WHICH GOALTENDER CAN LEAD MONTREAL TO A STANLEY CUP?

Which goaltender can lead the Montreal Canadiens to their 25th Stanley cup?The question has been up in the air for most of this season. In the 2006-2007 season, Huet got hurt and they had to call up Halak with 25 games left.He played great for Montreal. He got Montreal into 8th place with 1 game to go and it was against Toronto (who was 1 point back of Montreal). Huet was returning from injury. So Carbonneau put him in goal it was a big mistake. As Montreal lost 6-5 and was eliminated. But Toronto didn't make it either due to the Islanders win over the Devils. The Devils lost on purpose so the Leafs would not make it.The Habs ended the season in 10th place with a record of 42-34-6.

The next year, in the 2007-2008 it looked like Carey Price(who was a rookie at the time) was the go to guy since he lead Montreal to 1st place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 47-25-10 .They won the first round in 7 games against Boston. Then they lost in round 2 against the Flyers in 5 games. In the 2008-2009 Montreal started off good with a 6-0-1 record but then slipped down to a record of 41-30-11 and finished in 8th place.Head coach Guy Carbonneau was fired. No one was having a good year. In the first round of the playoffs they lost to the 1st place Bruins in 4 games. In game 4, Carey Price was geered by Montreal fans so he raises his arms in the air just like what Patrick Roy did in his last game on Montreal.

"I made that particular gesture to remind people that booing doesn't always help," Price said on April 23. "We're out there trying our hardest, guys are playing hurt and we're doing everything we can and things weren't going our way and we started having people turn on us in our own rink. It's kind of hard to put up with." This season (2009-2010), the Canadiens have took a turn for the better with a new coach in Jacques Martin and a bunch of new players. But no captain. In this case a captain doesn't matter. The Habs were having a better year than last season by being in the top 6 in the east this whole year. But Habs GM Bob Gainey quit. So Pierre Gauthier took over.

So far this season Montreal has 82 points,37 wins 31 losses and 8 o.t/shootout losses and are tied for 6th in the East with the Bruins and the Flyers. So in my opinion it could go either way. But I think Halak is the go to guy and Price is a guy that you can rely on if Halak has a bad game. I think Montreal has a chance to win the cup if not this year in the next 3 years.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

PRICE WILL GET THE START AS THE HABS TRY TAKE HOLD OF 6TH PLACE

Tonight in Montreal the Canadiens will look to take hold of 6th place with a win. The Habs are coming off a 4-2 loss to Devils and Cammalleri knows why they lost."I didn't think we won enough battles tonight. We could have been a little bit better," said Habs forward Mike Cammalleri. "Our compete level was very good, but I thought we should have been able to do more than that in this type of game at this time of year."

In their quest for a victory they will put Carey Price in net. But Price hasn't won a game in over a month. It's not his fault because the Habs haven't been able to hold leads when he's in goal. " I’d say this year, in terms of luck, I’m still waiting on that royal straight flush,” joked Price.Price has a record of 13 wins 19 losses and 5 overtime/Shootout losses. You can see the game on TSN and or RDS at 7:00pm E.t.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

RACE FOR THE PLAYOFFS UPDATE: BRUINS WIN 1-0 IN O.T TO MOVE INTO A TIE WITH THE HABS AND FLYERS

Last night in New Jersey, the Boston Bruins battled hard the whole game and in the end they got the win by the score of 1-0 in overtime with a goal by Patrice Bergeron (18th of the season). With the win over the Devils, the Boston Bruins move into a tie for 6th with the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers with 82 points. "It was a huge effort from everyone," Bergeron said. "We need it. It's in our hands. If we worry about ourselves and do the job, we shouldn't worry about anybody else. We've got find a way to get that energy, that effort. We know it's a tough schedule but no one feels sorry for us."

In the loss, Martin Brodeur made 31 saves. As for the Bruins, Rask made 21 saves for his 5th shutout of the season and the Bruins first win vs the Devils this season."We're fighting for our lives right now," Boston coach Claude Julien said. "It's pretty obvious that those points are huge. That first point gave us something and we really had to work hard to get that second. Look around the league tonight. Teams that are chasing us also won. Every game has to be about desperation." The Bruins play their next game is on Thursday against the Panthers. As for the Montreal Canadiens, they play tonight against the Hurricanes.

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

GLEN METROPOLIT OUT FOR 6-8 WEEKS

Last night in Montreal, the Canadiens announced that Metropolit will be out for 6-8 weeks with a shoulder injury.Metropolit has 16 goals(10 on the powerplay) and 13 assists in 69 games.“I kinda wanted to call bull, on six to eight weeks,” Metropolit said about what the doctors told him. “It is what they said, but right then I wanted to get to work and prove everyone wrong, prove I’m not going to be out that long.” But the doctors and coach's said no so he'll just have to wait till his injury heals.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

HABS SIGN CORNELL'S BRENDON NASH

Today in Montreal, Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier announced that he had signed Brendon Nash to a two-year contract (for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 season). The terms of the deal were not announced. Nash played with Cornell University in the NCAA and he had a total of 67 points which included 8 goals, 59 assists and 173 penalty minutes in 4 seasons.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

BRODEUR GIVES THE DEVILS A 4-2 WIN OVER THE STRUGGLING CANADIENS

Last night in Montreal, Martin Brodeur made 25 saves on 27 shots to give Montreal their 4th loss in 5 games."There are a lot of distractions for me every time I come to play to Montreal, so I really try to put my blinders on and do what I need to do to prepare for the game," said Brodeur, a native of the Montreal borough of St-Leonard. "Even if I've won a lot of these games, it's always a difficult game for me here."In the loss, Andre Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec scored and Jaroslav Halak made 23 saves on 26 shots. As for the Devils,Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrik Elias, Brian Rolston and Dainius Zubrus scored in the win.

In my opinion, the Montreal Canadiens were playing better than the Devils. By having more chances on goal and more quality opportunity's. You can say that they had about the same amount of chances. But Montreal had more quality shots and as I said before quality chances. The Devils were just dumping pucks at the net as Montreal was trying to make the right pass to get the goal. "Right after that first goal it deflated us a little bit, it kind of got us back in a shell," said Canadiens winger Brian Gionta, who left the Devils as a free agent in the off-season. "For about 10 or 12 minutes at least we sat back too much and gave them too much respect."

Montreal's next game will be on Wednesday against the Hurricanes on TSN and RDS at 7:00 pm E.t. But the puck drop will be at 7:08Pm E.t

Scores to keep an eye on:

Sabers 7-1 Lightning Final

Senators 3-2 Panthers Final

Bruins 5-0 Flames Final

Penguins 4-1 Flyers Final


Written By Andrew Di Pardo

NEW ARENA IN QUEBEC NAMED AFTER PAT BURNS

Last night in Quebec , Steven Harper announced that Quebec named a arena, "Pat Burns arena" which was named after Pat Burns. After everything Pat has went through with cancer in all, this is a good thing for Pat. He deserves it."Excuse my voice -- I don't have the thundering voice I used to have to get players going on the ice anymore. Well anyway, maybe there's a Wayne Gretzky or a Mario Lemieux or a Sidney Crosby sitting here," Pat Burns said. "A young player could come from Stanstead who plays in an arena named after me.I probably won't see the project to the end, but let's hope I'm looking down on it and see a young Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux." Pat Burns has been to cup finals 2 times in his career once with Montreal (lost) and once with Jersey(won). He won with Jersey and lost with Montreal.

He also came close with Toronto in 1993. But they lost to Gretzky's kings in 7 games." You saw how close Pat came with Toronto in the semi-finals of 1993. But they lost in 7 games. Which goes to show you only God can make Miracles," Harper said.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Pat Burns Coaching record:

Team	Year	Regular Season							Post Season
		G	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Finish	Result
MTL	1988–89	80	53	18	9	-	115	1st in Adams	Lost in Stanley Cup Finals
MTL	1989–90	80	41	28	11	-	93	3rd in Adams	Lost in Second Round
MTL	1990–91	80	39	30	11	-	89	2nd in Adams	Lost in Second Round
MTL	1991–92	80	41	28	11	-	93	1st in Adams	Lost in Second Round
TOR	1992–93	84	44	29	11	-	99	3rd in Norris	Lost in Third Round
TOR	1993–94	84	43	29	12	-	98	2nd in Central	Lost in Third Round
TOR	1994–95	48	21	19	8	-	50	4th in Central	Lost in First Round
TOR	1995–96	65	25	30	10	-	(80)	3rd in Central	(fired)
BOS	1997–98	82	39	30	13	-	91	2nd in Northeast	Lost in First Round
BOS	1998–99	82	39	30	13	-	91	3rd in Northeast	Lost in Second Round
BOS	1999–00	82	24	33	19	6	73	5th in Northeast	Did Not Qualify
BOS	2000–01	8	3	4	1	0	(88)	4th in Northeast	(fired)
NJD	2002–03	82	46	20	10	6	108	1st in Atlantic	Won Stanley Cup
NJD	2003–04	82	43	25	12	2	100	2nd in Atlantic	Lost in First Round
Total		1019	501	353	151	14	-	-	One Stanley Cup

GUESS WHO'S GIVING PRICE CONFIDENCE

Today in Montreal, the Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was talked about who's giving him confidence. I can tell you one thing it's not the coaches or the players. Carey Price will tell you the rest.“The person who’s helping me the most right now is probably my dad. He’s a really down-to-earth kind of guy and I owe him a lot,”said Price. “His experience playing pro as a goalie has really helped him give me good advice and give me a boost. He knows the deal. He’s always there to help me through the hard times."

" I’d say this year, in terms of luck, I’m still waiting on that royal straight flush,” joked Price.Price has a record of 13 wins 19 losses and 5 overtime/Shootout losses. With the confidence that Price has now he will start to get more wins. That's if Jacques Martin plays him.

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

THE HABS BEAT THE PANTHERS 4-1

Last night in Montreal, the Canadiens played hard against the Panthers and got a 4-1 win. The first two goals by Montreal were by Gionta(24th) and Pouliot (17th). The last two goals were on the Panthers empty net by Brian Gionta (25th second of the night) and Tomas Plekanec (22nd and his 100th career goal)."We all knew what happened last night against Buffalo and we didn't want it to happen again," said Tomas Plekanec. In the second period, Jaroslav Spacek hit Booth in the head with his shoulder. Booth left the game and did not return. Some people are saying that it was a dirty hit. But it wasn't because Booth had his head down and was hit in the head with a shoulder."I tried to step up at the blue-line, he was kind of low and when he turned, I was right there," said Spacek. "I'm not a dirty player. It just happened."It was body on body. It's too bad. You never want to see that."

"The good news is that he was alert and coherent," Panthers general manager Randy Sexton said. "David is at the hospital.They're taking tests, so we won't have any other comment until we get all the results back." When sexton was asked if it was a dirty hit he responded: "I only saw one replay," said Sexton. "It looked like a clean hit, but I reserve judgement until I get a chance to watch it." The Canadiens next game will be on Saturday against the Devils.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

TRAVIS MOEN BACK IN THE LINEUP

Today in Montreal the Habs announced that Travis Moen will be back in the lineup even though he just got a skate in the head that made him have to get 50 stitches.“It hit me so fast I didn’t have time to be scared,” Moen said Thursday, speaking in the team’s Bell Centre dressing room after a brief morning skate.I was unlucky to get hit, but lucky that it missed the eye – fortunate enough that nothing serious happened. I was fortunate that (the skate) missed my eye and I just got some stitches. I’m definitely happy that was the outcome.” Moen will hope to get Montreal out of this 3 game losing skid. If Montreal were to lose tonights game against the Panthers this would be Montreal's first 4 game losing streak in 3 months. But in my opinion they should win the game against Florida.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

RYAN MILLER GETS THE SABERS A 3-2 SHOOTOUT WIN

Last night in Buffalo, the Montreal Canadiens were playing well against the Sabers with having a 2 goal lead with 2 goals By Andrei Kostitsyn. The game looked like it was over. But it wasn't. As Ryan Miller kept the Sabers in with save after save. Which eventually lead to this.The Sabers had a powerplay with 2 minutes left in the 3rd so they pulled their goalie and got a goal by Tim Connolly to put them within 1. Then Steve Montador tied it with 49.1 seconds to go. The game went to a shootout where Pominville and Vanek scored to get the Sabers the win."It was an ugly game but we'll take the two points," Vanek said. "We talked about getting pucks to the net and going hard to the net and capitalizing on some rebounds. It took 58 minutes to finally get one. I think we all know that we can be better, and we will be better."

I have just 2 questions for Jacques Martin. Why would you keep the same line on right after your team just gave up a goal? My other question is: Why didn't you call a time out after the Sabers scored? Because if he were to call the time out he would have slowed down the pace of the game and Montreal would have won. "I'm not happy whatsoever," Price said. "Not one bit. We got to find a way to get that done. That's a point we need, and we need to find a way to do it. We played hard for 55 minutes and after that we just sat ... and let them come to us." The Habs won't have to wait long for their next game. As they host the Panthers tonight. To see the complete playoff race visit: http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=518264&navid=DL|MTL|home

Jason Pominville	BUF	Goal
Andrei Kostitsyn	MTL	Save
Drew Stafford	BUF	Save
Michael Cammalleri	MTL	Save
Thomas Vanek	BUF	Goal

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

GUESS WHO'S BACK?

Today in Montreal, Mike Cammalleri and Marc-Andre Bergeron went to see the doctors. And guess what? They both will be back in the lineup on Wednesday when Montreal plays Buffalo."Marc-Andre and I met with the doctors this morning and we both found out that we were good to go,” announced Cammalleri. “With the regular season almost over, my top priority is to get accustomed to the speed of the game again and get myself back in game shape.” With all this attention on Cammalleri the Habs felt that Bergeron wasn't himself since the media didn't talk to him. But now he should be back to normal since the media spoke to him today.

“My knee was still a bit sore lately, which explains why I haven’t been able to work on my one-timer and why my return was delayed a little,” explained Bergeron. “As for getting my timing back, I’ve been in this game for a while so I think I will be ok. Besides, getting to play on the power play with a great player like Andrei Markov, you know the puck will always be where it’s supposed to be.” They will be back in the lineup against Buffalo on Wednesday.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

ELLIOTT MADE 29 SAVES FOR A 2-0 SHUTOUT WIN OVER MONTREAL

Last night in Montreal, the Senators snapped their 5 game losing streak with a 2-0 win thanks to Brian Elliott keeping them in with save after save for a total of 29 saves.“Elliott played well, he made some big saves,” Gionta said. “We had some good opportunities where we could have got back into the game but it didn’t go in.”Peter Regin and Erik Karlsson scored in the victory. As for Montreal, the Habs had no goals but Jaroslav Halak made 25 saves on 27 shots. More big news for Montreal is at 10:41 into the second when Matt Cullen's skate cut Canadiens left wing Travis Moen in the head. The Canadiens doctors said that he woulld not have to go to doctors as he will be alright. The Canadiens next game will be Wednesday against the Sabers.

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER

Today in Montreal, Jacques Martin (Habs head coach) announced that Mike Cammalleri and Marc-Andrei Bergeron will be out just a little longer. “When it comes to injuries, it’s really important to listen to and trust our doctors,” head coach Jacques Martin. “We have a great medical staff and our procedures are in place for a reason. At the end of the day, it’s for the player’s own good.” According to sources, Cammalleri and Bergeron will meet with doctors tomorrow and are expected to play on Wednesday against Buffalo.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

BRIAN GIONTA GIVES MONTREAL A POINT WITH 2 GOALS IN A 3-2 SHOOTOUT LOSS TO THE LEAFS

Tonight in Toronto, Montreal was going for their 7th straight win. But it didn't happen as the Habs went past regulation and overtime but they couldn't survive the shootout. Well, at least we Hab fans can say is that with the point we are now tied with the Sens (who Montreal plays next) and the Flyers for 5th in the east. Another good thing to know is that we are 5 points back of Buffalo for 3rd in the east." This is a big point that we got tonight. But we don't think that we played our best hockey in this game," Said Gionta (who scored both of Montreals goals)." This point was better than nothing." In the loss, Jaroslav Halak made 32 saves. But in the shootout he couldn't stop a sigle shot. The first shot by Kessel went off the post and then the other 2 went in. As for Gustavsson (of Toronto), he made 25 saves and stopped 2 out of the 3 shots by Montreal.

Montreal will look to get back on track in their next game on Monday against Ottawa with the return of Mike Cammalleri who has missed 17 straight games.

The Shootout:

Phil KesselTOR post

Andrei KostitsynMTL Goal

Nikolai KuleminTOR Goal

Scott GomezMTL Miss

John MitchellTOR Goal

Brian GiontaMTL Save

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

SCORES TO KEEP A EYE ON:

GAME 1:

FINAL	1	2	3	F
Ottawa	2	1	1	4
Dallas	2	2	1	5

Log | Boxscore

Goals:
Dallas - Brad Richards (2), Mike Ribeiro, Jamie Benn, Trevor Daley
Ottawa - Mike Fisher, Jason Spezza (3)

GAME 2:

FINAL	1	2	3	F
Philadelphia	1	1	0	2
Atlanta	2	1	2	5

Log | Boxscore

Goals:
Atlanta - Niclas Bergfors, Colby Armstrong (2), Nik Antropov, Bryan Little
Philadelphia - Dan Carcillo, Blair Betts

GAME 3:

FINAL	1	2	3	F
Buffalo	1	1	1	3
Florida	0	1	0	1

Log | Boxscore

Goals:
Florida - Byron Bitz
Buffalo - Jochen Hecht, Patrick Kaleta, Michael Grier

Mathieu Darche Talks about life in the NHL

Today in Montreal, Mathieu Darche talked about how it fells to in NHL for the full season.“The only full season I’ve had in the NHL was with Tamp Bay and that was two years ago,” explained the 33-year-old winger. “I got more and more comfortable as the season went on and I did my part offensively, but we finished the year in last place. Here, I’ve been able to contribute and we’re winning.” When Darche was asked if he will be taken out of the line up when Mike Cammalleri and Marc-Andrei Bergeron come back next week. He responded with:

“That’s flattering but there’s only one person who gets to decide that and that’s the coach.I’ve always said I need to just concentrate on the things I can control and the only thing I really have any control over is how I play.” The one things for sure is that he will be playing on Saturday against the Leafs.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

MIKE CAMMALLERI AND MARC-ANDREI BERGERON UPDATE

Today in Montreal, Mike Cammalleri and Marc-Andrei Bergeron got the ok sign from their doctors to join their team. But the injured Canadiens said they don't want to rush it.“Seeing the team playing so well is really motivating for me because I know I can take my time and make sure I’m really ready to go before I jump back onto the ice. I was given the green light to practice, but not to play just yet,” explained Bergeron. "I find I’m more effective as a defenseman and I can bring more to the lineup, but like I’ve said in the past, I’ll play any role the coaches ask of me. I’m comfortable playing up front and I’ll play my hardest no matter where I’m playing.”Bergeron is right in a sense of not to rush it since Montreal is doing well.

“The human body is a strange thing that no one has really been able to solve and I’m certainly not the one who is going to do it,” smiled Cammalleri before hitting the ice on his own following his teammates practice. “There is no precise timeline for this kind of injury, unfortunately. I’m hoping to be back on the ice at practice with the boys on Friday, but right now I’m going to go sweat it out on my own so I can get there as soon as possible.” I think if these guys were to come back lets say Saturday,everyone will be relying on them way to much to make a big hit or get a big goal. So i think it's best for them to take their time.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Canadiens Sign Hunter Bishop

Today in Montreal, Pierre Gauthier announced that he had signed Hunter Bishop to a 2-year contract (for the 2010-2011 and the 2011-2012 season). Bishop played 33 games with the NCAA Ohio State Buckeyes this season and he had 15 goals and 12 assist for a total of 27 points. The Habs have been keeping on eye on this guy for years. Former GM Bob Gainey invited Bishop to the Canadiens development camp in 2009. He showed up so he can try to earn a spot on Montreal in the coming years. And this year he did by signing with Montreal and now he will play in the AHL with the Bulldogs starting on Monday.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

HABS BEAT THE RANGERS 3-1 FOR THEIR 6TH STRAIGHT WIN!

Last night in New York, The Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Rangers by the score of 3-1 to earn their 6Th straight win. With the victory, Montreal jumps into 6Th place being ahead of the Flyers by 1 point with 78 and the Habs are now 1 point back of the Senators for the 5Th spot."We have to just take care of what is in here," forward Scott Gomez said. "We've still got a lot of games left. The last thing that we're worried about is these teams. We're worried about what we're doing."

Glen Metropolit opened the scoring on the powerplay on a tipped shot from Andrei Markov. Then early on in the second, the Rangers answered back with a goal by Avery. The score remained at 1-1 going into the third. That's when Sergei Kostitsyn shot the puck off a Ranger skate to give Montreal a 2-1 lead.With 46 seconds to go the Rangers had a 6 on 4 advantage (a powerplay and a empty net). But they couldn't capitalize on it as Plekanec stole the puck and had a breakaway and scored on the empty net to make the score be 3-1 and that would be the final. In the Habs 6Th straight win Halak made 19 saves. As for the Rangers, Lundqvist made 32 saves but it wasn't enough.

“We’re playing as a group now,” explained Josh Gorges. “You watch the games and every time we’re out there, you see five guys up and five guys back. Our gap is a lot tighter between our D and our forwards and everyone is on the same page. It seems like we finally figured out everyone’s role. Sometimes it’s not easy to accept, but we know that if we keep on this path and keep doing the little things and playing together and supporting each other, we’re going to be successful.” The Habs next game will be on Saturday against the Leafs.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Photo's By Andrew Di Pardo

THE HABS WIN 5 IN A ROW!!!!!

Saturday night in Montreal, the Habs won their 5th straight game with a 3-1 win over Boston."It's a great feeling, but we can't stop right now," Markov said about going from 8th place to being tied for 6th with the Flyers. "We have to realize we have to keep going. We have 12 games left and we have to play the same way." In the victory, Sergei Kostitsyn had 2 goals (4th and 5th) and Markov added one on the powerplay for his 5th of the year. Jaroslav Halak made 21 saves for Montreal in the game.“I feel like we’re playing well right now, but there is still a long way to go,” said Markov. “I’m playing well, but I always hope that my best game will be my next one. I enjoy every game I play and I appreciate every shift I play, especially at this time of the year.”

Halak is a huge part of this win streak because he has played in all of the last 5 games which Montreal had won."The last game wasn't my best one, but we won the game at the end of the night," Halak said. As for the Bruins in the loss, Lucic had a goals and Wheeler had a goal as well in the loss."I'm very happy the coach showed me that confidence, and I didn't let him down.""The way Montreal's been playing thus far, we didn't put a full 60-minute effort in," Lucic (who had a goal in this game) said about losing 5 of 6 games against the Habs this year. "I think that's what hurt us." This was the first time Montreal has won 5 in a row since October 2009.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

THE CANADIENS WIN 4 STRAIGHT WITH A 5-4 SHOOTOUT VICTORY AGAINST THE OILERS

Last night in Montreal, the Montreal Canadiens took on the worst team in the NHL (the Edmonton Oilers). But it wasn't a easy ride as it need extra time and then a shootout. But Montreal came out on top by a final of 5-4 with a goal by Andrei Kostitsyn in the 5th round of the shootout."It's not easy against these teams -- they've got nothing to lose," said Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov. "And then we try to get too fancy and sometimes it doesn't work. You need to play a more simple game. We got the two points so we're happy, but we have to play better." The goals scored by Montreal in this game were by Tomas Plekanec (2oth), Brian Gionta (21st),Travis Moen (8th) and Sergei Kostitsyn (3rd). The shootout winner was scored by Andrei Kostitsyn.

In this game Montreal kept taking the lead time and time again. But the Oilers kept coming back. Like when Sergei Kostitsyn gave Montreal the lead at 4-3 but then Shawn Horcroff took a slap shot and it went in. "I've got to stop that one -- shots from there shouldn't go in," said Halak. "But that happens to everyone. It wasn't my best game, but we got the two points." The Canadiens next game will be on Saturday against Boston at 7:00pm E.t on CBC-M and NESN.

The Shootout
Tomas Plekanec	MTL	Save
Ryan Potulny	EDM	Save
Scott Gomez	MTL	Save
Shawn Horcoff	EDM	Save
Brian Gionta	MTL	Miss
Gilbert Brule	EDM	Post
Benoit Pouliot	MTL	Save
Robert Nilsson	EDM	Save
Andrei Kostitsyn	MTL	Goal
Sam Gagner	EDM	Miss

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

THE CANADIENS OVERPOWER THE LIGHTNIG WITH A 5-3 WIN

Last night in Montreal, the Canadiens were playing like Stanley cup contenders with chance after chance and in the end Montreal won 5-3."We're starting to get a sense of what it might have been like earlier if we hadn't had the injuries," said Gomez. "But a lot of teams have had injuries. We put ourselves in the situation we're in, so we can't worry about that." Ever since Montreal came back from the break they have been playing more offensively than defensively (which is there usual style). I think it's because they are in a race for the playoffs and they want to be contenders for the cup."We now how important these games are," said centre Glen Metropolit. "We have to approach it like it's playoff hockey now."

The goals scored by Montreal in this game were by Mathieu Darche with 2 goals (4th and 5th), Scott Gomez (12th), Glen Metropolit (15th) and Benoit Pouliot (16th). Jaroslave Halak (the Molson Cup winner) was also a big part of the victory by making save after save for a total of 28 saves."That's what it takes to win - everyone's chipping in," Gomez said. "We're getting healthy bodies and we're starting to look like the team we should have been all year." The Canadiens next game will be on Thursday against the worst team in the NHL the Edmonton Oilers.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

HALAK WINS MOLSON CUP

Today in Montreal, the NHL announced there Molson cup winner for January and February and they gave it to Jaroslav Halak. After Montreal put Halak in against the Ducks when they were down 3-0 and he helped Montreal come back and win 4-3 in a shootout. After that win it was guaranteed to win the Molson Cup. Halaks record this season is 19-10-2 with 3 shutouts a .925 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average. They will present Halak the Molson cup in tonights game against the Lightning.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

P.S:The winner of last years Molson Cup was Carey price.

THE HABS COME BACK DOWN 3-0 WITH LATE GAME HEROICS

Last night in Anaheim, Saku Koivu was facing his former team the Montreal Canadiens which was expected to be a great game and it was. Early on in the game, the Montreal Canadiens went down 3-0 in the first and it looked like the game was over. But it wasn't even close. The Canadiens made a goalie change right when the 2nd started due to Carey Price giving up 3 goals on 11 shots. So Halak was in net. He was big part of the Habs chances of coming back by making save after save. Montreal responded with a goal by Plekanec on a breakaway to give Montreal a chance at a come back. But it looked unlikely due to Montreal being down 3-1 with just 2 minutes left in the third. But even though it was unlikely Montreal gave it there all. Gionta scored for Montreal with 1:50 to go. And then it was Markov with 10 seconds to go in the game to send it to O.t. It would go to a shootout. Where Getzlef scored to put the Ducks up by 1.

Then it was up to Gionta to keep it alive. But Hiller made the save. But when Hiller opened up his legs the puck went in. They would review it but it was called a goal. After the Ducks missed it was up to Plekanec to win it and he did. The final score was 4-3 Montreal."The way we came out in the first period, up 3-0, we were really confident that we could get the next goal and put the game away," Koivu said. "When you lose that way, it's pretty disappointing -- especially for myself. I've waited for this game for quite awhile. I'm happy it's done now, but I'm not happy with the outcome. I'm disappointed that we lost that point." With the win Montreal now goes up to 7th in the east."We weren't ready to play this game from the start, but we regrouped after the first period and played strong after that," Markov said.


"When the schedule came out, I looked to see when we would play against the old team," said Koivu, who as Habs captain tied Jean Beliveau for the longest player to be a captain in the Canadiens' 101-year history."There's a lot of new players there, but it's the logo with the 'CH' is the same. I did wear that for a long long time. The Canadiens and the fans in Montreal were such a big part of my life for so long and were so great to me. We miss the city, but all those great memories and experiences will always stay with us." The Habs next game will be on Tuesday against the Lightning.

The Shootout
Corey Perry	ANA	Save
Andrei Markov	MTL	Miss
Ryan Getzlaf	ANA	Goal
Scott Gomez	MTL	Save
Teemu Selanne	ANA	Miss
Brian Gionta	MTL	Goal
James Wisniewski	ANA	Miss
Tomas Plekanec	MTL	Goal

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

THE CANADIENS BEAT L.A TO GRAB 8TH PLACE IN THE EAST

Last night in Los Angeles, the Canadiens continued there domination against L.A Kings with a 4-2 win and there 4th straight win over the Kings overall. With the win, Montreal now jumps back into 8th."Every point is big for us," Gionta said. "The standings are what they are, so we can't sit back at all. We need to control our own destiny going down the stretch." Montreal haven't lost to Los Angeles since March 8th 2003."The Montreal Canadiens are a very desperate hockey club," Murray said. "They're on the bubble, so you've got to recognize that and know that the intensity is going to be high. They showed it in the first shift, and we weren't ready to match it."

In the victory, Gionta, Moore, Pouliot and Plekanec all scored for Montreal and Halak made 23 saves in the 4-2 victory.As for the Kings,Kopitar and Modin scored for L.A and Quick made 21 saves in L.A first lost in regulation at home since January 19th 5-1 lose to the Sharks."In today's game you need to capitalize on special teams, and we didn't do that," Kings forward Ryan Smyth said. "We need to get back to the basics - pressing and getting the puck to the net. We just needed to simplify the game a bit. We need to play more desperate. We had to play catch-up, and we didn't give a good enough push throughout the game. But give them credit. They played well." The Habs next game on this trip will be tonight against former Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu of the Anaheim Ducks.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

TRADE DEADLINE 2010

Anaheim Acquires	Date	Phoenix Acquires
F Petteri Nokelainen	Mar 3	Draft Pick
NY Rangers Acquires	Date	Phoenix Acquires
D Anders Eriksson	Mar 3	G Miika Wiikman 7th-Round Pick
Phoenix Acquires	Date	Columbus Acquires
F Chad Kolarik	Mar 3	F Alex Picard
Colorado Acquires	Date	Carolina Acquires
F Stephane Yelle Harrison Reed	Mar 3	F Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll 6th-Round Pick
Calgary Acquires	Date	Edmonton Acquires
F Steve Staios	Mar 3	Aaron Johnson 3rd-Round Pick
Nashville Acquires	Date	Calgary Acquires
F Dustin Boyd	Mar 3	4th-Round Pick
Toronto Acquires	Date	Pittsburgh Acquires
D Chris Peluso	Mar 3	6th-Round Pick
Florida Acquires	Date	Columbus Acquires
D Mathieu Roy	Mar 3	F Matt Rust
Edmonton Acquires	Date	Anaheim Acquires
D Ryan Whitney 6th-Round Pick (2010)	Mar 3	D Lubomir Visnovsky
Toronto Acquires	Date	Anaheim Acquires
G Joey MacDonald	Mar 3	7th-Round Pick (2011)
Los Angeles Acquires	Date	Columbus Acquires
F Fredrik Modin	Mar 3	Conditional draft pick
Washington Acquires	Date	Carolina Acquires
D Joe Corvo	Mar 3	D Brian Pothier F Oskar Osala 2nd-Round Pick
Vancouver Acquires	Date	Carolina Acquires
D Andrew Alberts	Mar 3	3rd-Round Pick (2010)
Phoenix Acquires	Date	Toronto Acquires
F Lee Stempniak D Matt Jones	Mar 3	4th-Round Pick 7th-Round Pick
Washington Acquires	Date	Columbus Acquires
D Milan Jurcina	Mar 3	6th-Round Pick
Atlanta Acquires	Date	Buffalo Acquires
F Clarke MacArthur 4th-Round Pick	Mar 3	3rd-Round Pick
Buffalo Acquires	Date	Columbus Acquires
F Raffi Torres 2nd-Round Pick	Mar 3	D Nathan Paetsch
Calgary Acquires	Date	Anaheim Acquires
G Vesa Toskala	Mar 3	G Curtis McElhinney
Washington Acquires	Date	Minnesota Acquires
F Eric Belanger	Mar 3	2nd-Round Pick (2010)
Los Angeles Acquires	Date	Tampa Bay Acquires
F Jeff Halpern	Mar 3	F Teddy Purcell 3rd-Round Pick (2010)
Phoenix Acquires	Date	Vancouver Acquires
D Mathieu Schneider	Mar 3	D Sean Zimmerman 6th-Round Pick (2010)
Detroit Acquires	Date	NY Rangers Acquires
F Jordan Owens	Mar 3	F Kris Newbury
Phoenix Acquires	Date	Colorado Acquires
F Wojtek Wolski	Mar 3	F Peter Mueller F Kevin Porter
Vancouver Acquires	Date	St. Louis Acquires
F Yan Stastny	Mar 3	F Pierre-Cedric Labrie
Washington Acquires	Date	Carolina Acquires
F Scott Walker	Mar 3	7th-Round Pick (2010)
Carolina Acquires	Date	Anaheim Acquires
G Justin Pogge 4th-Round Pick	Mar 3	D Aaron Ward
Boston Acquires	Date	Florida Acquires
D Dennis Seidenberg D Matthew Bartkowski	Mar 3	F Craig Weller F Byron Bitz 2nd-Round Pick (2010)
New Jersey Acquires	Date	Toronto Acquires
D Martin Skoula	Mar 3	5th-Round Pick (2010)
Phoenix Acquires	Date	Boston Acquires
D Derek Morris	Mar 3	4th-Round Pick (2011)
Anaheim Acquires	Date	Boston Acquires
4th-Round Pick	Mar 3	D Steven Kampfer
Montreal Acquires	Date	St. Louis Acquires
F Aaron Palushaj	Mar 3	F Matt D'Agostini