Game Sixty-Two: Leafs vs. habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Possession through 40 minutes unchanged. 36%. Just dismal.

- Desharnais and Gallagher vs five Leafs in the crease, and Desharnais scores because the Leafs are horrible. 3-0. Gallagher with goaltender interference, but he gets away with it.

- Brandon Prust has clearly, somewhere along the way this season, lost a major step in his skating ability.

- Down goes Dion. And so easily too. By the 5'7" David Desharnais. Draws a sucker's penalty. What a captain. What a leader.

- Did Kadri know there was a game tonight?

- Phaneuf fakes a penalty, then gets nailed a minute later for mouthing off to the ref. Captains don't do that. Leaders don't do that. Dion does that.

- Pacioretty with selfless pass to Desharnais with an empty net. He could have easily scored in his drive for 40. That's how good this team's roster is to each other.

- Only question now is whether Price can pick up his 6th shutout of the season. Its been another night at the office for him.

- I'll end with two words and three letters: Carey Price. MVP.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs possession in the first even worse than anticipated. 36%. Against the Leafs. Ouch.

- It's no contest: Pacioretty skates circles around the Leafs first line defense, Bozak/Phaneuf. Draws a powerplay.

- The passes to Price are nearly shots. That's how confident his teammates are in him.

- After a quick start to the period, Habs are right back to sitting on their lead, and letting the Leafs take the initiative. This team never learns, it seems.

- Habs have apparently borrowed and implemented a soccer strategy, using Price as a receiver/passer. It looks dangerously brilliant, and had been extremely effective tonight. I wonder if this will become a regular thing?

- Leafs shots have been so non-threatening this period that it appears as though Price would like to join his mates on a rush just to make things interesting. Not a joke. 

- Carey Price in some other world right now. His teammates are basically going through the motions, which is kind of a travesty. 

- Really disappointed by much of what I saw in the 2nd. Again this team, which is one shot away from knocking out their opponent, collectively chose to just be passive, thereby allowing the awful Leafs multiple scoring opportinities on Price, who was practically the only CH who bohered punching the clock. Really is unforgivable how this team takes its goaltender for granted in handling the workload, night after night after night.

FIRST PERIOD:

- Habs get off to an awful start, and then via an awful Leafs breakdown, Manny Malhotra - yes, Manny Malhotra, scores an actual goal.

- Leafs crease defense is a nightmare. Barely AHL capable, based on what I've seen the first 5 minutes of this game.

- Phil Kessel, you think you can beat Carey Price with a 35 foot wrister? Seriously?

- Habs defense doing nice keystone cops routine in their zone. Only Leafs offensive incompetence has kept them off the scoreboard.

- Gilbert's third line defense is adequate, but he has the tendency of being a space cowboy with his game awareness.

- Habs on delayed penalty, Plecks off the wing with the Leafs going through the routine of waiting to touch the puck, beats Bernier blocker side with a wrister. Leafs look totally deflated now, after starting the period strong.

- Quietly, Subban has risen as the lead candidate for a Norris. Now tied for the points lead among defensemen.

- Man, the Habs and two goal leads. The instant they get one,  the bench books vacation tickets to Bali. 

- Habs were clearly outpossesed by the woeful Leafs in the 1st period, but lead basically because Carey Price is great, and Johnathan Bernier isn't. 

GAMEDAY PREVIEW:

Ugh. Oof. Leafs fans. Man, just when you think you've kicked them enough while they're down, suddenly they rise up from the deepest burrows of despair as though they have the world by the tail.

This week was a pretty good one for the centre of the universe. The Leafs not only won a game (it's true!), they were also, amazingly, able to unload one of the worst contracts ever granted to a National Hockey League player, by somehow convincing the Columbus Blue Jackets to take David Clarkson's 7 year, $7 million/season contract, thereby granting the Leafs the ability to begin rebuilding their team. Otherwise, with Clarkson on the payroll, the Leafs were going nowhere until the year 2020.

Ugh. It just makes a guy sick.

So lick it up Leafs fans, enjoy your small moments of glory and happiness. Grasp at whatever twig of hope happens to pass you by. Over here in Habsland, we're focused on slightly larger sea bass, as the Canadiens continue to prepare for the post-season - more specifically, finishing as high as possible in the Eastern Conference standings.

Tonight, the Habs seek to maintain their 1st place Eastern Conference standing with a win over the endlessly hapless Maple Leafs. The Canadiens will welcome back the services of Sergei Gonchar, who's been out the past couple of weeks with some injury that was never fully disclosed, as per idiotic team policy. To make room for Gonghar, the Habs shipped Jarred Tinordi back to Hamilton on Friday.

With a win tonight, the Habs will increase their winning streak to four games. They're gonna need every victory they can get, because March will not be coming in like a lamb for the Canadiens, as they hit the road for a brutal west coast trip to face the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks. Also on the venue in March are games against the Islanders, three games against the Lightening, the Predators, and the Jets. Yeah, we knew well in advance that March wasn't going to be a fun month for the Habs. Tonight, the February vacation comes to an end.

Also nice to end vacation with a little dessert. That being, the Leafs.

Leafs will start Johnathan Bernier, while the Habs will counter with the best goaltender on the planet, and this years most valuable player in the NHL.

Puck drops at 7:15 EST.

Game Seventy-Two: Habs vs. Leafs

LET'S GET IT ON BABY

Third Period:

- Bouillon continues to have most icetime of any Habs player, Subban is next nearly two minutes behind. #TherrienHockey

- Kadri ties it on the powerplay, Price losing track of the puck behind his net. Habs consecutive PK streak ends at 26.

- Weaver on that PK - that really doesn't look like his specialty. But Therrien must play him somehow to make up for the weak links on that blue line. Playing Weaver on the PK means Subban can be utilized for other purposes.

- This has not been one of Andrei Markov's better nights. Poor pinches, puck chasing in his zone.

- Leafs clearly outskating and outhustling Habs in the 3rd, and generating scoring chances from high percentage locations.

- Hard to believe one of the two refs didn't raise his arm from that Van Reimsdyk run on Price. As clear cut as penalties come.

- Tic. Tac. Toe. Subban. Markov. Plekanec. Very very pretty. Habs regain lead on a powerplay beaut.

- Six minutes left, Habs are in hard chuck, dump, chase mode right now. Price will invariably have to make one or two more big saves to keep the Leafs at bay.

- Desharnais with a foolish neutral ice pinch seeking an impossible interception, it generates odd-man Leafs chance. 

- Leafs their own worst enemy with too many men. CBC has a meltdown.

- Toronto just couldn't get their act in order, and Habs hold on for the win. Leafs controlled their own playoff destiny two weeks ago, and now they'll have to scramble to hold on to a wildcard. Meanwhile, Habs just about home free for securing their ticket to the playoffs.

Second Period:

- The manner in how Therrien has structured his defensive pairings tonight means the Habs will always have one very weak link on the ice at all times. Murray, Emelin and Bouillon. This means the Leafs are going to get plenty of scoring opportunities, and Price will need to be razor sharp to keep his team ahead.

- Far less chaotic 2nd period, but the Leafs have shown a far more organized transition and rush. Habs are very much on the defensive, I suppose hoping to ride out the opposition momentum. But they can't keep playing this way, Habs need to change the dimension of this game quickly or the Leafs will tie the score. Very soon.

- Excuse the language, but what's the deal with CBC's hardon for Bolland? He's in the lineup and suddenly Toronto are Stanley Cup contenders?

- Nine times out of ten Vanek tucks the puck in on the sharp angle. Puck drifted across the line.

- Who has the most icetime of any player in this game through 34 minutes? Frankie Bouillin. Insanity.

- Price owes his goalposts dinner. Two dingers in this period and counting.

- Tempo of game picks up rapidly - that's more advantageous for the Habs.

- Habs owned the first, Leafs made appropriate adjustments with playing more disciplined positional play in their zone, and owned the 2nd. The Habs have had chronic difficulty competing this season against teams who make mis-game adjustments, if only because the Canadiens are incapable of doing so themselves. Should be a very interesting 3rd.

First Period:

- Okay, I'm fully expecting a big night from Max Pacioretty. Seven games without a goal, you know he does these things in bursts. And right now, the dam must be close to breaking.

- I'm JUST sayin' ... for reminders, Leafs Fenwick still mired in 29th place overall, a lowly 41.9%. How they're even sitting in a wildcard spot as we type, somewhat defies explanation. Oh yeah ... their PDO? Just under 102, 4th in the League. LUCK, LUCK, LUCK.

- Kessel skating against Murray. Blows past him, not even a contest. Habs are going to be victimized by this, the Leafs know darned well how terrible Murray is and will ice their best forwards against him.

- Pacioretty. We totally called that on our Twitter feed that Max would break out tonight. 1-0.

- Bourque. Woah. Reimer totally muffed that wrister. And it's 2-0. The arena is stunned, and the Reimer controversy is now front and centre.

- Weaver/Murray combo are going to be an adventure tonight.

- Pacioretty with a far more difficult wrister glove side but Reimer makes the snag. Don't want him gaining confidence here - he's on the ropes.

- Do'h. Lupul with a rocket. Markov unable to make the easy clear and instead coughs it up deep. 2-1. That Reimer save looking even bigger now.

- Bouillon with an absolutely brutal turnover behind his net, and Bozak cashes in to tie the game. We lamented pregame what a huge folly it was to start both he and Murray the same game, and now it's hurt the Habs directly on the scoreboard.

- Well that didn't last long - Gionta from Bourque to give Habs 3-2 lead. Leafs have been terribly slow and sloppy reacting to the Habs rush this period, and with Reimer chocking the hold, it's really worked to Montreal's advantage.

- Entertaining but very sloppy period of hockey. These are not two well oiled teams going head to head. Habs had clear advantage in that period but silly mistakes by the usual culprits keeps the Leafs in this game. Too bad.

GAMEDAY GOO:

OOOOOOH YAAA. Saturday night. Habs and Leafs. A critical showdown with huge playoff spot implications. Rob Ford smoking crack. WE GOT EVERYTHING GOING 2NIGHT.

So let's run down some notes.

- Jared Tinordi gets scratched. Oh well.
- Doug Murray is in. UGH
- Rene Bourque is in. Wait, who's that?!? Ooooh yeahhhhh ... that guy.

Habs lineup:
Line 1: Pacioretty/Desharnais/Vanek
Line 2: Galchenyuk/Plekanec/Gallagher (um, okay ...)
Line 3: Bourque/Briere/Gionta
Line 4: Moen/Eller/Weise

Markov/Emelin
Bouillon/Subban
Murray/Beaulieu

Oh god. Bouillon AND Murray getting starts, thanks to le Coach.

Game Sixty-Two: Leafs vs. Habs

Overtime:

- Desharnais, Pacioretty, Subban, Markov collect at centre ice and talk over this fortcoming 4-on-3 powerplay. It's kind of really significant, big extra point on the line.

- Lots of passing, great setups, but only one shot registered, and no winner scored. Bah.

- Markov clearly tripped heading to the net to take a pass to score. Refs somehow don't make the obvious call.

- Wow. Briere. Just had to shoot off that break rebound to score, and somehow ... he didn't.

- Gallagher gets a shift. Galchenyuk ... nope.

- Bernier a delay of game for that??? Wowzers.

- Broken play, Pacioretty finishes the game, wide open net. We'll take it, thank you.


Third Period:

- Habs 2nd period Fenwick holding steady at 66% (total). The Leafs continue to be as lucky as they are bad.

- Habs are going to play four games in five nights out west starting Monday. It's safe to say that each and everyone of those games is going to make tonight's game against this Leafs team seem like a vacation.

- Holy crap. What a save by Budaj on Kessle. Man. Alive. Should be tied 2-2.

- Not to take anything away from Budaj, but Kessel simply failed to raise the puck off an incredibly nifty pass by Van Riemsdyk. If he lifts it, the game is tied.

- That's a pretty awful penalty by Kadri who needlessly tripped the relatively harmless Wiese. Habs to the PP looking for some insurance comfort.

- Wiese took a skate to the face on that penalty play. I hope he's okay. Looked nasty on replay.

- Habs poweplay is either inept (dump and chase) or predictable (feed to Subban/Markov). Net result ineffectiveness.

- Oy. On the powerplay, a horrible, horrible pass by Markov to nobody at the line, giving Van Riemsdyk a break. Tie game.

- Habs ridiculously disorganized this period. And Budaj is getting blitzed.

- And there you have it. Murray caught way, way up ice, allowing Kessel to come in off the wing unmolested. This time, he raises the puck, and doesn't miss. 3-2 Leafs.

- Habs PP has been particularly inept tonight. Don't see why things should be any different at this point.

- Figures. Third time's a charm with Subban firing from the line and Bernier gets screened by Gallagher. Tie game.

- Markov commits a trip, but Van Riemsdyk is also nabbed for a dive. I do believe that's the first time an opponent player of the Habs has been called this season for that infraction.

- Habs have been passing to nobody at the line all night long. Terribly sloppy hockey.

- After his disgraceful overtime treatment two nights ago, Subban with a statement game tonight. The great players seem to do that all the time.

- Nifty carry and pass by Eller to Briere in front of Bernier. Very nearly the lead regained.

- Gallagher, will not be stopped. Just about single handedly planted the goat horns on Phaneuf.

- Habs really aren't helping their cause if this game is held to a tie. Really needed to send the Leafs out of town with zero points.

- Hoo boy. Kessel clears it over the glass. What a huge mistake. Habs will probably take a 4-on-3 advantage first 1:30 of O.T.

- Markov. One-man keystone cop routine tonight.

- So overtime. Will Therrien grab a clue and also play the guys who really ought to be played with the 4-on-4? Galchenyuk? Gallagher? Eller, even? Stay tuned.



Second Period:

- Habs 1st Period total Fenwick was 68%. Want more? Close - 90%. Not enough? Tied  - 100%.  Toronto's one goal deficit really ought be much more.

- Leafs turning the tables to start the 2nd frame. This is how you let games that you really ought to be totally dominating, slip away.

- Doug Murray with a blast from the line off the crossbar. Yes, you read that right - Doug Murray with a blast.

- He may have totally lost any ability to score, but at least Eller is playing a solid two way game. At least.

- Would it be sacrilege to observe that Doug Murray has played a pretty good game?

- Apologies for lack of comment, but this period has had so little to talk about. It's been a dump chase chip festival. Dreadful, dreadful hockey.

- That goaltending interference call on Briere was dreadful. He bumped into Bernier outside the crease. Offical miscall.

- I guess the good news from the Habs perspective is that while they were outplayed in the 2nd, they didn't surrender a tying goal. Given how dreadful Toronto has looked tonight, really shouldn't be contest.


First Period:

- Yeah, normally we'd post a few crack cocaine jokes and a stupid picture of Rob Ford for these Habs/Leafs games, but it's the weekend, and I'm lazy. Anyway, kind of an important game tonight, what with the race in the east so close. Not expecting this to be much of a game, with both clubs being terrible possession teams. We'll see.

- So one of the few Habs that's been scoring consistently of late, Daniel Briere, has been plugged down to centre the 4th line tonight, with Moen and Parros on his wing. So expect him to score exactly - nothing tonight, because of this roster move. Yeah, I don't get it either.

- Yup. It's gonna be rough and tumble tonight. That'll be fun, if not for the poor quality hockey that's to be expected.

- Craig Simpson seems to think Randy Carlyle is matching Therrien's lines. Craig, you know Montreal has last change, right?

- Dion Phaneuf with a dumb trip. At least his play has always been consistent with his hockey intelligence.

- Game very very sloppy, many whistles as a result. As noted earlier, that's to be expected when two teams that don't play the basics very well, face each other.

- Leafs taking the principles of dump and chase to another level. Zero shots registered 9 minutes in. Agonizing hockey to witness.

- Budaj ... oy ...

- When I predicted execution tonight would be poor, I didn't expect it to be THIS bad.

- Leafs are playing just ... horribly ... the Habs need to take advantage before Toronto discovers their legs and its game (however meek it might be).

- Subban remains the only Montreal defenseman remotely capable of feeding the puck to his forwards. Markov in his younger days, was a specialist, but that part of his game has largely left him. Anyway, because it's just Subban, the Habs are destined to indefinitely muck for offense.\

- Leafs had one game earlier this year where they went shotless in a period. They're now entering the danger zone of repeating that feat.

- Class One save by Bernier off a Bourque slot tip from a Gorges point shot. Should be 1-0.

- Welcome back Alex Galcheyuk, spinaround shot that Bernier probably should have had. 1-0.

- Habs kinda dominating right now, which normally would be impressive, but the Leafs .. ya  know ...

- Leafs just standing around their zone, Habs skating circles around everything, and Pacioretty with a backhander that while tough, probably also should have been stopped by Bernier. 2-0.

- Wow, shot on goal for Toronto. Emelin with an absolutely dreadful zone clearance right up the middle intercepted by Lupul, saved by the crossbar. Bad, bad, bad defense.

- Anyway, Leafs seem to be getting some sort of a semblance of a game going here, late in the first.

- Gorges with a bullet shot from the line, shockingly hard by his standards. Hits Gallagher hard, he's hurt on the bench.

- Can't blame Budaj, Van Riemsdyk with a great redeflect. The whole series began with Emelin making a wild clearance attempt from behind his net. That's two terrible plays by Emelin the past 3 minutes.

- Possession will heavily favour the Habs in the first period, they dominated first 15 minutes, Toronto did a push and scored, and will probably be extremely happy to be trailing by only one. Still, the Leafs looked awful.

Game Forty-Nine: Habs vs. Leafs

Third Period:

- Habs better in the second, 61% Fenwick, slight overall edge (52%) as we head to the third.

- Decent start to the 3rd. I remain steadfast the Habs will fade the deeper the period goes.

- Habs pressing, Leafs sitting on this quite a bit. Just one shit halfway through the period (very weak at that). Leafs simply watching the puck. Don't know if they can maintain this, even against the offensively incompetent Habs.

- Question answered. Subban with a wrister that banks off the post. Not sure if there was a deflection. Dirty goal. Tie game.

- Really surprised by how much the Habs have outplayed the Leafs in this period. Toronto just doesn't seem to have the horses to maintain pace. How the heck do they have 53 points? (Yeah yeah shootouts).

- Markov misses his check, and Emelin plays the puck and not the streaking van Reimsdyk. 4-3.

- Officials calling nothing. Leafs commiting countless offenses that are normally always called.

- Habs outperformed Leafs majority of the game, but their slow start did them in. Leafs just find a way of winning these games. Oh well. What goes up must come crashing down. They'll be crashing soon enough.

The Habs, meanwhile, are crashing in slow motion.

Second Period:

- As predicted, Habs indeed had 40% Fenwick (closed), less than 20% 5v5 in the first. That's ... astoundly abysmal.

- Habs attempting to grind this game to a halt in the second. But given how much Therrien is short-shifting his bench, the Habs probably don't have the horsepower to carry this through 60 minutes.

- I'm not afraid to admit it. God I love Brenden Gallagher. 

- Beaulieu with the fatal mistake of dishing instead of passing. The kid will learn for it, we hope. Meanwhile Price with a sensational stop off the resulting Kessel breakaway.

- Parros on the ice. Leafs score. Yup.

- Expect that should be Parros' final shift of the night. Otherwise, Leafs are just gonna keep pounding that chicken.

- Parros 3:00 so far. Nattinen 1:45. Habs are essentially playing just 3 lines tonight. No way they'll be able to compete on a level surface in the 3rd. #outcoached

- Too much open ice on the PK. Leafs open passing lanes, and Raymond buries it top shelf. 3-1 and Toronto are on their way.

- Briere with that sizzling Batum-level wrist shot. 

- A gift. Bernier can't handle a simple 60 footer and Gionta buries the juicy rebound. I guess that was his birthday present.

First Period:

- So Bourque, Diaz and Murray are the scratches. Hmmmm .... 

- Not often you see a guy from outer space sing the national anthem. Just sayin'.

- So obligatory Parros/Orr fight by end of the first? There's little other rational for either being in the lineup tonight.

- Leafs seem inclines to focused on hitting to start. It's helping them to generate some turnovers and early possession advantage.

- Alexei Emelin. It's hard to justify that contact when you're made a fool like that. 1-0 Leafs.

- Habs are getting their clocks cleaned by the woeful possession team that are the Leafs. How low can this team go?

- Well, Eller looks good. That's all I got.

- Game settling down a bit but Leafs are still dominating the neutral zone. Plus, the Habs self-inflicted wound that is their 4th line will invariably have to be played. 

- Habs great PK numbers are pure deception. It's mainly Carey Price.

- Emelin is a disaster on skates tonight. The Leafs are going to feast by sending out their number one line against him.

- Habs PP, Leafs PK was totally exhausted. We'll take it. Tie game.

- The scoreboard might be even but it was a woeful period for the Habs. Leafs will probably have close to 60% Fenwick. This from the second worst possession team in the NHL. Gives you an idea how broken the Canadiens are right now.

==================================================

YEAH BABY. It's the Habs and Leafs!! Two fierce rivals clash head-to-head in an ongoing battle to make the NHL playoffs. Two teams that have woefully inept offensive units, can't keep possession of the puck to save their lives, besieged by inept coaching which has fans from both sides of the aisle screaming for a coup d'etat. It's a match made in heaven!!

Do the Leafs even have 20 players to ice tonight? I'm looking at their presumed lineup, and it's looking .. uh ... thin?

But the Leafs are hot!! Winners of three in a row. Well, two of them were extra time victories. Which brings up the larger point - Toronto has managed to defy the rules of gravity most of this year. The Leafs have played 16 games requiring either extra time and/or a shootout, and they've won 11 of them. Sheesh. To put this into perspective, if the Leafs had only won a reasonable number of these games, say ... half, they'd be sitting in 13th place in the Conference, instead of their current position of the first wildcard position.

The Leafs have been incredibly fortunate. They have the 2nd worst fenwick percentage in the League, a pathetic 42%. The sheer fact they've been able to muscle out 24 wins this far, even though they've only had 4 regulation time wins over the past 33 games, is a pretty remarkable acheivement.

The Leafs received a bit of bad (I guess?) news recently with an elbow injury to David Clarkson, serious enough to place him on injured reserve. So with him out, expect the Leafs to serve up the following line combos:

Line 1: van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Kessel

Line 2: Raymond-Kadri-Lupul

Line 3: Kulemin-Holland-Ashton

Line 4: McClement-Orr-Bodie

Meanwhile over in Habsland, the picture isn't a whole lot different or brighter. Continuing to struggle offensively, suffocated by an ineptly over-conservative zone system that has an obsessive emphasis on goal clearance instead of transition, the Habs have some gaps to fill following the injury to Alex Galchenyuk and Ryan White, and a recent team battle with the flu bug which cause David Desharnais to miss a start, and apparently has laid claim to Raphael Diaz. Ergo, the Habs yesterday called up Nathan Beaulieu and Joonas Nattinen from the Bulldogs - expect the later to get 4th line spot duty (you know Therrien won't play him more than 6 minutes, tops), and the former to get paired with (I guess?) Doug Murray. Poor Nathan. He never stood a chance.

So there you have it. Two teams with mightily struggling offenses, playing over their heads for most of the year. So expect the unexpected, I suppose. Two points on the line - two fairly significant points as the Habs try to provide themselves with a bit of distance from "the rest of the pack", while the Leafs try to improve their slender hold on that wildcard spot.

Puck drops at 7:15 EST.

Oh!! By the way, tt's Hockey Day In Canada!

Yeah, me too. Who cares.

Game Twenty-Seven: Leafs vs. Habs

Third Period:

- Leafs come out charging, Habs need to survive first 5 minutes ... or else ....

- Game settling down a bit, which is fine from the Habs' perspective.

- Bernier keeping Leafs in this. Just barely.

- Bernier nice glove off the tip. Really liking Bourque's effort - quality tries on net, a less sharp netminder wouldn't have kept them all out.

- Habs a little too careful here, they'd better increase the tempo and bring this one home already.

- Definately one of Bourque's better games in awhile. Just needs to start producing points.

- Price forced to make a great save after Desharnais was mugged behind the Leafs' net. Refs have whistles firmly put away.

- 71 faceoffs and counting tonight, which is kinda crazy high.

- Plekanec can only shrug at that great save by Bernier - Leafs just won't quite go away, but time is running out.

-  Bourque can't be falted for lack of trying. Something's gotta give.

- Leafs really haven't been much of a threat since the 10 minute mark, but now they get a PP off a Van Riemsdyk dive. So weak.

- Phaneuf loses his cool, drives stake through the heart of Toronto's hopes. 

- Habs coasted to victory in the 3rd, really was no contest tonight, as Habs climb higher up the standings. The Leafs, judging by tonight's game, are heading for a hard fall.

Second Period:

- Leafs come out strong, really should have scored sans a lucky post bounce in Montreal's favor.

- Seems like Gallaher thrives these marquee Saturday night games against the Leafs. He knows a good portion of the nation is watching.

-  Parros vs. Orr. Let's just get it over with already.

- And they get it over with. Suitably, a draw. Now let's play some hockey.

- Kessel won't get them much easier than that. Leafs are snakebit.

- Pacioretty tackled on a breakaway. How that wasn't called ...

- Plekanec having quite the night - for not scoring any points. At least, yet.

- Leafs are gonna need a redeflect to beat Price tonight. If he sees it, it's not going in.

- Subban vs. Phaneuf ... Leafs will take that trade in the penalty box.

- Leafs pressing here, sensing that a goal surely must be close. But they'll have to be closer than 40 feet if they want to beat Price. So far most of their shots have been from long distance.

- Desharnais and Gallagher making an effective forechecking duo. Like their chemistry.

- Really there should be no reason why Parros should get another shift tonight.

- Plekanec, who's been massive this period, puts the Habs up 3-0. Briere doing some fine work battling for the puck along the boards. Gonna be hard for Toronto to recover from this far down.

- Briere looking great, Desharnais involved, now if Bourque could dial up his game,we'd really be cookin'.

- Pacioretty!! Bernier with the assist, and Max with his 9th shot of the night, now has three points. And counting.

- Habs letting it get to their heads - take defensive  siesta and Van Riemsdyk with a beauty flip shot that somehow slips through Price. Leafs with a sliver of hope now.

- Woah. Guys. Raymond unprotected, and Price with a bit of a juicy rebound. We've got ourselves a game. 4-2.

- Disappointig end to the period - the Habs really have this game owned, but let the Leafs slip back in. Now they'll have to actually work for it to finish things off in the 3rd. Do'h.

First Period:

- So Therrien goes with Parros, le sigh.

- Habs off to a blistering start, out skating and vastly outshooting the Leafs. But that's standard operation for Toronto isn't it?

- Pacioretty sprung on the break, bangs in his own rebound, and Habs take early lead.

- Habs forecheck creating lots of chance in Toronto's zone.

- Good no-goal call, Van Riemsdyk clearly interfering with Price.

- Pacioretty with six shots (!!!) so far and counting. The Leafs - six shots as well.

- Leafs Franson in the dressing room, apparently injured. That won't help Toronto much.

- Wouldn't be surprised if patches scores 2, 3 or 4 tonight. 

- Habs massively outhustling Leafs right now. Whether they can keep this up for 60 minutes is the big question.

- Subban scores his first in a month, this time not a slapper. Leafs opened the lane for P.K., and Habs take 2-0 lead. Patches the assist as he builds towards a big night on the scoresheet.

- Leafs reeling here, backing into their zone, and Habs are pelting Bernier as a result. Toronto wanting the clock down to zero so they can regroup in the room.

- As noted In our pregame preview the Leafs have been defying gravity this season, Habs returning Toronto further back to a proper orbit. No contest so far.

JUST SAY NO MICHEL. Orr won't get 6 minutes of ice tonight.

Gameday Game Preview:

Ah, Saturday night. The Leafs against the Habs. The one classic showdown that rarely disappoints. It's the CLASH OF THE TITANS.

Well, except that it isn't. It's a clash between a pretty decent playoff projected team (Habs) against, and this is not hyperbole, an AWFUL non-playoff team - the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Woah, woah, woah ... you might respond. The Leafs? The 14-9-3 Toronto Maple Leafs??!  Are you on Rob Ford crack? LOOK AT THEIR RECORD YOU IDIOT. THEY'RE HEADED FOR THE PLAYOFFS. THEY'RE A VERY GOOD TEAM. GO BACK TO RUSSIA YOU NINNY.

But, but, but .... I'd protest back, they're almost certainly not headed for the playoffs. Because, this:

- Corsi Differential (all situations): -16.6 (29th, only Buffalo is worse).
- Fenwick Differential (all situations): -12.6 (29th, only Buffalo is worse).
- Shot Differential: -12.6 (29th, only Buffalo is worse).

By the way, the second-to-last-ranking isn't even close to the teams ahead. They're buried in 29th place in these key categories, saved only by the fact that the Sabres might possibly be the worst team the League has seen in its modern history (and yet, somehow, the Leafs couldn't even beat them last night).

There's no logical way the Leafs should be even close to 14 wins when you look at their possession and shooting stats. No. Freaking. Way.

But ... they are. So what the heck is going on? Well, in this writer's opinion four elements have allowed the Leafs to stay somewhat competitive against their opposition. They are (in no real particular order):

1) Goaltending. For the most part, it's been very good. Jonathan Bernier and backup James Reimer have posted very similar numbers, both currently with a .931 SV%, with Bernier a slightly better GAA (2.33 vs. 2.58). Their collective performances have allowed the Leafs the opportunity to win close games against (as we shall see later) mainly less-than-average NHL teams.

2) Specialty Units. The Leafs have a pretty good powerplay, 24.4%, which has been producing goals at maddeningly apt times. Their production, in particular the timing of their production leads us into the next point ...

3) Luck. The Leafs have been incredibly lucky. Their shooting, while awful, is somehow finding the back of the net way more than it should be. Their PDO is 103.9, 3rd in the League. Only Anaheim and Colorado have been more fortunate in getting fortunate bounces. The luck love-in has also played a role in our next big category ...

4) Scheduling: Toronto's schedule has been uncannily *easy* - not only in that they've played against teams that have been struggling to get to the .500 mark, but they have played against teams that were struggling at the time of their games.

To give you some perspective on just how favorable the early season scheduling was, I've put together their win-loss record vs. "competitive" and "non-competitive" opponents. The metric for "competitive" being games against teams who at the time, had more wins than losses:

- Competitive: 2-7-1
- Non-Competitive: 12-2-2

So there you have it. Of the 26 teams they've faced this year, 10 have been against clubs with more wins that losses at the time the games were played, and the Leafs have just 2 wins to show for it. Meanwhile the Leafs have feasted (credit due - you're supposed to win these games) against teams playing under .500.

Luck, however, has this funny way of running out. The Leafs' fortunes, I'm afraid, cannot defy gravity forever - and the schedule, which was very kind through October and November, isn't looking so easy in December. In addition to facing the Habs tonight, the Leafs can look forward to clubs, mainly from the Western Conference, that are either at, or significant above the .500 threshold. The Sharks, Stars, Kings, Blackhawks, Blues, Coyotes from the West, the Bruins, Pens, and Red Wings from the East.

I foresee a very, very difficult month of December for the Leafs, and a resulting tumble down the Eastern Conference standings.

SO TONIGHT. The Leafs take on the Habs, who even with the shootout loss last night, are still playing some pretty decent hockey, and have been since their roster returned to full health. Thomas Plekance, who must NEVER AGAIN participate in a shootout, has been racking up the points. Andrei Markov continues to hold a hot hand, and Habs goaltending, even though Peter Budaj was a bit "meh" last night against the Caps, has been stellar.

The big question tonight is whether Michel Therrien can resist temptation, and NOT insert George Parros into the lineup. In the games which Parros has played, the Habs' record is 0-4-1.  Without him in the lineup, 14-5-2.

Don't do it Michel. Just don't do it.

Puck drops at 7:15 EST.

Game One: Leafs vs. Habs

Happy Friday Edition!!

This Just in From TSN ...

TSN Mobile now taking applications. Their waiting to here from you today!

This 'n' That:

A few bits and pieces of Habs news 'n' notes. Here's what we got so far:

- With George Parros out indefinitely, Habs recalled Michael Bournival on Wednesday, and with Max Pacioretty nursing an apparently injured left wrist, many were led to believe Bournival would be starting Saturday against the Flyers. However at the Habs practice this morning, Max Pacioretty was back on the ice, and Ryan White was seen playing along side Moen and Prust. Sooooo ... looks like Bournival will have to wait just a little bit longer before getting his first big-League start.

- UPDATE: In post-practice presser, Therrien indicated that both White and Bournival would likely get starts *if* Max Pacioretty doesn't feel ready to go (if Pacioretty were to take himself out, his injury is probably more serious than anyone is letting on). Likely though, Patches will start, and Bournival will sit.

Therrien also said he'd seen Parros, and that he looked "really good.". Get well soon, George!!!


- Unbelievably, somebody actually publicly defended Patrick Roy for his asinine behavior on Wednesday night which earned him a $10,000 fine. Who's the culprit? None other that Av's center Matt Duchene, who yesterday in a radio interview, called Roy's antics "exciting".

Hmm. Duchene, who's just 22 years old, probably needs a bit of history lesson about his coach. Roy's has quite the record for an inability to maintain rational thought - in recent years whether it's been directing his son to assault other players on the ice, or simply conducting the assaults himself. Or, if you prefer, all the way back to 1995 when the entitled Roy left the Habs in a huff because he didn't receive the "respect"  he felt owed to him from Mario Tremblay, who refused to kiss Roy's butt like Jacque Demers and Pat Burns were frequented to do.

Roy might coach the Avs to respectability this season, but long term, if he's unable to behave like an adult, Colorado may have just saddled themselves with a manager headed towards a personal implosion.

Afternoon Links

- Barry Trotz, who ain't no dummy, not pulling punches about Patrick Roy's abysmal behavior last night in Denver. Roy was slapped with a $10,000 fine by the League today.
- Relatively decent article about George Parros and his academic achievements. Parros ain't no goonfaced dummy, folks.
- Here's some actual cheery news. A few of the Habs players did a visit at Lac Megantic today, where that horrible train derailment happened earlier this year. Check out the crowd who came out to see the players. Wonderful!

- John Barlett, TSN Radio 690

For Your Consideration:

Here we see a 14 year old boy trapped inside the puffy body of a 46 year old man. Patrick Roy. Just. Shut. Up. Habsland is still breathing a sigh of relief that you're not our problem.

(From l-r): Awesome, Solid, THE MAN, Oh god Bergevin, WHY??

Stats Line: Leafs vs. Habs

- Corsi: Habs 70, Leafs 61
- Fenwick: Habs 53, Leafs 46

Not a whole lot to add building from the initial(correct) assessments that Habs were outplaying the Leafs, the bottom line is the Habs defense was pretty sloppy and soft, surrendering far too many high percentage shots. The score could and should have been worse, if it wasn't for some excellent saves made by Price to keep the scoreboard manageable.

Moving forward, adjustments will be necessary. Markov, who struggled, was utilized far too much on the PK - he's simply not adapt to that role given the realities of his rebuild legs. Therrien has two shut-down guys, Subban and Georges, with both eminently capable of putting out close to 30 minutes a night. Whether or not Therrien chooses to use guys like Markov in more adapt roles, 5-on-5 and PP situations, is yet to be seen. But even the casual viewer would have noticed that Andrei was out of his element and over his head, and it was a significant factor in the team's defeat.

About Last Night ...

Not a whole lot to say this morning, but thoughts continue to be on George Parros. And yeah .... it's getting harder and harder to rationalize fighting in the game that we love so much. As Deadspin notes this morning, unless fighting is removed from the sport, eventually somebody will die - and it'll probably happen in an incident much like what happened to Parros.

Parros, who spent the night in hospital, has been diagnosed with concussion, and is out indefinitely. His playing status is highly irrelevant. That ought not be our focus. Fighting in hockey though ... the debate must change its focus away from the silly rules brought in to reduce its prevelence (the helmet removing rule is pointless), towards eliminating its existence.

How you go about banning fighting is pretty significant challenge with inherently complex solutions, which you'd assume, would have to be pretty draconion.

But the clock is ticking. Something must be done to eliminate the brawling because eventually, sooner or later, somebody will die. If that happens, the game itself will be irrevocably damaged.

More later today. In the meantime, send your good thoughts for a speedy recovery towards George.

Third Period:

- Parros. Good grief. Orr sent to the dressing room. Building is like a funeral.

- Watching replay. Orr not to blame in any way.

- Game has turned dark. Doesn't seem like so much fun any more.

- Tinordi, who hasn't seen much action since making the mistake leading to the Leafs tying goal, sits in the box.

- Habs look disheartened, and the Leafs picking up the breaks. 4-2.

- Zip in Habs legs that looked so great in the first is gone. Team really hasn't recovered since Markov's big mistake.

- Therrien needs a spark. The Eller line seems the obvious solution. It certainly hasn't been the Desharnais line.

- Eller shift. Suddenly things happen. It ain't rocket science.

- No word on Parros. Assuming he's in hospital.

- Prust/Moen/Pacioretty. Therrien looking to grind out some offense. Habs are getting some mo' going here.

- Leafs having good time eating shifts here. Looking pretty disciplined.

- Desharnais' problems are pretty fundamental. He's not strong enough. Any lose pucks at his feet, he's simply pushed away. Long-term, I don't see how the Habs can carry this through. If he can't play centre, he's got a pretty limited NHL future.

- Officials can't count to six. At least this crew can't. Insanely, the Leafs get the powerplay.

- Guess what? Lars Eller. Shorthanded. Habs have hope.

- Leafs clinging to life, mugging anything in red that moves. Officials take a nap.

- Okay, Desharnais line to close it out? That one requires an explanation. 4-3 final.

- Eller line looked fantastic. Price made some huge saves to keep his team in the game. For the most part, Markov looked wretched. Desharnais line was a total zero - Briere included. On the bright side, Habs had lots of zip, pretty good puck control, but Leafs took advantage of mistakes, and that's how you win closely contested hockey games, Fenwick be dammed.

All of this, positive and negative, completely marred, of course, by what happened to Parros. Not a good opening night in Habsland.

Second Period:

- Max Pacioretty still hasn't come back after taking a hard hit midway through the first period. No reports on his status, yet.

- First period Habs fenwick 14-12, so there ya go. They did have the possession edge. Eller, who was the best player, got less than 5 minutes ice. Gallagher under 3 (ut-oh ... some things never change, do they?). Gorges almost *9* minutes, good chunk accumulated on the PKs.

- Patches back on the bench.

- Carey Price has made as many tough saves as you'd expect to get in 60 minutes, in the first 23 minutes. Stellar so far.

- Leafs defense having a lot of trouble adjusting to Habs zone passing. Creating a lot of quality chances.

- Parros with the response to Orr for his first period hit on Pacioretty, who's still yet to play a shift after getting injured.

- Pacioretty with a tentative shift. Took a (weakish) wrist shot. 

- Tinordi gets caught up ice. In the big leagues, they make you pay for those mistakes. Game tied.

- Borderline hook/hold call on Pacioretty. And that's being generous. Don't like the inconsistency of tonight's officiating, but that's old news.

- I know the early season is the time for experimenting, but still can't figure out deploying Diaz on the PK.

- Is there a reason why Therrien is severely limiting using the league Norris trophy winner on the PK? What am I missing here?

- Com'on, Markov doesn't have a diving rep. Silly silly silly call. 

- Picking up directly from last year, another quiet, uninspired night for Desharnais. 

- Speaking of, pretty impressed with Bourque tonight, really moving his feet well, driving the crease effectively.

- This new helmet penalty is silly. Not a deterrence, the coordinated synchronic removal also looks ridiculous.

- Markov with a night to forget. Yikes.

- Period to forget - Habs weren't badly outplayed persay, but got into some penalty trouble. And then Markov's huge mistake. Still, the Habs have overall been the better team, so there's nothing to suggest they shouldn't be capable of coming back in the 3rd.

First Period:

- Okay, the player intros are taking forever, but just looking at Parros sans the helmet is frightening. Hate to be the first guy who faces him in fisticuffs.

- So, so, so good to see Eller on that ice in full uniform. He is the future (and if you don't mind the cheesiness of this statement, the future is now).

- Never really understood the point of national anthems at the start of sporting events, but let's do it this way forever - only the crowd sings. Hell yeah!

- Glen Healy noting that Price was having problems handling a shot that went four feet wide. Penetrating analysis, Glen.

- The Eller line by far the best out of the gate.

- Parros is gonna make every precious minute of icetime count.

- Contrary to Healy's inane observations, Price had made two word-class saves. Leafs to the PP.

- That's three sparklers for Price, and counting.

- 5 on 3, whatareyagonnado? Wonder if that shot might have stayed out with last year's pads?

- Can just imagine the braintrust right now wearing the blue and white crying foul that Prust faked that boarding.

- Eller! Welcome back. And as noted previously, the best playing line is quickly rewarded. Excellent dish by Diaz, by the way - keep that out and I might change my position of having you as he 7th D.

- CBC good grief, who's in charge in the control room? A flock of monkeys?

- Carey Price making saves on shots that really ought to be goals. Therrien won't be pleased.

- Gallagher gives Habs the lead (same line strikes again), Leafs claiming the play was offside. Toronto defense, however, looked miserable adjusting to the transition. Habs speed is killing them.

- How does Gionta, 15 feet out, miss the net by three feet?

- Eller is a monster tonight. This is an All-Star in the making, folks.

- Healy keeps talking about how shaky Price is playing. What am I missing here?

- Excellent period for the Habs, clearly the faster, more organized playing team. Had clear edge on possession, and even though the "book" on the Habs is they can be outhit and outmuscled, they were the stronger team, especially along the boards.

WE ARE BACK. YES, WE ARE BACK.

Okay, remember how like ... five months ago I said I'd be posting throughout the summer about the Habs, being a good little blogger, doing all the analysis that earns you blogging "street cred." Remember that?? WELL SCREW THAT I LIKE SUMMER AND I SPENT IT OUTSIDE NOT INSIDE ALL DAY IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER.

Plus, I admit it ... I'm lazy.

So Sunday afternoon, I'm watching the Toronto Sports Network's little "pre-season" show about the upcoming season, really only caring about what they have to say about the only team that really matters - THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (kidding), and so, excuse me if I get this wrong - their "analysis" of the Habs this year went something like this:

1) Habs finished in 1st place last year, despite Carey Price not really playing very well.
2) We TOTALLY expect Price to have a big rebound season.
3) Ergo, the Habs will finish out of the playoffs!

Did that compute? I didn't think so. But then again, the TSN panel thought the Leafs will grab one of these wild card playoff spots, so hah ... you ... I .. they ... ugh. Why bother??

THIS SEASON. So Marc Bergevei loses his collective mind for a week (the last time being when he signed Desharnais to a four year extension), and gobbles up Dannie Briere who NOBODY would have been interested in. So now we're stuck with this non-productive, undersized winger for two more years, under the guise of some absurd expectation that he's going to help make Desharnais score actual points.

Le sigh. I suppose there's no point in bemoaning the acquisition, but your veritable Habs Game Blogger thinks Bergevin it's a dreadful mistake that could significantly bog down the Habs offense when, inevitably, Therrien starts moving Briere from line to line when, inevitably, Briere fails to produce the necessary numbers.

SO TONIGHT. GAME ONE! A NEW SEASON. LIFE CAN BEGIN AGAIN. And ... it's against the Leafs. Har, har. Piece of cake, right? Just like last year when ... okay. So maybe not that easy, but com'on ... the Leafs made a series of moves during the summer with the (I guess?) expectation that if you move sideways hard enough, you'll eventually move forward. I dunno. We'll see, but I don't see the Leafs landing any higher than 11th, *maybe* 10th in the East this season.

Puck drops at 7:10-ish EST. The Bell Centre is gonna be rockin' tonight.