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Saturday, April 27, 2013

HABS BEAT LEAFS 4-1 AND MOVE INTO SECOND; WHO WILL THEY PLAY IN THE PLAYOFFS?





















GOAL SCORERS

MTL:   L. Eller (18:01 - 1st) , A. Markov (04:19 - 2nd) , B. Gallagher (09:18 - 2nd) , T. Plekanec (02:25 - 3rd)
TOR:   P. Kessel (PPG, 15:36 - 1st)
GOALIES

MTL: P. Budaj (W)
 TOR: J. Reimer (L) , B. Scrivens






         Earlier tonight in Toronto it was the final game of the regular season for the Habs and the Leafs. If Toronto won they would be guaranteed to face Montreal in the playoffs. If the Habs won they would move to second temporarily depending on the result in the Bruins game tomorrow. So what happened? 15 Minutes in, Kessel scored to make it 1-0 Toronto. 3 minutes later, Gallagher centred the puck to Eller and he scored to tie the game. The shots were 9-6 Montreal after 1 and it would only go downhill here for Toronto. 4 minutes into the second, Markovs point shot beat Reimer to give Montreal the lead. They wouldn't stop there.

      A few minutes later Eller centred the puck to Gallagher and he scored to make it 3-1. The shots in the second were 11-1 Montreal. 2 minutes into the third, Plekanec scored to make it 4-1 Montreal and that was it for Reimer as he got the hook after allowing 4 goals on 23 shots. So Scrivens came in to finish the game and he made 5 saves as the Leafs would lose this game 4-1. In the win, Budaj made 16 saves."We wanted to impose the rhythm," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "The players did a fantastic job executing the game plan. These are games with a lot of emotion and the type of game you want to play. They executed it fantastically tonight."

       The Bruins lost to the Capitals 3-2 in overtime so now Montreal is in second for now. Tomorrow the Bruins play Ottawa and if the Bruins win, they will face the Leafs in the playoffs and if they lose they will play the Senators in the Playoffs. A Bruins loss tomorrow would mean that the Habs would face the Leafs in the playoffs for the first time since 1979."The idea of (Montreal versus Toronto) is pretty cool," Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher said. "Obviously I'm assuming it would be the most emotional first-round series ever, so that aspect of it is cool."

        "But for us, we don't really care who we're playing. It's about us. It matters what we do and that's all we're talking about. We'll watch the game (Sunday) and find out who we play." A Bruins win tomorrow would also mean that the Habs would play the New York Islanders in round 1 of the playoffs. The Bruins play the Senators tomorrow night at 7:08pm E.t in Boston.

    Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Thursday, April 25, 2013

CANADIENS CLINCH HOME ICE ADVANTAGE WITH A 4-2 WIN AGAINST THE JETS















GOAL SCORERS

MTL:   R. Bourque (09:54 - 2nd) , B. Gallagher (02:07 - 3rd) , D. Desharnais (PPG, 07:57 - 3rd) , M. Pacioretty (10:50 - 3rd)
WPG:   J. Wright (09:10 - 1st) , B. Wheeler (14:43 - 2nd)
GOALIES

MTL: C. Price (W)
 WPG: O. Pavelec (L)





         Earlier tonight in Winnipeg, the Jets were playing their final game of the 2013 Regular season. Before the game the Jets still had a slight chance of making the playoffs as they sat 9th in the East, 1 point back of both the Rangers and Senators for 8th. 10 minutes in, Boullion had the puck behind the Habs net and he lost his balance, Thorburn picked up the puck and centred it to Wright and he scored to make it 1-0 Jets. The shots in the first were 8-5 Montreal. 10 minutes into the second, Galchenyuk drove the net from the left side and he was stopped and there was a scramble for the puck and Bourque knocked it home to tie the game.

           5 minutes later, Wheeler scored to make it 2-1 after 2. The shots in the second were 11-9 Montreal. During the intermission, Callahan scored in overtime to win the game for the Rangers 4-3 is the final against the Hurricanes. So New York clinched a playoff spot. Then it was 1-1 in Overtime between the Senators and the Capitals and the Sens were on a powerplay and Gonchar scored to win the game and clinch a playoff spot for Ottawa. So at this point its official, the Jets have been eliminated.

       At the start of the third, the Jets knew what had happened and they came out with little to no energy. 2 minutes in, Gallaghers slap shot from the right wing went off the arm of Pavelec and in to tie the game. 5 minutes later with the Habs on a 5 on 3 powerplay, Subbans one time was redirected right to Desharnais and he scored to give Montreal the lead. Pacioretty would score another goal as the Habs beat the Jets 4-2 and clinch home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

          "We knew after the second we are out," goaltender Ondrej Pavelec said."It's not an excuse at all but it's tough to play when you know you've got 20 minutes left in the season."In the win, Price made 23 saves. In the loss, Pavelec made 26 saves.  "It's a big win against a desperate team," Montreal captain Brian Gionta said."It's huge. Home ice is really big in the playoffs. ... You keep forcing plays, you keep being relentless on the puck, eventually they're going to turn it over and they're going to get tired and we took advantage in the third."

          Montreal can potentially play any team in the playoffs that has clinched except for the Bruins, Capitals and Penguins. But the Habs only have 1 game remaining and are tied for second with the Bruins who have 2 games to go. Unless the Bruins lose their next 2 games, the Habs will play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. We will know by the Sunday who the Habs will play, my money is on the Leafs.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

PLAYOFF RACE: JETS VS HABS
















             Tonight in Winnipeg, its the Jets biggest and last game of the season as they take on the Canadiens. The Jets currently sit 9th in the East with 51 points, just 1 back of both the Ottawa Senators and the New York Rangers for the 8th and final playoff spot. With a win over the Montreal Canadiens tonight the Jets would move into 8th, but its not a done deal as both the Senators and the Rangers have 2 games remaining. The Rangers have a game tonight against Carolina and the Senators have a game against Washington. In order for the Jets to make the playoffs they need either the Sens or the Rangers to lose two in a row in Regulation. So at this moment all the Jets can do is win the game against Montreal and hope for the best.

      Onto the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs currently sit in a tie for second in the East with 59 points along side Boston.They will be looking to move in front of the Bruins with a win.


Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Remaining games:

For the Jets: 1

Vs Montreal

For the Canadiens: 2

@ Winnipeg
@Toronto

For the Bruins(Results effect Canadiens): 3

VS Lightning
@ Capitals
VS Senators

For the Rangers (Results effect Jets): 2

@ Hurricanes
Vs Devils

For the Senators (Results effect Jets): 2

@ Washington
@ Boston

Thursday, April 18, 2013

THE PRICE IS RIGHT! HABS SNAP LOSING STREAK






















GOAL SCORERS

TBL:   R. Panik (PPG, 17:36 - 2nd) , V. Lecavalier (05:07 - 3rd)
MTL:   A. Galchenyuk (04:04 - 2nd) , B. Gionta (15:05 - 2nd) , B. Gionta (PPG, 19:13 - 3rd)
GOALIES

TBL: B. Bishop (L)
 MTL: C. Price (W)





            Earlier tonight in Montreal, the Habs took on the Lightning in a attempt to snap their 3 game losing skid (where they were out-scored 18-7). Price was back between the pipes looking to give up less 4 or 5 goals for the first time since getting new pads. There was no score in the first and the shots were 10-10. The highlight of the first was Martin St.Louis's breakaway attempt on Price. He went from right to left and was robbed by the right pad of Price. 4 minutes into the second, Drewiskes shot went wide, Gallagher threw it back in front to Galchenyuk and he scored to make it 1-0 Montreal.

          10 minutes later, Pacioretty played the puck to Plekanec and his shot was deflected by Gionta and in to make it 2-0. 2 minutes later with the Bolts on a powerplay, Panik scored to cut the lead to 1. The shots in the second were 13-10 Montreal. 5 minutes into the third, Pouliots shot was deflected off a Hab player right to Leacavalier in front and he scored to tie the game. With under a minute to play in the game, the Habs were on a powerplay. Webers shot went wide and bounced back in front for Gionta and he scored his second of the night to make it 3-2. That would be the final as Montreal snaps their losing streak.

         In the win, Price was outstanding, making 32 saves, the Price is definitely right. In the loss, Bishop made 32 saves. "It was a big win,"Price said. "Things havn't been going well lately but we found a way to get out of it."

Written By Andrew Di Pardo



Saturday, April 13, 2013

PRICE HAS AN OFF NIGHT; LEAFS BEAT HABS 5-1

GOAL SCORERS

MTL:   D. Drewiske (13:08 - 1st)
TOR:   T. Bozak (PPG, 01:59 - 1st) , L. Komarov (08:08 - 1st) , J. McClement (10:25 - 1st) , D. Phaneuf (17:06 - 1st) , P. Kessel (04:42 - 2nd)
GOALIES

 TOR: J. Reimer (W)





















        Earlier tonight in Toronto, the Montreal Canadiens clashed against the Leafs for the 4th time this season in a potential playoff match up. Carey Price got the start for Montreal and was sporting new pads for the playoffs, something that he will regret. 2 minutes in with the Leafs on the powerplay, Van Riemsdyk played the puck to Bozak at the side of the net and he scored to make it 1-0 on Toronto's first shot on goal, 6 minutes later, Komarov had the puck at the right circle and he dumped it on goal and it slipped through the pads of Price to make it 2-0.

     McClement would score a few minutes later on a similar play and that would be it for Price as he gave up 3 goals on 4 shots. So in comes Peter Budaj. 3 minutes later, Drewiskes shot from the point beat Reimer for his first goal as a Montreal Canadien to cut the lead to 2.  With under 3 to play in the period, Phaneuf had the puck on the left wing and he fired a shot past Budaj to make it 4-1. The Habs out played the Leafs in the first, winning all the puck battled and races for the puck and they threw 13 pucks at Reimer, while only allowing 5 on Price/Budaj. But there was 4 problems, 4 goals on 5 shots.

            5 minutes into the second it would go from bad to worse, as Kessel scored to make it 5-1. The shots in the second were 16-14 Habs but they once again couldnt score. There were no goals in the third as the Leafs would win 5-1 and are guarenteed to win the season series against the Habs as they have only lost once in four games and theres just one more game to be played between these two. In the loss, Price (who was pulled after 10 minutes) made 1 save on 4 shots and Budaj made 22 saves on 24 shots. In the win, Reimer made 36 saves.

       So what happened to Montreals rock solid goaltending tonight?"I put us behind the 8-ball right off the bat," Price said. "You can't come out with a start like that." The Canadiens coach also spoke about Price."It was a tough night for (Price), but those things happen in your career," coach Michel Therrien said. "He's a good kid, he cares, he's had a good season, he's got character and he's going to bounce back. I have no doubt about that." But the good news for Montreal is that they're still second in the East by 1 point as the Boston Bruins lost 4-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Another good thing for Montreal is that theres only 7 games remaining until the playoffs and they have already locked up a spot.

     But back to the Canadiens performance tonight. They played well and deserved to win, but when you have a goaltender who is having an off night, its not possible to win unless you score 7 goals like Pittsburgh did earlier this season in Montreal (7-6).  The Habs were shooting, taking the puck to the net (especially Gallagher who had a few jawing matches with Kadri). But they werent scoring and that was one of the two problems for Montreal tonight and its been a problem against Toronto all season.

    Game 1 against Toronto they lost 2-1, game 2 was a 6-0 blow out, game 3 was a 5-2 win and tonight they lost 5-1. Montreals been outscored 15-7 in 4 games against the Leafs this season and trail the season series 3-1 with one more game to go on the last day of the Regular Season. "I call it maturity," Carlyle said Saturday night. "And it's maturity as a team, understanding in hockey games that the momentum can switch on one bounce, one power play, one turnover ..."

       " You can't really jump on people when you win 5-1, so as a coach you've got to really be cautious in how you deliver your message and how you get them to understand that there's a different way when the score's lopsided like that.You've got to really remain focused 110 per cent to make the safe play and make the right play. We did that for a good part of the hockey game."But I believe, come playoff time if these two teams meet that Montreal will turn things around.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

     

Thursday, April 11, 2013

HABS CLINCH A PLAYOFF SPOT WITH A 5-1 WIN AGAINST BUFFALO






















GOAL SCORERS

MTL:   R. Bourque (06:43 - 1st) , A. Galchenyuk (10:27 - 1st) , B. Gallagher (04:36 - 2nd) , A. Markov (PPG, 17:54 - 2nd) , P. Subban (PPG, 17:19 - 3rd)
BUF:   B. Flynn (SHG, 06:45 - 3rd)
GOALIES

MTL: P. Budaj (W)
 BUF: R. Miller (L) , J. Enroth





         Earlier tonight in Buffalo, the Habs took on the Sabres in an attempt to clinch a playoff spot. 7 minutes in, the Habs came in on a 3 on 1 and Plekanec played the puck to Gionta in front and his shot was tipped in by Bourque to make it 1-0. 3 minutes later, Ryder played the puck to Gallchenyuk at the side of the net and he scored to make it 2-0. The Habs had the puck all period long as the Sabres couldn't find a way to keep possession as the Habs lead the game 2-0 and lead 15-7 in shots after 1.

       4:36 ino the second, Desharnais's shot was stopped and the rebound went to Gallagher behind the net and he wrapped the puck around the net and scored to extend the lead. That was it for Miller as he gave up 3 goals on 32 shots. So in comes Enroth.Late in the period with the Habs on a 5 on 3 powerplay, Subban played the puck to Markov and his shot beat  Enroth to make it 4-0. The shots in the second were 17-4 Montreal.

          The Sabres would break Budajs shut out bid with a shorthanded goal from Flynn. But the Habs would get it back on the powerplay late in the third with a goal by Subban as the Montreal Canadiens win 5-1 and have clinched a playoff spot. In the win Budaj made 14 saves. In relief for Ryan Miller, Enroth made 9 saves."He played well. There was nothing he could do," Rolston said, of Miller. "We didn't have enough effort. We didn't have enough going. We had too many passengers."

      This win is the Montreal Canadiens 26th win of the season, the most wins in the first 40 games of the season since the 1978-79 season, when the Habs had a record of 27-8-5. But Subban doesn't want to compare this Canadiens team to the team of the late 70s."I think we're just worried about creating our own identity," Subban said. "We're not finished. We have a lot to accomplish here."

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Montreal Canadiens Vs Washington Capitals - 04/09/2013


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

CAPITALS WIN 5TH STRAIGHT WITH A 3-2 WIN IN MONTREAL














GOAL SCORERS

WSH:   A. Ovechkin (07:50 - 2nd) , E. Fehr (09:36 - 2nd) , J. Hillen (05:33 - 3rd)
MTL:   L. Eller (15:44 - 1st) , L. Eller (16:38 - 3rd)
GOALIES

WSH: M. Neuvirth (W)
 MTL: C. Price (L)





         Earlier tonight in Montreal, the Washington Capitals visited Montreal looking to extend their winning streak to 5 in a row. The Habs were without Alexi Emelin (who is out the rest of the season & the playoffs with a lower-body injury), but good news is Rene Bourque made his return to the lineup.  15 minutes in,  Prust centred the puck to Eller and he scored  to make it 1-0. The shots were 11-7 Capitals in the first.

      7:50 into the second, Ovechkin received the puck at the blue-line and he deked his way past Ryder and fired a shot past Price to tie the game. "I beat Ryder and I knew there was lots of traffic in front," Ovechkin said about the goal. "The shot wasn't that hard but it went in, so that's good."2 minutes later, Hillens shot from the point was tipped over the shoulder of Price and in by Fehr to make it 2-1. The shots in the second were 13-10 Montreal. 5 minutes into the third Hillen scored to make it 3-1. Late in the third, Beaulieus shot from the point was tipped past Neuvirth by Eller to cut the lead to 1.

    But thats as close as the Habs would get as they lose 3-2. This lose was Montreals first lose to a Southeast division this season (11-1-0). "We knew they were going to make a push, which they did," said Capitals coach Adam Oates. "The building gets electric and it gets hard to play here. It's great for the guys to fight through that and experience that, because it's going to help down the road."In the loss, Price made 24 saves, In the win, Neuvirth made 27 saves as the Capitals are 6-0-1 in their last 7 games at the Bell Centre.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Saturday, April 6, 2013

CANADIENS BEAT BRUINS 2-1 & WIN THE SEASON SERIES






















GOAL SCORERS

BOS:   D. Paille (07:10 - 2nd)
MTL:   A. Galchenyuk (06:49 - 1st) , M. Ryder (PPG, 00:57 - 2nd)
GOALIES

BOS: T. Rask (L)
 MTL: C. Price (W)





            Earlier tonight in Montreal, it was the battle for 1st in the Northeast Division between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens. 2 minutes in, Francis Bouillion dropped the gloves against Andrew Ference. Bouillion was wrestled to the ice. 5 minutes later, Subbans shot was deflected to the side of the net and Gallchenyuk threw it back in front and it went off the leg of Matt Bartkowski and in to make it 1-0 Montreal.  The shots were 10-5 Montreal in the first.57 seconds into the second with the Habs on a powerplay, Subbans point shot was tipped in by Ryder to make it 2-0 Montreal. 6 minutes later, Paille won the faceoff right to Boychuk and his shot from the point deflected off the back of Paille and in to cut the lead to 1.

        A minute later, Charas shot was stopped and the rebound went to Horton and he was robbed by the glove of Carey Price. The shots in the second were 12-11 Boston.Late in the third, Eller took a 2 minute holding penalty. So with 56 seconds to go the Bruins pulled their goalie and they have a powerplay. Sound like trouble right? For the full the final minute, the Bruins cycled the puck from the point to the wings and behind the net and they never took a shot as the Habs blocked off all the shooting lanes and hung on for the 2 to 1 win. The shots in the third were 10-8 Boston in a scoreless period.

         With the win the Canadiens take a 3 point lead over the Bruins for second in the East and they have also won the season series 3 to 1."We're finding ways to win games," Canadiens center Lars Eller said. "This time we protected a lead over three periods. The last game we played in Boston we caught up after being behind by two goals."There's a lot to like about this team. Really. But there are still 10 games to go, and if you want to go to the Stanley Cup finals you have to be good enough to beat every team. You want to finish with as good a record as you can and feel good going in, and this one felt really good."In the win, Price made 26 saves. In the loss, Rask made 27 saves. The Habs have won three straight games against the Bruins and are beginning to look like Stanley Cup contenders.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Montreal Canadiens Vs Winnipeg Jets - 04/04/2013

Thursday, April 4, 2013

RYDER GRABS 3 POINTS AS THE HABS DOWN THE JETS 4-1






















GOAL SCORERS

WPG:   A. Burmistrov (08:16 - 1st)
MTL:   M. Ryder (PPG, 10:47 - 1st) , M. Ryder (02:03 - 2nd) , B. Gionta (PPG, 05:51 - 2nd) , A. Galchenyuk (07:43 - 3rd)
GOALIES

WPG: O. Pavelec (L)
 MTL: P. Budaj (W)





             Earlier tonight in Montreal, the Canadiens took on the Winnipeg Jets. The Boston Bruins beat the New Jersey Devils earlier tonight 1-0 with the loan goal by the new Bruin, Jagr. So now its crucial for the Habs to grab a win to put them back into the Northeast division lead. 8 minutes into the game the Jets took the lead with a goal by Burmistrov. 2:31 later with the Canadiens on a powerplay, Giontas shot was stopped and Ryder put home the rebound to make tie the game. The shots in the first were 11-9 Montreal in a tie game.

         2 minutes into the second,  Subbans shot from the point was stopped and Ryder put home the rebound to give the Habs the lead. 4 minutes later, the Habs were on another powerplay, Subban played the puck to Eller at the left circle and he fired a shot off the leg of Gionta and in to make it 3-1. Thats Giontas first goal in 7 games.The shots in the second were 9 to 8 Montreal. 52 seconds into the first, Enstroms shot beat Budaj to cut the lead to 1. But hang on a second, its been waved off as Wheeler interfered with budaj. They reviewed it and the call on the ice stands, NO GOAL.

           7 minutes later, Ryder centred it to Moen and he was stopped, but Galchenyuk was there to put home the rebound for his first goal in 19 games as the Habs win 4 to 1.Budaj wins his third straight game and makes 33 saves (17 in the third) in the process. In the loss, Pavelec made 20 saves. Montreal played a great game, the only downside is that they gave up 17 shots in the third and only took 4. But in the end Montreal wins 4-1 and takes a 1 point lead over the Boston Bruins for 2nd in the East.

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

Next Game: Vs Bruins

Key out-of-town scoreboard:

New Jersey Devils  0-1 Boston Bruins (Jagr scores first as a Bruin)


Monday, April 1, 2013

PACIORETTY SCORES 2 GOALS, HABS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT






















GOAL SCORERS

CAR:   J. Staal (03:38 - 1st)
MTL:   A. Markov (PPG, 15:03 - 1st) , J. Halpern (01:46 - 2nd) , M. Pacioretty (10:58 - 3rd) , M. Pacioretty (EN, 19:30 - 3rd)
GOALIES

CAR: J. Peters (L)
 MTL: C. Price (W)





           Earlier tonight in Montreal, the 2nd place Canadiens took on the 10th place Hurricanes in search of their 3rd straight win. 3 minutes in, Dwyer centred the puck to Jordan Staal and he scored to make it 1-0 Carolina. Late in the first with the Habs on a powerplay,  Subban played the puck to Markov at the point and he one-timed a shot past Peters to tie the game. Montreal dominated the first, out shooting the Hurricanes 11 to 5.

    1:46 into the second, Beaulieu centred the puck to Jeff Halpern and he scored his first of the season to give Montreal the lead. That was Beaulieus first career NHL point. The shots in the second were 9 to 8 Montreal. 11 minutes into the third, Pacioretty skated up the right wing and drove the puck to the net and was stopped, but he put home his own rebound to make it 3-1. Pacioretty would add an empty net goal as the Habs win 4-1.

    This was a big win for the Habs as they are now 5 points back of Pittsburgh for 1st in the East and it was another costly lose for the Hurricanes as they sit 3 points back of the 8th place Rangers. "We haven't consistently found our game," said center Jordan Staal, who scored his team's goal. "We've had some spurts and played a really solid game in Winnipeg (on Saturday). Again, even tonight, we had some spurts here and there, but it's just not a consistent game that we're playing."

        In the win, Price made 18 saves. In the loss, Peters made 26 saves."Carey made some key saves. We only allowed 19 shots, but there were some quality scoring chances and Carey was really good again tonight," Therrien said.Early in the third, Dwyer collided knee on knee with Armstrong. Armstrong left the game with a lower body injury and didn't return.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Life is Hell - Short Film (Ft. Gotan Project and Duran Duran Original Soundtrack)



This is a non hockey related film, but its a comedy that also features action... You guys should check it out