Game Five: Bruins vs. Habs

Third Period:

- Pacioretty somehow misses a totally empty net off the pass on the PP. Missing that might come back to bite later.

- So many juicy rebounds served up by Rask tonight, the Habs ought to be up by two or three.

- Prust continues to offer little on the Habs 4th line - it's nice to have him around for added depth, but if you want to start considering trade bait as the season progresses, he might be your first stop.

- Bruins got the bounce to grab the lead 3-2, and now the hockey gods return the favor as the puck bounces off Gallagher via a Paciorety shot and past a hapless Rask, who gets the hook. 5-3.

- Habs have really intensified the forecheck in the period, and it's creating many excellent scoring rushes. Habs speed definately overtaking the Bruins in the final frame.

- Another solid effort by Gilbert tonight, Eller has also played an excellent two way game. Still think Eller has much more upside if he plays the game the same way Bob Gainey did. 

- Habs attempting to grind this game to a complete halt. So far, so good.

- Gagne scores - we think, even though it was directed in by a skate. In any case, Habs got complacent protecting the slot and the Bruins narrow the lead to one.

- 2:30 left, Habs sitting on this again. Watch out.

- How sweet is that? Lucic takes a dirty run at Emelin and gets nailed for boarding. Habs can just kill the clock to win the game.

- Parenteau with the empty net, and Lucic, furious, promptly gets tossed from the game. Habs really controlled much of the game after having a shaky first period - we've seen that pattern before. Nonetheless, this game felt like something of a torch was passed. The Bruins aren't nearly as dominant as past years, while the Habs, at least by tonight's game, appear to have caught, if not passed Boston, as a hockey force in the eastern Conference.

Second Period:

- Still reckon something will happen between Emelin and Lucic tonight, the later is too much of a psychopath to hold himself back.

- 3-on-1s you're more apt to benefit by making at least one pass, but Paciiretty elects to take a selfish shot on a covered angle. Oh well.

- Subban with a slight little bump on Marchand, who reacts by taking a failed slash. Same old.layed 

- Okay, that was some of the Carey Price from 2013-14, a superb save off a high labeled Chara wrister from the line.

- Rask struggling with loose pucks, and Gallagher with an easy goal off a low angle shot by Pacioretty. 2-1.

- Speaking of puck control, Price gives up a juicy rebound, after Emelin, for whatever reason, knocks Subban out of the play. Anyway, no way Emelin should be paired with Subban, but whatever I guess. Therrien. Game tied.

- Lucic is a menace and a disgrace. Targeting Gallagher's knee. He's attempting to wreck careers.

- Lousy (incorrect) icing call and Bruins take the lead off the faceoff, a shot deflecting off Plekanec's skate. Breaks very much favouring the Bruins tonight.

- Marchand slashes Subban in the groin, and P.K. is assessed an embelishment penalty. More atrocious calls.

- Rask with more puck control issues, Sekac scores his first NHL goal off a rebound in front of the family, and ties the game. Rask looks really vulnerable tonight.

- Oh man that was a beauty. Plekanec with a great pass on the stick of Parenteau, who fires it instantly past Rask blocker side. Rask looked totally unprepared for the play, and it gives the Habs the second period lead.

- Rask really fighting the puck in the second, Habs would be highly advised to just toss it at the net with every opportunity in the third period.

First Period:

- As I mentioned previously, a little late joining this so doing a little bit of catchup. Price still looking at little iffy, isn't he? A puck getting behind, one off the crossbar, and now a poor clearance into the stands.

- Chara. What are you gonna do? Who can move that kind of body out of the crease?

- Ut-oh .. Habs powerplay. Hide the kids, this could get scary.

- Go figure. The Habs finally score with the man advantage, and lo and behold, it's a pretty basic goal. Puck is delivered on net, Pacioretty drives the crease, and it goes in ugly. 

- Gilbert really has impressed me so far this year, very solid positionally, he's been getting some tough zone starts and still has managed to post some pretty decent possession numbers. 

- Brilliant shift by Subban - he can take this game by the scruff of the neck unlike few others in the game.

- Nifty save by Bergeron off a sloppy turnover by Markov. Still, he just doesn't look the Carey Price of last year, can't put my finger on it, but something's not right.

- Weak tripping call on Pacioretty, Seidenberg with plenty of embellishment - officials having trouble discriminating trips calls.

- Bruins all over Habs with period-closing powerplay, couple of nice blocks by Markov and Bourque. In any case, period advantage to Boston, their forwards beating the Habs at their own game utilizing speed, and carrying the zone to create ongoing pressure. Habs somewhat fortunate to come away with a tied score.

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

Oh yeah baby, the game we've been looking forward to has arrived, and it's time to pull out the ol' Tuuka-Rask-is-a-headcase gif. The tradition continues!

Funny how traditions never die. Here's one. WE ALWAYS BEAT THE BOSTON BRUINS. Well, nearly almost always. There was that series back in 2012. And I guess the one before that. The point is, WHEN IT COUNTS we win. Pretty much, always.

Have we forgotten about Monday night? That didn't happen, right? That was a nightmare, right? Steven Stamkos, he's just a figment of the imagination? Somebody throw me a bone. Actually, somebody toss the Habs powerplay a femur or two - what is blazes is happening?! Extending back to the last part of last year's regular season, the Habs are currently running an 0-for-39 streak. I'm no match genius, but without pulling out my trusty calculator, it would seem as though the Canadiens' man advantage is running at a success rate of about zero percent.

I'm no hockey rocket scientist elitest prorogue either, but I'm pretty willing to bet (without consulting the statheads) that a powerplay running with a nil success percentage probably means you aren't going to win very many games. Just taking a stab in the dark about that one.

So ... what ... do ... we ... do? Well, if you've watched the first four games of this season, you might have observed a couple of things. First, even with a roster chock-full-o' forwards with considerable speed and snazzy puck handlin' abilities, the Habs continue to play the man advantage with amazing conservatism, choosing (and failing) repeatedly to dump and chase after pucks. The few times when puck control is established, the Habs put on a pretty impressive puck passing clinic - highly entertaining for viewers, and I'm sure extra fun for the Habs opponents, as they watch the penalty seconds drain away with little fear the Canadiens won't do much else.

The dump/chase "strategy" is unfortunately, ingrained and is the net effect of a coaching staff that is seemingly about 10 years behind the times of how this game is played. Sure, for the first good chunk of this century, teams, in particular those brimming with intimidating size, thrived on leveraging the dump and chase. But that was then. The game has since changed rather significantly. For the most part, teams are eliminating hired goons, the average size and weight of players has plateaued, and there's been a resuscitated emphasis on speed and skill. In a sense, the game is returning to its roots, not unlike the freewheeling style we saw (and enjoyed) dominate the League from 1975 to 1992.

So, to put it starkly, the Habs powerplay efficiency doesn't look very promising. Sure, they'll score eventually, but given their current formation, it's unlikely that this team will put up an efficiency much greater than 10%, which also means the prospect for this team finishing with a point total similar to last year, is very unlikely.

So tonight! The Bruins come to town. What's the deal with Boston? Seven goals in five games? Ouch. Surely this can't be the actual version of the 2014-15 Bruins, can it? Surely, this team which most of the experts picked to finish at the top of the Eastern Conference, isn't headed for a tumble down the standings, can it?

It hasn't been a fun start for Boston - following a trade that most Bruins fans bemoaned, when Johnny Boychuck was sent to the Islanders in exchange for a few mid round picks. The Islanders, go figure, have gotten off to a terrific start, led by, guess who, Boychuck, who's collected six points in three games. Yowza!

Anyway, keys to the game - Habs getting their specialty units into something not resembling dysfunction, and Carey Price having a solid start - he been definably "okay" so far, certainly not good, and most definitely not great like he was last year.

Puck drops tonight at (est.) 7:50 EST.  I'll be joining in a little late, probably around the midway point of the 1st period, depending on exactly when the puck drops.

Game Two - EC Semi Finals: Habs vs. Bruins

 

THIRD PERIOD: 

- Thornton took five good strides in an attempt to destroy Subban who saw the hit coming at the last minute to duck away. Thornton it appears, hit his knee and went down in great pain. Helped down the tunnel it sure looked like Thornton turned back and yelled out to his teammates "get him!". Huge loss for Boston. Huge.

- Habs excellent checking so far, severely limiting the Bruins ability to generate scoring chances or any semblance of momentum. Fans getting restless in the stands.

- And now Hamilton takes another dumb Boston penalty. The intermission did nothing to straighten this team out in the head.

- Another blast by Subban, another redeflect by Vanek to put the Habs up by the dreaded two goals. The Habs taking advantage of their powerplays, benefits from Boston's utter lack of composure.

- Thornton returns to the bench. But will he play is another question.

- Thornton takes a shift. Now I'm seriously wondering now much of that injury was pain, and how much was theatre.

- Habs have played a pretty much perfect third period. A fine balance of aggressive checking and taking advantage of offensive opportunities when presented. They have been far and away the better team the first 10 minutes. But 10 long minutes lay ahead.

- Ah, the dreaded two goal lead, the Bruins' Hamilton again scoring off a point shot from the middle with a heavy screen. Markov and Emelin not helping much. 3-2.

- Bruins really pushing here, Habs hanging on for dear life. This isn't going to finish well, methinks.

- Bouillon redeflects the second puck into his own net this game. Wow. We're tied.

- Utter zone chaos, Smith scores, passing lanes too open, Bruins take lead.

- Lucic the empty netter. A totally disheartening result, given how the Habs were seemingly in total control with less than 10 minutes left, and then everything just went south. The pucks, which had mainly bounced in the Habs favor, started bouncing heavily in Boston's direction. But that's hockey. Still, the Habs come away with a split, which is a good thing. But oh ... so ... close ... to a 2-0 series lead. Two days off to regain composure, and come up with some sort of a solution to address the Bruins complete domination 5v5 .

SECOND PERIOD: 

- Mad scramble in Bruins zone, Gallagher and Prust blow two certain scoring opportunities, but Weaver comes in to finish the play. Chance originated from a poor Marchand giveaway. That seems to be the big theme today - turnovers. Tie game.

- Pretty determined start by the Habs this period - dominating shot clock, and generating turnovers.

- Bruins again getting nabbed for bad penalties. It doesn't take much to make this team lose its cool.

- Habs have turned the tables on Boston this period, generating lots of neutral zone turnovers.

- Listless. The definition of Vanek and his linemates. Maybe a shakeup is necessary sooner rather than later.

- Bruins have totally found their game and are focusing in on the lead. Habs are as back on their heels as you can stretch, but Price is holding firm.

- The Vanek situation is bordering on absurd. He just shot a puck that probably didn't clock faster than 40kh. He's clearly injured. Upper body or something - but he's doing absolutely nothing right now. If he's hurt, it's pointless to play him, period.

- Carey Price is putting on quite the show. Remarkable goaltending here. Some of the finest I've ever seen.

- Okay, the Vanek comment. Nevermind I guess. 2-1 as Habs take advantage of a powerplay.

- And now Bruins take a bench minor for mouthing off. They're a mental case right now - completely off their game. Exactly what we talked about leading into their series. 

- Campbell with a frustration slash on Price at the period buzzer. How the heck that wasn't called is beyond me. But that's Boston Bruin hockey, I guess.

- Wild period. Habs came out and dominated centre ice, creating turnovers and eventually tying the game. Then the Bruins caught fire after getting a powerplay, but some heroic play by Price kept them from scoring. Frustrated, the Bruins then took a series of poor penalties, and the Habs mostly dysfunctional powerplay finally struck gold. Like game one, Bruins are dominating play, but their attitude and psyche have become their mortal enemies. We've talked about this quite a bit, but a team this good develops a sense of entitlement, and when things don't go your way, when the game becomes unfair, you lose it mentally. Habs, astoundingly, may come out of this with a 2-0 series lead. But 20 very long minutes await.

FIRST PERIOD: 

- Habs will go with the same lines, just the one already-noted switcheroo - Bournival will take the place of Moen on the 4th line.

- Looks like Matt Barkowski, who visibly struggled with the speedy Habs forwards, and committed the holding penalty which led to the Subban game winner, is a scratch today. Andrej Meszaros will take his spot on the Bruins 3rd d-line.

- Bruins retaliate right off the bat. This is exactly the opposite of what they need to do.

- Emelin dives and draws the Habs a powerplay. Subban seemingly cut in the hand but is on the ice again.

- Mostly disorganized powerplay, hurt because Habs couldn't start Markov/Subban off the bat.  Briere didn't help much with weak feeds back to the line that were easily intercepted.

- Habs with two iffy calls to set up Bruins 5-on-3. Gorges and Weaver blocking machines to kill it. Huge, huge kill. Should give Habs a huge lift.

- Habs forwards being much more diligent with their backcheck. Bruins are visibly frustrated.

- Habs have to be quicker moving the puck through the neutral zone. It bites them again as Gionta coughs up the puck, and on the fierce Bruins transition, Paille buries a slot chance. 1-0.

- Paille goal also came as a result of wide open passing lanes. Prust didn't cover his territory, and was immediately yanked for a shift by Therrien. Messages are being sent, but will the players recognize and perform their defensive duties?

- I guess that's the (one of the few) advantages of dump and chase. Hamilton nailed for interference on Paxioretty.

- Habs powerplay passing just not on today. Passes are either behind or in feet.

- Subban and Chara are sent off, which benefits the Habs as P.K. was on the end of a two minute shift.

- Well that wasn't pretty. Bruins got to play the game on their terms, and again dominated. Habs forwards must do more to come back to stifle the passing lanes. Montreal also really struggling to engage their transition, which is resulting in far too many turnovers or possession surrenders. Anyway, the Habs best players must engage. Pacioretty and Vanek need to do something or the Habs have a long afternoon ahead.

GAMEDAY PREVIEW:

Okay, as we know, there hasn't been much time between game one and two of this series, so we're going to preview in point form today, a lot of it an extenuation of what we noted following the conclusion of the first match.

- Travis Moen, who struggled to keep pace, is a scratch today in favor of the younger, speedier and probably healthier Michael Bournival. While I luvs Travis to death, it's the right move. Moen's purpose was to check and contain - his lack of speed meant he wasn't doing much of either.

- I don't expect a whole lot different from the Bruins today, given that they did as much as a team could possibly do to win, but still lose. The only significant adjustment I think we'll see is Boston forwards being more aggressive around the crease, trying to disrupt Carey Price as much as possible. In light of this, I thought (more accurately feared) that Therrien would go with the "more physical" Doug Murray today, although it now appears that the Habs will continue to play the same defensive sets.

- Habs by comparison, will need to make many more adjustments than their adversaries. Aside from working off the so-called rust, Habs forwards must do a better positional job bottling up the passing lanes during Bruins rushes. Boston had more than a handful of stellar scoring chances on Price because they were able to so freely pass the puck north/south during a rush or transition.

In addition to protecting lanes, the forwards must also be more aware of not turning the puck over in the neutral zone. Daniel Briere was a big culprit Thursday night, committing two relatively soft giveaways near the red line, one of which directly to Boston's 2nd goal. I'm hoping the addition of Bournival improves the situation.

Finally, the Habs will really need to get offense from the guys who are expected to deliver. The Desharnais line has faced some fierce checking by its opponents (which in part has allowed the Eller line - the Habs best of the post-season to date, the luxury of weaker defensive opponents). If the Habs top line produces, this team becomes incredibly difficult to beat.

- Goaltending: Tuuka Rask, by his own admission, wasn't great Thursday night. But then that's the story with Rask when facing the Habs, isn't it? He'll have to elevate his game somehow, because right now, he's getting his clock cleaned by the guy on the other end of the rink.

- Frustration: As this blog noted not only heading into game one, but leading up to the playoffs, the Bruins are an emotionally fragile team burdened by a sense of entitlement. Winning teams are often this way. When you go out and expect to win, and things don't go your way, you get mad. And then you start doing stupid things. The Bruins were clearly a rattled bunch Thursday night, their frustration not so much vented by taking dumb penalties, but in finishing scoring opportunities. Carey Price's brilliance was clearly getting into the heads of many Boston forwards as the game progressed, which didn't help the Bruins finishing close to a dozen golden scoring opportunities.

Anyway, expect an even more intense game today, if that's even possible, because the Bruins can ill-afford to go to Montreal down two games in the series. The pressure is firmly on Boston, and today's game will give us a pretty good glimpse as to whether this team has the mental capacity to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Puck drops (ugh) at 12:40, EST.