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Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Canadiens score 2 late period goals which would lead to a 4-3 victory



The L.A Kings were leading 3-2 with less than 2 minutes remaining but then the unthinkable happened Montreal forward Chris Higgins got a breakaway and shot the puck just underneath the Blocker of L.A Goalie Jonathan Quick to tie the game.Then with less than 30 seconds remaining Montreal Captain Saku Koivu scored a power-play which ended up being the game-winner. "I saw the goalie was coming out with a poke check and I got it up and over."Higgins said about his game tieing goal.Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn also scored for the Canadiens. Michal Handzus, Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll scored for the L.A. Kings.

Kings defenceman Denis Gauthier get suspended after he got a 5 minute penalty for charging and game misconduct at just 3:50 of the second period for lifting his feet off of the ice and elbowing Montreal defenceman Josh Gorges in the head. Josh Jorges looked a little dazed after the hit,he was helped to the Canadiens dressing room. He came back to the game later on in the second but did not return for the 3rd period. Theirs no update on his condition right now but their should be more news tomorrow just go to www.tsn.com.Montreal goalie Carey Price made 29 saves in the victory. As for the Kings goalie Quick made 26 saves in the lose.The Canadiens next game will be tomorrow afternoon against the RED HOT BRUINS at 2:00Pm E.T on CBC and or RDS.

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

Friday, January 30, 2009

The Canadiens host the L.A. Kings tomorrow afternoon



The Montreal Canadiens will go back home with losing all 4 of their road trip games.""We have to find that desperation back in our game," Montreal defenceman Mike Komisarek said. "We need that one shift, one period, one game to get us back on track, and get us playing with confidence, with poise and playing together." The Canadiens have lost 4 in a row for the first time in 2 years." The Canadiens fans who think that their going to win the Cup this year, I don't think that's legit right now by they way their playing right now."TSN NHL commentator Pierre McGuire said in the Canadiens v.s the panthers game.I think if the Canadiens can get their act together I think that the Canadiens can win the cup.


As for the Kings they are on a 3 game winning streak.The Kings latest win was against the Blackhawks on Thursday."I think that team is a lot better than what people give them credit for," Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell said. "They're knocking on the door for the playoffs, and I think probably too many teams underestimate them." This will be a great game.The puck drop will be at 2:08pm E.T on CBC and RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

P.S The Canadiens played against the Kings in the 1993 stanley cup final, The Canadiens won that series in 5 games to capture their 24th stanley cup.

Habs lose 4 straight for the first time in 2 seasons



After losing the first 3 straight mettings this season against the Canadiens, the Panthers came out of the gate with some hard core defense and offense as the Canadiens drop their 4th straight game in a row by the score of 5-1."You don't get many nights like that as a coach where you walk out and feel pretty good about almost every component of how the game went," The Panthers coach DeBoer said. "Now it's going to be up to us to reproduce that."Jay Bouwmeester,Stephen Weiss,Richard Zednik, Radek Dvorak and Michael Frolik scored for the Panthers in the victory.As for the Canadiens Robert Lang scored the loan goal for the Canadiens in the blow-out defeat.

When I was watching this game I noticed that, the Canadiens defense was not as sharp as it was in the Past.They were looking like the Toronto Maple Leafs."We have to find that desperation back in our game," defenceman Mike Komisarek said. "We need that one shift, one period, one game to get us back on track, and get us playing with confidence, with poise and playing together."All-star starter Carey Price, making his third start since missing eight games because of an ankle injury, stopped 31 shots in the loss.Price threw down his equipment bag in disgust in the locker room before speaking to reporters after the game."You go from having the best time of your life to the worst time of your life," Price said. "We've got to pull together. We can't start pointing fingers now or you'll never dig yourself out of the hole."The Canadiens will look to get back on track tomorrow when they go back to the Bell Center to take on the L.A. Kings at 2:00Pm E.T.(On CBC and RDS)

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Habs lose 3 straight



The Canadiens allowed 4 unanswered goals (when leading 2-1) to fall to the bolts by the score of 5-3. Koivu was unhappy about the lose." We kinda stopped playing in the second period, then we were down by a couple of goals. We have to be more consistent, in order to win games. Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu told TSN.Montreal got two goals from Maxim Lapierre, while Alex Kovalev scored the other. Andrei Markov had an assist to extend his point streak to nine games (nine assists, two goals). As for the Lightning, Vincent Lecavalier scored a pare of goals, Vinny Prospal,Steve Downie,Ryan Malone,Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier scored a pare of goals for the bolts in the win.

Late in he first when the Canadiens were leading by a goal, Lightning right wing Mark Recchi had an opportunity to tie the game, but he was stopped by Price."I wish I can get that one back but what are you going to do.I'm just happy we got the win."Reechi told TSN.Reechi only has 2 Career.The Canadiens next game will be on Thursday against the Panthers on TSN and or RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Monday, January 26, 2009

Trade rumors heating up about Lecavalier



The Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers are still very interested in Lecavalier, but the question is will The Lightning be looking to trade this star?"Were not shopping Vinny."Jay Feaster Said of the Rumors.But at the 2009 NHL All-Star game in Montreal.I saw Bob Gainy and Jay Feaster were at the Game side by side, they may possibly be negotiating a deal. This was the offer Gainy put on the Table before the All-Star game:Tomas Plekanec, Chris Higgins, prospect P.K. Subban, Josh Gorges and Andrei Markov for Vincent Lecavalier. For Lecavailer to become a Canadien,he would have to have a desire to leave Tampa and play with the team he was cheering for as a kid.Anyway, Lecavalier's Lightning will be going to Montreal to have another game against the Habs.

Tampa Bay Lightning A.T The Montreal Canadiens(Habs)Tomorrow night at 7:30PM E.T On RDS H.D.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Kovalev and Ovechkin scores in the shootout to lead the Eastern Confrence to a 12-11 win



In the First period, Carey Price started in goal for the Eastern All-Stars. In that First period Price made 9 saves on 11 shots,as the East was up 4-2 after 1 period. Alex Ovechkin,Eric Staal,Alexei Kovalev,and Andrei Markov scored in the first period for the East.J. Giguere made 7 saves on 11 shots in the first period.Keith Tkachuk and Patrick Marleau scored in the first period for the West.In the Second period it was N.Backstrom was in goal for the west and he made 17 saves on 21 shots.

Sheldon Souray,D.Boyle,Nash,Hejduk,Souray and Iginla scored for the west in the second.Henrik Lundqvist started in goal for the East in the Second,he made 15 saves on 21 shots.Martin St. Louis,E.Malkin and Kovalev scored in the second for the East.In the Final frame(The 3rd period and Overtime) Tim Thomas started in goal for the East,he made 19 saves on 22 shots.Dany Heatley,St. Louis,and Bouwmeester scored in the Third for the East.As for the West,Roberto Lungo started in the Final fram(The 3rd and Overtime) he made 13 saves on 16 shots.Doan,Toews and Kane scored in the Third.

Kovalev and Ovechkin scored in the shootout to lead the East to a 12-11 Shootout win.In this game the Fans in Montreal were so loud the Broadcasters from CBC literary had to scream so the players can here them talk."I think hockey is more popular now than it was in the '70s when we won four Cups in a row," said former Canadiens player Serge Savard. "They had 22,000 people at the workout yesterday morning. And you can see people in the streets, people with cars with flags, with the `CH' flag, the waiting list for season tickets."Their will be no All-star game next year due to the Olympics but their will definitely be one in 2011.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Photos from NHL All-Star game 2009 in Montreal










Saturday, January 24, 2009

WHEELER SCORES HAT TRICK AS THE ROOKIES BEAT THE ELDERS



Going into the All-Star game in Montreal Boston Bruins rookie Blake Wheeler didn't expect to put the puck in 3 times against a goalie like Carey Price. Wheeler was just happy to be in the All-Star atmosphere in Montreal."It's a great thing to have that rivalry for the fans to show their passion and feelings for our team," said Wheeler, whose teammates Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas and Marc Savard will play in the main all-star game on Sunday. "It's great for the sport." You Can tell that Price was not trying hard to win because he didn't want to injure his ankle. Even though Price was not playing his best game,he still made some great saves.

As for Leafs rookie Luke Schenn he has not scored his first NHL goal yet,but he still managed to score his first NHL All-Star goal."Playing three-on-three was a bit of a challenge,"said Luke Schenn, the Toronto Maple Leafs rookie."Guys are just out here feeling it out," he told CBC Sports, of the game, which had consisted of three, five-minute periods. "We haven't really played three on three in a while."This was a great game,even though it was only 15 minutes.Carey Price will play in the first 20 minutes of tomorrow nights all star game.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

P.S -Chara(Of the Bruins) won the Slap-Shot Competition.
-Ovechkin(of the Capitals) won the Creativity competition.
-Doean (of the Coyotes)Won the shootout competition.
-Malken(of the Penguins) won the accuracy competition.

Komoserk ready for the slapshot competition



Mike Komisarek will be making his All-Star debut tonight in Montreal.Komisarek is also going to have to get a harder shot then defending champ Zdeno Chara, and former teammate Sheldon Souray.Komoserk has been working hard all week practicing his Slapshot for the All-Star game hoping that he will win the Slapshot competition. “My strategy is to just shoot it low and hope I hit the net. It’s going to be a tough time if I miss the net out there,” joked Komisarek, whose last appearance in a hardest shot competition was at the 2003 AHL All-Star Game, where he recalls netting in a puck at around 96 mph.“I don’t think that’s going to win it here, though. You’ve got to at least break into triple digits to have any chance at all,” he admitted. Another former Canadiens blue liner Mark Streit will also be participating in the Slapshot competition,trying along with Mike Komiserk to be an underdog when it comes to predicting a winner.The skills competition will be tonight at 7Pm E.T on CBC.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

P.S Andrei Markov will also take place in the SlapShot Competition.

Kovalev has a few tricks in store for tonights skills competition



This years All-Star game everyone expects Kovalev to pull of some great moves in the breakaway relay.“I just do whatever comes to mind once I touch the puck. The thing is, the more I think about it, the worse it gets,” said Kovalev.I don’t think that’s going to win it here, though.You’ve got to at least break into triple digits to have any chance at all,” he admitted.Kovalev said he does not need to practice what he's going to do tonight,that was no surprise to Komoserk.“My money is on Kovy,” revealed Komisarek, who like all 36 All-Star skaters will have his own try in the shootout. “I’ve seen this guy pull moves in practice that will leave your mouth hanging wide open. I think when he was born he came out stickhandling, so Kovy doesn’t need to practice for it. With his talent and skill the puck just sticks to his blade.”The skills competition will be tonight at 7Pm E.T on CBC.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

The 17 most memorable games in Canadiens history




Rocket's record 500 goal- Chicago Blackhawks@ Montreal Canadiens-Oct. 22, 1957-To the roar of the crowd, Maurice Richard nets his record-setting 500th career goal with a ferocious slapshot. The Montreal Canadiens will go on to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1 in this historic game on Oct. 19, 1957. At age 36, the Rocket is the oldest player in the National Hockey League but he continues to amaze players and fans with his consistent and physical play.

1965 Stanley Cup Final - Chicago @ Montreal, Game 7 (May 1, 1965): The Habs win the Cup in a final series where the home team won every game. Gump Worsley made his first cup final appearance in 12 NHL seasons earning two shutouts in the series, including Game 7. Jean Beliveau won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

1975 Super Series - The Red Army vs. Montreal (Dec 31, 1975): One of the greatest international friendly's ever played. It was a 3-3 tie.

1976 Stanley Cup Final Montreal @ Philadelphia, Game 4 (May 16, 1976): The Habs won six out of 10 cups awarded in the 1970's. The 1976 Final was the first of four in a row. Philadelphia's Reggie Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in a lose to the Canadiens.

1977 Stanley Cup Final - Montreal @ Boston, Game 4 (May 14, 1977): The Habs-Bruins rivalry is alive and today because of games like these. The Bruins were very good, but just not good enough to beat the Habs. Jacques Lemaire and Guy Lafleur broke the hearts of Bruins fans several times.

1979 Stanley Cup Semifinal - Boston @ Montreal, Game 7 (May 10, 1979): The Bruins lead 4 -3 with late in the game when they take a too many men on the ice penalty. Cue the comeback, which later got Bruins head coach Don Cherry fired.

1984 Adams Division Final - Quebec @ Montreal, Game 6 (April 20, 1984): The emotion of the Battle of Quebec boiled over in this 'Good Friday fight.' It was one of the greatest rivalries in all of sport. Maybe there will be a franchise in Quebec City again one day.

1986 Wales Conference Quarterfinal - Montreal @ NY Rangers, Game 3 (May 5, 1986): If there was one game that solidified that Patrick Roy as a great NHL goalie, it was this one. At just 20 years old, Roy withstood a barrage of Ranger shots in overtime and Claude Lemieux scored the winner on Montreal's first shot to lead the Habs to a win.

1986 Stanley Cup Montreal @ Calgary, Game 2 (May 18, 1986): In another famous Game 2 of a Stanley Cup Final, the Habs set an NHL record that still stands - the fastest overtime goal in a Cup Final at nine seconds because of Brian Skrudland.


1986 Stanley Cup Montreal @ Calgary, Game 5 (Sat, May 24):In game 5 of the Stanley cup final,Montreal rookie goalie Patrick Roy made brilliant saves that you have to see to belive in the final minute with the Canadiens leading 4-3.The Canadiens would go on to win the Cup,and Roy became the second Rookie Goaltender to capture the Stanley cup.

The Closing of Montreal Forum (March 11, 1996): The last great public moment for Maurice Richard, with a moving, six-minute standing ovation for The Rocket. All the great sports venues should close like this one did.

1993 Adams Division Semifinal - Montreal @ Quebec, Game 5 (April 28, 1993): The last playoff game in Quebec City against the Nordiques and the second of a record 10 overtime games the Habs would win en route to their 24th Stanley Cup.

1993 Stanley Cup Final - LA Kings @ Montreal, Game 2 (June 3, 1993): Down 2 -1 late in the third period, Jacques Demers makes one of the greatest coaching moves in Stanley Cup history put calling Marty McSorley's illegal stick and pulling Patrick Roy for a 6-4 advantage and the tying goal. Then in overtime, defenceman Eric Desjardins would score his third goal of the game to complete the comeback.

1993 Stanley Cup Final - LA Kings @ Montreal, Game 5 (June 9, 1993): The Canadiens win the game and the series 4-1 and collect their 24th Stanley Cup - the last one captured on Forum ice. Patrick Roy wins his second Conn Smythe Trophy in another goaltending performance for the ages.

2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal - Montreal @ Boston, Game 7 (April 19, 2004): The poor Bruins. They were up 3-1 in this series with three chances to close out the Habs, who were being outplayed up to Game 4 (which included a huge blunder that led to Boston's OT win in the game). Up until 2004, Montreal had never come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series.

The Heritage Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played on November 22, 2003, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, between the Edmonton Oilers and the Montreal Canadiens. It was the second NHL outdoor game and the first regular season outdoor game in the history of the National Hockey League, and was modeled after the success of the "cold war" game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University in 2001.The Canadiens won that game 4-3.

New York @ Montreal(Febuary 15,2007):After allowing five consecutive goals to the New York Rangers, the home team rallied back to finally win the contest by the score of 6-5.This was the first time in Canadiens history that the Canadiens have came back from a 5-0 deficit.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Thursday, January 22, 2009

KOVALEV, THORNTON NAMED ALL-STAR TEAM CAPTAINS



Montreal Canadiens forward Alexei Kovalev and San Jose Sharks center Joe Thornton have been named Captains at the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal.Kovalev will wear the "C" For the Eastern Confrence All-star team.He was chosen as a starter in fan balloting and is making his third All-Star Game appearance."I'm trying not to do too much," Kovalev said of his struggles in the early portion of the season. "I came out this year and felt pretty good, so I felt like I could do a little bit extra. But it was time to go back and not try to do everything by yourself, and use your partners a little bit." Thornton Will wear the "C" For the Western Confrence All-Star Team.He was picked as a reserve for this year's team and will play in his 6th All-Star Game.Earlier today Thortan spoke about Kovalev this is what he said:"When he's out there throwing passes you have to be ready at all times because he'll find you. When you think he won't find you, he'll put the puck on your stick.”The All-Star game will take place this saturday and Sunday on any channel that broadcast the NHL.

Written By:Andrew Di Pardo

P.S. Carey Price will play in the All-Star game.

The Canadiens Lose against The Devils once again



Just as the Canadiens first power-play of the game expires,Paul Martin exit the penalty box and got a lead pass to give him a breakaway which he scored on.Martin added an assist later in the game to help the Devils beat the Montreal Canadiens 5-2 last night for their 5th straight win."It's a credit to the players, staying with it and being strong," Devils coach Brent Sutter said. "Being mentally strong allows you to handle adversity on the ice. We've dealt with adversity in the right way. Guys in that room have been through a lot, and they don't seem to get rattled."Travis Zajac, Johnny Oduya, Zach Parise and Patrik Elias also scored goals for the Devils in this game.Josh Gorges and Matt D'Agostini scored the only goals for Montreal.

"The last 30 minutes against Atlanta was better," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. "Tonight we struggled for 60 minutes, but that's the way the Devils play. They make you work hard, they make you push yourself. Give them credit, that's the way they play. We've seen this for the last 15 years. We didn't have enough people respond."Montreal Captain Saku Koivu made his return last night along with Carey Price (Who started in his first game in over a month).Koivu(who Played his first game in 2 months) had about 5-7 shots on goal but he Couldn't beat the Devils golie Scott Clemmensen."Physically I felt good,but probability better than I expected.Still after missing along time I fell all the emotion the reaction and lose pucks and all those kinda things.I wasn't where I wanted to be but that's going to take some time.The foot felt fine it was an ok game."Koivu told TSN.Don't forget the All star game starts saturday in Montreal.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Canadiens fall to the Thrashers by the score of 4-2


Jaroslav Halak started in last night's game,but gave up 3 unanswered goals to put the Canadiens behind by 3.Carey Price took over,right after Halak gave up the 3rd Thrashers goal.The Canadiens were down 3-0 and made the score be 3-2 with a pair of goals by Max Pacioretty and steve Begin.Carey Price gave up the Thrashers 4th goal as they would take the game 4-2,as for Price he was happy that he got to have some game time.''It was nice to get in there,'' Price said. ''It was pretty close (before) a couple of bad bounces. The fourth goal was a bad bounce. What can you do?''The Canadiens next game will be tonight in New Jersey against the Devils at 7:00Pm E.T on RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Senators fall to the Canadiens in a Shootout



Alex Kovalev and Maxim Lapierre scored in the shootout to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-4 win over the Senators. Kovalev opened the scoring at 7:50 in the first period with his 12th goal of the season on a 5-on-4 power-play.That goal was Kovalev's 3rd power-play goal of the season.Andrei Kostitsyn, Matt D'Agostini and Tom Kostopoulos also scored for Montreal in the game.With just 10 minutes remaning in the third the score was 4-2 for the Habs,but the Sens never gave up.The Senators eventually tied the game at 4-4 to send the game to OT and then a shootout wheir the Sens lost 2-0 in the Shootout and the final was 5-4."It's a good sign," said Fisher. "We didn't give up, we battled back. We gave ourselves a chance to win and we got a point.""He'd like to have the one back," said Hartsburg of the Canadiens fourth goal. "But I think he gave us a chance to win the game."

As for Maxim Lapierre he got fancy and deked the Sens golie to win the game for the Habs."For sure we would have like to have won it in the third period," said Carbonneau. "But we still found a way to win despite the number of injured players that we have. We still seem to be doing some good things as a team."Even though the sens lost Spezza was happy with the result."We look like a different team than we did maybe a few weeks ago," said Jason Spezza."Guys are battling pretty hard and I think that comes with a little bit of confidence and being a little more sure with the puck. We're starting to come around as a club and we've just got to try and get some wins together and hopefully climb up the standings."It's still possible for the Sens to make the post-season.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

The Canadiens will look to send the Senators back to their losing ways tonight in Ottawa



The Ottawa Senators are on a 2 game winning streak,they will look for their winning streak to increase to 3 in a row tonight against the Canadiens on home ice.The Senators winning streak started on Tuesday against the Hurricanes, the final score in that game was 1-5.The streak continued a day later against the Thrashers,the Final score was 3-2.The Sen's will look to keep this streak up tonight when they host the Canadiens.

As for the Canadiens they have won 5 of their past 6 games coming into tonight's game,even though their fighting off several injury's such as Saku Koivu,Chris Higgins,Alex Tanguay,Matthew Dandenault and Jorge Laraque.More News on Koivu he is expected to make his return either tonight or tomorrow."I will check with the doctors,but I'm not going to play until I fell 100%."Saku Koivu told CBC.

The puck drop for tonights game will be at 7:08pm E.T On CBC and or RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Friday, January 16, 2009

Montreal University corse might start studyes on the "2nd Religon``Called the Montreal Canadiens



In Montreal,hockey is like god to them, every one knows how the Canadiens are andhow many Cup`s they won.Considering that the Canadiens have won a cup every century and that this is the last year for the Canadiens to win the cup if they want ton win it this decade.Even if the Canadiens don`t win the cup this year the fans will still be loyal to them.You know it shows how loyal they are when the city of Montreal might possibly consider the idea of having a 2nd Religion program that is just about the Canadiens history."It was clear that the Canadiens were a kind of religion. For me, it was amazing that in Montreal there was a hockey jersey that is holy."Bauer said of the idea for his new French-language class.This idea will be decided over the next few months.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Carey Price may not play in the NHL All-Star game



Montreal Goaltender Carey Price,(Who was voted into the Eastern Conference's starting lineup), did not skate at the Easterns team practice in Brossard on Wednesday."If Price doesn't play a game before the break, I will recommend that my goalie skip the game."Guy Carbonneau told TSN.ca."He's an intelligent person and I hope he will have that in mind," Carbonneau said. "It's his decision. If he can't be on the ice this weekend and can't be part of a game on Tuesday or Wednesday, I don't see why he would play in this game - re-injuring his leg and be out another month."Carey Price hasn't been skating hard but he's been Skating lightly.I think this is good news for the Canadiens and the Eastern's allstar team.

"He tried to skate yesterday and it was sore," Carbonneau said. "So he went to see a doctor. It's a little setback. He's going to be off another couple of days - until Saturday or Sunday - and we'll re-assess at that time. It changes our plans a little bit, but there's no use for him to come back and re-injure the leg. We're going to have to be patient and wait." The All-Star Game will be played in Montreal on Jan. 25.More news on the Canadiens captain Saku Koivu,he's been Skating hard and will possibly play on Saturday against the Senators.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Andrei Kostitsyn's powerplay goal guides the Canadiens past the Preds



Almost all of the Habs fans thought the Canadiens would be in a hole when Montreal netminder Carey Price got a Lower-Body Injury,but that was not the Case as Price's back-up Jaroslav Halak had been making save after save to lead the Habs from a slump back to a Coup contender."We've been playing great hockey and scoring a lot of goals," Halak said after his 23-save performance. "And even when we give up goals, we seem to get one more than the other team.I knew that when Carey went out, I had to step up. It didn't work out the first few games, but then we got on a roll."

Guillaume Latendresse scored the opening goal of the game with just 24 sec. remaning in the first period to put the Habs up 1-0.In the second period Vernon Fiddler tied the game at 1-1.Later in that period Andrei Kostitsyn scored a power-play goal to put the Canadiens up 2-1.Andrei Markov would add a nother in the Period to make 3-1.In the third J.P. Dumont put the Predators within 1.But that would be all the scoring the Canadiens will take this one by the score of 3-2."We try to keep it tight and grind it out, but it didn't work out for us," said Dumont. "They got a few bounces and it cost us the game."Montreal golie Jaroslav Halak made 23 saves in the win.

"I know it was a tough situation for Jaro because we decided to give more games to Carey this year, but he has a lot of character," said coach Guy Carbonneau. "He had a stretch when he struggled, but now he's hitting his stride."The Canadiens next game will be on Saturday in Otawa to Face the Senators at 7:08pm E.T on CBC and RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Habs host Pred's tonight at 7:38pm E.T


The Montreal Canadiens will try to get back to their wining ways tonight as they host the Preadators.The Canadiens are 14-4-4 at the Bell Center this season.Last year they were one of the worst home teams in the NHL,but now their one of the best.This game will be the Canadiens first home game in 2 weeks,and this will be their last home game until Saturdays NHL All-Star game.

The Canadiens had won 4 in a row before thier 3-1 lose on Tuesday against the best team in the NHL the Boston Bruins.Chara scored a pair of Power-play goals to put the Bruins up 2-1,they would add a late period goal to take the game by the score of 3-1. Jaroslav Halak will start in goal again tonight as Carey Price is still out with a lower-body injury.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

P.S The Preadators beat the Leafs by the score OF 2-0 AND will look for their 2nd straight win tonight in Montreal.

Koivu could possibly make his return against the Predators


The Canadiens have good news for tonight's home game against Nashville,that good news is Koivu is ready to play.With Koivu's return it will had more offensive to the Canadiens(who have won 4 of their last five game)."When the team is winning, it's a lot easier to ease into your return to the lineup," Koivu told the Canadiens' official website. "At this point of my career, I've had enough injuries in my day to know that rushing things is never a good idea.It's not really a question of discomfort or strength at this point," said Koivu. "When you start skating again after a few weeks of being inactive, there is always an adaptation period. I'll be back once I'm at 100 per cent and I'll be ready."Koivu was having a good start to the season archiving 22 points in 28 games before his injury against the Lightning.

The Canadiens coming off a 3-1 defeat –only their second in 12 games Tuesday at Boston, and will face Nashvilletonight at the Bell Centre. The Predators are coming off a 2-0 shutout victory Tuesday at Toronto.If Koivu does not make his return tonight he will defenetly make his return over the weekend.The puck drop for the Game between the Predators and the Canadiens will be at 7:38 on RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Canadiens win streak comes to an end against the Bruins



Zdeno Chara scored 2 poweerplay goals to give the Bruins the lead at 2-1 the final would later be 3-1 with David Krejci late period goal.The Bruins have won their 3rd straight game against the Canadiens this season.But remember what happened last season the Canadiens had won 10 straight regular season games against the Bruins going into the playoffs and what happened?The Series went to seven games even though the Canadiens went up two games to none going into game 3,but eventually the Bruins tied the series at 3-3.The Canadiens won game seven 5-2.My point is that you can't go by regular season stats.It's like what happened to the Devils a few seasons ago, they finished in eighth but the won the Stanley cup.

Every time I watch the Canadiens against the Bruins it's always like a playoff game,especially when the fans are into the game."But when the crowd gets into it like that and the teams play with that much energy, it felt like the playoffs last year," the Bruins goalie said Tuesday night after stopping 34 shots in a 3-1 victory over the Canadiens. "It was one of the funnest games I've played this year." Their was a play earlier in the game when A.Kostitsyn hit Aron Ward from behind,it didn't look like a dirty hit but to some people it was."I'm going to let the league look into that," Julien said. "I guess the big thing with me is it's not the first time this guy has done that. I don't like to see that happening over and over from the same guys."A. Kostitsyn got a 5 minute major penalty for the hit."I don't get the five minutes," Thomas said. "I saw the replay and I didn't think it was a penalty." The Canadiens have won the past four out of six games played.The Canadiens next game will be on Thursday against the Predators.Saku Koivu is expected to make his return in Thurday nights game.


Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Sunday, January 11, 2009

S.Kostitsyn's late goal leads to a 5-4 Canadiens victory.



Going into last nights game the Cnadiens had won 3 in a row and were 12 points behind the Confrence leader.(The Boston Bruins)I don't think the Cnadiens focus going into last nights game against the Capitals was on the Bruins,I think it was more on defeating the Capitals for the first time this season.The game was tied at 4 apiece before S.Kostitsyn scored with just 21.2 seconds remaning in the Third period."The defenceman just couldn't see the puck," S.Kostitsyn told TSN.ca. "I saw it in his legs. I just took a shot. I didn't see where I was shooting."Some Capitals fans will say it was a fluke and some will say Johson should have stopped the shot. In this case it was the Capitals defenses falt for not seeing the puck.

With the Canadiens win Montreal Coach Guy Carbonneau will be the Assistant Coach of the Eastern Confrence All-Star team. It can be either a good or bad thing for Carbonneau,because the question is did he want to take the All-Star break off or did he want to coach."I was going to go to Florida, lie on a beach and enjoy it," said Carbonneau in disappointment. "I told (general manager) Bob Gainey, too bad I don't have a bonus for the all-star game."The Bruins coach Claude Juliens will be the head coach of the Eastern All-Star team.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

P.S Mats Sundin scored his first goal of the season,but the Canucks still lost the game to the Sharks by the score of 4-2.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Game Preview:Capitals at Canadiens



The Canadiens will look for their 4th straight victory tonight as they will host the Capitals tonight.The Canadiens have lost the first 2 meetings against the Capitals.The first meeting was a 3-0 win for the Caps,The second game was a closer match the final was 2-1 for the Caps."We need to play a better game against the Capitals if we want to win."Montreal Caoch Guy Carbonneau told the media.The puck drop will be at 7:08Pm E.T on CBC-M and RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Friday, January 9, 2009

THE LEAFS FORWARD GRABOVSKI GETS THREE-GAME SUSPENSION FOR ABUSE OF OFFICIAL



The NHL has suspended Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski three games for abuse of an official.This happened last night in Montreal when the Canadiens were leading 6-2 in the third period(Which would later be the final score)."I expected to be suspended for shoving Cherrey while trying to get at Kostitsyn, who was also fighting off officials to try and fight me."Graboski told the media in Russian(He had problems speaking in English to the media).Even though Cherrey was pulling Graboski back he still wanted to fight Kostitsyn.The Media is saying Graboski did the peace sigh to the Canadien crowed due to frustration over not being able to fight Kostitsyn. Grabovski said that he wouldn't mind challenging Kostitsyn to a fight where there are no Ref.s in sight. "I think he is not Belarussian now, he is French because I never fight with Belarussian guys," Grabovski said. "I don't know why he wants to fight with me. If he wants to fight, we'll go in the street and every minute of every day I'll wait for him and we'll fight."
Graboski will miss the leafs next 3 games.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

The Canadiens blow out the Leafs once again



Last night in Montreal the Canadiens had no problem scoring goals as they blew-out the Leafs by the score of 6-2. Earlier this season the Canadiens played 2 games in Toronto the first game was on Oct. 11 Montreal won that game 6-1 and the second game was on Nov. 8 and the Leafs got the win 6-3."I think our team remembered that loss in Toronto,'' added Carbonneau. "Now, everything is going good for us."The game last night was nothing like that lose in Toronto,as the Canadiens blew-out the Leafs by the score of 6-2.Sergei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse scored in the first period and Alex Kovalev, Andrei Kostitsyn scored in the second period and Max Pacioretty added the only goal for the Canadiens in the third period.Tomas Kaberle and Matt Stajan scored for Toronto last night in the lose.

The Cnadiens scored 5 times on 21 shots on Vesa Toskala, who was later replaced by Curtis Joseph to start the third period."I didn't really like the way the game was officiated," said Leafs coach Ron Wilson. "We were on the receiving end in some scrums where we had guys getting thrown in the box for 10 minutes.And it actually it was three of our better hockey players who had to spend a lot of time for not really doing anything."Former Canadien Mikhail Grabovski, was booed each time he touched the puck. Grabovski was later ejected from the game fot pushing the Ref. and kicking ice at the Ref.When he was ejected from the Game he gave the Canadiens fans a piece sighn.(You can see what Grabovski did right below)

When asked if the incidents with Grabovski will resume when the teams meet again on Feb. 7 in Montreal, Kostitsyn said "yes."''It was like an old Canadiens-Quebec Nordiques game, too,'' said Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau after his team downed the slumping Leafs 6-2 on Thursday night at the Bell Centre.Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves in the victory.The Canadiens next game will be on Saturday against the Capitals.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Canadiens will host the Leafs tonight



The Canadiens will go back home hoping that they will get their 3rd straight win as they will take on the Leafs tonight.Both the leafs and the Canadiens split the first 2 meetings.The Canadiens won the first game 6-1.The Leafs won the second game 6-3.The latest defeat for the Leafs was on Tuesday as they lost 4-2 a home loss to Florida."I was not very happy with the effort," Wilson said. "We had zero energy at all from any veteran players, to show up and lead the way. It was a quiet room before the game, it was quiet on the bench.We've got to find a way to get a little bit more passion or energy when we play a team like that."Not much bad news besides the injurys for the Canadiens as they will seek their 3rd straight win coming from a 6-3 win in New York.

The puck drop for this game will be at 7:38Pm E.T on SNET-O And RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Other NHL news:Mats Sundin made his Canucks debut last night against the Oilers.



Mats Sundin was ready to play but he was a bit rusty in the game,but to the Canucks fans this is just the beginning.Mats Sundins Canucks came out with the 4-2 victory but Sundin did not get a point on the board as Steve Bernier and his linemates stole the show."Physically, I felt better than I was hoping. It's good to get that first game out of the way," said Sundin after the game at Rexall Place, which improved the Canucks' record to 22-15-5 and dropped the Oilers to 19-17-3.This game was Sundins first NHL game in 9 months. Sundin finished the game with 15 minutes of ice time over 24 shifts, no goals, no assists, no shots on net, one hit and nine for 18 on face-offs.He admitted his shot failed him."It's timing, where you come in and shoot, you jam yourself a little bit. And when you're trying to make a pass (it goes) over a stick," he said.Sundin will hope to go to the playoffs this year and compet for the Stanley Cup.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Lang's 3RD period Hat-Trick lifts the Canadiens by the Rangers by the score of 6-3



Robert Lang started the third period with no points but that would change as he put the puck in the net on the power-play to make the score be 4-2.He would add another later in the period to make it 5-3,and with under a minute to play he scored on the empty net for the Hat-Trick."You have to kind of challenge yourself that way. No, I'm just kidding," Lang said with a laugh.The Canadiens' power play is the fourth-worst in the NHL. It had finally connected on 2 out of the 4 power-plays last night.Which was kida surprising because the Habs were facing the number 1 PK team (New York Rangers)in the league."It's been kind of a hit and miss, more miss the last four or five games," Lang said.

Alex Kovalev,Guillaume Latendresse and Andrei Markov also scored for the Canadiens.The Canadiens golie Jaroslav Halak made 36 saves in the victory."I gave up some bad goals over there, but I'm not the first guy who did that and I'm not the last one," Halak said. "I knew I could play better. I was happy with my performance."Michal Rozsival,Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan scored the Rangers goals.Rangers golie Henrik Lundqvist stopped 19 shots in the lose."As a team we played really well, but you can't expect to win when I let in five goals," said Lundqvist, who has done that four times in his last 11 outings.

The Canadiens next game will be tonight in Montreal against the Leafs at 7:30pm E.T on Sent-O and RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Markov leads the way past the Panthers in the shootout



I think the Canadiens played a hard fought game throughout the entire game.The Canadiens were hitting, shooting and having an alright game.The game went all the way to a shootout.But before the overtime ended Peltonen of the Panthers had a breakaway and the puck flew off the inside of the post.Andrei Markov scored the lone goal in the shootout to lift the Canadiens past the Florida Panthers by the score of 6-5.Anderson allowed five goals on 45 shots, but stopped 10 of 11 in the third period.Habs goalie Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves, but allowed three goals on 11 shots in the third."We were a little too relaxed," Markov said. ''We need to play 60 minutes and stay focused on the game, if we don't that's what will happen." In my opinion I think the Canadiens GM Bob Gainy should trade Jaroslav Halak to a team that needs a goalie. Halak can't handle the pressure in Montreal so far in his career.

After 1 period of play the Canadiens were down 2-0, but that would change in a hurry at the start of the Second period.Francis Bouillon, Andrei Kostitsyn, Tom Kostopoulos and Robert Lang scored the 4 unanswered goals in the second as Montreal took a 4-2 lead.Early in the third Florida made it 4-3. A few minutes after that Andrei Kostitsyn scored his second of the game to make it 5-3.The Panthers would eventually force this game to go to a shootout where later Markov would score the game winner.''Our top line is on the shelf, there are five or six guys that would be part of our club who are out, but despite that we're playing really well,'' Carbonneau said. ''Tonight was an off night defensively, but we've played extremely well over the last month while we've had these injuries." The Canadiens next game will be on Wednesday against the Rangers in New York.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Saturday, January 3, 2009

All-Star news:THE VOTES ARE IN



The votes are in today for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game that will take place in Montreal.4 Montreal Canadien players were voted into the roster for Ex.Carey Price,Alex Kovalev,Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek.Montreal forward Alex Kovalev will be playing on the same line as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins.The Eastern Conference players for the All-Star game came from just two teams.The Western Conference starters will also come from just two teams.Those teams are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Ducks.The NHl All-Star game will be in 3 weeks.

These are the All the starters for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game:

The Eastern Confrence:


G-Carey Price-Montreal
G-Marc-Andre Fleury-Pittsburgh
D-Andrei Markov-Montreal
D-Mike Komisarek-Montreal
F-Sidney Crosby-Pittsburgh
F-Evgeni Malkin-Pittsburgh
F-Alex Kovalev-Montreal


The Western Confrence:

G-Jean-Sebastien Giguere-Ducks
D-Scott Niedermayer-Ducks
D-Brian Campbell-Ducks
F-Ryan Getzlaf-Chicago
F-Jonathan Toews-Chicago
F-Patrick Kane-Chicago

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Devils cruise by the Canadiens with a 4-1 victory



Brent Sutter was very confident his team would bounce back from a disappointing loss against Dallas on New Year's Eve.And love and be hold that's what happened."I just had a good feeling," Sutter said. "I trust that group inside the room. I had good vibes coming to the rink today that we were going to play a really good game. We had a tremendous effort from our goaltender right out."Scott Clemmensen made 33 saves and Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise each had a goal and an assist.Brian Gionta and John Madden also scored for the Devils.

Max Pacioretty scored in his NHL debut for Montreal last night, which had won three straight going into last nights game."I'm glad to get the first one out of the way," Pacioretty said. "I know I have to play a lot better to stick around here. I think I'll be able to play better now that I got the first one out of the way. I wasn't handling the puck too well. Maybe it was the nerves."The Canadiens have a long list of injury's for Ex. Carey Price, Alex Tanguay, Christopher Higgins, Saku Koivu, Georges Laraque and Mathieu Dandenault.They all should return by the end of January.The Canadiens next game will be on a sunday afternoon at 2:00 Pm E.T on RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year 2009



New year is the time to wish the very best for yourself. (for E.X Goodluck, Peace, Joy, and Hope, Happiness) Have a wonderful new year.

From Andrew Di Pardo