Game 81: Bolts vs. Habs

Tampa Bay 4, Montreal 2:

FIRST PERIOD:

- Still think it's insane to put your franchise goaltender, the guy for whom you have absolutely zero chances of playoff success without his presence, in goal to face a team that's desperate for a win.

- Tampa as expected, crashing Price and the Habs' crease right off the bat. Nesterov, likely in anticipation, gets called for levelling a pretty intense crosscheck in front of his net.

- Tampa 6 shots, Habs 0. Price is clearly "playoff ready." Can we please not have him play?

- Complex blue line juggling tonight. Julien will likely try to scale back Nesterov and Lernout's playing time, but instead of simply pairing those two weakest links together, he's attempting to spread the pain. So Lernout is with Beaulieu and Nesterov with Markov. When he's rooting them out, Petry and Beaulieu are getting the occasional shifts, even though those two continue to struggle to find the same page together. It's a concerning issue because if Emelin is gone for an extended period of time, then it's likely those two will comprise the Habs 2nd defensive line.

- Danault line plenty of legs representing Habs best line this period, Plekanec line seems to have cooled off a little from their torrid play last week.

- Brett Lernout, the emergency callup, gets burned as he wanders over to his partner's side of the ice (Beaulieu) during a Tampa rush, which opens the door for Kucherov and eventually Gourde to make it 1-0 Tampa. In fairness to Lernout, he's been tossed into a pretty deep end of the pool. These mistakes are to expected.

- Tampa isn't messing around. They desperately want the two points tonight and they're absolutely taking it to their opponent. Don't see how the Habs stop this.

- More Habs defensie woes, an a long bomb flip pass is picked up by Kucherov, as Nesterov forgets to drop back to cover the zone, and beats Price blocker side with 9 seconds left. It's Kucherov's 40th of the year. Might just be the prettiest amongst his bunch.

- 20 meaningless minutes in the books, again, unless something dramatic occurs, Tampa isn't going to be denied tonight. Habs lineup might be thin (in particular the backend), but that's almost beside the point. The Lightening's forecheck has been relentless, which is helped them generate neutral zone turnovers, providing them plenty of zone entry speed that the less Habs defenders simply can't react to. Gonna be a long night for the Habs. We'll gladly take the loss as long as nobody gets injured.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Scoring chances where 11-6 Tampa in that 1st period. I think it's about right to say the Bolts were at least  twice as good as their opponent:

- Beaulieu's CF just 16.7% in that first period, which in fairness, reflects that he's been Lernout's assigned partner tonight. Lernout was ... uhhm ... not good.

- Learnout, bless his heart, said during an intermission interview that he hopes to get a full-time spot with the Habs next season. We wish Brett the absolute best of luck, but I'm hard pressed to see that scenario unfold.

- Tampa's 3rd defensive line Coburn and Sustr with some pretty sloppy zone passing and positioning. Julien needs to match Danault line against them for all it's worth.

- Habs pussyfoot around on their first powerplay. Seeing a lot of guys going through the motion out there. To be expected, I suppose. Still, most coaches would not call this an acceptable effort, even with nothing to play for.

- Dwight King accomplishes what many thought impossible by scoring an actual NHL goal, cherry picking behind some dozing Tampa defenders (guess who?? Coburn and Sustr!!) and beating Vasilevskiy 5-hole to make it 2-1. Still don't see the Habs finding their way fully back into this game. Eventually Tampa's offence will find a way of exploiting the Habs razor thin defence.

- Did Tampa think this game was in the bag after that 1st period? They're getting soundly outplayed both ends of the ice this period. Bizarre turnabout in this game.

- Well, I guess this goes back to my previous point, even though outplayed in the period, Tampa wasn't about to let this thing escape their grasp - simply because the Habs defence is just too thin. Davidson with a brutal turnover to Killorn, who beats Price under the bar to make it 3-1.

- Habs seemed to have some good momentum going leading up to and after the King goal, but when Killorn scored, the air just went completely out of the tire. One more period to just play though the motions - Tampa is going to win this game with relative ease, that much we know. Plekanec took a vicious crosscheck to his back at the end of that period - so again, priority is to just play it safe, avoid unnecessary contact, stay healthy, be ready for next Wednesday night.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs with 59.3% CF through 40 minutes, but Tampa with better scoring chance totals (16-15), high danger chances 8-5 overall:

- Heat map shows how even though they've had less of the puck, Tampa has generated more high dangers chances, again reflecting some less-than-stellar Habs defensive play tonight:

- Lehkonen with a fluke goal, backhander hits Hedman and somehow finds its way into the net to make it 3-2. Still don't see Habs getting back into this.

- Yup. There it is. Literally seconds later another bad defensive breakdown, this time it's Beaulieu making a bad decision chasing the puck away from his area of responsibility, leaving Lernout out to dry, and Gourde totally unmarked for his 2nd goal of the game.  4-2 Tampa. They're not gonna lose this - no way, no how.

- Habs powerplay tonight might be concerning to the casual viewer, but most of the issues have been with (again) the backend. Beaulieu has really struggled, no Weber. It's a shadow of its normal stuff with one guy fighting the puck and the other out of the lineup.

- Radulov can't buy goals lately. Something's gotta give there, hopefully by next week. Also, the lack of point production the past 6 weeks is going to eat significantly into his contract demands this spring.

- Habs with a week's worth of bad defensive mistakes in tonight's game. It's amazing how things can become so bad with 2 regulars taken out of a 19 man lineup.

- Ah, poor Alex Radulov. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Desperation mode for Vasilevskiy & co.

What a save. pic.twitter.com/tZduGHm07H

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 8, 2017

- Kudos to Tampa for playing another solid must-win game tonight. If they somehow squeeze themselves into the playoffs, I can't see how they won't be spent for the 1st round of the playoffs. Sorry Leafs fans, but your team is going to have to earn its own way into the post season. Anyway, Habs sorrily undermanned at the blue line tonight, and it translated into numerous mistakes that led directly to all of Tampa's goals tonight. One more regular season game to endure, I'm assuming with the same defence, which means it's likely more of the same inept play. Again, all of this doesn't really matter as long as the regulars return next week, and the rest of the lineup stays away from injury.




GAME PREVIEW:  TAMPA IS DESPERATE. LEAFS ARE NERVOUS. WE DON'T CARE

OMG OMG OMG. Why do we like, have to play these stupid games??! I'm like, this is so dumb ya know? Tampa is like HEY LET'S PLAY WE GOTTA WIN and I'm like no way this stupid we just wanna take the weekend off but then like Toronto is like HEY PLAY THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY LOSE and I'm like hey YOU PLAY THEM and besides my nails are a mess I need to shopping for a decent pair of shoes for next week and I'm SO OVER this regular season ya know?

So like Shea Weber is totally not playing tonight or tomorrow or whatever. And neither is Jamie Benn who totally has this awesome beard ya know? So we totally called up Brett whose like this totally new guy ya know to come over tonight and he'll play next to Nathan who's like TOTALLY thank GAWD I don't have to play with Alexei whose like totally the worst ya know? But then Alexei is like I'm totally hurt so I can't play tonight and maybe I can't even next week ya know? So somebody else go in for me, okay? I'm like OMG I'm out bye! Whatever Alexei.

And then Carey is like HEY I GOTTA PLAY cause I'm like gonna suck next week if I don't and we're all like NO don't play you're gonna get hurt which would be really stupid ya know? But Carey is like I DUNT CARE I'M GONNA PLAY and like Tampa is like OMG all mad but Toronto is like YAY CAREY YOU GO GIRL! Whatever.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST. I'm like so over it. Whatever.

Game 78: Habs vs. Bolts

Montreal 2, Tampa Bay 1 (OT):

FIRST PERIOD:

- Desperate Bolts team, you'd have to figure they'll come flying out of the gate. Habs will likely try to grind their way through this 1st period.

- Decent enough start for the Habs, Tampa with a surprising caution start, with Dwight King generating a turnover at the blue line to get a breakaway. King fails, as expected, but still, so far so good early for the Canadiens.

- 4th line has some mo' going early - Julien giving that line regular shifts. So it's now clear the gameplan is one emphasize physicality, likely under the assumption that Tamps would come out aggressively. That, however, still hasn't happened.

- Danault line continuing to look dangerous, Radulov who had a mini-slump through early March, seems to be skating faster (making me wonder if he's been dealing with an injury). 

- Galchenyuk struggling with the puck, specifically passing. Haven't seen very many signs of chemistry on that 3rd line, especially between himself and Andrew Shaw. 

- Did Beaulieu just dirty check (knee) Vermin? The Lightening bench certainly seems to think he did. 

- Both teams doing a good job defensively collapsing to protect the middle of the ice - not a lot of room for passing towards the front of the net. Scoring chances have been limited both ends this period.

- Habs will take that 1st period - physical, close checking, typical road game stuff. Especially against a team that's desperate for victory. Danault line looked good, breakouts had lots of speed, passing was sharp. Point and Palat look like the most dangerous forwards for the Lightening. Slight edge to Montreal for the period, seemed like they had more puck pressure. 

SECOND PERIOD:

- You can see from the heat map how both teams were very intensely covering the slot area. Shots weren't particularly dangerous, slight edge to Tampa. But only just.

- Julien using Shaw 1st powerplay rotation. Hmmm...

- Galchenyuk/Gallagher/Lehkonen 2nd rotation looked good. Really, really good. Maybe Julien should think about trying these 3 out for some 5v5 shifts??

- Habs 4th line, which started out the 1st period looking half-decent, has devolved into a defensive mess. Dwight King to the box, a result of that unit being pinned in their own zone.

- A 4th line analogy. Habs can't reasonably expect to play very deep in the post-season with 3 decent lines, and 1 awful one. The playoffs are a marathon - if you're attempting to run a long distance race missing a limb, you're going to lose. 

- Not a great game up the middle for either side. Com'on Claude, lets get Galchenyuk off that wing. It ain't working. Try something else.

- Plekaenc line continues to pile up the good shifts, Gallagher is the spark plug, as per usual. That line might be the most likely to get the Habs on the scoreboard.

- Canadiens have dominated since the 10 minute mark of the period, and finally Danault breaks the ice pushing a loose puck behind Vasilevskiy. This is a really impressive Habs effort against a team that simply can't afford to lose. 

- Andrei Markov and, I assume, Jaromir Jagr are the only ones who know where the fountain of youth is. Good on both of them for keeping it under tabs. Another stellar evening for the Habs version of an ageless wonder.

- Habs powerpaly looks as organized tonight as I've seen them all season. Maybe it's their opponent, but Canadiens have made great strides gaining the zone.

- Carey Price makes the big saves when required. Above the big Sv% improvements since Julien arrived on scene, this is the area where's he really excelled and been a huge difference maker:

Price's blocker falls for no fake. pic.twitter.com/kB0qSEjgTO

— InGoal Magazine (@InGoalMedia) April 2, 2017

- Habs 4th line, again, overwhelmed, and again, take a powerplay because they can't handle the speed of an NHL game. Martinsen and King are ... awful.

- Habs barely survive the Tampa powerplay (because of that 4th line penalty). Still, that aside, Habs have exceeded my expectations tonight, with Gallagher, Markov, Pacioretty and Radulov with excellent efforts. Galchenyuk is working hard, but continues to be stifled by the lack of opportunity that comes with being relegated to the 3rd line. But still, aside from the black hole representing the 4th line, by quibbles are minor. An impressive effort through 40 minutes.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs extending their good play through the 2nd period, SA CF at even strength through two periods just one 57%, which is really impressive on the road.

- Here you can see how the Habs were much better generating shots around Vasilevskiy in that 2nd period, likely because Tampa started to move away from their gameplan (keeping the slot guarded) as Price frustrated their scoring attempts:

- Beaulieu has been much more physical and assertive winning the puck in his zone the past couple of weeks. Not saying Julien's rotation strategy has anything to do with it, but at this point, it's hard to conceive of him being shuffled out anytime soon (just watch, he'll sit Monday night).

- Kucherov looking dangerous - he's come agonizingly close a couple of times tonight. A very good candidate to get Tampa on the board.

- Great rush by Galchenyuk, a sweet feed on Lehkonen's stick forcing Vasilevskiy to make his best save of the night. Rebound goes right to Shaw with a wide open net. He misses. Of course.

- Galchenyuk. Lehkonen. Gallagher. Com'on. Just give this a few tries. Com'on, Claude.

- Tampa hasn't had a very good night getting pucks on Price, the trouble mostly because of how they start from their own zone. Defence hasn't done a good job moving the puck forward, Habs forechecking success has really stifled Tampa's attack. 

- Shot blocking has also helped, Radulov hurt stopping the puck ... seemed to favour his arm/wrist area. On the bench getting looked at. Fingers crossed.

- Radulov to the dressing room. Apparently puck hit in in the ribs. There is no padding there. Hopefully just a bruise.

- Radulov is on the bench. Scratch that, he's on the damn ice for a shift. Whew.

- Ack, Hedman point shot, deflected in by Gourde to tie the game. Up to that point, Tampa didn't show any sign of threatening to tie this game - just one of those plays.

- Odd deployment choices, Tampa with mo' from that goal, and Julien sends out the dreaded 4th line, which only helps the Lightening to gain more ground. Price forced to make a couple of tough saves with the Canadiens again hemmed in their zone.

- Turning point looking like Andrew Shaw unable to bury the puck into the open net. 2-0 and Tampa might have packed it in. Now they're looking for the kill.

- 5 minutes left, good shift by the Danault line has calmed the storm a little. More or less a coin flip to decide the winner.

- Martinsen makes another contribution to the Habs 4th line blues, mini-slew on Vasilevskiy that sends him down, and takes a go-ahead goal by Petry off the board. Sigh.

- Kucherov is totally gonna win this game for Tampa. Book it.

- Well, Kucherov will have to end this in OT. I'm still sticking to my prediction.

OVERTIME:

- No more Martisen or King, okay Claude??

- Kucherov somehow misses a totally wide open net one end, just a tap-in play, and seconds later, Radulov, he with the ribs broken or not, ends the night in favour of the Habs. Devastating extra point loss for Tampa, but truth be told, the Canadiens were heads above the better team tonight, in large part because their big-named players came to the front, in part because it looks like Tampa simply doesn't have the horses left to compete. 

Pacioretty to Radulov for the OT winner #Habs pic.twitter.com/2CJIQNtM8Q

— Shayne Pasquino (@shaynepasquino) April 2, 2017

TURNS OUT TAMPA'S SEASON ALSO GOT RUINED LOSING THEIR BEST PLAYER

Can Habs fans relate? Last season, the Canadiens' season was ruined (as the powers that be insisted), when Carey Price went down to a season-ending knee injury in November. Before Price's injury, the Habs were riding high in the standings, and seemed a sure-fire bet to (at the very least) be an easy qualifier for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Habs fans know the story - the Canadiens didn't even come close.

This season, it was the Tampa Bay Lightening's turn to suffer the debilitating loss of an irreplaceable player, that being, of course Steven Stamkos. Tampa's star centre, the centrepiece to the franchise's competitive revival this decade. In retrospect, the coincidences are eerie: Like Price, Stamkos suffered a knee injury in November. That injury, which was later diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome (for the layman, it's a nasty muscle tear) has kept Stamkos out of the lineup the past 4-and-a-half-months.

One more incredible Price/Stamkos conscience? If Stamkos plays tomorrow night, it means he'll have missed 59 consecutive regular season games.

The number of consecutive regular season games Carey Price missed after he went down to injury in New York in November, 2015?

59.

There had been speculation that past few days that Stamkos, who has been practicing with the team the past couple of weeks, could make his return tonight. However, the Bolts announced earlier today that he'd miss tonight's game, but may play tomorrow night against Dallas.

That return likely is too little, too late - at least as far as Tampa's hopes of making the playoffs this season.

The Lightening, headed into tonight's game, are 5 points behind the Boston Bruins for that 2nd and final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. While Tampa still holds 2 games in hand over Boston, a loss tonight against the Canadiens will likely spell the end of any realistic hopes.

Tampa's injury woes extend beyond Stamkos. The losses of centres Tyler Johnson, and Cedric Maquette, as well as defensemen Jason Garrison, have hampered Tampa's ability to put together a winning streak needed to make the post-season.

That said, Tampa is riding a 4-game winning run headed into tonight's game, their last being a narrow win over the (very bad) Red Wings. So hopes are still measured.

Here's Tampa's lineup tonight:

Palat/Point/Kucherov
Killorn/Namestnikov/Drouin
Erne/Gourde/Vermin
Dumont/McKegg/Brown

Hedman/Dotchin
Stralman/Witkowski
Coburn/Sustr

Meanwhile, the Habs are maintaining status-quo, which means no changes to the top 3 lines, while the 4th line will continue to rotate bad players. Fortunately tonight, the Habs are starting someone who's actually qualified to play in the NHL, as Mike McCarron will centre the 4th line, while Steve Ott, who really should be the guy in charge of taping the sticks, will stay back at the hotel.

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

Weber/Markov
Petry/Emelin
Davidson/Beaulieu

Starting goaltenders - it's Andrei Vasilevskiy (2.68/.915) against Carey Price (2.23/.924).

Puck drops at 7:10 EST.

Game 35: Habs vs. Bolts

Tampa Bay 4, Montreal 3 (OT)

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- So Flippula is a healthy scratch for Tampa tonight, a result of him missing a team meeting. Tsk, tsk. 

- Bryon with an outstanding forecheck after dumping the puck in, combination of speed and tenacity pays off, as he feeds Radulov to give Habs 1-0 lead. Play started with Radulov making nice transition pass from his blue line on Bryon's tape. That's how you manufacture goals in the NHL.

- Bryon and Radulov definitely clicking tonight, Vasilevskiy looking uncertain at times with the puck. Early signs are not entirely positive for Tampa.

- Johnson evens the score, as Weber makes a poor play with the puck, turning it over at his line, two passes later, Johnson finishes the play. Weber's struggles aren't just with goal-scoring lately.

Tyler Johnson goal pic.twitter.com/2r5n2jdc3z

— Stephanie (@myregularface) December 29, 2016

- And of course, as I tweet all about how terrible Weber has been of late, he scores on the powerplay. So there's that. Also, the Tampa penalty kill is pretty much a disaster this year - so the Habs might not been done scoring on the man advantage tonight.

- Should we also mention that Paul Byron has been a monster this period? We should probably mention that.

- 5 minutes left, Plekanec/Flynn/Lehkonen line with a nice shift - they've also played a strong 1st period warrant keeping an eye on rest of this game.

- That's a good period for the Habs, one little defensive mistake costing a goal, but except for that, Tampa's scoring chances basically contained to nil. Bryon, Radulov and Lehkonen looking good again for the Canadiens - Tampa's offence, most of the time, looks lost - certainly not very efficient in how they gain the Habs zone.

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs with a 52.2 SA CF (5v5) after 1 period. 

- This Carey Price guy is kinda hard to score on.

Ridiculous Carey Price save #47631 pic.twitter.com/3wql6Hbja2

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) December 29, 2016

- Habs depth paying off dividends, not to mention getting them through this period of injury. It's Chris Terry finishing off a very smooth three way passing play, Carr and McCarron the setups. Tampa's defence has these occasional lapses in concentration that seem to be opening up some passing lanes. I know Tampa has injury troubles, but even that considered, this doesn't look like a team that's playing the fundamentals very well.

- Tampa's defence has gotten away with a bunch of plays that on most nights with most crews, would be called. It's keeping the Lightening in a game where for the most part, they're being outplayed.

- Gallagher, who's with Danault tonight, looks totally lost. It's kind of sad and very worrying to see how far he's regressed this season. Surely there's an unstated injury issue?

- That said, if it isn't working with Danault (it clearly isn't), why not give Gallagher some shifts with Plekanec and Lehkonen? Brian Flynn, who's only playing up the depth chart because of the injuries, has zero prospect for top 6 play (or for that matter, top 9), could be moved aside. 

- It's 3-1, but Habs defence hasn't been very tight around Price tonight - really playing low in front of him, lots of panic plays and scrambles for pucks, passing lanes have been pretty open too. 

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs receding a fair amount as the 2nd period progressed - their defensive play remains a concern - although Price looks very good tonight, Habs are just begging for trouble even with a 2 goal lead (but for how long?)

- Decent start to the period for the Habs, seem to be a little more aggressive with th forecheck, maybe hoping to stunt Tampa's ability to set up the play and carry speed into the Habs zone.

- Strong shifts by Gallagher and Pacioretty to start the period - Therrien recognizing their strong forecheck, giving them extra shifts.

- Shea Weber with a massive hit along the boards on Namestnikov, totally clean. Namestnikov slightly turning away from the play, his head down, never saw Weber coming. Devastating.

- Radulov with an error in judgement, a little too aggressive with his stick, nailed for an avoidable slash. Door opens up for Tampa here.

- Nathan Beaulieu with a strong PK shift, possibly saved a goal with a neat poke check in front of Price. Canadiens wise to return to some aggressive forecheck to regain some momentum. 

- Habs sloppy in their own zone again, and this time it costs them. Gallagher with a bad turnover along the boards, and Emelin does a weak job covering in front of price, Hedman tipping home a Kucherov shot, and it's 3-2.

- Shea Weber. More poor decision making. Tampa back to the powerplay with tons of momentum on its side. Not looking favourable for the Habs right now.

- Too many turkey dinners. Habs have lost their legs as this period winds down. Practically crawling in their zone.

- And there it is. Palat. Powerplay off Weber's dumb penalty. Game is tied.

- Game takes crazy turn, as Tampa gets nailed (rightly) for sneak change to set up a breakaway ... set play, but the officials were smart enough to spot it and call the Lightening for too many men. Habs powerplay mostly a mess, with Shea Weber somehow avoiding getting called for clear-cut trip in his own zone. Semi-disastrous period for the Habs, but then we mostly saw it coming because the Canadiens were playing so poorly in their zone 2nd half of the 2nd period, continuing into the 3rd. 

OVERTIME LIVE BLOG:

- Therrien starts Pacioretty/Byron/Weber. Two of those players has, for the most part, not played very well tonight.

- Radulov. Golden opportunity. Ideal shot. Passes to Pacioretty. No shot. Oy.

- And Johnson beats Price top corner. Game. Set. Match. We saw it coming, hoped it wouldn't come, it came and Montreal only gets a loser point. Frustrating.

THIS JUST IN: I'M TOO STUFFED TO WRITE ABOUT HOCKEY ANYMORE

Happy post-Christmas everyone!! Did you survive the weekend spent passively liking your relatives and faking grateful appreciation for the crappy useless junk you found under the dying spruce tree which you haven't watered in three week and is now a giant piece of kindling ready to create a blazing inferno of death in the middle your living room? NICE.

I've been spending the past few days stuffing my fat face and drinking my brother's 66 of scotch. Rolling out of a bed is now officially the hardest part of my day, usurping the process of looking myself in the mirror each morning and wondering where it all went so horribly wrong.

So ... I guess I'll still write about hockey. SIGHS. Tonight the Habs get back into action as they start their holiday week in sunny south Florida, where they'll take on the Tampa Bay Lightening.

So, Tampa. Where do we start? Disappointing? I supposed that's a good word to describe their 2016-17 season so far. The Lightening were reckoned to be an elite team in the Eastern Conference, but this season, they've strung together a downright mediocre 17 wins in 35 games, which, if the trend continues, likely won't be a good enough pace to qualify for the playoffs.

In fairness, Tampa has endured some pretty bad injuries to some very good players. First and foremost is Steven Stamkos, who's out until March with lateral meniscus tear. The Lightening haven't only lost their elite number 1 centre - they're also out Ben Bishop, who's gone for a month with a LBI, and then you toss in the names of other wounded skaters like Andrej Palat, Cedric Maquette, Ryan Callahan, each of whom are out of the lineup indefinitely, and it's been a rough year.

The loss of Stamkos, though, seems to have hit the Lightening particularly hard. Check out Tampa's stat line from last year to this year:

                      2015-16      NHL RANK      2016-17     NHL RANK
CF% (5v5)          52.5                6th                50.0               16th
GF60                 2.31                7th                2.22               12th

Interestingly, Tampa has maintained the line with shot production levels:

                        2015-16      NHL RANK      2016-17     NHL RANK
SF60                   29.3               14th                29.1              13th

So this year Tampa is still getting pucks on goal, but again, the lack of Stamkos weighs heavily, because, well, this:

That's Stamkos's career shooting percentages, which have consistently ranked in the League's top 10 among players with 60+ games/season, and among the top 5 among NHL centers.

In short, this Lightening team isn't nearly the same without him. Team shooting percentages are down, and with that, goals produced. You just can't replace elite.

The good news for Tampa is that Stamkos is due for return this season, although exactly when is unknown. If Tampa can scrape their way through the next three months and stay in the hunt for a playoff birth, his return might be all they need to get over the hump and into the post-season.

But until then, winning is going to be a tough battle.

Normally I'd say Tampa's task won't get much easier tonight as they take on the Habs, but as Canadiens' fans know (and can relate to), Montreal is dealing with their own stream of injuries, including the long-term loss of its number one centre, Alex Galchenyuk. Also on the not-playing list, David Desharnais, Andrew Shaw, Andrei Markov, and Greg Pateryn. Still, the Habbies are coming off two impressive loses at the hands of the two very tough opponents, the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, where the Canadiens, even with all their injuries, outplayed and outshot their opposition, but came up just short on the scoresheets.

So break's over!! It's time to get back to hockey that matters. Carey Price vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy. Puck drops at 7:10 EST.

Game 8: Bolts vs. Habs

FIRST PERIOD:

- Holy moly, do the Habs have some last minute lineup shuffling:

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

Hoo boy. Byron is apparently this season's Dale Weise. And yup, it's Pacioretty next to Desharnais again. Oy.

- Really not happy with the line combinations. Sure, it's early season, and it's the time for experimentations, but these are worrying early trends - overvaluing Byron's offensive abilities, and slowly working Desharnais into a top-6 assignment, when he's done fine this year as 3C.

- Weird deployments on Habs first powerplay, which goes nowhere. Therrien puts out Andrew Shaw for lion's share of the man advantage. He has nothing close to the skills required to be a positive contributor to this unit.

- Almost half done the first period, Tampa hasn't registered a shot on Price. Safe to say their chances of winning are fairly limited if this doesn't change.

- Habs really doing a lot of line matching in attempt to contain the Stamkos and Johnson line. It's pretty hard to argue with the results, as Carey Price has had little to do but stand in his crease the first 12 minutes of this period.

- Carey Price makes his first legit save courtesy a great glove pass up ice by Ben Bishop to spark a Tampa 2-on-1. Habs have had defined edge in the period, so it's essential that they be the first to score.

- Just like last night, not an enthralling first period of hockey - Habs did a decent enough job gaining the Tampa zone, but couldn't generate sustained pressure. Meanwhile the Bolts seem intent living (or dying) off the rush - they are the anti-Habs in that they prefer to carry the zone. So far, the Habs have done a relatively good job coming back to intercept their attacks. Net result is a scoreless period.



SECOND PERIOD:

- Wow, Nathan Beaulieu. Gloves dropped, one shot at Paquette and down. Sneaky tough is Beaulieu.

- Johnson line has not been good both ends of the ice for Tampa tonight, as he gets nailed for a trip.

- Apparently Desharnais is now the 1C for Habs powerplay, and his shift is, predictably, totally ineffective.

- Therrien is clearly trying to sneak Desharnais back into unearned minutes. Starting the season, Desharnais was barely getting 10 minutes a game. Now he's very close to having most time among Habs centres. Can you feel that 2015-16 magic?

- Pretty much a slog period of hockey - both teams are stacking their blue line, which has resulted in a good number of shots coming from 50+ feet. Price and Bishop are simply too good to be even remotely challenged.

- You might have thought Therrien might have shaken things up a little bit, just a little bit, to get something on the scoreboard. Nope. Still running the same lines he started with, with 5 minutes left in the 2nd.

- Alex Galchenyuk is one very frustrated hockey player right now. Seems like nothing he tries is quite working out. Still stuck on 1 goal for the season.

- Alex Emelin again fails to do the basics of guarding the slot, allowing Killorn to skate in unmolested to tip in a slap pass by Hedman and Tampa takes a 1-0 lead. Emelin has been guilty more than once this season making boner mistakes deep in his zone, but doesn't seem to face any consequences.

- 2nd period winding down, Therrien stubbornly sticking to obviously dysfunctional line combinations. Maybe the 3rd period will bring us something new.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Tampa after 40 minutes. Habs SA CF (5v5) 50.0%, 51.2% Fenwick:

- First line shakeup, Galchenyuk back to centring Gallagher and Radulov, and within 20 seconds, Habs go on the powerplay, thanks to Gallagher's mucking in front of Bishop.

- Therrien sends out Shaw *again* to start the powerplay, which is all kinds of madness.

- Ah, now we have the right players on the ice, Markov pin perfect pass to a streaking Galchenyuk working from the off wing, a one-time shot beats Bishop to tie the game. Frustration finally ended for AK27.

Pacioretty go-ahead goal pic.twitter.com/1LT1OvAxuY

— Stephanie (@myregularface) October 28, 2016

- Using them on the first line powerplay is indefensible, but the Pacioretty/Desharnais/Shaw line has been pretty damn good tonight, Pacioretty snapper, with Shaw putting on the screen, beats Bishop to give the Habs a 2-1 lead. As long as they produce, it's hard to second guess the line combinations.

- Habs 4th line has been pinned deep in their own zone wayyyy too much tonight. With 7 minutes left, Montreal might be wise just to shelve that line for the rest of the night.

- Tampa befuddled by Habs neutral zone pressure, unable to generate much more than long distance shots on Price. They'll need to start taking chances with just over 5 minutes left.

- There we have it, Tampa pushing forward taking chances, and seconds later, Radulov finds himself all alone in front of Bishop with both Tampa defenders well up the other side of the ice.

- Habs trapping the Bolts to death here. Tampa simply unable to gain control in the Habs zone. Price facing the occasional shot, but nothing sustained or dangerous. 2 minutes left.

- Fierce forecheck by Habs in the neutral zone causing chaos. Tampa has no apparent solution.

- Therrien sends out 4th line with a minute left.

- Mitchell empty netter. Habs still undefeated this season. Wowzers.

- Well, well, well. Habs beat their arch rivals from Tampa, and remain still the only team in the NHL undefeated in regulation. Carey Price was solid, as usual, and the Desharnais line, newly formed (reformed) created excellent sustained offensive pressure. Is this Habs team as good as their record suggests?? Maybe, just maybe it is so.

GAMEDAY LINEUPS:

Okay, fine. We'll do more today than just make fun of Leafs fans. Here are tonight's lineups, starting first with the visitors:

- Kucherov/Stamkos/Namestnikov
- Drouin/Johnson/Palat
- Killorn/Filppula/Point
- Paquette/Boyle/Brown

Hedman/Stralman
Garrison/Sustr
Coburn/Nesterov

Ben Bishop

And Les Habs:

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

Emelin/Weber (for how long?)
Markov/Petry (for how long?)
Beaulieu/Pateryn (for how long?)

Carey Price.

Also, are we going to see more of 51 with 67? Please, stop this from being a regular occurrence. PLEASE.

Puck drops 7:40 EST.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WE INTERRUPT THIS REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG TO MAKE FUN OF TORONTO:

Happy gameday! It seems like we were just watching the Habs win ANOTHER game. Oh right. We actually WERE just watching the Habs win another game. With less than 24 hours between games, we now feature an early season showdown between the two best teams (currently) in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Our Habbies, and the Steven Stamkos led Tampa Bay Lightening.

Normally we'd do the same old same old 2-3 paragraphs about each team, and maybe toss in the starting lineup, mix in some advanced stats to make myself look knowledgable about hockey, and maybe put up a video of bears in a paddling pool, and be done for the day.

Not today, though. No, no, no. Not today. Instead of giving you meaningful information, today I figured I'd give loyal readers (all 7 of you!) a special treat:

Toronto's Pathetic Fantasies About Steven Stamkos!

First let me say this about Leafs fans. They're hard freakin' core. When they get an idea in their heads, it's staying there 'till the bitter end. Which is why the Maple Leaf faithful were confident ... nay ... 100% iron-clad certain, that Stamkos was going to be "back home" this July 1st after signing a mega-million $ contract to join the Blue and White. Many became delusional with fevered fantasies that the Leafs Stanley Cup parade was just around the corner, and it would be led by one Steven (no middle name) Stamkos.

Just how hardcore are those Leafs fans? One fan, and this is actually true, snuck into the Leafs dressing room before Steve-o broke their hearts, and hung this baby up:

That's a personalized Leafs sweater. That's a $300 touch.

Ah, but that's just one measly sweater, you respond. Sure, it's stupid, but it's just one! Haha. I'm afraid not. You see, they were selling these all around Toronto. Top dollar. To wit:

People, actual mouth-breathing people, paid actual hard-earned cash for very, very expensive personalized jerseys. You might say "naw, I don't believe you. No way a fan base is THAT stupid." To which I say, THEY'RE STILL SELLING THEM.

Ah, but it didn't end with fools-and-their-monies. The photoshopin' nerds were out in full force, cranking out gems like this one, with Stamkos meeting the media (with Brian Burke???) as a newly signed Leaf:

That's adorable. It has the Rogers propaganda and everything. Here's a good one from some terrible publication called The Hockey Press:

Pretty decent Photoshoppin', admittedly. At least The Hockey Press was only reporting speculation that a Stamkos signing was imminent. TSN, who, the last time we checked, is still clinging to broadcast rights to Australian Rules Football, went one step further, and proclaimed "FOR SURE HE'S SIGNING WITH US!". They even did some horrible photoshopping just in case followers weren't 100% convinced:

Too bad TSN. Maybe in 2024? That's assuming, of course, that you still exist as a network.

At least they didn't make this mistake:

Ouch.

Game 82: Bolts vs. Habs

FIRST PERIOD:

- Goaltending misplay by Vasilevskiy gives the puck away to Gallagher behind the net, who feeds Galchenyuk for his 29th of the season. One more for Alex, and Max needs two to hit that big mark. Who knows? With the Bolts 2nd stringer in net, anything is possible.

- Now we wonder if Alex might be gunning for 40 if he had been played at his proper position the entire season?

- If the first 8 minutes are any indicator, Tampa is a total no-show tonight. Habs might be having this game handed to them on a platter.

- Considerable number of Habs on the ice tonight that may very well not play next season in a Habs uniform (or for that matter, perhaps not in the League, period). Will Dietz get another shot? Hanley? Mitchell? Eller?

_ Pretty good first powerplay by the Habs, I'm betting they finally figured it out. On the last day of the season.

- Pateryn, with Johnson off balance, cross-check/slams him into the backboards, Johnson down for a considerable amount of time with an apparent shoulder injury. Pateryn given 5 and the rest of the night off.

- What a terrible defensive breakdown by the Bolts, with a brief 4-on-4 underway, they leave Plekanec totally unmarked on an Eller rush. 2-0. That's not the way you want to see your team play headed into the post-season.

- The way they're playing, and with all their injuries, this Tampa team might be a prime first round exit candidate for the upcoming playoffs.

- Galchenyuk rings the post with seconds left in the period. Pretty one-sided for the Habs, Tampa seem to be just playing very carefully, trying to avoid injury. The irony being, they may have lost Johnson, which would be devastating. In any case, Habs seem to be in the process of having this game gifted to them, which will only lower their draft spot. Doesn't seem like a worthy price for the sake of a very meaningless victory tonight.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs more or less destroying Tampa tonight. Max his 29th (almost there!) and Galchenyuk with a brilliant bullet snap shot to snag him his 30th (yay!!!). 4-0. They're still pouring it on.

- Habs passing and puck control tonight begs the question, "where have you been all season?" Everything seems be tape to tape. Really remarkable.

- Speaking of passing, watch for just about everyone to be headed Pacioretty's way for the rest of the night (or until he scores #30).

- Tampa's powerplay also looks lethargic, just to pile on the problems this team has right now. I have no idea what Jon Cooper can do between tonight and Wednesday, maybe work a miracle or three, which is likely what it will take if this team is to advance very far in the post-season. Injuries considered, this is a very disorganized playing team right now.

- Byron, a (granted) ridiculously excellent pickup at the bargain basement price of zero, is the best shorthanded forward in the NHL. Sorry, but that's official.

#Habs: « Galchenyuk et Pacioretty n’ont généré aucune chance. Quand ça ne marche pas, tu n’as pas à attendre un mois. » - Michel Therrien.

— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) December 12, 2015

- Habs pouring it on this period, everything seems to be going right, while Tampa just wants to get the hell out of town ASAP. One period left before we can finally bury the season, and walk away. One bit of suspense to keep us engaged for 20 more minutes - will Max get his 30th? Be certain his teammates will do everything possible to make it happen.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Mad Max watch, Markov nifty blind pass off the rush to Pacioretty. Couldn't muster a shot, though. That's shift one. Still lots of opportunity left.

- Blunden crashes into Condon, while beating him with a shot off a juicy rebound. I think this will count, but stranger things have happened.

- Nope. Doesn't count. Goaltender interference. Everything coming up Habs tonight, they're getting the calls too.

- Even with management pretty much a catastrophe, Habs still have lots of optimism with the likes of Andrighetto, Carr and Byron taking a pretty big step forward this year. Allows the organization to clear away some of the midriff that comprises its 4th line, and maybe warrants consideration that only one winger of substance need be pursued this summer.

- Druoin scuttles the shutout, although Condon was off in a little bit of la-la-land, wandering out of his crease to cover the net while the puck was behind his net. 4-1.

- Check that, Palat with credit, Druoin picks up the assist.

- Blunden crashes Condon again, and gets nailed for interference. Pretty reckless play by the ex-Hab, nothing to prove or gain by that play, which looked like it had nothing but intent but to hurt the Canadiens' netminder.

- Drouin makes it 4-2, with the Habs defence looking pretty much like they have the whole season - slow, unstructured and disorganized. It ain't quite over ... yet.

- What's kind of nice about this mini-comeback, Tampa might actually empty their net, which means if Pacioretty is on the ice - well ... you figure it out.

- MAAAAAAAAX!!!!! 30th into the open net. Season finally ends on a nice note. Thanks for stoppin' by, folks.




Oh wait ... maybe not:

#Habs Asked M.Therrien if there are any issues with PK Subban and rest of team: "We'll do a season review when the time is right."

— Richard Labbé (@Richardlabbe) April 9, 2016

And we thought tonight would be the end of the nightmare? HA. Ain't see nothing yet.

Game 38: Habs vs. Bolts

OVERTIME:

- Habs and Lightening through 60 minutes:

- Habs really struggling to gain puck possession, which is key to these 3 on 3 things.

- Brian Flynn? With a minute left? For real??

- Weise with a pretty damn good shift to end the OT, and off to the shootout we go, which does not favour Condon very well. Really struggles with seeks.

- Flynn in the shootout is just a bizarre choice, but he scores.

- HABS ... WIN. PACIORETTY.  I'm exhausted. Worn out. 2016 can't come fast enough.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Lightening through 40 minutes:

- Alas, Galchenyuk falls from third spot for ice time, to seventh. Meanwhile, Desharnais is posting a 19% corsi tonight, and it just a few seconds away from a top 3 spot. Maddening because Cooper sees this, and exploits it, putting Stamkos out against defensively inept forwards like DD and Weise. This could be the Habs undoing this period.

- As expected, Cooper matching Stamkos against Desharnais, and as expected, Tampa generated good scoring opportunities. Whether the Habs can survive another 15 minutes of this, we'll have to see.

- Another matching shift, more scoring opportunities generated. Condon is going to need at least two or three big saves the remainder of this game, if the Habs hope to hold on.

- Cooper taking aim at matching against the DD and Habs 4th line, which not by coincidence, have the worst CF% for the Habs tonight (by far).

- Habs not entirely sitting on this one goal lead, but they're clearing the puck out of their zone as quickly as possible, be dammed whether the puck is actually fed to a forward.

- Condon slow moving one side of the net to the other, Garrison slips it past, and the game is tied. Habs couldn't hold on.

- And it all comes undone in a flash. Callahan. Funky bounce of the puck, Condon out of position. 3-2.

- Therrien with a completely pointless challenge, for goaltender interference, which clearly didn't happen.

- So of course, challenge is denied. Habs lose their timeout. What Therrien was thinking ... who knows?

- The reality is, the Habs have been, with spots of an offensive spark here an there, been outplayed since the 10 minute mark of the 1st period. So if they do lose (again), they'll have nobody but themselves to blame.

- Well, wow. Dale Weise had scored a goal some 30 seconds before a penalty was called. They had to go to Toronto to review it, and unbelievably, the game is tied. Never seen anything like that before.

- Crazy. And now Cooper is challenging that found goal, saying Bishop was bumped before Weise scored.

- And that's denied. Tampa loses their timeout, game is tied. What else is next?

- Tight games are invariably decided by timely offensive and apt goaltending, both factors of which have gone completely south for the Habs in December. So who do you like to win this?

- Also, not taking dumb penalties. Torrey Mitchell nailed for a hook. Tampa's terrible (?) powerplay goes to work for the win.

- Habs survice, after Tampa makes a comedy of errors with the man advantage, and now it's a sprint to the finish. Good end to end action here, can't see this game going all the way to a shootout.



SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Lightening through 20 minutes:

- Dale Weise (le sigh) leading all Habs forwards with 6:21 of ice time. That's the sad old news. The good news? Alex Galchenyuk cracked the top three, with 5:45. Whether that holds over 60 minutes is another story.

- Given how their talent, Tampa's powerplay doesn't look very intimidating. It's been a real sore spot with this team all season, and if their first try was any illustration, I can see why.

- Habs have played a pretty agressive tight checking period so far. Really limiting Tampa's ability to generate much of a threatening rush.

- Sigh. T.J. Luxmore, who's not a very good referee, certainly not NHL-level official, with a very poor hooking call on Markov. Tampa strike on the powerplay, Kucherov taps the puck that Condon probably should have handled. Game tied.

- Yeah, Condon batted the puck into his own net. He's played well tonight, but you just can't have your goaltender letting those in on a team as fragile as the Habs are right now.

- 8 minutes into the 2nd period, Tampa are really taking over the game - Habs tenacious checking that started the period is all but gone, team seems deflated by that Lightening goal - as if the team is collectively uttering "oh no, not again".

- Condon getting pelted at the moment, although the shots are at least coming from longer distances. It's the scrambly stuff that's been Condon's undoing for much of the past 45 days or so.

- Alex Galchenyuk helps get his team off the hook, at least for now, with a nice effort dangling the puck to feed Markov, who returns the favour, and a one-timer beats Bishop. Credit to Carr for doing the hard work generating puck turnover behind the Lightning goal to start the goal event. Habs retake the lead, 2-1.

- Habs feeding off an obvious rush generated by that Galchenyuk goal, Tampa on their heels, pinned in their zone. Plekanec nearly makes in 3-1.

- Condon with a nice diving save on Namestnikov, mainly because Dale Weise plays a terrible two-way game, and doesn't hustle back after carelessly giving the puck up at centre ice.

- Condon fighting the puck, but making spectacular saves off rebounds. Bottom line, Habs still have the lead.

- Condon likes to belly flop, which is usually a goaltending no-no, but it's been working well so far in this period.

- Tampa still holding a defined edge in play, especially in that first period. Still, it's a relief to see the Habs not only have a lead at this point of a game, but production from the likes of Plekanec, and of course, Galchenyuk, who's been the Habs only sole-bright light this month. Can they hold on for an actual win tonight?


FIRST PERIOD:

- Well, Emelin finally gets scratched, which is just fine. It still, however, doesn't not excuse or explain why Therrien kept giving him regular shifts while benching Tinordi Saturday, when it was very clear from the 1st period that Emelin was having a horrible night.

- Also on the deservedly scratched list, Devante Smith-Pelly, who's been a total zero since coming off the injury list. FINALLY, Sven Andrighetto.

- In case I hadn't made it clear before, the acquisition of Ben Scrivens is a relatively minor one, even though his salary is much higher than I would have liked. Surely, there are other options out there for an AHL, Sub-NHL backup netminder? The only thing that really concerns me is that Bergevin was motivated to make the trade because the injury to Carey Price is long-term, and the front office has determined that (probably) Dustin Tokarski can't play in the bigs any more.

- T.J. Luxmore, who is working this game, is one of my least-favortte officials. He calls a very inconsistent game, and often is suckered by flops and dives.

- Kilhorn, and here comes the Habs powerplay. Let's see who Therrien uses as first pp line ...

- ... Desharnais. Because .. of course.

- Actually, Desharnais was used at the point, which makes no sense to me whatsoever. Their shift goes nowhere, but Plekanec/Andrighetto looked pretty good moving the puck around the Bolts' zone.

- Cooper matching up the Stamkos line against the Flynn line. Why wouldn't he not?

- I'm sure Barberio couldn't believe he had all that open ice between him and Bishop. Overhanded the puck, didn't really get a shot on Bishop.

- Mike Condon is gonna get a shutout tonight, as long as the Habs are able to keep Tampa from registering a shot on goal, as they have through the first 8 minuets of this period.

- Halfway through the first, Habs dominating possession, but Tampa getting higher quality scoring opportunities ... Condon making a couple of nice saves. Really hope he has a good night in goal. He had a pretty good one against the Caps, all things considered.

- Barberio with a foolish blind pass from his corner up the middle, which is picked off, as they usually are. Nervous mistake I'm sure, but it's one that Therrien usually doesn't forgive easily.

- Nice physical play by Eller, giving Brown a good hard hit in front of his own bench. If Lars is having trouble putting pucks in net, he's at least got the frame to hit a few opposing bodies.

- Did Plekanec score? Was it even strength? Yes and yes. Going to the net for rebounds really does pay off. Pleck's first even-strength goal since (for real) October 17th. 1-0 Habs. What? Habs scored first? Bonus.

- This is one of the few times THIS MONTH where the Habs haven't been chasing a lead. I'm not sure how to react, or even how this team might react. But it must feel awfully nice.

- Don't like what I've seen from the Habs 4th line in this period, they're getting killed by Cooper's line matching, but that aside, can't argue with having an actual lead on the scoreboard. Habs did have a modest edge in play, with exception to the 2nd third of the period, in which Tampa outshot the Habs 7-1. Still, leading at any point in a game, early or late, can do wonders for team confidence.

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING, MICHEL THERIEN ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE

In the midst of a road trip through hell, the Montreal Canadiens seek to avoid their 7th straight loss tonight as they visit Tampa Bay to take on the suddenly revived Lightening.

It has been, to put it mildly, a difficult month for the Habs. Difficult as in, quite possibly the worst December of hockey played by the franchise in its 106 year history. As one loss has piled on top of another, speculation has mounted about the future of the Canadiens' beleaguered head coach, Michel Therrien. That speculation appeared to reach a frenzied new height on the Twitterverse following the Canadiens' dismal 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals on Saturday night.

That Therrien might be facing dismisses isn't unprecedented, at least for Michel Therrien. It was nearly 8 years ago that the Pittsburgh Penguins, who many had penned to be Stanley Cup favourites heading into the 2007-08 season, were struggling mightily to even qualify for a playoff spot. In early February, the Pens finally let relieved Therrien of command over the underachieving club. Four months later, the Penguins were hoisting their 3rd franchise Stanley Cup.

The parallels are eerily similar. While perhaps not outright favourites, the Habs were certainly in the conversation at the start of the year as Cup contenders. They definitely were mentioned along with one or two other teams, as the favourite to be the Eastern Conference representative in the championship final. However, since the Habs latest slide, just one lonely win this month, the team has gone from thinking about running away with the President's Trophy, to merely thinking about qualifying for a wild card birth.

With all-world goaltender Carey Price, one of the top three defensemen in the League in P.K. Subban, one of the top five forwards in the League in Max Pacioretty, and a huge supporting crew of excellent players including Brendan Gallagher, Andrei Markov, Alex Galchenyuk, Jeff Petry, Nathan Beaulieu, just to mention a few, the Habs haven't seen this kind of team depth in perhaps 35 years.

So with the team now facing the possibility of not even being in the playoffs, one could understand why there's been so much speculation about Therrien's future, right?

While yours truly has been particularly critical of the coach and the seemingly endless wrongheaded decisions he makes, especially in the manner in how he deploys the numerous assets at hand, one must be realistic about the odds of Therrien being dismissed by General Manager Marc Bergevin.

The reality is, it's not going to happen. At least, it's not going to happen any time soon.

A sure indication that a coach is nearing the end of his rope are signals that the man he reports to is, or has lost confidence in his abilities to manage the bench. The events of today, specifically the acquisition of Ben Scrivens, send a pretty clear message that Bergevin hasn't lost confidence in Therrien.

How so? Well, in the midst of this losing streak, specifically in the lead-up to the holiday break, Therrien made what appeared to be an off-the-cuff remark, but was, in reality a very carefully spoken remark in a post-game scrum, in which he called out the team's goaltenders, Mike Condon and Dustin Tokarski. It is unusual, some might say folly, for any coach during a losing streak, to single out players for not performing up to snuff, but there Therrien was, dragging a couple of bodies into the middle of the street for disposal under the team bus.

Bergevin's acquisition of Scrivens is as sure an indication that the General Manager still retains full and complete confidence in his coach. Scrivens, who makes a tremendous amount of money for a goaltender who recently has had trouble proving that he's AHL qualified goaltending material, was, nonetheless, sought and traded for. On paper, he makes little sense - his large salary, well over $2 million annually, will eat up a good chunk of what's remaining on the Habs cap, while bringing a sub .900 SV% record.

It's a trade that reeks somewhat of panic, but unquestionably underlines a clear indication that the coach has lost his confidence in both Condon and Tokarski, and with that off-the-cuff remark to the media, made a direct appeal to his boss to find somebody, anybody, who could stop a puck better than what the Habs have right now.

Bergevin could have easily dismissed Therrien's request, and the man himself. Instead, he heeded the words, and made the deal.

Michel Therrien isn't going anywhere. Marc Bergevin, for good or bad, has spoken today.

Habs will attempt to officially avoid one of their worst seasons in franchise history tonight in Tampa.

The puck drops at 7:40 EST.



WELCOME TO MONTREAL, BEN SCRIVENS?

If you woke up this morning to discover that Marc Bergevin traded for a very expensive netminder who's barely holding on to his job in the AHL, it's probably best you just go back to bed.



NOPE. STILL NOT QUITE RIGHT:

#Habs: les trios du jour. Pacioretty-Desharnais-Weise Eller-Galchenyuk-Carr Fleischmann-Plekanec-Andrighetto Flynn-Michell-Byron

— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) December 27, 2015

Note to the coach: You're not helping your team by stubbornly, if not obsessively, putting your best forward next to two of your worst.

Game Sixty-Seven: Bolts vs. Habs

OVERTIME:

- A preposterous point earned tonight. Two points would be an absurdity.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Tampa with little over 60% possession through two periods. I expected higher.

- Bolts just passing the puck at will, controlling the tempo, having their way in the Habs zone. Their opponent can barely muster up a rush. Almost zero possession in the Tampa zone.

- Palat didn't return to the bench to start the period, apparently he's done for the night.

- Nearly halfway through the 3rd, Habs have registered one shot on Bishop.

- Carey Price with an amazing sprawling save on Callahan. Yet another night where it appears as though he's one of the very few players in red that's bothered showing up to play.

- Eight minutes left. Habs still stuck on one SOG.

- Credit to Tampa, they have every right to be incredibly frustrated right now, but they aren't playing that way.

- Two shots on goal. Two. Shots. On. Goal. Score after 60 minutes: Tampa Bay Lightening 0, Carey Price, 0.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Well, it took until the five minute mark of the second period, but Habs finally test Bishop, with a little net crashing to boot. Nonetheless, Habs offensive output has been pretty disorganized and clunky, the usual suspect reasons, inabilty to move the puck effectively south-north.

- Therrien now matching Plekanec on Stamkos.

- Half way through the period, Tampa taking over this game, while the Habs are simply hanging on. Bolts are gaining free zone entry reign, while the Habs are just lobbing very low percentage passes forwards hoping for a miracle break. Really awful hockey being played by the home team right now.

- Two swarms around Price on the same shift, Carey somehow keeps the Bolts off the board. Habs with an excellent headless chicken impersonation there not nce, but twice.

- Absolute offensive ineptitude by the home team tonight. Tampa isn't doing anything special, they don't have to because the Habs are insistent on giving the puck away with seemingly every opportunity. 

- Another penalty as a result of being outskated - this time it's a Pacioretty slash. Sigh.

- I suppose the Habs PK has played well, and Carey Price has been his usual great self. But those removed, the game has been dominated by one team from just about every angle.

- Bishop with a ridiculous rebound save on De la Rose. Habs nearly had an astounding 1-0 lead.

- Habs looked terrible and were roundly dominated. A minor miracle that the game is still scoreless through 40 minutes. I don't care how great Price is, no way the Habs will survive if they play another period like the did in the 2nd frame. 

FIRST PERIOD:

- Aggressive start for the Habs, specifically the forecheck. Putting Tampa off balance. Pleased with that.

- Therrien appears to be favouring De la Rose 4th line to keep Stamkos et al., in check. Not sure I agree with that.

- 8 minutes into the period, Tampa now gaining their legs, Habs struggling to keep pace, in particular the forwards.

- Classic example of being outskated, Desharnais with a poor slash, generating game's first powerplay.

- Nice kill, but marginal hooking call on Gilbert. Officials seem determined to put their stamp of authority on this, which always hurts game quality.

- Twice Plekanec has had a shorthanded two-on-one break with Pacioretty, twice he's completely muffed it up.

- Petry looks in fine form yet again tonight. Utterly baffling how bad the Oilers were defensively, with him on their roster for so many years. 

- DSP with a thundering body on Boyle. Tampa takes great exception to an excellent check. He might not be able to score, but those hits are a valuable offensive asset. Anyway, Boyle looked totally dazed getting back to his bench after absorbing the hit.

- Stamkos slashes Gallagher and gets caught. Oh dear, oh dear. Bishop hasn't really been tested so far, maybe this powerplay will open a door.

- Not one of Plekanec' better periods for either receiving or passing the puck. Lots of good developing plays for the Habs this period have ended with an unforced error by Thomas.

- Weise on the powerplay. AKA the white flag. 

- Even period, Tampa with four more shots mainly because of their powerplays. Habs, for the most part, were pretty tidy in their zone, and the Stamkos line was mostly contained. This game will largely be decide by whomever makes fewer mistakes (and who can most take advantage of errors).

GAME DAY PREVIEW: TONIGHT'S A MUST-SEE EVENT!

Yay! A game that matters! A showdown for first place! It's coach vs. former-assistant-coach! It's Bishop vs. Price! It's Pacioretty vs. Stamkos! Subban vs. Stralman! NAMESTNIKOV VS. FLYNN. Wait, who?

Yay! A game that matters! A showdown for first place! It's coach vs. former-assistant-coach! It's Bishop vs. Price! It's Pacioretty vs. Stamkos! Subban vs. Stralman! NAMESTNIKOV VS. FLYNN. Wait, who?

Anyway, there's plenty of hype about tonight because, as noted, this marks the first of three games that will feature these two teams before the regular season wraps up. Whomever wins this best-of-three is likely to claim first place in the Atlantic Division, which would likely mean either team would have the luxury of meeting a wildcard opponent in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

So there's a bit on the line this eve, and maybe even a little rivalry starting to develop? Tampa is still steamed and stung over getting swept by the Canadiens last spring, while the Habs aren't particularly enamored with the Bolts in light of a couple of thumpings they've taken from the Tampa earlier this season, by 4-2 and 7-1 scores.

So with that in mind, here's what the Habs will be lining up tonight:

Line 1: Pacioretty/Desharnais/Weise
Line 2: Galchenyuk/Plekanec/Gallagher
Line 3: Eller/De la Rose/Smith-Pelly
Line 4: Prust/Flynn/Mitchell

Backend:

- Markov/Subban
- Gilbert/Petry
- Beaulieu/Gonchar

- Carey Price

On the other side of the line, Tampa's big feature is their power line comprised of Steven Stamkos, Ryan Callahan and Alex Killorn. The formula for Habs success is rather straightforward - contain that line, and their chances of winning increase significantly. It's likely that Michel Therrien, with the luxury of last change, will be matching up Stamkos with the Plekanec line. With Bishop and Price starting, and assuming both first lines are able to keep each other in check, don't be surprised if the red light doesn't flash very many times tonight.

A few minor details - Tampa's J.T. Brown is out, as he's dealing with an upper body injury. The Habs are, as they have been for most of the season, quite healthy, meaning that the scratches are all healthy: P.A. Parenteau, Manny Malhotra and Mike Weaver. For Tampa, it's defenseman Nikita Nesterov.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST.





HAPPY MONDAY WE MISS YOU GUY BOUCHER EDITION!

Oh Guy. Oh Guy. We wonder how things are working out for you out in the middle of western Europe? It's probably been pretty sweet. Switzerland is a lovely, sleepy country. Lots of people go there just to retire. You went there because you weren't able to do what Gerard Gallant has done this year - make the Tampa Bay Lightening a pretty good hockey team.

It's okay, Guy. We'll have you back. Once reality sets in that our current coaching staff are finally deemed woefully unable to maximize the full potential of an otherwise deep roster of players. Heck, the current group of bench managers can't even get average performance out of their lineup. But we've talked about that before. About a kajillion times. You'll be back, Guy. You'll be back.

Speaking of being back (or not), P.A. Parenteau appears to be relegated to non-playing status - perhaps permanently? Habs practice lines this Monday morning:

Line 1: Pacioretty/Desharnais/Weise
Line 2: Galchenyuk/Plekanec/Gallagher
Line 3: Eller/De La Rose/DSP
Line 4: Prust/Flynn/Mitchell

Not even a line three consideration. Nuffin'.

Oh well. Same lineup. Same misuse of players. Same putting centers on the wing. Same putting wings at centre. Same putting 4th liners on the 1st line. Same. Same. Same. Same.

We miss you Guy.

More in a bit.