Game 3: Pens vs Habs

HABS LIVESTREAM:

FIRST PERIOD:

- Habs PR full throttle fan-first tonight for homecoming ceremonies. They're not dumb. They know there's a lot of hurt out there about Subban's departure.

- Huge applause for Shea Weber. Huge.

- Oh, wow. Jacques Demers. That's heartbreaking.

- Let me grab a drink, whoops, 1-0 Habs. Max Pacioretty picks up a lose puck in a very loosely defended Pens zone, a shaky start for Andre Marc Fluery (shoulda gone with Mike Condon, guys), and zoom, it's 1-0.

- More soft slot defensive coverage, Weber caught out of position, but Montoya is able to cover up. That's something we saw quite a lot of the first two games - Habs inability to prevent high danger scoring chances - and one of the major reasons why, so far in this young season, the Habs are getting out chanced quite badly.

- That said, Pens aren't exactly clamping down in front of Fleury either, Max coming within a couple inches of making this 2-0.

- So this Al Montoya, sure looks like a pretty good off-season pickup. Making his team look way way wayyyyyy better than they actually are. At least, so far.

- Phantom penalty on Pacioretty for ... skating? Not sure what that's about, but it puts the Pens on one of their dangerous powerplays.

- Pens really owning the puck this period, Habs just too tentative, choosing to play their usual chase system that we saw so much two years ago. Looks like the period will end at about a 60/40 split, which means holding a slim lead is practically impossible.

- Malkin and Kunitz have been monsters this period - you think it's only a matter of time before their names start hitting the scoresheet tonight.

- Meanwhile, Plekanec line is really struggling - more fodder for the argument that Radulov and Lehkonen would benefit playing beside Galchenyuk.

- Habs play so fast an loose in front of their net, very poor coverage, and its giving the Pens tons of high quality chances from the slot. Montoya handling at lest three shots from 20 feet or under the past 5 minutes.

- TVA showing how Habs have been focusing hard on faceoffs during practice this week, which truth be told, is one of their lesser issues.

- Habs finally getting some shots on Fleury again with 5 minutes left in the frame. They've been pretty much an invisible team unit since the 2 minute mark.

- Andrew Shaw totally robbed by Fleury on cross ice one timer. I'd say a first or second line winger would have probably buried that puck.

- Pens puck dominance simply unsustainable, as the Habs wind down the first period with more than a couple good scoring attempts.

- Another puzzling penalty, this time Galchenyuk for interference. Pens outskating the Habs, which usually draws those kinds of penalties, but at least call 'em if they're committed, guys.

- Habs came out storming, looked great first 2 minutes of the game, and then just kind of got overwhelmed by the Pens forecheck and speed. Same problems hampering the Habs tonight as they had the first two games. Poor-ish zone coverage surrendering too many high quality scoring chances, while the offence continues to play too much of a system that doesn't utilize some of the skill that the younger players bring to the lineup. Meanwhile, Al Montoya keeps playing better and better and better. No criticism for Montreal's goaltending so far, to be sure.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs defence really slow to react to speed along the wing. Too many opposing wingers are driving the net without obstruction.

- Not very many bright spots for the Habs offence in this game, Pacioretty has been very involved, and uhhhm .. Andrew Shaw? I'm kinda at a loss.

- More bad Habs habits, getting pinned in their zone, not being able to work the puck out properly, instead relying on low percentage long bomb passes that 9/10 result in icings. This is a very losing formula.

- Radulov with a very careless high stick that sends Sheary sprawling to the ice and eventually to the dressing room with a face injury. 4 minute infraction.

- Halfway through the 2nd period, Habs have but one shot on goal, which gives you a pretty accurate picture of how this game has gone.

- Shea Weber has delivered some thundering checks tonight, but positionally, he's been very poor. Habs are getting soundly out-chanced just about every shift he's had.

- Habs just defying gravity, as Desharnais is left all alone in front of Fleury, and puts home a very nice feed from behind the Pens net courtesy of, go figure, Max Pacioretty. 2-0 Canadiens.

- One big weakness for the Pens tonight not unlike the Habs - zone coverage has been pretty sloppy, and it's cost them two goals.

- Hey, believe it or not, Habs get a powerplay. And it looked pretty hopeless. AND DRINK.

- Habs arguably outplayed even more in the 2nd period than they were the 1st. Same old issues, but it all matters not as the Canadiens play Therrien possum hockey. Play like their dead, and put it all on the shoulders of their goaltending. If Montoya isn't excellent tonight, as he was the two games previous, the Habs would most certainly be starting down the throat of an 0-3 start. Coach Therrien continues to get lucky at the right time.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Has Sergachev found himself in the Therrien doghouse already? He's had a rough night, wasn't great agains the Sabres - not much ice time in this game.

- Habs with two man advantage powerplay, their passing is fine, but player movement is relative stagnate, which makes it easy to defend.

- That advantage ... gone, as Weber is nailed for tripping. Sigh.

- Pacioretty appears to be seriously hurt, specifically his leg. That's potentially pretty awful news.

- Festival of penalties here. Looks like we have some 3-on-3 hockey. Yum!!

- Radulov with a pretty, pretty, pretty goal hanging on forever with the puck, and turning Fleury all inside out. Problem though - Gallagher, maddeningly, bumps into Fleury before Radulov releases the shot. Another goal denied because of Gallagher's aggression?

- Good goal. Gallagher might have dodged a bullet. Habs take stranglehold lead, and Radulov scores what might still end up being the best goal of the Habs season.

- Pacioretty back on the bench. I'm wondering if he had a skate blade issue?

- Twitter message suggested to me that he had a muscle cramping issue, which I suppose makes sense. Max, listen to you mom and hydrate often!

- Sergachev clearly done for tonight, more than half of the 3rd played, and he hasn't seen a shift. Likely will be sent down tomorrow.

- Sergachev just getting a shift, I'd imagine it's to just keep the rotation fresh for the final 5 minutes of the period. While this might be his last game in Montreal for awhile, no point in benching him for the sake of sending an obvious message.

- Pens with complete zone meltdown, Keystone Cops would be embarrassed, with pretty much everybody with a red sweater getting a shot on Fluery in the span of 10 seconds, mercifully Desharnais finishing off the play, and the Penguins tonight, and it's 4-0.

- Pens' forwards were miles better than the Habs', but not being able to play in your own zone properly will cost you games. Tonight, the Pens got stomped by it.

- Habs remain undefeated in regulation because, let's face it, Al Montoya. Otherwise, the Canadiens seem to have good fortune on their side early, getting outplayed each of their first three games, but finding a way of getting at least a point because of netminding. Long-term problems and challenges face this team on road ahead if they continue to allow themselves to be outplayed and out possessed. Sure, on the short term you can duck the percentages, but over a season, it invariably catches up. Sorry folks, but colour me unimpressed by what I've seen so far.

Truth: Kessel loves country music
Truth: Kessel's dog is named Stella
Lie: Kessel is a wonderful singer
In the Room: https://t.co/xjYVhSUUiP pic.twitter.com/vVxyLiBFe1

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 18, 2016

For the umpteenth time, Phil Kessel is the best.

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

Okay, a few things in point form.

- It's ridiculously early in the season, but head coach Michel Therrien is up to his old antics again, making lineup changes that have cause a few double-takes amongst closer followers of his team. Today Therrien announced that Daniel Carr will be a healthy scratch tonight to make way for Brian Flynn, who on pretty much any NHL team, would qualify as a marginal 4th liner. With Flynn in, Paul Byron, who is, in fact, a qualified 4th line NHLer, will be moved up to play the Habs 3rd line, along side of David Desharnais

- Ah, speaking of the coach's favourtist player of all time, DD got some speciality line work tonight - centring (get ready for it) the Habs 2nd powerplay unit. Wait, you might ask, are you talking about the same David Desharnais who was ranked 2nd worst in the entire NHL last year among powerplay forward productivity, and looked utterly terrible the powerplay time he received the first two games of this season? THAT David Desharnais? YUP. THAT David Desharnais.

- Ominous signs for the Habs? In the season's first two games, and this is against opponents who likely won't qualify for the post season, the Habs scoring chance ratio was 2 to 1 ... against. Unlike the previous opponents, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are talented, can score, and will score - a lot, are far more likely to take advantage from having twice as many scoring chances. 

- Speaking of the Penguins, who'll start in goal? What will be the lines? Nobody knows because Pittsburgh didn't have practice this morning. Conventional wisdom would dictate that Mike Condon will get the start tonight, given that the Pens played last night (and lost) to Denver. But it being so early in the season, the Pens might take some liberties and give Marc-Andre Fluery a back-to-back start.

- One other lineup change that we mentioned yesterday - with Mikhail Sergachev getting a spot back in the lineup tonight, they drew sticks and Greg Pateryn will sit.

Puck drops (likely around) 7:20 p.m. 7:50 EST while Habs ownership lets Shea Weber skate around the rink with a torch, while half the stands revisit the trauma they felt that late June day. ENJOY!

MONDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

YAY IT'S MONDAY! THE PENS ARE IN TOWN! That means I get to use my most favouritist Phil Kessel picture. WE STILL  LOVE YOU PHIL.

Okay, let's do a few Habs-related bits of news to help gear you up for tomorrow night's season opener at home:

- Carey Price? He lives! Yup, Carey was on the ice this morning for practice, and this time, no intervenes tube was attached! That's the good news. Not so good news? He won't start tomorrow because, according to coach Therrien, Carey lost about 90 pounds during the week he spent hacking up his lungs.

- So Al Montoya one more time! That's not a bad thing, considering Al's SV% the first two games is .942. Here's an even cooler thing: The Pens are playing tonight, and Andre Marc-Fluery will start. So if the Pens decide, as most teams usually do these days, to avoid playing their 1st string on back-to-back nights, this means tomorrow the Habs might see ... Mike Condon! Coolness.

- Habs practice lines: Hey, remember that thing where Therrien put Radulov next to Galchenyuk mid-way through the Ottawa game Saturday night, and then moved Gallagher next to Plekanec, and then benched Lehkonen, who had just scored a goal and was generating scoring chance after scoring chance, and then he demoted Galchenyuk to centre the 4th line? Remember that? Well, guess what? The forward lines are right back to where they used to be:

- Pacioretty/Galchenyuk/Gallager

- Lehkonen/Plekanec/Radulov

- Carr/Desharnais/Shaw

- Danault/Mitchell/Byron

Meanwhile on defence, the Habs announced that Mikhail Sergachev came back from Russia and will be starting tomorrow night, which begs the question, Mikhail Sergachev WENT TO RUSSIA?! He was just here ... with the team ... playing (?!?). I'd love to see his frequent flyer points.

More Habs stuff if we get anything.

Game Seventeen: Habs vs. Pens

SHOOTOUT:

- Condon vs. Fleury. I'll take the former over the later.

- Galchenyuk too fancy, and Pens take early advantage.

- Crosby with the dagger. Actually, Condon doesn't do well with breakaway stuff. So the Pens grab the extra point. Disappointing result.

OVERTIME:

- As Habs fans are fully aware, this 3-on-3 stuff has been a killer. 

- Habs really struggle with gaining puck possession in this overtime format. Really hurts their ability to generate scoring chances.

- Habs get called for too many. That's just insane.

- Tom Gilbert jumped off the bench too early. Gilbert, just wow.

- Habs, remarkable, survive the penalty. But the Pens were their own worst enemy with the advantage, as they kept their powerplay unit out for the entire two minutes. Helped the Habs to somehow hang on. 

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs had, get ready for this - 76% possession in the 2nd period. Pens are lucky to find themselves down just one.

- Dale Weise first shift of the 3rd, looked pretty meek. No way he's playing 100%

- Desharnais line had a pretty dreadful 1st period, but have been much improved since then. Doing a nice job gaining the Pens zone. 

- Been kind of an up and down night for Markov, Kessel turning him inside out off a rush, but Condon makes a nice save off the backhand.

- Habs defence suddenly getting a bit slow and sloppy, as Malkin somehow doesn't score on an open net. Montreal would be wise to slow the pace down, 14 minutes left.

- Gallagher takes a hard slapper off the ankle. Off to the room. Uh-oh.

- Habs getting tighter and tighter as the period progresses, and that's not a good thing. Pens are gaining the zone with relative speed, and intensifying their forecheck, which is generating a lot of Habs turnovers. Montreal must adjust quickly, or this game will be tied soon.

- Brian Flynn moved up to take Gallagher's spot on the Plekanec line. We await his return. Hopefully soon.

- Mike Condon building the fort, keeping the Habs ahead by one. But only barely. Habs seem to collectively think there's less than 20 seconds left on the clock. There's 8 minutes left. No way this lead holds unless the Canadiens smarten up.

- Gallagher returns! And makes a horrid giveaway right in the high slot. Condon with a spectacular blocker save. Gallagher owes Condibear a biggie for that.

- And there it is. Hornqvist with a snapper that deflects off Petry's stick, and ties the game. Habs sat on this and got burned. We saw it coming.

- Pens have all the mo' right now. At this point, Habs can probably hope to play for overtime. But wouldn't be surprised if the Pens win this in regulation. 

- Nice momentum shift for the Plekanec line, Gallagher with some determined forechecking to keep the pressure in the Pens zone. Maybe the ship will right itself after all?

- Never mind. Gilbert muffs the puck up at centre ice, and then hauls down his man. Really poor play by Gilbert that might cost his team the game. 

- Pens take a timeout to keep their number one unit out for the entire 2 minute powerplay. Smart move. Crosby looks awfully anxious to score what would be the winning goal.

- It was close, but the Habs survive the Gilbert penalty. 

- Wow. Habs just didn't show up in the 3rd, and blew a game they largely had in full control just half an hour ago. This team doesn't learn lessons. Not after blowing their big lead two weeks ago against Edmonton, repeating old mistakes tonight.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Pens through 20 minutes. Habs may have had the possession edge, but the Pens still controlled the game tempo - by a substantial margin. 

- Officials calling this game incredibly tight. Consistent, but tight. Could be a few powerplays from here on out.

- Maatta has been given credit for Pens second goal, sorry Phil. Replay show Kessel's shot was deflected, impossible save for Condon. 

- Habs would be wise to just keep firing on Fluery at every opportunity, at any angle, any distance.

- Desharnais line being out-chanced by more than a margin of 3-to-1. That's pretty awful.

- This second period not nearly as free-wheeling as the first. That's a good thing for the Habs.

- And just like that, Gallagher scores high off the break off a sloppy neutral zone turnover. Fluery gave him most of the top left of the net, going down too early off the shot. Tie game.

- Kris Letang, in the middle of a dreadful season, retaliates off a non-call off a very marginal hit delivered by Markov in the corner five minutes ago. Pretty stupid play by Letang. Gives Habs another powerplay chance.

- Habs string together 10 passes in a row, manage to generate zero shots on net. That's the bad old version of the Canadiens' powerplay.

- Weise looks to be significantly injured, favouring leg. Straight to the room, assisted by two teammates.

- Weise hurt, it's been a very difficult night for the Habs third line. Possession, and now injury. 

- Lovejoy with a clumsy play falling on Weise's leg from behind. Reply does not look good, the way Weise went down. Alex Semin, are you watching?

- Hoo boy, Marc-Andre Fleury, with a terrible goal scored on him by Brian Flynn. Crosby losing his marbles after the goal, draws two minutes for being stupid. Habs lead for the first time in the game.

- Sidney Crosby, who looked so good to start the game, now looking so ... bad. What gives, Sid?

- DALE WEISE RETURNS. ALL IS GOOD AGAIN.

- I don't know if anyone has noticed, but the Habs have kind of destroyed the Pens in this period. 

- Weise with an uneventful shift since coming back to the bench. 

- A completely dominate period for the #Habs in the 2nd period. The Pens held to just two shots on goal. Habs possession was crazy one-sided, and aided by some shoddy goaltending by Fluery, Montreal has totally turned this game around. Habs were definitely aided by a much more sound defensive approach in the period, which kept the Pens in check, especially the Crosby line, who let loose frustration at the end of the period. One of the best played periods of hockey by this Habs team - possibly this season.

FIRST PERIOD

- Did we even sit down to start watching? Plekanec does a very poor job checking his mark, leaving Dupuis wiiiiiiiiiide open to receive a Crosby pass, Condibear no chance. Boom. 1-0.

- If the first three minutes is any indication of what the rest of the game will be, this good be a monster night for Crosby.

- So this is the highly rated Pens PK? Passing lanes far too open, Subban to Markov with a hard, but not impossible shot for Fleury to stop. Tie game.

- Terrific puck movement by the Pens, still. With that, and Fluery in net, we might have a scoring bonanza tonight. Wider nets? PFFT.

- Good buzzing shift for Habs 4th line, Mitchell with golden scoring opportunity, but instead of taking a shot, he makes a perplexing pass.

- Pretty fast and free-wheeling first 8 minutes. Defences mostly on their heels trying to handle the attacks. Lots of unmolested zone entries so far. These teams are just going to hammer each other with shots all night.

- Pens might have scored off their first shot, but Mike Condon is bringing it tonight. More than a couple spectacular sprawling saves by Condibear.

- Kessel with Malkin looks very impressive. They've been generating some excellent scoring chances, all undone by spectacular goaltending by Condon. By the way, Condon. This guy is turning out to not only be a great story for the Habs this season, but a great story of the entire League. 

- Gallagher nailed for a blindside skeaky/slimey trip in front of the Pens net. Good call by the referee. 

- Habs defence (Markov/Subban) way too passive handing the Malkin line rush, with Kessel snapping a shot past Condon to give the Pens a 2-1 lead. Habs simply can't afford to retreat defensively against an opponent with so much speed.

- Desharnais line is one huge defensive liability this period. One of the worst periods I've seen from this unit in a long time.

- Spirited period of hockey, very fast, very entertaining. It was a home team period, which is bad news for the Habs, who need to smarten up their defensive game if they hope to hang tight in this game. They need to slow the game pace down dramatically. Maybe, heaven forbid, ice a few pucks.

GAMEDAY PREVIEWPhil. PHIL! It wasn't supposed to be this way. What happened??

We're about 1/5th into the season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who came into the year featuring one of the most intimidating offenses in the game of hockey have ... well ... is flopped a good word to use?

That feared Pens offence - maybe more aptly described as that once-feared Pens offence, currently is ranked 26th in the League for goal production. Only Carolina, Philadelphia, Anaheim, and yes, Toronto, are ranked worse than Pittsburgh.

Through 14 games, Kessel has amased 6 goals, which is okay, but (fair to say) isn't nearly at the anticipated goal-churning production line that everyone was anticipating. I mean, Kessel next to the "greatest hockey player in the world" Sidney Crosby, that's a sure-fire formula for a resounding success.

Oh ... right. About Mr. Crosby. The Pens had Kessel next to Sid the Kid for a half dozen games, a match made in hockey heaven that produced ... uh ... 1 goal. Since being moved "down" to play next to Evgeni Malkin's wing, things have picked up a bit for Phil. At the very lease, he and Evgeni are producing actual measurable positive offence.

The issue here is not only Phil, of course. It's Crosby, who's off to the worst start in his NHL career - just 2 goals in 14 games, and a horrid -6 rating. Sure, with only a handful of games played, it was easy to disregard his slow start to some kind of aberration. But now we're 14 games in, well past that rationale, and Crosby still isn't producing. For whatever reason.

Crosby is absolutely critical to the Pens' success. Where he goes, so too go the rest of the Pens - who've managed to stave off his lack of production in order to generate a respectable 9 wins. But their win/loss ratios can't stay this loft if Crosby can't produce. Something, as they say, has gotta give. With a League-leading 103 PDO, the Pens have been the beneficiary of good luck. You know what happens with good luck. It turns bad. It always does.

So tonight, Crosby and the Pens host the (still) number one team in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens, whom are dealing with uncertainties - specifically, the health Carey Price (who, by the way, so happens to be the actual greatest-hockey-player-in-the-world). Price was supposed to return this week, but after seeing a specialist on Monday, that return has been pushed back another week. These make for nervous times.

Still, the Habs are riding the wave of excellent play by their backup - Mike Condibear Condon, who was the NHL's 3rd star of the week last week. While the Habs would certainly prefer to have Price be their starter tonight, as long as Condon continues to efficiently keep pucks out of the net, the Habs are stacked up well to continue their winning ways.

Tonight, it's the Pens and Habs - Condon vs. Fleury. Phil vs. the World. And the puck, it will drop at 7:40 EST.


TUESDAY'S NEWS 'N' NOTES:

Carey Price Update: Apparently, out another week. Which, apart from him not being able to play, might be a blessing since the Habs have only two games scheduled this weeek.

Habs practice this morning in Brossard before they venture off to Pittsburgh:

- Mike Condon and Dustin Tokarski on the ice. Carey Price, who was in New York City yesterday seeing a specialist for his lower body injury, was not at the rink.

- Alex Semin sighting! Practising today, did a few drills next to Eller and Galchenyuk, no less. Could this mean ... ?




MONDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES

- Congrats to Condibear Mike Condo, selected NHL 3rd Star of the Week! Condibear might get three stars from the League, but he gets zero stars from me for wearing that AWFUL REEBOK CAP.  Just look at that thing. Good lord.  Final word: anything designed by Reebok is an abomination to the human race.

- Carey Price flew to New York City today. Not because he misread the schedule, but he's going to see a specialist for his never-to-be-actually-identified-publicly lower body injury. When specialists get involved, all you can say is, uh-oh.

- Here's your interesting fact-o'-the-day: Habs have 13 regulation wins in their past 16 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs have 13 regulation wins in their past 68 GAMES. If that doesn't brighten the start to your week, nothing will.

More in a bit.

Game Four: Habs vs. Pens

THIRD PERIOD:

- Interesting to note that the Habs player with the least amount of ice time through 2 periods? David Desharnais. The -2 probably didn't help.

- Don't think Weise is snakebit this season, it's just that he overacheived last year, and his actual goal producing ability has come back to earth.

- Good, fast, aggressive start for Habs in the 3rd, legs are moving well, Pens are very scrambly in their zone. 

- Could see that goal coming a mile away, the Habs blistering of the Pens eventually results in a centre ice turnover, Desharnais to Fleischmann for his first ever as a Montreal Canadien. 3-2 Habs.

- Maybe reflective of larger issues, Pens defense looking really sluggish in the period - Habs speed is just killing them. Right now Pittsburgh in reactive mode, Canadiens firing at Fleury at pretty much their will. 

- Fully expecting Pacioretty to score the hat trick tonight. 

- Brad Watson with an absolutely atrocious tripping call on Smith-Pelly. He's another Tim Peel in the making. Actually, he's pretty much arrived.

- How can you tell the Pens have already opened the gates? They surrender a 3-on-1 with the man advantage. Their powerplay might actually be worse than Montreal's, which says an awful lot.

- 8 minutes left in the 3rd, Habs are kinda dominating the frame:

- Pens finally find some offensive mo', but Carey Price doing an excellent door impersonation. Habs, for a very rare occasion in this game, looking very shaky in their own zone - borderline panicking.

- Pens really struggling to exit their zone tonight - many, many passing mistakes being made by their defence. The Pittsburgh might need to look at this situation sooner rather than later, because I can't fathom this team competing if tonight is any indication of how good (or bad) their blue line is.

- Four minutes left, Habs appear to be turtling, which always means trouble.

- Carey freakin' Price, absolutely robs Crosby off a cross ice one timer. Habs passivity giving Pens the opportunity here. 

- Pens will play the rest of the remaining 70 seconds (or less) with the Crosby line, Therrien is going with the Plekanec line. Game at hand.

- Man, Pens have really struggled with their transition tonight, and zone entries. Lots of unforced errors.

- Officials very generous in giving the Habs an icing off a puck that barely crossed the line with Pens defensemen dogging it back to his zone. 12 seconds left, faceoff deep next to Price.

- Crucial faceoff won by Plekanec, Habs clear and win the game. This organization has never gone a season starting 4-0, without eventually winning a championship.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Ah, here's Plotkinov, taking full advantage of a break, with Beaulieu's point shot hitting Weise in from, and Plotkinov skates the length, beating Price stick side (weak-ish goal by Price's standards, I suppose). Tie game.

- Habs powerplay. Get ready to hold onto nothing.

- Wow. They convert. By doing what they really shouldn't be doing - killing the clock with perimeter passing. This time, however, Pacioretty snipes one past Fleury for his 2nd of the game.

- Pens just dominating neutral zone play in the period, Habs way too passive there, and it's making this period totally dominative for the Pens with puck possession.

- Crosby line being very well contained - combination of Habs 4th line, and the Plekanec line really doing an excellent job shutting down the passing lanes. Kessel one quality shot (and excellent Price save), but that's been about it. 

- That said, Habs defense, especially Beaulieu-Gilbert, extremely soft covering their slot. Pens forwards have had a couple of opportunities where their forwards have been provided the red carpet treatment right to Price. That's going to kill the Habs tonight if it isn't addressed pronto.

- Bounces have so far been strongly with the Pens, Letang with a fluttering shot that somehow evades Price. Knuckler I guess, but it's still disheartening.

- Habs with an excellent first period, and a slightly-better-than-stinker second, where they basically allowed the Pens to take their game to them at will. Puck possession was horrid, zone transitions were uneven. Really, there wasn't a whole lot to cheer about that period, except for Pacioretty's powerplay goal. One more period like that, and the Habs will be due their first loss of the season.

FIRST PERIOD:

- Hey, this is kind of cool, in a not very cool way. Combined, both teams are going into tonight's game with a powerplay running 1/21, or about 4%.  Wonderful!!

- Habs get Brad Watson tonight. Here's hoping Mr. Watson keeps his mouth shut tonight. 

- Habs defence really struggling with Pens zone entries, allowing too much free wheeling passes and it's giving their most dangerous forwards quality chances on Price.

- Nice feed by Gallagher to Paciotetty with a one timer from the line. Fleury was playing way too deep in his crease. 1-0.

- Brad Watson penalizing Desharnais for accidentally bumping into another guy. 

- Desharnais with a nice backcheck to break up a 3-on-2, but the Habs forwards will need to be more aggressive both directions or the Pens will score more than a few tonight.

- Looking more and more this game will be decided by whomever has the better goaltending. You know who that favours.

- Gilbert with sloppy passing out of his zone. Not for the first time this season.

- Very good period for the Habs. Pens came out string, but Canadiens made necessary adjustments to mostly contain Pittsburgh's transition. Especially strong period by the Habs 4th line, which did a nice job mostly containing the Crosby line. Pens have their hands full tonight.

GAMEDAY PREVIEW: WHO SAID FAT GUYS CAN'T PLAY TOO?

Is there anyone more awesome in the NHL than Phil Kessel? I mean ... LOOK at him. Look at THAT. If you didn't follow the game of hockey, or didn't know who he was, you'd swear he was that guy you contracted out a few years ago to reshingle your roof.

But no. Phil Kessel is an actual, genuine National Hockey League athlete. Actually a pretty good one, at that. But not good enough, it seemed, for the fans, and in particular the awful media people ([cough] Steve [cough] Simmons) who troll it.

So Kessel, one of the few players in the game who's a pretty sure bet to score 40+ goals on a good team (and 30+ on a bad), was shoved out of Toronto to Pittsburgh, for a few measly returns: "Addition by subtraction!" the media trolls cheered in victory.

Okay, Leafs. Whatever you want. Enjoy last place for the next couple of seasons while you struggle to score 200 lousy goals in an entire season.

The Pens won't be having any problems lighting up the score clock - now with Kessel now settled in nicely next to Sidney Crosby and Crhis Kunitz. Not only did they add Kessel to the roster this summer, they also bolstered their goal-scoring prowess by picking up Sergei Plotnikov.

However, even with all those moves designed although their aspirations for their first championship in eight years might be hampered by what certainly looks like a suspect defense.

The Pens' blue line is anchored by Kris Letang and Ian Cole, which is all fine. Beyond that, however, Pittsburgh's defense is largely comprised of pluggers, including the likes of the oft' injured Olli Maatta, and the wildly overpaid third-stringer Rob Scuderi. The Penguins defensive strategy doesn't appear much different than the one embraced by Michel Therrien and his Canadiens: Let Carey Price do most of the work. Except Andrei Marc Fluery, and let's be totally honest here - is no Carey Price.

So this Pens team is certainly intriguing, but I fear that Pens G.M. Jim Rutherford spent too much time focused on strengthening his offense, at the expense of adding some necessary blue line depth. The team he's constructed is a virtual shoo-in for a playoff spot, but I'm not so sure that in a League where defense wins championships, that the Penguins will acheive their ultimate goal of winning another Stanley Cup next spring.

So tonight, the undefeated Habs will get their first legitimate test of the young season, as they will take on the Pens for Pittsburgh's 2015-16 home opener. The Habs will be going with the same lines tonight as they had the first three games, with Carey Price starting in goal.

Puck drops around 7:20 EST, and we'll be live blogging and live streaming the game.

Game Sixty-Two: Leafs vs. habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Possession through 40 minutes unchanged. 36%. Just dismal.

- Desharnais and Gallagher vs five Leafs in the crease, and Desharnais scores because the Leafs are horrible. 3-0. Gallagher with goaltender interference, but he gets away with it.

- Brandon Prust has clearly, somewhere along the way this season, lost a major step in his skating ability.

- Down goes Dion. And so easily too. By the 5'7" David Desharnais. Draws a sucker's penalty. What a captain. What a leader.

- Did Kadri know there was a game tonight?

- Phaneuf fakes a penalty, then gets nailed a minute later for mouthing off to the ref. Captains don't do that. Leaders don't do that. Dion does that.

- Pacioretty with selfless pass to Desharnais with an empty net. He could have easily scored in his drive for 40. That's how good this team's roster is to each other.

- Only question now is whether Price can pick up his 6th shutout of the season. Its been another night at the office for him.

- I'll end with two words and three letters: Carey Price. MVP.

SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs possession in the first even worse than anticipated. 36%. Against the Leafs. Ouch.

- It's no contest: Pacioretty skates circles around the Leafs first line defense, Bozak/Phaneuf. Draws a powerplay.

- The passes to Price are nearly shots. That's how confident his teammates are in him.

- After a quick start to the period, Habs are right back to sitting on their lead, and letting the Leafs take the initiative. This team never learns, it seems.

- Habs have apparently borrowed and implemented a soccer strategy, using Price as a receiver/passer. It looks dangerously brilliant, and had been extremely effective tonight. I wonder if this will become a regular thing?

- Leafs shots have been so non-threatening this period that it appears as though Price would like to join his mates on a rush just to make things interesting. Not a joke. 

- Carey Price in some other world right now. His teammates are basically going through the motions, which is kind of a travesty. 

- Really disappointed by much of what I saw in the 2nd. Again this team, which is one shot away from knocking out their opponent, collectively chose to just be passive, thereby allowing the awful Leafs multiple scoring opportinities on Price, who was practically the only CH who bohered punching the clock. Really is unforgivable how this team takes its goaltender for granted in handling the workload, night after night after night.

FIRST PERIOD:

- Habs get off to an awful start, and then via an awful Leafs breakdown, Manny Malhotra - yes, Manny Malhotra, scores an actual goal.

- Leafs crease defense is a nightmare. Barely AHL capable, based on what I've seen the first 5 minutes of this game.

- Phil Kessel, you think you can beat Carey Price with a 35 foot wrister? Seriously?

- Habs defense doing nice keystone cops routine in their zone. Only Leafs offensive incompetence has kept them off the scoreboard.

- Gilbert's third line defense is adequate, but he has the tendency of being a space cowboy with his game awareness.

- Habs on delayed penalty, Plecks off the wing with the Leafs going through the routine of waiting to touch the puck, beats Bernier blocker side with a wrister. Leafs look totally deflated now, after starting the period strong.

- Quietly, Subban has risen as the lead candidate for a Norris. Now tied for the points lead among defensemen.

- Man, the Habs and two goal leads. The instant they get one,  the bench books vacation tickets to Bali. 

- Habs were clearly outpossesed by the woeful Leafs in the 1st period, but lead basically because Carey Price is great, and Johnathan Bernier isn't. 

GAMEDAY PREVIEW:

Ugh. Oof. Leafs fans. Man, just when you think you've kicked them enough while they're down, suddenly they rise up from the deepest burrows of despair as though they have the world by the tail.

This week was a pretty good one for the centre of the universe. The Leafs not only won a game (it's true!), they were also, amazingly, able to unload one of the worst contracts ever granted to a National Hockey League player, by somehow convincing the Columbus Blue Jackets to take David Clarkson's 7 year, $7 million/season contract, thereby granting the Leafs the ability to begin rebuilding their team. Otherwise, with Clarkson on the payroll, the Leafs were going nowhere until the year 2020.

Ugh. It just makes a guy sick.

So lick it up Leafs fans, enjoy your small moments of glory and happiness. Grasp at whatever twig of hope happens to pass you by. Over here in Habsland, we're focused on slightly larger sea bass, as the Canadiens continue to prepare for the post-season - more specifically, finishing as high as possible in the Eastern Conference standings.

Tonight, the Habs seek to maintain their 1st place Eastern Conference standing with a win over the endlessly hapless Maple Leafs. The Canadiens will welcome back the services of Sergei Gonchar, who's been out the past couple of weeks with some injury that was never fully disclosed, as per idiotic team policy. To make room for Gonghar, the Habs shipped Jarred Tinordi back to Hamilton on Friday.

With a win tonight, the Habs will increase their winning streak to four games. They're gonna need every victory they can get, because March will not be coming in like a lamb for the Canadiens, as they hit the road for a brutal west coast trip to face the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks. Also on the venue in March are games against the Islanders, three games against the Lightening, the Predators, and the Jets. Yeah, we knew well in advance that March wasn't going to be a fun month for the Habs. Tonight, the February vacation comes to an end.

Also nice to end vacation with a little dessert. That being, the Leafs.

Leafs will start Johnathan Bernier, while the Habs will counter with the best goaltender on the planet, and this years most valuable player in the NHL.

Puck drops at 7:15 EST.

Game Seventy-Two: Habs vs. Leafs

LET'S GET IT ON BABY

Third Period:

- Bouillon continues to have most icetime of any Habs player, Subban is next nearly two minutes behind. #TherrienHockey

- Kadri ties it on the powerplay, Price losing track of the puck behind his net. Habs consecutive PK streak ends at 26.

- Weaver on that PK - that really doesn't look like his specialty. But Therrien must play him somehow to make up for the weak links on that blue line. Playing Weaver on the PK means Subban can be utilized for other purposes.

- This has not been one of Andrei Markov's better nights. Poor pinches, puck chasing in his zone.

- Leafs clearly outskating and outhustling Habs in the 3rd, and generating scoring chances from high percentage locations.

- Hard to believe one of the two refs didn't raise his arm from that Van Reimsdyk run on Price. As clear cut as penalties come.

- Tic. Tac. Toe. Subban. Markov. Plekanec. Very very pretty. Habs regain lead on a powerplay beaut.

- Six minutes left, Habs are in hard chuck, dump, chase mode right now. Price will invariably have to make one or two more big saves to keep the Leafs at bay.

- Desharnais with a foolish neutral ice pinch seeking an impossible interception, it generates odd-man Leafs chance. 

- Leafs their own worst enemy with too many men. CBC has a meltdown.

- Toronto just couldn't get their act in order, and Habs hold on for the win. Leafs controlled their own playoff destiny two weeks ago, and now they'll have to scramble to hold on to a wildcard. Meanwhile, Habs just about home free for securing their ticket to the playoffs.

Second Period:

- The manner in how Therrien has structured his defensive pairings tonight means the Habs will always have one very weak link on the ice at all times. Murray, Emelin and Bouillon. This means the Leafs are going to get plenty of scoring opportunities, and Price will need to be razor sharp to keep his team ahead.

- Far less chaotic 2nd period, but the Leafs have shown a far more organized transition and rush. Habs are very much on the defensive, I suppose hoping to ride out the opposition momentum. But they can't keep playing this way, Habs need to change the dimension of this game quickly or the Leafs will tie the score. Very soon.

- Excuse the language, but what's the deal with CBC's hardon for Bolland? He's in the lineup and suddenly Toronto are Stanley Cup contenders?

- Nine times out of ten Vanek tucks the puck in on the sharp angle. Puck drifted across the line.

- Who has the most icetime of any player in this game through 34 minutes? Frankie Bouillin. Insanity.

- Price owes his goalposts dinner. Two dingers in this period and counting.

- Tempo of game picks up rapidly - that's more advantageous for the Habs.

- Habs owned the first, Leafs made appropriate adjustments with playing more disciplined positional play in their zone, and owned the 2nd. The Habs have had chronic difficulty competing this season against teams who make mis-game adjustments, if only because the Canadiens are incapable of doing so themselves. Should be a very interesting 3rd.

First Period:

- Okay, I'm fully expecting a big night from Max Pacioretty. Seven games without a goal, you know he does these things in bursts. And right now, the dam must be close to breaking.

- I'm JUST sayin' ... for reminders, Leafs Fenwick still mired in 29th place overall, a lowly 41.9%. How they're even sitting in a wildcard spot as we type, somewhat defies explanation. Oh yeah ... their PDO? Just under 102, 4th in the League. LUCK, LUCK, LUCK.

- Kessel skating against Murray. Blows past him, not even a contest. Habs are going to be victimized by this, the Leafs know darned well how terrible Murray is and will ice their best forwards against him.

- Pacioretty. We totally called that on our Twitter feed that Max would break out tonight. 1-0.

- Bourque. Woah. Reimer totally muffed that wrister. And it's 2-0. The arena is stunned, and the Reimer controversy is now front and centre.

- Weaver/Murray combo are going to be an adventure tonight.

- Pacioretty with a far more difficult wrister glove side but Reimer makes the snag. Don't want him gaining confidence here - he's on the ropes.

- Do'h. Lupul with a rocket. Markov unable to make the easy clear and instead coughs it up deep. 2-1. That Reimer save looking even bigger now.

- Bouillon with an absolutely brutal turnover behind his net, and Bozak cashes in to tie the game. We lamented pregame what a huge folly it was to start both he and Murray the same game, and now it's hurt the Habs directly on the scoreboard.

- Well that didn't last long - Gionta from Bourque to give Habs 3-2 lead. Leafs have been terribly slow and sloppy reacting to the Habs rush this period, and with Reimer chocking the hold, it's really worked to Montreal's advantage.

- Entertaining but very sloppy period of hockey. These are not two well oiled teams going head to head. Habs had clear advantage in that period but silly mistakes by the usual culprits keeps the Leafs in this game. Too bad.

GAMEDAY GOO:

OOOOOOH YAAA. Saturday night. Habs and Leafs. A critical showdown with huge playoff spot implications. Rob Ford smoking crack. WE GOT EVERYTHING GOING 2NIGHT.

So let's run down some notes.

- Jared Tinordi gets scratched. Oh well.
- Doug Murray is in. UGH
- Rene Bourque is in. Wait, who's that?!? Ooooh yeahhhhh ... that guy.

Habs lineup:
Line 1: Pacioretty/Desharnais/Vanek
Line 2: Galchenyuk/Plekanec/Gallagher (um, okay ...)
Line 3: Bourque/Briere/Gionta
Line 4: Moen/Eller/Weise

Markov/Emelin
Bouillon/Subban
Murray/Beaulieu

Oh god. Bouillon AND Murray getting starts, thanks to le Coach.

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 Twenty-Seven: Leafs vs. Habs

Third Period:

- Leafs come out charging, Habs need to survive first 5 minutes ... or else ....

- Game settling down a bit, which is fine from the Habs' perspective.

- Bernier keeping Leafs in this. Just barely.

- Bernier nice glove off the tip. Really liking Bourque's effort - quality tries on net, a less sharp netminder wouldn't have kept them all out.

- Habs a little too careful here, they'd better increase the tempo and bring this one home already.

- Definately one of Bourque's better games in awhile. Just needs to start producing points.

- Price forced to make a great save after Desharnais was mugged behind the Leafs' net. Refs have whistles firmly put away.

- 71 faceoffs and counting tonight, which is kinda crazy high.

- Plekanec can only shrug at that great save by Bernier - Leafs just won't quite go away, but time is running out.

-  Bourque can't be falted for lack of trying. Something's gotta give.

- Leafs really haven't been much of a threat since the 10 minute mark, but now they get a PP off a Van Riemsdyk dive. So weak.

- Phaneuf loses his cool, drives stake through the heart of Toronto's hopes. 

- Habs coasted to victory in the 3rd, really was no contest tonight, as Habs climb higher up the standings. The Leafs, judging by tonight's game, are heading for a hard fall.

Second Period:

- Leafs come out strong, really should have scored sans a lucky post bounce in Montreal's favor.

- Seems like Gallaher thrives these marquee Saturday night games against the Leafs. He knows a good portion of the nation is watching.

-  Parros vs. Orr. Let's just get it over with already.

- And they get it over with. Suitably, a draw. Now let's play some hockey.

- Kessel won't get them much easier than that. Leafs are snakebit.

- Pacioretty tackled on a breakaway. How that wasn't called ...

- Plekanec having quite the night - for not scoring any points. At least, yet.

- Leafs are gonna need a redeflect to beat Price tonight. If he sees it, it's not going in.

- Subban vs. Phaneuf ... Leafs will take that trade in the penalty box.

- Leafs pressing here, sensing that a goal surely must be close. But they'll have to be closer than 40 feet if they want to beat Price. So far most of their shots have been from long distance.

- Desharnais and Gallagher making an effective forechecking duo. Like their chemistry.

- Really there should be no reason why Parros should get another shift tonight.

- Plekanec, who's been massive this period, puts the Habs up 3-0. Briere doing some fine work battling for the puck along the boards. Gonna be hard for Toronto to recover from this far down.

- Briere looking great, Desharnais involved, now if Bourque could dial up his game,we'd really be cookin'.

- Pacioretty!! Bernier with the assist, and Max with his 9th shot of the night, now has three points. And counting.

- Habs letting it get to their heads - take defensive  siesta and Van Riemsdyk with a beauty flip shot that somehow slips through Price. Leafs with a sliver of hope now.

- Woah. Guys. Raymond unprotected, and Price with a bit of a juicy rebound. We've got ourselves a game. 4-2.

- Disappointig end to the period - the Habs really have this game owned, but let the Leafs slip back in. Now they'll have to actually work for it to finish things off in the 3rd. Do'h.

First Period:

- So Therrien goes with Parros, le sigh.

- Habs off to a blistering start, out skating and vastly outshooting the Leafs. But that's standard operation for Toronto isn't it?

- Pacioretty sprung on the break, bangs in his own rebound, and Habs take early lead.

- Habs forecheck creating lots of chance in Toronto's zone.

- Good no-goal call, Van Riemsdyk clearly interfering with Price.

- Pacioretty with six shots (!!!) so far and counting. The Leafs - six shots as well.

- Leafs Franson in the dressing room, apparently injured. That won't help Toronto much.

- Wouldn't be surprised if patches scores 2, 3 or 4 tonight. 

- Habs massively outhustling Leafs right now. Whether they can keep this up for 60 minutes is the big question.

- Subban scores his first in a month, this time not a slapper. Leafs opened the lane for P.K., and Habs take 2-0 lead. Patches the assist as he builds towards a big night on the scoresheet.

- Leafs reeling here, backing into their zone, and Habs are pelting Bernier as a result. Toronto wanting the clock down to zero so they can regroup in the room.

- As noted In our pregame preview the Leafs have been defying gravity this season, Habs returning Toronto further back to a proper orbit. No contest so far.

JUST SAY NO MICHEL. Orr won't get 6 minutes of ice tonight.

Gameday Game Preview:

Ah, Saturday night. The Leafs against the Habs. The one classic showdown that rarely disappoints. It's the CLASH OF THE TITANS.

Well, except that it isn't. It's a clash between a pretty decent playoff projected team (Habs) against, and this is not hyperbole, an AWFUL non-playoff team - the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Woah, woah, woah ... you might respond. The Leafs? The 14-9-3 Toronto Maple Leafs??!  Are you on Rob Ford crack? LOOK AT THEIR RECORD YOU IDIOT. THEY'RE HEADED FOR THE PLAYOFFS. THEY'RE A VERY GOOD TEAM. GO BACK TO RUSSIA YOU NINNY.

But, but, but .... I'd protest back, they're almost certainly not headed for the playoffs. Because, this:

- Corsi Differential (all situations): -16.6 (29th, only Buffalo is worse).
- Fenwick Differential (all situations): -12.6 (29th, only Buffalo is worse).
- Shot Differential: -12.6 (29th, only Buffalo is worse).

By the way, the second-to-last-ranking isn't even close to the teams ahead. They're buried in 29th place in these key categories, saved only by the fact that the Sabres might possibly be the worst team the League has seen in its modern history (and yet, somehow, the Leafs couldn't even beat them last night).

There's no logical way the Leafs should be even close to 14 wins when you look at their possession and shooting stats. No. Freaking. Way.

But ... they are. So what the heck is going on? Well, in this writer's opinion four elements have allowed the Leafs to stay somewhat competitive against their opposition. They are (in no real particular order):

1) Goaltending. For the most part, it's been very good. Jonathan Bernier and backup James Reimer have posted very similar numbers, both currently with a .931 SV%, with Bernier a slightly better GAA (2.33 vs. 2.58). Their collective performances have allowed the Leafs the opportunity to win close games against (as we shall see later) mainly less-than-average NHL teams.

2) Specialty Units. The Leafs have a pretty good powerplay, 24.4%, which has been producing goals at maddeningly apt times. Their production, in particular the timing of their production leads us into the next point ...

3) Luck. The Leafs have been incredibly lucky. Their shooting, while awful, is somehow finding the back of the net way more than it should be. Their PDO is 103.9, 3rd in the League. Only Anaheim and Colorado have been more fortunate in getting fortunate bounces. The luck love-in has also played a role in our next big category ...

4) Scheduling: Toronto's schedule has been uncannily *easy* - not only in that they've played against teams that have been struggling to get to the .500 mark, but they have played against teams that were struggling at the time of their games.

To give you some perspective on just how favorable the early season scheduling was, I've put together their win-loss record vs. "competitive" and "non-competitive" opponents. The metric for "competitive" being games against teams who at the time, had more wins than losses:

- Competitive: 2-7-1
- Non-Competitive: 12-2-2

So there you have it. Of the 26 teams they've faced this year, 10 have been against clubs with more wins that losses at the time the games were played, and the Leafs have just 2 wins to show for it. Meanwhile the Leafs have feasted (credit due - you're supposed to win these games) against teams playing under .500.

Luck, however, has this funny way of running out. The Leafs' fortunes, I'm afraid, cannot defy gravity forever - and the schedule, which was very kind through October and November, isn't looking so easy in December. In addition to facing the Habs tonight, the Leafs can look forward to clubs, mainly from the Western Conference, that are either at, or significant above the .500 threshold. The Sharks, Stars, Kings, Blackhawks, Blues, Coyotes from the West, the Bruins, Pens, and Red Wings from the East.

I foresee a very, very difficult month of December for the Leafs, and a resulting tumble down the Eastern Conference standings.

SO TONIGHT. The Leafs take on the Habs, who even with the shootout loss last night, are still playing some pretty decent hockey, and have been since their roster returned to full health. Thomas Plekance, who must NEVER AGAIN participate in a shootout, has been racking up the points. Andrei Markov continues to hold a hot hand, and Habs goaltending, even though Peter Budaj was a bit "meh" last night against the Caps, has been stellar.

The big question tonight is whether Michel Therrien can resist temptation, and NOT insert George Parros into the lineup. In the games which Parros has played, the Habs' record is 0-4-1.  Without him in the lineup, 14-5-2.

Don't do it Michel. Just don't do it.

Puck drops at 7:15 EST.