Game 43: Habs vs Wild

Minnesota 7, Montreal 1:

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME THREAD:

- Redmond in, Ryan Johnston out, which is most definitely a move in the right direction.

- Habs getting "network" coverage tonight, as the game has been picked up by NBC (for what it's worth).

- Folin scores early, 1-0 Wild. Habs were not very good last night in their own zone, in spite of the victory over a relatively meek opponent. The Wild are a different kettle of fish, so it's more bad omens that Minnesota opens the scoring with a pretty easy goal, with the Mitchell line coasting in their zone, and Weber/Emelin playing pretty soft in front of Price.

- Gonna be one of those back-to-back game efforts tonight, I can just see and feel it coming. Unless the Habs start moving, and so far they're not, this game could get ugly fast.

- Too much open ice in the Habs zone - Price is headed for a busy night.

- 9 minutes in, game settling down a little, after a pretty craptaculour start by the Habs. Seem to be tightening up their play in the neutral zone, which is always a good fallback if you're hoping to slow down your opponent's attack.

- They had an excellent game last night, and so far, pretty decent game tonight. That's Plekanec/Byron and Lehtonen, whom appear to have found a little chemistry lightening in the bottle.

- Lehkonen - a forward whom you can visually see is taking strides forward every game he played. How good is this kid gonna be in a couple of years?

- Wowzers, Habs have played a pretty decent game since the Folin goal - they've definitely tilted the ice towards the Wild's zone. Sometimes these poor game starts can rattle a team into gear. Might be what's happening tonight.

- Habs stumbled out of the period, just 30% CF the first 5 minutes. The last 15? Almost 75%. That's a pretty impressive turnaround, and while the Canadiens might be down by one on the board, they have been the better team. So lots of hope still left the Habs might squeeze some points out of tonight's game.


SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME THREAD:

- Habs started poorly, but as we mentioned earlier, actually started taking it to the Wild at about the 5 minute mark, finishing the period with a 57.6% CF (5v5). Habs top two lines (Danault and Plekanec) were especially good:

- Habs start the period pretty well, seem to have picked it up where they left off, Plekanec line looking sharp, McCarron line just had their best shift of the night.

- Habs get caught off a bad change, with Petry caught out with Beaulieu. Petry overplays Beaulieu's side, springing Stall free down the opposite side, snapshot beats Price high, and it's 2-0.

- Woah, Carey Price. Schroeder with a deflection that somehow squeaks through, at boom, it's 3-0.

- To be fair, the Schroeder goal was off a pretty incredible deflection, but then Staal goal might raise a few eyebrows and questions about Price's lacklustre play of late. Maybe something isn't right, health-wise. Maybe it's just a cyclical thing - even superstars have slumps. Still, I'm sure questions and musings are going to start in earnest after tonight's game.

- Radulov's gets nailed for a 4 minute high stick, Wild a chance to bury this thing well beyond 6 feet under.

- Habs survive the 4 minute penalty, but Niederreiter has all day and night to stickhandle around a flailing Carey Price, eventually finding the back of the net to put this game on permanent ice.

- Period started well, but more or less ended up a disaster for the Canadiens, who have again been guilty of some questionable defensive zone play, haven't done much to test Dubnyk, and with Price having what can only be described as a forgettable night, the Habs are getting trounced. One of those nights, I suppose.

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- One of those nights were possession doesn't mean a hill of beans. The Habs just haven't mustered very many quality shots on Dubnyk, the Wild continue to get some excellent puck luck, which they've enjoyed much of this season:

- More back-to-earth fodder, Habs scoring chances through 2 periods are signified by the two blue dots on the right side. Which is to say, Carey Price's performance tonight is largely irrelevant.

- Zucker, 5-0. Beaulieu and Petry have been as a defensive pair, and let's been perfectly forthright here, pretty wretched not only tonight, but for the past couple of weeks. Andrei, are you ready?

- 6-0. Is there a reason why Price is in net? Is there a reason why he started this period?

- So file this one in the books under "F" for Forget It. No point in dwelling, and by no means trying to make excuses, but the Habs are injury riddled, and likely very road weary, given that 9 of their past 10 games have been on the road. The team just waved the flag to start the 3rd, and the Wild are just padding their lines. Stuff happens.


GAME PREVIEW: ARE THE WILD REALLY THIS GOOD, OR JUST LUCKY?

The Montreal Canadiens finish up a very quick back-to-back games road trip tonight as they take on the top-flight Minnesota Wild in St. Paul.

The Wild have been one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League the past few weeks, most recently coming off a franchise 14 game winning streak, which has boosted Minnesota to elite heights in the NHL point standings.

That the Wild are a winning team isn't much of a surprise - they were roundly pegged by many entering the season to be one of the better teams in the Western Conference. But at 25 wins in 39 games, a pretty impressive clip, are they really that good?

The jury, as they say, is out. The Wild have been getting some pretty solid goal production from a lineup that was thought to be more defensively oriented (although the addition of Eric Staal to the team during the offseason was a terrific pickup), which is great if you're a Wild fan. However, some of the underlying numbers strongly indicate that while this Minnesota team is good, they're likely not .641 winning % good.

The first warning sign that the Wild might be overachieving are their possession numbers. Their 48.3 CF (5v5) is only 22nd ranked in the NHL, behind much lesser light clubs like the Flyers, Jets, Panthers and Canucks.

Second warning? Unsustainable production levels. The Wild have a 9.18 Sh%, 2nd only in the NHL to the NY Rangers, further supported by a lights out .940 SV% behind the likely Vezina Trophy winner next spring, Devan Dubnyk. There's nothing wrong, as many Habs fans can attest, to having your goaltender carry more than his fair share of the load, but that's only an advantage as long as your other stats are above the mean, or at a sustainable level.

So when your key forwards like Mikko Koivu has a 20.45 shooting percentage at even strength, well - that's simply not sustainable.

But hey, neither are 14 game winning streaks.

So tonight the Habs take on the suspiciously good Wild. Again, the Habs will be parsing together the same lineup that pretty much walloped the Winnipeg Jets last night, hoping for more production from the likes or Artturi Lehkonen, Phillip Danault and Sven Andrighetto. The Habs will be facing off against this expected Wild lineup:

Parise/Staal/Coyle
Zucker/Koivu/Granlund
Niederreiter/Haula/Pominville
Stewart/Schroeder/Gabriel

Suter/Spurgeon
Brodin/Folin
Scandella/Dumba

Devan Dubynk.

Hey, Carey Price, he of the .904 Sv% since the beginning of December, will start for the Habs tonight.

Puck drops at 8:10, EST.

Game 33: Wild vs. Habs

Minnesota 4, Montreal 2:

FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- So Andrei Markov has been put on injury reserve. When it rains, it pours. That means Nathan Beaulieu will be promoted, while Joel Hanley has been brought in as an emergency replacement because Alexei Emelin is expecting the birth of his 3rd child tonight.

- So the defence will shape us as such:

Weber/Beaulieu

Petry/Barberio

Redmond/Hanley

That's a pretty thin blue line. Fully expect the Redmond/Hanley pairing to barely scratch 7 minutes of time tonight, while Weber will likely fetch close to 30.

- Habs doing a pretty decent job with their zone exits early in the game - it's unusual to see this from a team that's been so dismal with its transition over the years.

- Habs PK continuing to not look very good - getting outworked for the puck, and also playing the passing lanes far too loosely. Wild PP looks on tonight - so it's imperative the Habs avoid the penalty box from here on out.

- Hanley/Redmond had their first shift just past the 7 minute mark, and it didn't look good. Wild were all over Price, both defensemen struggling to organize themselves and find their marks. 

- Wild dominating first 8 minutes of the period, but a strong shift by the McCarron line has given the Habs a much-needed boost.

- Habs seem to finally be gaining some traction, making this game not quite so lopsided - McCarron second straight strong shift. The kids are doing all they can to chip in and help push the big team through significant injury issues.

- Barberio pressed into 2nd line defensive duties, also looks strong so far tonight. He's assigned duties mostly beyond his current capabilities, but so far, appears to be delivering.

- Not great, not awful period for the Habs. Wild had slight advantage with the play, a good start for them to earn them good scoring chances on Price, who had to be sharp to keep Minnesota off the board. Really strong period for the McCarron line - by far the Habs best forward unit. Should come as no surprise that Hanley/Redmond saw little ice time - just 3 shifts. Habs are leaning hard on their first two D lines to carry the day - which could have impacts as the game progresses.

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs with CF (5v5) at fairly even 48% in the period, but scoring chances were pretty lopsided, 7-2 high danger attempts by the Wild in that period, with Carey Price doing his bit to keep his team even on the scoreboard:

- Habs not heeding advice and take an early period penalty, but then Pacioretty with as sweet a snap shot as you'll see anywhere, top left corner, puts Habs up 1-0 shorthanded.

- Weber/Beaulieu being played too much, IMHO. Almost 14 minute for each just 25 minutes into this game, which projected out, will put both well over 30 minutes. Way too high. Zach Redmond, meanwhile, has played less than 3.

- Nobody handles the puck as good as Carey Price in the game of hockey, but even he makes mistakes from time to time - a turnover that gives Schroeder an unmolested writer shots that beats Price on the short side. Price reacted angrily for the goal, I suspect more for turning the puck over than for being beat off the post.

- Deven Dubnyk fighting the puck tonight - noticed he was giving up some significant rebounds off routine shots in the 1st period, does so again with Lehkonen picking up the puck off a Flynn shot to give the Habs the lead again. Lehkonen is going to be a star in this town one day, very soon.

- Spurgeon, 2-2. Passing lanes way too wide open right after the faceoff. Some very sloppy reaction and positioning leaving Wild forwards far too open. You should never have one-timers that clean three seconds after the puck is dropped.

- Another more-or-less even period of hockey, which likely falls within the Wild's gameplan. Canadiens had slightly more of an advantage in the 2nd than they did the 1st, outshooting the Wild, but most of the attempts came from longer distances, a decent enough strategy, since it appears that Dubnyk has been giving up more than his usual share of rebounds tonight. Makes for a compelling 3rd frame, Dubnyk and Price, with little margin for error.

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Two period totals, dominant period for the Habs, if attempts are an indicator. This time, however, I think it a little misleading - a good chunk of the Habs shot attempts came from long range. Numbers are padded.

- Habs with a pretty dreadful powerplay early in the period, unable to make a clean zone entry, eventually Barberio makes an ill-advised pinch which springs Eric Staal free down the wing, a snap shot short side that Price can't handle, Wild take the lead shorthanded.-

- Another powerplay, more struggles to enter the zone, and even when that's done, creativity lacks. Habs insist playing two high, whereas the League's most effective powerplay units today have four low, one at the line.

- Looks like *both* Weber and Beaulieu are going to come very close to hitting the 30 minute mark tonight. That's crazy deployment numbers. Both aren't going to have a full tank tomorrow night against the seemingly unbeatable Blue Jackets.

- Another bad stick penalty for Gallagher, he's fit to be tied not only for these clumsy errors, but for a season where little has gone his way. Slowly but surely fading down the pecking order of importance, as others have stepped forward to fill some voids. Such a disappointment.

- Dubnyk's given up a ton of rebounds and missed covering up loose pucks, and none of these unforced errors, except the Lehkonen goal, has burned him. He's been good to be lucky, lucky to be good.

- McCarron put on the ice with 80 seconds left, nice vote of confidence, I suppose.

- Habs give up the "softie" to start the period, can't find the back of the net over the remaining 18 minutes, and that's all she wrote. A disappointing loss considering the Habs did have puck dominance tonight, but the margins were thin, and Price giving up, by his standards, two soft goals, is all it takes. Powerplay struggles also playing a big role in Montreal's loss - we keep reading about the Habs going through drills at practice to improve this unit, but I don't see any results on the ice - certainly no change in how their approaches. The defeat is doubly-unfortunate because they now face the daunting task of taking on the Blue Jackets in Columbus tomorrow night, with the Jackets riding an 11 game winning streak. They're overdue for a loss, arrrumm ... right??

GAME PREVIEW: THE MINNESOTA WILD REALLY ARE THE MONTREAL CANADIENS

Hey, we've got ourselves a pretty decent matchup tonight, as the red-hot Minnesota Wild, winners of 8 straight, take on the suddenly-hey-we-might-actually-be-a-good-hockey-team-after-all Montreal Caandiens, at the Bell Centre.

The Wild are having an improbably good season so far, 19 wins in 31 games, good enough for 2nd place in the somewhat tough Central Division.

Minnesota's season this year is remarkably similar to the Habs 2014-15 season. They've managed to put together a top-notch winning record carried by some outstanding goaltending by the once washed-up Devan Dubnyk.

Habs fans might remember Dybnyk because, well, he was not-too-long-ago property of the Montreal Canadiens, where he actually played a handful of games for the Hamilton Bulldogs, a now-departed Habs AHL affiliate. After the Bulldogs season wrapped up, Dubnyk walked free from the Habs system and managed to sign a free agent contract with Arizona. After a decent year as backup with the Coyotes, a place the Dubnyk credited with saving his hockey career under the tutelage of former netminder Sean Burke, the 'Yotes shipped him of to Minnesota for a draft pick, and the rest, as they say, is history.

While Arizona might have been the saving point for what seemingly a dead career, Minnesota is where Dubnyk has thrived, last year picking up 27 wins in 39 starts, establishing himself as the Wild's number one goaltender, and picking up the Bill Masterson Trophy for his perseverance. This year, Dybnyk's numbers have been even better - 16 wins in 25 starts, and a 1.55 GAA, .948 SV%, tops in the NHL. Dare we say Dubnyk's trophy aspirations have been upgraded from a Masterson to a Vezina? They might.

To return to our previous point, the Wild's season is interestingly similar to the Habs' two years ago - a mediocre offence, good-defence (bolstered by netminding), and, by the way, sparkling goaltending. The most interesting similarities? Possession and puck luck. Let's compare:

                          GF60       GA60        SH%          CF (5v5)     SV%       PDO
MTL 2014-15       2.21         1.85         7.93           48.5%        .937       101.6
MIN 2016-17        2.46         1.61         8.6             48.2%        .947       103.3

There was a lot of criticism, rightful I might add, thrown at that 2014-15 Habs team for being overly dependant on goaltending, and did a lousy job owning the puck. But even that team, which was carried by a Vezina and Hart Trophy performance by Carey Price, didn't put up the kind of numbers the Wild are generating this season. The stats strongly indicate this Wild team will go only as far as Dubnyk can carry them - at the very least, at his astounding and likely unsustainable save percentages generated so far this season.

This is not to say the Wild aren't a good hockey team - they are. But they are overly dependant on Dubnyk, aren't very good with puck possession, and their shooting percentages also indicate they've enjoyed a little puck luck to bolster a so-so offence.

A correction towards the mean is likely in the cards for Minnesota, sooner or later. Dubnyk's numbers will come down to more sustainable levels, along with their shooting averages. Being out-chanced most nights will also catch up. The Habs, of course, would prefer these corrections to start tonight, but given their still problematic injury issues, they'll likely need to draw a page from Minnesota's book, and look to the guy between the pipes to carry them to victory.

Speaking of which, it's Carey Price against Devin Dubnyk tonight. If you're headed to the Bell Centre in hopes of seeing an active red light, tonight might not be your night.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST.

Game 69: Wild vs Habs

FIRST PERIOD:

- Dubnyk does indeed start tonight for the Wild which is very good news for them. Minnesota has something to play for this season, with Dubnyk an important part of their drive for the post season.

- Everyone seems to be talking about Subban's (former) playing streak, which ended tonight. Funny thing is, it would have been longer if he had not been a healthy scratch (Randy Cunningham) back in 2013. Randy, in case you're wondering, is no longer a head coach.

- First 7 minutes are a big ZZZzzz ... both offences, which aren't exactly elite to begin with, unable to generate any sort of flow. Lots of puck play in the neutral zone.

- What the heck is Mike Condon doing? Coming 30 feet out his net and feeding it up the middle to Neidderider who has an empty net to shoot at, apparently. Atrocious beer league netminding. 1-0 Wild.

- Thankfully Habs respond quickly, Andrighetto leads a rush and Dubnyk provides a generous rebound to the punching Barberio who ties the game. Habs speed generating offence, making things happen. The organization, meanwhile, seems more focused on slowing down their lineup acquiring pluggers and grinders.

- Soft, totally incompentent zone coverage by the Habs 4th line, too many players half heartedly chasing puck carriers, with Granlund cashing in off a cross ice pass from Dumba to give the Wild the lead again. Once again, Habs lack of professional structure kills them in their own zone.

- Habs get the first powerplay. Let's see how good (bad) this Wild penalty kill is.

- Charles Hudon gets a little pp time on the second unit. Good to see.

- Lack of Subban already apparent. Stunted zone exit, rushes aren't nearly as dangerous, and zone coverage is barely able to handle the Minnesota attack. Could be a long night ahead for this team.

- Habs 3rd and 4th line getting curb stomped. Most of the play while they're on has been repelling the Wild attack. Lots of inneffective puck chasing by both lines - expect Minnesota to score some more while each unit is on the ice.

- Habs capitalized off the Dubnyk rebound gaffe, otherwise, it was a pretty slanted period for the Wild. With Subban in the lineup the Habs had some semblance of being able to compete (that's how good a player he is), without Subban, the whole enterprise seems futile. 

SECOND PERIOD:

- Hudon is trying his level best, maybe trying a little too hard out there. Having trouble staying on his feet - I've seen him tumble to the ice (from no contact) three times, and counting. You can only skate as hard as your feet can move.

- If you had told Mark Barberio he'd be a starting first line defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens at the start of the season, he'd have thought you insane, yet here we are. He's done a pretty good job filling some pretty big shoes, being very catious in his zone. Wild wingers have tried more than a few times to beat him wide with speed, but Barberio has managed to keep pace.

- Another Subban effect - Galchenyuk line has been dangerous, but not nearly as they have the past week. Subban played an integral role in feeding the puck up to them, which helped them establish zone puck control (and eventually, scoring). Pateryn and even Markov aren't nearly as good.

- Mike Condon, more puck control issues, unable to handle a simple point wrist shot and cover it up. Puck is banged home. 3-1 Wild. Can't afford to give up these soft scores.

- Habs utterly overmatched, Wild controlling the puck at will, and are poised to blow this game wide open.

- Lessio with a decently strong effort tonight, getting involved creating scoring chances, but not really possessing much of a finishing touch.

- Second period much like the first, Habs with very brief sparks of offence, but little sustained pressure. Wild with plenty of zone pressure, largely due to the reality of 5 of the Habs 6 defenseman being 3rd line players, at best. Also not helping matters was Condon's continuing struggles handling the puck, two of the Wild's three goals tonight largely due to the Montreal netminder's poor reactions and decisions. Almost certainly no way the Habs can battle back down two with a period left. There are no horses to pull the weight.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Pretty quiet night for the Galchenyuk line - Wild have nullified them with very close checking - an apt strategy. With Galchenyuk and company unable to score, the Habs are offensively punchless. 

- Habs doing a lot of goal crashing first five minutes, Markov pinching hard and misses a golden opportunity off a big Dubnyk rebound. Really should be 3-2. Montreal definitely taking an aggressive tact this period. Nothing to lose. Why not?

- McCarron on the powerplay is agreeable - he's doing what he's told standing in front of the opposing net - but he's got to be a little more aggressive and disruptive, and needs to take a page from Gallagher's book if he hopes to become a truly productive NHL forward. 

- Halfway through the 3rd, Wild with trap in full effect, Habs simply unable to solve it. Aside from Markov's huge scoring chance, since then Montreal has generated zero scoring opportunities.

- Stone Hands Mike Brown. Shame his scoring chances weren't Galchenyuk's scoring chances, otherwise the scoreboard might be dramatically different. 

- 5 minutes left on the clock, a good 3 thousand paying customers have already left the building, no doubt looking for a uncrowded ride home on the metro.

- Wild just methodically strangling this game to death. Habs might have more shots on the clock, but few have presented Dubnyk with challenge.

- Presumptuous to say this, but with Carey Price in net, the Wild would have had to work a lot harder for the two points tonight. The Condon gaffs were by no means decisive, not with the Habs roster so badly depleted. Nonetheless, another loss tacked to the board, the Canadiens  take another big step towards official elimination.

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

So, it's over:

Subban to miss Saturday's home game, snapping his streak of 274 consecutive Habs games #NHL https://t.co/51UvHq9QcF pic.twitter.com/05VDjrHKQ3

— The Daily Gleaner (@DailyGleaner) March 12, 2016

Not entirely unexpected, of course. No point in the Habs risking the long-term health of an elite player in a lost season. With P.K. sitting tonight's game out, Darren Dietz will get his very first NHL start. I've seen Dietz play a few games in the WHL during his stint with the Saskatoon Blades. Sturdy, cautious guy - he may, at some point, establish himself as a 3rd line starter. The road, though, is still long for him.

Some other game notes:

- Funny thing about making a coaching change. The Wild did that a month ago, while sitting 7 points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. Today? They're in a wild card spot. So, yeah. To repeat: the Wild had a coach who had significant personnel and deployment issues, they gave him the pink slip, and they may save their season.

- That said, the Wild enter tonight's game with urgency, having had lost their past two games to the Islanders and Flyers. Minnesota, even with the spark of a new coach, continue to play some pretty questionable speciality team hockey. Their powerplay is a mediocre 16th overall, but even more concerning for the Wild is their penalty killing unit. At just a 74% success rate, the Wild have the 28th ranked PK. When Minnesota draws penalties, they get into big trouble.

- Minnesota's PK woes mean the Habs would be likely inclined to play a physical game tonight, in order to draw the Wild into penalty trouble. If that indeed becomes the Habs strategic direction tonight, expect to see a little more time for the 4th line, and a little more ice time for the big physical Mike McCarron.

- Wild are missing a couple of key players - Jason Pominville (day-to-day) will not play tonight after sustaining a lower body injury last week. Meanwhile number one goaltender Devan Dubnyk is questionable for tonight, he's sick with a flu virus.

- Habs have nothing much to play for, expect some looks at young players, as well as recent trade deadline pickups. The Canadiens, in case you missed it, did get a little news this week that Carey Price (remember him?) may return to actual NHL action as early as next week. I remain catious about this kind of speculation - I cannot imagine the braintrust putting Price out for any kind of game action in a lost season. Bubble wrap, and bring him back in September.

- Mike Condon will start in goal tonight for the Habs, puck drops at 7:15 EST.

Game 36: Habs vs. Wild

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Wild through 40 minutes. At what point is Therrien going to shelve the Pacioretty with Desharnais pairing? Because so far, it's not working. What is preventing him from putting Patches with Galchenyuk? It's so logical, so obvious, but it's not happening.

- One area Tinordi is a little rough at and should improve with more NHL experience is headmanning the puck. His passes have been a little rough tonight, which has hurt the Habs transition game.

- Killer. Eller with a bad turnover carrying the puck over the Wild blue line to Coile who beats a flatfooted Beaulieu, and then a shot that Condon should have and would have stopped if he didn't play his net so damn deep. Series of mistakes kill the Canadiens again. 

- Awful slash on Markov's hand carrying the puck out of his zone not called. Habs aren't getting anything tonight.

- That second goal is so dreadful, and it's just another exclamation mark on how the Habs have not had the privilege of their goaltenders making key saves this month. It seems just when the Canadiens are on the cusp, either Condon or Tokarski let something in that normally Carey Price would stop. There's no solution to this problem. The Habs are stuck with what they have until Price returns. He question is, will they win a game before that happens?

- Another loss, and while surely Michel Therrien's job is safe, at least at the moment, the pressure will almost certainly grow over the Holiday break, and mount with each and every loss that will happen as this string of defeats continues, unabated.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Wild through 20 minutes:

- Habs swarm to start the period, with Pacioretty and Beaulieu generating two great scoring chances, and yet ... nothing going in. Kuemper with a couple of very nice saves.

- Bad bounce for the Habs (of course) springs Stoll in all alone, and Condon makes a terrible half-hearted poke check attempt, flopping on his belly. Somehow, Stoll is still unable to bury the puck. Whew.

- Carr continues to impress, he's doing all he can to try to break the logjam - denied a goal last night after appeal, he's another example why the future still is bright for this organization, even though this month has been pretty dark and depressing.

- Been mostly Habs controlled period, but not a lot of dangerous chances being generated. Canadiens need to get more bodies in the Wild's crease, need to follow Carr's example and drive the net. Not seeing a lot of that tonight.

- Habs first powerplay, played four forwards first minute of the advantage, which smites of some desperation.

- Predictably, the powerplay goes nowhere, because it's glaringly obvious that this team has done almost no 4-forward powerplay practice or drills. We're at the point that the coaching staff is just tossing players out there and telling them to make it up.

- Galchenyuk slowly sliding down the ice time standings. Somebody needs to do an intervention with this team.

- Same old through 40 minutes, although the Habs haven't vastly outplayed their opponent tonight. More or less a draw, but it could be better if somebody knew how to deploy the Canadiens' offensive assets with some measure of competence. Right now, deployments are a mess, with players who aren't doing their job continuously and mysteriously getting rewarded with regular shifts. This, more than anything, is driving me crazy during this losing streak.


FIRST PERIOD:

- So, Tinordi gets the start tonight over Pateryn. He played a pretty good game last night, so that's halfway towards an ideal defence (Emelin being the 7th would be wonderful. We can dream, can't we?)

- Desharnais line gets to start, because you just know Therrien is rubbing it in our faces.

- Excellent first and second shift by Galchenyuk, and his line. The scratched record keeps repeating itself.

- Sustained pressure by the Desharnais line, can't bury a couple of good chances. We're off to the same start. Habs dominating early.

- Pretty tight checking game - Habs appear to be consciously reeling things back a little, don't seem nearly as aggressive and free-flowing tonight as they've been most of the season. Whether or not it's just this period, or the Canadiens have decided to take a different approach, we'll have to see.

- Habs are holding their own, Wild's shot attempts have been pretty much limited to the point and permitter. Condon getting lots of time and plenty of clear vision on the shots (so far).

- Oh god, Alexei Emelin. What a horrible, stupid pass in his own zone, blind, cross-ice, right in front of his net, generating a horrible turnover. Boom. 1-0 Wild. Alexei Emelin. Why he never sees a health scratch is beyond me.

- Gilbert hurt, in the locker room. Which means Emelin can't be benched. More importantly, why isn't Emelin ever scratched?

- If Gilbert is seriously hurt, then Subban will likely get double shifts, meaning look for him to have ice totals near 30 minutes tonight.

- Gilbert done for the night. Strap 'em up tight, P.K., you'll be working plenty tonight.

- Oh, god. Beaulieu with an own goal, because you never know when the bottom will be reached. They're taking a close look at this, and ... no goal. WOW WE CATCH A BREAK.

- So, will the Habs turn that "break" into some good fortune? Should be interesting. I don't think that it was actually a goal, but the Habs were extremely fortunate that the puck managed to just barely stay out. Regardless, an evenly played period, and except for the incredibly dumb play by Emelin, this game ought be scoreless. Nonetheless, we'll take the "good bounce".

THIS MAN IS GETTING ANGRY, BUT HOW MUCH IS HE TO BLAME?

Two down, six to go.

The Habs enter St. Paul tonight to take on yet another top-flight Western Division hockey team. The Canadiens are riding a 397 game losing streak, in which over that time, their offence has managed to score -28 goals, all of them coming from Lars Eller into his own net.

Well, maybe the situation isn't quite that bad, but it sure is starting to feel like it. The Habs continue to outplay their opponents, but aren't being rewarded with victories. Mainly due to an offence that's doing the "right things" systematically, but failing to convert any opportunities into actual goals. On the other end of the ice, the Canadiens have been further hampered by what could be charitably defined as inconsistent goaltending from their two AHL callups, Dustin Tokarski and Mike Condon.

What can you do? The Habs, during this latest losing streak which currently stands at 4 games, have a PDO of 85.8, which is pushing the boundaries of statistical improbability to its absolute limit. Which is to say, assuming the Habs continue to play the same style of hockey where they dominate puck possession and shot totals, they're going to have a goal explosion unlike any other witnessed in modern NHL history. Right?

Well. Maybe.

See, the problem here for the Habs isn't just that they're the recipients of some really rotten luck, but they're also the cause of some of their own miseries. As we've highlighted exhaustively for days, Michel Therrien is stubbornly deploying underachieving forwards, while stubbornly limiting the ice times for players that are actually producing actual offence. Last night, same story. Dale Weise and David Desnarnais, two woeful underproducers, if you exclude the first month of the season, get first line time. Alex Galchenyuk, who's out there scoring right in the middle of a team-wide slump, is given the 4th least amount of ice time.

The point here is, as long as Therrien fails to understand who to play, and how much to play them, there's little reason to believe the Habs will be escaping this astounding funk any time soon.

To that extent, the Habs seem to by choice, compound their problems. Sven Andrighetto, who was a tremendous spark plug in substitution for the injured Brendan Gallagher, has been a healthy scratch for most of this streak. Today the Habs announced that Mike McCarron was returning to St. John's, and would be replaced tonight by - you guessed it, the offensively underproductive Devante Smith-Pelly.

Do we see the pattern emerging here?

So, tonight, the Habs will try once again to solve their quandary. However, unless and until the team's decision makers start making decision that are beneficial to the well-being of this team, there should be little reason to expect anything other than the same result tonight.

Mike Condon is in the net for the Habs. Darcy Kuemper (Saskatoon born!), the Wild's backup, will start for Minnesota.

Our opponents are starting their 2nd stringers now? Has it come to that already?

Puck drops at 8:10, EST.



GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

 - We have new bodies in the lineup! Michael McCarron was reassigned to St. John's today, which is fine. McCarron and his 15 foot 7 inch frame made a nice impression this week. With McCarron headed back to the rock ....

- Finally!!! After a week of pointlessly benching Sven Adrighetto, who's been a nice offensive bright spot for the Habs since his call up since the Gallagher injury, will return to the lineup tonight and ... will ... play .... sorry. What??

#Habs announce Condon starts tonight, Smith-Pelly is in and 6th d-man, Tinordi or Pateryn, is game-time decision. Petry out.

— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) December 22, 2015

Oh. Well then. Never mind.

- As Aropon noted, Mike Condon will start, which at this point, is whatever. Might as welll draw goaltending names from a hat - neither Condon or Dustin Tokarski have appeared even remotely capable of delivering a game required to get the Habs back into the "w" column.

- Jeff Petry, who took that NON-CALLED hit to his face, which also led directly to Dallas scoring a game-killer goal, is out again.

- Alex Galchenyuk, it bears repeating - by far the best Habs forward on the ice last night, got the 4th least amount of ice time. Madness.

Game preview in a bit.

YUP. DECEMBER HAS BEEN CRUEL. REALLY, REALLY CRUEL

A little graph I cooked up this morning which gives you a snapshot of the League for the month of December, including games up to last night.

Guess which team really sticks out like a sore thumb?

Hockey and life really aren't much different from each other; nothing is fair.

More in a bit.

Game Twenty-Two: Wild vs. Habs

Thursday News 'n' Notes:

- Habs practice this morning, nothing extraordinary to report. Rene Bourque however, was absent, not unlike his game days. AMIRIGHT?

More later. If there's anything.

UPDATE: The Candiens have given an update on Bourque's status, saying that he missed practice because of a lower body injury. No word on its seriousness, or whether Bourque would not be playing Friday night in Washington.

LATER UPDATE: Therrien announced that Peter Budaj will be starting tomorrow night's game in Washington.

Fashion Police: This Man Must Be Stopped

Brandon Prust, wandering the streets of Montreal this morning. Brandon, what in heaven's name are you wearing, and did you ask your gramma for permission before borrowing it?

Wednesday News 'n' Notes:

- Pretty quiet morning in the wake of the thrashing delivered by the Habs last night. Optional practice at Brossard this morning which was barely attended. Most of the players are taking in a blood donor clinic at the Bell Centre today. So Montreal-area residents, head on down and give a little! You might get to meet a few players, including Mr. Fashion Guru himself, Brandon Prust (see above).

- Ah, Mikhail Grigorenko. The drama continues. As noted here a couple of days ago, the Sabres sent Grigorenko down the Rochester for what they called a "conditioning" stint - the reality being, Grigorenko hasn't improved his play enough to earn a regular spot on the already-awful Buffalo Sabres roster.

One snag, though. The League ruled the demotion as illegal, and forced the Sabres to bring Grigorenko back to Buffalo.

Read the whole thing here - it's a pretty sad story about player mismanagement.

 

Montreal 6, Minnesota 2

Third Period:

 - Briere. It's been quite the night for the guys who've been on recently, or season-long slumps.

- Fans happy at the Bell, five goals scored, and its free wings for the paying customers.

- Welp, there goes the shutout. Price couldn't find the loose puck. WILD COMEBACK STARTS HERE.

- Another recently slumping Hab joins the scoring gang, this time it's Galchenyuk. 6-1.

- Habs aren't this good. Wild have been horribly slow and complacent in their zone, giving Habs pretty much free reign. Can't figure out why they've simply not come to play - entirely different effort compared to two weeks ago.

- Not much to really follow in the 3rd, just to see if anyone else who's been having trouble scoring could get on the board. Galchenyuk did, which is good to see. Pretty one-sided game, fans are happy, but the next game in Washington will represent a solid test for the Habs. They'll need to continue scoring from all sides if they want to give the Caps a run for their money.

 

Second Period

- Subban with 8:25 time in the first. Suter 9:17. Bournival barely cracked 3.

- Snakes are gone, and are no longer biting. Pacioretty via Desharnais. Finally they produce. 1-0.

- Pacioretty and his mates are buzzing. Just about made it 2-0.

- Holy crap. Desharnais. What a pass to Pacioretty, and it's NOW 2-0.

- So okay, this Desharnais-Pacioretty thing appears to have some chemistry.

- Habs have played the Wild twice and remain the only team to score two or more regulation goals on Harding in a game this season. Yeah. Harding's been that good.

- Habs are completely swarming the Wild, and Bournival draws Stoner into interference.

- Pacioretty with a pretty grim demeanor on the ice tonight. What's up with that?

- When it rains it pours. Pacioretty with the hat trick on Habs powerplay.  3-0. Harding is yanked. Hard to believe, really.

- Habs continue to buzz all around the Minnesota net. The Habs side of the ice has barely been used in this period.

- Holy moly. Canadiens their own express train this period. Bournival climbs on board. 4-0.

- Habs really doing quite a job forechecking Minnesota to death - when Therrien plays a safe gameplan, this team struggles. When he turns them loose, things click. He's gotta see and understand this.

- Pomminville with the first quality shot on Price this period by the Wild, comes with 1:30 left in the period.

- Habs got sleepy sloppy the last 30 seconds, and the Wild came very, very close to putting one up on the board. Shot differential was only 3 in the period in favor of Montreal, but save the last little bit, practically all the play was on the Wild's half of the ice. Habs completely and utterly dominated the middle frame. Cruising right now to an impressive win.

First Period

- Little game delay here, they're recognizing the Montreal Fire Department in a pre-game ceremony.

- Sort of insane to see Price's line - .946 SV%, and a sub-.500 record.

- I dunno, I stand to be ridiculed for this, but the Habs' 4th line is so much more effective at transitioning the puck when Ryan White is centering it.

- Habs continuing to struggle getting shots on net even with wide open shooting lanes.

- Pacioretty on a break, was brought down hard from behind with a hook. That could easily have been ruled a penalty shot.

- So is Therrien gonna play Bouillon on the powerplay? Just a reminder - he's 130 minutes of PP icetime, one assist to show for it.

- One more time, they Wild aren't the least bit afraid of playing their best defenseman an average of 30 minutes a game. Oh yeah, they haven't lost in regulation the past 8.

- Markov another wide open lane, another shot nowhere near the net.

- And Therrien sends Bouillon on the ice. Of course.

- Gotta say the Desharnais/Gallagher/Pacioretty line is at least applying something resembling zone pressure first half of this period.

- Prust drops 'em, does well. Draws quite a bit of his opponent's blood. I guess this means he's 100%.

- Konopka bleeding quite a bit, begs the officials off after they tell him he has to get repairs. Stomps off to the dressing room.

- Wild have struggled to gain any significant puck control in the Habs zone. Canadiens doing a pretty good job keeping them in check.

- Great setup by Pacioretty to wide open Desharnais streaking towards the Wild net. Can't get a shot on Harding.

- Briere's got the same fundamental challenge as does Desharnias - simply not strong enough to finish off scoring places with loose crease pucks.

- They're reviewing this, but Harding reached back to swipe a puck away at the last possible moment to keep Pacioretty from putting the Habs ahead 1-0. Max is totally snakebit.

- Price had a pretty routine period, at least in comparison to what he's had to handle the past few matches. Habs were able to generate sporadic, although not a whole lot of consistent pressure, Harding coming up with a couple of very impressive saves, including the goal line swipe. Minnesota will be more than happy to get out of this period on even terms.

Gameday Game Preview

No reprise for the weary - in this case, the offense-starved Montreal Canadiens, who are faced with the challenging task of taking on one of the hottest teams in the League, the Minnesota Wild, who haven't lost in regulation the past 8 games.

That offense. Woe that offense. We seemingly have none, other than one line and one defenseman. Michel Therrien seems to be taking an ingenious approach towards generating goals and it goes something like this - put the names of his fowards in a hat and start picking out the lines.

So what happens? Why, you break up the only line that's actually producing, of course - by yanking out Brendon Gallagher and sticking him next to the guy who was supposed to be your number one centre, who's only scored two goals since March 3, 2013.  GENIUS.

What else do you do? Well, you take the rookie who's been a brilliant surprise from the line where he was actually producing, and you bury him on the 4th line. Welcome to oblivion, Michael Bournival. GENIUS.

Still not good enough? Hmmm ... well let's see. You take the guy who was your "big" free agent signing during the off-season, but has yet to even come close to meeting scoring expectations, BUT who actually seemed to be doing will after he was put back at his natural position, and you also stick him down on the 4th line. Hello Danie Briere! GENIUS.

Look, I don't present myself as coaching qualified material, but it seems to me the last thing you want to do with a team that's having trouble putting pucks in the net, is to dismantle the line that's actually, you know, putting pucks in the net. It also makes no sense that you shuffle chairs on a deck, thereby diluting your line balance, while guys like Max Pacioretty, Brian Gionta, and Rene Bourque struggle to produce.

Whatever. This team, as we noted earlier today, is playing very poorly at even strength. This means it is overly dependent on specialty team success and stellar goaltending. It has certainly (and fortunately) received the later, but if the Habs can't muster any powerplay goals, their winning percentages basically drop through the floor.

The Wild's penalty kill is hovering just under 80%, which isn't very good. So if the Habs are to have reasonable expectations of victory tonight, they'll have to score with the man advantage.

Or, hope that Therrien's roster-in-a-blender approach to coaching somehow produces positive results. I am firmly unconvinced that it will.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST.

Tuesday News 'n' Notes:

- George Parros and Doug Murray are healthy scratches for tonight's game. Didn't see that one coming!! /snark

- Optional practice this morning. Everybody pretty much showed up except for Moen, White, Bourque and Subban, who's probably still recovering from his Target experience. I've been in those dreadful stores, it usually takes me DAYS to recover.

- This little stat is getting bounced around this a.m. about how badly the Habs suck with 5v5 this season. Last year, the team 5v5 GF/A ration was +.25%. This season, it's -.04%.  It ain't the defense or goaltending which is the problem - total 5v5 output is down from 2.06 to 1.29. Which is to say, unless this team quickly turns around its even strength production, there's no way it'll qualify for the playoffs. Not. A. Chance.

- TEE HEE HEE: The Sabres announced over the lunch hour that they sent their 2012 first round pick Mikhail Grigorenko down to Rochester for "conditioning".

That's all I got for now.

Reason #9,394 why P.K. Subban is Awesome

Here is my partner-in-crime at some gawd-awful Target store opening somewhere in Westmount today, meeting none other than the man himself! Since I couldn't make it, she selflessly stood in line for FIVE HOURS just to get an autograph. What a woman, eh?  That blanket will be (one of) my son's Christmas presents, and I can say with great certainty that it will be by far, his favorite gift under the tree.

Afterward she confessed that she wouldn't have had a clue who Subban was if he walked past her on the street, but that he was exceptionally nice when he met her, and that he was "very handsome". HANDS OFF P.K.

Oh ... who am I kidding? The guy could have anyone he wanted. Plus he's going to be about $70 million richer in a month or two. I'M NOT WORTHY.

Happy Monday Edition

HAPPY MONDAY - and what a great Monday it is!!! The Riders are in the Grey Cup, baby. That means all is well with the world as we know it.

To quote the Mayor, the Green and White will be looking forward this Sunday to "spank the little tiger cats". YOU KNOW IT ROB.

Oh yeah. This is a Habs blog, isn't it? Okay, okay ... what's happening lately? Saturday night. Did that actually happen? Were we that bad? Like, Calgary Stampeders bad?!? Less than two dozens realativly harmless shots flipped towards the New York Rangers net, the Habs blanked at home by the blue shirts for the first time in 46 years? Sheesh, now we know how it feels like to be a Leafs fan. Well, maybe it isn't that bad - but still. 46 YEARS.

So practice today at Brossard. And here's the lines Therrien was putting out: Read 'em and whince:

1. Prust-Ellger-Galchenyuk
2: Gionta-Plekanec-Bourque (Bournival has seemingly been removed)
3. Pacioretty-Desharnais-Gallagher (um, okay).
4. Bournival-Briere-Moen (because we want the 4th line to be just as inneffetive Tuesday night as they were on Saturday?)

I dunno. These are by no means the lines that Therrien will run, but the switcheroo routine doesn't bring me a whole lot of confidence that the coach is doing little other than running the blender.

Anyway, call me a traditionalist, but stick with what works (EGG line), identify what isn't working (the 4th line), and leave the other stuff mainly alone with slight adjustments.

Oh well. At least George Parros isn't playing. Or Doug Murray.

Other News 'n' Notes:

- Yannic Weber, who just couldn't quite find a spot on the Canadiens after nearly three years spent mightily trying, was placed on waivers by the Vancouver Canucks today. Weber is a great guy, much more deserved of this fate - and in this writer's humble opinion, more than capable enough of earning a regular starting job as an NHL defenseman.

- Interesting little stat out this morning - the Canadiens are getting 48.3% of their shot attempts on goal, which you might think is not too bad, except that IT'S BAD. Really bad. 30th ranked in the NHL bad.


Rapheal Diaz accounts for about 75% of those missed shots (I kid of course - unless he actually is really that bad on getting shots on goal).

Oh well. More later.

Game Fourteen: Habs vs. Wild

UThird Period:

- Finally it happens - playing with fire you get burned, in this instance Bouillon/Murray duo. Niederreiter allowed to go totally unmolested to the crease for an easy redeflect past Price. Wretched zone defense there. Habs forth line, Parros included, now a collective -9 on the night. Ugh.

- Mr. "We're not sure if he's good enough for the Olympic team" Subban with a cannon. Harding had absoltely no chance. 3-2. 

- Leblanc and Bourque fighting, slapping, digging and pushing for the loose puck around Harding. Standing 15 feet away, just looking, is Desharnais.

- Boom. Markov to Gionta, game tied. Since Heatley took a holding call at the 7 minute mark, the game has been 100% Habs. 

- Canadiens have really emphasized the forecheck and crashing the Wild crease in the third. It's paid off huge and set the Wild reeling. Minnesota's third period woes apparently continue.

- Eller line has been rumbling tonight, Minnesota's defense are fit to be tied by their constant zone pressure and drive to Harding's face. This line's most impressive outing in at least two weeks.

- Pomminville. Bouillon in total la-la land. 4-3.

- So Emelin is back tomorrow night, right? #noMoreBouillon

- Some might argue that it was a lucky bounce for Minnesota that set Pomminville perfectly, but there's no way Bouillon can be that unaware of his surroundings or defensive obligations. His liability may have cost the Habs two valuable points.

- Habs fourth line and Bouillon now collective -11 tonight.

- Wild icing, and they already used up their timeout.

- That hurt. Habs had total control of the game, all the momentum, and Bouillon blows his check and the Wild pull out the win. Habs 4th line was total shambles tonight as well, Parros didn't look anything close to game shape, and Blunden is basically marking time until Moen returns. 

Disappointing loss because it very well should have been won.

Second Period:

First period line, Habs combined 62.5% Corsi, 57.1 Fenwick. As suspected, Habs had substantive possession advantage.

- Flat start to 2nd, Wild's more aggressive forechecking paying off, Price sturdy though.

- Wild generating chances here via more aggressive forechecking, Price holding stready.

- Bad turnover by White at the Wild blue line, Subban and especially Markov caught flat footed as Granlund makes a wonderful pass to Pomminville who slips it past Price on the break. 2-1. Price's greatest weakness continues to be handling breakaways. 

- Praising Desharnais, and then he goes and feeds a pass to the line after being sprung all alone in front of Harding. Can't explain that decision - except that he seems incapable of playing his position.

- Oooh bonus, Wild go to the box and it's Suter for hooking.

- How Harding stopped that Subban bullet, I'll never know. He's brought his A game tonight, bad news for the Habs.

- EGG line's aggressiveness tonight is unmatched. In the meantime,whatever Harding isn't stopping is hitting goalposts. Frustration, but Habs are still pushing the envelope.

- Good rebound period for the Wild, Habs started the period flat and that eventually led to Minnesota's second goal. Nonetheless, Habs have still been the better team tonight IMHO, and if the Wild continue their season pattern of weak third periods, I see no reason why the Habs still don't have a very good shot at winning this.

First Period:

- Fontaine tips home a Ballard point shot giving the Wild early 1-0 lead. Gorges and Diaz were playing fast and loose protecting the slot, making it an easy redeflect for Ballard.

- Excellent carry by Galchenyuk wide along the boards, shovelling to a driving Gallagher who tips it past Harding. Game is tied within seconds. Good news for the Habs if the slumping EGG line starts to produce again.

- Hard to say whether or for how long Leblanc will stay up with the big club, but his presence has given the Desharnais line a visible boost. They looked good Tuesday night, they're looking good again tonight, especially in the opposition zone.

- Really really wish Subban got Suter time - the later gets about 29 minutes a night. But Therrien has his own agenda.

- Another quality shift for the Desharnais line. They're gonna score, eventually. They just gotta.

- Wild had spurts of scoring chances, but that was a pretty one sided first in the Habs favour. They dominated possession pretty soundly against one of the best possessions teams in the League. Eller line looks back on track, Desharnais is improving, slowly but surely. Habs look in pretty good shape heading to the second.

Gameday Game Preview

The bodies are returning.

George Parros will make only his 2nd Habs game start tonight as the Canadiens take on the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul. Parros, in case you've been able to wipe it clear from your mind, is coming back from concussion after taking a frighteningly gruesome fall in an opening season fight against Colton Orr, when Parros lost his balance and fell face first onto the ice.

Coach Therrien also indicated today that Max Pacioretty, who won't play tonight, is a virtual certainty to start tomorrow night's game in Denver against the Avalanche. Sweet!!

So, tonight. The Wild. It's been an interesting start for Minnesota, a mediocre-ish 6-4-3 record even though, if you look at the stats line, they've played a very good game. With the League's 3rd rated Corsi and top-rated Fenwick percentage, they should by all rights, have a record near the top of the League standings. They've certainly been an excellent possession and shooting team. So what gives?

Well, mainly it's been their offense - or at least, timely offense, which has failed to score those "big" game goals in narrowly contested games. You can definitely see the issue when examining Minnesota's offensive production by period. The Wild have produced 12 first period goals (tied for 7th in the League), but then things start going south. 2nd period scoring, the Wild are tied for 15th overall (with 11), and 3rd period, tied for 24th overall, with just 7 goals scored this season.

The net result? Frustrating losses. Four losses by one goal margins, two losses by two goal margins.

Minnesota's has so far this season be led by, unsurprisingly, Zach Parise, Matt Cooke, Mikko Koivu and Jason Pominville. The guys who are paid for and expected to produce, have produced. Meanwhile the Wild's big-named defensive acquisition, Ryan Suter, is off to another strong start, 7 points to date, averaging crazy amounts of ice time. Nearly 30 minutes a *game* average over his last five starts, gives you an idea of just how significant his role is on this team.

So the bottom line is this: Minnesota is a very good team that's been producing very good big-picture numbers that would lend anyone to believe that over the course of an 82 game season, the Wild should finish in the upper echelon of the Western Conference standings. Which makes them a dangerous and difficult team to play on just about any given night.

Over on the Habs side, as mentioned, some injured bodies are now starting to return to the lineup, and not a moment too soon. To give you an idea of just how battered and bruised the Habs have been this year, so far 75 man games have been lost to injury over the first 13 games. Last season, over a 48 game schedule, that Habs lost 126 man games to injury.

So ... yikes.

Parros will fit in on the 4th line next to Ryan White and Mike Blunden. Otherwise, the linup will be the same as the past two weeks, the EGG line, Pleks/Gionta/Bournival, Desharnaid/Bourque/Leblanc.

Blue line - another night, another teeth-clenching endurance test with Doug Murray back in action. Will Therrien use in for the final minute of the 3rd period again?

Stay tuned. Puck drops at 8:10 EST.

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Okay, here's a blog post that's been making the rounds this morning about the ridiculous discussion about whether or not P.K. Subban will make the Team Canada roster this winter.

You've heard my take on this previously - the premise that Subban, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, would not be part of the team, is a complete absurdity.

Anyway, here's Ted Bird's POV about the Subban "controversy".

Notes and gameday preview in a while.