GO HABS GO: 2015 Playoffs: January 2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

Team Chara Vs Team Alfredsson (2012 NHL All-Star Game)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Elimination Shootout - 2012 NHL All Star Skills Competition - Lupul Got ...

2012 NHL All Stars Skills Competition part.5 Hardest Shot

Skills Challenge Relay - 2012 NHL All Star Skills Competition. Datsyuk I...

2012 NHL All Star Skills Competition part.3 Accuracy Shooting

Breakaway Challenge - 2012 NHL All Star Skills Competition. SuperKane. P...

Fastest Skater - 2012 NHL All Stars Skills Competition - Part 1

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Red Wings @ Canadiens

CANADIENS BLOWOUT THE RED WINGS 7-2

GOAL SCORERS

DET: J. Hudler (00:21 - 3rd) , J. Hudler (06:07 - 3rd)

MTL: R. Bourque (05:08 - 1st) , A. Emelin (10:56 - 1st) , D. Desharnais (17:58 - 1st) , T. Plekanec (19:33 - 1st) , M. Pacioretty (01:52 - 2nd) , D. Desharnais (PPG, 04:18 - 2nd) , E. Cole (18:37 - 3rd)

GOALIES

DET: T. Conklin , J. Howard (L)

MTL: C. Price (W)

              Last night in Montreal, it was the very last game before the NHL All-Star Break and the Canadiens took on the Detroit Red Wings. Just 5 minutes in, Gomez came up the left side and centred the puck and it went off the skate of Bourque and into the net to make it 1-0 Montreal. 5 minutes later, Kostitsyn played the puck back for Emelin at the point and he fired a shot past Howard for his first NHL goal to make it 2-0. 7 minutes later, Desharnais came up the left side and was knocked down, but the puck slid past Howard to make it 3-0. With under a minute to play, Bourques shot was stopped, but Plekanec knocked home the rebound to make it 4-0 Montreal after 1.

           To start the second, Conklin replaced Howard (who gave up 4 goals on 12 shots) in between the goal posts for the Red Wings. Just 2 minutes into the second, Desharnais shot missed the net and it bounced off the rear end boards right to Pacioretty at the side of the net and he scored to extend the Habs lead. 2 minutes later, with the Habs on a powerplay, Pacioretty played the puck down low for Desharnais he worked his way to the slot and fired a shot past Conklin to make it 6-0 Habs lead. Just 20 seconds into the third, Hudler would break the shutout bid for Price as he scored to cut the lead to 5.

Hudler would then cut the lead to 6-2, before Eric Cole scored a late goal to put this game away at 7-2. In the loss, Conklin came in and played the second and third and he made 10 saves on 12 shots. In the win, Price made 24 saves."I'm not going to watch any video of this, at all," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "I'm going to have a drink. Actually, it is what I'm going to do." This past week, Subban has been in the news. First it started with an argument on the bench with Assistant Coach Randy Ladouceur. Then at practice when Randy Ladouceur yelled at Subban saying, "You've been here for 40 minutes! Wake the F*** Up!"

And now after taking a elbowing penalty while the Habs were on a powerplay in the first, Subban was benched for the entire second period."It was a selfish penalty he took," said Cole. "We had the luxury of a four-goal lead to let him know you have to have discipline.Especially after the break and heading down the stretch and into the playoffs, you're going to take some runs, take a punch to the head, and you have to stay focused on the task. It was a good opportunity for the coaches to send a message." This was the biggest win of the Habs season so far as they need to go on a massive win streak after the break if they want any chance of making the post season. As of now, the Habs sit in 11th in the East with 47 points and they are currently 8 points out of the 8th and final Playoff spot.

Written by Andrew Di Pardo

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Top 10: Tough Guy Goals

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Canadiens @ Leafs

CANADIENS BEAT THE LEAFS 3-1

GOAL SCORERS

MTL: R. Bourque (18:26 - 1st) , R. Diaz (03:29 - 3rd) , L. Eller (11:25 - 3rd)

TOR: M. Lombardi (18:55 - 1st)

GOALIES

MTL: C. Price (W)

TOR: J. Gustavsson (L)

                  Earlier tonight in Toronto, the Habs took on the Leafs in search of a win that would put the Habs 7 points back of 8th place in the conference. 9 minutes in, Eller had a shorthanded breakaway and he was stopped by Gustavsson. With under 2 minutes to play in the first, Cole came in on a 3 on 1 and he passed the puck to Plekanec and his shot missed the net, but it bounced off the boards and went right to Bourque in front of the net and he scored his first goal as a member of the Canadiens to make it 1-0. 30 seconds later, Lombardi had a breakaway and he scored to tie the game. 10 minutes into the second, Kessel took the puck from the left side to the slot and fired a shot and he was stopped by Carey Price.

          3 minutes into the third, Gomez played the puck to Diaz at the top of the circle and fired a slap shot on net and he scored to make it 2-1 Montreal leads. 8 minutes later, Eller brought the puck in over the line and went all the way around the net with it and fired a shot from a bad angle and it beat the Leafs goaltender and the Habs took a 3-1 lead. That would be your final as the Habs win their biggest game of the season and they now find themselves just 7 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot. Thats the good news, the bad news is that when a team is 7 points out of a playoff spot with 48 games played in the season, the chances of that team making the playoffs is just 10%.

          But you just never know. Just look back to the 2010 Round 1 Playoff series, the Habs were down 3 games to 1 against the Capitals in the series. No 8th ranked team has ever come back down such a margin in NHL history. But the Habs did and they won the series. So that just shows you that anythings possible. So don't count the Habs out of the playoffs just yet."There's still a light at the end there," forward Lars Eller said about the possibility of making the Post-season. "There are more than 30 games to go and we still have a lot of faith in this locker-room. We'll play one game at a time and see what happens."

The Habs won this game against the Maple Leafs 3-1, tired and all after their 4-3 shootout loss on Friday against the Penguins. "That was probably the best bounce we've had all season," goalie Carey Price (who made 32 saves )said. "It was nice to be able to feel like we had luck on our side tonight." The Habs next game will be Wednesday night against the Red Wings at 7:38 Pm E.t is the NHL official puck drop time on TSN & RDS.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

HNIC - Coach's Corner - Jan 21st 2012 (HD)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Matt Hendricks vs Rene Bourque Jan 18, 2012

Montreal Canadiens Vs Washington Capitals - 01/18/2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

Rangers @ Canadiens

THE HABS BEAT THE BEST TEAM IN THE NHL 4-1

GOAL SCORERS

NYR: J. Mitchell (12:49 - 1st)

MTL: M. Pacioretty (02:39 - 1st) , M. Pacioretty (03:54 - 2nd) , M. Blunden (07:11 - 2nd) , D. Desharnais (12:18 - 2nd)

GOALIES

NYR: H. Lundqvist (L)

MTL: P. Budaj (W)

             Last night in Montreal, the Habs took on the NHL's best team, the New York Rangers.After serving his 5 game suspension, Rene Bourque made his Habs debut. Just over 1:30 in, Bourque came up the right side and backhanded a shot to the net and he was stopped by Lundqvist. 1 minute later, Desharnias centred the puck to Pacioretty in the slot and he scored to make it 1-0 Habs. 11 minutes later, Stephans shot was stopped by Budaj, but Mitchell was there to knock home the rebound to tie the game. 30 seconds into the second, the Habs turned the puck over and Boyle got the puck in the slot and he was denied by Dudaj.

             4 minutes later, Coles point shot went off the arm of Pacioretty and in to put the Habs up by 1. 3 minutes later, Gomez centred the puck for Blunden and Blunden was denied. But the puck went to Subban at the point and he played it back down low for Gomez, and he centred the puck for Blunden and this time he would score to extend the Habs lead.

              With 7 minutes to go in the second, Pacioretty played the puck from the right side to the slot and Desharnias scored to make it 4-1 Habs lead. Then with under a minute to go in the second, Rupp got the puck in the slot and fired a shot past Budaj, but it hit the post. Thats as close as the Rangers would get as the Habs win 4-1. In the win, Budaj made 28 saves. In the loss, Lundvist made 25 saves."We felt good for the past couple of games and we were waiting to have a game like this," Pacioretty said. "Hopefully we can keep it going." This victory, was Budajs first career win in the Bell Centre."I'm glad that my work paid off," said Budaj.

           "I always try to prepare myself, whenever I get a chance, to play to the best of my abilities and help the team to win a game. I got a big win tonight against a great team. That's always pretty satisfying, but when you look at the scoreboard, we have a long way to go." The Habs currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, but are 8 points out of a playoff spot. Is a Playoff appearance still Possible? Yes it is but they have to go on a win streak at some point and sooner is better than later. After the game, Cunneywoth talked about Bourques play."Rene was everything we expected," Canadiens coach Randy Cunneyworth said. "He battled along the walls, just as advertised, and I think we're going to enjoy a lot of his two-way play for a long time to come."

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Senators @ Canadiens

HABS COMEBACK, BUT FALL IN A SHOOTOUT 3-2

GOAL SCORERS

OTT: K. Turris (05:57 - 3rd) , J. Spezza (PPG, 13:42 - 3rd) , D. Alfredsson (00:00 - SO)

MTL: T. Plekanec (SHG, 00:42 - 3rd) , M. Pacioretty (19:21 - 3rd)

GOALIES

OTT: C. Anderson (W)

MTL: C. Price (L)

               Earlier tonight in Montreal,it was the first game without Cammalleri and the last game of Bourques suspension. It was also the return of Scott Gomez. So how would the Habs do? 2 minutes in, Desharnais got the puck in the slot and fired it on goal and was denied by Anderson. 1 minute later, Gorges took the puck around the net and played it to Subban in the slot and he scored. But the goal was disallowed due to goalie interference on Kostitsyn. 7 minutes later, Plekanec had a breakaway and he was denied by Anderson. 4 minutes later, Desharnais brough the puck from the right side to the left and played the puck to Pacioretty in the slot and he was denied.

          7 minutes into the second, Karleson brought the puck up the left side and fired a shot and he was stopped by Carey Price. So there was no score going into the third. But Just 40 seconds in, Plekanec had a breakaway and he scored five hole on Anderson to make it 1-0 Montreal. 5 minutes later, Gonchars point shot was tipped in by Turris to tie the game. 3 minutes later, Cole came up the right wing and played the puck to Pacioretty in front and he was denied by Anderson. Then with 6 minutes left in the third, the Sens were on a powerplay and Spezza fired a shot past Price to give the Senators the 2-1 lead.

              Then with under a minute to go in the third, Campolis shot was stopped, Desharnais was stopped on the rebound. But Anderson can not deny the third shot as Pacioretty knocked the puck in to tie the game. This game would go to a shootout. Alfredsson scored the loan goal in the shootout as the Senators beat the Habs 3-2. In the loss, Price made 23 saves on 25 shots. In the win, Anderson made 33 saves on 35 shots. With the shootout lose, the Habs remain the only team without a shootout victory this season."We have to find a way to win those," Price said. "I don't really know what to say. We've just got to find a way to get the extra point."

Shootout
Lars Eller	MTL	Miss
Milan Michalek	OTT	Save
Tomas Kaberle	MTL	Save
Jason Spezza	OTT	Miss
Max Pacioretty	MTL	Save
Daniel Alfredsson	OTT	Goal

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Mike Cammalleri Reaction to Trade 1/12/2012

Mike Cammalleri Traded To The Calgary Flames For Rene Bourque

Friday, January 13, 2012

Bourque Trade Press Conference - 01.12.12

Sportsnet Hockey Central - Mike Cammalleri Traded To The Calgary Flames ...

NHL Tonight analyzes Cammalleri trade to CGY 1/12/12

Canadiens @ Bruins

CANADIENS FALL TO THE BRUINS & CAMMALLERI GETS TRADED

GOAL SCORERS

MTL: Y. Weber (PPG, 12:46 - 3rd)

BOS: J. Caron (01:23 - 1st) , M. Lucic (03:43 - 3rd)

GOALIES

MTL: C. Price (L)

BOS: T. Thomas (W)

Last night in Boston, the Habs took on the Bruins. Just over a minute in, the Bruins dump in went off the glass and back in front of the goal and Price was behind the net which lead to an easy empty net goal by Caron. That would make it 1-0 and that would be the score going into the second. The score was still 1-0 after 2 periods. But to start the third, Cammalleri wasn't on the Habs bench. The original consensus was that he was injured. We would find out different later on. 5 minutes into the third, Horton centred the puck to Lucic and he scored to make it 2-0. Then with 7 minutes to go, the Habs were on a powerplay and Webers shot beat Thomas to cut the lead to 1. But that's as close as the Habs would get as they lose this game 2-1 and will remain in 12th in the Eastern Conference.

After the game it was officially announced that Mike Cammalleri was traded to the Flames for Rene Bourque, Holland and a draft pick. “The Montreal Canadiens traded Michael Cammalleri today to the Calgary Flames in addition to the rights to Mr. Karri Ramo who’s a goaltender that plays in Europe and a fifth round pick in 2012,” explained Gauthier.. “In exchange for these people and assets, we obtained left winger René Bourque from the Calgary Flames in addition to a good, young prospect from the Tri-Cities named Patrick Holland, a centerman, and a second round pick in 2013.It was tough timing because you pull a guy off after two periods in a very tight game.But it’s not the first time it happens and it was the right thing to do for all parties.”

“This is a trade, amongst other discussions, has been going on for a while. It’s very tough to make deals right now because of the cap and the league being so close,” Continued Gauthier. “But we’ve been trying for these past weeks to get bigger up front. We have a lot of young players that have joined the team in the last year or so that aren’t very big.We felt that if we wanted to improve the club we have to be bigger up front. We need to score harder goals. We need to score goals from the tough areas with the second chances, third chances and screen shots,” continued Gauthier. “That’s why Mr. Bourque was very attractive to us, because he scores a great majority of his goals from the hard areas.”

All I can say about this mistake of this trade is that if this GM stays and doesn't get fired soon, the Habs historical organization will turn into a joke of an organization. Gauthier is like a lost sheep in this situation, in a sense that he doesn't know what to do with this team so the first trade that comes his way he takes it. If Gauthier really wanted to trade Cammalleri that much, he could have shopped him around and gotten more for him. But instead he gets a big forward that is not a game breaking player, who is nothing more than a 3rd or 4th line player. So another big mistake from the Habs organization.

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

Thursday, January 12, 2012

BREAKING NEWS: Cammalleri Traded Back to Calgary

“I can’t accept that we will display a losing attitude as we’re doing this year. We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it’s no wonder why we lose,” Cammalleri said after practice on Wednesday. ”You’ve got to be sensitive to the fact that Canadiens fans live and die by their team. So if anything, you can identify with how they feel. They’re unhappy, and they let you know it. So I wasn’t disappointed; I think more so I probably expected it.” Those were Cammalleri's comments yesterday. Today he made some more comments about the Habs.“I made some comments after my interview yesterday that I thought were pretty (politically correct) with regards to the competitive advantage a winning team has in their mentality, and the lack thereof of a losing team.

“I didn’t think it was groundbreaking news. . . . It was some pretty impressive journalism to make all that out of that.” It wasn't just "a few comments" as Cammalleri puts it, as he was told during the second intermission tonight (against the Bruins) that he was traded to the Calgary Flames for Rene Bourque,Patrick Holand and a 2nd round pick in 2013. This is a bad trade for the Habs as Cammalleri is a game breaking player and Rene Bourque is not. It's that simple. This trade was a result of Cammlleri's comments that he made yesterday.“Mike Cammalleri is a dynamic player who enjoyed great success playing in Calgary,” stated Flames General Manager Jay Feaster. “We believe Cammalleri will help our offensive production, solidify a second scoring line, bolster our power play, and bring another strong veteran voice to our room. We are confident that a return to Calgary will be good for Mike and good for our continued pursuit of a playoff berth.”

Written By Andrew Di Pardo

NHL 2012 ALL-STAR (List of Players)

Note: These six players were named to the 2012 Tim Horton's NHL All-Star Game through All-Star Fan Balloting presented by Sirius/XM. The remaining 36 All-Stars were announced Jan. 12, with captains getting named in the near future. Teams will be selected by the Captains at the 2012 NHL All-Star Player Fantasy Draft on Thursday, Jan. 26.