pretty emotional.

- It's been a pretty good start for the Habs, they're doing a better job pressuring the puck, also getting good speed carrying the play through the neutral zone.

- Habs are going kinda crazy with shot attempts from the right side so far tonight:

- Habs might have possession edge, but the Preds have had the much tougher shots on Price, who's made at least 3 big-time saves to keep the Preds off the board.

- Ryan Johnston is doing what he's able, but just isn't NHL-calibre. Too many little mistake - passes slightly off the mark, shot selection unwise, not keeping his head up in his own zone - isolated they're not big errors, but the totality of mistakes does add up and takes its toll over a 60 minute game.

- I mean, the only reason Johnston is playing is because Markov and Pateryn are injured. So a relatively healthy Habs lineup, he has little or no hope of making a lineup.

- Solid first period for the road Habs, did a nice job feeding the puck to the offence, the Pacioretty late period breakaway a good example. Quite simply appears as though the Habs have more legs tonight than their opponents. One failing - quality of shots on Rinne wasn't fantastic, more bodies need to be driving the Preds net if the Canadiens hope to light the red lamp.

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs with pretty good period, possession-wise, 67.7% CF (5v5):

- Preds clearly super concerned with Weber on the line during a Habs powerplay, which is opening up all kinda of open passing lane ice. Canadiens would be wise to exploit them with any future man advantages.

- Habs again the better team tonight - they've soundly outplayed their opponents most nights for well over a month, which has seen their possession stats rise to a top-5 position in the League, but they're still giving up too many high danger shot attempts - Price has had to make quite a few difficult stops so far, certainly many more so than Rinne (who's also been very good).

- Nashville has made a pretty significant adjustment this period - much more aggressive forecheck in the neutral zone, generating some juicy turnovers and odd-man rushes. Price really upping his game tonight because he's needed to.

- Nathan Beaulieu needs to tighten up his game in his own zone, simply because he shouldn't be making the same mistakes this year that you'd expect from someone just breaking into the League.

- Halfway through the 2nd period, Alex Radulov is +15 Corsi, which is all kinds of incredibly good.

- Habs 3rd powerplay, 2nd wave Therrien sends out McCarron line, which predictably, was a poor decision resulting in nearly zero attempts on goal. Therrien often treats powerplays like they're infinite - when in reality, they're rarities that need to be treated as such. Put out your best guys for 2 minutes or less. It ain't complicated.

- One way Petry has really advanced his game this year is carrying the play deep into the opponent's zone - which has made him a real offensive threat, and has bolstered the Habs 5v5 play, which has been among the League's best this season. Petry is playing with tremendous poise and confidence, really stepping up his game since Markov's injury.

- Nathan Beaulieu with a terrible pinch from the line which springs a 2-on-0 break on Price. Beaulieu is no longer a rookie - he can't continue to make these bad decisions and hope to retain the confidence of his coach.

- Tough night for Beaulieu continues, as he own-goals a harmless Fiala backhander behind Price.

- Puck luck definitely not on Habs side tonight - they've dominated most of the night, a mad scramble at the end of the 2nd with a wide open net that the Habs somehow can't convert, symptomatic of the problem. Another night where the Canadiens are outworking, outskating and out-posssessiong on the ice, but struggling to get leads on the scoreboard, perhaps a symptomatic side-effect from the Habs losing some of their better players to injury.

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs dominating tonight, 67% CF (5v5). Shea Weber is playing out of his goddamned mind - 95.0% CF ... yes, 95%, through 40 minutes, while at even strength. Incredible.

- Still remain cautiously optimistic for the Habs in this game, they've outplayed the Preds, Price has been great, just a single lousy bad break has put them down on the scoreboard.

- Torrey Mitchell makes a very nice play keeping the puck in the Preds zone, and seconds later, Radulov with a sweet pass on the tape to Weber, who beats Rinne top corner to tie the game. My optimism is rewarded, as are the Habs who tie the game.

Weber goal pic.twitter.com/1sKl89OTVM

— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 4, 2017

- While Weber has been fantastic tonight, Radulov hasn't been much worse - he's certainly someone who richly deserves to be rewarded with a goal - maybe a game winner?

- Preds 2nd line, the Fisher line, really struggling tonight - getting badly outskated and outshot.

- Tomas Plekanec really struggling tonight - his shot is pretty much atrocious, not that it was ever great even during his best years - it's just not fast or dangerous enough to challenge an average NHL goaltender. Upon Galchenyuk and Desharnais' return, don't be surprised if talk is ramped up about him being moved before the trade deadline.

- Mark Barberio won't be winning any shot accuracy contests anytime soon - and by soon, I mean anyone's lifetime.

- Habs justly getting at least 1 point out of a game they've mostly owned - with distinct advantage of play in each period. Radulov clearly wanting to put his mark on this night with a goal, and with OT on the way, maybe he really actually will score that game winner after all??


OVERTIME LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Here's how the Habs stacked up through 3 periods, a very good road game effort:

- Habs had total possession of the puck the first 2:42 of OT - which is kind of remarkable. Couldn't generate any high grade scoring chances though.

- Radulov was screaming to come off the bench for OT, and was finally sent out with 2:20 left, and incredibly, stays on the ice the rest of the way, eventually making an unbelievable play handing the puck behind the Preds bench while his teammates make a change, Pacioretty streaming in to receive the pass, and beat Rinne through the legs. What an incredible play by Alex Radulov. Gobsmacked. Marc Bergevin, sign this man. Whatever it takes. Get it done now.

Pacioretty OT winner pic.twitter.com/94Seg9Fznu

— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 4, 2017

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

Hey, Happy New Year! So, so, soooooo good to see 2016 begone forever. So a new calendar, new resolutions and for the Montreal Canadiens, a new page turned towards a .... sorry ... what's that? We have some video from this morning's practice? Okay:

On ne sait pas si Max Pacioretty sera en mesure d'affronter les Predators après avoir été atteint par un tir de Shea Weber à l'entraînement. pic.twitter.com/9x9R97FSFa

— RDS (@RDSca) January 3, 2017

Oh. Well. I see. Isn't that ... nice. And it was Shea Weber who hit Pacioretty's. Even better. And this just a month after Max had recovered from a foot fracture. That's just perfect.

Hey, maybe I'm out of line for posing the question, and by all means, slap me down if this goes a little too far over the edge, but why would you be conducting any sort of practice drill where you have your most valuable forwards standing directly in front of the guy who's probably got the hardest slap shot in the game of hockey?

See, to me, that seems like folly. But hey, what do I know, right?

Anyway, with or without the captain, the Habs enter Nashville tonight for what was one of the most anticipated games on this season's schedule. That was, of course, until P.K. Subban, whom the Habs unceremoniously chased out of Montreal last summer, went down with a back injury this week, which has put him out of the Predators's lineup for an indefinite period of time.

For Nashville, it's been an up and down season. They came into the year favoured to be a contender for a championship next spring. October, though, put a severe dent in those glimmering aspirations, as the Preds won only 2 games during that first month.

Since then, things have settled down - the Preds are putting up defensive and offensive numbers that have them flirting with the League's top 10. Which is to say, statistically speaking, the Preds have been a pretty good team this year, but not a great team.

Beyond the (mostly) positive numbers, perhaps Nashville's biggest question mark this season has been goaltending, which has been at best, inconsistent, at worst - an albatross. Pekka Rinne, who had a very good 2010-11 season, was given (at the time) a massive contract extension by Nashville - 7 years and $50 million. Since that time, Rinne has had one very good year - 2014-15, where he won 41 games, had a .923 SV%, and was a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Apart from that '14 season, Rinne's numbers have been pretty mediocre - a .908 SV% two years ago, .915 last season, and this year, .917, which among goaltenders who've had at least 15 starts this season, puts Rinne just barely into the top 25. He's not horrible, but truth be told, Rinne hasn't and isn't very good.

There are few solutions for Nashville with Rinne because of that huge contract which will keep him nailed to the Preds organization at least until the end of next season. So while Rinne might be a lost cause, Nashville might have a saviour in their own possession in Juuse Saros, a 21 year old native of Finland who the Preds drafted in the 4th round 3 years ago, Saros, albeit with limited starts this season (only 7), has put up some pretty good numbers: a 1.43 GAA and .947 SV%, with victories over some pretty decent opponents including the St. Louis Blues three nights ago.

As of the writing of this post, the Preds have not announced tonight's starter - it's likely Rinne, but if he continues to struggle, don't be surprised if Nashville starts giving Saros more chances as the season progresses.

Puck drops tonight at 8:10 EST.

Game 25: Habs vs. Kings

Montreal 5, Los Angeles 4 (SO)

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Well, well, well ... guess who scored right off the bat? And guess who he was playing with? Alex Galchenyuk and Alex Radulov. Me hopes this ends the silly trade speculation circulating around bored reporters.

- Alex Radulov plays pretty good defence. Maybe that's why the Habs figure he's a good option for playing the blue line on the powerplay (he's not, by the way).

- It's not hard, guys: First line powerplay:

Radulov/Galchenyuk/Byron

Second line powerplay:

Pacioretty/Plekanec/Pacioretty

No more Shaw, no more Desharnais. 

It's really not that hard.

- Habs might have the early lead, but they're getting outplayed by the Kings - the Plekanec line, in particular, is getting trounced by the Kings forecheck.

- Doughty with a dumb-ass roughing on Lehkonen. Habs powerplay, it's Galchenyuk/Radulov and, of course, Shaw. Goes nowhere, because zero chemistry.

- Yeah, yeah .. Flynn brings "grit" and according to some, speed. But he's so utterly incompetent with the puck, that I just can't rationalize him being useful beyond filling in 4th line injury caps. But as full-time NHL 4th liner? Nope. Inexcusable. 

- Great to see Pacioretty back with Galchenyuk, and great to see  him hit the back of the twine early, but the Habs did not have a very good period - Kings, being the usual L.A. Kings, controlled possession and tempo, especially from the 10 minute mark forward, where they basically dominated the Canadiens both ends of the ice. Habs need to pick up their game, especially Tomas Plekanec and his line, if they hope to have a decent chance over 3 periods of play. If not, there's little reason to believe L.A. won't eventually overtake the Habs on the scoreboard.

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs had some garbage time push late in the period, but it doesn't excuse them from an underwhelming period that they held a 5v5 CF advantage (54.5%). From the 10-18 minute marks, it was all Kings, which is worrying:

- Don't say we didn't warn you. First, Koptiar converts on the powerplay, and then Price gives up a big rebound, with no defensive support around his crease, and Shore swipes the puck home, and in a flash, it's 2-1 Kings. 

- Pacioretty on the powerplay, just tossing a shot at Budaj through a few legs, and the puck finds its way in. That's hockey for you, but are we seeing Pacioretty enter one of his scoring streaks? Habs hopes of somehow winning today are certainly resting on that.

- Desharnais line hasn't had a very good day, but they just had a good shift, their first of the game, halfway through the 2nd. Habs might not look to this line for scoring support, but they at least need more consistency in play.

- Galchenyuk nailed for a pretty soft slash, and the Kings almost immediately convert. Habs taking way, way too many penalties today, and it's killing them.

- And now it's the Habs turn to burn the Kings on the powerplay, with Pacioretty making a sweet blind pass to Radoluv who solo drives the net and slips a backhander past a not-very-sturdy Peter Budaj. Goaltending definitely a factor today.

Radulov goal pic.twitter.com/sysS1SeHQG

— Stephanie (@myregularface) December 4, 2016

- The Desharnais line, which was lost in the wilderness first half of this game, is definitely heating up. Generating some pretty nifty scoring chances. Don't be shocked if that line joins the scoring fun before this game is over.

- I know plenty of readers aren't going to like this, but Alex Radulov is my choice for team MVP right now. He's been consistently good each and every game he's played this season. Carey Price has been excellent, but he's had off days. Same for Galchenyuk. But Radulov? Nope. Good, bordering on great, each and every start. Team MVP.

- Massive Habs breakdown, Weber out of position with an abysmal poke check, Galchenyuk caught up ice, and Emelin totally out in la-la land, giving Lewis a red carpet treatment right to Carey Price. 4-3 Kings. Pretty ugly hockey by the Canadiens today.

- Habs coming out of their scoring funk today, but it's pretty much all for not because of some pretty awful mistakes by the blue line, combined with some poor penalties, and the Canadiens are basically throwing good goals away towards another loss. 

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG

- This game won't win any beauty contests. Habs SA CF (5v5) through 40 minutes, 50.9%:

- Barring unforeseen injury, Pacioretty is almost certainly going to score 30+ goals this season, which is exactly who he is, and all that we should expect.

- The goals, they just keep coming, and this time it's Shaw - hey the Desharnis line scored hadn't we mentioned that earlier? Tie game.

- For reasons I can't quite understand, Therrien has placed Gallagher on the 3rd line with Desharnais and Shaw. 

- Galchenyuk hurt. Pretty safe understatement that he's someone the Habs simply cannot afford to lose.

- Replay shows Kopitar with blind knee on Galchenyuk, not 100% if that was intentional, but it most certainly wasn't clean. Galchenyuk in the room, and we all hope the injury isn't serious.

- Both teams really tightening up defensively since the 10 minute mark of this period, which is just fine for the Habs who, I'm sure, would be delighted with coming out of this city with at least 1 point in the standings.

- Uh, so ... Michael Therrien has apparently pegged Torrey Mitchell to fill in for Galchenyuk on the 1st line. I have no words.

- Galchenyuk out for the rest of the game, which is not assuring. Habs do grab a point at least, but the cost, if Galchenyuk, is incalculable. 

OVERTIME:

- Weber with game-saving block on wrap around attempt. Radulov jusssssst missed on the other end. Quite an OT we have going here.s

- Torrey Mitchell in OT totally, absolutely makes zero sense, but here we are.

- Radulov, who's been a monster today, draws a powerplay with just under 2 minutes left. Fantastic.

- Not fantastic, Therrien puts Shaw out for OT powerplay, which is just insanity. 

- Pacioretty, looking for the hat trick, hits the post. That close. So close. Off to the shutout.

- Gaborik, stopped by cool, calm Price. Flynn (wtf) ... scores (WTF?)

- Jeff Carter, who's been fantastic all day, converts. Radulov who's been even more fantastic, with an incredible backhander on Budaj. Fan freaking tactic.

- Kopitar converts (sigh), Pacioretty denied. And on to extras ...

- Pearson? Hmm interesting choice. Off the goalpost. 

- Byron convers, and lo and behold, the Habs win a game in California.

- Staggering game by Radulov today, which is a great story given how just two days ago, we weren't even sure if he had two eyes left in his head. But like Friday night, Habs fans sit and wonder the prognosis of one of its irreplaceable forwards, and how serious his injury is. 

CALIFORNIA: GO AWAY AND DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

It's over. Well, it's almost over. Just one afternoon game left to play, and then the Habs can kiss the west coast goodbye for 2016-17. THANK GAWD.

The only team separating the Habs from sweet, sweet relief are the L.A. Kings. Oh, great. The Kings, winners of 7 of their past 8, last won a game in Los Angeles on December 3, 2011, which is, I suppose, much better than their record in San Jose.

The Kings are having another fine season, which is somewhat of a surprise since L.A. lost their number one netminder, Johnathan Quick, to a knee injury in mid-October.

As any Habs fan will tell you, losing your starting goaltender totally ruins your season. I mean, no team could possibly overcome that kind of loss. No team could relay on backup goaltending fodder to muddle their way though a pointless winter of defeat. You couldn't possibly expect someone like Mike Condon, or Peter Budaj to keep your team from falling into the abyss, right?

Well, go figure. The Kings, leveraging the services of former Habs back-up Peter Budaj, who they signed a one-year contract with in October for next to nothing, haven't just kept their head above drowning, they've actually beat just about everyone else in the pool - winning 13 of 24 games so far this season, a pace more than good enough to nab a playoff spot, while Budaj, in 20 starts, has 12 wins and a respectable 2.15/.912 line, far above his career average 2.72/.903.

So yeah, even losing your starting goaltender, you can still save your season. It can be done. With level headed, intelligent coaching and management, it is possible to overcome key roster loses.

But that's the L.A. Kings. Let's talk about the Habs. We've got a feud percolating! Reports are out this morning from NBC and Nick Kypoers that Max Pacioretty is quite unhappy with head coach Michel Therrien, and the way he's been used in the lineup.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB, MAX.

Anyway, you can see the article here - I have no idea how "legit" this is, or how serious the spat has become, but it's adding fuel to the unsubstantiated fire that Max has had it with playing in Montreal under Therrien, and that Pacioretty's days are numbered. I'd say even the thought of trading the Habs captain and his bargain basement salary is absurd, but as regular readers of this blog have come to know, there's never a dull moment in Habsland.

Anyway, lineups. What have we got? The Kings:

King/Kopitar/Lewis
Pearson/Carter/Toffoli
Brown/Dowd/Setoguchi
Gaborik/Shore/Nolan

Forbore/Doughty
Muezzin/Martinez
Gravel/Greene

Peter Budaj

And the Habs, who appear at this time to be going with the same lineup as Friday night's:

Byron/Galchenyuk/Radulov
Pacioretty/Plekanec/Gallagher
Shaw/Desharnais/Lehkonen
Danault/Mitchell/Flynn

Weber/Emelin
Markov/Petry
Barberio/Pateryn

Carey Price

Puck drops today at 3:10 EST.