Blackhawks-Canadiens: Price Stands Tall Against 'Hawks

Montreal 4 Chicago 1 (Bell Centre)

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

Tonight's game was a tough test for the Canadiens against a very good team. The Blackhawks are young, quick and skilled.

The game was evenly played with the 'Hawks pressing the Habs at times. But the Canadiens had a huge advantage in goal. Carey Price was superb. He made several excellent stops on Havlat, Sharp and Bolland.

Between the second and third period, Sharp said "We are getting outworked by their goaltender. He is having a great game."

Price had to carry the team in the first two periods because the Habs were very passive. It was too easy for Chicago to gain the zone as the Canadiens vacated the neutral zone and backed in. They spent too much time in their own end and got caught running around only to be bailed out by Price.

Saku Koivu said "Carey made some key saves when they were pushing and kept us in the game."

Fortunately, at the other end, Cristobal Huet was shaky and having a Huet night. Only 25 seconds in he allowed a weak goal to Alex Kovalev that gave the Canadiens the start they needed.

Latendresse's goal in the second also has to be considered soft. Afterwards, the Bell Centre fans began chanting "Hu-et, Hu-et."

After playing passively for two periods, the Canadiens were much more aggressive in the third. It was the team's strongest period. After the Buffalo game, Bob Gainey said that he didn't like his team's third period performance in the previous games and he intended to fix it. His message got through to his team tonight.

Special teams were very good tonight. The Canadiens' power-play was 2-for-4 and the penalty killers didn't allow a goal on six Chicago opportunities.

The Habs dominated in the faceoff circle against Chicago.

Koivu's line once again led the way. Kovalev had a goal and an assist.

Chris Higgins continued his strong play despite playing with the flu. Higgins led the team in shots with seven; five in the first period alone. He also did great work on the first penalty kill unit.

The Lapierre line was better but had an inconsistent game. They cycled the puck well in the second and Latendresse scored. But on several occasions, they got trapped in their own zone and failed to clear the puck.

Andrei Kostitisyn played better and had some scoring chances in the third. But it was difficult to get any momentum after racking up 19 minutes in penalties. Andrei came to the defense of Sergei Kostitsyn after his head was run into the boards by Eric Johnson. Sergei did not return to the game.

Roman Hamrlik also left the game with an upper body injury.

Andrei Markov had another superb game. Mathieu Schneider scored a power-play goal (although the puck was tipped in front by Higgins).

Josh Gorges struggled all game. He lost battles for the puck and committed giveaways.

The Canadiens are still searching for that elusive sixty minute effort but tonight's game proved that, with Gainey's guidance, they have regained their form.


Pre-game

Bob Gainey said 'no' to the barber-pole jerseys for this game. Instead the Habs wore 'CA' vintage sweaters from 1915-16.

Starting lineup: Koivu, Kovalev, Tanguay, Schneider, Gorges

Carey Price and Cristobal Huet started in goal.

O'Byrne, Laraque, Stewart, and D'Agostini were scratched from the line-up. Bouillon and Lang were on injured reserve.

Lines:

Plekanec-Andrei Kostitsyn-Sergei Kostitsyn
Koivu-Kovalev-Tanguay
Lapierre-Latendresse-Kostopoulos
Metropolit-Higgins-Dandenault


Rocket's three stars:

1. Carey Price
2. Andrei Markov
3. Alex Kovalev

(photo credit: AP)

Return of the Where's Waldo Jerseys? Not quite.

photo from AP photo / The Canadian Press
posted by habsbloggergirl

Bob Gainey woke up this morning and made the odd but albeit sound decision not to let the Habs players play in the vintage barber pole jerseys… You know, the ones when last worn, resulted in a bad loss to Boston and two injuries all in the same night? Don’t remember? Then try this. The last jersey Robert Lang wore before his season-ending injury? Still no? Then how ‘bout this. The really ugly ones? Ya those.

Well obviously we can count on the players being happy he made this change… anyone who is the slightest bit superstitious (and a lot of people think hockey players are) wouldn’t want one of those on their backs. First of all, how do we know Latendresse and Lang’s injuries weren’t caused by Boston players who were so nauseous from the spinning multicoloured stripes that they just banged into them, without intending to, and that those almost hallucinatory episodes were the actual causes their injuries? We’ll never know but why risk it a second time ‘round.

Plus, who could stomach wearing one of those awful striped pajama-looking sweaters in general (though I believe Kovalev admitted he liked it when he modelled it a couple of months back)? On him, if I remember correctly, it actually wasn’t bad… but on the ice it looked like there were 5 red, blue and white bees swarming around the puck. Enough to give you a bad headache. Or worse.

So they are instead wearing the ones they wore against the Leafs Saturday night. Not much better luck-wise, but at least they’re a bit more visually pleasing (though my one complaint is that the numbers on their backs don’t stand out enough). Let’s hope the second time’s a charm and that we can somehow come alive against Chicago. Worse comes to worse, if things aren’t going well after the second, we can pull our favourite eye-sores out of the closet and take ‘em for a spin around the rink, until some Chicago player yells “my eyes, my eyes!!”, while we all nod in agreement at home.

Alfredsson, Bergeron, Brisebois, Numminen, White are Masterton nominees

Alfredsson, Bergeron, Brisebois, Numminen, White are Masterton nominees
Tuesday, 03.31.2009 / 10:04 AM / NHL Awards
NHL.com

The Professional Hockey Writers' Association Tuesday revealed the names of the nominees for the 2009 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy from the five Northeast Division clubs -- Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Teppo Numminen of the Buffalo Sabres, Patrice Brisebois of the Montreal Canadiens, Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators and Ian White of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the NHL player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." The award was presented by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to honor the late Bill Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars who exhibited those qualities. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, as a result of an on-ice injury.

The Masterton Trophy will be awarded at the 2009 NHL Awards broadcast live from the Pearl Concert Theater inside the Palms Hotel Las Vegas on June 18, 2009. Airing on CBC in Canada and VERSUS in the United States, the 2009 NHL Awards will bring together the League's best players, celebrities and other NHL VIPs in celebration of the season's brightest stars.

The following players have been nominated by the PHWA membership to represent their teams from the Northeast Division:

Boston: Patrice Bergeron -- Just a year and a half ago, Patrice Bergeron was nearly paralyzed and suffered a severe concussion from a hit from behind. His determination to be back by the 2008 playoffs nearly paid off, as he amazingly would have been ready to take the ice had the Bruins reached the second round last spring.

This season, Bergeron suffered yet another concussion, but has since returned to approach the high-caliber level of play for which he was known before the injuries. His credo of respect and "playing the right way" is reflected in his style on the ice -- always hard, always physical, always clean.

Buffalo: Teppo Numminen -- Having undergone September 2007 surgery to repair a faulty valve in his heart, Teppo Numminen's lengthy and distinguished career was in jeopardy. He refused to allow just the 2007-08 season to be played without him.

Numminen fought back for seven grueling months just to make it into the Sabres' lineup for the regular-season finale. Having proved he could make it all the way back, the 40-year-old, four-time Finnish Olympian was determined to play at least another full season and has provided leadership and served as a role model for his young Sabres teammates in this, his 20th NHL season.

Montreal: Patrice Brisebois -- It looked as if Patrice Brisebois was on his way out of hockey after undergoing back surgery while playing for Colorado in 2006-07. He was signed in August 2007 by the Montreal Canadiens, the team with which he had played his first 14 NHL seasons, merely as a bargain-priced insurance policy. But he played 43 games and earned another contract.

The 38-year-old Montreal native returned to his hometown team this season with no playing time guarantees but has taken advantage of injuries to other players to surpass last year's totals reach 1,000 games played for his career.

Ottawa: Daniel Alfredsson -- Daniel Alfredsson has gotten better with age. His leadership style often critiqued when he was a younger player, the Senators' captain has convinced all skeptics with the resilience and courage he has displayed ever since entering the NHL in 1995-96. Just last spring, Alfredsson returned to the lineup to help the Senators in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins only days after suffering a serious leg injury in a regular-season game in Toronto.

This season, he missed only one game after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery and one with a broken jaw. Off the ice, Alfredsson is involved with the Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation which benefits the treatment of mental illness.

Toronto: Ian White -- A healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs' first 11 games this season, Ian White refused to allow a glut of defensemen to render him a bit player. The 24-year-old accepted the challenge of learning a new position, right wing, and earned a lineup spot as a forward.

Having appeared in nearly every game since, White has proven to be reliable both on defense and on the wing. Fighting for his spot has been standard for White, who was a sixth-round draft pick in 2002 and largely unknown when he surprisingly made the Leafs roster at training camp in 2006.

Moose hand Bulldogs second weekend loss

Moose hand Bulldogs second weekend loss

By Garry McKay
HAMILTON SPECTATOR

The Hamilton Bulldogs chances of finishing first are gone but second place is still very much in the picture.

The Manitoba Moose beat the Dogs 3-2 Sunday in Winnipeg to officially end Hamilton’s hopes of catching them for the top spot in the AHL’s North Division.

Fortunately for the Dogs, who are currently in third place, the second place Grand Rapids Griffins fell 4-1 in Philadelphia.

That means that the Dogs still trail Grand Rapids by fourth points. Both teams have five games remaining in the regular season and they play each other three times including twice this week.

The Bulldogs host Grand Rapids on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m. at Copps.

Their final meeting is Friday April 10 in Grand Rapids. The Dogs end the season the following day in Toronto.

At stake is home ice advantage in the first round playoff series the Griffins and Bulldogs will play against each other.

Yesterday, as they had on Friday in a 2-1 overtime loss in Winnipeg, the Dogs held a wide margin in shots (46-25) but struggled to get pucks past Moose netminder Corey Schneider.

“We had some really good chances, I would say at least 20 good scoring chances,” said Hamilton coach Ron Wilson who admitted that he’s concerned that his usually high scoring team is suddenly having trouble putting the puck in the net.

“We had 85 shots in two games and scored three goals. We are getting the chances and we’re rolling four lines but some guys haven’t scored in a while.”

Wilson wasn’t unhappy with the effort, however.

“We competed hard and it was another game that we could have won, should have won and didn’t,” he said.

Brock Trotter gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead at 3:35.

Jason Krog’s 29th goal of the year tied it for the Moose in the second.

Travis Ramsey gave Manitoba their first lead of the game at 5:31 of the third and Jason Jaffray scored what would turn out to be the winner at 12:03.

Ben Maxwell got the Dogs back to within one on a power play at 128:12 but they couldn’t get an equalizer past Schneider.

The Dogs played without defenceman Dan Jancevski who was called up to Dallas.
The race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division got tighter Sunday when the Syracuse Crunch beat the Marlies 4-3 in a shootout in Toronto to move into a tie with them for fourth. Both teams have five games remaining.

Guess what's back...

UPDATE: Cancelled! Bob Gainey said 'no' to the barber-pole jerseys for Tuesday's game against Chicago. Instead the Habs will wear 'CA' vintage sweaters from 1915-16.

The barber pole jerseys will make another appearance on Tuesday night when the Canadiens face the Black Hawks. The CAC (Club Athletique Canadien) sweaters date from the 1912-13 team.

Sabres-Canadiens: Habs Hurt by Weak Defensive Effort

Montreal 3 Buffalo 4 SO (Bell Centre)

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

It was a very entertaining hockey game tonight: two teams battling for a playoff spot; two good coaches; two excellent goalies. Despite the loss, there were positives for the Canadiens.

Bob Gainey has to be pleased that his team took five of six points this week. He should be happy that at times, they are playing closer to their potential and look like a completely different team than under their previous coach.

It was an exciting first period. The Habs played well outshooting Buffalo 12-to-8. Carey Price and Ryan Miller traded great saves. The Sabres scored as a hard pass by Johan Hecht was tipped in by a wide open Adam Mair. Saku Koivu hit the post as the period expired.

The only ones not on their game in the first were the officials. The linesmen threw both Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev out of the faceoff circle which led to a rarely called minor penalty to Kovalev. The linesman seemed to be at fault for delaying to drop the puck while both were set.

Buffalo's goal came a mere five seconds after Kovalev's penalty expired.

The Canadiens started slowly in the second. Buffalo scored a power-play goal when Price made a great save on Thomas Vanek but the Habs couldn't clear. Connolly buried his shot with traffic around the net.

The Habs came to life on a terrific shot by Chris Higgins. Good work by Metropolit and Dandenault to set up the play.

The Canadiens then scored two more making it three goals in a seven minute span to lead the Sabres 3-2.

Price made several more big stops including saves on Pominville and Vanek to finish the period.

The Habs sat back in the third period. They weren't aggressive on the forecheck. They weren't getting pucks deep in the Buffalo zone. The Sabres outshot the Canadiens 16-to-7.

Buffalo's tying goal came as the Habs were caught chasing the puck. Montreal fell into the bad habit of poor defensive coverage.

Price had a great game and was the best Canadiens' player. He hasn't lost in regulation in seven games with a record of 4-0-3. The Canadiens have taken 11 of a possible 14 points with Price in goal.

Chris Higgins continues his terrific play and was rewarded with a goal tonight. Metropolit is playing smart hockey and Dandenault is great on the forecheck.

Koivu's line continues to provide the offensive spark. The trio had five points tonight. Kovalev had two goals with one coming via the power-play.

Matt D'Agostini continues to struggle. He played less than five minutes in this game. Plekanec and Sergei Kostitsyn will hopefully welcome back Andrei Kostitsyn on Tuesday night to help this line to contribute.

The Lapierre line didn't play well. Guillaume Latendresse was missing in action for most of the game. Lapierre was only 28% on faceoffs and delivered a questionable hit to Patrick Kaleta. Tom Kostopoulos fought Craig Rivet.

Josh Gorges was back to his inconsistent play. Mathieu Schneider played too many minutes and his defensive play suffered. Roman Hamrlik seems to try too hard when paired with Patrice Brisebois. Brisebois is simply the worst player on the ice each night. His play is embarrassing for an NHL defenseman.

The Canadiens once again could not play a solid 60 minute game. Giving up goals in the third period is also becoming a bad habit in this home stand.

The conference standings for the playoffs are even tighter after tonight just as the Canadiens are scheduled to face tougher opposition.


Pre-game

Starting lineup: Lapierre, Latendresse, Kostopoulos, Brisebois, Hamrlik

Carey Price and Ryan Miller started in goal.

O'Byrne, Laraque, and Stewart were scratched from the line-up. Andrei Kostitsyn was out with the flu. Bouillon and Lang were on injured reserve.

Lines:

Koivu-Kovalev-Tanguay
Plekanec-D'Agostini-Sergei Kostitsyn
Lapierre-Latendresse-Kostopoulos
Metropolit-Higgins-Dandenault


Rocket's three stars:

1. Ryan Miller
2. Carey Price
3. Chris Higgins

(photo credit: Getty Images)

Bulldogs clinch playoff spot despite loss in Winnipeg

Bulldogs clinch playoff spot despite loss in Winnipeg

By Garry McKay
HAMILTON SPECTATOR

The Hamilton Bulldogs won by losing Friday night.

The Dogs dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime to the Manitoba Moose in Winnipeg but the single point was good enough to clinch a playoff berth for Hamilton.

That’s because the Syracuse Crunch dropped a 4-1 decision at home to San Antonio earlier.

It will be the Dogs first trip to the American Hockey League playoffs in two years. In fact their last playoff game, two series ago, was their victory in game five of the Calder Cup championship that brought the city its first hockey tile.

The Dogs first round opponent has still yet to be determined. They could meet either the Moose or the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Ryan Russell’s 17th goal of the year at 9:21 of the first period gave the Dogs a lead they held until 1:42 of the third. That’s when Jason Krog scored the equalizer for the Moose on a power play.

The Dogs got it to overtime to get the point they needed to clinch a playoff berth but lost the game on a goal by Nolan Baumgartner at 1:48.

Hamilton outshot Manitoba 36-20. Cory Schneider picked up the win. Marc Denis was the loser.
The Bulldogs and Moose go at it again Sunday in Winnipeg at 3 p.m.

Notes: Ben Maxwell is the Bulldogs winner of the American Specialty/AHL Man of the Year award for his community work. He’s now one of 29 finalists for the AHL’s Yannick Dupre Award.

There was a scary moment Friday night in Norfolk when referee Chris Cozzan had his throat accidentally slashed by the skate of Norfolk right winger Radek Smolenak. Cozzan was taken to hospital bleeding profusely.

In that same game Grand Rapids left winger Ryan Oulahen suffered a broken femur in his leg.

Lightning-Canadiens: Captain Koivu Scores Winner in OT

Montreal 3 Tampa Bay 2 OT (Bell Centre)

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com


As I write, I'm scratching a pre-playoff beard. You know, the early days of facial hair. I figured if I was recommending it for the players (see "Habs Checklist: 10 Things for 10 Games"), I should also make a commitment. Well, the All Habs beard is 2-0 so, for now, it's staying!

The Habs picked up two important points tonight with a big win over the Lightning. Canadiens' captain Saku Koivu was the over-time hero with the winning goal.

The Canadiens dominated the Lightning for two full periods. The Habs outshot the Bolts 24-to-8 over two periods but only carried a 1-0 lead into the third period.

Tampa Bay pushed back in the third period and outshot Montreal 11-to-8. The Canadiens were caught running around at times which led to the two Tampa goals. The Lightning were also recepients of a few fortunate bounces.

It was still not the sixty minute win that Bob Gainey has been looking for from his players. But for forty minutes, the Canadiens were doing many of the little things right. There have been a number of positive signs the past few games that are starting to show Gainey's influence.

All lines were playing hard. They were aggressive in their forecheck and the forwards were committed to coming back strong to help out in their own end. The puck spent very little time in the Canadiens end. It was either carried or chipped out quickly.

After the game Gainey commented "I liked the way we played the game. We were much more stable; much more consistent; and reliable minute by minute throughout the game."

The Canadiens also played a good transition game. They created opportunities from 27 Tampa giveaways.

The leader on the ice was Andrei Markov. He tallied two assists, a team high five shots, and almost thirty minutes of ice-time. As Gainey said "He is an elite player."

Full credit must go to the captain's line. Koivu showed grit and determination to score the game winner. Alex Kovalev picked up a power-play goal on a terrific cross-ice snap pass from Alex Tanguay. Koivu's line now has seven goals in the past two games.

The shutdown line of Glen Metropolit, Chris Higgins and Mathieu Dandenault were very effective in their role. The snipers for Tampa: Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos only had two shots on goal combined. Chris Higgins has embraced his assignment and brought his game to a new level.

Guillaume Latendresse scored an important goal for the Habs in the third period. He took the puck to the net and then followed through on the wraparound. Latendresse excited the crowd with a big hit to Evgeny Artyukhin, who was a thorn in the side of the Canadiens all game long and had 10 hits.

Later Latendresse declined when invited to fight Artyukhin. Max Lapierre led the team in hits with six and was eighty percent on faceoffs.

Matt D'Agostini didn't have a good game. One wondered if Max Pacioretty might have been a better fit with Tomas Plekanec and Sergei Kostitsyn.

Both Plekanec and Tanguay had more hits than Mike Komisarek. Komisarek wasn't the only one who didn't have a physical game. Roman Hamrlik. Patrice Brisebois, Mathieu Schneider and Josh Gorges combined for only one hit. The defense would have benefited from having Ryan O'Byrne in the line-up to add a physical presence. Overall Tampa outhit Montreal 46-to-29.

Komisarek also had three giveaways. On Tampa's first goals, Komisarek had two swipes at the puck but couldn't connect to clear it from the crease. But overall, the defense played much better in coverage and moving the puck out of the defensive zone.

Carey Price had a quiet game. He was called upon to make some big saves in the third period. Price couldn't be faulted on either Tampa goal. One resulted from a goal mouth scramble and the other was a puck that was deflected in front of the net. Price is now 4-0-2 in his last six.

The Canadiens power-play was only 1-for-8. They had good puck movement but, at times, passed on shots or had trouble getting pucks to the net. Tampa blocked 34 Montreal shots. As Koivu said "The power-play was good but not as effective. We need more shots to the net and traffic. I have to keep reminding those guys (Kovalev and Tanguay) to shoot the puck".

Bob Gainey is slowly getting his team to buy into a new system. For two periods, the Canadiens showed that they can dominate when they use their speed to play a puck possession game. Gainey must continue to build on the positives as the tests start to become more difficult.


Pre-game

Starting lineup: Metropolit, Higgins, Dandenault, Markov, Komisarek

Carey Price and Karri Ramo started in goal.

O'Byrne, Laraque, and Stewart were scratched from the line-up. Andrei Kostitsyn was out with the flu. Bouillon and Lang were on injured reserve.

Lines:

Plekanec-D'Agostini-Sergei Kostitsyn
Koivu-Kovalev-Tanguay
Lapierre-Latendresse-Kostopoulos
Metropolit-Higgins-Dandenault


Rocket's three stars:

1. Andrei Markov
2. Saku Koivu
3. Karri Ramo

(photo credit: CP)

George Gillett upset over speculation

We don't like to say we told you so, but...


George Gillett upset over speculation
posted by Pat Graham, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published Wednesday March 25th, 2009

DENVER - George Gillett Jr.'s speech on global ownership Wednesday turned personal when he was pressed about the financial stability of his sports teams, Liverpool F.C. and the Montreal Canadiens.

An agitated Gillett paced around the stage at the SportAccord convention of global sports leaders, fuming that a private matter has suddenly drawn worldwide attention.

Gillett has engaged six investment advisors to reassess his varied holdings - for estate planning purposes only, he contends.

The central issue is whether Gillett would sell his 50 per cent stake in the English Premier League soccer team or offload the NHL's Canadiens.

"It got reported ... that I was selling assets, as opposed to estate planning," said Gillett, who was forced to address the questions during what was supposed to be a lecture on global sports ownership in the 21st century.

"Even when you think you're doing it right, it gets distorted. There is no story yet. We'll find out when they give us the reports what it is.

"My guess is it's unlikely that you will see any short-term sales. You may see a recapitalization here or there, we may bring in a partner or two. But I think it's unlikely you will see any asset sales."

Gillett and Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks, who also owns baseball's Texas Rangers and the NHL's Dallas Stars, have a July deadline to refinance the loan that funded their takeover two years ago.

That financing package of about US$368.2 million must be renewed after a six-month extension was granted by the Royal Bank of Scotland and U.S. investment bank Wachovia.

But RBS recently announced huge losses in this global economic downturn and may not be in a position to extend further financing.

Selling his Liverpool stake would require the approval of Hicks, but Gillett owns 80.1 per cent of the Canadiens and the Bell Centre.

"The businesses are all in excellent shape financially, they all are healthy, they've got strong incomes and relatively small debt in this difficult world," Gillett said.

"Yet, if you read the speculation that's going on, you'd somehow or other read that we're in financial difficulty and so forth."

That speculation bothers him.

"I am not used to this kind of attention, and this kind of impoliteness," Gillett said. "I am really offended by it, because it really is truly private.

"I know it affects assets that we all know and love but it doesn't affect the operations of the business."

That's why his advice to Liverpool and Montreal fans is to focus on players, not front-office business.

"I don't think owners should be that directly involved in a public way," Gillett said. "I'm a very private person ... That's the way I am. That's the way I prefer it to be."

He said he accepted the invitation to appear at the conference before the Liverpool news started to surface and probably wouldn't have done so had he known he'd get grilled about it.

Koivu denies a new contract with the Canadiens

Here is an article about another Montreal media story that has been debunked. This one came from a reporter who claimed to have inside sources. It said that a new signed contract for Saku Koivu was sitting in Bob Gainey's desk drawer waiting for the right time to announce.


from Francois Gagnon (translated)
La Presse
March 25, 2009

Amid rumors of the ocean in which the Canadian mess since the beginning of the season, another good source of information has been disproved: the assumption that Saku Koivu and the Habs had agreed on the parameters of a contract two years.

"It's completely crazy," said Saku Koivu when questioned by the press on this subject after the victory on Tuesday.

According to this rumor, Koivu had not yet affixed his signature to the contract, but had obtained a verbal agreement which provided for two other seasons in Montreal.

"There is no contract, no agreement, there has not even been any discussion between me, Canadian and my agent (Don Baizley). With nine games to play in the season, while we are at the height of a battle for a playoff spot, do you really think the time is conducive to questions of contract? Several of us in the same situation and it is unthinkable to deconcentrate the team in reaching out to think about issues of contracts," decided the captain.

Saku Koivu completes the final season of a four-year contract which has reported $19 million. He will become a free agent without compensation on 1 July if no agreement with Canada by then.

Canadiens' captain since his election early in the season 1999-2000, Saku Koivu joins Jean Béliveau (1961-1971) as master with the longest reign with Canadian if prolonged his career in Montreal.

Although he is the captain for ten years, Koivu has lost a season because of the lockout that canceled the 2004-2005 season.

Aged 35, Saku Koivu was the first choice of the Canadian round (21st selection) in 1993. He began his career in Montreal in 1995-1996.

New line sparks Bulldogs to lopsided win

New line sparks Bulldogs to lopsided win

By Garry McKay
HAMILTON SPECTATOR

Max Pacioretty returned to the Hamilton Bulldogs lineup Tuesday night and Ben Maxwell was the beneficiary.

The new line of Maxwell, Pacioretty, and Yanick Lehoux combined for four goals to lead Hamilton to a 6-1 win over the San Antonio Rampage at Copps Coliseum.

Maxwell scored his first professional hat, Pacioretty had a goal and two assists and Lehoux picked up one assist.

“In four years of junior I didn’t have a hat trick,” said Maxwell whose last three goal game came with the Canadian Under-18 team in 2006.

“They were basically just tap-ins because my linemates did all the work. It’s good to have Patch back because he’s a skilled player and we all know Lehoux is the top point producer on the team and can really pass the puck.”

Pacioretty was just sent down to Hamilton from the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.
“He’s come down with a great attitude,” said Bulldogs coach Ron Wilson. “I thought he would be upset but he realizes he’s got a great opportunity and he wants to play.

“Up there he wasn’t getting much ice and he knows he’s going to get it down here.”
With the win the Dogs reduced their magic number to clinch a playoff spot to six points
Although the Rampage had the better of the play in the first period the Dogs came out with a 1-0 lead.

Maxwell got it at 7:40 when he took a pass from Pacioretty and one-timed a knuckleball shot that beat Karl Goehring and went in off the post.

The Dogs pulled away in the second, outscoring San Antonio 3-1.

Maxwell scored what would turn out to be the winner, on a power play at 5:09. Ryan Russell made it 3-0 on a breakaway at 8:42.

Brett MacLean got one back for the visitors when he banked a rebound past Marc Denis on a power play at 11:38.

Maxwell, restored the Dogs three goal lead, converting a perfect two-on-one from Yanick Lehoux at the 14 minute mark.

Pacioretty and J.T. Wyman added to the Bulldogs total with third period goals.

Dan Jancevski’s two assists give him 28 for the season and move him past Ron Hainsey to become the Bulldogs all time leading point producer among defencemen with 85.

The Dogs have seven games left in the regular season including two more this week, both on the road.

Hamilton heads to Winnipeg on Thursday for games with the North Division leading Manitoba Moose on Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

Hits and Misses

Molson Cup Three Stars: 1. Ben Maxwell, Hamilton. 2. Max Pacioretty, Hamilton. 3. Dan Jancevski, Hamilton.

Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game (hardest working Bulldog): Ryan Russell.
Scratches: Chad Anderson, Steve Gainey, Andrew Conboy, Ryan Kinasewich, Ryan Flinn.
Shots on goal: San Antonio 42 Hamilton 28.
Attendance: 3,476.
Up next: The Bulldogs are in Winnipeg on Friday night.

Thrashers-Canadiens: One Convincing Win

Montreal 6 Atlanta 3 (Bell Centre)

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

After the Saturday night game against the Leafs, I wrote that the Canadiens needed one convincing win to get back on track. Ask and you shall receive.

Give credit to a team who was under maximum pressure to win tonight. Give credit to a coach who pushed all the right buttons and made all the right decisions (well, almost all).

Bob Gainey challenged the veterans on the team to come through...and they did. Gainey gave the start to the goaltender who has experience playing in the big games..and Carey Price shone. Gainey's line new combinations were also very effective. Unlike his predecessor, Gainey didn't call for the trap after the Canadiens went up by a goal.

The line of Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev and Alex Tanguay ended the game with eleven points. Tanguay, had two goals and three assists. Koivu had a goal and two assists and did some tough work in the front of the Thrasher goal. Kovalev scored two power-play goals and also added an assist.

Glen Metropolit, Chris Higgins and Mathieu Dandenault were asked to play a shutdown role against Ilya Kovalchuk. All three played very well, and even added a goal. Chris Higgins played one of his best games in a long time. All three were particularly effective in their penalty killing roles. Metropolit's only flaw was a terrible night on faceoffs.

Sergei Kostitsyn was on fire tonight. He was very quick and aggressive on the forecheck. Sergei pressured Thrasher goalie Kari Lehtonen into taking a penalty for clearing the puck over the glass.

Carey Price played a solid game. He was spectacular and kept his team in the game in the first period when the Habs were outshot 10-to-4.

Andrei Markov had terrific game with three assists (a stingy scorer prevented him from adding another) and four blocked shots.

Mike Komisarek had a "Mike Komisarek game": six hits and three blocked shots . Komisarek also came to the aid of Price when Bryan Little ran Price and then tackled him.

Mathieu Schneider had one assist but played much better as he was only called upon for just over 17 minutes of icetime.

Josh Gorges has really struggled of late but he was much better in this game. Gorges had two blocked shots including one that caused him to miss some of the game.

Patrice Brisebois made a number of giveaways and mistakes, and was partly responsible for two of the three Atlanta goals. Expect Ryan O'Byrne back in the line-up on Thursday.

The Canadiens losses added up when their special teams were struggling. Tonight, the power-play went 3-for-6 and the penalty killers killed off 5-of-6 Atlanta opportunities.

The Habs should enjoy their win but this game was not all rosy. Superb play by Price was required when the team was being outplayed in the first. The Canadiens scored six goals on their first sixteen shots. That isn't going to happen every night. After all, their opponents were the Atlanta Thrashers.

This was a game to build upon but still not the sixty minute effort that Gainey was hoping for from his team. The coach now has to days for further adjustments to prepare for the arrival of the Lightning on Thursday.


Pre-game

Starting lineup: Metropolit, Higgins, Dandenault, Markov, Komisarek

Carey Price and Kari Lehtonen started in goal.

O'Byrne, Laraque, Stewart, and D'Agostini were scratched from the line-up. Bouillon and Lang were out with injuries.

Lines:

Plekanec-Andrei Kostitsyn-Sergei Kostitsyn
Koivu-Kovalev-Tanguay
Lapierre-Latendresse-Kostopoulos
Metropolit-Higgins-Dandenault

Rocket's three stars:

1. Alex Tanguay
2. Carey Price
3. Saku Koivu
3. Alex Kovalev
3. Chris Higgins
3. Andrei Markov


(photo credit: AP)

Habs' Checklist: 10 Things for 10 Games

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

The Montreal Canadiens are clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot with only ten games remaining in the season. Let's set aside the centennial talk and the what if's and what could have been. Here are ten ideas to help focus the Habs in their drive towards the playoffs.


1. Bob Gainey: Challenge the veterans and give them the ice-time. They need responsibility and accountability.

2. Players: Start the playoff beards! Every game is a must win. The baby-faced Sergei Kostitsyn and Greg Stewart are exempted.

3. Administration: Move the team into a hotel for the home stand to minimize distractions and instill playoff mentality.

4. Special Teams: Take over and dominate. Be the deciding factor in the outcome of remaining games.

5. Fans: Express your displeasure ONLY if the Canadiens are officially eliminated from the playoffs. Until then, make sure to support the team unconditionally. Don't be a negative influence and be a source of extra pressure during home games.

6. Media: Act responsibly and with journalistic integrity. End agenda-driven stories. Alternatively the Canadiens should limit media conferences and open locker rooms. Pay the NHL fine. It's worth it.

7. Georges Laraque: Retire and start your media career or take a seat and shut up! You have issued more media statements than you have engaged in fights this year.

8. Don Lever: Forget the French lessons to gain favor with the media. Nothing will ever be good enough for them. Instead, help coach this team into the playoffs and prove that you are the best candidate for the Habs' head coaching position.

9. Marketing Department: Enough with the special ceremonies and vintage jerseys. The focus should be on hockey.

10. Doug Jarvis, Kirk Muller, Rollie Melanson, Pierre Boivin, Pierre Gauthier: Polish up your resumes. If my wishes come true you will all be looking for new jobs at the end of the season.

A Business Assessment and Irresponsible Journalism

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

You may have noticed that no articles have appeared on All Habs regarding the potential 'sale' of the Montreal Canadiens. This is not an omission. It is a choice.

Underlying all the rumors and speculation, there is a legitimate sports business story. Canadiens team president Pierre Boivin, in a statement, said "The Gillett family has retained the services of financial advisers to assess various strategic alternatives to optimize the value of its corporate assets. In Canada, the family has retained the services of BMO Capital Markets and the process is underway."

So what does that mean? In short, a smart businessman has hired experts to conduct an business evaluation of the entertainment division of his company during a recession. I would be more worried about Mr. Gillete as an owner if he wasn't undertaking this assessment.

BMO will provide Gillette with a report that could include dozens of different options that could vary by the asset. In the their typical sensational manner La Presse has irresponsibly chosen to focus on only one of the options: the sale of the Montreal Canadiens.

La Presse newspaper ran with this angle as if it was an evidentuality even to the point of speculating on possible buyers. It is unfortunate that players and coaches were forced to respond to questions about these rumours.

We observed the La Presse coverage regarding the arrest of Pasquale Magnolia and the subsequent commentary on RDS and other media sources. We were told that multiple players would be charged and that "the scandal would rock the foundations of the franchise." As we now know, it was much ado about nothing. As far as I know the players named and the franchise have not received an apology.

For his part, Pierre Boivin has done a poor job communicating this message. Perhaps its no surprise as Boivin has recently caused confusion and dismay with his bizarre statements concerning the hiring of the next head coach of the Canadiens.

For all the people who contacted me about the impending sale of the Canadiens, I understand your concern. I can assure you that this is not something we need worry about at this time. At the worst, this may be a topic for another day well in the future. It is certainly possible that nothing will happen at all.

For now, it is time to focus on the last ten games of the season and to support the team as it makes its run towards the playoffs.

As coach Bob Gainey said "I've heard vague rumours about what's happening. I didn't hear that the hockey team was being sold. Have you? We have hockey games to play and it's about the competition."

Max Pacioretty sent down to Hamilton

Max Pacioretty sent down to Hamilton
Montreal Canadiens
Mar 23, 2009, 12:34 PM EDT

PRESS RELEASE

MONTREAL – The Canadiens announced Monday that forward Max Pacioretty has been assigned the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.

This season, Pacioretty registered 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists), 27 penalty minutes and delivered 44 hits in 34 games with the Canadiens, with an average ice time of 12:37.

Pacioretty, who started the 2008-09 campaign in the AHL with the Canadiens’ parent club, was the Bulldogs’ third-leading scorer when he was called up by Montreal on December 26, 2008, with 20 points (3 goals, 17 assists) in 26 games.

The 20-year-old left-winger earned Rookie of the Year honors the last two seasons, with the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers in 2006-07 and the CCHA’s University of Michigan Wolverines in 2007-08.

Pacioretty was selected in the first round by the Canadiens, 22nd overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Timing is everything

photo taken from habsinsideout

posted by habsbloggergirl

It tends to be hard to be inspired enough to write about a hockey club that is doing so poorly. When a team who had been steadily working from October to December, dives into a tailspin, one which spans almost 3 months, it’s a little bit hard to digest. I keep thinking, maybe a bit naively, that one day they will just come out of it, and resume their hardworking philosophy that seems to have been long forgotten. We all thought this would happen at the beginning of March, when Carey Price finally seemed to have found his game again, and Jaroslav Halak was winning games despite facing inflated amounts of shots every night. The team was starting to follow. But then came that game in Dallas, and shortly after Carbo was gone. And the truth is, it was a mistake to fire Guy Carbonneau.

Last night after our horrendous showing against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who usually bring out all of our emotion, even in the worst of times, Bob Gainey said that the team does have momentum, but it’s in the wrong direction. So what does this have to do with Carbonneau, you are probably wondering? When Carbonneau left, the team was finally winning. The goalies were great, and slowly the team was starting to follow. But as we all know, the firing of a coach usually results in a momentum swing, this time in the wrong direction. What message does it send to the players if a coach is fired when the team is finally starting to find its feet again? We know that not all of the players agreed with Carbonneau’s style of coaching, and I could get into the whole communication debate, but I’d rather not. Was Carbonneau the right coach to bring this team back around? We’ll never know, but my point is not that he shouldn’t have been fired, it’s that he shouldn’t have been fired when he was. We had been in a slump for weeks before he was fired. Why did Gainey wait until the team was turning around to fire his friend? He should have done it earlier, or not at all.

It’s too late to do anything about that now, but something has to be done to jumpstart this team. We’re running out of time. There are 10 games left, 3 weeks, and if Florida didn’t lose last night, we’d be sitting in 9th, 1 point out of the playoffs. Some players care. You can tell by the way they speak about hockey in general, by their body language on the ice, and by the way they analyze their teammates. Case in point: Guillaume Latendresse. After the game last night, he was on the post-game show on RDS. Although the media obsession with him has always driven me crazy, I never realized how smart and perceptive he was. Yes, he talked about a lack of confidence, and that when the other team scores, the whole team deflates. He spoke about his good friend Max Lapierre, who is playing his heart out. He talked about many things we already knew, but he was so insightful (although he really seemed at a loss when trying to explain why some players are playing like they care, and others aren’t). The point is: we can’t say they don’t care.

We have been talking about the horrible defence for months on end it seems, but it’s not getting better. Markov is definitely the team MVP. Without him, we would probably be at the bottom of the standings by now. Hamrlik is great one-on-one, but isn’t as good as he was last year. Gorges plays his heart out, but makes a few mistakes here and there. All Komisarek does is make mistakes. Schneider was great the first couple of games when he got here, but something happened and now he really isn’t playing to his potential. O’Byrne has been alright, but was pretty awful last night. Breezer has his moments, but they are usually followed by defensive errors. This brings up the question: Why isn’t Dandenault out there? We can only hope that Gainey at least gives him a chance, because honestly, what can it hurt?

Our offense is lacking just as much, as it seems that only Plekanec, Lapierre and Latendresse are capable of scoring. A lot of goals are determined by timing, but it seems that as a team, we are just off lately. We can’t complete passes, we don’t know where the other players are on the ice, we are moving too slowly at times and too fast at others. All this adds up to a team who just isn’t a contender.

It is something that at this point is no longer about technique, it’s all mental. We have all the skills, (just watch Kovy’s DVD). We have the talent. We know we are able to have the drive… but where is it? It’s in players like Kostopoulos, Lapierre, Latendresse, Higgins, Markov, Plekanec (excluding last night’s game) and Pacioretty. They want to win, and are working for it. I don’t think that the rest of the team doesn’t care. I think it’s just that they are discouraged. Gainey told the media he wanted 3 points this past week. The team got 1. When you don’t achieve goals, it discourages you even more. He needs to tell them to forget about the rest of the season; that they need to imagine that they are starting fresh and have a new 10-game season starting now. 6 games at home, 4 away. Only 4 of those teams are in the playoffs as of now. For most teams, that would be a good thing. For the Canadiens, it’s hard to say. When you beat teams like Detroit and San Jose, and then lose to the Islanders and Atlanta, can you really say it will be beneficial to play the latter teams?

Only time will tell. But if the Canadiens don’t stop coasting, they can forget about the playoffs. In their centennial season. What a nightmare.

That’s not to say they can’t do it. For all we know they could win the next 10 games and be primed for playoff hockey. But a change needs to happen, and since Sergei Kostitsyn was just called up from the AHL, we can only hope he brings along with him the same hope and drive he did last year at this time. Because without a little hope, there’s not much anyone can do to help.

RDS: Gainey brings Sergei Kostitsyn to Montreal

Gainey brings Sergei Kostitsyn to Montreal
Saturday 21 March 2009
from: RDS.ca


Bob Gainey decided that purgatory for Sergei Kostitsyn has been long enough.

RDS has learned that Kostitsyn was recalled from Hamilton Bulldogs, to whom he was assigned in mid-February, after the defeat of Canadiens Saturday against the Maple Leafs.

Before being removed from the score sheet the same night against the Chicago Wolves, the younger brother Kostitsyn recorded a point in nine consecutive games.

In 16 games with the Bulldogs, he collected 14 points.

Guest Article -- Wanted: One coach with experience, please

posted by Rocket

I am pleased to introduce another guest writer to All Habs readers. Eternal Pessimist has submitted an article on the debate concerning the next head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. EP has been a long time reader and insightful commenter.

Recently, Montreal Canadiens president Pierre Boivin made a very controversial statement essentially saying that language skills will trump hockey skills in the criteria to select the head coach in Montreal.

Eternal Pessimist shares his views on the subject. You can visit his blog at Shifts and Sets


Wanted: One coach with experience, please
by Eternal Pessimist

One of the things that has come up the most about Guy Carbonneau during his tenure as head coach was his inexperience. Before he took over for the 2006-2007 season as the next head coach he had had only two and a half years of previous coaching experience.Two of those years came as assistant coach to Michel Therrien and the other half came when he was named assistant coach to Bob Gainey a few years later. No matter what you think of Carbonneau’s legacy as a coach, the fact still remains that he had very limited experience before he was hired.Perhaps fortunately for Carbonneau, and unfortunately for the team, his situation is not new to the Canadiens. Since Jacques Demers was fired in 1995, every head coach of the Montreal Canadiens - with the exception of Bob Gainey - has been a rookie when they were appointed to the job. Mario Tremblay, Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien, Claude Julien and Guy Carbonneau all had zero experience as a head coach in the NHL when they were hired.

As you probably know, these now former coaches also all have a French name and speak French as their first language. Now, this isn't a jab at French-speaking coaches.While some people have stated that the Canadiens cannot win with a French coach and that they need to have an English one to win, they are wrong to say that. Demers, Jean Perron, Claude Ruel were all French Canadian and they all won the Stanley Cup as head coaches of the Canadiens. No, they didn’t win multiple Stanley Cups, but I don’t think it makes much sense to say that Dick Irvin, Toe Blake and Scotty Bowman won multiple Stanley Cups because they were English. There are many factors that go into winning a Stanley Cup, but I don’t think linguistics is one of those major factors. Irvin, Blake and Bowman won multiple Stanley Cups because they were good coaches. Not because they spoke English as their first language.

Language doesn't determine whether a coach is good or not. But the problem is that in this city, it does determine whether a coach will be hired in the first place or not. For various reasons, the general managers of the Canadiens have decided that a coach's linguistic abilities are more important than their ability to coach. And even there, we could make the argument that they’re not even picking the language in the dressing room.They’re picking someone who can communicate the best, not with his players, but with the media. And this, I believe, is one of the biggest reasons why the Canadiens have gone without the Stanley Cup since 1993. You hear time and time again that Montreal is the toughest city to play or coach in. People often say that it's the city's fault and point out that the coaches enjoy success elsewhere. If it is so tough, wouldn't it be beneficial to hire a coach who has a decent amount of experience coaching? Wouldn’t it be beneficial to bring in someone who wouldn’t have to learn on the job in front of a very scrutinizing media and rabid fans?

At this point it’s tempting to point out the recent success of teams like the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks as examples of teams that have found success with rookie coaches. But there are a couple of points missing from this. First, we don’t know how long these coaches will last with their current times. We don’t know what the end of the season or the next season will hold for them. Also, it’s a little presumptuous to think that a month or two of good playing will translate into playoff or Cup winning success. The second point is that unlike Carbonneau, Cory Clouston, Dan Byslma and Todd McLellan all have years of previous coaching know-how to their names. McLellan has roughly twelve years of experience behind him, while Clouston has just under eight years behind the bench and Bylsma has the least amount at five years. And the third point – and I think this is important – is that there’s a big difference between bringing in a new coach to a team that’s already been threatening to break out as a serious contender for the Stanley Cup (like San Jose) and bringing in a new and inexperienced coach to solve a fifteen year-old drought that has seen major failure after major failure in a city that is absolutely insane over its hockey. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think it seems more than a little unfair to everyone involved to hire someone who is ill-equipped to do the job but is expected to do fix the problem anyway.

The French language is important to this city, yes. I’m aware keenly aware of that. It’s a vital part of this city’s culture. It’s important to respect that but on the other hand, if the Canadiens want to remain competitive in a league that now houses thirty teams, they have to have the freedom to bring in the people who they feel will do the best job. If that person is from Quebec and is bilingual, then that’s perfect. If that person is from Ontario and speaks minimal French at the very best then fine, hire him anyway if he’s qualified. Even if that person is from Australia and only speaks Swahili but can get the job done and win the games that need to be won, then why not? Being a good coach and a good communicator go beyond what language everyone in the dressing room speaks. I don’t think Mike Babcock can speak Swedish or Russian but somehow he’s managed to coach the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup.

If this team and the fans want to see Stanley Cup number twenty-five it’s absolutely vital that the management looks at a person’s credentials and their experience rather than just at their linguistic abilities. Because at the end of the day, hockey is won by how many times your team puts the puck into the back of the opposing team’s net, not by the amount of press conferences the head coach can deliver in any language.

Leafs-Canadiens: Is This Rock Bottom?

Montreal 2 Toronto 5 (Bell Centre)

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

I'm sure that the players on the Montreal Canadiens came to the rink with the intention of playing well tonight. Bob Gainey made his game preparations carefully weighing each decision. Fans, while nervous, arrived at the Bell Centre thinking that this would be the night of the great turnaround and march to the playoffs.

But with the Canadiens being a fragile team, it didn't take much to undo the best intentions.

With only 1:29 elapsed in tonight's game, the unraveling began. A backhand by Nikolai Kulemin was stopped by Jaroslav Halak. The puck sat near the line. Without anyone near him, it took at least three frantic stabs by Halak to coral the puck with his glove. But had the puck crossed the goal-line?

A video review proved inconclusive. The goal was waived off. The Habs had dodged a bullet. But it was like some of the air had been sucked out of the Bell Centre. The fans were more nervous. The goaltender was jittery.

Just over six minutes later Kulemin got his goal back. Ryan O'Byrne did a good job tying up his man at the blue-line but the forwards were late coming back. Halak didn't have a chance on the play.

Twenty-three seconds later Halak allowed a terrible goal. It was reminiscent of the goal he gave up to Brian Rolston the week prior against New Jersey. Mikhail Grabovski threw the puck at the net while being checked by O'Byrne. The shot went through Halak. He seems to lose the net behind him occasionally.

The nervous crowd began to turn hostile. The Canadiens were deflated.

A second bad goal on a weak wrist shot by Alexei Ponikarovsky beat Halak just over three minutes into the second period. The Habs stopped skating and were losing battles for the puck all over the ice.

Ponikarovsky would score again as he found himself all alone in front of the net on a power-play. Halak was playing deep in his net and having some trouble tracking the puck.

Gainey made some adjustments to his forward lines that provided some jump and brief hope for the fans. Chris Higgins won a race for the puck and thew a hard pass to the net that was tipped by Max Lapierre to make the score 4-1 for the Leafs.

Lapierre scored again two and a half minutes later on a play started on a takeaway by O'Byrne. Alex Tanguay carried the puck over the Toronto blue-line and set up Lapierre with a terrific cross ice pass.

The Canadiens had some life and had several more scoring chances until the end of the second period. Fans began to chant again.

The excitement was short-lived as the Leafs scored another power-play goal just over four minutes into the third period. Jason Blake beat Halak's glove hand with a stoppable shot.

Special teams were again a problem for the Canadiens. The Leafs were 2-for-5 on the power-play. The Habs were 0-for-3 on their man advantge opportunities.

Lapierre, Higgins and Tanguay were the best forwards for the Canadiens. Saku Koivu was dominant in faceoffs at 71%.

Halak did not play well. He has now allowed six soft goals in his past two starts and eight goals in total.

Georges Laraque was useless tonight. Sergei Kostitsyn deserves to be recalled from Hamilton.

The Rangers and Hurricanes won and increased their advantage. With the Panthers and Sabres losing, the Canadiens remain in eighth place despite losing their fifth in a row.

There is no magic formula to the Canadiens getting out of their funk. They must win, and win in a convincing manner.


Pre-game

Starting lineup: Lapierre, Latendresse, Kostopoulos, O'Byrne, Hamrlik

Jaroslav Halak and Martin Gerber started in goal.

Ryan O'Byrne returned to the lineup along with Georges Laraque.

Brisebois, Stewart, D'Agostini and Dandenault were scratched from the line-up. Bouillon and Lang were out with injuries.

Lines:

Plekanec-Kovalev-Andrei Kostitsyn
Koivu-Higgins-Tanguay
Lapierre-Latendresse-Kostopoulos
Metropolit-Laraque-Pacioretty

Rocket's 3 stars:

1. Alexei Ponikarovsky
2. Nikolai Kulemin
3. Mikhail Grabovski

(photo credit: AP)

Halak to start against the Leafs

from: canadiens.com
Mar 20, 2009, 6:00 PM EDT

In today’s Habs notebook, find out why Josh Gorges isn’t big on sharing, when the team’s policeman will get back to his beat and who will mind the Canadiens’ net against the Leafs.

Jaro’s crease
After getting the tap to replace Carey Price in the Habs’ net in Ottawa on Thursday night, Jaroslav Halak took the Canadiens to the wire against the Senators. Halak is now set to make his 31st start of the season on Saturday against the Leafs. Confirmation on the rest of the team’s lineup, however, will have to wait until Saturday morning. Sporting red jerseys for Friday’s practice, Andrei Kostitsyn and Matt D’Agostini may be left out of the mix, while Bob Gainey has decided to shake up the defensive pairings, matching Mike Komisarek with Mathieu Dandenault and Roman Hamrlik with Ryan O’Byrne.

“The only thing that is certain right now is that Jaroslav will be in nets,” explained Gainey. “With the exception of Francis Bouillon, I have all of our players available to me right now. Three or four players played below their potential on Thursday in Ottawa and that influenced the three or four other players they were out there with. I haven’t decided 100% what my lineup will be yet, but I will be able to confirm that after tomorrow’s morning skate, when I know whether or not certain players have gotten the message.”

Laraque set to attack
The Leafs-Habs rivalry has definitely lived up to its billing during the 2008-09 campaign, with no love lost between the two clubs throughout their four heated match-ups so far this season. On the shelf for the past seven outings, tough guy Georges Laraque could make his return to the lineup on Saturday night, slated to skate alongside Glen Metropolit and Gregory Stewart.

“The game against the Leafs is like a playoff game. No matter how much pain I’m in, I need to play. Hopefully, my back holds out. It’s the team’s 100th season and there is no question where we need to finish in April.”

Josh doesn’t play nice
Around the Habs’ dressing room, blue-liner Josh Gorges is known for being a great team player. When it comes to his opponents, though, Gorges’ sharing skills could use a little work.

“At this point in the season, battles aren’t as much about technique as they are about your attitude. You need to go in with the attitude that “It’s my puck”. You need to have that killer instinct.”

Shauna Denis is a writer for canadiens.com

Canadiens-Senators: Sens Outlast Defenceless Habs

Montreal 4 Ottawa 5 (Scotiabank Place)

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

Here's two things that don't make sense:

1. When all governments on the planet are doing everything they can to stimulate consumer spending, the Quebec government today decided that they will RAISE the retail sales tax. (Aside: As if it wasn't already tough enough for the Habs to recruit free agents to a place with the highest taxes on the continent.)
2. As the Canadiens continue to struggle on defense, Ryan O'Byrne and Mathieu Dandenault continue to sit in the press box.
   

The game featured the Senators, another one of those teams below the Canadiens in the standings, but who have been red hot lately, including five straight wins at home.

The Sens had a great first period. They were aggressive, physical and deadly on the power-play. Ottawa was also the beneficiary of some good fortune.

The Canadiens actually opened the scoring on the first goal of the night by the Lapierre-Kostopoulo-Latendresse line.

When Matt D'Agostini took a bad penalty, the Senators capitalized with a power-play goal. Max Lapierre lost the faceoff. A shot from the point went off Nick Foligno who was left all alone in front of Carey Price.

Minutes later Foligno had another chance. After a Patrice Brisebois giveaway from the Ottawa blueline, Brisebois tried to dive but couldn't catch Foligno who went in on a breakaway. Price made a great save to keep the game tied.

Ottawa got their first favourable call as Chris Neil and Mike Komiarek were battling towards the goal. After a shove, an off-balance Komisarek fell into the net and dislodged it. Komisarek received a delay of game penalty.

On the ensuing power-play, Mathieu Schneider was out of position allowing his man Jason Spezza to walk out from behind the goal-line untouched to score his first of the night.

Spezza scored again as he deflected a point shot past Price. Spezza's stick looked much too high from my vantage point but the play was reviewed and it was determined to be a goal.

Shots were relatively even in the period. Two very telling statistics: Senators out the Canadiens 17-7. Lapierre was 0 for 6 on faceoffs.

The Canadiens refused to quit scoring just 48 seconds into the second period. Higgins and Koivu did some great work behind the net to create a turnover. Koivu set up Tanguay for the goal.

Jarkko Ruutu gave the Sens another two goal lead. It was the first bad goal for Price in 5 1/2 games but Gainey made the correct move to bring in Jaroslav Halak. Ruutu never should have got into the Canadiens zone but he skated around a weak stick check by Brisebois.

The Lapierre line was involved in two more Canadiens' goals in the period, one by Latendresse and one late in the period by Kostopoulos. A real good sign with the Habs scoring in the first and last minute of the period.

Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa as he tipped a shot from the point past Halak.

Halak, like Price, was also called on to make a save on a breakaway by Christoph Schubert. Halak also made a great pad save on Alfredsson who was all alone after Schneider failed to block a pass.

The Canadiens could not mount a sustained attack in the third period and were even outshot 10-7.

Again the final score was reflective of some very poor defensive play by the Canadiens. Special teams continue to be a problem. The power-play was 0 for 4. The penalty-killing unit was 0 for 2 as Ottawa connected on both of their opportunities.

The Canadiens lacked a strong physical game. They were outhit 31-16. The Habs seemed unwilling to dump the puck deep and mount an aggressive forecheck.

Goaltending will be discussed but was not an issue in this game. Price made some good saves and can only be faulted on one goal. Halak rebounded from a bad outing last time and looked solid when called upon.

It seems that my comments about Latendresse were once again proven correct. After looking lost in his first game back, he was the picture of confidence tonight when reunited with Lapierre and Kostopoulos. Latendresse led the team in shots with five and had two goals. Kostopoulos had a goal and two assists.

Lapierre got one assist but really struggled in faceoffs at a pathetic 14%. He must be much better than that if he can be counted on as a third line shutdown center.

Koivu, Tanguay and Higgins also looked happy to be back together. Higgins won battles for the puck all night. He also had three shots. Higgins does seem to be holding the puck for a fraction too long. He should make quicker decisions to pass or shoot.

Plekanec had four shots on goal and Andrei Kostistyn was a wrecking ball with five solid hits. Unfortunately their linemate Alex Kovalev was a no show in this game.

The fourth line was not a factor. Max Pacioretty had only five minutes of icetime.

We have talked about defense and special teams before. But it is crucial that the Canadiens show some improvement with only eleven games left. Only four points separate six teams that make up fourth through ninth place in the conference. The Habs have to take advantage of their next five homes games to improve their playoff chances.


A post game note to Mike Boone

Your one-liner tonight was inflammatory and disgusting (you know which one I'm referring to). It doesn't even meet your website's own rules governing comments. A player's heart, desire and loyalty have little to do with birthplace. You should not be attempting to incite and fuel what will be a bitter and divisive debate.

Do the honorable thing by deleting your comment and offer an apology to your readers.


Pre-game

Starting lineup: Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, Kovalev, Schneider, Markov

Carey Price and Brian Elliot started in goal.

Stewart, O'Byrne and Dandenault were scratched from the line-up. Laraque, Bouillon, and Lang were out with injuries.

Lines:

Plekanec-Kovalev-Andrei Kostitsyn
Koivu-Higgins-Tanguay
Lapierre-Latendresse-Kostopoulos
Metropolit-D'Agostini-Pacioretty

Rocket's 3 stars:

1. Jason Spezza
2. Guillaume Latendresse
3. Tom Kostopoulos

(photo credit: AP)

Carbonneau a bad fit with Canadiens

Carbonneau a bad fit with current Canadiens
CBCSports.ca
Posted by Elliotte Friedman

My first real "beat" in the sports media business was reporting on the Raptors for The Fan 590, a Toronto all-sports radio station. That was 1995-96, and it was an incredible learning experience.

One of the lessons came from head coach Brendan Malone. He explained that "the most important guys on your roster are the best four players and the four who play the fewest. If they buy into what you are doing, the middle group falls in line. If not, you're in trouble."

Malone knew what he was talking about. Despite a surprisingly competitive inaugural season, the players couldn't stand him and openly cheered his firing – something I've never seen since.

I thought a lot about Malone's insight as the Canadiens' season unravelled. There are only 12 active players on an NBA roster and up to 23 in the NHL, so the numbers get skewed a bit, but the philosophy still fits. Carbonneau clearly was having trouble at both ends. He's brutally honest which, as a media member, I will never criticize, but players don't appreciate it as much as we do.

Alex Kovalev's situation was discussed to death, but look at what happened at the bottom of the roster. Steve Begin, Mathieu Dandenault and Georges Laraque were publicly miserable and that just tears apart your dressing room. Begin was traded, but the damage was done.

Truth is, Carbonneau was a bad fit for this group. This is the man who, after Game 1 of the 1993 Stanley Cup final, walked into Jacques Demers' office and demanded the job of shadowing Wayne Gretzky. This is the man who, after a Game 1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the 1999 Western Conference Final, walked into Ken Hitchcock's office and asked for the same responsibility on Peter Forsberg.

Both of those seasons ended in Stanley Cup victories.

These Canadiens – aside from Saku Koivu, Tom Kostopoulos, Maxim Lapierre, Mike Komisarek and Josh Gorges – just aren't the same. With Laraque totally disinterested in fighting, Montreal may be the most pushed-around team in the NHL. It had to drive Carbonneau crazy. I'm not sure he could relate.

Carbonneau must share some of the blame for that as it's a coach’s job to make the necessary adjustments. His other problem was continuing the development of the younger players. That's why Don Lever is being promoted from Hamilton, to figure out what on earth has happened. You understand that, unless you're dealing with Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, the young guys will hit walls.

But what's happened in Montreal is extreme. Several of them – Gainey mentioned Ryan O'Byrne by name – have seriously regressed. That's not to say it's entirely the coach's fault.

I can't stand some of the reporting we've seen in Montreal this season, but the bottom line is that a group of players have allowed themselves to be put into a position where their dedication can be questioned.

If anything can save this season, it's Gainey’s presence on that bench. If you believe that players are at their best when they're uncomfortable, imagine how they'll feel with his intense stare and poker face right behind them.

They can no longer use Carbonneau as an excuse.

Fortier signs 3-year deal with Montreal

Fortier signs 3-year deal with Montreal

Mar 19, 2:49 pm EDT


MONTREAL (AP)—Prospect Olivier Fortier signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Fortier, the captain of the Rimouski Oceanic and top defensive forward of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season, was selected 65th overall by Montreal in the 2007 draft.

The center has eight goals and 27 assists in 35 games this season. He returned Feb. 11 after missing 40 games with a knee injury.

Rangers-Canadiens: Defensive Lapses Sink Habs; Lose in Shootout

Montreal 3 New York Rangers 4 SO (Bell Centre)

posted by Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

What side do you choose in the glass half full/empty view of tonight's game? The optimists would express that the Canadiens did not give up and came back to tie the game three times. The pessimists would wonder why the Canadiens were behind in the first place.

After the game, Bob Gainey tried to straddle the two points of view. Gainey was "happy to come from behind" and have the "chance to take two points." But the head coach wondered why the Canadiens "trailed throughout the game." He felt that his team "should have been able to move play toward the opposition's net in an important game at home."

Gainey is right on both counts, of course. The team has made progress over the past four games. But the nervous Canadiens fans are impatient for a turnaround and ready to irrationally lash out at anyone: Gainey, Price, Kovalev ...

The truth is that Gainey's Habs are playing harder and are mentally stronger than the previous version. This was the Canadiens best game under Gainey.

The Habs were prepared to play. In the first period, the Canadiens skated well and showed good energy. The Habs also had a strong second period and were even with the Rangers in shots and goals after two periods.

Gainey stayed with his top three lines in the third period, something unheard of during the Carbonneau regime. They also did not fade when down and came back to tie the game three times.

The root of most problems for the Canadiens continues to stem from the DEFENSE!

The advance billing for Mathieu Schneider as a high reward/high risk player is turning out to be very accurate. Schneider is capable of helping the power-play but can also be a liability in his own zone. Gainey wisely moved Schneider to the third defensive pairing but in a game where the Canadiens were trailing Schneider played more than he normally should.

Schneider's miscommunication with Josh Gorges was responsible for the Rangers third goal.

Gorges has been a Cinderella story this season. But since the All-Star break, Gorges has been playing like Cinderella. Gorges struggled again tonight at minus 2.

I was shocked to see Patrice Brisebois in the line-up tonight. After reaching his 1000th game milestone, and not looking good doing it, I expected that Brisebois would be relegated to the press box for the final 13 games of the season. It's unfortunate that he was on the ice delivering another brutal effort.

Brisebois was directly responsible for the Rangers 1st goal making two mistakes in his zone. Brisebois led defenseman in giveaways with 3 (a generous count that could have been much higher). In the last minute of overtime, Brisebois was single handedly responsible for killing a scoring chance by Kovalev and then setting up a Ranger opportunity.

In the most telling statistic, the Canadiens had 22 giveaways to only 12 for the Rangers.

Special teams were average tonight. Penalty killers were perfect on four Ranger opportunities.

The Canadiens scored one power-play goal on six opportunities. The goal featured great teamwork: Koivu won an important faceoff; Schneider kept the puck in; Markov made an incredible pass; and Kovalev scored on one timer.

Overall, they had trouble coping with aggressive penalty-killing by the Rangers. Habs struggled to set up in the Ranger zone and in getting shots to the net from the point.

Line combinations didn't seem to generate the kind of offensive pressure that Gainey desired.

The best line for the Canadiens was Tomas Plekanec with Max Pacioretty and Matt D'Agostini. They hit, forechecked, created turnovers and had scoring chances.

Saku Koivu, Andrei Kostitsyn and Guillaume Latendresse were ineffective tonight. After his lengthy layoff, Latendresse looked slow and out-of-sync This line seemed to lead the team in offsides. One wonders if Latendresse's re-introduction to the line-up would have been more successful on the third or fourth line.

Alex Kovalev and Max Lapierre both scored in this game. Lapierre was also very good on faceoffs. But Kovalev and Lapierre were also guilty of the most dangerous giveaways in their own zone. Chris Higgins didn't seem to have any chemistry with his linemates.

The line of Metropolis, Kostopoulos and Stewart played sparingly. Metropolis delivered the best hit on Sean Avery.

Andrei Markov was the game's first star and deservedly so. Markov had a goal and two assists.

Carey Price continued his strong play. He made several spectacular saves throughout the game but especially in the third period to take his team to overtime. The Ranger's first and third goals resulted from defensive errors. The second goal handcuffed Price as it deflected off Plekanec's stick. Through four periods of play Henrik Lundqvist did not play as well as Price. Neither goalie made a save in the shootout.

The Canadiens can still control their own fate with the next five games against teams below them in the standings. The Flyers, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Sabres have all been inconsistent so the Canadiens have an opportunity to solidify their playoff standing with two wins to end the week.


Pre-game

Starting lineup: Higgins, Kovalev, Lapierre, Komisarek, Markov

Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist started in goal.

O'Byrne and Dandenault were scratched from the line-up. Tanguay was ill with the flu. Laraque, Bouillon, and Lang were out with injuries.

Lines:

Plekanec-D'Agostini-Pacioretty
Koivu-Andrei Kostitsyn-Latendresse
Lapierre-Higgins-Kovalev
Metropolit-Stewart-Kostopoulos


Rocket's 3 stars:

1. Andrei Markov
2. Ryan Callahan
3. Maxim Lapierre

(photo credit: AP)

Yemelin will require surgery on his left eye

Yemelin will require surgery on his left eye
Written by Marc de Foy (translated)
Last updated Tuesday, 17 March 2009 00:01

Alex Yemelin's season is over. The young Russian defender, whose rights belong to the Canadiens, will undergo surgery on his left eye in the coming days.

We know that Yemelin, who carries the colors of AK Bars Kazan for two years, came out pretty bruised in a fight with the opposite Alex Svitov, the Avangard Omsk last Saturday. Besides being hit in the eye, he suffered a slight concussion, plus a broken nose.

Svitov, who was the third player selected in the draft of the National Hockey League in 2001, has received a four-game suspension for his actions.

According to information from the Sovietsky Sport, the eye injury suffered Yemelin, although considered serious, does not threaten its visual faculties.

It may still think that the Habs organization asked to meet with his own doctors, even if it plans to put under contract.

The leaders of the formation of Kazan hesitate, for their part, to extend the contract for next season Yemelin. It seems that they are more or less satisfied with his progress over the past two years.

Yemelin has always claimed that his agent had to hide the fact that Canadians had made a contract offer at the end of his junior career, two years ago. He had expressed remorse after securing an agreement still more lucrative with the team from Kazan.

A second round choice of the Canadiens in 2004, he celebrated his 23rd birthday, April 25.

Oleg Petrov plays the hero

In his absence, his team still managed to eliminate the Avangard victory thanks to a 3 to 2 in overtime Monday night.

The formation of Omsk, which relied on the services of Jaromir Jagr (Svitov it replaced the post of captain), has escaped an advance of 2 to 1 with about fifteen seconds to make in the third period. Ilya Nikulin, a defender who was the second choice in the repechage behind Atlanta Thrashers Dany Heatley in 2000, included the goal to send both teams in overtime.

After only two minutes and two seconds, the good old Oleg Petrov, eh! Yes our Oleg Petrov who has played with the Canadiens, has brought victory to AK Bars, which won the series 3 to 2.

(Photo credit: Sovietsky Sport)