Game 1: Habs vs Sabres

5 #HABS THOUGHTS THE DAY AFTER

- Welcome to our new feature, 5 Habs Thoughts the Day After, which is pretty much exactly as the title suggests. We'll be doing this feature throughout the season, providing readers with a summation about the game played the night previous. So ... about last night ...

- It's always nice to start the season on a winning note, although the Habs win was, to put it generously, uneven. The Canadiens started very strong - for the first 15 minutes of the 1st period, it looked like they were going to totally overwhelm their opponent. But then the team seemed to go into a collective funk that lasted through the remainder of the period, carried through most of the 2nd period, and lasted through about the first 5 minutes of the 3rd before the Habs seemed to catch a second wind.  The Torrey Mitchell goal, which reestablished the Habs 2 goal margin, seemed to take the energy out of the Sabres legs. You'll see that often with young teams - they're easily disgruntled - and who can blame them? The Sabres really were taking it to the Habs for essentially the middle half of the game, and still found themselves trailing by 2 goals for all their efforts.

- So while the Habs letdown was not exactly a scrapbook highlight, there were many interesting positives. The brightest light of the night was Artturi Lehkonen, who played a tremendously, even more so if you consider it was his very first NHL game. Lehkonen really meshed well along side Tomas Plekanec (who played an excellent two-way game for the Habs), and if not for a couple of nifty saves by Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, would have scored at least one goal. Lehkonen demonstrated some keen hockey smarts - and seemed to have a good sense of when to drive to the net. I'm sure Habs management were delighted by what they saw from this young winger.

- Defensively, Habs also played unevenly, but they did have two very strong performances by Greg Pateryn and (surprise!) Alexei Emelin, the later of whom delivered many thunderous checks, mostly contained in the neutral zone, on Sabres forwards. Emelin's was smart with his physicality, delivering his hits in situations that didn't remove him from his defensive responsibilities. I'm sure that Therrien will go back with this duo on Saturday night, if only to see if there might be some good chemistry developing between the two. Keep in mind, 3rd line spots on the Habs blue line is very competitive this season - with the first 5 positions already spoken for by Weber, Markov, Petry, Beaulieu and Sergachev, competition for that 6th spot is going to be fierce.

- Or, maybe it won't. Speaking of Mikhail Sergachev, it was baptism by fire last night, and his NHL inexperience was pretty glaring. While Sergachev didn't make any errors that led directly to Buffalo goals, he frequently looked overwhelmed by the speed of the League, which was further complicated by some tentative passes that produced a couple of glorious scoring opportunities for the Sabres. It's just Sergachev's first game, so a lot of the criticism has to be taken with a pinch of salt, but if he continues to struggle with adapting to the NHL, certainly understandable given his age, the Habs may give him a year in the AHL to help him make the transition to the big league.

- Finally, Shea Weber. While his debut wasn't anticipated nearly as much as Subban's will be in Nashville, Weber gave a pretty standard Weber performance. Sturdy, physical, understated and utterly forgettable. What you saw last night is what you'll see for the rest of this season. Weber, unlike the player he's replacing, has little flair, flash or dash to his game. He eats time, does a decent job moving the puck forward, clears a little traffic in front, and that's it. Weber did pick up the point last night off a point shot - although ironically it came off a simple wrist shot that was deflected in by Gallagher, not off one of his notorious slapshot howitzers.

Habs now travel back closer to home to take on the Senators in Ottawa, before opening up the season at home Monday night. We'll be posting news, if there's anything worth noting, leading up to the game, and putting up a game preview later in the day.

LIVESTREAM





THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs CF% (5v5) through 40 minutes just 50.0%. Which is bad considering they were at 58% after one period. Basically the Sabres had significant majority of possession (12:18 to be exact), with shot totals accordingly showing a pretty large edge in favour of Buffalo.

- Sabres have an interesting little thing they do before the period starts, their line huddles up at the blue line, not unlike they do in football. Not sure what the purpose of this is, but it looks cool.

- Shea Weber with a disgraceful crosscheck from behind in the corner that the League really should be making an automatic game misconduct, but for whatever reason, chooses not to. Within seconds, the Sabres score, and we immediately see Weber's first game sheet contribution. Against his team. 2-1 now.

- Habs a slop fest in their own zone, horrid puck turnovers. Sabres haven't lost a step to start this period. Taking it to the Habs.

- Sergachev a little deer in the headlights in more than a couple of situations tonight. So much talent, but most of it pretty raw.

- Lehkonen has had a pretty good game - very involved offensively, and if not for a couple of outstanding saves by Lehner, would easily be on the scoresheet.

- Shea Weber just made a scoring contribution - the right kind, anyway. Sabres got all kinds of messed up in their zone, leaving their slot unprotected. Weber with a point shot, neatly tipped by Gallagher past Lehner to reestablish a 2-goal lead. Sabres inexperience showing through badly on that goal, a lot of hard work the past couple of periods undone.

- Gorges with a retaliation mugging of Mitchell, after Emelin delivered a hard open ice (clean hit). Mitchell still down on the ice, favouring his head? Hard to tell. Terrible relational by Gorges. Terrible.

- Reply shows that Mitchell kind of fell into the Gorges check, but it looked very clear that Gorges was lining him up for a blindside hit, so the dirty play still stands. Mitchell taking a knee to the head.

- After a rough first few minutes of the period, things have gradually shifted in Montreal's favour, Habs getting much more possession and more quality scoring chances, powerplays removed. 9 minutes left.

- Carr with a very dirty goal with Habs swarming Sabres net. Buffalo challenges for goaltender interference, but I don't see anything there. Likely 4-1 Habs now.

- Good goal, Habs with probably insurmountable lead at 4-1. They've dominated since 5 minute mark of this period, Sabres just couldn't keep up, and Lehner has struggled.

- Pretty decent outing for Emelin, I've counted 4 thunderous hits from his tonight, certainly much more physical than was Weber. He and Pateryn having games that exceeded normal expectations.

- Habs win, albeit it was an uneven victory. Team went into a 30 minute funk between the last five minutes of the 1st extending to the first 5 minutes of the 3rd, where the Sabres were the better team. Fortunately Montoya had a pretty solid start, and Habs did have some bright spots - mainly that of Arthur Lehkonen, who was frequently involved and if not for some excellent saves by Lehner, should have had a least one goal. Pateryn and Emelin looked sharp, and Shea Weber was ... hmm shall we say ... adequate?


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs with defined possession edge in the first period, 57.9% CF% (5v5) in the frame.

- I suppose I should have mentioned Shea Weber right now. He was okay in that first period. Made a couple of good hits in the corners, made a couple of decent shot attempts on the powerplay. But still pretty low key performance, pretty much the exact opposite of the guy who was traded away to get him. 

- Sergachev clearly trying to adjust to a much faster game than he's every played in his life. Has made a few puck handling errors, but possesses the mobility to save himself. At least so far.

- 4th line production by the Habs which has looked pretty good tonight, Byron driving the net hard and buried into the boards as a result, Mitchell tucking home the loose puck and it's 2-0. Another spot the Habs really struggled with last year - 4th line contributions. Hopefully that's a sign of more to come.

- Habs aren't exactly squatting on this lead, but they've discernibly shifted their focus from being aggressive in the Sabres zone and centre ice, to covering their zone, and passing lanes. Sabres have had a significant edge in shots and possession since the 15 minute mark of the first period.

- Not good. Habs are losing puck fights in their own zone, and it's creating some defensive breakdowns in which the Sabres are getting good scoring chances. Montoya very solid so far, keeping Buffalo off the board. Still, this is a habit, the let downs, that we saw a lot of last year that killed the Habs season.

- Is Desharnais hurt? Unbelievably he has the least amount of ice time among all Habs forwards, a meagre 6:32 with just 5 minutes left in the 2nd.

- Sabres 2nd powerplay, Habs PK was pretty much chaos, and it not for dumb luck and Buffalo incompetence finishing plays, this game really ought be 2-1. At least.

- Habs plainly out skated and out hustled in the period - no logical explanation for the let down against such a lesser Sabres team, except that possibly the team went out to hard to start the game? I'm at a loss.

- Evander Kane who's been a bull in a china shop tonight, falling awkwardly going full steam into the corner, losing his footing as he was given a relatively mild shove by Emelin. No real penalty there, but Kane is clearly significantly injured.

- Habs might lead 2-0 on the scoreboard, but that was a very tilted period in favour of the Sabres, who were far more organized and aggressive than they were in the 1st period. Habs looked ... tired? It's absurd to speculate, but they just seemed to lose most of the battles for, and races to, loose pucks. One more period like that, Buffalo might fight their way back into this thing.


FIRST PERIOD:

- Well, here we go, game 1 of 82. Here's hoping it's the exact opposite of what we had to endure last year.

- It's EARLY going, but Sabres look ... uh ... not good. Offence is, shall we say, disorganized.

- Habs 4th line forecheck is pretty aggressive, with two forwards playing deep in the neutral zone. Not sure if that's accidental or experimentational.

- Lots of long-bomb passes blue line to forwards, same strategy used last year, to mostly unsuccessful result.

- Sergachev gets a little powerplay time, which is great to see. Looked a little nervous passing the puck, made one ill-advised pass that nearly gave Sabres a 2-on-0 breakaway. It's a learning process.

- First game goal, first season goal. It's Gallagher with a very un-Gallagher like goal, snap shot from 40 feet beats Lehner stick side. 1-0 Habs. Good passing key to the goal there, as it usually is for most NHL goals.

- There's the Shaw effect, icing called, and Shaw manages to troll Foligno into a roughing penalty.

- Habs powerplay is 0-2, but still looks markedly better than the hapless scenes we endured last year. Not sold on Markov paired with Weber - they got all kinds of mixed up at the line, creating a Sabres breakaway that was saved nicely by Montoya. When Petry returns, I'm hoping for more experimentation - with Beaulieu and maybe this Sergachev kid getting a few turns with different combinations. 

- Montoya has made a couple of nice saves this period - obviously the Habs are hoping for a bit more consistency from their backup this year - fully acknowledging that Mike Condon was forced into an impossible situation, and did the best he could given the circumstances. 

- Habs with a bit of a let-down last 5 minutes of the first period. One assumes you can only dominate a period for so long, but Sabres seem to be getting a little more organized as the period has progressed.

- Pretty one-sided period of hockey, Habs fans will be happy with what they've seen. Fast start to the game, the Canadiens carried the play through much of the first 3/4 of the period, giving the young Sabres defence fits. All said, one couldn't have hoped for much more.


PREGAME NEWS 'N' NOTES:

- The puck is dropping shortly for the first game of the year, a couple of things I'd like to mention in advance of the game. First, this site is going to be a little more content focused this year - we're going to be adding a few more pieces to provide readers with a little more in-depth content, and new features such as weekly team rankings, Habs player rankings, and a new post-game feature, "5 Points", which will offer post game summaries and observations for every Habs game. So, stay tuned and watch!!

- The news we've been hearing about all week has been, of course, the flu virus that has knocked Carey Price out of the start tonight, so Al Montoya will get the call. Which, given that the Sabres are likely the kind of team you'd start your backup against anyway, works out. 

- It'll be fun to see just how well Alex Radulov plays tonight. A productive top-6 winger on the right side will give this team an immense offensive boost that it sorely lacked through much of last year. If Radulov produces, the Habs are going to be a difficult team to beat.

- Also looking forward to seeing the new kids, specifically Mikhail Sergachev, and of course, Artturi Lehkonen. Expectations of both should be tempered - they're playing their first ever regular season NHL games, so even though both are talented, there will be a learning curve.

- Bottom defensive pairing should be interesting. Depending on how things to with Sergachev, there are too many bodies for the last pairings, with Alexei Emelin, Greg Pateryn, and Zach Redmond all fighting for one spot, when Jeff Petry makes his return to the lineup. Still think Marc Bergevin will be doing his best to move Emelin over the next few weeks, basically for anyone who'll have him, ideally for a pick or mild salary pickup in return.

- Puck drops at 7:10 EST.  But then, you knew that.


THE YEAR THAT WAS, THE YEAR THAT IS

We’ve arrived. We’ve finally arrived. The cusp of a new season, filled with renewed hopes for fans around the country that the upcoming season will bring them joy and fulfillment that goes with cheering for a winning team.

For those whose hearts are aligned with the Montreal Canadiens, the story this October is not unlike those of recent Octobers. Anticipation and belief that their championship drought will finally come to an end.

Unlike recent Octobers, this season brings a defined sense of melancholy for Habs fans, still many weeks removed from a massive deal that resulted in the heart and soul of the team, P.K. Subban, being dealt to the Nashville Predators for the hulking frame of Shea Weber. It was a trade that many had hoped would somehow be avoided, but the decision to move Subban, come hell or high water, was likely made well before the day he was dealt in late June.

Objectively, the deal likely will serve to benefit both teams – the Predators will now have a high powered, mobile blue line that will make them a force to be reckoned with, and in an instant, a viable Stanley Cup contender next spring. The Canadiens will realize an improvement in their defensive durability, and likely a slight increase in powerplay effectiveness. Whether they’ll be in the championship conversation next year is another matter altogether.

Long term, the trade will likely be highly regrettable for Montreal. While Weber is an excellent talent, Subban has 4 years on his side, and a proven ability to be an elite puck moving defenseman in a League that’s moving further away from “grit” hockey as a winning model.

Which is to say, the window for ending the championship drought in Habsland is closing rather quickly. With Subban gone, and foundation pieces like Carey Price and Max Pacioretty moving into and beyond their prime productive years, the Canadiens likely have this season and the next to be a viable Stanley Cup contender. Beyond that, with Weber’s salary cap impacting the bottom line, and making it difficult for management to retain all of their key assets, the Canadiens are likely to enter a rebuilding phase.

Setting aside the Subban trade, the off season was productive for Montreal. The Habs, credit to G.M. Marc Bergevin, managed to snag free agent Alex Radulov from Russia. Albeit carrying some behavioural baggage, Radulov, who’s been playing overseas in the KHL since 2009, solidifies what was once the most glaring weaknesses of the team, a top-6 right hand shooting forward.

Although the KHL is no NHL, Radulov did put up some impressive numbers, averaging well over a point per game playing with CSKA Moskva and Salavat Youlaev (go fighting Youlaev!). He also had an impressive and productive camp, so anything in the 60 point production range for Radulov will be a huge bonus for the Canadiens.

Radulov probably represented the biggest player acquisition this summer, although there may be a case made for 1^st round entry pick, Mikhail Sergachev, who was the OHL’s defenseman of the year in 2015-16. Sergachev, whom some expected might go as high as a top-5 pick, was still up for grabs when the Habs came to the table with their 9^th overall selection. Marc Bergevin and Trevor Timmons didn’t waste their chance and nabbed the young Russian, who they hope will eventually fill the shoes of the soon departing Andrei Markov, who’s entering the final year of a contract extension, possibly the last of his NHL career.

The big question around Sergachev wasn’t whether he was the best choice (he was), but whether he had the skill and maturity to actually crack the lineup this season. After an excellent camp, those questions were quickly answered, as the Habs announced that Sergachev would be suiting up to start the season. The only remaining question is whether the Canadiens will play Sergachev 9 games, which means this year would be counted in qualification for restricted free agency.

Speaking of draft picks, a big surprise out of camp this year was the performance of Artturi Lehkonen, who was signed to an entry level contract this May. Lehkonen, who was previously playing in the Swedish Hockey League, was picked 2^nd overall by the Canadiens in the 2013 draft. The lesson here is - players mature and develop differently – the time Lehkonen spent playing elite hockey in Europe served him well enough to earn him a starting spot this season.

Lehkonen’s gain is someone else’s loss – two Habs forwards may not hold much of a future in Montreal because of Lehkonen’s spot on the roster – Michal McCarron, he of six feel, two million inches stature, and Sven Adrighetto. While it’s likely either or both will be playing at some point this season to fill injury vacancies, their future with the Habs remains, at best, uncertain.

The Habs made a few more additions including signing UFA bottom-6 muckraker Andrew Shaw, to help, in the words of Bergevin, to give the team some “character”. While Shaw will do his best to mix things up on the ice, I don’t think his acquisition will give the Habs much, if any, strategic or “grit” advantage, largely because the grinding formula for victory has long passed in the NHL. Today, you win with speed and skill. Oh, well.

So in case you’ve lost, or grown bored reading this overlong analysis, let’s boil it down to who’s in, and who’s out:

Who’s out:

- P.K. Subban

- Dale Weise
- Tom Gilbert
- Ben Scrivens

Who’s in:

- Shea Weber
- Alex Radulov
- Artturi Lehkonen
- Andrew Shaw
- Al Montoya

What does this all mean? Well, without a healthy Carey Price, it means nothing. This, of course, is the biggest of many sizable questions surrounding the Canadiens this season – will Carey Price be healthy? If the World Championship of Hockey was any indication, in which Price helped lead team Canada to a championship, the answer seems to be a comfortable “yes”. But nothing is certain.

There are other big questions. Coaching remains a significant issue. After a disastrous 2015-16, many eyes are on Micheal Therrien, now in the 4^th year of his second stint as Montreal’s head coach. If the Habs stumble early, even with a healthy Price between the pipes, the pressure may be unbearable for Bergevin to endure, and Therrien could be an early season casualty. Which makes the off season acquisition of the adapt Kirk Muller as an assistant all the more prescient. If Therrien is turfed, Muller would likely be promoted to fill his spot.

The thing is, the Habs shouldn’t stumble early. This is still a very good hockey team that was bolstered this offseason by an excellent draft pick, the addition of a prized Russian forward, and the surprise addition of an earlier draft pick to the Canadiens’ starting lineup. This is a team that should have little difficulty in making the post season – perhaps even challenging for 1^st place in their Division. Beyond qualification, there remains only one objective that matters any more – and that is a Stanley Cup championship in Montreal – the first in what would be a 24 year drought.

Which, in case you’re doing the math, is the same number of championships won by this esteemed franchise.

It’s been a long six month wait, but we’ve arrived.

Game Five: Bruins vs. Habs

Third Period:

- Pacioretty somehow misses a totally empty net off the pass on the PP. Missing that might come back to bite later.

- So many juicy rebounds served up by Rask tonight, the Habs ought to be up by two or three.

- Prust continues to offer little on the Habs 4th line - it's nice to have him around for added depth, but if you want to start considering trade bait as the season progresses, he might be your first stop.

- Bruins got the bounce to grab the lead 3-2, and now the hockey gods return the favor as the puck bounces off Gallagher via a Paciorety shot and past a hapless Rask, who gets the hook. 5-3.

- Habs have really intensified the forecheck in the period, and it's creating many excellent scoring rushes. Habs speed definately overtaking the Bruins in the final frame.

- Another solid effort by Gilbert tonight, Eller has also played an excellent two way game. Still think Eller has much more upside if he plays the game the same way Bob Gainey did. 

- Habs attempting to grind this game to a complete halt. So far, so good.

- Gagne scores - we think, even though it was directed in by a skate. In any case, Habs got complacent protecting the slot and the Bruins narrow the lead to one.

- 2:30 left, Habs sitting on this again. Watch out.

- How sweet is that? Lucic takes a dirty run at Emelin and gets nailed for boarding. Habs can just kill the clock to win the game.

- Parenteau with the empty net, and Lucic, furious, promptly gets tossed from the game. Habs really controlled much of the game after having a shaky first period - we've seen that pattern before. Nonetheless, this game felt like something of a torch was passed. The Bruins aren't nearly as dominant as past years, while the Habs, at least by tonight's game, appear to have caught, if not passed Boston, as a hockey force in the eastern Conference.

Second Period:

- Still reckon something will happen between Emelin and Lucic tonight, the later is too much of a psychopath to hold himself back.

- 3-on-1s you're more apt to benefit by making at least one pass, but Paciiretty elects to take a selfish shot on a covered angle. Oh well.

- Subban with a slight little bump on Marchand, who reacts by taking a failed slash. Same old.layed 

- Okay, that was some of the Carey Price from 2013-14, a superb save off a high labeled Chara wrister from the line.

- Rask struggling with loose pucks, and Gallagher with an easy goal off a low angle shot by Pacioretty. 2-1.

- Speaking of puck control, Price gives up a juicy rebound, after Emelin, for whatever reason, knocks Subban out of the play. Anyway, no way Emelin should be paired with Subban, but whatever I guess. Therrien. Game tied.

- Lucic is a menace and a disgrace. Targeting Gallagher's knee. He's attempting to wreck careers.

- Lousy (incorrect) icing call and Bruins take the lead off the faceoff, a shot deflecting off Plekanec's skate. Breaks very much favouring the Bruins tonight.

- Marchand slashes Subban in the groin, and P.K. is assessed an embelishment penalty. More atrocious calls.

- Rask with more puck control issues, Sekac scores his first NHL goal off a rebound in front of the family, and ties the game. Rask looks really vulnerable tonight.

- Oh man that was a beauty. Plekanec with a great pass on the stick of Parenteau, who fires it instantly past Rask blocker side. Rask looked totally unprepared for the play, and it gives the Habs the second period lead.

- Rask really fighting the puck in the second, Habs would be highly advised to just toss it at the net with every opportunity in the third period.

First Period:

- As I mentioned previously, a little late joining this so doing a little bit of catchup. Price still looking at little iffy, isn't he? A puck getting behind, one off the crossbar, and now a poor clearance into the stands.

- Chara. What are you gonna do? Who can move that kind of body out of the crease?

- Ut-oh .. Habs powerplay. Hide the kids, this could get scary.

- Go figure. The Habs finally score with the man advantage, and lo and behold, it's a pretty basic goal. Puck is delivered on net, Pacioretty drives the crease, and it goes in ugly. 

- Gilbert really has impressed me so far this year, very solid positionally, he's been getting some tough zone starts and still has managed to post some pretty decent possession numbers. 

- Brilliant shift by Subban - he can take this game by the scruff of the neck unlike few others in the game.

- Nifty save by Bergeron off a sloppy turnover by Markov. Still, he just doesn't look the Carey Price of last year, can't put my finger on it, but something's not right.

- Weak tripping call on Pacioretty, Seidenberg with plenty of embellishment - officials having trouble discriminating trips calls.

- Bruins all over Habs with period-closing powerplay, couple of nice blocks by Markov and Bourque. In any case, period advantage to Boston, their forwards beating the Habs at their own game utilizing speed, and carrying the zone to create ongoing pressure. Habs somewhat fortunate to come away with a tied score.

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

Oh yeah baby, the game we've been looking forward to has arrived, and it's time to pull out the ol' Tuuka-Rask-is-a-headcase gif. The tradition continues!

Funny how traditions never die. Here's one. WE ALWAYS BEAT THE BOSTON BRUINS. Well, nearly almost always. There was that series back in 2012. And I guess the one before that. The point is, WHEN IT COUNTS we win. Pretty much, always.

Have we forgotten about Monday night? That didn't happen, right? That was a nightmare, right? Steven Stamkos, he's just a figment of the imagination? Somebody throw me a bone. Actually, somebody toss the Habs powerplay a femur or two - what is blazes is happening?! Extending back to the last part of last year's regular season, the Habs are currently running an 0-for-39 streak. I'm no match genius, but without pulling out my trusty calculator, it would seem as though the Canadiens' man advantage is running at a success rate of about zero percent.

I'm no hockey rocket scientist elitest prorogue either, but I'm pretty willing to bet (without consulting the statheads) that a powerplay running with a nil success percentage probably means you aren't going to win very many games. Just taking a stab in the dark about that one.

So ... what ... do ... we ... do? Well, if you've watched the first four games of this season, you might have observed a couple of things. First, even with a roster chock-full-o' forwards with considerable speed and snazzy puck handlin' abilities, the Habs continue to play the man advantage with amazing conservatism, choosing (and failing) repeatedly to dump and chase after pucks. The few times when puck control is established, the Habs put on a pretty impressive puck passing clinic - highly entertaining for viewers, and I'm sure extra fun for the Habs opponents, as they watch the penalty seconds drain away with little fear the Canadiens won't do much else.

The dump/chase "strategy" is unfortunately, ingrained and is the net effect of a coaching staff that is seemingly about 10 years behind the times of how this game is played. Sure, for the first good chunk of this century, teams, in particular those brimming with intimidating size, thrived on leveraging the dump and chase. But that was then. The game has since changed rather significantly. For the most part, teams are eliminating hired goons, the average size and weight of players has plateaued, and there's been a resuscitated emphasis on speed and skill. In a sense, the game is returning to its roots, not unlike the freewheeling style we saw (and enjoyed) dominate the League from 1975 to 1992.

So, to put it starkly, the Habs powerplay efficiency doesn't look very promising. Sure, they'll score eventually, but given their current formation, it's unlikely that this team will put up an efficiency much greater than 10%, which also means the prospect for this team finishing with a point total similar to last year, is very unlikely.

So tonight! The Bruins come to town. What's the deal with Boston? Seven goals in five games? Ouch. Surely this can't be the actual version of the 2014-15 Bruins, can it? Surely, this team which most of the experts picked to finish at the top of the Eastern Conference, isn't headed for a tumble down the standings, can it?

It hasn't been a fun start for Boston - following a trade that most Bruins fans bemoaned, when Johnny Boychuck was sent to the Islanders in exchange for a few mid round picks. The Islanders, go figure, have gotten off to a terrific start, led by, guess who, Boychuck, who's collected six points in three games. Yowza!

Anyway, keys to the game - Habs getting their specialty units into something not resembling dysfunction, and Carey Price having a solid start - he been definably "okay" so far, certainly not good, and most definitely not great like he was last year.

Puck drops tonight at (est.) 7:50 EST.  I'll be joining in a little late, probably around the midway point of the 1st period, depending on exactly when the puck drops.

Game Five - EC Semi Finals: Habs vs. Bruins

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs really need to somehow score whitin first five minutes of this period to cause concern for Boston. Otherwise, this thing ain't happening tonight.

- Shortsift Murray. Play Subban 10 minutes. Desperate times. Desperate measures.

- Plekanec is just totally lost tonight. Can't skate, can't pass, even struggling to receive the puck.

- Instead if seeing if they can recapture their magic, Therrien moves Bourque up with Plekanec and Vamek. He stubbornly won't play DD/Max/Vanek. For whatever reason.

- And of course, Bourque goes offside off a neutral zone turnover. Because he's not used to playing with either. Maddening.

- Habs running out of time. They must shorten their bench to three lines - maybe even run just four D.

- Man, where the heck did Tampa Bay Rene Bourque disappear to?

- Eriksson. And goodnight.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Fully prepared for the to be an incredibly ugly period for the Habs.

- And we're off. Smith. 2-0.

- Plekanec draws another penalty. Iginla scores another goal. The route is on.

- Just horrid play by the Canadiens tonight, not helped a total miscalculation by their coach in his decision to add muscle while sacrificing speed. The net result is the Habs were run into the ice. The lesson is obvious. You play the strengths upon what your team is built on, not try to be more like your opponent. Therrien's fundamental failings as a coach and decision maker on full display tonight.

- Nightmare series for Pacioretty. Misses wide open net, easy goal off Rask rebound. Unbelievable.

- Gallagher? We think. 3-1. We think. 

- If the Habs can add one more before this frame then we have reason to hope. Until then? Nope. Not the way the Bruins are playing tonight.

FIRST PERIOD:

- So Murray starts. On the road. What a magnicent mistake.

- Agressive start for the Habs but it fails to produce any good scoring chances. Boston meanwhile, shooting every chance they get. One post hit.

- Bartkowski with a clear dive, referee is fooled.

- Bruins with two fruitless powerplays so far, not helped much by what appears to be wretched ice conditions.

- Bruins strike. What was Murray doing behind the net? No idea.

- Anyway, that goal was mostly Murray's fault - he went chasing the wrong man, and left the slot completely exposed. That's one already. Probably more to come.

- Habs with a pretty meek powerplay tonight, this team is clearly feeling the pressure to produce, and is rushing their passing. Team does not look relaxed or confident. This could be a very very long night in Boston.

- Habs have nothing going this period. Absolutely nothing.

GAME 5 PREVIEW:

What else is there to talk about that hasn't already been talked about to death?

Let's cover the familiar territory, I suppose. The series is square, momentum seemingly on the side of the Bruins coming off a hard fought Game 4 OT win, and with it, the retention of home ice advantage.


What else is familiar? Well, the same ol' same ol' - the Habs continue to obsess over size and toughness in a series that's had relatively few penalties, although that's more a condition reflecting the unwillingness of the officials to make calls. In any case, this physicality focus has resulted in the Canadiens inserting Doug Murray, probably the League's worst defensemen, into the lineup the pastor  two games, the net result some pretty horrible zone stats (16% Corsi), and slow play - which was, as you see the .gif above, a DIRECT result of the Bruins OT winner. Murray is and has been a DISASTER, but he still gets the mind-boggling benefit of the doubt. Will he play tonight? Probably. Will the Habs be a lesser team because of it? Absolutely certainly.



Argh.


No point in dwelling on these monumental roster mistakes, I suppose. It is what it is. Meanwhile, the heat has been picking up on the players who are supposed to be delivering offense - most notably Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek.  Perhaps the greatest amount of criticism is now being levied on Pacioretty, who's scored just one goal in the 8 post-season games played so far. There's also Desharnais, who's failed to produce, although his effort level has unquestionably been high, so to a great extent, he's dodged a lot of the arrows.

Tonight, Therrien will send out Deshairnas and Pacioretty, although without the luxury of last change, both will almost certainly have to dead with Zdeno Chara, who, according to Max at least, has contained the Habs biggest scoring threats so far in the series. Meanwhile, Thomas Vanek remains a bit of a puzzle - does Therrien continue to divide his assets, and play Vanek next to Thomas Plekanec again, or does he reunite him with Desharnais?


With the officials seemingly unwilling to call penalties, specialty units, which played a big role in games 1 and 2, have suddenly become non-factors, which suits the Bruins just fine. Therefore, the keys to tonight's game will be the Canadiens' ability to generate some offense amongst the players who are supposed to deliver, be in 5v5 or with the man advantage. If the producers can't produce, then the Habs chances of taking the next 2 out of 3 won't be very good.


Puck drops at 7:10 EST.


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

Sweet jeebuz. Nearly 48 hours on, are people actually questioning the usage of Doug Murray? Are people still defending his insertion into the lineup?

LORD AND Hockey Gods alike, help us all.


GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

- Bruins practice this morning, same defensive line sets as Game 4 - so more Bartkowski, et al.

- Lucic did not attend practice. It was optional anyway. I'm sure he's spending the spare time sharping up his stick blade.

- Speaking of skipping optionals, Rene Bourque did that as well this morning.

- Post-practice, Max Pacioretty spoke to the media for 10 minutes, mostly about his lack of series production. Pacioretty's explanation? Chara. I'm not buying it. Max was matched away from Chara for most of Game 3 and 4, and he still failed to produce. The issue with Pacioretty is simple - he's not burying scoring opportunities, mainly because he's failing to hit the net with shots.

Game Four - EC Semi Finals: Bruins vs. Habs

BOSTON 1, MONTREAL 0 (OT)

I'll let the video speak for itself, but add this bit. In Murray's two starts, he's played 24 ES minutes, resulting in 39 Boston shot attempts, or 94/60.

Yeah. That's bad. That's really bad.

OVERTIME:

- The best and worst part of these playoffs. One goal stands between the Habs and a probable third round appearance. That's it.

- Not gonna say who was on the ice when that goal was scored. But Therrien played with fire and tonight, it finally burnt.

- Well, I'll say it. Murray was behind his net, and Fraser, the last minute call up, easily beat him fighting for the puck. 

Scroll down and take a look at the game preview. I'll quote myself. "While Doug hasn't committed any errors that have directly resulted in a loss, it's only going to be a matter of time. Forewarned!!".

Indeed.

THIRD PERIOD:

- So who's gonna be the goat tonight?

- Pacioretty off the wing, Rask looked pretty iffy making that save.

- Just shoot it on net, guys. Nothing pretty. Just put it on.

- Great start to the period for Montreal. Lots of energy, Eller line still looking great.

- Habs very diligent in their own zone, Boston struggling to generate a grade A shot on Price. Habs being very patient, looking to spring someone free off the break.

- Emelin called for a hit the exact same as Iginla delivered on Pacioretty. Horrible time for the official to be inconsistent.

- Bruins really pushing centre ice, and the Habs are having trouble moving the puck east/west. It's a chess match right now, both teams pushing with all their might but neither is buckling. 

- Habs just pounding the Bruins like crazy, and now they seem to be struggling to find their legs. Habs have dominated the period, in good position to score the first goal.

- Got nails? You won't after this night is over. Crazy good period for the Habs - their checking, both forward and back, was pretty near perfect. Against the team who run roughshod supreme over their opponents the final frame. The Habs hitting in the 3rd really paid dividends in slowing the Bruins up, whether or not that will carry into overtime, we'll have to see.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs more aggressive with Rask to start the period, looking for dirty rebound goal. Rask isn't giving any up, though.

- Push by Boston. They're getting free entries into the Habs zone, which is a bad thing for the Canadiens.

- Habs need to hold on here - Bruins determined to get the game's first. Not sure how much longer Price can keep it out.

- Bruins 3rd and 4th lines really rolling right now, which is wearing the Habs ragged, especially in their own zone. This could have big playoffs for Boston as they game progresses.

- Refs have had whistles firmly in pockets, but make a bizarre marginal interference call on Subban. Wow.

- Nothing going right for is Boston powerplay. Totally disorganized and utterly ineffective. Habs PK has dominated this series.

- Bad powerplay for Boston and as a result, ice now tilting in favor of Montreal. Chance to capitalize at hand.

- Excellent shift by Eller generates Habs first PP of the night.

- Eller line all engines firing tonight. If Habs score tonight don't be surprised if that line is on at the time.

- Margins are ridiculously narrow between these two teams. The intensity of the battles out there are fierce as you'll see in any hockey game. Both teams playing for the mistake to break this scoreless tie, neither team has committed that big error. Yet.

FIRST PERIOD:

- So Julien does shake up the lineup with the young Caron, and maybe more surprisingly, reinserting Barkowski, who really struggled in game one. It's an interesting gamble.

- Therrien juggles them up right off the bat - Plekanec/Gallagher/Vanek. Hmmm ....

- Murray out. ICING. Annnnnnnd ... drink.

- Habs focusing on hits and checking, Bruins on taking shots at Price early going.

- Another humdinger tonight. Desharnais had a sparking chance off a complex series of set passes, but hesitates on taking high percentqge shot. That's the bad Desharnais. 

- Chara, and I could be wrong, just doesn't look right.

- Iginla boards Pacioretty who hits his head hard on the glass. Pretty borderline.

- Pacioretty determined to continue his shifts. Concussion protocol apparently in the backseat.

- The good Doug Murray, who absolutely wrecks Thornton who had his head down entering Habs zone. Lovely.

- Game has settled down a bit, which I'd consider a Habs win. The Bruins came out hard but Canadiens kept them at bay.

- Bruins with possession edge, Habs controlling centre ice. Tradeoff is making this game reasonably even.

- Good P.K., outstanding sliding check to wreck a Bruins break. Bad P.K. Thoughtless blind turnover behind his net, Soderberg hits the crossbar. Bruins have to be totally frustrated at this point.

GAME PREVIEW:

So the day was suddenly interrupted by all the nonsense happening in Toronto - with the Leafs making the perplexing decision of not only keeping their head coach Randy Carlyle around for one more season, but extending his contract for two more years. Oh Leafs fans. You poor, poor bunch. We feel badly for you. Well. Almost.

It goes without saying that if a guy like Carlyle can be as bad as he's been, and get rewarded with contract extension, it basically totally extinguishes our hopes of Michel Therrien going anywhere, anytime soon. In fact, with the Habs now well advanced into the 2nd round, he'll probably get a similar job extension this summer.

Oh yeah. We have a game tonight! It's a pivotal biggie. In a few hours time, the Habs will either find themselves enjoying a stranglehold 3-1 lead, or the Bruins heading home tied up and plenty of momentum in their sails.

What is there to expect tonight? Probably not a whole lot different, lineup-wise, than what we saw Tuesday night. That means another 60 minutes of Doug Murray, who even after an extraordinarily awful performance, even by his standards, is probably going to get another start tonight. Therrien continues to overlook the obvious when it comes to Murray, and while Doug hasn't committed any errors that have directly resulted in a loss, it's only going to be a matter of time. Forewarned!!

That aside, a few concluding thoughts:

- Let's get the obvious out of the way. Bruins will come out roaring for that first goal - the team scoring first in this series has won every game. The Bruins, let's be honest here - cannot lose tonight. Expect anything and everything. Physical play in overdrive. Ferocious forechecking. A desperate team playing desperately. Which means Carey Price can expect to be very, very busy tonight. Anything less than his "A" game will mean a Habs loss.

- Keep an eye out on Chara. Speculation around Montreal today that his wrist injury is actually pretty serious, but he's playing through it. If there's any semblance to that speculation, then keep an eye on his willingness to fire shots from the line. He may not be able, which won't help the Bruins' production.

- Habs really need to just do the same thing tonight. This means effective zone clearance, more east-west rather than north-south passing through the neutral zone, a tenacious forecheck to stifle the Bruins transition, and staying out of the penalty box.

- Will this be the night that David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty start collecting actual goals and assists? We're getting itchy waiting for top line production to finally arrive.

- Speaking of production or lack thereof, Bruins fans are getting pretty restless about David Krejci's failure to make a significant impact in the series. We saw Julien do a little bit of line juggling at practice this morning, breaking up the Krecji line as (we assume) part of attempt to spread the offense. But I just don't think come gametime that Julien will actually take such a radical and risky step. It's a diluting strategy - fine if the new combos "catch fire", but wrought with incredible downsides in that if it fails to work, then your team probably doesn't score a single goal.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST. The Habs are still a long 10 wins away to winning the greatest prize in sport - but a victory tonight will take them a considerable way towards achieving hockey glory.

GAME DAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

So we've arrived, the probably-series-deciding Game 4 tonight at the Bell Centre. A few things happened this morning, mainly Bruins-related.

- Claude Julien shuffled many deck chairs this morning. Whether or not it reflects the Bruins actual line combinations tonight remains to be seen (it probably doesn't). Anyway, here's how it went down. With defensemen Carl Soderberg taking the morning off (optional I guess?), the Krejci line, which hasn't had its greatest series ever, was split apart, with Krejci shifted down to the second line with Marchand and Smith, Bergeron shifted up to the top line beside Lucic and Eriksson, and Iginla shifted down to the 3rd line next to Campbell and Paille. Still with me?

I wouldn't read a whole lot into the line juggling routine. It seems to me a more tactical move by Julien to mess with the Canadiens mind. I fully expect Julien to start the exact same line combos tonight.

Speaking of combos, Bruins defensive pairs this morning, with Sodenberg's absense, were Chara/Hamilton, Meszaros/Boychuck and Krug/Miller.

Game Eighty-Two: Rangers vs. Habs

OVERTIME:

- There is no reason, I repeat no reason, for the Habs to gamble like gamble this overtime.

- Oh wow. Penalty shot. Gionta.

- GIONTA!!!!! Le Capitan!!!

- That. Is. An. Awesome. Way. To. End. The. Season. See you in the playoffs, folks!!

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs 2 period Fenwick sits at 40%. That's a figure that the Leafs would feel embarrassed about.

- 4 on 4. Therrien plays it safe and sends out Plekanec. Therrien hockey.

- Bouillon with a poor decision knee, which is especially frustrating for those of us who hopes Therrien wouldn't have been stupid enough to start him tonight.

- Well, if the Habs pp is to ever score again, now would be a pretty good time.

- Both teams having a thought time stringing passes together. Ice conditions appear to be poor.

- Habs totally overthinking this man advantage thing.

- Rene Bourque has had 1 shift, 20 seconds long in the third period. 

- When did the Habs last score a goal? Were chariots used at that time?

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs second powerplay. Let's see if it can be worse than the first.

- Desharnais line comes on, powerplay finally comes to life the last minute. Talbot is bringing it tonight.

- That powerplay might not have scored but it has given this team a boost. Desharnais line really flirting with success.

- Hard to tell for certain but that sure looked like a targeted shot by Carcillo on Gallagher. Total blindside.

- When the Habs had the hottest streak in the League last week, their PDO during a good chunk of that stretch was 106+. Now it's all turning against them, because gravity. Can't buy a goal now.

- Rangers' goon squad are clearly targeting Habs forwards. Officials need to intervene before somebody gets seriously hurt.

- Now slashes and hacks on Price, Habs take offense, and Emelin gets penalized. This is not how you control a game, zebras.

- Carcillo is hell bent on injuring someone. Out of control. Somebody needs to intervene. 

- Much better period for the Habs, the first powerplay seemed to engage their offense. Also, Bourque's icetime was severely scaled back, which doesn't hurt. We've got a real battle going down between Price and Talbot. Remember, Habs need just one point to at least keep their home ice aspirations alive.

FIRST PERIOD:

- If the Habs don't storm this period, something will be very, very wrong.

- Well at least P.K is getting some PK. That's kind of new.

- Emelin and Markov might both be from Russia, but they're on different planets when they're on the ice together. They never quite seem to know where the other period is.

- Rangers first powerplay looked pretty dangerous. Price held the fort, but it's pretty clear the Habwould be wise to avoid the box tonight.

- Linemates are trying too hard to set Paciorerty up for his 40th. Just shoot the puck guys (I'm talking to you Thomas and David).

- Habs transition game really sloppy so far. It's killing their offense and giving Rangers too many free wheeling rushes. 

- A full season full of dump and chase can make a team very terrible very quickly. Habs are simply unable to control the puck, string together two or there passes. It's ugly to watch.

- Dorsett goes after Deaharnais' knees. Subban suckers him into an extra two. Because P.K. rules.

- Gorges on the powerplay because ... who knows?

- Habs powerplay needs to do something drastic or it'll kill this teams hopes for a decent playoffs. Putting Gorges and Bourque's out there ain't working. 

- Almost Bourque. Almost received a pass. Almost kept standing on his feet. 

- Dismal effort by the Habs in that period. You'd think they're weren't playing for something that's incredibly important to their season ... like home ice advantage in the first round. Rangers literally playing for nothing, and yet, they're dominating both ends of the ice. 

GAMEDAY UPDATE:

- Well, well. Doug Murray is a healthy scratch tonight. Re-freakin-joice. And George Parros (but we already knew that). Coming in will be Michael Blunded (we knew), and Frankie Bouillon. 

Which means, Tinordi is a healthy scratch. 

Because ... as we know .... when given the golden opportunity, Michel Therrien still can't quite get it right.

- Meanwhile in a Rangers Land, New York, with basically nothing to play for tonight, are resting some key players. Martin St. Louis, Daniel Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, and Henrik Lundqvist are all healthy scratches.

In other words, the Rangers are handing this game to the Habs on an argent platter.

Habs lineup in a bit.

P.M. UPDATE: END OF THE ROAD FOR GEORGE PARROS. And so it ends? Habs announced that Michael Blunden has been called up from the Dogs, which normally would be a ho-hum announcement ... if we were in the middle of the season. But we're at the end of the season, so the Blunden call-up (and Eller's mysterious health status) spells pretty loud and clear that the Habs have no interest in playing George from here on out.

Anyway, thanks to you George, for coming out. We wish you the best of luck in the future.

Next ... Doug Murray (baby steps, baby steps) ....


A.M. UPDATE: Doug Murray reportedly won't face a disciplinary hearing. So ... hmm. Go figure.

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

Happy Friday! Wait ... is it happy? Habs laid an egg last night, which is being very, very charitable. Perplexing roster decisions - inserting Parros (who contributed, as expected, nothing), to Doug Murray, who, as expected, was terrible - and to boot, committed an awful board on Johan Sundstrom, resulting in a 5 minute major. The Islanders scored two on that powerplay, and that ... was that.

No word, at least yet, on whether or when Murray will be called in for a disciplinary hearing. I'd be shocked if he didn't receive another suspension. Meanwhile, Habs announced that Alex Galchenyuk won't be available to the team until at least the 2nd round of the upcoming playoffs, which is a big IF for this organization. Guaranteed if the Habs play Tampa like they played the Islanders last night, there will be no 2nd round.

Anyway, Michel Therrien is just awful. But you knew that.

More in a bit. 

Game Sixty-Two: Leafs vs. Habs

Overtime:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Third Period:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Markov. One-man keystone cop routine tonight.

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



Second Period:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


First Period:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- Budaj ... oy ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Game Thirty-Nine: Habs vs. Bolts

Shootout: 

- Usually would easily pick Bishop but he's look beatable tonight. So who knows?

- St. Louis not on the list, surprisingly.

- Lars Eller. Goodness.

- Price looks "on" for this.

- Price 3 for 3. Habs claim the extra point. Looked brilliant, right in front of Yzerman. Carey might as well pack his bags for Russia by this point.

Overtime:

- Just cover St. Louis, guys. 

- Emelin is the Travis Moen of the Habs defense. #handsofstone

- Thomas Plekanec with the break. Predictable result.

- Ain't gonna score if you don't shoot the puck. You can take that one to the bank. 

Third Period:

- Seriously guys, who's covering St. Louis? This ain't rocket science.

- Tampa has wrestled away game tempo in the third - looking good to score the next goal.

- Price playing his rescue raft role here. Not sure how many more he can keep out though.

- Habs have played themselves from leading this game to having to steal it.

- Canadiens completely disorganized coming back on the transition. Price continues to bail the team.

- COVER. ST. LOUIS. FOR. CRYIN. OUT. LOUD.

- Habs have hit the post at least three times tonight. That tells you Bishop has been beatable but also very lucky.

- Markov misplays the puck and is forced to ice the puck - thus encapsulating the team's chronic challenges with the transition.

- Desharnais easily hustling the most among Habs forwards tonight.

- I suppose there's a moral victory to claim gaining at least a point against a team as hot as Tampa, but Habs really frittered away too many scoring opportunities tonight, and let this winnable game slip away. Let's see if Habs have any more overtime heroics still in the bag.

Second Period:

- Habs Fenwick 5v5 (close) was 70% in the first. So they dominated possession, but weren't really able to generate many quality shots on Bishop.

- Habs two biggest defensive liabilities: Complete inability of its blue line to get pucks on goal, lacking passing accuracy to the forwards, which is really hurting Canadiens' transition.

- Plekanec gets Habs on the board with a nice little backhand deke on Bishop. Tampa defense unusually passive.

- Pacioretty back on the ice after taking puck to the face in the 1st.

- Bishop looking beatable this period. Just doesn't seem to be "on" tonight, at least compared to the marvelous season he's had to date.

- Terrible hooking call on Subban, ref was guessing there was a hook (there clearly wasn't).

- Can't ever ever never ever never not ever allow St. Louis be that free in your zone. That was Briere's check, shockingly. Tie game.

- For the zillionth time, Habs 4th line is demonstrably more effective when it's centred by Ryan White. E When Therrien scratches him, that line becomes useless. 

- Another horrible powerplay - 3rd in the game and counting. I'd say better planning and coaching would have eased its futility, but nearly one month of nothing and you conclude that at this point it's hopeless. Habs frittering this game away.

First Period:

- As usual, Tampa is as close or a road home game as the Habs get - lots of Quebec snowbirds and vacationers flock to this game. Usually 6 or 7 thousand Habs fans are in the arena.

- Gorges will match with Subban, again Markov with Emelin (mixed results with that combo) and Diaz draws the short stick and is saddled with Bouillon.

- 3 minutes in, no shots on goal. Passing and puck control has been atrocious both directions.

- Great play by Price to shoot the puck up to the Tampa bench while they were changing, drawing extra man penalty.

- Habs powerplay comes to life ... after the penalty expires.

- Bishop has a monsterous frame in goal but he does have one weakness - rebound control. Habs will need to generate and capitalize off of those loose pucks.

- Plekanec with the break, with predicable results.

- How'd Galchenyuk miss that beautiful setup? Habs not burying these great opportunities.

- Bouillon with Habs first glaring defensive mistake of the night, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

- Desharnais definately rediscovering his playmaking mojo ... he deserves some powerplay time.

- Speaking of the powerplay, Brian Gionta should not be getting any. He's a turnover machine.

- Habs powerplay again fruitless. This team needs to return to the basics - passing simplicity and establishing zone puck possession. They struggle with the later, and then aim for complex setups that require pinpoint accuracy and impeccable execution. They're not playing well enough to score pretty goals. Just shoot it at the net and bury a rebound, guys.

- Period has been mostly Habs controlled, but they haven't finished their play. You just know Tampa will score first.

- I know it's an unwritten rule you never trade your team captain mid-season ... but ... there might be an exception to be made this season in Montreal.

- 0-0 through 20. Habs couldn't finish, although period possession stats should be favourable though. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

It's been a good one for yours truly - I'm spending this time off visiting family in Northern Saskatchewan, which is actually just as cold as it sounds. Nonetheless, I'm all bundled up sitting beside a warm roaring fire in the middle of snow blanketed woods, with the Sun shining and the air bitterly crisp and chilly.

What the heck am I writing ... this is supposed to be a hockey blog, dammit. SO let's get back on the boat - the hockey world roars back to life (yeah, yeah the World Juniors and the other tournament ... the Sputnik ... spandex ... SPENGLER ... that's it ... I think Canada plays in that one).

SO TONIGHT ... the Habs return from their little one week long Holiday siesta to face one of the hottest teams in the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightening, winners of 5 straight, which has helped propel Tampa all the way up to 2nd place in the Atlantic Division, ignominiously pushing the Habs down to 3rd place.

Even though they lost their premier forward in Vincent Levacalier to free agency over the summer, and earlier in the season, star centre Steven Stamkos to a broken leg, the ageless Martin St. Louis has more than filled the gaps, putting up one point per game this season, while feeding the puck brilliantly to Valtteri Filppula, who's contributed 13 goals this season, which puts him roundly on pace to set a career high for a season's goal production.

The other big factor? Ben Bishop is having a career year, the League's 4th best GAA and SV%, his off-season acquisition from the Senators is arguably the best off season deal made in 2013. While Tampa's offense hasn't been sparkling (12th rated), Bishop has, on many nights, been the big difference maker in helping the Bolts to pile up the wins.

Over in Habs land, there was quite a buzz last night after speculation that coach Therrien was going to sit Raphael Diaz, who's arguably worked himself up the ladder to 2nd line status, in favor of pairing Doug Murray and Frankie Bouillon. Much of the discussion was of the rather negative or befuddled variety, for reasons that are pretty obvious to just about anyone casually following this team. If even the idea that Diaz ought to be a healthy scratch in favor of playing both Murray and Bouillon was crossing Therrien's mind, it ought give any fan serious pause to evaluate the sanity of the roster decision-makers in Montreal.

However, word emerged this afternoon and Murray would be sitting tonight, and Diaz would be starting. So ... whew to that. Also, George Parros won't be suiting up ... so double whew.

Even though the Habs seemed to get their offense back into gear for a fleeting period of time last Saturday, the team seemed to go back into its collective funk the last 30 minutes of their game against Nashville, escaping barely with 2 points after overtime heroics by David Desharnais. Otherwise, it's business as usual in Habsland, with the coach putting names into the blender to make up the lines, while hoping the Carey Price will simply continue to bail his team's comprehensive inability to put the puck into the net.

Price, speaking of, will start tonight, against, speaking of, Bishop.

Puck drops at 7:10 EST. I'll be watching, with leftover eggnog in hand. At least, I hope it's eggnog.