Game Ten: Habs vs. Canucks

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Canucks through 40 minutes. Habs more shots, attempts, possession, yadda yadda. Only the scoreboard counts:

- Habs unleash the hounds, come out of the gate at about 87 mph. Still can't generate good quality shots on Miller, though.

- Finally. Torrey Mitchell continues his remarkable start to the season, deflecting an Emelin shot from the line, and the Habs have life. They're pouring it on. Another quick one, and this game is ON.

- Semin doesn't hustle to the bench on a powerplay line change, and Habs get nailed for too many. That won't endear his chances staying in this lineup as the road trip continues.

- Canucks, of course, score on their powerplay. Off two crazy lucky bounces, of course. Habs streak ends at 9. There was no way this Habs team was going to overcome the bad breaks. So the defeat can be rationalized. 

- Yeek. Emelin recklessly pinches, then falls flat on his face, then on the breakout, puck is banked off Semin into the net. Another goal courtesy a silly bounce. Meh. Game is a total write-off.

- This game is LOLZ. Gotta take it with some humour. Just about everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. But nobody on the Habs got injured, except for maybe a little pride. Edmonton next, in what should be a very interesting game featuring a high octane offence against a somewhat disorganized Habs defence. I'd be inclined to play Price Thursday, and Condon Friday. We'll see what Therrien decides. NOW GO TO BED EVERYONE.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Canucks through 20 minutes: 

- Well, decent enough first five minutes for the Habs, seemingly focused on just getting pucks on Miller. Canadiens seem to be doing a better job forcing turnovers, which will be key to any possible Montreal comeback.

- Not point producing, but Semin having a pretty decent outing tonight. One of the few Habs forwards doing a decent job covering both end zones.

- Habs pressing, but not generating Grade A scoring chances on Miller yet. Really starts (and ends) with their own zone, which has been mostly chaotic tonight, especially gaining the line with organized puck control.

- Pacioretty beats Miller through the arm with one of his awesome snap shots, puck dribbles behind Miller ... and wide. Just isn't happening tonight. 

- Beaulieu has struggled with the puck tonight, made a few careless passes in his zone, seems to be pressing a little too hard in the O zone. 

- As we go deeper into the game, Therrien would be wise to give extra shifts to his two best lines tonight - Plekanec and Galchenyuk. Desharnais line has been a mess, while the 4th line hasn't really created much momentum or energy. 

- Habs really needed a goal in the second, but couldn't quite find the back of the net. Even with zone coverage issues, and poor zone exits, the Habs have still been the better team tonight, but hockey is a game whose winners are frequently determined by good, or bad luck. Tonight, the Habs have had plenty of the later, far too much to overcome. Looking very unlikely the Canadiens can extend their streak to 10. 

FIRST PERIOD:

- Curse of the old teammate strikes again - Prust with a relatively harmless snapshot that Price somehow misplays by waving out his glove, the puck dropping behind him, and tipped into the net by McCann. An auspicious start.

- Price misplays the puck. Check. Puck drops right behind him for easy tip-in goal. Check. Gallagher rings a slap shot off the post. Check. Yup. Feels like the puck luck Gods might be making a withdrawal from the overdue Habs account.

- Okay, stumble out of the gate because of Price's error, but since that goal, Habs have pretty much dominated. Miller saved by a post and a couple of bouncing pucks the Habs couldn't quite bury.

- Canadiens dominate, and Vancouver, courtesy a ridiculous bounce, take a 2-0 lead during a delayed penalty call. Puck luck all against the Habs, which during this incredibly streak, has much more often than not, been in their corner. Not tonight.

- Miller with a ridiculous save on Desharnais off a 2-0 break with Fleischmann. Ye Gods, that's enough already. 

- Very marginal interference call on Fleischmann, who was digging for the puck in the Canucks corner. Nothing going Habs way tonight.

- Prust to McCann. Again. It's 3-0. That goal wasn't luck, it was winning the faceoff deep, and Desharnais doing a poor job covering their assignments. Canadiens with a huge hole to climb out of, if they wan't to get to 10.

- Upside to this game, Habs will almost certainly not have the League's largest PDO at the end of the night.

- Habs forwards doing a very poor job coming back to, and covering their zone, also getting their clocks cleaned winning puck battles at centre ice. Price facing some howitzers from the slot, barely keeping his team in this game.

- First genuine disaster of a period for the Habs this season, they looked good out of the gate, Price let in a goal that shouldn't have been a goal, and the puck just seemed to keep bouncing Vancouver's way. This is not to take away from the Canucks - they were a superior team especially in the neutral zone, which helped them to generate turnovers leading to numerous scoring opportunities. Three goals is not an impossible lead to overcome, but it's awfully tough. 

CELEBRATING THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS LEGACY. 45 YEARS OF NOTHING

Oh, Vancouver. Whatever would you do without Toronto? For years the fans of hockey have made countless jokes about the ineptitude of the Maple Leafs, now 48 years since their last championship. But ya know what, Vancouver? At least Toronto, in all of their futility, actually has won a championship. 15 of them, as a matter of fact.

You? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. in 45 years.

Oh sure, you've been to the big show. Three times, as a matter of fact. Once in 1981, when your club made an improbable, only to get steamrolled by the Islanders in four games. And then there was 1994, when you managed to heartbreak your followers by losing to the Rangers by one goal, in the 7th game.

And then, of course - 2011, where you choked the big one - up 3-2 to a reeling Boston Bruins team, you managed to lose the first chance of clinching in Boston, and then you got destroyed by the Bruins in game 7, right in your own rink. Your fans were not pleased. Many moaned. Many cried. Many rioted in the streets.

Now? You're still nothing. You're a team whose previous general manager somehow managed to find a way of converting two premier goaltenders, Roberto Luongo, and Cory Schiender, into career backup Jacob Markstrom (career .896 SP), Shawn Matthias (no longer playing for you), and Bo Horvat (okay, you at least got SOMETHING). Still, to take two Grade A- commodities and to convert them into so little ... well, it basically set the table for the Canucks' grand decline. Once a League leader, Vancouver's hopes are now pinned on making the post season. That's about it.

Woe, Vancouver. Tonight you have to take on the team that's off to the greatest season start in NHL - the Montreal Canadiens, who are setting new records with every recorded victory, now at 9 - the most of any team to win in regulation to start a campaign. You have to face the likes of Max Pacioretty, P.K. Subban, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov, and Brendan Gallagher, whom, by the way, comprise 5 of the top 6 players in the NHL in +/-.  Oh, right. One other thing. Carey Freakin' Price, the best hockey player on the face of planet Earth.

Oh sure Canucks fans, you'll tell us YES BUT WE HAVE THE SEDIN'S!! Well, goodie good for you. Are you referring to the twin brothers of 35 years of age, both playing on your first line, both with a combined point total of 9, two less than Pacioretty? We're shaking in our boots. We're shaking.

You cannot hide. You must face us hockey's caged ring like the dogs you are. You must capitulate to the awesome offensive and defensive power that is the Montreal Canadiens. You will be thrashed. You will be humiliated. And, at the end of the night, you, like so many of your fans, will shead many tears.

Puck drops at 10:10 EST. You'll want to stay up for this one.

Game Eleven: Habs vs. Canucks

Overtime:

- If Therrien plays it smart, he heavily rotates his best forwards tonight. Eller, Galchenyuk, Gallagher.

- A horrible, just horrible interference call on Gilbert. What. The. Heck?

- Emelin wandering somewhere else, leaving Daniel totally unchecked. Why Emelin was on the ice is also a mystery. 3-2 final.

Third Period:

- Emelin back for the third. Still doesn't change the fact that Burrow's hit was suspendable.

- Eller line, especially Eller has worked so hard tonight, and can't buy a goal or break. Argh.

- And Price whiffs on a snapper. A bad goal. Go figure. 2-0.

- Halfway through the 3rd, Habs offense simply throwing darts in the dark and hoping it hits something. It's not going to work.

- And a dart hits a target. Holy moly, was it Bourque?

- Nay. Galchenyuk. Didn't see the number clearly. How could I possibly have mixed those two up? It's late guys, so very late.

- Oh yeah, Galchenyuk is playing centre. Should have mentioned that.

- Habs get penalized. It was inevitable. A real softie on Eller. Officials were looking for something, anything, to calm the crowd, I suspect.

- Huge defensive breakdown by the Canucks and Pacioretty buries the puck off a beauty Weiss pass. The Habs do it again in the third period.

- And the Habs earn at least a point. They find a way, even though they could only muster 6 measly shots on Miller.

Second Period:

- Good news considered with the Habs finally doing more of zone carrying, the team is still doing the same old chopping of the puck up the boards to clear a zone. It's pretty much wrecking their neutral zone transition, and generating a mountain of icings.

- Jarad Tinordi might be one of those guys that has a decently long, totally goalless NHL career.

- Horrid turnover by Emelin on a horrid pass. 1-0 'Nucks. After the horrid pass, Burrows with flagrant head shot on Emelin. Almost nobody notices or cares, but Therrien is fuming at the officials.

- The clowns that work for Sportsnet called the Burrows headshot "finishing his check". Guess what guys? Burrows is going to get a suspension for that.

- I swear, sometimes I think Price has see-through vision.

- Habs looked so good in the first period. This period? Not so much.

- Another fantastic shift by Eller. Wish these would pay off for him with goals/points.

- Put Eller with just about anyone else other than who he's saddled with now, and he scores points. Guaranteed.

First Period:

- Well lo and behold, Therrien starts Eller. I'm of the mindset that Therrien is now doing this stuff to drive us crazy, or maybe Bergervin did an intervention. Anyway, it's good news.

- That's a weird call by Walsh who didn't call a slash until Weise demonstrated his stick had been chopped in half. That's not good officiating. It was clearly a slash regardless of a broken stick.

- Pretty sure there nobody better stopping point blank snap shots in this League than Carey Price.

- That little two on one is a pretty good demonstration why Galchenyuk has a way to go before he can play centre.

- Another futile road powerplay attempt. 0 for the last 23 (actually, zero for the season, unbelievably). Anyway, Habs are at least now carrying the zone - which is a step in the right direction. Still, bushels of passes and nobody either willing to, or able to, take a damn shot on goal.

- Desharnais is just so predictable now. Take puck, carry, try to pass to Pacioretty. Rinse, repeat. 

- Habs have been consistently carrying the puck in, perhaps more so than any game I've ever seen with Therrien behind he bench. I'm ... impressed.

- Bourque and now Prust, so many criticize Eller for his lack of production, but really ... look at what the poor guy is saddled with.

- Carey Price, again carrying (yeah yeah) more than his share of the load.

- Pleasing period. Habs were clearly attempting to so more, way more, zone entires either carry or passing the puck. Dumps were few and far between. It's as though the team had an epiphany. "Hey wow, we have speed and skill, let's try using it!". Anyway, I'm happy.

Gameday Game Preview:

Vancouver! What a beautiful city! The city of champions like ... the ... uh ... well ... anyway ... Stanley Park! It's beautiful! Hey, look over there. A pot smoking hippie. Lots of them in these parts. And over here is Granville Island. So much beautiful fresh food to buy. And if you look to your left, we see a tire fire from a riot. And straight ahead, why, that's Gastown. Are you a heroin addict by chance? GREATrw!

Actually, Vancouver is a very nice place mostly comprised of nice people. The weather, when it isn't raining four consecutive months, is pretty nice, especially for those of us who endure Canadian Prairie winters. And it's hockey team is ... well ... did I mention the weather? It's very nice.

The Vancouver Canucks. Dear, or dear. What to say. They were following the quintessential blueprint for building a champion so well for so many years. Drafting well, developing young talent into stars. Signing sold third and fourth line free agents here and there. It got them a ticket to a Stanley Cup final, which is pretty impressive. But then there was the goaltending, and the chocking, and then misappropriation of key assets, and then everything just kind of fell apart. And then most of the front office decision makers were fired. And now ... they're rebuilding.

It's not a riot zone of destruction, mind you. The Canucks still retain some pretty good assets like Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Ryan Miller was picked up during the summer, as was centre Nick Bonio and defenseman Radim Vbrata, Still, these Canucks are a team that didn't come close to making the post-season last year, and even with the change of front office guard, and an attempt to refresh and reinvigorate their starting lineup, it remains highly unlikely Vancouver will be able to claim a wild card spot in the tough Western Conference.

Now. We shift to Habsland. Lots of things happening today.

First, a small review of the last game against Edmonton. What a mess. The night somehow salvaged by an unbelievable performance by Carey Price, who spends far too much time making his coach look good by standing on his head.

Speaking of the coach ... hoo boy. Developments today. Lars Eller, one of the few guys who's actually played a relatively consistent  game this season, despite a low point total (but I mean, look at who he's saddled with on each wing, folks), is a healthy scratch tonight. It's an absolutely perplexing decision by Therrien, especially when you consider how many other players have been consistently worse this season, the foremost being, to no one's surprise, Rene Bourque.

Yet, Bourque gets a pass, and Eller gets a sit in the press box.

Eventually, you just have to wonder what runs through the mind of one Michel Therrien. It's pretty clear right now, it isn't sound judgement or logic.

Puck drops at 10:10 est. Grab your jammies and a cup of coffee.

Oh yeah. Fire Therrien.

Game Fifty-Eight: Canucks vs. Habs

Third Period:

- Canucks 53% Corsi 60% Fenwick 5v5 (close) through 40. Don't see that corresponding with what I've witnessed tonight (more even), but still those are troubling figures. Forbidding 3rd period lays ahead.

- Corsi differential: Briere -8, Gorges -9, Subban -9. Ouch.

- Bournival hasn't returned. I'm hoping his injury isn't concussion related. His absence would be a significant loss.

- Ryan White looks like an entirely different player since his return, for all the right reasons.

- Pacioretty don't need no stinkin' penalty shots. Desharnais outstanding puck control to carry to the slot and make a pretty dish for the easy goal. Critical insurance goal for the Habs.

- So Habs generate mounds of momentum taking firm control of the game and then send out too many men. Hoo boy.

- Canucks forced to open up, generating odd man rushes, and Plecks banks one off Edlers skate past Luongo. Stranglehold 4-1 lead.

- Vancouver's biggest issue by far tonight is how casual and sloppy their defense has performed, especially with zone coverage. There are no quick or easy fixes for that kind of poor play. If this is indicative of what's been hampering the Canucks the past month, they'll be in tough for a playoff spot.

- According to ESPN, Pacioretty is the first player in NHL history to have been awarded two penalty shots in the same period. Grats Max! We'll try to forget how those attempts went.

- Edler scores on the powerplay. Doug Murray once again just standing around watching. 4-2.

- Here's Murray with that stellar brick wall PK play.:

- What's really frustrating is that you just know Therrien has bought into the Murray myth of effective crease defense. The reality is, Murray is as slow as he is completely indifferent about using muscle to protect his goaltender. It's inexcusable.

- Habs opening up the gates and letting Price do the hard work. 40+ shots for Vancouver, and counting.

- Canucks not giving up. Can't argue, the shot volume has been pretty one-sided. Empty net now.

- Vancouver blitzing Price. Habs in front ridiculously passive.

- Parches ends it with a hat trick. Imagine if he had converted on the penalty shots. By far the Habs best forward right now. By far.

- Well, it's more of the same old story. Habs outplayed by their opponent, but are carried to victory on the shoulders of the few. Tonight it was Pacioretty and Price who dominated and pushed Montreal to a win. The fundamental challenges this team faces are the same. The metrics are unchanged. This team has surrendered possession, and leans almost totally on its netminding to win games.

Second Period:

- Emelin called for phantom trip on Hansen about 8 feet in front of the official. Canucks with 4 straight minutes of PP going.

- Luongo game saving save on Prust. Going down 3-0 with the man advantage would have been lights out.

- How big was that save? Higgins redeflects a point shot off his leg and it's 2-1. Murray was just looking on, allowing Higgins to do as he pleased.

- Habs first goal has been credited to Pacioretty, FYI.

- Not a good night so far for Gorges. -8 Corsi differential at this point. Subban -7. Meanwhile, Canucks have totally taken control first five minutes, pelting Price from all directions.

- Habs wounded starting to pile up. Emelin, then Murray and now Bournival. Very physical game.

- Richardson dives, officials bite. Again. Torts approves, of course.

- Canucks defense just so slow, and Patches gets a penalty shot.

- Miised by seven feet. Close.

- Oh wow. Another penalty shot for Pacioretty. Incredible. That's gotta be a record.

- Even more disasterous attempt. Oh man, if Habs lose this game, Max won't get any sleep.

- Erik Cole had two penalty shots in a game while in Carolina - back in 2007. However, two shots for the same player in the same period? That might have been the first time that's ever occurred.

-  Pacioretty the first Habs player in history to record two penalty shots in one game. It only took 104 years. Pacioretty almost certainly the first player in NHL history to get two in the same period.

- Well that was an interesting period within an interesting game. Pacioretty's freaky record overshadowing a period that was largely controlled by the Canucks. Price as usual holding the fort, but Habs will need to come out much strong and more aggressively in the 3rd, or Vancouver is likely to even the score.

First Period:

- Picking up from Tuesday night, another very strong 4th line shift. Bournival with a pretty feed to Weise, Luongo makes a tough save off a 7 foot backhander. Just keep playing them, Michel.

- Higgins gives Emelin an elbow to the face near the blue line, draws blood. Nasty hit. 

- David Booth cheap shot artist. Somebody needs to grab him by the neck and set him straight.

- Kessler hauls down Plekanec who was in fine position to receive a pass and slid it past Luongo. Torts mocks the official for not calling a dive.

- Habs quickly take advantage, Gallagher an excellent screen off Subban point shot. We think it's Subban who's scored, 1-0. Puck movement on that PP was excellent.

- 4th line strikes!!! Luongo fumbles the puck, seemingly claiming interference, but White at the right place at the right time to make an easy deposite into the net. 2-0.

- Habs dominating possession in the period. I shall stop my complaints if this patterns remains.

- Most excellent opening 20 minutes - Habs controlling the puck and tempo, transition significantly better, and the net result is a reflective 2 goal lead. Very pleased with what I saw. 





P.M. Update: TRADE!!!! WITH THE KINGS. HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS. The Habs just landed .... [drum roll] ... Robert Czarnik in ... return ... for ... Steve Quailer.

So ... yeah. That happened.


THURSDAY GAME DAY!Okay, when people who are actually paid to cover the Canadiens write nonsense like this, you know there's a problem.

The problem being of course, there are far too many in Montreal who write about hockey that haven't the slightest clue how the game is played - either well, or in this instance, poorly.

- No team practice this morning - just an optional skate.

- Non-related Habs news, Martin St. Louis was named to the Olympic team as a replacement for Steven Stamkos. Also, much speculation this morning that the Oilers are going to send Sam Gagne to Los Angeles. Edmonton is basically ripe for the picking, but their needs right now are primarily defensive. We've already given away a piece of that.


HAPPY HUMP DAY!!

Habs practice lines this morning from Brossard:

Line 1: Brière/Plekanec/Gionta
Line 2: Parros/Desharnais/Gallagher (Parros I'm assuming, is filling in for Pacioretty?)
Line 3: Prust/Eller/Bourque
Line 3: Bournival/White/Weise

Gorges/Subban
Markov/Emelin
Drewiske/Beaulieu

Price.

And just to cheer you up, here's a nice little piece on how the Habs probably got fleeced by shipping Raphael Diaz over to the Canucks.