Game 80: Habs vs. Sabres

Buffalo 2, Montreal 1:

FIRST PERIOD:

- Still surprised that Julien is going with Price tonight. Just not worth the risk, even though the Sabres have little history of running opposing netminders. Anyway, Habs fans shouldn't expect a lot tonight, as the team I'm sure will be "don't get yourself hurt" mode tonight.

- Thankfully Steve Ott won't play tonight, Torrey Mitchell gets a start on the 4th line, his first in about 3 weeks. Brian Flynn, in a bit of a surprise, also gets a start tonight, his first in over a month. Martinsen sits.

- Dwight King, who really shouldn't be playing in the NHL, in particular a first place hockey team, somehow manages to miss a totally wide open net from 1 foot away with a backhander. I think that' pretty much sums King up.

- Brutal giveaway, guess who? It's Alexei Emelin rounding into post-season form, Ristolaninen makes it 1-0 Sabres.

- Sabres really aggressive around the Habs crease, bodies not afraid to make contact with Price. Really crazy for Julien to keep in him this game.

- So hard to pinpoint the glaring weak spot for a franchise as dismal as the Sabres, but if I were to start an overhaul/focus, pretty tough to not argue their defence, which currently is incredibly slow and soft around their crease.

- Habs being a little too focused on setting up the perfect play, perhaps in part because of a desire to avoid physical contact. It's made for a relatively quiet period for Lehner.

- Not exactly thrilling hockey, Sabres playing out the string, Habs just prepping up for next week - the Canadiens had balance of offensive pressure in that period, largely because their lineup is vastly superior to Buffalo's slim pickings. Still, at some point the Habs are going to have to drive Lehner with a little more aggression if they want to make any scoreboard impacts - Lehner has always been apt to give up rebounds. More traffic around the Buffalo net ought be the focus from here on out.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Even split 1st period, Habs CF right at 50%:

- Danault line has been very good gaining and holding possession in the Sabres zone, not so good at taking the damn shot.

- Lehner still giving up those rebounds, Danault line still dominating the Sabres zone, but not enough traffic around the crease.

- Hate playing nowhere teams like the Sabres at this point of the season. Nobody in Buffalo's lineup cares about discipline, so hacks and slashes are the norm, not the exception. Chances of an important Habs forward getting hurt rise exponentially.

- Habs the better team this period, except for finishing plays. Ennis roofs a wrister from 20 feet, as Lehkonen, turned the wrong way, coughs the puck up in front of his net, and Nesterov ... almost appeared as though he forgot which colour jersey he's wearing. 2-0 Buffalo.

- Alexei Emelin, who was mainly responsible for Buffalo's first goal, makes yet another pointless hit attempt at the Sabres' blue line, misses complete, and gives Buffalo big 2-on-1 break, forcing Price to make another difficult save. Emelin just never learns. He keeps making the same stupid mistakes time and again, and never learns, never corrects, never improves. He is the personification of insanity.

- Can't say we didn't warn you Claude. This is crazy:

Price takes a stinger to the shoulder, looks decidedly uncomfortable. pic.twitter.com/g79ossCj2Q

— Paul Campbell ❄️ (@WayToGoPaul) April 6, 2017

- Habs again the better team, at least with possession and controlling the flow, but far too casual finishing their scoring opportunities - in particular the Danault line, which is having a field day gaining the Sabres zone, but little to show other than pretty passing plays. Habs also guilty of defensive breakdowns - Nesterov and Emelin the biggest culprits tonight, Davidson also struggling, largely because of his partner's (Nestrov) positional inabilities. Meh. We figured the night might end up going this way - as long the Habs can get through the night without injuries, we'll gladly take the loss and go home.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs might have more puck possession time in the Sabres zone tonight, but where they're taking shots from has been pretty bad. That's been the difference tonight, really.

- Sabres with poor zone coverage off a Habs breakout, with Radolov making a nice feed to Plekanec, who stakes around Lehner to backhand the Habs first goal of the night. Buffalo's defence - a disaster.

- Speaking of disasters, what the heck is Nathan Beaulieu doing chasing over to Jeff Petry's side of the ice to make a useless failed check? With Beaulieu's cardinal error leaves Ennis completely unmarked, meaning Price is forced to make a breakaway save. Beaulieu continues to be an enigma.

- Emelin is apparently hurt - forcing Julien to give extra shifts to Petry, and likely more shifts than he'd like to both Davidson and Nesterov.

- Beaulieu's really struggling - fighting the puck and having a tough time identifying his marks. Habs defence limping to the finish line here.

- Hey, Brendan Gallagher just drew (another) penalty! Did that Tuesday night as well. Habs first powerplay of the evening.

- Emeln out for the night! Lower body injury. Under normal circumstances I'd say addition via subtraction, but not tonight.

- Quiet 3rd period for the Danault line. Sabres have made a few adjustments to keep that line, in particular Radulov and Pacioretty, in check.

- Just over 3 minutes left, Habs pushing the play, but lacking any form of intensity or desperation. Refs also steadfastly refusing to call obvious interference infractions this period, which has also limited Canadiens' ability to convert their chances.

- Just not a good night for the Habs blue line - misjudged plays, poor passing and missed shot opportunities. Hate to say this team really needs Weber and Benn back at this point of the season, but Canadiens not nearly as dangerous at the backend with them out of the lineup. It's also been a significant difference maker tonight.

- Beaulieu misses a pretty pass from Radulov which would have set up a shot into an empty cage. One of those kind of nights for Beaulieu.

- Oh well, Sabres win on fan appreciation night, so happy for them. Habs didn't suffer any huge debilitating injuries, except for Emelin, and who knows if that's really debilitating as far as the Habs defence is concerned. Danualt line just couldn't find a way of converting their opportunities tonight, while fundamental errors confounded the Canadiens, especially by Emelin and Beaulieu, who both struggled most of the evening. Habs now make one final visit to Joe Lewis to play another meaningless game - maybe they can donate another 2 points to help make the hometown fans feel good.



GAME PREVIEW: IF YOU'RE NOT WATCHING TONIGHT, WE UNDERSTAND

The Habs, in the middle of mopping up the rest of their regular season, take on the Sabres tonight in Buffalo. It'll be the final game of the season for the Sabres, as they wrap up their 4th consecutive season of last-place hockey.

The Canadiens have literally nothing to play for - they cannot finish anywhere other than 1st place in the Atlantic Division. Ergo, it comes as little surprise today that coach Claude Julien announced that both Shea Weber and Jordie Benn, who are dealing with "minor" undisclosed injuries, aren't likely to play again until the 1st game of the playoffs, which start on April 12th at the Bell Centre.

So here are your starting lineups:

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

Markov/Petry
Emelin/Beaulieu
Davidson/Nesterov

And over on the Sabres' side:

Kane/O'Reilly/Gionta
Foligno/Eichel/Reinhart
Ennis/Rodrigues/Nylander
Deslauriers/Girgensons/Moulson

Kulikov/Ristolainen
Flak/Borgosian
Gorges/Franson

It's Roben Lehner (2.70/.920) against (for reasons that I don't quite understand) Carey Price (2.20/.924)

Puck drops at 7:40 EST.

Game 79: Habs vs. Panthers

FIRST PERIOD:

- Charlie Lindgren is, at least at the present, the only viable goaltending prospect in the Habs system. No pressure or anything, kid.

- Reto Berra starts for the Panthers, contrary to our statement earlier that James Reimer would get the start. An interesting choice, given how much Berra has struggled this week, including the blowout loss in Montreal last week.

- Nesterov ... a little sloppy and casual in his first shift. Sure looks like Jordie Benn, and maybe Davidson, were the only beneficial trade deadline pickup by Bergevin. The rest, Ott, Martinsen, King and Nesterov - write-offs.

- That Plekaenc/Gallagher/Byron combo continues to roll along nicely. Line has been on fire for well over a week, as well as a strong start tonight.

- Danault/Pacioretty/Radulov joining in on the fun, Panthers are having a tough time winning puck battles in their own zone.

- Alex Galchenyuk - might he be rounding back into form? He looked great handling and dangling the puck behind the Panther's cage before eventually feeding the puck which finds its way onto Andrew Shaw's stick, a slam-dunk shot and a 1-0 lead. Both Shaw and Galchenyuk have shown little chemistry, perhaps due to a lack of communication, since they were placed together two weeks ago. Looked very good there.

- Plekanec and Danualt lines, all the Panthers can handle this period.

- Canadiens owned the period, although I'm not sure how much of that was Florida seemingly going through the motions. Don't see anyone on that Panthers side of the ice attempting to prove themselves for the next season - it's a pretty sad state of affairs. Anyway, hard to envision the Canadiens not causing their way through the next 40 minutes if this is all their opponent is offering as resistance.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Pretty meek, Florida. Pretty meek. Habs SA CF (5v5): 64.5%:

- 6 minutes gone, low event period so far, Panthers can't get much of anything going, except for the occasional long-range shot at Lindgren. Florida's only real sniff at scoring tonight has been during Ott line shifts. Otherwise, virtually nada.

- 2nd pair defeseman Jason Demers having a rough night 2/14, and we're not even at the half-way mark. He's been matched against the Danault line, and he's had his hands full.

- Gallagher virtually tackled from behind carrying the puck through centre, somehow it's not called.

- Hate to see a team dominate and then give up a sloppy goal, and hey, it's our old friend Emelin making an awkward and failed checking attempt, which frees up Marchessault, Lindgren making an awkward belly flop save attempt, and the game is tied.

- They've been buzzing the Panthers zone all night long, if anyone is most likely to get the Habs the lead back, it'll be either Gallagher or Byron.

- All of the sudden, the refs are calling penalties, even after earlier letting the Gallagher mugging go uncharged. Panthers with an extended 5-on-3.

- Panthers powerplay is horrid. Putrid. Tres terrible.

- Not a very good period for the Habs, whom I think might have taken their opponent's lacklustre, go-through-the-motions play too lightly, and while the officiating was, at best, uneven, it still doesn't excuse them for not putting this game away.

THIRD PERIOD:

- When you're outplayed in any period by the Florida Panthers, you have not played a good period. In that 2nd, Florida's SA CF at even strength was 53.3%.

- Julien mixing things up a little, as he moves Byron next to Galchenyuk and Lehkonen, and it pays off their first shift, as Lehkonen fires a blazing wrist shot that Berra might now have even seen, to give the Habs the lead back 2-1.

Kid's got a shot, eh? #MTLvsFLA pic.twitter.com/JOY4ahsAjT

— NHL (@NHL) April 4, 2017

- Still view this game as an inevitable Habs win, although Lindgren still looks a little nervous (it's hard to blame him). He's very much a stay-at-home goaltender. I've barely seen him move outside the blue paint tonight. Also wary of handling the puck. But he plays the angles nicely, very much like Carey Price.

- Panthers really stepping up this period, Lindgren doing an excellent job making the primary save, and covering up loose pucks.

- Well, we predicted either Byron or Gallagher would win, would Byron off a breakaway, Lehkonen blasting home a rebound be close enough? Insurance goal all but puts the wraps on this game.

- Rough night not only for Demers, Matheson and Petrovic. Just a rough night in general if you're a defender for the Panthers. Not fast enough to pick up the Habs speedy wingers tonight, Berra again mostly hung out to dry.

- Radulov with the empty net to finish the game, and the Habs officially cinch the Atlantic Division title, which is a wonderful luxury to own 10 games in advance of the playoffs. Can now rest bodies for the rest of the week without consequence. Very good performance tonight from Charlie Lindgren, Gallagher, Lehkonen and Byron another sparking night, and while they didn't tally points, the Danault line looked dangerous most of the evening. Everything coming up roses for the Montreal Canadiens, who can celebrate their excellent 1st place achievement.

GAME PREVIEW: NOTHING MATTERS UNTIL APRIL 12TH. HEY, WHY ARE WE STILL PLAYING GAMES?

Hey, Habs play tonight with absolutely nothing on the line. Ziltch. The Habs cannot go up or down in the standings. So the rest of the regular season schedule are basically glorified scrimmages. Which means, it's time for "important" guys to get pulled from the lineup. First up? Shea Weber:

#Habs: Shea Weber ne jouera pas ce soir contre les Panthers. Il est blessé au bas du corps. Charlie Lindgren obtiendra le départ.

— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) April 3, 2017

Yeah, yeah. The ol' LBI trick! Except that ... hrmmm ...

#Habs: Shea Weber s’absentera pour au moins les deux prochains matchs. Le CH l’a renvoyé à Montréal par précaution.

— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) April 3, 2017

Hrmmm. We'll see where that goes. Heck, if I'm pulling guys out of the lineup, let's give Andrei Markov a couple of days off. Or Max Pacioretty. Or Alex Radulov. Heck, let's just bring up the Ice Caps for the next week (yeah, yeah ... I know that's not possible, but still ... wherever possible, rest and heal).

As you might have caught from the first tweet, Charlie Lindgren will be the Habs starting netminder tonight, with Carey Price getting a well deserved night off, and Al (Tony) Montoya still recovering from whatever injury he has. This will be Lindgren's first NHL game in almost exactly 2 years. His last (and only NHL) game was April 7, 2015, a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

It's not only Weber who's out tonight - Jordie Benn continues to recover from another undisclosed injury, and will also not play tonight. So, the Habs' suddenly thin defence will look something like this:

Markov/Petry
Beaulieu/Emelin
Davidson/Nesterov

Meanwhile, on the forward lines:

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

Meanwhile the Panthers, who are also playing out the string with nowhere to go in the standings, have a few lineup changes tonight. Sitting in the press box will be Shawn Thronton (AWWWW!),

Huberdeau/Trocheck/Jagr
Jokinen/Bjugstad/Smith
Vanek/Malgin/Marchessault
Sceviour/MacKenzie/Sgarbossa

James Reimer will start tonight for the Panthers, against Lindgren. Puck drops at 7:40 EST.

Game 77: Panthers vs. Habs

Montreal 6, Florida 2:

FIRST PERIOD:

- Tim Raines comes out to drop the puck, and gets a thunderous applause. Great moment. Can't hardly wait for the day the Expos return to Montreal.

- Kind of a big game tonight for Reto Berra, who's trying to prove himself as a capable NHL goaltender. Guys who are playing for their careers can sometimes be especially difficult to beat.

- Berra looks pretty nervous, sure sign of that in a goaltender is how frequently he flops on his belly to make a save. Berra just got away with one with the Shaw line swarming the cage. 

- Emelin (stop the presses!!!) makes a very nice behind the back pass to help set up a nice play eventually ending with an uncovered Paul Byron, who fires an easy one past Berra for his 21st of the season. 1-0 Habs.

- Panthers look like a pretty unenergized bunch. Sometimes you'll see these eliminated teams play a loose and relaxed game, or by contrast, a demoralized game. Florida looking very much more the later than the former, so far.

- You know it's bad when Thomas Plekanec scores on you - Gallagher picks up his second assist. His play continues to advance nicely since his return from that hand injury.

- I think it's fair to say the Plekanec line is on fire. Byron with his 2nd tonight, Gallagher picks up yet another assist. Berra really hung out to dry - feel badly for him.

- Panthers defence is playing some pretty inexcusable hockey. So many missed checks, indifferent positioning, virtually zero physicality. I'd be very irked coaching behind their bench.

- 2-0 through 20 minutes. Incredible period for the Plekanec line, Emelin and Beaulieu were also especially good. Panthers throwing in the towel, which is a shame. Makes for a pretty uninteresting game. 

SECOND PERIOD:

- Lopsided 1st period, Habs SA CF (5v5): 64.4%. 

- Heat map is even worse. Poor Reto Berra. He never stood a chance:

- Plekaenc line at it again, they draw Habs first powerplay. Hard to figure out where this is all coming from. The line has been playing well the past little while, but not nearly at the level we're seeing tonight.

- One thing is clear, if you're going to dive, don't do it in front of, or around, Max Pacioretty.

- Another dubious penalty on Weber for a slash. Sure looks like the Panthers are trying to work their way into this one via dramatics. Refs are biting.

- Habs, perhaps with small measure of justice on their side, kill of an extended Panthers 2 man advantage. Carey Price looks as good as ever with his lateral movement, and that Habs PK also unrecognizable in comparison to it's play pre-Claude Julien.

- Whoops, Smith with a shot along the ice that may have got Price off guard. His reaction (Price's) appears like "damn, missed it." 3-1 with 9 minutes left in the period.

- Habs winning a lot in March in spite of having a pretty awful 4th line (self-inflicted via some poor acquisitions). That line not any better tonight, Martinsen and King are in way, way over their NHL heads. No way either of these two should be in any post-season lineup.

- Officiating chaos right now. Brad Watson up to his usual self.

- So Thornton, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, skates over and hammers Emelin in the face, and Emelin is charged with an extra penalty. 

- Ott given 10 minute misconduct for mouthing off to the refs. So that's an addition via subtraction.

- Panthers powerplay is tres terrible!  Even with the gift-wrapped calls, they're still going though the motions.

- Emelin got an extra 2 minutes for this. He may (or may not) have made contact with MacKenzie's face with his elbow. If so, then yeah, there's your extra 2.

Emelin/Mackenzie kerfuffle pic.twitter.com/mAzgg05rko

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 31, 2017

- With Ott out and sitting in the dressing room, Julien rotating in an extra body into that 4th line. Plekanec just did a shift with King and Martinsen. But really, it's all just clock killing hockey. Julien really needs to settle on what he's going to do, specifically, who he'll scratch come playoff time. Really find it hard to believe that either Ott, King or Martinsen are capable of playing without hurting their team.

- Lehkonen looks great. Gallagher looks even better. This is good news. Galchenyuk, however, still not meshing well with Andrew Shaw. I'm sure Julien is wary of moving Danault away from Pacioretty and Radulov, but as the Habs lineup currently stands, Galchenyuk is more or less a lost asset. 

- Chippy 2nd period, Panthers doing a good job trolling the Habs into retaliation stuff, which gave Florida a ton of man advantage time. Still, this game isn't nearly in threat for the Canadiens, who merely need to play one more smart period of hockey, and then they can book their playoff tickets.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Florida got a mess of powerplay time in that 2nd period, helping them to narrow shot totals, but at even strength, period was a wash, which is exactly what Montreal was wanting. 

- Pacioetty hits the 35 goal mark for the 4th time in his excellent career. Sweet perfect pass by Radulov (is he turning things around from a recent slump?) to make that goal possible. Panthers are cooked, even though they continue to embellish and whine for more powerplay time.

- Matheson makes it a 2 goal game, after Emelin makes a poor puck play from his own corner, attempting to clear the zone by playing the puck the opposite side. Puck kept in at the line, and 5 seconds later, it's 4-2. It's the little plays/errors that kill you - and Emelin is a specialist.

- Habs really slowing the pace down, no real interest in regaining that 3 goal margin. Bella still doing belly flops, you'd figure there's at least one more goal to be had. 7 minutes left.

- Gallagher, and there's that one more goal. Beautiful deflection off a Davidson shot, four point night for Brendan, a career high for a single game. 

- Danault, 6-2. But that goal was all Radulov stealing the puck and feeding another perfect pass in front. Florida's defence a war crime tonight.

- Game wasn't really in doubt from start to finish. The Habs official punch their ticket to the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

HABS HAVE THE DOOR WIDE OPEN BECAUSE THE PANTHERS HAVE GIVEN UP ON THEIR SEASON

Hey, just 6 games left in the regular schedule. Just two weeks before more than 1/2 of the NHL closes up shop for the summer, which just so happens to include the Florida Panthers.

The Panthers, for a fleeting moment, had aspirations of making the playoffs after having a decent run through the months of January and February. By the beginning of March, Florida were at 68 points, were just one point back of the Leafs for the 2nd wildcard spot.

Since then? Not good. The Panthers have won only 4 games in March, and have fallen 9 points behind the Bruins for that last wildcard spot, with only a half-dozen games left to play.

So while Florida confines themselves to booking golf vacations this spring, the Habs by contrast, are on the cusp of mathematically clinching a playoff spot tonight. A win, either regulation or OT, will ensure the Canadiens a date for extra hockey beginning either April 12th or 13th.

So here are some pregame notes, in neat point form:

- Florida's lineup tonight:

Huberdeau/Barkov/Jagr
Jokinen/Trocheck/Smith
Vanek/Bjugstad/Marchessault
Thornton/MacKenzie/Sceviour

Yandle/Dmers
Petrovic/Matheson
Pysyk/Kindl

- Despite Florida's season going into the toilet this month, it hasn't stopped center Alexsander Barkov from producing. Barkov has 6 points over his last 5 games. At least somebody still cares.

- Panthers are riding a 2 game losing streak, both losses coming to the hands of the Leafs and Buffalo Sabres. Previous to that, the Panthers decimated the first place Chicago Black Hawks 7-0. Hockey is funny that way.

- Habs have some lineup adjustments, mainly because of minor injuries.

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

Weber/Markov
Petry/Emelin
Beaulieu/Davidson

- Jordie Benn won't play tonight because of a day-to-day injury (undisclosed, of course). Ergo the Davidson start.

- Habs 4th line tonight will be as awful as awful gets. Amazing this team still wins with essentially only 9 qualified NHL forwards in their lineup.

- Al (Tony) Montoya is still unable to play because of an LBI. Habs recalled Charlie Lindgren as backup. Carey Price wasn't slotted to play tonight, but will because of the Montoya injury. It's likely that Lindgren will get a start in Florida this weekend if Montoya isn't able to return.

- Starting netminders are Reto Berra for Florida (2.22/.907) against Price (2.23/.924).

- Last time for the people of Montreal to see Jaromir Jagr in action? Tonight might be that night.

- Puck drops at 7:40, EST.

Game 76: Stars vs. Habs

Montreal 4, Dallas 1:

FIRST PERIOD:

- McKenzie picks up a the rebound off his own shot off the backboards, and slips the puck past a somewhat slow-moving Price to give the Habs the early lead. Goal originated from a broken play, with Beaulieu making a poor outlet pass from his zone. 

- Habs utterly chaotic to start this game, the Stars with plenty of zip and flow you sometimes see from teams that have nothing to lose. 

- Jamie Benn appears to be the early centre of attention, insofar as Habs checking and hitting is concerned.

- Rough 1st half, much better 2nd, the Habs finding their forecheck footing, giving Dallas headaches escaping their zone. Good shifts by the Shaw and Danault lines.

- Arttrui Lehkonen, as per usual, sneaky good so far in this 1st period. Seems to always be at least 1/2 step ahead of the play. One of the most hockey-smart guys to suit up in a Habs uniform in a long time.

- Habs swarming the Stars net, big rebounds being surrendered, Dallas incredibly fortunate to still be leading this game. 

- First 5 minutes were awful, next 5 minutes were "okay", last 10 minutes were total domination by the Habs over the Stars. So, more of that next 40 minutes or so, and the Canadiens should eventually overtake Dallas on the scoresheet.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Kari Lehtonen earning his pay check tonight, in particular from the 10-minute mark forward. Habs SA CF (5v5): 53.7%. But in the last half, it was 88.4%. Wowzers.

- Shot heat map right now heavily in favour of one team - that's trailing on the scoreboard.

- Hab might be pelting Lehtonen with the puck, but they haven't done a good job at making shot attempts while creating traffic, the strategy so far has been mainly looking for rebound attempts. That's not working, Lehtonen is easily handling everything he sees.

- Stars are rag dolling this period, just waiting in the high weeds for a Habs defensive mistake (there have been a couple of biggies this period, but Price has shut the door). Got the feeling this might be one of those nights - outplay the opponent in every way possible except on the scoresheet.

- Just not enough traffic bothering Lehtonen. Habs are aggressively pursuing the puck around the crease, but most NHL goaltenders are going to make primary and secondary saves if they have clear sight of the puck.

- Finally, it's Pacioretty with a backhander after Radulov makes a nice zone entry that handcuffs Lehtonen to get the totally-dominating Habs on the scoreboard.

- Carey Price doing his Carey Price thing - making saves on shots that are usually goals surrendered by mere mortals. Having Price on your side is a competitive edge that's impossible to calculate.

- Anther outstanding period for the Habs, picking up where they left off from the 1st period, Lehtonen the difference maker tonight. Habs bolstered by strong performance by their 1st line, which hasn't had much of an impact the past two weeks, and yet another excellent effort by Artturi Lehkonen, who's been all around Lehtonen most of the evening, but has (just barely) been foiled from hitting the scoresheet. One more period like that, and the Canadiens ought come away with a victory. 

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs SA CF (5v5) in that 2nd period was 72.0%, which is not sustainable (or even advisable) if you're the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen has been giving up plenty of rebounds, but has managed to find a way of keeping his team in this hockey game.

- Check out the shot heat map through 2 periods. It's a bit extreme, but it underscores one area of improvement under Claude Julien that doesn't get nearly enough attention - the Habs have vastly improved in making shots from high percentage scoring areas. Under Therrien, on most nights, the Habs were badly outplayed in this area. Now the reverse is true.

- Habs start the 3rd period much like they started the 1st - running amuck in their own zone. Canadiens very fortunate not to be down again on the board, with Andrew Shaw lending a goaltending hand to keep the puck out of the net.

- Well, these aren't the Dallas Stars we've come to know - at least tonight. Big push out of the gate this period, Habs reeling in their own zone.

- Woah, what a shot by Brendan Gallagher, under the bar from a seemingly impossible angle along the boards, Lehtonen might have done better, but still, what a play - what a shot. 2-1 Habs.

- It's been an up and down night for Lehtonen, but he's still making difficult saves to (only barely) keep his club in the game. Lehtonen again buzzing the Stars zone, and the Danault line easily having its best game in nearly a month.

- Plekanec gets caught, forced to take a hold. Stars get first powerrplay of the game, 10 minutes into the 3rd.

- Price holding the fort this period. Not bad for a guy who woke up this morning thinking about how he was going to pass the time sitting on the Habs bench.

- Stars make a bad pass up the middle, picked off by Markov, who passes to Lehkonen whose knuckler fools Lehtonen to make it 3-1 Canadiens. Lehkonen has been working his butt off all night long, and richly deserves a goal.

- Andrei Markov, future Hockey Hall of Famer, gets standing ovation from the crowd. 2nd all-time in points among Habs defensemen. An incredible career.

- Stars know they're stuffed. Nobody is beating Carey Price 3 times tonight. Just going though routines now as we kill the clock to end the night.

- Stars throw in the town, Alex Radulov says thanks I'll score too. 4-1. In addition to Markov's watershed night, and Lehkonen's excellent performance, Radulov's goal finishes a very successful evening for the Danault line. If they're scoring again, watch out.

- Habs mop up in a game that really wasn't much of a contest, with the Habs mostly dominating this game from half way through the 1st period forward. Canadiens had a few shaky moments in their zone, but Carey Price made the necessary saves at the necessary times to allow his team to eventually overtake the Stars on the backstretch, and eventually pull away. With the Sens losing in a shootout tonight, the Canadiens increase their lead to 4 points, which means assuming At Montoya is healthy again, he'll start Thursday against the Panthers (who had a tough loss in Toronto tonight). That aside, the Canadiens surely will be happy with their top point producers scoring again - you get the feeling that Claude Julien's work on ridding his team from 4 years of bad habits leaned during the Therrien years are starting to pay off. The next week should give us a good idea whether or not this team has finally righted their offence in the right direction.

NIGHT OF THE BENNS. THIS IS THE NIGHT WE'VE SPENT OUR LIVES WAITING FOR

FINALLY. Jordie versus Jamie. TO THE TAPE. FIRST UP ... IN THE RED CORNER ... JORDIE:

Magnificent. Those golden locks nearly reach his clavicle. Neatly trimmed and rounded, soft yet intimidating. We are in awe.

IN THE BLUE CORNER ... JAMIE:

Uhm, WHAT in the hell is that? It looks like something you might grow coming off a weekend bender in Vegas. One of the shameful, pathetic growths we've seen in a long time. Sorry Dallas, we got the best Benn you had to offer. We can't hardly wait to see Jordie bury his burly bush in Lord Stanley's mug this coming June.

Anyway, before any marches on St. Catherine's, we've got a game to play tonight, so here are the necessary notes:

- Dallas is playing out the string of what has been a very disappointing season. The Big D were reckoned to be a competitive force in the Central Division this year. Instead, they're hoping to get a decent pick in the upcoming entry draft. Not helping their cause of late has been two wins over the Devils and Sharks.

- Habs hoping to do the Stars a favour tonight by handing them a loss, while maintaining their 1st place edge in the Atlantic Division. While tonight's game marks the end of a 5 game home stand for the Canadiens, the remainder of their schedule is still favourable - Montreal will not face another playoff team this year until, well, the playoffs.

- News out of practice this morning, Al (Tony) Montoya went down with a lower body injury during skating warmups (huh??), so the Habs have made an emergency call up with Zach Fucale (remember him??) to back up Carey Price tonight.

- Habs lineup tonight:

Pacioretty/Danault/Radulov
Lehkonen/Plekanec/Gallagher
Byron/Shaw/Galchenyuk
Martinsen/Ott/Mitchell

Weber/Markov
Emelin/Petry
Benn/Beaulieu

Carey Price

- Stars lineup tonight:

Benn/Eakin/Hemsky
Elie/Seguin/Ritchie
Dickinson/Faksa/Shore
McKenzie/Cracknell/Spezza

Lindell/Klinberg
Pateryn/Nemeth
Johns/Hamhuis

Kari Lehtonen

- Yeah, it's pretty cheeseball, but we'll leave you with this:


- Puck drops tonight at 7:40 EST.

Game 64: Blue Jackets vs. Habs

Montreal 1, Columbus 0 (OT):

FIRST PERIOD:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SECOND PERIOD:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

THIRD PERIOD:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OVERTIME:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GAME PREVIEW: ALL HAIL NEWEST HABS ADDITION YUKON CORNELIUS

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

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

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

Well I got four word response for you:

NO. MORE. ALEXEI. EMELIN.

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

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

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

Werenski/Jones
Johnson/Savard
Murray/Nutivaara

Sergei Bobrovsky

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

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

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

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

Weber/Markov
Petry/Emelin
Beaulieu/Cornelius

Carey Price

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

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

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

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

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

Puck drops tonight at 7:40 EST.