Game 65: Preds vs. Habs

Montreal 2, Nashville 1

FIRST PERIOD:

- Dwight King will get his first Habs start tonight on the 4th line next to Mike McCarron and Torrey Mitchell. He'll be wearing Chris Higgins' old number 21. Jordie Benn gets another start, he'll play next to Beaulieu on the 3rd line.

- Subban hits the Bell Centre ice for the first time for warm ups. I'll never get used to seeing him in this (or any other) uniform. Sigh.

- Subban in tears after the video tribute and huge cheer from the crowd. What a sight to behold. You know he desperately wishes he was still in Montreal. The best of the Habs faithful feel the same way.

subban tears would normally be my sustenance but THIS MAKES ME SAD pic.twitter.com/Gy8qXo8zce

— steph (@myregularface) March 3, 2017

- It was pretty clear early on that Nikita Nesterov wasn't a beneficial acquisition. Same came be said about Jordie Benn - really solid defending his zone, positionally very sound and smart.

- 6'4" King and 6'6" Mike McCarron. Imagine for a moment those two chasing you for the puck. Terrifying.

- Preds have a nice balanced attack, they do a very good job finding open space to carry the zone - it's generated a couple of nice scoring chances for them early.

- The Habs PK is vastly improved since Julien's arrival. What hasn't improved is this team's zone entries on the powerplay. Still disorganized, mostly futile.

- Good shift by Plekanec line with 5 minutes left in the period, pushing two to forecheck reaps immediate turnovers and one dangerous shot on goal. Since the Preds are containing the Habs entries, an aggressive forecheck might be Montreal's best option to generate some offence.

- Lehkonen handles the puck with plenty of calm demeanour - plays such a smart game, and doesn't get nearly enough acknowledgement. Having very solid first period tonight.

- Ellis and the Preds show the Habs how a powerplay is supposed to work, with Subban the primary assist to make it 1-0.  Habs burned again by a bad Andrew Shaw penalty.

- Not a good period for the Habs - the Preds targeting the Danault line effectively, with neither the Galchenyuk or Plekanec lines doing much to pick up the slack. Montreal seemed to get going when they played an aggressive forecheck, but that strategy wasn't deployed often during the period. Anyway, Nashville obviously the more organized and energized club - might be a long night ahead for the home team.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Not a good first period for the Habs, CF under 40%, the Danault line was pretty much drubbed by the Preds:

- Habs 2nd powerplay, at least they gained the zone, but seemed focused on trying to deflect point shots. Always find it odd they don't go with what' works - setting up Galchenyuk for one timers, but instead, the unit is trying to grind out goals.

- While Danault and especially Gallagher continue to look utterly lost, Galchenyuk gets better and better. By far best Habs forward in this 2nd period.

- Nashville keeping Habs on their heels in the Canadiens zone, really intensifying their forecheck when Petry/Emelin take the ice. The Preds have obviously done their preparation homework, and it's paying off.

- Ellis, who scored the game's first (and so far, only) goal, locks up his knee, and is likely done for the night. That's not exactly someone you can easily replace in the middle of a hockey game.

- Beaulieu with a terrible giveaway in his own zone springs the Preds with a close in 3-on-1, but Jordie Benn makes a tremendous poke check to break up the scoring chance. Two defensemen whose quality of play are going in entirely different directions.

- Philip Danault, maybe this top 6 stuff is just too much over his head. Was excellent as bottom 6 forward, was promoted only via necessity from the rash of injuries that hit the Canadiens for two months, and since then, almost zero point production.

- Habs maybe trying too hard? Just not making passes, even the short, simple kind. Kind of mystifying given how well they were passing just 48 hours ago.

- Fisher with a clear as day CFB on Emelin right in front of the damn official that isn't called. Emelin injured. What a total disgrace this League's officiating is, especially protecting players from very dangerous hits.

- Watson with delay of game as period ends, so Habs will have a 1:38 powerplay with clean sheet to start the 3rd.

- 2nd period not a whole lot better than the first, very few scoring chances generated, mainly because the passing has been so incompetent tonight. So hard to figure this team out - they looked so good two nights ago, and then they lay an egg.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs two not-very-good periods of hockey. Nashville solid and steady, but largely untested mainly because the Canadiens have been their own worst enemy today, badly constructed rushes, and passing that at times, has been wildly off the mark. Two period SA CF (5v5), just 43.5%:

- Yeah, this is pretty great:

Price trying to squirt his old teammate with water, Subban had a chuckle #Habs pic.twitter.com/XUOJ0TTTEM

— Shayne Pasquino (@shaynepasquino) March 3, 2017

- While we've brought up Price, time to acknowledge his brilliance tonight. Without him, this game would long be over. With him, the Habs still might even win this game, even though they've been utterly incompetent with the puck.

- Preds just suffocating the Habs to death - Canadiens can't get the puck to the middle of the ice if their lives depended on it. Right now their chances of winning, or even just scoring a goal, are slim to nill if they're unable unwrap themselves from this blanket.

- Greasy, and we'll take it. Gallagher slam dunks a wraparound to tie the game. How long in coming was that for Galley?

Gallagher celebration #Habs pic.twitter.com/aNRtHaYVGn

— Shayne Pasquino (@shaynepasquino) March 3, 2017

- Hoo boy, Plekanec nailed just moments later for a stupid slash. And the Preds go right to the powerplay.

- Another good kill by the Habs PK, Price continuing to play excellent netminding, very square to the shot attempts, he looks very much like his MVP self. Very calm, efficient and effective.

- Galchenyuk clearly high sticked near centre ice, another blown call by the officiating duo Steve Kozari and much less experience Jean Hebert. They're missing things NHL officials ought never miss.

- Kind of remarkable how much better Weber looks with Markov as his partner. Felt like every shift with Emelin, Weber was just struggling to contain his partner's mistakes. With Markov, Weber is visibly more relaxed and has been very good guarding opposition rushes.

- 3 minutes left, both teams appear to be settling in to bring this to a tie, which all things considered, with be a significant accomplishment for the overmatched Habs.

- Byron!!!! Nashville gets greedy with seconds on the clock, Josi makes a foolish pinch just as Byron bats the puck up the boards, and with that speed, was uncatchable. Only 8 seconds on the clock, the Canadiens have managed to pull another game out of the fire.

- While it's great to see Gallagher and Byron, both of whom have scored practically nothing since the start of the calendar year, both hit the scoresheet, the indisputable difference maker tonight was Carey Price, who made a number of spectacular saves in both the 2nd and 3rd period to keep his team at worst, just one goal down. If not for Price, the Habs had little to no chance of getting a point tonight, never mind two. Carey Price unquestionably is returning back to his MVP form at just the right time of the season.

P.K. SUBBAN.  2010-2016  :o(   :o(   :o(   :o(

So many, so very very many moments to choose from. But of all the incredible goals, rushes, passes, hits and just plain being great, this moment, I think, sums up the wonderful, wonderful Pernell-Karl Sylvester Subban:



Gotta say, I've been dreading this game for awhile. Don't think my emotions can tolerate the regret, or the loss.

Game 38: Habs vs. Preds

Montreal 2, Nashville 1 (OT):

PREGAME NOTES:

- Apparently Max Pacioretty is okay, and will be playing tonight.

- So with Pacioretty starting, Habs lines will be:

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

Emelin/Weber
Beaulieu/Petry
Barberio/Johnston

Carey Price

- Here's the Preds lineup:

Forsberg/Johansen/Arvidsson
Wilson/Fisher/Neal
Fiala/Ribeiro/Smith
Sisson/Jarnkrok/Watson

Josi/Ellis
Ekholm/Irwin
Weber/Granberg

Pekka Rinne


FIRST PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- If I were a Preds fan, I'd boo too every time Radulov touches the puck - at the Nashville front office for their decision to walk away from him.

- Nice little video tribute to Shea Weber during a commercial break, Weber looking pretty emotional.

- It's been a pretty good start for the Habs, they're doing a better job pressuring the puck, also getting good speed carrying the play through the neutral zone.

- Habs are going kinda crazy with shot attempts from the right side so far tonight:

- Habs might have possession edge, but the Preds have had the much tougher shots on Price, who's made at least 3 big-time saves to keep the Preds off the board.

- Ryan Johnston is doing what he's able, but just isn't NHL-calibre. Too many little mistake - passes slightly off the mark, shot selection unwise, not keeping his head up in his own zone - isolated they're not big errors, but the totality of mistakes does add up and takes its toll over a 60 minute game.

- I mean, the only reason Johnston is playing is because Markov and Pateryn are injured. So a relatively healthy Habs lineup, he has little or no hope of making a lineup.

- Solid first period for the road Habs, did a nice job feeding the puck to the offence, the Pacioretty late period breakaway a good example. Quite simply appears as though the Habs have more legs tonight than their opponents. One failing - quality of shots on Rinne wasn't fantastic, more bodies need to be driving the Preds net if the Canadiens hope to light the red lamp.

SECOND PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs with pretty good period, possession-wise, 67.7% CF (5v5):

- Preds clearly super concerned with Weber on the line during a Habs powerplay, which is opening up all kinda of open passing lane ice. Canadiens would be wise to exploit them with any future man advantages.

- Habs again the better team tonight - they've soundly outplayed their opponents most nights for well over a month, which has seen their possession stats rise to a top-5 position in the League, but they're still giving up too many high danger shot attempts - Price has had to make quite a few difficult stops so far, certainly many more so than Rinne (who's also been very good).

- Nashville has made a pretty significant adjustment this period - much more aggressive forecheck in the neutral zone, generating some juicy turnovers and odd-man rushes. Price really upping his game tonight because he's needed to.

- Nathan Beaulieu needs to tighten up his game in his own zone, simply because he shouldn't be making the same mistakes this year that you'd expect from someone just breaking into the League.

- Halfway through the 2nd period, Alex Radulov is +15 Corsi, which is all kinds of incredibly good.

- Habs 3rd powerplay, 2nd wave Therrien sends out McCarron line, which predictably, was a poor decision resulting in nearly zero attempts on goal. Therrien often treats powerplays like they're infinite - when in reality, they're rarities that need to be treated as such. Put out your best guys for 2 minutes or less. It ain't complicated.

- One way Petry has really advanced his game this year is carrying the play deep into the opponent's zone - which has made him a real offensive threat, and has bolstered the Habs 5v5 play, which has been among the League's best this season. Petry is playing with tremendous poise and confidence, really stepping up his game since Markov's injury.

- Nathan Beaulieu with a terrible pinch from the line which springs a 2-on-0 break on Price. Beaulieu is no longer a rookie - he can't continue to make these bad decisions and hope to retain the confidence of his coach.

- Tough night for Beaulieu continues, as he own-goals a harmless Fiala backhander behind Price.

- Puck luck definitely not on Habs side tonight - they've dominated most of the night, a mad scramble at the end of the 2nd with a wide open net that the Habs somehow can't convert, symptomatic of the problem. Another night where the Canadiens are outworking, outskating and out-posssessiong on the ice, but struggling to get leads on the scoreboard, perhaps a symptomatic side-effect from the Habs losing some of their better players to injury.

THIRD PERIOD LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Habs dominating tonight, 67% CF (5v5). Shea Weber is playing out of his goddamned mind - 95.0% CF ... yes, 95%, through 40 minutes, while at even strength. Incredible.

- Still remain cautiously optimistic for the Habs in this game, they've outplayed the Preds, Price has been great, just a single lousy bad break has put them down on the scoreboard.

- Torrey Mitchell makes a very nice play keeping the puck in the Preds zone, and seconds later, Radulov with a sweet pass on the tape to Weber, who beats Rinne top corner to tie the game. My optimism is rewarded, as are the Habs who tie the game.

Weber goal pic.twitter.com/1sKl89OTVM

— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 4, 2017

- While Weber has been fantastic tonight, Radulov hasn't been much worse - he's certainly someone who richly deserves to be rewarded with a goal - maybe a game winner?

- Preds 2nd line, the Fisher line, really struggling tonight - getting badly outskated and outshot.

- Tomas Plekanec really struggling tonight - his shot is pretty much atrocious, not that it was ever great even during his best years - it's just not fast or dangerous enough to challenge an average NHL goaltender. Upon Galchenyuk and Desharnais' return, don't be surprised if talk is ramped up about him being moved before the trade deadline.

- Mark Barberio won't be winning any shot accuracy contests anytime soon - and by soon, I mean anyone's lifetime.

- Habs justly getting at least 1 point out of a game they've mostly owned - with distinct advantage of play in each period. Radulov clearly wanting to put his mark on this night with a goal, and with OT on the way, maybe he really actually will score that game winner after all??


OVERTIME LIVE GAME BLOG:

- Here's how the Habs stacked up through 3 periods, a very good road game effort:

- Habs had total possession of the puck the first 2:42 of OT - which is kind of remarkable. Couldn't generate any high grade scoring chances though.

- Radulov was screaming to come off the bench for OT, and was finally sent out with 2:20 left, and incredibly, stays on the ice the rest of the way, eventually making an unbelievable play handing the puck behind the Preds bench while his teammates make a change, Pacioretty streaming in to receive the pass, and beat Rinne through the legs. What an incredible play by Alex Radulov. Gobsmacked. Marc Bergevin, sign this man. Whatever it takes. Get it done now.

Pacioretty OT winner pic.twitter.com/94Seg9Fznu

— GIF Grand Maester (@myregularface) January 4, 2017

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

Hey, Happy New Year! So, so, soooooo good to see 2016 begone forever. So a new calendar, new resolutions and for the Montreal Canadiens, a new page turned towards a .... sorry ... what's that? We have some video from this morning's practice? Okay:

On ne sait pas si Max Pacioretty sera en mesure d'affronter les Predators après avoir été atteint par un tir de Shea Weber à l'entraînement. pic.twitter.com/9x9R97FSFa

— RDS (@RDSca) January 3, 2017

Oh. Well. I see. Isn't that ... nice. And it was Shea Weber who hit Pacioretty's. Even better. And this just a month after Max had recovered from a foot fracture. That's just perfect.

Hey, maybe I'm out of line for posing the question, and by all means, slap me down if this goes a little too far over the edge, but why would you be conducting any sort of practice drill where you have your most valuable forwards standing directly in front of the guy who's probably got the hardest slap shot in the game of hockey?

See, to me, that seems like folly. But hey, what do I know, right?

Anyway, with or without the captain, the Habs enter Nashville tonight for what was one of the most anticipated games on this season's schedule. That was, of course, until P.K. Subban, whom the Habs unceremoniously chased out of Montreal last summer, went down with a back injury this week, which has put him out of the Predators's lineup for an indefinite period of time.

For Nashville, it's been an up and down season. They came into the year favoured to be a contender for a championship next spring. October, though, put a severe dent in those glimmering aspirations, as the Preds won only 2 games during that first month.

Since then, things have settled down - the Preds are putting up defensive and offensive numbers that have them flirting with the League's top 10. Which is to say, statistically speaking, the Preds have been a pretty good team this year, but not a great team.

Beyond the (mostly) positive numbers, perhaps Nashville's biggest question mark this season has been goaltending, which has been at best, inconsistent, at worst - an albatross. Pekka Rinne, who had a very good 2010-11 season, was given (at the time) a massive contract extension by Nashville - 7 years and $50 million. Since that time, Rinne has had one very good year - 2014-15, where he won 41 games, had a .923 SV%, and was a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Apart from that '14 season, Rinne's numbers have been pretty mediocre - a .908 SV% two years ago, .915 last season, and this year, .917, which among goaltenders who've had at least 15 starts this season, puts Rinne just barely into the top 25. He's not horrible, but truth be told, Rinne hasn't and isn't very good.

There are few solutions for Nashville with Rinne because of that huge contract which will keep him nailed to the Preds organization at least until the end of next season. So while Rinne might be a lost cause, Nashville might have a saviour in their own possession in Juuse Saros, a 21 year old native of Finland who the Preds drafted in the 4th round 3 years ago, Saros, albeit with limited starts this season (only 7), has put up some pretty good numbers: a 1.43 GAA and .947 SV%, with victories over some pretty decent opponents including the St. Louis Blues three nights ago.

As of the writing of this post, the Preds have not announced tonight's starter - it's likely Rinne, but if he continues to struggle, don't be surprised if Nashville starts giving Saros more chances as the season progresses.

Puck drops tonight at 8:10 EST.

Habs Post-Season: April

HEY MARC, MICHEL - GOOD JOB! ENJOY THOSE CONTRACT EXTENTIONS!

Okay, here we go with the press conference:

- Molson is there to give them (Bergevin/Therrien) support. Isn't that sweet of him?

- Bergevin said that no goaltender was really available in January, although it's now known that the Leafs would have traded Reimer for a 2nd rounder. So that's a lie.

- Bergevin says his focus is on making the Habs a winning team, which is basically him describing his main responsibility as a GM.

- Lots of rationales by Bergevin for failing to find anything to improve his hockey team. NO EXCUSES!*
(*offer only applies to the players).

- All coaches will return. Lefebvre will also return to head coaching the Ice Caps. This is pretty much worst-case scenerio. Insane.

- Bergevin makes it official - Therrien will return.

- Evades the question whether Subban could be traded. Calls him an "elite defenseman". But won't say 100% he's wouldn't trade P.K.

- Therrien bumbles and stumbles in answering why he short-shifted Galchenyuk with his atrocious deployment. Rambling answer - he can't provide one other than some gibberish about matchups, taking a step backward, and loving his progression.

- Bergevin is just evading. Offering nothing but excuses, when he isn't too busy avoiding the provided question.

- Molson says Bergevin is one of the best in the business. It's all futile, then. If the awfulness reaches right up and through Molson, this team truly has no chance of moving forward in a positive direction.

- Bergevin says policies about not detailing nature of injuries won't change in order to protect the players from being targeted. They wouldn't talk about Price because it was to protect him (while he wasn't playing), but then they released all the specifics about his injury at season's end. It makes no sense. Does this mean nobody will target Price next season?

- Here's why the problem is unsolvable. In one quote:

#Habs Bergevin: "I believe that with a healthy Carey Price we're not sitting here today having this conversation."

— Chantal (@pucksnlife) April 11, 2016

- The Hubris is amazing:

#Habs Bergevin: "I respect the fans, but I will not do what's popular, I'll do what's best, because I have all the information."

— Chantal (@pucksnlife) April 11, 2016

- 65 minutes of evasion, offering up plenty of evidence that Geoff Molson is clueless, and Marc Bergevin's overly inflated opinion about his abilities are going to send this hockey team down a very dark path. Happy days!!!

_______________________________________________________________

Press conference by The Three Amigos at 1:30 EST. We'll be live blogging that. Until then, enjoy these quips from locker clean-outs this morning at the Bell Centre:

#Habs Subban on Pacioretty: "Do I have to go over there and make out with him to prove we like each other? What do you guys want?"

— Chantal (@pucksnlife) April 11, 2016

#Habs: "Je peux encore aider cette équipe. On l'a vu en début de saison quand tout le monde était dans la bonne chaise." - David Desharnais

— J-F Chaumont (@JFChaumontJDM) April 11, 2016

Pacioretty and Subban clearly hate each other. pic.twitter.com/DUczyWuDtr

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 11, 2016

"Everyone respects P.K. and everyone wants to follow him. He’s one of our best players. He’s a leader" - Brendan Gallagher

— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) April 11, 2016

Game 74: Ducks vs. Habs

Montreal Gazette

FIRST PERIOD:

- Hanley gets another start tonight - I'm fine with taking a look at the organization assets, but really, Hanley ahead of Ellis still makes little sense. With Subban coming back possibly Thursday, it marks another missed opportunity for management to take a better look at players with a more than realistic chance of an NHL future. Hanley really doesn't represent that.

- Both clubs are interesting in the divergence the took with handling their head coaching situations. The Ducks held steady with Boudreau, mainly because the undercurrent of statistical information at hand strongly suggested the Ducks awful season start was an anomaly. Turns out, that assessment was spot on - the Ducks have the best NHL record since then. The Habs, by contrast, made the same decision been though the evidence strongly suggested the Habs biggest challenge was deployment (coaching) issues. They held fast with Therrien, and since their early 9-0 start, have by far the worst record in the NHL. 

- Will the Habs score more than once tonight against a team like the Ducks? It won't be via specialty units, with Anaheim rated #1 in both powerplays and penalty kills. Amazing stat, there. Unsurprisingly, Habs first early powerplay goes totally by the board without remark.d

- WOOT! Plekanec with a 60 foot floater from the line that somehow Gibson fails to pick up, and Canadiens take a shocking 1-0 lead. 

- If anyone questions the Habs "toughness" as a factor (it isn't - not in today's NHL), the Canadiens need only point towards Mike McCarron. A beat down on Manson helps him to advance the cause for making the roster next season.

- Sweet, sweet skill play Byron right on the tape of Galchenyuk who gets behind Gibson, but redirects the perfect feed just wide of the post. Should be 2-0. Byron also stating his case for full-time NHL employment.

- Silfverberg evens the score, courtesy Mike Condon, whom on far too many occasions this year, has gifted opponents goals via routine shots. 

- Just to be realistic, Condon will never be anything more than a backup NHL goaltender. In that role, you're going to expect more than a few goals let in that normally are stopped by the first string. Because Condon's role has become first-string, expectations have been far too high. Still, that Silfrverberg goal was a stinker.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Another Condon gaffe, although not quite as bad as his first period mistake - gives up a pretty juicy rebound off a relatively routine shot by Fowlers, Perry slams home the rebound to make it 2-1. Everything is not back on order. Ducks with the scoreboard lead, can now start padding their way to victory.

- Condon, again. Good grief. Fowler shot, big rebound, batted home by Rakell. Hoo boy.

- Habs saved - for now - Rakell hit it with a high stick. Still, Condon ain't exactly stating his case very strongly tonight.

- Hey, ho. Habs tie the game. Pateryn with an excellent play (showing nice hockey sense) coming in hard up the middle to keep the puck in the Ducks zone, feeding Pacioretty who immediately goes cross ice to Galchenyuk for the one timer. This is why a good offence often begins (and ends) with apt plays by the defence. 

- Ducks more or less imploding, with an awful, awful turnover in their own zone that eventually lands on the stick of a wide open Mike Brown, who makes a nifty deke on Gibson for a 3-2 Habs lead. HUH!! Hanley picks up his second assist. HUH!!!!

- Habs again burned by their stupid, stupid system of trying to clear the zone by chipping the puck up the boards, this time Pateryn with the turnover, Silfverberg ties the game. This play has burned the Habs time and time and time again, and yet nothing changes, because it's considered to the be the "safe" play (pssst - .... it's not ... it's a stupid play that quite often produced high scoring chance giveaways to the opponent). 

- They might have produced a goal, but the Galchenyuk line has spent way too much time hemmed in its own zone tonight - Ducks doing a good job with line matching. 

- Well, at least the game is entertaining, which is something we haven't been able to say about any Habs game in quite awhile. Both teams guilty of some sloppy play - the Ducks in their zone perhaps because they took their opponent a little lightly, the Habs because they've been that way most of the season - so that won't change. Ducks doing a pretty good job containing anything that the Habs have to offer as far as an attack is concerned, the main reason why Montreal is even hanging in tonight is secondary scoring support from places not expected. Could be an entertaining final period ahead.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Here's the 2 period totals, Habs SC CF just over 43%. Galchenyuk line struggling, relatively decent performance tonight by the 4th line. 

- Dietz with a nice play coming in from the point to get a quality scoring chance on Gibson. I'm sure Therrien is already wrapping his knuckles for that play. 

- I gotta say that Ducks blue line, even with a couple of letdowns tonight, looks pretty fierce to face in the post season. I wouldn't wanna play against them.

- Sweet rush and feed deep Markov to Galchenyuk, Gibson forced to make an excellent save. Again, offence is dictated by how involved your defence plays. Chipping the puck up the boards, as has been drilled into the minds of every Canadiens defender the past three seasons, is a formula for failure.e

- Wow, what did Mike Brown eat this morning? Fantastic grinding work behind the net, winning the puck against two Ducks defenders, then feeding Lessio for the one timer, and the Habs take the lead again. 

- Good game for Markov, he's been much more involved tonight, certainly more so with aggressive play in the opposing zone, something we've seen little of since Subban went down. 

- Still don't think Habs can possibly hang on to this one goal lead for a full 11 minutes. That said, we're more than halfway home. How badly do the Ducks want this game?

- Habs collapsing hard around their crease when the Ducks have puck control in the Canadiens zone. Basically the hockey equivalent of hanging on for dear life.

- Ducks really move the puck nicely on the backend, Habs are basically giving them free reign at the blue line, while everyone else guards bodies in front of Condon. It's an interesting passive approach to hockey - not what I would define as a wise strategy, but the clock is being killed. 2 minutes left.

- Condon with a couple of excellent saves during the last minute Duck Storm (hey, that sounds cool ... duck storm) ... to seal a complete unexpected victory for the Habs. Outplayed, outshot, basically a totally inexplicable win, statistically speaking. 

GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

Here are your Habs lines for tonight's game:

- Pacioretty/Galchenyuk/Byron

  Eller/Plekanec/Mitchell

  Matteau/McCarron/Danault

  Lessio/De La Rose/Brown

  Markov/Emelin

  Beaulieu/Pateryn

  Hanley/Dietz

  Mike Condon

- Brendan Gallagher and P.K. Subban participated in today's a.m. practice. Subban figures to possibly play Thursday night in Detroit. But that might be a bit of a long shot.

Game 59: Flyers vs Habs

FIRST PERIOD:

- We're a little late to the action because NHL Game Center wouldn't load up for yours truly. So let's catch up:

- Dale Weise, aka trade fodder, opens the scoring courtesy a lucky bounce off a pass from behind the net. Within 10 seconds, the Flyers tie the game courtesy some pretty awful goaltending by Mike Condon. So puck luck giveth, poor performances taketh away.

- Fans chant when P.K. carries the puck up ice on a rush. At the very least, those not named Rejean Tremblay.

- I suppose we can only hope that the fans can influence matters by voting with their butts - as in, not filling the Bell Centre. That, however, is not the case tonight. Pretty much sold out arena.

- Condon making saves, although his body language looks pretty down-in-the-dumps. Yes, he's not been playing well lately, but even he must realize that the backup job in Montreal is totally up for grabs right now.

- Jacob De La Rose, who had a miserable first half to the AHL season in St. John's, has looked pretty impressive since his recent call-up. Not necessarily sealing the case to stat with the team, but certainly planting the seed for earning a more permanent job next season. Assuming, of course, he's not part of any near-term trade package.

- This might be the most boring period of Habs hockey I've seen this season. Not a lot of flow either direction so far the first 15 minutes.

- Habs first powerplay, I have no idea what the heck they were trying. Carrying to the Flyers line, then dropping the puck backwards to the red line, then dropping the puck backwards to their own zone. Never seen that before in hockey. Worked brilliantly, of course. Habs didn't register a shot on goal.

- Except for the fluky Weise goal, Habs offence rolling snake eyes this period. Very little semblance of tempo or organization in the period.

- Flyers first powerplay pretty dreadful mess. Fits nicely with how this period was played in general.

- That. Was. Bad. Hockey. Flyers seemed to hold more of the tempo, but didn't really generate much of any scoring threats against Condon, save their one goal which had no business going in the net. If there's any upside to that first period, it's that we didn't pay to watch it live.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Flyers after one period. Habs got schooled by a pretty bad Flyers team.

- Habs offence, the few times it's been able to get anything remotely organized as far as an attack is concerned, very passive creating traffic in the Flyers crease. Neuvirth yet to really be tested as we approach the halfway point of regulation.

- We hate to be quick to judge, but the Eller/Pacioretty pairing ain't workin'. Certainly not tonight. Both seem to really struggling to find each other on the ice, lots of unforced errors being made by each.

- So little to say about this game, because there's so little happening in the game. Might be the worst played hockey game I've seen this year, and I've seen some stinkers.

- Hard to believe the Flyers have the 17th overall rated powerplay. Looks like it should rated about 148th.

- Well, Galchenyuk's come to play tonight. Not sure how many of his teammates have joined him.

- Tom Gilbert has come to play tonight. So ... let's see .. Galchenyuk, Subban, Gilbert ... Gallagher .. 4 out of 20. 

- By his, or for that matter, any standards, Max Pacioretty is having a pretty forgettable game tonight. Zero chemistry with Eller and Andrighetto. 

- I think it's now safe to say this is the worst game of the season, as far as entertainment value is concerned. Two bad teams playing bad hockey. A formula for sleep. I'm not sure I'll make it through one more period of this. Anyway, Habs, even against the dreadfully playing Flyers, still got manhandled in the period. I'd say it's amazing they're tied on the scoreboard, except for the fact that the Flyers really haven't generated scoring chances on Condon.

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Flyers in the 2nd period. Again mostly dominated by the Flyers. 

- Not that the Habs need more bad news, but Tom Gilbert is out for the night with a lower body injury, we assume sustained in the 2nd after blocking a hard slap shot. Gilbert, one would have figured, was a prime candidate for trading with the deadline approaching. That option might have just gone out the window.

- Well, there it is.  Gostisbehere puts the Flyers ahead 2-1, as Plekanec totally leaves his mark unchecked.

- Ah, Max Pacioretty. Welcome back to the scoresheet. Off a powerplay, no less. A snap shot that probably should have been stopped, but we'll take it. Habs undeservedly in a tie game.

- Damn that Subban. Such a selfish player. Total individualist. Two assists tonight. The gall. Won't someone get this guy under control?

- Habs seemingly finding a gear here that hasn't been there all night. Play has definitely tilted towards the Flyers end of the ice. Might the Habs actually pull this one out?

- Eller and Pacioretty seem to be finally clicking. It was a rough first 40 minutes tonight, but they're definitely finding each other in the 3rd.

"I'm not afraid of failure. It happens. It’s how you become successful." - Subban. WATCH -> https://t.co/4xWWdV2if5 pic.twitter.com/ivtgMULLr6

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 19, 2016

Hope you're cool with that, Ron Fornier.

Game 49: Habs vs. Blue Jackets

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Blue Jackets after 40 minutes, with the 30th place team taking it to the Habs in the 2nd period:

- Clean sheet of ice, Habs powerplay to start the period goes absolutely nowhere. Not even to generate a little momentum. 

- Desharnais line with their best shift of the night, Barberio nearly backhanding one in, Habs appear to have some wind in their sails. Surely this team knows it cannot afford to lose two "easy" points.

- Puck luck still violently against Habs, point shot hits Petry and goes right on the stick of Saad, who has 6 feet of wide open net to choose from. This team, I tells ya ... 

- Less than 6 minutes left, desperate times ... so Therrien puts out the 4th line, which has been a train wreck the past two months. We shrug our shoulders.

- Sense of urgency? Habs trouncing the Jackets for shot attempts in this 3rd period, but nothing really urgent. Team needs to push with everything they've got.

- Columbus just dumping, icing, repelling pretty much every Habs "attempt" to attack the zone. Canadiens have 4 minutes left. You'd never know it watching right now, though.

- Why is Therrien sending out the 4th line with 3 minutes left? WHY.

- Dismal. Habs couldn't even gain zone possession. Just dismal. Habs lose to 30th ranked Blue Jackets. Just. Abysmal.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Blue Jackets after 20 minutes:

- More sloppy zone play by the Habs defence, coughing up the puck deep, with Atkinson with a meek backhander that Condon whiffs on. 2-1 Columbus. Sigh. Habs can't afford to surrender weak goals like that.

- Plekanec line, and Galchenyuk in fine form tonight, the later determined to do it all on his own (to his detriment, I suppose).

- Uh. Kay. Subban with a shot from centre ice that Korpisalo can't pick up, an incredibly weird goal. Then the officials give Subban a two minute unsportsmanlike call after he gives Dubinsky a little shove while going back to his bench. An incredible call by an NHL official, giving us all the fodder we require with the belief this League's officials target P.K. 

- Kendrick Nicholson, who officiated his very first NHL game 8 days ago, gave Subban that penalty. Not saying the League is breeding a new generation of targeting officials, but that's definitely not a good sign.

- Puck luck (negative) continuing the hamper the Habs - Eller a crossbar in the first, Petry a post in the 2nd. 

- Win or lose, there will be conversation about that Subban penalty, because his minor denied the Habs of momentum they would have enjoyed from tying the game.

- Not a good period for the Habs, started slowly, then made more deep zone errors, undisciplined penalties, and Condon failing to stop a routine backhand shot. Subban managed to get the Habs back on even terms, but the Habs simply can't afford to play the 3rd like they play the 2nd, or another loss is on the way.

FIRST PERIOD:

- So Subban will start after all, the question being, will tonight's Subban be the regular P.K., or the one we saw struggle through much of the game Saturday night.

- Jackets starting their backup tonight in Korpisalo, so Habs would be wise to shoot early and often.

- Habs defence continues to struggle effectively moving the puck out of their zone, doing the usual bank job along the boards, which two times out of three, results in a puck turnover. Columbus' defence by contrast, more patient, more effective moving the puck forward.

- A Habs-friendly bounce? Yup. A Habs-friendly bounce, with Gallagher a shot that goes off Jack Johnson's foot and in. 1-0 early. 

- Lars Eller continues to play excellent hockey, especially so since his return to his natural position at centre. Hopefully that will be the end of his endless shuffle from there to wing.

- Habs with blind attempt to clear the zone by firing the pucks up the boards (Barberio) results in, you guessed it, a direct turnover, and zone coverage chaos, with Atkinson burying the puck to tie the game at 1. It's maddening to see again and again, how poorly this team handles the puck in its own zone.

- Carr takes an awkward spill into the boards, his leg getting pinned under his body. On the bench in obvious discomfort, has missed two consecutive shifts. 

- Now Torrey Mitchell is off to the room, with a leg injury. 

- One period down, Habs the better team, much more puck possession and shot attempts, but it still isn't going to mean a hill of beans unless this team takes firm steps towards correcting its sloppy play, specifically in its own zone. This team is getting killed firing pucks up the boards, giving the puck away, and scoring chances. 

GAME PREVIEW: WE CAN'T LOSE TO THIS GUY. WE JUST CAN'TJohn Tortorella! How is this guy even employed? Well he is, and he's the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. I'd had this date circled with great anticipation because it always brings joy to my heart to have my team beat one of his teams. So I've been, to say the least pretty bummed out this week because Tortorella won't be behind the bench tonight because he's recovering from broken ribs. DENIED. Gawd. This season has sucked.

Anyway, besides not getting to beat Tortorella, are we dream to dream the undreamable? Dare we think the unthinkable? A Montreal Canadiens winning streak?

Well hey, that's what's up for grabs tonight as the Habs take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio. The Canadiens, fresh off their skin-of-the-teeth win over the hapless Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, look to get back into the playoff race with a (count 'em!!!) 2nd straight win.

The Jackets, in case you somehow missed it, pulled off a rather large trade three weeks ago, in which they sent young star forward Ryan Johansen to Nashville, in return for young star defenseman Seth Jones.

The net effect from this trade since it was announced? Both the Jackets and Predators have fallen off the cliff, with Nashville putting up a 3-5 record, being outscored 21-23, while the Jackets have faired even worse, going 2-6 since the deal, in which they've been outscored 18-28.

See? Making big deals does not necessarily cure all that ails a team, something every Habs fan should take to heart, and Marc Bergevin ought readily consider.

So the Habs might, yes ... just might have a decent shot of actually winning their second straight game tonight. Although even that hope is being tempered by news that P.K. Subban has been puking his guts out the past 24 hours, and may or may not be available for play. If Subban can't play tonight, it'll be the first time ever, yes ... ever, that Subban will miss a game because of injury or sickness.

In any case, with or without Subban, the Habs will tackle this Blue Jackets lineup:

L1: Junner/Dubinsky/Atkinson
L2: Hartnell/Wennberg/Saad
L3: Foligno/Karlsson/Rychel
L4: Calvert/Campbell/Bourque

Murray/Jones
Johnson/Falk
Tyutin/Prout

Korpisalo.

Habs will be playing same lineup as Saturday, and if Subban can't go, Greg Pateryn will probably slot in for third line duty, likely promoting Beaulieu up on the first line next to Markov.

Mike Condon in goal for the Habs.

Puck drops at 7:10 EST.

Game 28: Habs vs. 'Canes

THIRD PERIOD:

- Condon with terrible giveaway, but he's clearly interfered with as the puck bounces around in the crease. This should be waived.

- After a two hour review, goal and call is waived. It's ridiculous. Stall clearly interfered Condon, it should have taken a minute to review and make the ruling. The League's goal review process is a joke.

- Anyway, Condon might be the worst puck handling goaltender in the League, ironic since the Habs normal starter is heads above anyone, the best.

- Emelin with a poor night - often leaving the crease completely unprotected, which has generated some crazy good scoring chances for Carolina. Why Therrien continues to play him over Pateryn is another coaching mystery.

- Desharnais-Paciorety isn't working (but we knew that would be the case), as is Plekanec-Byron. Somebody needs to do an intervention.

- Incredible holding call on Subban over a puck battle, since he was being held just as much. Carolina's dangerous looking powerplay back to work.

- Two shots within 5 seconds beat Condon, but hit the post. Canes should justly have the lead, if not for bad luck.

- Condon just plain fighting everything coming at him. Looks like a totally different goaltender than what we saw earlier in the year.

- Eric Stall. Crazy how much this guy can't finish. Condon with a desperate behind the back glove save to keep the game somehow tied.

- Dumb trip by Gilbert on Stall. Oh. Habs their own worst enemy tonight.

- Canes powerplay strikes, Skinner cashes in off a juicy Condon rebound. Specialty teams and goaltending the difference makers tonight.

- Wow how bout that. Pacioretty off the Desharnais line. Weise in his place. Their first shift, Ward has to make three excellent saves.

- Less than 5 minutes left, down a goal, after great shift by the "new" old Desharnais line, Therrien sends out the 4th line. Momentum is immediately surrendered.

- Now Eller is with Plekanec. The blender line routine contines. Stall now called for delay of game, Habs suddenly dysfunctional powerplay one last chance to pull this game out of the fire.

- Can't find any sort of puck control in the Canes zone. Habs powerplay gone from dysfunctional to terrible now.

- Therrien doesn't pull Condon until most of the powerplay goes past the board. More incompetent strategic decision making.

-  Not a single shot registered on that powerplay. Habs lose to the last place Hurricanes. Specialty unit incompetence, line deployment incompetence and another iffy start by Condon, in combination with a very fine effort by Carilona sends Habs to their second straight loss.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Canes through 20 minutes:































- Hey, ho. Max Pacioretty in on the bench. Breath easy.

- Habs 4th line looks like it's buzzing. Arguably the best offensive unit for the Habs tonight, which is almost certainly a bad thing.

- Subban just one goal this year. Setting up on the opposite wing has definitely hurt him. Also think he's somehow lost some velocity, for whatever reason.

- Habs powerplay slipping back into old habits. Zone entries are fine, but passing and setups are getting sloppy. The unit is lacking focus.

- If the Habs do find a way of losing tonight, pretty sure one pointing finger can be shown towards specialty units. Carolina is at/near the bottom with their powerplay and PK, yet they've scored with the man advantage and have been perfect shorthanded.

- One big beef with Condon - he tends to flop, either on his side or on his belly, when he doesn't need to. It takes him out of the play, and severely limits his ability to cover loose pucks.

- Nice play by Petry off the faceoff to carry the puck deep off the draw, perfect pass to Andrighetto to give the Habs the lead again. Petry firmly establishing himself as a top-2 defenseman on this team.

- Condon coughs up a juicy rebound off a backhander, Markstrom with a nice effort to score his first in more than a year.

- Condon really fighting the puck. At some point, Therrien will have to start Tokarski. I don't think Condon is able to maintain this workload.

- Plekanec line gets caught on ice, Canes nearly concert off their exhaustion. Poor execution.

- Phantom high stick penalty on Desharnais. Refs attempting to even up the penalty minutes.

- Canes have very good puck movement, but they lack finish. It's a team-wide problem, seemingly. There's no real cure for that kind of ailment.

- Pretty even period, which is great news for the home team, and underscores the lacking effort by the visitors. This is anyone's game - it will probably come down to goaltending, which given what we've seen tonight, probably favours Carolina.


FIRST PERIOD:

- Smith-Pelly gets the scratch, and Daniel Carr his very first NHL start: So here are the Habs lines for tonight:

1: Pacioretty/Desharnais/Weise
2: Eller/Galchenyuk/Andrighetto
3: Fleischmann/Plekanec/Byron
4: Carr/Flynn/Thomas

- That's amazing. Daniel Carr, his first NHL shift, first shot, and he scores. I'm thinking only a very small handful of players have that accomplishment.

- #67 is flying tonight. Safe to say Max Pacioretty is due for a bushel of goals. Tonight's as good a night as any to get that started, although his current centre isn't helping much.

- That said, Galchenyuk has been his extra-speedy, intense-self so far tonight. Habs in general pretty impressive speed tonight.

- So far, so good with Carolina's specialty units. First PK kept Habs in check, first powerplay generates a goal just as it expires, as Petry makes a poor checking attempt around his net, Flynn is caught flat-footed checking his assignment, and Condon bites on a deke. Series of basic unforced errors means this game is tied.

- Therrien's move of putting Pacioretty with Desharnais really paying off. Dale Weise just high sticked him in the eye.

- Habs were in firm control of this game until the Eller penalty. 'Canes scored, and have now largely taken over momentum and puck possession.

- Tale of two periods divided in half. Habs were in clear control until Eller was penalized - from the point forward, the Hurricanes took over game possession tempo. If I didn't make it clear enough in my pregame post, Carolina can and should be defeated via specialty units, not in spite of them. Somehow, the Habs were unable to follow the trend.




GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW: HABS TAKE ON HARD LUCK HURRICANES

Hey, Eddie Lack. Why so down? You're no longer stuck in Vancouver playing for a going-nowhere-fast hockey organization. You should be happy! You're in Carolina, where, granted, the team you play for has about 35 fans in state consisting of about 80 people who've actually heard about hockey. On the bright side, you're playing in a part of the world that couldn't give two figs about the game, much less riot in defeat.

Oh, who am I kidding. It's been a tough, really tough season for the Hurricanes. They've been a statistical enigma, putting up numbers with the best of the League, but somehow finding themselves mired near the bottom of the standings in the east.

Carolina is approaching the game the way it's supposed to be done if you want to win. One-third through the regular season, the 'Canes have put together a respectable even-strength CF% of 54.8%, which is the League's 3rd best total, and, believe it or not, the very best percentage in the Eastern Conference.

So if you're the best possession team in your entire conference, why would you be struggling so much as the 'Canes have this season, with just 8 wins in 25 games?

Fundamentally, while Carolina is a good puck possession team, the 'Canes biggest failing has been its speciality units. A powerplay percentage of just 12.2%, the worst in the League, and perhaps most impactful, a penalty killing unit that clocks in at just 74.6%. That means, on any given night, the 'Canes are usually surrendering at least one, and usually two powerplay goals per game. That, combined with an anemic offence that does "ok" in generating shot attempts, still possesses a woeful shooting percentage, at 5.44%

This means the 'Canes are not very matchups against teams with strong speciality units - teams like the Habs.

Which means, logic be considered, tonight's game really ought not be much of a contest.

Puck drops @ 7:10 EST. Mike Condon vs. (Saskatoon's!!!) Cam Ward.

Game Ten: Habs vs. Canucks

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Canucks through 40 minutes. Habs more shots, attempts, possession, yadda yadda. Only the scoreboard counts:

- Habs unleash the hounds, come out of the gate at about 87 mph. Still can't generate good quality shots on Miller, though.

- Finally. Torrey Mitchell continues his remarkable start to the season, deflecting an Emelin shot from the line, and the Habs have life. They're pouring it on. Another quick one, and this game is ON.

- Semin doesn't hustle to the bench on a powerplay line change, and Habs get nailed for too many. That won't endear his chances staying in this lineup as the road trip continues.

- Canucks, of course, score on their powerplay. Off two crazy lucky bounces, of course. Habs streak ends at 9. There was no way this Habs team was going to overcome the bad breaks. So the defeat can be rationalized. 

- Yeek. Emelin recklessly pinches, then falls flat on his face, then on the breakout, puck is banked off Semin into the net. Another goal courtesy a silly bounce. Meh. Game is a total write-off.

- This game is LOLZ. Gotta take it with some humour. Just about everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. But nobody on the Habs got injured, except for maybe a little pride. Edmonton next, in what should be a very interesting game featuring a high octane offence against a somewhat disorganized Habs defence. I'd be inclined to play Price Thursday, and Condon Friday. We'll see what Therrien decides. NOW GO TO BED EVERYONE.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Canucks through 20 minutes: 

- Well, decent enough first five minutes for the Habs, seemingly focused on just getting pucks on Miller. Canadiens seem to be doing a better job forcing turnovers, which will be key to any possible Montreal comeback.

- Not point producing, but Semin having a pretty decent outing tonight. One of the few Habs forwards doing a decent job covering both end zones.

- Habs pressing, but not generating Grade A scoring chances on Miller yet. Really starts (and ends) with their own zone, which has been mostly chaotic tonight, especially gaining the line with organized puck control.

- Pacioretty beats Miller through the arm with one of his awesome snap shots, puck dribbles behind Miller ... and wide. Just isn't happening tonight. 

- Beaulieu has struggled with the puck tonight, made a few careless passes in his zone, seems to be pressing a little too hard in the O zone. 

- As we go deeper into the game, Therrien would be wise to give extra shifts to his two best lines tonight - Plekanec and Galchenyuk. Desharnais line has been a mess, while the 4th line hasn't really created much momentum or energy. 

- Habs really needed a goal in the second, but couldn't quite find the back of the net. Even with zone coverage issues, and poor zone exits, the Habs have still been the better team tonight, but hockey is a game whose winners are frequently determined by good, or bad luck. Tonight, the Habs have had plenty of the later, far too much to overcome. Looking very unlikely the Canadiens can extend their streak to 10. 

FIRST PERIOD:

- Curse of the old teammate strikes again - Prust with a relatively harmless snapshot that Price somehow misplays by waving out his glove, the puck dropping behind him, and tipped into the net by McCann. An auspicious start.

- Price misplays the puck. Check. Puck drops right behind him for easy tip-in goal. Check. Gallagher rings a slap shot off the post. Check. Yup. Feels like the puck luck Gods might be making a withdrawal from the overdue Habs account.

- Okay, stumble out of the gate because of Price's error, but since that goal, Habs have pretty much dominated. Miller saved by a post and a couple of bouncing pucks the Habs couldn't quite bury.

- Canadiens dominate, and Vancouver, courtesy a ridiculous bounce, take a 2-0 lead during a delayed penalty call. Puck luck all against the Habs, which during this incredibly streak, has much more often than not, been in their corner. Not tonight.

- Miller with a ridiculous save on Desharnais off a 2-0 break with Fleischmann. Ye Gods, that's enough already. 

- Very marginal interference call on Fleischmann, who was digging for the puck in the Canucks corner. Nothing going Habs way tonight.

- Prust to McCann. Again. It's 3-0. That goal wasn't luck, it was winning the faceoff deep, and Desharnais doing a poor job covering their assignments. Canadiens with a huge hole to climb out of, if they wan't to get to 10.

- Upside to this game, Habs will almost certainly not have the League's largest PDO at the end of the night.

- Habs forwards doing a very poor job coming back to, and covering their zone, also getting their clocks cleaned winning puck battles at centre ice. Price facing some howitzers from the slot, barely keeping his team in this game.

- First genuine disaster of a period for the Habs this season, they looked good out of the gate, Price let in a goal that shouldn't have been a goal, and the puck just seemed to keep bouncing Vancouver's way. This is not to take away from the Canucks - they were a superior team especially in the neutral zone, which helped them to generate turnovers leading to numerous scoring opportunities. Three goals is not an impossible lead to overcome, but it's awfully tough. 

CELEBRATING THE VANCOUVER CANUCKS LEGACY. 45 YEARS OF NOTHING

Oh, Vancouver. Whatever would you do without Toronto? For years the fans of hockey have made countless jokes about the ineptitude of the Maple Leafs, now 48 years since their last championship. But ya know what, Vancouver? At least Toronto, in all of their futility, actually has won a championship. 15 of them, as a matter of fact.

You? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. in 45 years.

Oh sure, you've been to the big show. Three times, as a matter of fact. Once in 1981, when your club made an improbable, only to get steamrolled by the Islanders in four games. And then there was 1994, when you managed to heartbreak your followers by losing to the Rangers by one goal, in the 7th game.

And then, of course - 2011, where you choked the big one - up 3-2 to a reeling Boston Bruins team, you managed to lose the first chance of clinching in Boston, and then you got destroyed by the Bruins in game 7, right in your own rink. Your fans were not pleased. Many moaned. Many cried. Many rioted in the streets.

Now? You're still nothing. You're a team whose previous general manager somehow managed to find a way of converting two premier goaltenders, Roberto Luongo, and Cory Schiender, into career backup Jacob Markstrom (career .896 SP), Shawn Matthias (no longer playing for you), and Bo Horvat (okay, you at least got SOMETHING). Still, to take two Grade A- commodities and to convert them into so little ... well, it basically set the table for the Canucks' grand decline. Once a League leader, Vancouver's hopes are now pinned on making the post season. That's about it.

Woe, Vancouver. Tonight you have to take on the team that's off to the greatest season start in NHL - the Montreal Canadiens, who are setting new records with every recorded victory, now at 9 - the most of any team to win in regulation to start a campaign. You have to face the likes of Max Pacioretty, P.K. Subban, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov, and Brendan Gallagher, whom, by the way, comprise 5 of the top 6 players in the NHL in +/-.  Oh, right. One other thing. Carey Freakin' Price, the best hockey player on the face of planet Earth.

Oh sure Canucks fans, you'll tell us YES BUT WE HAVE THE SEDIN'S!! Well, goodie good for you. Are you referring to the twin brothers of 35 years of age, both playing on your first line, both with a combined point total of 9, two less than Pacioretty? We're shaking in our boots. We're shaking.

You cannot hide. You must face us hockey's caged ring like the dogs you are. You must capitulate to the awesome offensive and defensive power that is the Montreal Canadiens. You will be thrashed. You will be humiliated. And, at the end of the night, you, like so many of your fans, will shead many tears.

Puck drops at 10:10 EST. You'll want to stay up for this one.