Game 68: Habs vs. Flames

GAME PREVIEW: THE FLAMES AREN'T (TRAILER PARK) TRASH ANY MORE!

Not smokin' weed Ricky, the Flames are good! Seven straight wins! Jesus Christ, Julian, they're gonna make the playoffs! Shit winds be blowin', Lahey - Calgary has done all this winning without the referee muggin' specialist himself Dennis Wideman, who's been a healthy scratch during the streak.

Jeez louise, it's amazing how many good things can happen when you take guys out of the lineup. Claude Julien yanked incessant bumbler Alexei Emelin from a start on Tuesday night, and the Habs went out and played one of their most competent games of the season in a 2-1 OT victory over the Canucks.

So logically, Emelin will stay out of the lineup again tonight versus the Flam ... I'm sorry, what? (/checks earpiece)

Alexei Emelin de retour face aux Flames https://t.co/6vVtu8VDpl #polqc #assnat pic.twitter.com/Hcz5Yf0sUc

— pol.quebec (@pol_quebec) March 9, 2017

OH FOR F*#KS SAKE, BUBBLES.

I guess you can't have it all. Indeed, Emelin will get the start tonight, with Brandon Davidson, who played an awfully solid game in Vancouver, will watch from the press box. Sigh.

Anywho, here's the Habs lines:

Pacioretty/Danault/Gallagher
King/Galchenyuk/Lehkonen
Byron/Mitchell/Shaw
Martinson/Ott/McCarron

Weber/Markov
Petry/Emelin
Beaulieu/Benn

News out late this afternoon has Carey Price out (oh no!) from the flu. Al Tony Montoya will get the unexpected start.

Habs also have a couple of confirmed injuries. Again Tomas Plekanec will not play, along with Brian Flynn who sustained an injury Tuesday night. There was some speculation that Alex Radulov might return from his day-to-day UBI tonight, but that's been pushed back to at least Sunday's game in Edmonton.

Over on Calgary's side, the Flames aren't touching a thing. Winning is winning, with Mikael Backland leading the way the past month:

Gaudreau/Monahan/Ferland
Tkachuk/Backlund/Frolik
Versteeg/Bennett/Brouwer
Bouma/Stajan/Chiasson

Giordano/Hamilton
Brodie/Stone
Bartkowski/Engelland

The Flames Brian Elliot (2.65/.905) versus the Habs Al Tony Montoya (2.58/.913). Puck drops at 9:40, EST.

Game Twelve: Flames vs. Habs

Second Period:

- No letup. Flames skating Habs into the ice, Habs totally absent any cohesive game.

- 8 minute mark, Habs Galchenyuk line registers first decent Montreal shift of the game.

- Galchenyuk shift carries through to generate a powerplay opportunity. Possible game shift here. We'll see.

- Emelin penalized for faking an injury, except that he was injured, by a nasty elbow to the head. The officials should feel bad about that. Hopefully they'll do a favour.

First Period:

- Wouldn't be the first two minutes of a Habs game without a penalty.

- Wideman with a wrister that somehow handcuffs Price into a big rebound, Jooris tucks in the rebound, and once against, the Habs surrender the first goal of the game.

- AlmostBourque, only this time it was simply carrying the puck through centre ice.

- Habs very sloppy, disorganized, little rythm or logic to their game. Flames are manhandling so far. 

- Bourque to the box for a slash. No almost. Sigh. Where's Sekac?

- Habs have fewer shots this period than I have fingers. On one hand. 19 for Calgary. Down 2-0 after 20 minutes, one of the worst periods I've seen in, quite possibly this season. Boos all around deserved. 

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No big schmoo preview goo today. I'm too busy living a life on this weekend. It ain't much of one, mind you, but it's something.

- So yeah, the offense isn't going too good. Too well? Too good? Hmm ... okay, it's a piece of crap. There. That's better. Somehow this Habs team managed to scrap 3 out of 6 points in their three game western swing, even though they only managed to score 4 goals. Credit, as usual, to Carey Price. But that's a record we've heard played many times before.

- So who to blame? The Swedish chef master himself, Bourque Bourque Bourque! Anyway, the lights aren't all dark, Lars Eller had a very good trip, his line was often the punchiest amongst the lowly bunch, generating plenty of scoring opportunities. Actually, it was mostly Eller doing the hard work, setting Bourque up for many good scoring chances, but ... well ... almost Bourque ... you know the hashtag.

- Defensively, Nathan Beaulieu is the odd man out tonight, Alexei Emelin, who was absolutely horrible in Vancouver, will get another start as the top defensive pairing, for some reason.

- Flames are playing well, they're young. They've got little to lose. They're the kind of team you always dread having to play, even though everyone knows they'll finish near the bottom of the standings this season.

- Carey Price will start. Well that's good.

- Habs powerplay has been excellent at home. Top of the League, actually. The road, they are of course, the worst in the leave. It's been a weird year so far, this team with so many disfunctions, not least among behind the bench, somehow has won 8 of its first 11 games.

Puck drops at 7:10 EST.