Thursday, December 29, 2011
Canadiens @ Lightning
Hey Habs fans,
This will be my last post of 2011. I'm taking a 1 week winter break and I'll be back next Thursday and I will update you on everything that happaned in that time.
Written by Andrew Di Pardo
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
HABS SNAP A 5 GAME LOSING SKID WITH A 6-2 WIN
GOAL SCORERS
MTL: L. Eller (SHG, 05:08 - 1st) , T. Plekanec (12:39 - 1st) , M. Cammalleri (15:25 - 1st) , L. Leblanc (02:03 - 2nd) , P. Subban (05:53 - 2nd) , E. Cole (PPG, 14:58 - 3rd)
OTT: Z. Smith (01:42 - 1st) , J. Spezza (06:49 - 2nd)
Going into tonights game, the Canadiens had lost 5 straight games (4 under New Interim Coach Randy Cunneyworth) and they were looking for a way to get out of this drought and into a winning streak. Just 2 minutes in, Gonchars shot was stopped but Smith was there to put home the rebound to make it 1-0 Ottawa. 3 minutes later with the Habs shorthanded, Eller brought the puck into the Senators zone and fired a shot past Anderson to tie the game at 1-1. 7 minutes after that, Diaz's point shot was tipped in by Plekanec to give the Habs a 2-1 lead. Shortly after that, LeBlancs shot was stopped, but Cammalleri was there to put home the rebound to extend the Habs lead. The Habs scored 3 goals on only 5 shots in the first to give them a 3-1 lead.
2 minutes into the second, LeBlanc came up the right side and fired a shot past Anderson to make it 4-1 Habs. That was it for Anderson as he gave up 4 goals on 7 shots. So in comes former Habs goaltender Alex Auld. A few minutes after the goalie change, Cole brought the puck in on the left side and dropped the puck back to Subban and he ripped a shot into the net to make it 5-1. Spezza would score 53 seconds later to make it 5-2. That was the score going into the third. With under 5 minutes to play in the third, the Habs were on a 5 on 3 powerplay. Subban had the puck at the point and played it down low for Plekanec and then to Cole in front and he scored. Tick, Tac, Toe, goal to give the Habs a 6-2 lead and that was the final as the Habs get Randy Cunneyworth his first win as an NHL head coach.
"I would have taken it a couple of games earlier but obviously a win's a win, and it's the start of hopefully many more," said Cunneyworth, who earlier this season was an assistant coach before head coach Jacques Martin was fired on Dec. 17. In Cunneyworth first 4 games going into this big win, I saw that the Habs began to use their speed. But in those 4 losses it wasn't effective. But Cunneyworth continued to make the Habs practice using their speed at their practices and tonight it worked. It was typical Montreal hockey. Which is when the speedy wingers will take the puck up the the wing and either fire a shot on goal or centre the puck to the centerman, who would essentially get a goal or get a good enough shot to get a big rebound.
Another thing that I've noticed was that when the Habs were on a powerplay, they would move the puck a lot faster than usual and they also got a lot more shots on goal which lead to a powerplay goal tonight."I would hope that we can play a little more uninhibited now, have a little more assertiveness in our game," Cammalleri said. "It's one game, though. Let's not pretend that this is a 10-game winning streak already."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
THE JETS HAND THE HABS ANOTHER LOSE
GOAL SCORERS
WPG: B. Wheeler (PPG, 03:18 - 1st) , T. Glass (13:13 - 1st) , B. Wheeler (00:39 - 2nd) , T. Stapleton (17:36 - 3rd)
3 minutes later, Glass had a brekaway and he was stopped by Price and Slater was denied on the rebound as well. Late in the second, the Habs went on a powerplay, Kaberles shot was stopped and Plekanec was denied on the rebound by Pavelec. That's as close as the Habs would get to a goal in this game as Stapleton would add another goal late in the third for the Jets as they take this game 4-0 is the final. In the win, Pavelec made 27 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season. In the lose, Price made 30 saves and played well but unfortunetly the Habs couldn't back him up by scoring any goals."We realize what's going on to some degree," Cunneyworth said. "(The Jets) worked hard and we have to work a little bit harder. It comes down to battling and competing and we didn't have that compete tonight.
"You have to keep on trying and that's the bottom line. It comes down to competing, being physical and having some resolve in our play. I think it's about sticking together at this time. We are trying to figure out the pieces of the puzzle and everybody has to come together." This lose will give the Habs their 5th straight loss (4 staright under Cunneyworth). Now the Habs won't have any more games until Tuesday so the break couldn't have come at a better time for them. Who knows, maybe after the break the Habs will know how to score, since as of now they have been outscored 21 to 9 in their last 5 games.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
HABS GM PIERRE GAUTHIER TO BE FIRED
The Habs have played 2 games since the firing of Jacques Martin and the results are still the same. So that leads us to the next question, should the Habs fire GM Pierre Gauthier? The answer is yes. The Habs are off to one of their worst starts in NHL history and Gauthier only made 1 trade. So its only no doubt that a change should be made.The word around Montreal that the Habs will fire Gauthier and they will get a new coach at the end of the season unless the Habs go deep into the playoffs. In that case, both Gauthier and Cunneyworth will remain on the Canadiens.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
HABS DROP 3RD STRAIGHT
GOAL SCORERS
MTL: T. Plekanec (13:26 - 1st) , E. Cole (18:46 - 3rd)
BOS: B. Pouliot (12:13 - 1st) , D. Krejci (02:42 - 2nd) , B. Marchand (14:14 - 3rd)
Last night in Boston, the Habs took on the Bruins in search of getting Cunneyworth his first win as head coach of the Habs. 12 minutes into the game, the faceoff was to the left of Price. Peverley won the faceoff and played the puck to Pouliot in front and he scored to make it 1-0 Bruins. 30 seconds later, the Bruins had a 2 on 1 and Kellys shot was stopped and Peverley was denied as well on the rebound by Carey Price. 1 minute later, Plekanecs shot was stopped, Cammlleri picked up the rebound and played it back to Plekanec in the slot and he scored to tie the game. 3 minutes into the second, Subban turned the puck over to Ference and he played the puck to Krejci in the slot and he scored to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
Then with under 5 to play in the second, the Habs came in on a 3 on 1 and Plekanec fired a shot and he was stopped by Thomas. Early in the third, Darche recieved the puck from Kaberle and tried a shot and it was blocked, Kaberle picked up the puck in the slot and backhanded it to the net and he was stopped by Thomas. Then with 12 minutes left in the game, Campolis shot was blocked but Pacioretty picked up the rebound and fired a shot but it was stopped by Thomas. With 5 minutes to go, Moen tried to clear the puck, but Seguin kept the puck in and he played the puck to Marchand and he scored to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead.
With under 2 minutes to go, the net empty for the Habs, Desharnais had the ouck and backhanded it and it went past Thomas and was tapped in by Cole to cut the lead to 3-2. That's as close as the Habs would get as they drop their 3rd straight to put them 2 points out of a playoff spot as they sit 12th in the conference."It's important that we make fewer mistakes," Cunneyworth said. "The few mistakes we did make were costly and you can't make them against a team like Boston." In the loss, Price made 28 saves. In the win, Thomas made 33 saves.
The Habs next game will be tomorrow night against the Blackhawks.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
HABS FALL 5-3 IN CUNNEYWORTHS COACHING DEBUT
GOAL SCORERS
NJD: P. Sykora (07:05 - 1st) , P. Elias (PPG, 05:05 - 2nd) , D. Clarkson (18:26 - 2nd) , P. Elias (01:31 - 3rd) , D. Zubrus (PPG, 10:18 - 3rd)
MTL: P. Subban (PPG, 02:21 - 2nd) , C. Campoli (06:33 - 2nd) , L. Eller (08:57 - 2nd)
Earlier tonight in Montreal, Randy Cunneyworth made his coaching debut against the Canadiens. 7 minutes in, Zubrus took a shot and it was stopped, but Sykora was there to put home the rebound to make it 1-0 Devils lead. 3 minutes into the second, Kaberle played the puck to Subban and he one-timed a shot past Brodeur to tie the game at 1-1. It's a powerplay goal. 2 minutes later, Kovalchuk played the puck across the ice right to Ellias and he scored to give the Devils a 2-1 lead. 1 minute later, Campoli took a slap shot from the point and scored to tie the game at 2-2. 3 minutes later, Eller got the puck in the slot and ripped a shot past Brodeur to give the Habs a 3-2 lead.
Then with under 2 minutes to play in the second, Clarkson came in on the right side and took a wrist shot and scored to tie the game at 3-3. 1 minute into the third, Sykora played the puck to Ellias and he scored to give the Devils a 4-3 lead. Zubrus would add another goal as the Devils win 5-3. Randy Cunneyworths Canadiens were using their speed more in this game but it ended in a loss. Price made 30 saves in the loss. In Brodeurs 40th career win against the Canadiens, he made 23 saves."Offensively, the power play, I think we did a lot of good stuff again," Brodeur said. "Defensively, it's still a battle. (Friday) night we had a lot of quality chances and again tonight, but I think we have to expect that a little bit for the way we play. It's been good. We've got to keep it going."
After the loss, Cunneyworth talked about how enjoyable his first game was. "I would have enjoyed it more if we won," Cunneyworth said.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Gauthier & Cunneyworth Press Conference (2/2)
Pierre Gauthier and Randy Cunneyworth met the media following Saturday's coaching change.
Gauthier & Cunneyworth Press Conference (1/2)
Pierre Gauthier and Randy Cunneyworth met the media following Saturday's coaching change.
TSN:Habs fire Jacques Martin
Pierre Gauthier fired Jacques Martin at 9:55 am & hire Randy Cunneyworth as head coach.
HABS FIRE COACH JACQUES MARTIN
This past morning in Montreal, the Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier finally did what all Habs fans have been waiting for. That was the firing of Head Coach Jacques Martin. The Habs currently sit in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 13-12-7 and with a total of 33 points. the last time the Habs were in a playoff spot this season was on October 10th and that was when the Habs only played 2 games. So everyone knew this decision was coming. Martin was fired due to his defensive style of play. Lets look back to Martin's last game as a head coach. It was the night of December 15th and the Habs took on the Flyers. The Habs lost the opening faceoff, so what do the players do? All 5 of the Canadiens players turned around and skated into their own zone, all in defensive like positions. They would end up losing that game 4-3.
Another example was on December 8th against the Canucks.The Habs took a 3-0 lead in that game and ended up blowing the lead because they were playing too defensive. I can give you example after example, but all I'm basically saying is that it took to long to fire Martin but at least they did it when there's still time to save the Habs season. So with Martins firing, assistant coach Randy Cunneyworth will take over as interim head coach until the end of the season. Cunneyworth will have his coaching debut tonight against the New Jersey Devils in Montreal at 7:00pm E.t on CBC-M & RDS (HD).
Written by Andrew Di Pardo
Friday, December 16, 2011
FLYERS GRAB 7TH STRAIGHT WIN
GOAL SCORERS
PHI: M. Talbot (12:07 - 1st) , H. Zolnierczyk (05:48 - 2nd) , W. Simmonds (18:10 - 2nd) , A. Meszaros (08:08 - 3rd)
MTL: D. Desharnais (05:02 - 2nd) , L. Leblanc (13:24 - 2nd) , E. Cole (PPG, 19:44 - 2nd)
Last night in Montreal, the Habs took on the Flyers in search of their 3rd sraight win. 7 minutes in, Plekanec had a breakaway and he was stopped by Bobrovsky. 5 minutes later, Voracek played the puck to Talbot in the slot and he one-timed a shot into the net to make it 1-0 Flyers lead. 6 minutes later, with the Habs on the powerplay, Subbans shot was stopped, but Plekanec scored on the rebound. The third ref behind the net would wave off the goal due to goalie interference as Eric Cole was in the blue paint. 5 minutes into the second, Desharnais got the puck behind the Flyers net and moved the puck all the way to the slot and deked out the goalie and scored to tie the game at 1-1.
12 minutes into the third, Meszaros point shot beat Carey Price to give the Flyers yet another lead it's now 4-3. Then with under a minute to play, the net was empty for the Canadiens, but they couldn't get anything done. They ended up iceing the puck with 7 seconds to go. So Price had to come back to his net and that's how the story will end. The Habs fall 4-3 to the Flyers on home ice. In the lose, Price made 21 saves. In the win, Bobrovsky made 28 saves. But even though the Habs lost their was still some talk about LeBlancs first NHL goal." It was big for me to get that goal. Now I got it in the bag and I will hope for more," Said LeBlanc. When LeBlanc was asked which was louder the draft ovation or this one. He said: "The ovation here tonight was louder and longer."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
CAMPOLI RETURNS AS THE HABS GET A 5-3 WIN
GOAL SCORERS
NYI: M. Moulson (07:50 - 1st) , J. Bailey (05:18 - 3rd) , J. Tavares (11:28 - 3rd)
MTL: A. Kostitsyn (09:15 - 1st) , M. Darche (13:28 - 1st) , E. Cole (PPG, 00:31 - 3rd) , P. Nokelainen (13:45 - 3rd) , H. Gill (EN, 19:09 - 3rd)
Last night in Montreal, Chris Campoli returned to the Habs lineup for a game against the Islanders. Campoli's last game that he played was the first game of the season against the Leafs,when he suffered that knee injury. 7 minutes into the game, the Islanders would strike first blood, Parenteau played the puck (from the point) to Matt Mouson in the slot and he would score on the backhand to make it 1-0. 2 minutes later, Kaberle played the puck to Plekanec and he played the puck to Kostitsyn on the right side and he fired a shot past Montoya to tie the game. Kaberle registered yet another assist on that play, that's his 3rd assist as a Hab (in just 2 games). 3 minutes later, Darche took a slap shot from the point and it snuck through the pads of Montoya to give the Habs a 2-1 lead.
13 minutes into the second, Plekanec had a breakaway and he was stopped by the pad of Montoya. 2 minutes later, the Habs were on a powerplay and Kaberles one timer was stopped by Montoya. Then with under 3 to play, Bailey came in on the left side and did a nice toe drag move to get into the slot and then he shot the puck and was stopped by Price. 30 seconds into the third, Subban passed the puck (from the point) to Desharnais (on the left) and he played it to Cole (in the slot) and he scored that's a powerplay goal and he Habs have a 3-1 lead. 5 minutes later, Bailey would score to cut the lead to 3-2. Then with under 9 minutes to play, Parenteaus shot was stopped, but Tavares wacked home the rebound to tie the game at 3-3.
3 minutes later, Eller played the puck to the point and Nokelainen one timed a shot into the back of the net to make it 4-3 Montreal leads. Then with under a minute to play, the Islanders have the net empty and Gill cleared the puck from his own zone and all the way into the empty net to make it 5-3 Montreal. That's Gills first of the season and 3rd career goal as a Montreal Canadien as the Habs win this game 5-3 is the final. Montoya made 25 saves in the loss. In the win, Price made 29 saves in the win."They battled and that's what you look for," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "We're down by two goals and we kept coming, we didn't quit. Those guys aren't going to quit. There's no excuses for losing and sometimes you get sick and tired of hearing it but it was a game that I thought we at least come out with a point for sure."
"Well, we tried to lose it there at the end," said Carey Price. "We've got to make it the hard way but at least we got it done." The Habs next game will be Thursday night against the Flyers at 7:30pm E.t On TSN (HD) & RDS (HD)
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Saturday, December 10, 2011
KABERLE GETS 2 ASSISTS IN THE HABS 2-1 WIN
GOAL SCORERS
MTL: M. Pacioretty (PPG, 01:07 - 2nd) , E. Cole (05:17 - 3rd)
NJD: N. Palmieri (13:34 - 3rd)
Earlier today, it was a big day for the Habs as Tomas Kaberle made his Habs debut. The offense would begin in period 2 for the Habs. Just over a minute in, the Habs were on a powerplay, Kaberle brought the Puck from his own end all the way into the Offensive end and played the puck to Cole on the left side and he played the puck to Pacioretty in the slot and he one-timed a shot past Brodeur to make it 1-0 Habs lead. 2 minutes later, the Habs were on another powerplay, Subban played the puck across the ice to Cammalleri and he one-timed a shot and he was stopped by Brodeur. So the score was 1-0 Montreal after 2 periods of play.5 minutes into the third, Kaberle brought the puck in on the left side and played the puck to Darche in the slot and his shot was stopped but Cole put home the rebound into the empty net to make it 2-0 Montreal. Then with under 7 minutes to play, Palmieri took a shot from the slot and scored to cut the lead to 1 late in the third. Then with less than a minute to play, there was a scramble for the puck in the crease and Gorges put his hand on the puck and the ref awarded a penalty shot. Gorges was unhappy with the call because he didn't close his hand on the puck. So a bad call lead to a penalty shot.
Zach Parise had a chance to tie the game on a penalty shot against a goalie who hasn't been that good in shootouts. That goalie is Carey Price and he has a record of 1-5 in shootouts this season. So could Parise take advantage of that? Parise came in and went to his backhand and was stopped by Price. Price skated out of his net in celebration for that save. A big save by Price. That save was good enough to get the Habs a 2-1 win. Price made 28 saves in the win. But all the talk was about Kaberles first game on the Habs."I have to admit I was a little nervous at the start," Kaberle said.
"I had a new team with new teammates. I hadn't practiced in two days. I had a long travel day.We went over some things in the hotel before the game at breakfast, but I wasn't sure of what to expect. I just had to jump in right away and be ready. I just had to try to keep it simple." The Habs next game will be Tuesday night against the Islanders on RDS.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Friday, December 9, 2011
HABS TRADE Spacek FOR Kaberle
December 9, 2011 11:42 am ET
This morning in Montreal, Canadiens Gm Pierre Gauthier announced that he had traded Yaro Spacek to the Carolina Hurricanes for Tomas Kaberle. In 29 games this season (with the Hurricanes), Kaberle had 9 assists. Spacek played 12 games this season with the Habs, and he had 3 assists. Kaberle was brought in to bring offense to the Habs struggling powerplay. He's expected to be a temporary replacement for Markov, as he is a great puck moving defenseman (which should help the Habs on the powerplay). Kaberle will make his debut tomorrow night against the Devils. Written By Andrew Di Pardo |
Thursday, December 8, 2011
HABS BLOW A 3-0 LEAD AND FALL IN A SHOOTOUT
GOAL SCORERS
VAN: M. Raymond (SHG, 08:37 - 2nd) , C. Hodgson (04:24 - 3rd) , S. Salo (PPG, 15:20 - 3rd) , C. Hodgson (00:00 - SO)
MTL: F. St-Denis (04:38 - 1st) , R. Diaz (18:51 - 1st) , E. Cole (02:20 - 2nd)
2 minutes into the second, Cole came up the right wing and fired a shot and scored five hole on Luongo and it's looking good as the Habs have a 3-0 lead. 6 minutes after the Habs made it 3-0, Raymond would score to make the score 3-1.So the Habs had a 3-1 lead going into the third, this means that Martin decides to switch his team to playing defense which would prove to be costly. 4 minutes into the third, Hodgson picked up the puck in the slot and fired it past Price to cut the lead to 3-2. 4 minutes later, the Canucks dump the puck in, Price loses the puck to Kesler and Price races back into his net to rob Kesler of a goal with his glove. 3 minutes later, with the Canucks on the powerplay, Salo's point shot beat Price and the game is tied at 3-3.
This game would go into a shootout.Desharnais was up first and he was stopped by the glove of Luongo. Hodgson was up next for the Canucks and Price went down early which lead to a goal high glove side. That would be the only goal in the shootout as the Habs fall in a Shootout again 4-3 is the final. The Habs have went to Overtime 10 times this season and have only won 3 games. That's a NHL low."At least we're picking up points, but singles aren't helping us right now," said Price, 1-5 in shootouts this season."It's disappointing but when you look at it, it's simple - special teams," Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said. "They scored short-handed, 4-on-4, and on the power play. I think 5-on-5 we played well. It wasn't a lack of effort. It was one of the best teams in the league and we competed with them, but special teams made the difference."
So now the question is, with the Habs poor play as of late should Jacques Martin be fired?
| Shootout | ||
| David Desharnais | MTL | Save |
| Cody Hodgson | VAN | Goal |
| Max Pacioretty | MTL | Miss |
| Ryan Kesler | VAN | Save |
| Michael Cammalleri | MTL | Save |
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
HABS FALL TO BLUE JACKETS IN A SHOOTOUT
GOAL SCORERS
CBJ: V. Prospal (02:03 - 1st) , R. Umberger (11:14 - 2nd) , R. Nash (00:00 - SO)
MTL: A. Kostitsyn (19:58 - 1st) , B. Gionta (18:39 - 3rd)
Last night in Montreal, the Habs returned home to take on the Blue Jackets. Just 2 minutes in, Johnson played the puck to Prospal in front and he scored to make it 1-0 Jackets lead. 5 minutes later, Cammalleri played the puck to Cole (on the left) and he was robbed by the glove of Curtis Sanford (a former Canadiens goalie that spent his career in Montreal down in the AHL). Then with under 10 seconds to go, the Habs came in on a 2 on 2, Cammalleri played the puck to Kostitsyn and he scored to tie the game with 1.5 seconds to go in the first. 10 minutes into the second with the Habs on a powerplay, Subbans point shot was stopped by a falling Sanford.
2 minutes in, Umberger came in on the left side and took a shot and scored five hole to give the Jackets a 2-1 lead. The with 1 minute to go, Umberger had a breakaway and he was stopped by the left pad of Carey Price. Then throughout the third the Habs fans would boo their fellow Canadiens until the final 2 minutes. The Habs came in on a 3 on 2 and Emelin played the puck to Plekanec his shot was stopped but Gionta put home the rebound to tie the game with 1:26 to go in the third. The game would go into a shootout. Desharnias shot missed the net. Johansen was stopped by Price. Pacioretty was stopped. Then Nash came up and he scored to give the Jackets the lead. Gionta would miss and the Jackets win 3-2 is the SO Final.
"We haven't had consistency for a long time here," Gionta said. "It doesn't matter whether it's on the road or at home, we've got to find ways to bring the same effort. We know what wins us games, we just aren't doing it on a consistent basis." In the win, Sanford made 18 saves. In the loss, Price made 26 saves."Yeah, it feels good to beat this team, but it always feels good to win in a building like this," Sanford said about beating his former team that kept him in the AHL.
| Shootout | ||
| David Desharnais | MTL | Miss |
| Ryan Johansen | CBJ | Save |
| Max Pacioretty | MTL | Save |
| Brian Gionta | MTL | Save |
| Rick Nash | CBJ | Goal |
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
2012-13 NHL CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT
Late last night, the NHL board of governors decided what they would do to realign the conferences. After doing a vote with the NHL's 30 General Managers, the board decided that the NHL's new realignment would consist of 4 conferences. "Conference A" will feature 8 teams, "Conference B" will also have 8 teams and "Conference C" and Conference D" will have 7 teams (as shown in the photo). The conferences with 8 teams will play every team in the division 5 times and the conference's with 7 teams will play each other 6 times. All NHL teams will play each other at least 2 times if there not in the opposing teams conference.
As for the playoffs, 4 teams in each conference will make the playoffs. The 1st place team will play the 4th place team and the 2nd place team will play the 3rd place team in Round 1. Round 2, 3 and 4 are yet to be known in how the format continues."This is not a subject that everybody is going to get their first choice on," said Bettman. "What you try to do is come up with something that everybody can live with, get comfortable with and understand the value of." This realignment is expected to take place in the 2012-2013 NHL season.
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
HABS END 4 GAME LOSING STREAK WITH A 2-1 WIN
GOAL SCORERS
MTL: T. Plekanec (PPG, 18:39 - 1st) , A. Kostitsyn (10:48 - 2nd)
LAK: D. Penner (PPG, 13:46 - 2nd)
Yesterday afternoon in L.A, the Habs took on the Kings in search of ending their 4 game losing streak. Good news for the Habs was that they did not lose a game against the Kings in the last 8 years. 5 minutes into the first, with the Kings on a 5 on 3 powerplay, Doughtys shot from the point was stopped by Carey Price. 3 minutes later, Johnson dumped the puck in and it took a weird hop of the glass and Price (who was behind the net waiting to play the puck) had to dive back to his net and knock the puck out. Then with 1:30 to go in the first with the Habs on the powerplay, Weber point shot was stopped and Kostitsyn got the puck in front and played it back to Plekanec at the point and he fired a shot past Bernier to give the Habs a 1-0 lead.
The Habs were lucky to have a 1-0 lead after the first, since they were outplayed and outshot 15-5. But the game goes on and Price was keeping them in. 4 minutes into the second, Cole came in on the left side and took a shot and it was stopped by the left shoulder of Bernier. Brown came back the other way with the puck on a 2 on 1 and took a shot and he was stopped five hole by Carey Price. 6 minutes later, LeBlanc came in on the left side on a 3 on 2 and played the puck to Eller and he played it to Kostitsyn and then he played it back to Eller and then back to Kostitsyn and he one-timed a shot into the back of the net to make it 2-0 Montreal.
That was Louis LeBlancs first NHL point. 4 minutes later, Doughtys point shot was tipped in by Penner, that`s a powerplay goal and the lead was cut to 2-1. That would be as close as they get as the Canadiens win this game and snap their 4 game losing streak. The Habs got better as they game went on, the shots tell the story in this game. The shots were 15-5 L.A after 1 period and ended at 27 shots a piece. So in the loss, Bernier made 25 saves. In the win, Price made 26 saves."Going into the third period up 2-1, we really tested ourselves today," defenseman P.K. Subban said. "Coach came in and said: `Hey, listen, you guys have control of the game. We need these two points, so it's up to you.' And I thought guys made the right choice in terms of putting the team first. We limited their shots and their quality opportunities - and even when they did have them, we regained our focus and got into the shooting lanes and blocked a lot of shots."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
Friday, December 2, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
HABS DROP 3 STRAIGHT WITH A 4-1 LOSS TO THE DUCKS
GOAL SCORERS
MTL: A. Kostitsyn (03:10 - 1st)
ANA: R. Getzlaf (19:41 - 1st) , D. Smith-Pelly (PPG, 06:06 - 2nd) , C. Perry (PPG, 02:55 - 3rd) , N. Hagman (EN, 18:31 - 3rd)
Last night in Anaheim, the Canadiens took on Saku Koivu and the Ducks. Due to Pacioretty's 3 game suspension, Louis LeBlanc made his NHL debut. 3 minutes in, Plekanec centred the puck to Kostitsyn and he fired a shot past Hiller to give the Habs a 1-0 lead. 4 minutes later, Cammalleri played the puck to Desharnais in front and he was robbed by the glove of Hiller. Then with 20 seconds to go, Gill turned the puck over to Perry and he played the puck to Getzlaf and he fired a shot past Budaj to tie the game at 1-1. 5 minutes into the second, the Ducks were on a powerplay and Koivu got the puck at the side of the net and he was stopped by Budaj.1 minute later, Perry played the puck to Smith-Pelly in front and he scored to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead. 3 minutes into the third, Beauchemin's shot was tipped in by Perry to give the Ducks a 3-1 lead. The Ducks would add a empty net as they take this game 4-1. After the game, the Ducks announced that they had fired Randy Carlyle and that they hired former Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau."Randy is a terrific head coach, and did a tremendous job for us for six-plus seasons," Anaheim general manager Bob Murray said. "We thank him greatly for his hard work and dedication to our franchise, not the least of which was a Stanley Cup championship. At this time, we simply felt a new voice was needed. Bruce is a proven winner with a great track record, and we are optimistic we can turn this season around under his leadership."
Back to the game now, the Canadiens killed off 8 out of their 10 penalty's but when it came down to their powerplay they were 0 for 7. That was the difference in this game."They're a desperate team, and they have some skilled players that made plays," Montreal defenseman Hal Gill said. "We couldn't get the job done on the power play, and we gave up a couple of goals short-handed. It's tough to win when you do that." The Ducks top scorer had this to say after the game: "We were playing with the puck more," Perry said. "It's all confidence when you're playing with the puck and hanging on to it. We got behind early, and we didn't let it phase us. We stuck to our game plan and got on the forecheck."
Written By Andrew Di Pardo
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