Habs lucky to get a point, lose 3-2 in a shootout

The Habs came out as dead as a bag of doornails against the struggling Atlanta Thrashers last night at the Bell Centre. It was a reminder that despite the early season success, there are no easy wins in this league. I went to the game, and found myself tearing my hair out until late in the third period when the Habs actually decided to start trying. If the Habs had put forth that type of effort against a half decent team they would have been blown out badly. Carey Price played very well between the pipes keeping the game close and giving the Habs the chance to tie it up late.

Quick Hits:

Take Gorges, Ryder and Latendresse, and nail them to the bench! Josh Gorges just doesn't look like he's ready to be in the NHL. He looked very confused out there, refused to play the body, and made a brutal giveaway that lead directly to an Atlanta goal. I think he could use some time in the minors. Much of the same can be said about Michael Ryder. Ryder is a shadow of the player that scored 30+ goals in each of the last two seasons. He's not skating hard, looks uninterested, doesn't finish his checks, and is overall bringing nothing to our first line. The best part of this is that Ryder took the Habs to salary arbitration this off season looking for more money! Hey Ryder, WAKE UP, or you will soon find yourself in the minors. Last but not least Guillaume Latendresse should be sent down to Hamilton. Like Ryder, Latendresse is bringing nothing positive to his line or the team. He's slow, weak on the puck, doesn't hit, and really just looks like a waste of space out there. Latendresse needs to start using his size, rough up the opposition a little, and start driving hard to the net. I see Latendresse being sent down to the minors in favour of Maxime Lapierre.

No effort + no intensity = a loss. Aside from three or four players the Habs looked tired and played a very soft game. They came out flat and only managed a lousy 3 shots in the first period. Maybe they were tired from the back-to-back games this past weekend, but that is no excuse against a weak team like the Thrashers. It was a lazy, uninspired effort..

Kudos to Alex Kovalev for his hard work and strong play. That's right people, Kovy is actually working hard out there! He has been skating hard, back checking nicely, using his size, and it actually looks like he cares again. He scored another goal last night and has 10 points through the first 11 games of the season. Keep it up Kovy...

Price played a great game. Carey Price looked like an experienced veteran in nets for the Habs last night. He made the key saves, handled the puck very nicely, and gave his team a chance to win the game. What more can you ask for from a 19 year old rookie goaltender?? The Price is right...

Dandenault looks great at the forward position. Dandy really stood out last night as one of the few players who gave their best on every shift. I have been impressed with his efforts all season, and think that Guy Carbonneau made a great decision to play him as a forward this season. He skates very well, uses his size, and really seems to take pride in wearing the Canadiens jersey. Way to be Dandy...

Game Hero's: Price, Kovalev, Dandenault, Higgins, Hamrlik.

Game Zero's: EVERYONE ELSE.

Three Stars:

1) Carey Price

2) Marian Hossa

3) Alex Kovalev

Price makes home debut tonight against Atlanta

Do you remember when the Habs used the 5th overall pick in the 2005 draft to get another goalie? At the time, Jose Theodore was at the top of his game and there appeared to be no reason to be drafting another one. With our highest pick in a long time, it was expected that Bob Gainey would go get a forward with goal scoring potential. Instead, he decided to draft Carey Price. When I first heard that news I was pissed. I had no idea who Carey Price was, and I was very upset that we didn't get some badly needed scoring help. Needless to say I feel pretty stupid about all that now...

Rookie Carey Price will make his second consecutive start, and home debut tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers. This will be Price's third start of the season and he will try to improve on his respectable 2-1 record and 2.93 goals against average. He hasn't been spectacular thus far, but you can tell by watching this kid that he is really something special. Take a look at how big he looks in the net, watch how quickly he moves from post to post, see how well he moves the puck, and last but certainly not least, try and pay attention to how calm this kid stays at all times.

I will be in attendance tonight at the Bell Centre, and I'm hoping some day I will be able to look back and brag: "I was there when he played his first game in Montreal".

Sheldon who? Habs power play ranked number 1.

Remember how we all panicked about the state of the power play when news broke that Sheldon Souray would be signing elsewhere this off season? I do. My first thought was that the team would be fine because Gainey was going to sign a goal scoring forward to pick up the slack. When that didn't happen, I began to wonder.....

Through the first ten games of the season the Habs are scoring on 30.4% of power plays, good for number one in the NHL. Mark Streit and Andrei Markov are proving to be a nice blue-line tandem on the PP, and Alex Kovalev appears to be the new quarterback of the unit dictating play from his home on the right boards.

Souray's booming slap shot is certainly a force to be reckoned with, but it seems clear that the Habs are a better team without him. The power play is on fire, and we are a much better defensive team with 'The Hammer' now wearing Souray's old number 44.

Kudos to Bob Gainey for realizing that Souray was a lousy defenseman, and not worth the kind of money he was asking for. We as Habs fans should be happy that the priority this off-season was to re-sign Andrei Markov, not Souray. Well played Bob.

Habs hold off the Pens, win 4-3 in a shootout.

For the second night in a row the Canadiens came roaring out of the gate and then held on for dear life squeaking out the win. Carey price played a solid game in nets and really shone in the shootout against a hand full of talented Pittsburgh snipers. It was really nice to see another quick start for the Habs, but it is quickly becoming clear that the we have trouble finishing off our opponents.

Goal scorers for the Habs were Dandenault, Markov and Ryder, and it was Markov who sealed the victory scoring in the 8th round of the shootout.


Game Hero's:
Markov, Koivu, Higgins, Komisarek, Dandenault, Price.

Game Zero's:
Begin (bad penalty late), Latendresse, Ryder.


Three Stars:
1) Evgeni Malkin
2) Mathieu Dandenault
3) Andrei Markov

Gameday: Price gets the start tonight in Pittsburgh

Carey price will look to build on his solid start to the NHL season with a good test tonight against the offensive minded Pittsburgh Penguins.

What to look for:

Look for Carey Price to try and make a case for more playing time. I don't think that Price is uncomfortable with the current goaltending situation in Montreal, but he must know that if he plays very well we will get more and more playing time. Let's hope that Price has a good game and that we can have a good two-goalie system running throughout the season.

Look for the Habs power-play to keep producing. After last nights game in Carolina the Habs are boasting the number 1 power play in the NHL. Look for Kovalev, Streit and Plekanec to keep racking up the PP points.

I wonder who Carbo will play against Crosby. Look for our third and fourth lines to be in charge of covering the dangerous Crosby and his line mates. Also, don't be surprised if Komisarek and Markov are playing against Crosby's line all night long.

Can the Habs win on back-to-back nights? Winning on consecutive nights is always a tall order in today's NHL, but it's even tougher to do it on the road. It will be interesting to see how the Habs handle this game, I can't remember the last time we won on back-to-back nights.

Go Habs Go!

Habs beat 'Canes 7-4 in a wild one...

When was the last time you remember the Habs scoring 5 goals in the first period? Exactly..


The Habs came out flying in this one and scored 5 goals in the first period, with 4 of them coming on the power play. The game featured all sorts of entertainment including a few decent fights, tons of penalties and even a penalty shot by Eric Staal, which he converted nicely. As the game wore on though, the intensity began to sink lower and lower and it looked as if something bad was going to happen. In the end the Habs skated away with an impressive 7-4 win and move on to a tough test tonight in Pittsburgh against the Penguins.


Three Stars:

1) Tomas Plekanec
2) Mark Streit
3) Eric Staal

Gameday: Habs @ Hurricanes 7pm

The Habs hit the road this weekend with back to back games starting tonight in Carolina. This will already be the third meeting of the season for these two teams with each squad winning one. The Habs will betrying to play a safe road game tonight in order to save some energy for tomorrow night's game in Pittsburgh against king Crosby and the Penguins. Huet will be in nets tonight in Raleigh, while Carey Price will take to the crease tomorrow in Pittsburgh.

Keys to tonight's game for the Habs:

1) Lots of shots.

2) Win lots of face-offs.

3) Contain Staal, Whitney and Stillman.

4) Play a full 60 minutes.

5) Tight defence, especially in front of Huet.

6) Use our speed.

A few things to look for tonight:

Alex Kovalev will be playing his 100oth career NHL game tonight. Kovalev isn't looking at this game any differently than he would any other. Look for him to continue his strong play and to be quarterbacking the power play from his office on the right wing boards.

Look for the Habs to throw a lot of rubber at red-hot Cam Ward. After a sub-par year in defence of the Stanley Cup title, Cam Ward has lost 15 pounds and is looking as good in nets as ever. Ward is yet to lose a game in regulation this season, and I'm sure he'll be doing his best to keep that streak alive tonight.

Look for Michael Ryder to respond to his critics with a strong performance. Ryder has been dogging it to this point in the season and everyone knows it. He knows that the only way to silence the doubters is to produce, so let's hope he does just that. Keep an eye on him and watch to see if he's working hard out there.

Watch out for Brind'Amour in the face-off circle. To be successful against Carolina you need to be able to beat Brind'Amour on face-offs. 'The Nose Beast' is a force to be reckoned with on the draws and we'll need to do well against him, especially on the power-play. Look for Koivu to be taking a lot of the face-offs against him.

GO HABS GO!

8 games in... Where do we stand?

Our beloved Habs are playing very well right now. Here are some early season thoughts on each player currently on the roster:

Forwards:

Steve Begin: 1 goal, 1 assist, +2 rating. Steve had a slow start to the season, but since he was scratched for one game he's taken his game to another level.

Kyle Chipchura: 1 goal, o assists, +1 rating. Chips seems to be making good progress getting used to the NHL game. Playing solid defensive hockey, but still making some mistakes.

Mikhail Grabovski: 1 goal, 1 assist, even rating. Grabovski started slow, but it seems like he has found his home on the wing (not centre). Good talent and great speed. Lots of potential.

Chris Higgins: 3 goals, 4 assists, +2 rating. Higgins is playing great hockey. He's working hard every shift and seems completely invested in the success of the Canadiens.

Saku Koivu: 2 goals, 6 assists, +3 rating. Saku has been playing hard and winning tons of face-offs. He continues to be a great leader and a great player.

Andre Kostitsyn: 1 goal, 0 assists, even rating. Kostitsyn is the odd man out right now. He didn't make a great impression during his first few games, but look for him to try and prove himself when he next makes it into the lineup.

Tom Kostopolous: 0 goals, 2 assists, -2 rating. Tom made some very costly mistakes early, but he's now playing with a purpose and using his size. Looking like a valuable 4th liner.

Alex Kovalev: 4 goals, 3 assists, +2 rating. Kovy seems more interested in winning than ever. He's doing what we all expect him to do and maybe even a bit more.. Lets hope he continues it.

Guy Latendresse: 1 goal, 0 assists, -1 rating. Guy had a brutal start to the season. He responded well to being benched and is starting to use is size to his advantage. The jury is still out on 'his tendreness', but hopefully he can live up to our expectations.

Garth Murray: Murray has only played one game and is currently sidelined due to injury.

Tomas Plekanec: 1 goal, 5 assists, -1 rating. Pleks is getting better with every game. He's showing great vision and has the potential to be a real force for the Habs as we move forward.

Michael Ryder: 1 goal, 3 assists, even rating. Ryder is really struggling right now. Don't give up on him just yet, but don't be surprised if you hear that Bob Gainey is shopping him around.

Bryan Smoliski: 1 goal, 2 assists, -1 rating. Smokes has been a great surprise so far for the Habs. Doing well in the face-off circle and on the penalty kill. He's playing his role nicely.

Defence:

Francis Bouillon: 0 goals, 0 assists, +2 rating. Franky is playing decent hockey. No glaring weaknesses night now but certainly could be playing better.

Patrice Brisebois: 1 goal, 2 assists, even rating. The breezer is making a few too many mistakes in his own zone, but he's working hard and desperately wants to succeed. We'll see...

Mathieu Dandenault: 1 goal, 1 assist, even rating. I'm loving Dandy as a forward. He's skating well, using his size and doing a good job on the penalty kill.

Josh Gorges: Odd man out on the crowded blue line. He's only played one game this season and didn't look ready for the NHL just yet. I could be wrong, but looks like he needs some work.

Roman Hamrlik: 1 goal, 4 assists, +2 rating. Playing great defensive hockey and even chipping in offensively. He isn't making mistakes and looks very calm and comfortable out there. Great pickup by Gainey.

Mike Komisarek: 0 goals, 1 assist, +2 rating. Komi's been excellent thus far. He's been playing a very physical game and intimidating the opposition. Keep it up Komi.

Andrei Markov: 3 goals, 3 assists, even rating. Who thought we should have kept Souray over Markov this off season? If you did, you now see why Gainey made the choice he did. Markov is playing very well.

Mark Streit: 1 goal, 3 assists, -3 rating. Streit has yet to find his game this season. I don't know what the answer is, but he needs to step it up a notch.

That's it for now...

Do you agree? Disagree? Post a comment!

Habs bust the Bruins 6-1

It was a great night to be a fan of the bleu blanc et rouge as the habs poured in 6 goals in front of a frenzied crowd at the Bell Centre. 6 different players got in on the act including Mikhael Grabovski potting his first career goal, Breezer with his first of the season, and Steve Begin also getting his first of the young season. The other goal scorers for the Habs were Kovalev, Markov and ChrisHiggins. Cristo-Wall Huet turned in another strong performance stopping 31 of 32 Bruins shots on the night, including a show-stopper against Glen Murray, robbing him of an easy open net goal. Overall it was a great team effort by the Canadiens with goals coming from all four forward lines.

Game Hero’s: Huet, Higgins, Plekanec, Grabovski, Kovalev, Kostopolous, Begin, Smolinski, Komisarek, Markov, Hamrlik.

Game Zero’s: Ryder, Bouillon, Streit.


Quick Hits:

The Habs showed off their speed and depth at the forward position. When you a get a goal from each of your four lines you know you’ve got some depth at forward. Last night we even saw Kostopolous and Begin flying in on a two-on-one looking like a couple of veteran snipers with Kostopolous showing great patience and then throwing a gorgeous pass across to the streaking Begin who had no problem banging it in to the back of the net. After a few games of line juggling, coach Carbo seems to have found a place for everyone and the lines are beginning to click nicely.

Bottom Line: Good job by Guy Carbonneau with the lines, and a nice effort from all the forwards last night (except Ryder, but I’ll get there….).

Michael Ryder should be ‘ryding’ the bench. I feel the need to start by saying I have nothing against Michael Ryder and if he were playing hard I would leave him alone. That being said, right now Ryder is looking like a 4th line AHL player. So far this season he has brought absolutely nothing to the table, and I’m thinking Carbo should scratch him for a game or two. Ryder looks like he thinks everything will just come to him and that he doesn’t have to work hard..WRONG! Hate to tell you Mikey but it doesn’t work like that when you’re in the NHL playing against the best hockey players the world has to offer.

Bottom Line: Ryder needs to wake up and realize he needs to play hard every game otherwise he could become expendable very quickly.


Anyone ready to give Huet the credit he deserves? For some reason Cristobal Huet has had a hard time earning the respect and confidence of the fans and media in Montreal. The guy has been a very good goalie for the Canadiens since he arrived to save us from the Jose ‘I fell down the stairs’ Theodore meltdown. Last season he was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, this was no fluke people. I am very much looking forward to the Carey Price era in Montreal, but right now Huet should continue to get most of the playing time for the Habs.

Bottom Line: Another great performance by Cristobal Huet.

Take some time to appreciate Mike Komisarek, he’s money in the bank. Komi is looking more and more like an All-Star defenseman every day. Nothing but respect to Canadiens management for turning a great draft pick into a great player. It’s not often that the Habs draft a player and develop him properly, but they hit the nail on the head with this one. It took him a couple of seasons to put it all together, but right now Komisarek is playing very good hockey and we are lucky to have him.

Bottom Line: Way to be Mike, keep dishing out the hits!

Gameday: Bruins @ Habs 7:30pm

Big game tonight habs fans, here are a few things to look for....

Look for Roman 'the hammer' Hamrlik to continue his strong play and log lots of ice time. He may not have the howitzer that Sheldon Souray used to wow us with on the power-play, but he does know how to play the defensive game properly. Hamrlik doesn't seem to get rattled, he makes good decisions and plays tough in our own zone. Hamrlik was a great addition to our blue line and look for him to continue his solid play as he continues to get more comfortable wearing the CH.

Bottom Line: We should be thanking our lucky stars that we went out and got a new #44. The old one is sidelined with a separated shoulder, not scoring goals, and sporting a -3 in the plus/minus category.

Look for Brian Smolinski to play an inspired game as he celebrates his 1000th career NHL game. I was certainly skeptical when I heard the habs had signed Smolinski in the offseason, thinking it was just a cover up for not being able to land a big name free agent. Truth is it might have been, but through the first bunch of games I am becoming more and more of a Smolinski fan. He seems to be a responsible veteran player that kills penalties, wins key face-offs, checks against top lines, and overall a good guy to have around our up and comming young players. Congrats to Brian for reaching this milestone in his career, it is no small feat.

Bottom Line: Smolinski was brought in to replace Radek Bonk, but he is certainly an upgrade from the slow skating Bonkers. Smolinski has been around the block and back, and is certainly the kind of guy the Habs need both in the locker room and on the ice.

Look for Latendresse and Begin to build on Saturday nights performance and continue to prove that they belong in the starting lineup. 'His Tendreness' and 'Stevie-B' both started this season playing like ****, though as I mentioned in my last post they both look like they've benefited greatly from being healthy scratches for one game early in the season. Let's keep a close eye on them and make sure they are working hard and hitting everything in sight because that's what we need them to do.

Bottom Line: These two guys have to give 100% every single game to effective. Let's hope they do.

Habs best the toothless Sabres 4-2 on home ice..

Quick Hits:

* Kudos to Mathieu Dandenault for embracing his new role as a forward and working hard all game long. I am very impressed with the way Dandy has embraced his role as a grinding forward. He really stood out last night beating players to the puck, throwing his weight around and overall just looking like he was giving everything he had every time he stepped on the ice. Other players should take notice.. *cough* Ryder.

Keep it up Dandy...

* Much respect to Guy Carbonneau for healthy scratching Begin and Latendresse the other night because it really looks like it made a difference. All of a sudden the old Steve Begin is re-born. Last night he was out there looking like his old self hitting, intimidating, and forcing the opposition into making mistakes. Similar good things can be said about Latendresse. After one game in the press box he also looks like a new player. 'His Tendreness' is skating hard, finishing checks and getting pucks to the net..

Keep workin hard Guillaume...

You da man Steve....

* Where on earth is Michael Ryder? Ryder is clearly yet to find his game this season. He seems uninspired and even confused on the ice. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I can tell you that he does not look like a first line NHL'er out there, not even close. Ryder needs to start working harder and taking more pride in his game. We all know that he can snipe that top corner with the best of them, but it's not going to happen if he doesn't put in the effort.

Wake Up Ryder...

* Huet continues to shine with Carey Price waiting in the wings. As many current and ex Habs players could tell you playing under the microscope in Montreal isn't the easiest of tasks. That being said, even with the 'heir to the crease' (Price) on the teams roster, Huet doesn't seem phased and continues to play very well. I think Huet deserves a little more respect and recognition that he's been getting from the fans and media. I am certainly very excited about Carey Price (He's the real deal) and would love to see him in the net more often, but as a Habs fan I can recognize that the way Huet has been playing it would be unfair to dethrone him from the "Number 1' role just yet.

Way to be Cristo-Wall...