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
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2 comments:
Ryder or Gorges are not going to the minors... there is a thing called waivers which will allow any other team to pick them up. If you think these 2 will make it to the minors (2 year consecutive 30 goal scorer or a prospect D man at league minimum) your nuts! We lost Hainsey this way, Gainey's not willing to give up on them and make the same mistake twice.
Gorges can not be expected to play once every 9th game and be as sharpe as nails. before his limp pass he was having a good game. Markov had a similar brain fart moments earlier but was lucky the player did not notice it... Maybe some time in the minors for him too?LOL Ryder not scoring but no minors in his future... Latendresse will probably be in the lineup as well since he does offer some physical play when he shows up!
Good points, but what do you do with these guys? Gorges has been very weak in all of his appearances. Latendresse only offered physical play for the two games after he was scratched from the lineup, and Ryder is really holding the first line back. Gorges to the minors, Latendresse to the 4th line, and Ryder traded to another team. How about that?
p.s. I would love to see big Ryan O'Byrne up with the big team instead of Gorges..
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