Game Sixty-Five: Habs vs. Kings

OVERTIME:

- Well, whatever happens, even just getting a point was an accomplishment. Or a miracle. Or a crime, depending on your perspective.

- Eller with a desperate OT shift, I suspect trying to make amens. We're all pulling for him.

- Tokarski with a disasterous shootout, and that was that. Carey Price Saturday night.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs improved their possession to 32% in the second period. Yeah. "Improved". I suppose if you dig the hole deep enough, you eventually see sunlight.

- Habs actually off to a spirited start in the period, first three minutes anyway. Zone entries improved. Puck maintenance is better. Blue line defense much cleaner. Uh ... kay?

- Well. I'm fit to be tied. Jeff Carter was some kind of space cadet, allowing Desharnais to make a sweet pass behind Carter to a totally unmarked Pacioretty for an easy tap in. The Canadiens lead the game 3-2. Stupefying. 

- Pacioretty called for playing with a broken stick, even though he didn't. Chris Lee! 

- 9 minutes left, Habs would be very unwise to sit on this, although given how their lead is already grand larceny, it would seem only fitting they coast to victory. I still, however, think the Kings have one more goal in them before the clock runs out.

- Petry has looked great tonight. Looks just as much a first liner on this Habs team as he did for the Oilers. Great command of th puck, picks the right time and place to use his body. We gotta re-up this guy.

- 2 minutes left. Crunch time. Kings having trouble gaining the zone. Not a good point of the game to be struggling in that area. Just slap it at Tokarski. It might go in.

- Oh, Lars. Oh, Lars. With 95 seconds left. Oh, Lars.

- And Gaberick ties it up. Oh, Lars...Tokarski needs to do better there, but still. Oh, Lars.

SECOND PERIOD:

- First period possession was 17%. Two more than my original projection. Still. LOL?

- Habs zone entries, the few times they actually have control of the puck, are absolutely horrible. Even more so than usual. This looks like a team that hasn't practiced in a month, or is holding practices that are clearly poorly organized. This is baaaaaaad.

- It wouldn't be a complete Habs game without one badly surrendered clear-cut breakaway for the other guys. Literally 8 seconds later, they do it again, but this time, De LamRose hustles back to break it up, which is an even greater indictment of the defense.

- Tom Gilbert, of all players, with a magnificent solo effort to score a pretty goal to put the Habs on the board. Their 7th shot, with 4 minutes left in the second period. You know you're in trouble when it's Gilbert who has to set the example.

- Gallagher, off a juicy Quick rebound. Astoundingly, incredibly, the Habs tie the game. I'm not sure for how long they'll stay on even terms, but this game is already completely ridiculous.

- If I'm a Kings fan, I'm ticked. Very, very ticked. But then they've done this all season in coughing up two goal leads, haven't they? It's certainly been one big reason why the Kings find themselves fighting for a post-season spot. In any case, with the Kings outshooting the Habs 21-9 through 40 minutes, there's no good reason why the Habs should even have the scant whiff of a victory tonight. Maybe the 3rd period will tilt the scales back to normality, and L.A. will put in two or three more. Otherwise, it's been a crazy night.

FIRST PERIOD:

- Annnnnnnnnd ... even with all of these trade deadline pickups, Dale Weise will start the game playing on the number one line. Okay. Breath. Everything will be okay.

- No. No it won't be okay. Chris Lee is a referee tonight.

- Annnnnnnnnd ... it takes Lee just over two minutes to make his first terrible penalty call.

- Annnnnnnnnd of course, the Kings score on that powerplay. Tokarski had no chance, for what it's worth. Redeflected in.

- Weise forgets his check (Carter) who's all alone in front of Tokarski for a tap-in goal. 2-0. Not even nine minutes gone. This might be a slaughter. 

- Another awful Chris Lee penalty call, this time for interference on Prust. Replay shows the call was indeed, absurd.

- Well, then. We thought Monday was a low point? We ain't seen nothing yet. Habs outshot 13-2 in the first period. Possession will be somewhere around 15%. Michel Therrien hockey. TO THE EXTREME!!!

GAMEDAY GOO:

Should we even bother staying up late one more time? You know how this is going to end, don't you?

We're suckers for punishment. So the live blogging will go forward.

Some notes:

- Dustin Tokarski will start. He hasn't looked particularly sharp the past couple of months. Maybe this is the night he turns it all around?

- Mike Weaver will get a rare start tonight. Sergei Gonchar will sit.

Are you really sure you wanna stay up for this? Sleep is good for you. Watching the Habs get stomped on a west coast trip is not.

Puck drops at 10:40 EST. That's pretty late.