Showing posts with label Michel Therrien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michel Therrien. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 February 2017

Habs Special: Therrien Fired

CLAUDE JULIEN ERA: DAY ONE

At the practice venue in Brossard, they're stacked standing room 7 deep. Only in Montreal, only in Montreal.


Yes, but what about the practice itself? This should pretty much sum it up:
Music to the ears. Sweet, sweet competent hockey coaching music. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THESE YEARS?





 WEDNESDAY UPDATE:

- Marc Bergevin held a press conference late this morning, and being Marc Bergevin, revealed very little. Among the things he did say that were worth remembering, Bergevin affirmed that under no circumstances would he entertain any trade offer that involved the Canadiens' future talent, which means you can cross Mikhail Sergachev off the endangered list.

- Although not really asked a direct question about his status, Bergevin did say he was "expecting more" out of Alex Galchenyuk, who's been the face of many Canadiens-related trade rumours the past couple of days.

- Again, Bergevin refused to directly answer why he chose to fire Michel Therrien, other than he wanted his team to head in a winning direction. Maybe dropping an unintentional hint, Bergevin indicated that the team had stopped playing "responsibly", which one could perceive as an indicator that the players were no longer listening to their coach, which stoked the decision to make a change.

- Coy comments about Carey Price, other than he still is a "world class" goaltender, and that he's hoping to see Price's game improve over the coming weeks/months.

- After the press conference, a few Habs players held what appears to have been an informally arranged practice at Brossard, and guess who showed up?
Oates' participation is interesting - because a) he's currently an unemployed (and one would assume looking) coach, b) he has significant ties to Boston, and c) Julien's almost certainly going to make adjustments to the assistant coaching crew, might Oates be part of those changes?
THE FIRING: NOW, WE CAN FINALLY REJOICE

Yeah, it's hard to even believe it, but the day has finally arrived. And almost exactly 8 years since Michel Therrien was let go by his former, former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. That day was February 15, 2009. Astonishing.

Truth be told, this firing shouldn't come as a shocker, at least among those who have been close followers of this hockey team. The final nail was likely this comment on Sunday night:
Price's identity statement was as close to any comment you'll get from a player that his coach has lost the room. That's essentially what happened - the players, at some point the past two months, totally tuned out from listening to Michel Therrien. It explains his termination today as much as it explains the inconsistent, often chaotic display of hockey by this team since early December.

This is an incredibly important moment - because it not only turns a chapter in a coaching era that was doomed from the very beginning, but it also allowed the Canadiens, for the first time in recent memory, to hire a bonafide top-notch hockey mind, that being of course, Claude Julien.

Boston's loss will almost certainly be Montreal's huge gain. This is something to celebrate.

And so we breath a sigh of relief - the deed is finally done, and now the fans can watch hockey without fret. Sure, the team will lose again, it may even continue to slide all the way out of a playoff spot, but at least the focus of tension and frustration won't be directed at the man standing behind the bench, frenetically cranking out illogical line combinations, and reserving himself from finding scapegoats to excuse his own poor performance.

It's a new day. It's Valentine's day. It's finally time to celebrate.
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Thursday, 9 February 2017

Game 56: Habs vs. Coytoes

Montreal 5, Arizona 4 (OT):

FIRST PERIOD:

So Hanzal isn't playing tonight, indicating a) he's really sick, b) he's about to be traded, or c) he's about to be traded and he's really sick about it.

- Great first shift by Plekanec line, even better one for Danault, as Pacioretty tucks home the puck off a nice little pass from Danault (Coyotes defence dreadfully soft) for his 200th career NHL goal. Not too shabby. 1-0 quickly for the Habs.

- Max Pacioretty has the same goal production per game (0.37) as Patrick Kane, who was drafted ahead of him in 2007. Kane among the recently announced Top 100 Greatest NHL Players of All Time. So there you go.

- Maybe the players sensed a wake-up call, this Habs team not nearly as passive tonight as they were against the lowly Avs. These losses, especially against bottom-feeders, can present upside. 

- Mike Smith really fighting the puck tonight. Habs forwards would be wise to crash the crease for some loose pucks.

- Makrov with a blast off the post makes it 2-0, courtesy some excellent hard work by McCarron and Carr behind the Arizona net to win the puck battle and get the puck to the line. Habs 4th line already looks much better than they ever were with the Flynn/Mitchell/De La Rose/Desharnais combinations.

- McCarron is doing everything you could reasonably ask of an NHL 4th liner - he's being physical, he's working hard, he's generating puck turnovers, and to boot, he's scoring points. Com'on Michel, give the guy a full-time job already.

- First period in the book, I guess that's more like it?  Very good periods for both the Danault and McCarron lines, Alex Galchenyuk with a so-so period, still not really clicking with Lehkonen and Byron. Greg Pateryn also looks good - he brings a nasty edge to his game that Nikita Nesterov seemed incapable of providing during his few starts in a Habs uniform. Price steady but unspectacular - these are the kinds of games he tends to thrive in. So far, as they say, so good.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs 5v5 CF in the 1st, 55.3%. Solid period. Not dominating, but solid. 


- Galchenyuk's first shift of the 2nd period his best so far tonight. Still, I don't think he's anywhere close to 100% the same player he was two months ago. Knee injuries are tricky to fully recover from. While healed, some players might still lack the same strength and mobility they had pre-injury. Galchenyuk's recovery will take time.

- Habs just manhandling the Coyotes so far, it's not a blitzing, more like a slow, twisting suffocation of their opponent. Arizona spending way too much time and energy defending their zone, barely registering a smite of offence in this period. 11 minutes left.

- McCarron and Byron with gold-plated scoring chances this period, Mike Smith catching more than a couple of huge breaks flailing in his net, while the puck found ways of staying out of the net. Should be a blowout score right now, so technically, the Coyotes are hanging in, but only barely.

- Que Andrew Shaw with dumb-assed penalty, this time a totally unnecessary hook. It gives the opposing team a chance of getting back into this game. If I'm the coach, this thing is driving me totally crazy.

- Danault given a bogus delay of game penalty at the end of the Shaw penalty. Coyotes with a gift powerplay.

- Dvorak converts, of course. Habs get jobbed by a bad call. 2-1.

- Paul Byron, who hit a crossbar, and is mired in a slump that's lasted well over 2 months, joins the stupid crowd, and gets nailed for an interference. All coming apart so quickly for the Canadiens here.

- Carey Price with an insane save off a Peter Holland breakaway. Then Holland digs at what appears to be a frozen puck until it's pushed across the line. Of course, the call goes against the Habs upon review, and the game is tied.

- Haha. Total Habs meltdown here, Goligowski, as Price totally loses track of the puck, not to mention some downright atrocious defence by Pateryn and Emelin. Coyotes take a stunning 3-2 lead, and again, it all started with Andrew Shaw taking a bad penalty. 

- 2nd period complete. Well, what can you say? Repeating ourselves here, but the Canadiens were in total and full control of this game, missing a couple of sure-fire scoring chances that would have salted this game away for certain. Then Andrew Shaw made yet another costly poor decision that gave the Coyotes momentum that turned this game totally on its head, and the Habs went from two points in the bag, to one goal down on the scoreboard. Stunningly bad period that's underscoring some of the more dysfunctional aspects of this hockey team - 1) the Canadiens continuing issues with its defence, and 2) this team being consistently hurt by singular plays by individual players. 

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs had a pretty dominative 2nd period, but as we mentioned, it only takes one stupid selfish play by one player for the worm to turn against, no matter how well you might be playing collectively. 5v5 CF in that 2nd period alone was 75%, but it's all for naught.

-
 Just a reminders, Bergevin brought in so-called "character guys" that were supposed to push this team over the hump during inevitable times of duress. Well, this is one of these times. Let's see how well those moves have paid off.

- Well, that's a good first sign. Pacioretty with his 2nd of the night, 27th of the season (just 3 behind Sid!!) on the powerplay to tie the game. Leaders stepping up to the plate - at least Max is. Will anyone else follow?

- 4th line making a statement tonight, and it reads as follows: "keep Desharnais and Flynn as healthy scratches unless and until the earth ceases rotation on its axis".

- Habs again controlling most aspects of this hockey game extending through the first half of this 3rd period. There is no good reason why they should not come away with 2 points, but one gets the feeling they'll find a way of blowing it.

- Nix that, Pacioretty with another brilliant shift, basically willing the puck to his side, and Radulov doing the usual Radulov thing, which is being great, crashing the low slot to beat two defenders to a loose puck and tuck a shot just under the bar to give the Habs the lead again.

- This ... now THIS is a dominating period, 6 minutes left, Price has had to handle 2 shots, neither being remotely dangerous. Coyotes play a pretty terrible possession game, that bears an interesting similarity to how the Habs were playing two years ago. 

- Unbelievable. Price kinda-sorta misplays a poke of the puck, which hits his shoulder, then off the inside his pad, and into the net. One of the craziest, flukiest goals you'll see, and it burns the Habs who, until this point in the game, had pretty much held their opponent to zero in the period. Game is tied.

- So who had money on Carey Price struggling to keep his Sv% above .900 this season? Anyone? Anyone? Hello?

- Overtime. Well at least we got this far, but with Carey Price playing as he has tonight, and the past month, colour me as lacking confidence the Habs will end up with the extra point.

OVERTIME:

- Not sure how we even arrived here, but Habs 5v5 CF tonight? A ridiculous 66.3%:


- Radulov and Pacioretty have been on FIRE tonight, a two man demolition crew tonight. So in OT, Therrien splits them apart. Genius.

- Paul Byron. Two month + slump just got a whole lot worse, as he hits his second crossbar tonight, this time with Smith totally down and absolutely out and most of the net a gaping receptor of any pucks offered her sweet, netty embrace.

- Galchenyuk. Sweet, merciful Galchenyuk ends this preposterous hockey game. Max Pacioretty was all world tonight, carrying the team on his back, scoring two and assisting two, including the OT winner. Might have been his most brilliant NHL performance to date - he was that good. Habs just barely wrangle out two points against the League's 2nd worst team, but somehow, that considered, it feels like the kind of win that might spark this team back into a winning mindset again. We'll see, as the Habs have two games to play this weekend before getting their mandated week of rest.



THE HABS ARE PLAYING THE COYOTES, AND I FOR ONE, AM TERRIFIED

PANIC. PANIC. PANIC. Is it time to panic yet? Hey, let's ask G.M. Marc Bergevin. Hey Marc-o, this is your team, your coach. How's it shakin' over there?
Ah, well ... that's ... interesting? Any other completely baseless speculation you can toss our way, oh great Twitter Gods?

Hey, I'd be just about the first guy to lose my mind in ecstatic glee if Bergevin dumped Therrien for Julien, but com'on everyone. Who actually thinks that Marc "fox hole" Bergevin would fire his guy, HIS GUY, still technically a "first place" hockey team, almost right in the middle of a hockey season? Naw. Not gonna happen.

What's more likely happening here is Bergevin has seen his team, with an almost totally healthy roster, totally stink the joint for more than a week, and is having a few one-on-one chats with the perceived dressing room leadership (it's speculated that he met with Max Pacioretty, Carey Price and Shea Weber) to gauge their opinions about how the team is playing, whether there's some on-ice issues or pieces that he should consider addressing as the trade deadline approaches - Occam Razor's stuff.

The baseless speculation was undoubtably "perked" because this meeting apparently was not attended by Therrien, which shouldn't really come as much of a surprise. Therrien, for those who have watched him closely the past few years, has never been an involved head coach. Behind the bench, he very rarely, if ever, oversees strategy with the players, and never draws up plays (he defers to his assistants - last year it was Gerard Gallant, this year it's been Kirk Muller).

Therrien (I'm guessing) was alerted to the meeting in advance by Bergevin, gave his okay, and it happened. End of (non) story.

Now. If the Habs were to somehow miss qualification for this spring's playoffs, then watch out. Changes would be coming down fast and hard, and Therrien would be first in line as sacrificial smoked meat.

Otherwise, nothing's happening. Sure, this club would realize a huge upgrade if it hired Julien as the next head coach, but timing being everything, it's almost certainly not going to happen.

So, with Michel Therrien still firmly in control of his bench, adjustments, accordingly, have been made. We have healthy scratches tonight! They being David Desharnais (second time in three starts he's been scratched), Brian Flynn (second time in three starts) will also watch from the press box, and Nikita Nesterov, who has, shall we say, underwhelmed his new team, will also sit. Mike McCarron, Greg Pateryn and Daniel Carr, who've been in and out of the lineup for most of the season, will play tonight. Expect to see Carr paired with McCarron and Mitchell on the Habs 4th line (which has been stinking up the joint for 3 solid months).

Over on Arizona's side, the Coyotes haven't played since Sunday, which does not bode well for a Habs lineup desperate to reach their mandated rest period which is coming up next week. Arizona is enduring another disappointing season, their on-ice struggles not being helped much by off-ice drama revolving around ownership uncertainties, ranging from a new arena that now appears to be DOA, to speculation that the franchise is avidly seeking relocation to the northwest, either Portland or Seattle.

Arizona is also being dogged (haha ... dogged ... get it?? ahh ..... okay) by player health issues. Alex Goligoski and Martin Hanzal, the later of which has become the focus of intense trade speculation, are game-time decisions because of the flu. Brad Richardson, whom the Coyotes took off the hands of the L.A. Kings last summer, is still recovering from a long-term leg injury. Don't feel bad for Brad, he's still picking up one hellova paycheck.

Tonight, it's Carey Price vs. Mike Smith (12W, 15L, 5OT, 2.86 GAA, .917 Sv%). Puck drops at 9:10, EST.



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Thursday, 19 January 2017

Game 47: Habs vs. Devils

Montreal 3, New Jersey 1:

FIRST PERIOD:

- Pretty fast start for the Habs, bolstered by an aggressive setup in centre ice - Canadiens aiming to generate some Jersey giveaways with a tight forecheck there, so far it's working.

- Yeah, gonna be one of those nights. Wrister from the point fired by Santini, defected just under the crossbar height by Zajac to give the Devils the first goal. Danault line wasn't doing a very good job coming back to defend their zone, so Jersey took advantage of the opportunity. 

- What a play by Radulov, carrying the puck and making an absolutely mind-bogglingly perfect pass behind and on Galchenyuk's tape who one-times it in off the post. Goal scoring at its purest and prettiest.

- Galchenyuk goal coming without Andrew Shaw on the first line man advantage - not because Therrien had wised up, but because he was finishing his shift when the penalty was drawn. The gods are practically screaming KEEP. HIM. OFF. THE. POWERPLAY.

- More hard work, Pacioretty draws a trip, Montreal right back on the powerplay. Betcha Shaw starts it.  I'll just bethca.

- HE DOES NOT. PROGRESS!

- No goals scored, but a great looking powerplay. Galchenyuk, Radulov, Pacioertty, Weber and Beaulieu had the Devils pinned hard for the first 90 seconds. Jersey lucky to escape.

- Beaulieu prefers the wrist shot, which is fine for a quick release, but it's simply not strong enough to reach the net with any potential. More often than not it's blocked, because NHL defensemen (these days) specialize in stopping shots before they reach the net.

- Strong period so far for De La Rose - his chances to establish a regular presence on this roster are fast running out, mainly because he's been improperly utilized mainly as a grinder - but that's another topic. 

- Don't see nearly the same chemistry this period with Danault up the middle with Radulov and Paciroetty that we saw with Galchenyuk centering them the Habs first two powerplays. I guess Michel Therrien hasn't realized the hints that the game is dropping him.

- That's a pretty good first period for the Habs, very reminiscent of their December 8th game which they largely dominated from the start basically right to the finish. Montreal with more speed and better forecheck in the frame, Devils had limited scoring opportunities - I counted 2, maybe 3 ... one of which found it's way in. Otherwise, a forgettable period for Jersey.


SECOND PERIOD:

- SOG were 10-3 Habs, and even more lopsided attempt-wise - Montreal's even strength CF, an eye-popping 81%:


- More good shifts by De La Rose - really doesn't fit the 4th line prototype that Therrien has been trying to push him into for years. His NHL career should have been made (or broken) as a top-9 winger. He'll likely not ever get that chance now.

- Canadiens not showing any let down - dominance continues, Jersey offence looks pretty downright disinterested. Not sure how much longer Kinkaid can hold on before the walls finally cave in.

- 11 minutes left, Habs lowest percentage CF player is Mark Barberio, at an astounding 57%. That's 20 out of 20 which gives you an idea how one-sided this game has been, except for goal scoring. That the Habs aren't already leading this game 3 or 4-1 is another indicator this team might demonstrate some solid possession stats, but they struggle generating shots from dangerous spots on the ice. It's been this way for a good month.

- Habs taking too many low percentage shots from the line - that's fine when you're playing a patient game, or protecting the lead - but not fine when your opponent is on the ropes, and the knockout punches are there for the taking.

- Habs are swarming, not unlike the Pens were doing to Montreal on Wednesday night. The difference? The Pens were finishing their plays. Canadiens just a little bit off tonight, even though they're completely overwhelming New Jersey with ferocious checking.

- Andrew Shaw continues to be a problem, killing the setups, frequently not looking for mates in good scoring positions, and feeding the puck back to the line. It's the "safe" play, utterly uncreative, and totally stifling the Canadiens scoring opportunities. 


THIRD PERIOD:

- More Habs dominance in the 2nd period, but it's amounting to nothing on the scoreboard because the Canadiens (again) are failing to generate dangerous scoring attempts. Too many pucks fed to the point, too many point shots that are either blocked, or easily turned aside. Anyway, Habs 5v5 CF two-period total is 70.5%:


- Stollery called for a 5 minute major as he blindside boards Beaulieu. Seems to me the NHL is finally taking these checks seriously lately. That's the 2nd 5 minute board I've seen this week.
- Whelp, it's yet another point shot, but this time it's Weber, it's unblocked, and it's unstoppable. Habs finally break through, lead 2-1, and will stay on the powerplay.

- Bit of a broken play springs Pacioretty all alone with the puck in the slot, he slips a wrister though Kinkaid's legs, and it's 3-1, the Canadiens finally breaking through on the scoreboard. Radolov, who did not have a good game Wednesday night, with 3 assists so far. Habs still on the powerplay.

- More lack of Devils discipline puts the Habs right back on the powerplay, which mostly sans Andrew Shaw tonight, has been pretty darned good.

- Habs swarm, come close, but don't extend their lead by 3. Nonetheless, the powerplay unit has looked superb much of the night, and while I'm not suggesting a coincidence, Andrew Shaw has received only 2 powerplay shifts tonight.

- Devante Smith-Pelly. His even strength CF tonight? 0%. How does he still keep a job in the NHL??

- Andrighetto has taken great strides in the right direction this season, especially since his latest callup. But he's still prone to young mistakes, a clear-cut 2-on-1 where the lone defender was basically surrendering a path to the goal to protect the pass, and of course, still learning, he passes, which is easily intercepted. Just little errors, but totally correctable ones. He'll be good, as long as Habs management continues to be patient and gives him a fair chance.

- Meek end to this game, the Devils look utterly defeated, just going through the motions, firing the occasional shot at Montoya, but nothing remotely challenging. Jersey has a bad hockey team. Very bad.

- I think we can file this as another dominating win for the Habs, second time they've done that this season. Powerplay was on fire, while the Devils were, for the most part, pathetic - especially with the puck. Nice "reset' win for the Habs, who now hope to convert the momentum of tonight's win and carry it into Buffalo to face another beatable opponent.
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: ALL HAIL OUR DEVIL SPAWNING MASTER LORD TRUMP. THE END IS NIGH

 UPDATE: Cory Schneider indeed will not play tonight, so that means Keith Kinkaid is in. Will Schneider be dressed as backup? If not, who? Stay tuned.

UPDATE OF UPDATE: Confirmed, Schneider will dress as backup. Dang. There go my hopes and dreams of a Chris Terreri career revival.


 Hey, having a great Friday? Sweet. I've been hiding under my blanket for most of the day, my television switch firmly set to the 'off' position, just hoping that everything that surrounds us is just a nightmare, and like all nightmares, we wake up and everything is good!!

Everything is a nightmare, right? Please tell me none of what is happening is actually happening. It's not happening. Right? RIGHT!?

Well like any bad dream, the Habs always seem to play some sort of a role, especially now with the Canadiens suddenly looking just as bad today as they did one year ago. Tonight, the Habs look to win again against the League's perennially most boring team, the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils, who like the Detroit Red Wings, whom the Habs couldn't score against on Monday afternoon, are also a team that's not going to be in this spring's Stanley Cup playoffs. We say that even though the Devils just came off a win over (arguably) the NHL's best team right now, the Minnesota Wild. So hey, great - the Habs are gonna play against world beaters tonight. Just wonderful.

Ah, but wait. The Devils might not have a goaltender! Cory Schneider, who basically is the only one wearing a horned jersey that's capable of stopping pucks with great consistency, has come down with the flu. Yes, but how sick is he? Well, he's sick enough that he couldn't participate in the Devil's practice this morning.

So if Schneider can't play, Keith Kinkaid will get a rare start tonight. Now, if Schneider can't even dress for tonight's game, then things get really interesting because the Devils will likely have to dress guys who normally stand around the beer stand during games, which means former NHL goaltender Chris Terreri, who hasn't played a game in 11 years and now serves as the Devils's goaltending coach, or Scott Clemmensen, who hasn't played a game in 2 years, might suit up. If for some crazy unforeseen reason neither Schneider and Kinkaid can play, then hey - the Habs have a decent chance!

Anyway, Devils are on a 3 game winning streak, which included that nifty win against the Wild, but also include wins over the so-so Calgary Flames and the awful Vancouver Canucks. So grain of salt this streak.

Anyway, if your memory reaches back far enough, the last time these two teams met, the Habs pretty much destroyed Jersey, coasting to a 5-2 at the Bell Centre. But that was December 8th, before the Habs were besieged with massive injuries from which they still haven't fully recovered from, before the Habs defence decided to take a Christmas break from which it still doesn't seem to have returned from, before when Carey Price's game suddenly went from stellar to ... 'meh'.

But Price won't be playing tonight, he'll be starting tomorrow night against Buffalo, which means it's Tony Montoya time. Mr. Montoya will be backstopping a slightly modified Habs lineup, as Alex Galchenyuk, for reasons that still mystify yours truly, will centre the Habs 3rd line, which means he'll have the wonderful task of trying to make Andrew Shaw not look completely useless. Have fun, Alex!!

Keys for the Habs tonight? Stop with the sloppy hockey, especially in the defensive zone. Far too many times this month the Canadiens defence has left their goaltenders twisting in the wind - especially when the Habs are killing penalties. The Canadiens PK has been, and still is, one of their main weak spots.

One other thing to keep in mind. While the Devils are still the most boring team in the NHL, they're not the same boring team that used to win regularly. This is a team far more apt to give up shots - they currently average 30 per 60 minutes, which puts Jersey in the bottom third of the League. Last year, they were in the top 5. That's a significant difference.

Puck drops tonight at 7:40 EST. By that time, it should be safe to turn on your TV again.



 HABS HEADLINES:

Hey, welcome to Thursday. The day before the American inauguration. The last sane, and for all we know, relatively safe day as a member of the human race. Good times. Good times.

So with out impending doom officially mentioned, let's talk hockey! Habs stuff today. Never a dull moment.

- Alex Galchenyuk played a bad game Wednesday night. We saw it, we mentioned it - heck, even some guy named Michel Therrien took notice. Action? TO THE DOGHOUSE YE GO!
Ouch. Andrighetto might actually be a pretty good fit, but Andrew Shaw? Talk about screwing around with your best resources. Therrien hockey, eh? That'll improve their "compete"!

- It appears the Barberio/Petry pairing experiment is off. Barberio was back on the Habs 3rd D line at practice this morning drilling with a couple of guys who really shouldn't be playing in the NHL - Zach Redmond and Ryan Johnston.

- Hey Carey Price. Gawd, what is going on there?? Anyway, he won't start Friday night against the Devils, but instead will play Saturday night against the hopelessly hopeless Sabres. More votes of confidence!

- Andrei Markov update! The Habs extra-sloppy defence sure misses this guy, so hey coach, got us a damn update when he's coming back?
Oh, well that seems reassuring.

More posted here if anything happens. In the meantime, enjoy your final day of happiness, freedom and security.


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Saturday, 17 December 2016

Game 31: Habs vs. Caps

Montreal 2, Washington 1:

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Chris Terry gets a chance! Called up from the Caps, he'll start tonight on the 4th line.

- Redmond out, Barberio in for the Habs tonight. After a couple of pretty good games to start his season, Redmond has visibly struggled, especially against faster and more structured opposition, and hasn't done a very good job guarding the crease/slot. Like their situation at centre, Habs seem to be riding out a thin 3rd D line until Greg Pateryn recovers from his injury sometime in January.

- More interesting Habs shuffles, it appears that the season-long struggles has finally resulted in demotion:

Pacioretty/Danault/Radulov
Byron/Mitchell/Gallagher
Lehkonen/Plekanec/Flynn
Carr/McCarron/Terry

McCarron had a very strong debut last night, so don't be surprised if Therrien shuffles him a few top 6 shifts, especially if the Habs are in need of quick offence.

- Barry Trotz, who's one of the smartest hockey guys employed these days, said earlier today that Price was going to have a statement game tonight. Bold!!

- Price seems to be pretty "on" early in the game. But, it's early. 

- Another early observation, two very strong shifts to open the game for Gallagher. Talk about someone goal-starved? Galley would be on that poster stamp.

- One concerning trend for the Habs have been the number of times they've been pinned in their own zone, which has cost them goals and even games (the Boston overtime loss a few days ago is an example). Two main reason for this - being outskated/worked, and poor puck movement by a defence that's really been struggling of late, in particular Shea Weber.

- Part of the being outskated narrative, McCarron called for a slash, which is mainly a penalty from not being able to catch your check. Habs really can't afford to be sitting in the box - surely they've learned that lesson given how they were burned so badly less than 24 hours ago.

- Decent 1st PK by the Habs unit, leaning more on Markov and Petry than the usual Weber/Emelin pairing. 

- Injury woes are really starting to hit this team hard - just one shot in more than half a period, Habs offence not even able to gain the Caps zone so far. 

- Nearest scoring chance for the Habs through 13 minutes? Chris Terry, who beats Holtby skating down the off wing, but slips the puck about 2 inches wide of the right post.

- Puck is rolling quite a bit - an indicator that the ice is pretty bad. Makes it tough to set up scoring attempts. 

- Lehkonen, who's played some pretty fine hockey since his return from the injury list, wraps a goal in behind a surprised Holtby, giving the Habs a 1-0 lead. 

- An "okay" period for the Habs, they were visibly outskated and out-possessed by the Caps, but did have some pretty good individual performances by Lehkonen, Terry, Radulov (as usual), and Price looks be very solid tonight (not surprising). Canadiens will have to do a better job exiting their zone in the 2nd and 3rd period, taking some of the pressure off Price, while improving the team's overall possession bottom line.

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- As we suspected, not a great period for the Habs possession-wise - they were doing most of the chasing. 4th line Carr/McCarron/Terry particularly struggled keeping pace, even though Terry was able to generate a couple of decent scoring chances. Still, Therrien may be forced to scale back their ice times if we don't see improvements. 


- Another dumb penalty by Torrey Mitchell, this time a totally unnecessary hold. Add that to his two intellectually challenged penalties he took during the 1st period last night that helped directly lead to an insurmountable Sharks lead an eventual victory.

- Still mostly Caps game here, they're dictating the tempo, and having a much easier job gaining the zone. Nonetheless, Carey Price is really on his game, which creates a big problem for Washington.

- Caps not cashing in, largely because of Price. The more this goes on, the greater the possibility the Habs might score a demoralizing 2nd goal. 

- Dismal first powerplay for the Habs, the only scoring chance going to the Caps after a poor turnover by Weber. Michel Therrien taking Markov off the first unit in favour of Petry, he seems to think Andrei is part of the Habs recent PP issues. An odd move, since Weber is the guy who's been unable to score two points in nearly a month.

- Lars Eller, what an invisible force. Mysterious career for a guy that has so much natural talent. 

- What a crazy deployment call by Therrien. Beaulieu gets called for interference, and instead of sending out Markov/Petry, who played very well on the PK in the 1st period, Therrien sends out Weber and Emelin. Second later, Emelin gets nailed for an interference, which of course, the Caps convert. What a terrible piece of coaching. Backstrom with the goal, tie game.

- Jeff Petry off a beauty feed from Pacioretty, deflects one past Holtby to give the Habs the lead again. Petry is having an excellent outing tonight, an example that others like Emelin and Weber ought to follow.

- Nice bounce back here by the Habs after giving up the Caps PP goal - the Petry goal, and now good pressure around Holtby draws another powerplay. 

- More evenly played 2nd period, Habs holding their own despite poor play by the defence, and some questionable decision making by coach Therrien. The Danault line is really motoring tonight, generating plenty of attempts, in spite of the blue line still struggling with handling and forwarding the puck. Petry has been good, Markov too ... but Emelin, Weber and Beaulieu - inconsistent bordering on poor. Habs simply can't afford their blue line to play this sloppy with so many injuries up front. Expect the Canadiens to lean on Carey Price in the 3rd period in an attempt to scrape out 2 points. 


THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs had a pretty decent 2nd period, 57.7% CF, just under 50.0% total through 40 minutes. But with Shea Weber apparently out from a LBI, Habs blue line will be bending, possibly breaking in the 3rd period:



- Weber back on the bench. Even though he's struggling, it still helps to have all hands on deck for this 3rd period.

- Barberio with a very good shift early in the 3rd, which is also helpful. Weber still taking regular shifts, so it's likely he suffered just a deep bruise from that 2nd period shot block.

- Keep an eye on ice conditions, which are poor to begin with. As the period progresses, the ice will get chewed up, and the puck will bounce and roll on edge, making it much more difficult to pass/handle, which in turns, tends to stifle offence. Ergo, pressure is on Caps to score sooner rather than later. 

- Habs better defensively in this period, more resembling a classic road period, emphasis on tight checking, better than average aggressive forecheck, cautious neutral zone possession. It's working out well ... so far.

- Markov out with a LBI. Hoo boy. When it rains it pours.

- Caps really struggling to get shots on Price, a good reason because the puck won't settle down. Washington really needed to even the score early in the period, hill gets harder to overcome as we get towards the finish line.

- Plekanec really being leaned on this period. He essentially got benched last night, but Therrien knows he's the best the Habs have for defensive forwards. 

- Holtby pulled, Therrien recognizing Barberio's strong play this period, putting him out for late period shifts. 

- An awesome win tonight, the Habs playing an excellent road game even with their roster undermanned by injuries. Really solid play in the 3rd period, Habs were very disciplined checking and puck possession, aided by some bad ice that made it difficult for the Caps to gain the Habs zone with any kind of authority. Really gutsy two points, well earned. 

THE STARE THAT SHOOK THE WORLD



Seriously, have we moved on from this yet? At least the coach said the right thing:
And Carey Price will start against the Caps.

Story, fini.

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Sunday, 4 December 2016

Game 25: Habs vs. Kings

Montreal 5, Los Angeles 4 (SO)

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Well, well, well ... guess who scored right off the bat? And guess who he was playing with? Alex Galchenyuk and Alex Radulov. Me hopes this ends the silly trade speculation circulating around bored reporters.

- Alex Radulov plays pretty good defence. Maybe that's why the Habs figure he's a good option for playing the blue line on the powerplay (he's not, by the way).

- It's not hard, guys: First line powerplay:

Radulov/Galchenyuk/Byron

Second line powerplay:

Pacioretty/Plekanec/Pacioretty

No more Shaw, no more Desharnais. 

It's really not that hard.

- Habs might have the early lead, but they're getting outplayed by the Kings - the Plekanec line, in particular, is getting trounced by the Kings forecheck.

- Doughty with a dumb-ass roughing on Lehkonen. Habs powerplay, it's Galchenyuk/Radulov and, of course, Shaw. Goes nowhere, because zero chemistry.

- Yeah, yeah .. Flynn brings "grit" and according to some, speed. But he's so utterly incompetent with the puck, that I just can't rationalize him being useful beyond filling in 4th line injury caps. But as full-time NHL 4th liner? Nope. Inexcusable. 

- Great to see Pacioretty back with Galchenyuk, and great to see  him hit the back of the twine early, but the Habs did not have a very good period - Kings, being the usual L.A. Kings, controlled possession and tempo, especially from the 10 minute mark forward, where they basically dominated the Canadiens both ends of the ice. Habs need to pick up their game, especially Tomas Plekanec and his line, if they hope to have a decent chance over 3 periods of play. If not, there's little reason to believe L.A. won't eventually overtake the Habs on the scoreboard.


SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs had some garbage time push late in the period, but it doesn't excuse them from an underwhelming period that they held a 5v5 CF advantage (54.5%). From the 10-18 minute marks, it was all Kings, which is worrying:


- Don't say we didn't warn you. First, Koptiar converts on the powerplay, and then Price gives up a big rebound, with no defensive support around his crease, and Shore swipes the puck home, and in a flash, it's 2-1 Kings. 

- Pacioretty on the powerplay, just tossing a shot at Budaj through a few legs, and the puck finds its way in. That's hockey for you, but are we seeing Pacioretty enter one of his scoring streaks? Habs hopes of somehow winning today are certainly resting on that.

- Desharnais line hasn't had a very good day, but they just had a good shift, their first of the game, halfway through the 2nd. Habs might not look to this line for scoring support, but they at least need more consistency in play.

- Galchenyuk nailed for a pretty soft slash, and the Kings almost immediately convert. Habs taking way, way too many penalties today, and it's killing them.

- And now it's the Habs turn to burn the Kings on the powerplay, with Pacioretty making a sweet blind pass to Radoluv who solo drives the net and slips a backhander past a not-very-sturdy Peter Budaj. Goaltending definitely a factor today.
- The Desharnais line, which was lost in the wilderness first half of this game, is definitely heating up. Generating some pretty nifty scoring chances. Don't be shocked if that line joins the scoring fun before this game is over.

- I know plenty of readers aren't going to like this, but Alex Radulov is my choice for team MVP right now. He's been consistently good each and every game he's played this season. Carey Price has been excellent, but he's had off days. Same for Galchenyuk. But Radulov? Nope. Good, bordering on great, each and every start. Team MVP.

- Massive Habs breakdown, Weber out of position with an abysmal poke check, Galchenyuk caught up ice, and Emelin totally out in la-la land, giving Lewis a red carpet treatment right to Carey Price. 4-3 Kings. Pretty ugly hockey by the Canadiens today.

- Habs coming out of their scoring funk today, but it's pretty much all for not because of some pretty awful mistakes by the blue line, combined with some poor penalties, and the Canadiens are basically throwing good goals away towards another loss. 


THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG

- This game won't win any beauty contests. Habs SA CF (5v5) through 40 minutes, 50.9%:



- Barring unforeseen injury, Pacioretty is almost certainly going to score 30+ goals this season, which is exactly who he is, and all that we should expect.

- The goals, they just keep coming, and this time it's Shaw - hey the Desharnis line scored hadn't we mentioned that earlier? Tie game.

- For reasons I can't quite understand, Therrien has placed Gallagher on the 3rd line with Desharnais and Shaw. 

- Galchenyuk hurt. Pretty safe understatement that he's someone the Habs simply cannot afford to lose.

- Replay shows Kopitar with blind knee on Galchenyuk, not 100% if that was intentional, but it most certainly wasn't clean. Galchenyuk in the room, and we all hope the injury isn't serious.

- Both teams really tightening up defensively since the 10 minute mark of this period, which is just fine for the Habs who, I'm sure, would be delighted with coming out of this city with at least 1 point in the standings.

- Uh, so ... Michael Therrien has apparently pegged Torrey Mitchell to fill in for Galchenyuk on the 1st line. I have no words.

- Galchenyuk out for the rest of the game, which is not assuring. Habs do grab a point at least, but the cost, if Galchenyuk, is incalculable. 

OVERTIME:

- Weber with game-saving block on wrap around attempt. Radulov jusssssst missed on the other end. Quite an OT we have going here.s

- Torrey Mitchell in OT totally, absolutely makes zero sense, but here we are.

- Radulov, who's been a monster today, draws a powerplay with just under 2 minutes left. Fantastic.

- Not fantastic, Therrien puts Shaw out for OT powerplay, which is just insanity. 

- Pacioretty, looking for the hat trick, hits the post. That close. So close. Off to the shutout.

- Gaborik, stopped by cool, calm Price. Flynn (wtf) ... scores (WTF?)

- Jeff Carter, who's been fantastic all day, converts. Radulov who's been even more fantastic, with an incredible backhander on Budaj. Fan freaking tactic.

- Kopitar converts (sigh), Pacioretty denied. And on to extras ...

- Pearson? Hmm interesting choice. Off the goalpost. 

- Byron convers, and lo and behold, the Habs win a game in California.

- Staggering game by Radulov today, which is a great story given how just two days ago, we weren't even sure if he had two eyes left in his head. But like Friday night, Habs fans sit and wonder the prognosis of one of its irreplaceable forwards, and how serious his injury is. 



CALIFORNIA: GO AWAY AND DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE

It's over. Well, it's almost over. Just one afternoon game left to play, and then the Habs can kiss the west coast goodbye for 2016-17. THANK GAWD.

The only team separating the Habs from sweet, sweet relief are the L.A. Kings. Oh, great. The Kings, winners of 7 of their past 8, last won a game in Los Angeles on December 3, 2011, which is, I suppose, much better than their record in San Jose.

The Kings are having another fine season, which is somewhat of a surprise since L.A. lost their number one netminder, Johnathan Quick, to a knee injury in mid-October.

As any Habs fan will tell you, losing your starting goaltender totally ruins your season. I mean, no team could possibly overcome that kind of loss. No team could relay on backup goaltending fodder to muddle their way though a pointless winter of defeat. You couldn't possibly expect someone like Mike Condon, or Peter Budaj to keep your team from falling into the abyss, right?

Well, go figure. The Kings, leveraging the services of former Habs back-up Peter Budaj, who they signed a one-year contract with in October for next to nothing, haven't just kept their head above drowning, they've actually beat just about everyone else in the pool - winning 13 of 24 games so far this season, a pace more than good enough to nab a playoff spot, while Budaj, in 20 starts, has 12 wins and a respectable 2.15/.912 line, far above his career average 2.72/.903.

So yeah, even losing your starting goaltender, you can still save your season. It can be done. With level headed, intelligent coaching and management, it is possible to overcome key roster loses.

But that's the L.A. Kings. Let's talk about the Habs. We've got a feud percolating! Reports are out this morning from NBC and Nick Kypoers that Max Pacioretty is quite unhappy with head coach Michel Therrien, and the way he's been used in the lineup.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB, MAX.

Anyway, you can see the article here - I have no idea how "legit" this is, or how serious the spat has become, but it's adding fuel to the unsubstantiated fire that Max has had it with playing in Montreal under Therrien, and that Pacioretty's days are numbered. I'd say even the thought of trading the Habs captain and his bargain basement salary is absurd, but as regular readers of this blog have come to know, there's never a dull moment in Habsland.

Anyway, lineups. What have we got? The Kings:

King/Kopitar/Lewis
Pearson/Carter/Toffoli
Brown/Dowd/Setoguchi
Gaborik/Shore/Nolan

 Forbore/Doughty
Muezzin/Martinez
Gravel/Greene

Peter Budaj

And the Habs, who appear at this time to be going with the same lineup as Friday night's:

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

Weber/Emelin
Markov/Petry
Barberio/Pateryn

Carey Price

Puck drops today at 3:10 EST.



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Monday, 21 November 2016

Game 20: Sens vs. Habs

OTTAWA 4, MONTREAL 3

FIRST PERIOD LIVE BLOG THREAD:

- Well, we see Max Pacioretty now playing with Plekanec and Gallagher. At least he isn't having to deal with David Desharnais.

- Both teams appear to have their legs - both are working off some decent rest, so while goals might not come fast and furious, this might actually be an entertaining game.

- Byron streaks in alone off a nifty 4-on-4 passing play. Senators other weak spot is beyond the Karlsson pairing, there's not a lot there defensively. 

- Man, Habs should just try and aim for being one short, send Byron out there, and rack up some Grade-A scoring chances.

- Is there a whinier team in the NHL than the Ottawa Senators? It's been this way with them for years. Must be part of their culture.

- Joel Hanley, I'm assuming is a nice guy, but he just can't cut NHL speed. Habs need to just move on - there are other options - Redmond, Barbario, Pateryn. 

- Early returns on this Plekanec line are not promising. At some point, Therrien, if he's trying to spark some scoring from Pacioetty, is going to need to pair him next to Galchenyuk.

- Speaking of, and on the other side of the coin, the Galchenyuk line is flying tonight, so far responsibly for pretty much all of the Habs high danger scoring chances.

- Yeah, the Sens are not a very good team shooting the puck, if this first period is any indicator. They're doing "okay" generating shot attempts, but far too many are missing the mark. 

- Brendan Gallagher hits the crossbar. An the eternal struggle to find a goal, any sort of goal, from any direction, in any way, continues.

- Poorly played period of hockey, offensively both teams did a pretty poor job passing, defensively, lots of blown assignments and poor positional play generating far too many breaks (which weren't converted). Galchenyuk line was strong, Plekaenc line was not. Sens' Pageau line had its moments, but like Gallagher, they're struggling to finish plays. Also of interest, the Phaneuf/Ceci pairing was pretty much abysmal - if the Habs bench is paying attention, they'll match Galchanyuk against them each and every opportunity that's presented.


SECOND PERIOD LIVE BLOG THREAD:

- Habs and Sens after 20 minutes, Habs Corsi almost 70%, which is as good a sign as any why this Senators team is kind of terrible at scoring goals:


- Joel Hanley got 2 shifts, grand total of 2:05 playing time in the 1st period. Why bother putting your 6th defenseman in the lineup if you're essentially not even going to play him? Search me. But the Habs, whatever their rationale, are racking up unnecessary ice times on their blue line, specifically the wildly overplayed Markov, who's having a great season so far, but at 25+ minutes a game, it's going to take a toll as the season progresses.

- Another powerplay goal for Weber, his 7th of the season on the man advantage. Just to rub it in a little, the Sens have 5. As a team. Ouch.

- Ottawa just can't deal with Montreal puck possession, getting nailed for hooks and trips, giving Habs powerplay opportunities left and right.

- Weber scores on the powerplay, makes terrible giveaways on the powerplay. Sometimes you just gotta take the bad with the good. 

- Hoffman for the Sens on the powerplay, after Emelin makes a pretty lacklustre puck clearing attempt under zero pressure. Tie game.

- Still think Emelin is a terrible option on the PK - out there because he "hits", which is not what you want anybody to be doing killing a penalty 

- Incredible effort and goal by Radulov, basically handling the puck past all 5 Sens players, driving the net, and scoring off his own rebound. He's (in my mind at least) the Habs best player this season not named Carey Price:


- Pretty dreadful night for the Desharnais line - down a ton in possession, all while the rest of the Habs lineup are dominating. You're telling me having DD play is a better option than someone like Charles Hudon, I'm going to beg to differ.

- Weird goal for Sens Derick Brassard, tucking in a puck that's revealed to be a goal only after it's caught by NHL control in Toronto. Tie game again.

- Habs might be getting another PDO comeuppance tonight - pretty much dominating either end of the sheet, but no ahead on the scoreboard. 

- Chris Neil. Idiot extraordinaire. 

- Nathan Beaulieu took a pretty hard wrist shot to the face earlier in the period, and is now done for the night. With Hanley essentially not being played, Habs now down to four defense. 

- Habs getting Habbed again tonight, dominating the game, but even on the scoreboard. With Beaulieu out and Hanley not being played at all, it sets up a difficult 3rd period for the Habs, who ought be winning this game handily, but because of some questionable lineup and deployment decisions, are facing an uphill battle in the 3rd period.


THIRD PERIOD LIVE BLOG THREAD:

- Habs winning the game as far as fancy stats are concerned. But those don't always equal 2 points in the standings:


- And this is noteworthy, we've been on about it all night long:

Markov (22:28)
Weber (18:47)
Petry (17:15)
Emelin (10:39)
Beaulieu (8:00)
Hanley (3:03)

Reminder, Beaulieu is out for the game, so unless the Habs are willing to start giving Hanley shifts, keeping in mind they scratched other players in order for him to play, then the Habs are going to try to go through the rest of this game with just 4 defensemen. 

- Holy crap, Habs just had a powerplay to end all powerplays. Radulov and Weber brilliant with the puck, and on his 3rd one-time try, Galchenyuk finally strikes. Absolutely brilliant man advantage right there.

- Sens flip puck in, Emelin does horrible job retrieving, puck is centred, Stone slams it home, and the Habs again cough up the lead. Also totally MIA on the play, Tomas Plekanec, who missed his mark. 

- Beaulieu was apparently rushed to the hospital. That's pretty horrible news. Hope everything is okay.

- Habs again do sloppy job clearing the puck from their zone, Hanley far out of position at the blue line, and Karklsson with a softie shot that Price somehow fails to pick up, and suddenly the Sens take the lead. The Habs PDO correction continues unabated. 

- Hanley gets a shift half way through the period, but really, the damage has already been done with ice allocations. Sens 4th goal could very much be attributed to a Habs defense that was bagged, because Therrien has been double shifting some of his players. 

- Habs really pushing the puck hard into the Ottawa zone, but aren't generating very many high quality scoring chances, at least not yet.

- Byron has had a pretty strong game, with at least three glorious scoring chances. Anderson just a little bit better.

- Plekanec line really good strong shift, he and Gallagher really pushing the crease looking for the loose puck, which Anderson, who's been really strong this period, barely manages to cover before it's fired in. So close.

- Pacioretty sprung loose for a break, Anderson makes the save (I'm sure much to Pacioretty's unbelievable drought frustration), and then takes a suspect goaltending interference penalty. Hard to tell for certain, but sure looked like he was (at least partly) tied up on the back check by Methot. Tough call.

- Nifty save by Anderson on Radulov backhander to keep the Sens ahead. Anderson the difference maker in this period, and really for that matter, the big reason why Ottawa is likely to win this game. 

- Montreal more or less peters out at the end, losing with much more of a whimper than a bang. Tough loss for the Habs, who outplayed the Sens, a team that for whatever reason, seems to have Montreal's number of late. Carey Price was good, but not great - which is kind of what we've come to know this Habs team to be - when Carey isn't great, the Habs are more likely to lose than win, which means that the team is likely fundamentally flawed. The scoring slumps for both Gallagher and Pacioretty continue, which is also concerning, because when they're not producing, it makes winning even more challenging. Habs big home stand is winding up before they hit the road for a huge, extended trip, where the losses might really start piling up, if some of these troubling issues aren't resolved, and quickly.



GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES

We have little bits and sorts of news and facts and stats and whatever else required to prep for tonight's game. Attention class, they are as follows:

- Charles Hudon. SCRATCHED. Sigh. Daniel Carr will get a start tonight. Ah well, it was nice while it lasted.

- Bobby Ryan. SCRATCHED (A kind reader has pointed out to me that Ryan is injured - so never mind HIS lack of scoring. The same criticism of the Sens, however, still applies). Woah, what's happened with Ryan? It was just a few years ago that Ryan was a premier goal scorer in the NHL, and now he's being removed from the lineup? I suppose this is a bottom-line issue, since Ryan has only scored 3 times in 17 games for the Senators, which brings us to the next important point:

- Here are the November results for Ottawa, which this month, have posted an "ok" 5-4-1 record:

Ottawa 2, Carolina 1 (OT)
Ottawa 1, Vancouver 0
Ottawa 1, Buffalo 2
Ottawa 1, Minnesota 2 (OT)
Ottawa 3, Philadelphia 2 (SO)
Ottawa 1, Nashville 5
Ottawa 1, Florida 4

Spot the trend? In case you hadn't, I'll spell it out that you're not going to win very many games when you're averaging 1.1 GP60. So while head coach Guy Boucher might feel inclined to send messaged to Ryan that he expects better production, Ryan is not the problem in Ottawa. Their problem is systematic:

- CF (5v5): 48.7% (22nd)
- GF60: 1.65 (28th)
- SF60: 31.2 (4th)

WHOOP. Hold on there. 4th overall in shots taken, and 28th overall in goal production? I think we've found our problem.

SH%: 5.31 (29th).

Against a Carey Price, this lack of deliverance will not favour the Sens tonight.

- Senators lineup tonight:

Dzingel/Turris/Pyatt
Smith/Pageau/Stone
Hoffman/Brassard/Kelly
McCorminck/Lazar/Neil

 Methot/Karlsson
Phaneuf/Ceci
Borowiecki/Wideman

 Craig Anderson

 - Here's a cool stat to wrap your mind around about how badly the Senators are struggling in the goal-scoring department - Shea Weber has scored 6 goals this season for the Canadiens. The Ottawa Senators, as a team, have scored 5.

Speaking of defence, Joel Hanley will play 6th D tonight, in place of the scratched Greg Pateryn.

Puck drops at 6:40, EST.



 MONDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

Hey, the Senators are in town! Relive their glorious Stanley Cup history - because they were winning a bunch of those back before the Titanic was being built (actually true). If you want to be all nit-picky and technical about it, the Senators, when they were a completely different franchise, last won the "championship of the world" way back in nineteen ought twenty and seven. The good ol' days!

Anyway, we have some Monday stuff for you, so get ready.

- Habs practice lines this morning - and just to let you know totally in advance, these were the actual lines:

 Bryon/Galchenyuk/Radulov
Danault/Plekanec/Gallagher
Pacioretty/Mitchell/Shaw
Hudon/Desharnais/Terry

Lolz. Torrey Mitchell is centring one of the fastest, most productive scoring wingers the Habs have owned in a generation. Lolz.

Oh, but there's more. Oh yes my pretties, there is more:


Ah, pass-the-buck Therrien is back to his good'ol'ways again today. GEE COACH, THAT'S SUCH A PENETRATING OBSERVATION.  Your star winger isn't scoring. WHY DON'T YOU TRY GIVING HIM A CENTER WHO CAN SKATE MORE THAN 5 MPH, AND, YA' KNOW, STICK WITH IT?

So far this still short season, Pacioretty has been centred by Alex Galchenyuk, Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais, Phillip Danault and now, Torrey-0.24-PP60-0.012-GP60-Mitchell.

Yeah, that'll get your problem solved. For sure.

Has Kirk Muller finished his french lessons yet?

More, later.
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