Dumb and dumber sink Dogs

Dumb and dumber sink Bulldogs TheSpec.com - Sports - Dumb and dumber sink Dogs

Costly penalties turn early lead into season-ending loss to Griffins

Scott Radley
The Hamilton Spectator

(Apr 27, 2009)

Each spring, the Hamilton Bulldogs present awards for best player, best defenceman and a bunch of other stuff. Next year, they can add the Yanick Lehoux Stupidest Penalty Award.

With the desperate-to-stay-alive Dogs up 1-0 and carrying the play in the first period, things were looking pretty good for the home side. Then, as Chad Anderson was being led off to the box for a roughing penalty, Lehoux decided it was time to exhibit some ill-timed toughness.

Ignoring the fact the ref was staring right at him, he skated up to Grand Rapids' Francis Pare and punched him in the face. Suddenly instead of a mere power play -- a bad enough option considering how potent the visitors have been in such circumstances -- the Griffins suddenly had a two-man advantage that they quickly translated into a Darren Haydar goal.

You want your TSN Turning Point? This was it times 10.

This moronic penalty topped even Greg Stewart's pair of boneheaded plays the game before in Grand Rapids that cost Hamilton that contest. Which is saying something.

Good teams play close to the edge without abandoning discipline. On the flip side, teams that have players taking lazy hooking penalties in the offensive zone, or stupid retaliation infractions, don't deserve to win.

And, in the end, the Bulldogs didn't deserve this series. Grand Rapids was the better team. They caught the Bulldogs flat in the first two games to steal home-ice advantage, didn't blow things on their own ice, and took advantage of their chances last night. They blocked more shots, had more jump and took better advantage of opportunities presented to them.

And they didn't take monumentally idiotic penalties at key times.

That said, it's hard not to see the Bulldogs' euthanization as the final act of a seven-month-long pleasant surprise, rather than a devastating body blow.

Back in October, little was expected of this club. Nobody expected them to score much. The playoffs were a huge question mark. The cupboard was thought to be quite bare prospect-wise. And goaltending was uncertain.

They answered nearly every one of those doubts. They scored a ton. They finished with the second-best record in franchise history.

The prospect concern was answered when a handful of Bulldogs were in the Habs' playoff lineup, though that's not necessarily a ringing endorsement considering how well that went. And the goaltending was great. Marc Denis, who was the undisputed team MVP, and far better than advertised, serving as an absolute saviour for this group many nights.

For all this, a fair bit of heaping praise should go to Don Lever - who ought to get some serious consideration for an NHL job this off-season - and Ron Wilson who did a strong job behind the bench in the regular season. And some plaudits are in order for GM Julien BriseBois who put together a decent group of veterans and prospects.

Yet even with all that, there's no getting around the fact that the first round is the first round, and more is always expected. Anyone who can look at this season and proclaim it a huge success just isn't all that interested in winning.

In the playoffs, the Bulldogs were the second most-energetic group on the ice most nights. It was a team that overachieved until it really mattered, then didn't produce. And home-ice advantage hardly seemed worth the huge effort it took to get it.

Next year may bring a better outcome, but with 10 unrestricted free agents in Montreal that could open roster spots for some of this year's graduates -- and Hamilton facing a handful of guys on expiring contracts, too -- who knows?

This was one of those rare chances to pull a rabbit out of a hat in a year few expected it. A chance to do something special.

For a while it looked good. But making magic requires discipline. When it counted most, the Dogs didn't have enough of that.

And yesterday's 4-1 scoreline was perhaps the best reflection of the difference between the two teams.

Bulldogs gone after fast start

Bulldogs gone after fast start
Hamilton punches ticket to off-season with 4-1 playoff loss to Grand Rapids

Garry McKay
The Hamilton Spectator

(Apr 27, 2009)

The Hamilton Bulldogs are left to contemplate what could have been.

The Dogs dropped a 4-1 decision to the Grand Rapids Griffins last night at Copps Coliseum and were eliminated 4-2 in the best-of-seven AHL North Division semifinal.

The defeat came just two weeks and a day after they had concluded one of the best regular seasons in their history, a season in which they closed with five straight wins, including three over Grand Rapids and overtook the Griffins for second place.

That streak had earned them home-ice advantage in their first round series with Grand Rapids. It did them little good, however, as the Griffins won all three games played in the Steel City.

"It's disappointing because I don't think we played our best hockey at all," said Dogs coach Ron Wilson. "I don't know if we just got satisfied with the good (regular) season we had. We got second place, which was our goal, and then we just seemed like we were never able to raise the level of our play again."

The Dogs got off to a great start yesterday. Greg Stewart deflected a shot over goaltender Jimmy Howard on a perfect pass from J.T. Wyman in the corner just nine seconds into the game.

What obviously they had not done, however, was to learn anything from their previous games about not taking penalties.

Chad Anderson and Yanick Lehoux both took roughing penalties at the same time and Milton's Darren Haydar, the AHL's all-time leader in playoff scoring, took advantage to tie the game at 5:25.

Justin Abdelkader, who has been a thorn in the Bulldogs' side all series, scored what would turn out to be the winner at 4:18 of the second, when he jumped on a loose puck in the high slot, spun and fired a quick, low shot that beat Marc Denis through the five-hole.

If the Dogs had any hope of forcing a Game 7, it ended when Cory Emmerton beat two Hamilton defencemen and scored from one knee at 13:45 of the third.

Ville Leino added one into the empty net at 19:22.

"It seems like we finished the season on such a high and then took a couple of steps back," said veteran Dog defender Dan Jancevski. "We were just running uphill after that, trying to get back in the series."

The Bulldogs are meeting tomorrow to clean out their lockers, some for the last time, and then begin to ponder why they were so good in the regular season and so mediocre in the playoffs.

Hits and Misses

Molson Cup Three Stars: 1. Ville Leino, Grand Rapids. 2. Justin Abdelkader, Grand Rapids. 3. Darren Haydar, Grand Rapids.

Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game (hardest working Bulldog): J.T. Wyman.

Shots on goal: Hamilton 23 Grand Rapids 18.

Attendance: 3,179.

Results

Game 1. Grand Rapids 4, Hamilton 3

Game 2. Grand Rapids 3, Hamilton 1

Game 3. Hamilton 5, Grand Rapids 4

Game 4. Hamilton 4, Grand Rapids 3 (OT)

Game 5. Grand Rapids 4, Hamilton 1

Game 6. Grand Rapids 4, Hamilton 1

Georges Laraque’s Blog

Georges Laraque has launched a new website. It seems obvious that Laraque intends to pursue a media career when his hockey days are over.

Some say that Laraque's had an eye on his second career throughout this past season. He was always there for a media appearance or to voice his opinion on a league issue. Yet Laraque didn't have the same enthusiasm for hits, fights, and standing up for his teammates.

Laraque's first entry is his new blog appears below. I know that Kyle will be happy to see it.


Georges’ Blog – April 24

What a year it was for me, my first with the Montreal Canadiens. I think I can truly say that this was a year I will never forget, we surely made this 100th year anniversary a memorable one for our fans, maybe not in the way that we all wanted, but as you know in life, things don't always happen the way you hope.

For me, things didn't start the way I wanted. I was hurt right from training camp and pretty much had to deal with injuries all year. It's the first time in my career I have ever gone through such bad luck. I had to deal with two cases of herniated disks in my back and at times this year I couldn’t even move. So you can imagine for a tough guy, doing your job with that problem is not easy. I thought at one point I would need surgery and that my season, or even at one time my career, would be over. Thankfully with the help of our medical staff and personal trainer, we were able to deal with it and keep me in good enough condition to play through the problem. I knew even though I wasn't 100 per cent, that my presence in the lineup was making a difference whether I played lot or not.

Teams would play us much differently when I wasn't dressed and no one needed a degree in rocket science to see that, so because of all that, I wasn't always playing the way I knew I could, I had some good games but I also had some bad ones. So you can imagine how some of the media here had a field day with me. But that's the way it is here in Montreal, they all knew that I was hurt, they eventually all knew what the problem was, but as I have come to realize, a lot of them have no idea what it's like to play with this problem. As a result of all this, I only played 33 games this year.

At the beginning of the year our team was on fire, we were rated the best team in the league and had our fans raving and dreaming about the Stanley Cup. Then the weirdest thing happened, for some reason we started running into some bad luck and went through a stretch where everything went wrong. We started having injury problems, and when I say a lot, I couldn't be more precise. Without getting into it, we had all those distractions off the ice and our team was starting to crumble. At one point, we went from thinking we would win the Cup to wondering if we were going to make the playoffs, and in a city like Montreal, that's never a good thing. With our struggles continuing and our team going down in the standings, our GM did what every GM would in that case, make a change, and that was to fire the coach.

At the end of the day, there's only one way to analyze this move and you can come up with your own conclusion because I'm not going there, well for this one time anyway! LOL! If we didn't fire our coach, would we have made the playoff with the way the team was playing? When Gainey replaced Guy our mission became making the playoffs, which was at that time a huge challenge. We started playing for our Cup, which was our survival. And we did, on the second last game of the year we clinched and what a relief it was.

We were set to play our first round of the playoffs against the Bruins. At that time, my back felt better and I was as close to 100 per cent as I ever was this year, so it was good timing. I played my best hockey in the playoffs, and I must say, everyone played hard and I'm proud of everybody’s effort against the best team in the conference. It is unfortunate we were swept, especially at home. We gave everything we had, the only things is, I don't really like blaming the loss on injuries, but playing the best team in the East without our top two forwards, Tanguay and Lang, our top two defensemen, Markov and Schneider, we didn't stand much of a chance against a healthy Bruins team. It's like taking Chara, Wideman, Savard and Krejci away from the Bruins and see what you get. But despite that, we always believe in ourselves and give our best effort. I don't regret anything this year, I'm proud to be a Montreal Canadien and it's not because I went through a tough time that I would feel otherwise. If there's only one thing I was ashamed of, it would be the reaction of some of the fans at our last game against Boston. Some were booing Carey Price and some were chanting Carbo, or Guy to mock our coach Gainey. This was unacceptable when you are a true fan and bleed Montreal Canadiens. You don't want that, you support your team in victory or defeat and our entire team was embarrassed by this behavior. I do want to thank the majority of the fans that stayed in the stands and kept cheering for us and were proud of their team.

Next year, I don't know what the future will hold for us. We have a lot of free agents and no idea what our team will look like. The only thing I'm certain about is that I will be there, healthy and ready for another big season. Thank you for your support all year, God Bless!

Georges




George's Laraque's Official Website

Goodbye, Montreal Canadiens. Hello Vaughan Ontarians!

Goodbye, Montreal Canadiens. Hello Vaughan Ontarians

National Post

Reports of a second National Hockey League team being sought for the Toronto area pop up with the frequency of crabgrass in summer, so the latest version should be treated with appropriate caution. Finally, the time has come for the league to act: We have a plan to kill two birds with one stone.

The Montreal Canadiens have been in the same city for 100 years. That's long enough. And as noted in Friday's editorial column, the fans are cranky: They booed the team in the last game of the season, and taunted goalie Carey Price, one of the most promising young players in the league. Local retailers were forced to fortify their shops against the traditional hooliganism of disappointed fans.

Montreal doesn't deserve the Habs. So why not move them to Vaughan, Ont., which is reportedly offering to build an arena north of Toronto near a giant mall and fun park. They could be renamed the Vaughan Ontarians, and the famous CH crest on Hab sweaters replaced with VO, considerably easing the hunt for a corporate sponsor. Maybe Seagram would even buy naming rights for the arena.

Purists will grouse about Montreal's "storied hockey history." And yes, it's true that the team has won a few Stanley Cups. But Vaughan has its own proud sporting tradition: The Vaughan Rangers Atom A squad has a loyal following, and many of the sports bars in the city go back all the way to the 1980s.

Gary Bettman, we're in the book. We won't taunt Carey Price. We promise.

Habs get new life at worlds

Habs get new life at worlds
U.S. adds Higgins. Plekanec and Halak also called to duty

Canwest News Service

Saturday, April 25, 2009


The Canadiens' season is over, but five members of the team are still plying their trade.

Christopher Higgins was added to the U.S. team for the IIHF World Hockey Championship in Switzerland yesterday, while Tomas Plekanec will represent the Czech Republic and goalie Jaroslav Halak will join the Slovak team.

Brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn declined an invitation to play for Belarus. Sergei is facing shoulder surgery, the result of being driven into the boards by Chicago's Aaron Johnson on March 31, and you can assume that Andrei balked at playing with Mikhail Grabovski.

Bulldogs face elimination at home

Bulldogs face elimination at home
Griffins take 3-2 series lead

Garry McKay
The Hamilton Spectator

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. (Apr 25, 2009)

The Hamilton Bulldogs have been digging themselves out of big holes in this year's AHL playoffs.

They better do it again tomorrow - or it's all over.

The Grand Rapids Griffins beat the Dogs 4-1 last night at Van Andel Arena to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven North Division semifinal.

After dropping the first two games at home, the Bulldogs rallied to tie the series 2-2, including coming back from being down 3-0 midway through the third period in Game 4.

But last night's loss pushes the Dogs to the brink of elimination.

Griffins 4, Bulldogs 1

They've been down 3-2 in five previous playoff series in their history and won Game 6 three times.

If they can do it tomorrow (6 p.m. Copps Coliseum) they will force a seventh and deciding game on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at home.

The last thing the Dogs wanted to do last night was give the Grand Rapids Griffins and their vaunted power play any opportunities with the man advantage early in the game. Of course that's exactly what they did.

In his first game back with the Bulldogs and on only his second shift of the game, Greg Stewart took a silly hooking penalty and Tom Galvin took advantage by backhanding a rebound past Marc Denis at the eight minute mark.

Jacob Kindl made it 2-0 at 15:06. Although Chad Anderson's penalty had technically expired, he hadn't made it back into the play yet when Kindl lofted one in from the blueline.

The Bulldogs had a two-man advantage at 17:51 when Mike Glumac scored his first goal of the playoffs, on a shot from the high slot to cut the deficit to one.

The Griffins got the take-charge goal at 10:11 of the second when Milton's Darren Haydar beat Denis on a on a shot from the high slot. Again Stewart was in the penalty box after taking another bad hooking penalty in the offensive zone.

Haydar got his second of the game on a two-on-one at 7:17 of the third, to make it 4-1, and this time there was no miracle comeback for the Dogs.

* * *

Notes: The Montreal Canadiens have made the decision to shut down Max Pacioretty (groin) and Sergei Kostitsyn (shoulder) for the rest of this season because of their injuries.

Hits and Misses

Molson Cup Three Stars: 1. Darren Haydar, Grand Rapids. 2. Tom Galvin, Grand Rapids. 3. Jakub Kindl, Grand Rapids.

Scratches: Steve Gainey, Andrew Conboy, Max Pacioretty, T.J. Kemp, Ryan Flinn.

Shots on goal: Grand Rapids 34 Hamilton 15.

Attendance: (Van Andel Arena) 5,110.

Results

Game 1. Grand Rapids 4 Hamilton 3.

Game 2. Grand Rapids 3 Hamilton 1.

Game 3. Hamilton 5 Grand Rapids 4.

Game 4. Hamilton 4 Grand Rapids 3 OT.

Game 5. Grand Rapids 4 Hamilton 1.

Schedule:

Game 6. Grand Rapids at Hamilton, tomorrow, 6 p.m.

Game 7 (if necessary). Grand Rapids at Hamilton, Monday, 7:30 p.m.

All These Things that I've Done

Koivu's reaction to Kostitsyn's goal: Another thing that should be on my list! (Photo credit to habsinsideout.com)

posted by habsbloggergirl
Allhabs.blogspot.com

O’Byrne, coming down along the boards makes a blind pass in front of the net. But Price is on the bench for the delayed penalty! It’s in! #!$%##!… I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life!

That, my friends, was my favourite moment of this unlucky, albeit unusual, centennial season.

After the loss Wednesday night, I’ll admit I was quite sad. I didn’t want the season to end on a seemingly endless losing streak, but let’s face it, the minute Grabovski laid that hit on Markov a couple weeks back, it was over. Actually when you think about it, it has pretty much been over since the All-Star Break, other than a couple of heroic performances by a certain Mr. Jaroslav Halak, and a few games where we learned what it would be like to have a first line that could really do some damage out there. Instead of dissecting the inexplicable hell that was February, the wishy-washy unsteadiness that was March, and the dreadfully disappointing month of April, I think it would be fitting to list my 10 favourite moments of the 2008-2009 season (in no particular order). Feel free to sound off on yours in the comment section below!

1) Well I think I made it clear above, but when I think of my favourite things, the O’Byrne “goal” tops the list. It provided some much needed comic relief, and although it would have probably been funnier had we won the game, it still tops my list!

2) 2 was more difficult to decide, but I think I’m going to have to go with Carey Price and Tom Kostopoulos sacrificing Josh Gorges’ stick, to try to bring him some goal-scoring luck! Funny thing was, it actually worked (though it took a couple of games to sink in)!

3) I’d have to go with my favourite unlucky jerseys… Montreal tends to be known for its nice classic jerseys. I think that this year after the barber pole striped ones, our reputation has changed!

4) Getting Mathieu Schneider. What a difference a player makes… to the power-play that is. We went from being at the bottom of the barrel to coming up somewhere in the middle. He really helped us out there.

5) Grabovski also getting linked to gang members. Not sure how many of you heard about this… but about 2 weeks or so ago, I saw a news piece linking him to the same gang member as the Kostitsyn brothers and Roman Hamrlik. Looks like they did hang out together when he was still in Montreal…

6) Speaking of Grabovski, (and I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner) these comments about Sergei Kostitsyn were probably some of the funniest I’ve ever heard: “I think he is not Belarussian now, he is French because I never fight with Belarussian guys. I don’t know why he wants to fight with me. If he wants to fight, we’ll go in the street and every minute of every day I’ll wait for him and we’ll fight.” Oh Grabovski…

7) Chris Higgins’ hat trick versus the Sens early in the season. What can I say, he’s my favourite player and the rest of the team gave a great showing that night as well.

8) Kovalev returning after his “vacation”. I was really scared that Kovalev would be gone, after watching L’Antichambre, where Michel Bergeron said he could never come back after that embarrassment. I was angry at the Habs. I was angry at the media. I was just angry in general. But thankfully he came back, and it made me really happy, and I think it made most of Montreal happy too. Kovalev may have off days, but he is the talent and one of the prominent leaders of our team. Without him, we’d be lost.

9) I know this has little to do with the Habs, but it has to do with Montreal, and I was there, so I thought I’d include it anyway: The Skills Competition. Ovechkin’s skills competition get-up was really funny, and was made funnier by the fact that it was Malkin, his alleged enemy, who dressed him up. But the real hilarity came from Mark Streit, who when skating, tripped over a wooden triangular blocker, smashing into a million wood chips and falling to the floor himself. He was okay after thankfully but it was just really funny, especially watching it again afterwards, since they were filming his face, and all of the sudden he was gone!

10) Last but not least, I think I need to include Marty Brodeur’s win a couple of weeks ago. Again, it wasn’t a great achievement for us, but seeing Brodeur tie Roy’s record with Roy in the crowd was really an emotional experience. It was also special since Brisebois played his 1000th game that night. Speaking of Roy, his jersey retirement should probably have a place on this list too.

So there you have it: my ten favourite moments of the season. This season has been full of ups and downs, and next year I fear we’ll be seeing a very different team… I really hope not, but re-signing that many free agents will be difficult.

I’m not bitter about this season or angry… It’s tough to win when most of your team is in the infirmary instead of on the ice. It’s also tough when rumours are spread, when players get suspended and when they are linked to gang members. This centennial season may not have lived up to everyone’s expectations. But hey, at least we can say it was interesting.

The Habs' obnoxious peanut gallery

The Habs' obnoxious peanut gallery

National Post

We'd really love to print some kind, sympathetic words for fans of the Montreal Canadiens, who were unceremoniously dumped from the NHL playoffs on Wednesday night by the Boston Bruins. But to be honest, the Bell Centre's peanut gallery has shown itself to be so obnoxious that schadenfreude seems a more appropriate reaction.

At the tail end of Wednesday's 4-1 drubbing by the Boston Bruins -- the final instalment in a 4-0 series shutout -- Montreal fans (most of them inebriated, no doubt) began taking out their frustration on goalie Carey Price, shouting "Carey! Carey!" as the last minutes of the third period ticked away. At one point, the goaltender stopped a long, easy shot from centre ice, and the crowd burst into mock applause. When Mr. Price responded by throwing up his hands in a gesture of exasperation, announcers suggested he was being touchy and unprofessional.

But we're on Mr. Price's side. In fact, we'd understand his reaction if he went further and flipped everyone off. It's what Montreal's adolescent-minded fans deserve.

These are the same fans, remember, who periodically disgrace Canada by booing the American national anthem -- a practice begun in 2003 and continued, most recently, at Monday's game against Boston. And then there are the hockey riots, which have broken out on increasingly flimsy pretexts in recent years. Sad to say, but Canadiens fans have become Canada's answer to European football hooligans. Perhaps these fans' juvenile behaviour might be explainable if we were presented with a case of legitimately dashed expectations. But the Canadiens haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1993.

Montrealers often drone on about how their city's fans "expect" Stanley Cups, as if such arrogance were admirable. In fact, it was an unattractive quality when the Canadiens were actually winning those championships -- driving fans into febrile monomania; and causing them to ignore other sports, such as baseball. Now that they're not, it looks downright peevish.

Re: The Habs' Obnoxious Peanut Gallery, editorial, April 24.

Montreal Canadiens fans like to boast that they are the savviest connoisseurs of the game. Yet time and time again, they have proven, both in the arena and on the streets of Montreal, that they are nothing more than an unruly mob of barbarians who keep disgracing themselves, their team, their city, their province and their country. Given the way these "fans" treat the players, why would any talented individual want to play here?

Pat Biondi, Montreal.

2009 Canadiens Playoffs: A Quick Look

Over the course of the next few days and weeks, we will have an opportunity to carefully review and disect the season that finished last night. For now, let's have a quick look back at the Canadiens' individual performances during 2009 playoff series with Boston.


Goals

Only four Habs scored in the Boston series.

Two goals each from Higgins and Kovalev.
Weber and Andrei Kostitsyn each had one goal.

Points

Top five scorers (in order): Kovalev, Koivu, Higgins, Metropolit, Weber

(zero points from Lapierre, Latendresse and Plekanec)

Special teams

Canadiens ranked last in the NHL playoffs in both special teams categories.

No power play goals.
(3/5 of first unit was injured: Markov, Schneider, Tanguay)

Only 75% penalty killing efficiency.

Faceoffs

Winning percentage:

Plekanec 66.7%
Koivu 51.5 %
Lapierre 46.0%
Metropolis 40.0%

Penalties

Laraque had four minutes in penalties (no fights)

(Lapierre and Latendresse led the forwards in PIM)

Performed at or above expectations

Higgins, Kovalev, Koivu, Metropolit, Weber, Dandenault, Komisarek, O'Byrne, Price

Performed below expectations

Lapierre, Latendresse, Kostopoulos, Plekanec, Hamrlik, Gorges

Weber, Stewart assigned to Hamilton

Canadiens.com
PRESS RELEASE

MONTREAL – The Canadiens announced Thursday that defenseman Yannick Weber and
forward Gregory Stewart have been assigned to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League.

Weber, recalled by the Canadiens on April 8, recorded two points (one goal, one assist) and averaged 13:36 of ice time in three playoff games this season with the Canadiens. The Morges, Switzerland native also posted one point and served two penalty minutes in three regular-season games.

In his first season in professional hockey, Weber led all Bulldogs defensemen with 44 points (16 goals and 28 assists) in 68 regular-season games, with a plus-12 rating and 42 penalty minutes before joining the Canadiens. Weber, 20, was a starter for Team PlanetUsa at the 2009 AHL All-Star game and was voted to the AHL All-Rookie Team for the 2008-09 season.

Gregory Stewart collected one point (one assist) and served 32 penalty minutes in 20 regular-season contests with the Canadiens in 2008-09. The 22-year-old also took part in two playoff contests with Montreal.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound left-winger led the Hamilton Bulldogs this season with 170 penalty minutes and recorded 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) in 51 AHL games.

Weber and Stewart will join the Hamilton Bulldogs for Game 5 of their playoff series against the Griffins, on Friday, April 24 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Bulldogs have momentum

Bulldogs have momentum
Hamilton hopes big Game 4 comeback carries over into Game 5

By Garry McKay

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It was a remarkable comeback to be sure.

Down 3-0 to the Grand Rapids Griffins midway through the third period Wednesday night, the Hamilton Bulldogs rallied to tie the game and then won it 4-3 in overtime to deadlock their best-of-seven series at 2-2.

What tends to be overlooked in an achievement like that is the Bulldogs had dug themselves that big a hole in the first place and 999 times out of a thousand would be unlikely to get themselves out of it.

It wasn’t lost on Dogs coach Ron Wilson, however.

While his players were given a day off from practice yesterday, Wilson was looking at film and didn’t particularly like a lot of what he saw.

“We weren’t very good in the second period at all,” he said. “We gave them way too many scoring chances and we have to be better. Defensively, we have to be better. We were way too loose.”

Wilson will get the message across to his players they can’t put themselves in that position again.

“We stole that game,” he said. “Playoffs are about momentum. They had it and we took it away from them. It’s ours now and we’ve got to run with it.”

Ben Maxwell, who scored two power-play goals in a minute and 42 seconds in the third to get Hamilton back to even, says the Dogs have to seize the opportunity.

“We have to hold that momentum that we had for the last 15 minutes and just come out hard the next game,” he said.

“We can enjoy what we did for a little while but in the playoffs, obviously the most important game is the next one.”

The Montreal Canadiens have sent the Bulldogs some additional help.

Defenceman Yannick Weber and left-winger Greg Stewart were returned to the Dogs after the Habs were eliminated in the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Boston Bruins.

Both were scheduled to arrive here last night and be in the lineup tonight.

“Getting Yannick back should help our power play and Stewy is the type of player you need in the playoffs. He’s a big bull out there running people over,” said Wilson “They’ll both be welcome additions for sure.”

Bruins-Canadiens: Game 4 -- The better team won

2009 Playoffs Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: Game 4

Montreal 1 Boston 4 (Bell Centre)

Posted by: Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

"Let's play. We want to play. We got another game. We earned our chance to play today."

Those were the words of Bob Gainey prior to the game said as if to emphasize that despite being down 3-0 in the series, that the Canadiens intended to give their best effort. Perhaps it was also a reminder that there are a number of teams who would have be glad to be in the playoffs who didn't make it.

The game couldn't have started any better for the Canadiens. Only 39 seconds into the game, Andrei Kostitsyn wristed a shot into the top corner past Tim Thomas and the Habs had an early 1-0 lead. The goal was set up on a nice play by Saku Koivu who carried the puck into the zone, dished to Kostitsyn and then drove to the net taking a defenseman with him.

The first period was dominated by the Canadiens. The Habs outshot the Bruins 16-7. Glen Metropolit and Chris Higgins were terrific.

There were some tense moments. On a Bruins power-play, after Max Lapierre failed on a chance to clear, Marc Savard rang the puck off the post.

But it wasn't until the last three minutes of the period that the Bruins took the lead with two quick goals. Both resulted from defensive miscues by the Habs.

The Bruins pressured the Canadiens in the second period. Carey Price made several big stops including a glove save on Phil Kessel who was all alone.

With just over 11 minutes left in the second and the Habs trailing by one, the Bell Centre boobirds were heard. With more than half the game to play, some fans were turning on the team. It was surprising.

After Kessel took a penalty for slashing, and the Canadiens power play began its shift, the booing by the 'fans' had intensified. The players had no patience. They seemed to be rushing.

As the power-play ended, Kessel received a breakway pass while coming out of the penalty box. He scored after going in all alone.

Replays would show that the play was clearly offside, but to no avail. Just another botched call. It was the point of no return for the Canadiens and for the mood of the fans.

Shortly after, the Lapierre line were caught in the offensive zone which gave the Bruins a 3 on 2 break. Michael Ryder made the score 4-1. The Habs were outshot 14-4 in the period.

Carey Price was left defenseless on all four Boston goals. Yet as he made a routine save at the end of the period, the Bell Centre fans mock cheered him. It was distasteful and undeserved.

After the game Bob Gainey said, "I suppose he (Price) could have kept his cool and not made any kind of gesture, but on the other hand, when you're being bullied, if you don't stand up for yourself, who is going to?" said Gainey. "He had two or three breakaways to stop, as well as some open scoring chances, so what's the basis of the jeering?"

Gainey continued, "He reacted. You can read into it whatever you want. The people were rude. The people were unfair. So he stood up for himself? What's wrong with that?"

It was refreshing to hear a Montreal coach who was defending his player rather than throwing them under the bus.

With a hostile Bell Centre crowd and the Bruins in shutdown mode, the Canadiens looked defeated in the third period. Kudos to Metropolit who skated hard on every shift to the end. Credit also goes to Price who ignored the fans and made several good saves in the period.

The first star for the Bruins was a former Canadien who was stripped of his confidence by the coach, and run out of Montreal by the media and some fans.

The Habs may have been beat by the Bruins but were skewered by their fans. It was shameful.

The Canadiens were bitterly disappointed that they couldn't mount a better attack against the Bruins but they were without Markov, Schneider, Tanguay and Lang. It's unclear how many of the players on the current roster will be back. They deserved a better sendoff.

Koivu chose to speak about Price after the game, "I said it before the season and I still believe it. I have a lot of confidence. The kid is going to win a Stanley Cup one day. Hopefully, I will be with him when that happens."

It was a special moment. Koivu, who has given everything to his team, yet been subjected to unwarranted criticism, was empathizing with his young goaltender. And he was looking towards a future where #11 and #31 would be hoisting a Cup together.

It is a vision that I hope is realized.


Pre-game

Even though PA announcer Michel Lacroix emphasized respect for the anthems, there was scattered booing during the U.S. anthem.

Starting lineup: Plekanec, Stewart, D'Agostini, Komisarek, Hamrlik

Carey Price and Tim Thomas started in goal.

Brisebois and Sergei Kostitsyn were scratched from the line-up. Markov, Schneider, Bouillon and Tanguay were out with injuries. Lang is on injured reserve.

Lines:

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

Defense:

Hamrlik-Komisarek
Dandenault-Gorges
Weber-O'Byrne


Rocket's three stars:

1. Michael Ryder
2. David Krejci
3. Glen Metropolit

(photo credit: AP)

Media: We deserve better

Posted by: Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

Bloggers are often criticized by the mainstream media for rumors, sensationalizing stories and agenda-driven articles. At All Habs, we don't have to follow suit because we have the Montreal media excelling at all three.

Unfortunately there is little or no accountability for what is said or what is written about the Canadiens. Many stories are manufactured and driven by an agenda. The Montreal media are pampered and have a sense of entitlement. Some seem to feel that they have a role in managing the team.

Here's a small sample from Tuesday's 'news':

First there was Francois Gagnon who said that Bob Gainey recklessly jeopardized Francois Bouillon's career and his ability to secure a new contract by rushing him back into the lineup before he was ready. As we know, Bouillon only lasted 1:46 in Game 2 before aggravating his injury. But why speculate that Gainey had sinister motives when there is not a shred of proof.

The theme was then picked up by the excitable, but rarely rational, Jacques Demers. Demers insinuated that Mathieu Schneider and Alex Tanguay kept themselves out of the lineup to improve their chances of getting a new contract. Demers in his warped logic 'reasoned' that the two players wanted to protect themselves from further injury which would affect their ability to sign as a free agent in the off season. That is outrageous!

Demers said that they probably learned from watching Bouillon get re-injured & decided not to play in Game 3. Demers said: "I think it was just a snowball effect. They (Schneider & Tanguay) said, 'Whoa, what happened to Bouillon here? I don't want to be put in that situation. I'm a free agent. I wanna sign'."

Gaston Therrien wrote that one of the reasons that the Canadiens lost Game 3 was due to Patrice Brisebois not being in the lineup. Apparently Therrien didn't see game 1, where Brisebois played one of the worst playoff games ever by a Canadiens' defenseman.

After Game 3, Saku Koivu talked about not losing hope and taking one game at a time. Unfortunately Andie Bennett thought Koivu's comments were too bland and cliche. She was looking for something far more emotional and controversial for her story. In her short media career, it seems that Andie is already tainted by the self-serving Montreal media who care more about getting a juicy sound byte for their report than the truth.

Lastly, the whining and the indignation by all media about Bob Gainey choosing not to 'tell all' about his line-up decisions was both pathetic and humorous.

Random Thoughts Before Game 4

Posted by Kyle Roussel
AllHabs.blogspot.com

As I sit here, a quivering mass of malady, I can't help but remain hopeful that the Habs will salvage some measure of pride tonight and eek out a game 4 victory to avoid a sweep on home ice. This game could be the gateway to the beginning of a very turbulent time in Habs land.

Should we lose tonight:

It could be the last we see of Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Mike Komisarek and a whole littany of other free agents of varying importance in Habs jerseys.

If it's evident that the Habs are going to lose, will Koivu's potential last moments as a Hab be to a chorus of boos? What about Kovalev? These guys deserve better, but I'm not putting anything past the Bell Center crowd.

This could also be the final game of the George Gillet era. The Bob Gainey era as well. Imagine, in a couple weeks our team could have

• No owner
• No GM
• No coach
• No roster

You could remain optimistic and say that the next owner and GM can rebuild the team from scratch, but smart fans know that contenders don't spring up out of the ground overnight. This could be a total and complete rebuild, from the 7th floor of the Bell Center right down to ice level.

Anyway, back to tonight's game.

Who starts in net? Gainey has made it clear through his actions that Price is his guy. And Price has not come through with the type of performances needed to win in the playoffs. That's not to say that Price is to blame for the 0-3 hole, but he hasn't helped much either. Many people are calling for Halak to start game 4. My question is why? Does anyone truly believe that the Habs can still make a series of this? In my opinion Gainey and Price have made their beds and now need to lie in them. Why should Halak be the guy on the ice when the final siren sounds and the Canadiens lose? If the Habs win tonight, fans and media will go absolutely bananas on Gainey for not starting him sooner. He will then be forced to go with Halak until they lose again. That would be egg all over Gainey's face. Game 3 was the time to start Halak, when the chance to make a competitive series was still a possibility. I think Gainey sticks with Price tonight, but I could be wrong.

There seems to be confusion everywhere from different sources on who skated with the team, who skated on their own, and who didn't do anything. I thought that it would be all hands on deck tonight, but then again if you believe Jacques Demers, some free agents may not want to risk further injury. If there's one thing hockey players like more than hockey, it's getting rich, long term deals to play hockey. I don't think any free agent who's significantly injured would risk further injury and jeopardize their future by trying to help the Habs dig their way out of an impossible situation. Therefore I doubt the lineup will look any different than what we saw on Monday.

The other day I made a fearless prediction on Twitter that Tomas Plekanec would play a strong game tonight, along with Andrei Kostitsyn. When it no longer matters, he'll make an impact.

What ends up being the game plan for tonight? We saw the Canadiens come out like gangbusters in game 3. They dominated every facet of the game in the 1st period on Monday night. Everywhere, except the scoreboard that is. They left for the 1st intermission tied at 1. It was all downhill from there. The Bruins weathered the storm, took the lead, took control and took a stranglehold on the series. Do the Canadiens try to do the same thing tonight? Empty the tank in the hopes that you can get a couple past Thomas and coast to game 5? To me, the only hope to live another day is to play the same way again, just pray for a little more luck. Thomas was beaten on 2 long wrist shots on Monday, and I believe that he is human. Shoot more!

So that's it for now. Not a lot of reason for optimism that I can see. Overcoming an 0-3 deficit has only been done twice in history ('42 Leafs and '75 Islanders), so to think this series represents the 3rd occurence is probably a fool's hope. I just don't want to see the same shenanigans that polluted the Bell Center on Monday (the booing of the U.S. national anthem). I especially don't want to see the Canadiens booed off the ice should they lose, and an ensuing riot downtown should the rumours prove true.

Enjoy tonight's game just the same! Hopefully tomorrow we can start talking about Saturday's game 5.

Gainey asks Canadiens fans not to boo US anthem

Gainey asks Canadiens fans not to boo US anthem

BROSSARD, Quebec (AP) — Bob Gainey is asking Montreal Canadiens fans to stop booing the United States national anthem.

Just because the hometown team is on the verge of being swept out of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Boston Bruins, fans shouldn't take out their frustration on their neighbor to the south.

Gainey, the coach and general manager of the struggling Canadiens, urged those who booed Monday during "The Star Spangled Banner" before Game 3 to find other ways to voice their support for Montreal.

"I feel like there's a confusion there with our fans," Gainey said Tuesday. "They feel like booing the anthem is supporting our team, in that the anthem represents the Boston team.

"And I think if they could separate those two things, then we could respect the anthem of the United States of America and they could still participate loudly in whatever way they want to disrupt the Bruins."

Many fans booed the U.S. anthem at the Bell Centre on Monday night, even though others tried to drown them out with chants of "Go Habs Go."

Similar booing has been heard during the playoffs in recent years. In the past, the Canadiens responded with a taped appeal on the scoreboard from Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau, asking fans to respect the anthems of the U.S. and Canada. That curtailed the booing somewhat at subsequent games.

Instead of replaying the tape, the Canadiens hope Gainey's appeal will be enough to stop it this time, a team official said.

Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, a native of Flint, Mich., said he wasn't put off by the booing but also appreciated Gainey's remarks.

"That sounds like a very classy thing he did," Thomas said.

"I've heard it before," he added about the booing. "The same thing happened last year and it happened just about every time I've played here. I was prepared for it. I knew what was going to happen and I just ignored it."

Boston leads the best-of-seven, first-round series 3-0 and will attempt to sweep the series Wednesday night in Montreal.

Bulldogs rediscover their bite

Bulldogs rediscover their bite

Garry McKay
The Hamilton Spectator
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. (Apr 21, 2009)

The Hamilton Bulldogs found the spark they were missing.

The Dogs got goals from five different players and effort from pretty well everybody in a 5-4 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins.

So instead of facing elimination in their best-of-seven AHL North Division semifinal the Dogs are now only down 2-1 and can tie it up with a win in Grand Rapids tomorrow.

"We certainly played with a lot more intensity but that's the way we have to play," said Hamilton coach Ron Wilson.

"That's the way I thought we were playing but for some reason we didn't play that way in the first two games at home."

The Dogs didn't make it easy on themselves.

They appeared to have the Griffins down and cooled out on a couple of occasions and each time Grand Rapids scored to get right back in it.

"It's a learning experience," said Wilson. "We're lucky we got away with it. When we got up 5-3 that game should have been snuffed out. After the game we talked about the fact that you can't let up. You have to keep your foot on the gas."

Trailing 2-0 in the series the Dogs needed a good start and they got it.

Their hard work paid off when Yanick Lehoux roofed a shot from the left faceoff circle over the shoulder of Griffins goaltender Jimmy Howard on a power play at 10:38.

The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period and the Dogs led 3-2 after two.

The Dogs twice built two-goal leads in the third only to have the Griffins reply.

Kyle Chipchura, Ben Maxwell, Ryan Russell and Ryan White had the other Hamilton goals.

Darren McCarty, Brian Lashoff, Ville Leino and Justin Abdelkader replied for Grand Rapids.

With an assist on McCarty's goal Milton's Darren Haydar passed Willie Marshall's AHL career record of 71 assists in the post season.

Notes: Max Pacioretty did not make the trip with the Bulldogs to Michigan. He's being looked at for a sports hernia and is officially listed as day to day.

Hits and Misses

Molson Cup Three Stars: 1. Kyle Chipchura, Hamilton. 2. Brian Lashoff, Grand Rapids. 3. Ryan Russell, Hamilton.

Scratches: Steve Gainey, Andrew Conboy, Mat Pacioretty.

Shots on goal: Grand Rapids 31 Hamilton 26.

Attendance: 3,468 (Van Andel Arena).

Game 1. Grand Rapids 4 at Hamilton 3.

Game 2. Grand Rapids 3 at Hamilton 1.

Game 3. Hamilton 5 Grand Rapids 4.

Game 4. Tomorrow -- 7:00 p.m. Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids.

Game 5. Friday, April 24th -- 7:00 p.m. Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids.

Game 6. (if necessary) Sunday, April 26th -- 6:00 p.m. Copps Coliseum.

Game 7. (if necessary) Monday, April 27th -- 7:30 p.m. Copps Coliseum.

Bruins-Canadiens: Game 3 -- Undermanned Habs fall short

2009 Playoffs Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: Game 3

Montreal 2 Boston 4 (Bell Centre)


Posted by: Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

How does one describe the situation the Canadiens find themselves in after losing tonight and trailing Boston 3-0 in the series? Bob Gainey summed it up as "It's the worst situation and the best challenge."

The Habs will simply have to focus on winning Wednesday's game because otherwise the mountain looks too high.

Even with a depleted line-up, the Canadiens carried the play in the first period. A weak penalty call by the officials on Andrei Kostitsyn threatened to change the momentum but Carey Price was the Habs' best penalty killer.

Chris Higgins opened the scoring with a wrist shot that beat Tim Thomas under the arm. It was the first lead for the Canadiens in the series.

The Habs almost made it a two goal lead on a good play by Tomas Plekanec to throw the puck into the feet of Thomas. Thomas was shaky in the period but was able to fall on the puck.

The Bruins scored late in the first period on a play that started when a Mike Komisarek pass to Greg Stewart was intercepted by Dennis Wideman. Stewart didn't even look back as he skated to clear the zone. Wideman's shot was redirected by Phil Kessel.

Bob Gainey said that the Boston goal with 1:25 left in the period was a "punch to the mid-section".

The Canadiens outshot the Bruins 10-7 in the first and were 65% on faceoffs. The Habs were far more aggressive on the forecheck and dominated territorial play.

The Bruins made adjustments in the second period and created more scoring chances. The Canadiens' third line had difficulty getting out of their own zone.

Roman Hamrlik had a tough night. He got knocked off the puck by Stephane Yelle. Byron Bitz centered to Shawn Thornton who scored.

Yannick Weber had his first NHL playoff goal with a quick wrist shot that beat Thomas five-hole to tie the game at two goals.

With the Canadiens not being able to clear Price had to make two saves on shot from the point. The second he tried to deflect to the boards but the rebound went to Michael Ryder who happened to be in the right place and scored.

In the regular season, the Bruins were 39-2-3 when leading after two periods. They showed why in the third clogging up the neutral zone and limiting the Canadiens chances to protect their lead. The Habs only managed 5 shots in the final period.

The Lapierre line continues to be ineffective now in four straight games against the Bruins. Guillaume Latendresse was given credit for four hits in the first period but all were delivered after the play had already moved up ice. Tom Kostopoulos was replaced by Chris Higgins in the third. Lapierre was the only Canadiens' player to struggle on faceoffs at 22%.

It was a solid game by Ryan O'Byrne. He intercepted passes, and made quick outs. O'Byrne played a smart, simple game.

Andrei Kostistyn and Alex Kovalev each had four shots on goal playing on a line with Saku Koivu.

The Habs power play had three opportunities but were ineffective and disorganized. 'Fans' voiced their displeasure which only put more pressure on the team.

At one time, Canadiens fans were known as the most knowledgeable and intimidating to the opposition. Times have changed. In addition to the shameful act of booing a national anthem, some fans seem unfamiliar with the phrase 'home ice advantage'.

Poor defensive play, an inept power-play, and a lack of scoring from the 3rd line continue to be a problem.

With three out of five players from the first unit power-play being injured (Markov, Tanguay and Schneider) it is understandable that it is having problem against a very good penalty killing team like Boston.

For those that don't understand how important Andrei Markov is to the team, here's a simple statistic: the Canadiens are 0-6-1 with Markov out of the line-up.

Habs' fans recognize the improbability of a come-back being down three games to none. However there is the inspiration of the 1975 New York Islanders who came back from an 0-3 start to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins.

There's also the quote from Voltaire that appeared on the score clock tonight: "Faith is believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe."


Pre-game

Morons in the upper reaches of the Bell Centre booed the Star Spangled Banner. Such small mindedness. Stay home next game.

"I don't really understand it," said Higgins. "You can chant through it, but the booing thing, it's not really needed. What are they booing -- the U.S. or that Boston's from the U.S.? Either way, it doesn't make sense."

Starting lineup: Metopolit, Higgins, Laraque, Komisarek, Hamrlik

Carey Price and Tim Thomas started in goal.

Brisebois and Sergei Kostitsyn were scratched from the line-up. Markov, Schneider, Bouillon and Tanguay were out with injuries. Lang is on injured reserve.


Lines:

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

Defense:

Hamrlik-Komisarek
Dandenault-Weber
Gorges-O'Byrne


Rocket's three stars:

1. Dennis Wideman
2. Yannick Weber
3. Michael Ryder

(photo credit: Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Bruins Voodoo Magic

All Habs is a community of passionate, talented and very creative Canadiens' fans. Amanda and EP31 are two favorites who have created Bruins voodoo dolls.

Who's to say they aren't working? In game two, Lucic suffered a mental break, lost control and was suspended for the "reckless and careless use of his stick." We'll see what happens to Chara tonight.





Chara by Amanda

Nice unibrow on Zdeno. Where's the yellow mouthguard? (or are his teeth that colour?)








Lucic by EP31

The bumbling Milan seems so accident prone.


Note to our readers from Boston: No actual Bruins were injured in the filming of this blog post.

Annakin Slayd - La 25ième (Videoclip Officiel)

French version: Annakin Slayd - La 25ième (Videoclip Officiel) GO HABS!

(Click for English version Annakin Slayd - 25 (Feels like 93) Video or link in blog title bar.)

Bruins' Lucic handed one-game suspension

Bruins' Lucic handed one-game suspension
TSN.ca Staff
4/19/2009 6:40:03 PM

The Boston Bruins will have to do without Milan Lucic for Game 3 of their series with the Canadiens after the NHL handed the bruising forward a one-game suspension Sunday.

Lucic received a minor and match penalty for crosschecking Montreal's Maxim Lapierre in the neck and head late in the third period of Boston's 5-1 win over the Canadiens.

In an attempt to avoid losing one of their emotional sparkplugs the submitted a video clip to NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell that they believed showed Lucic's gloved hand striking Lapierre's neck and head before his stick.

"While it is unclear whether Lucic's glove or stick makes contact with Lapierre, what is clear is that he delivered a reckless and forceful blow to the head of his opponent," said Campbell in a statement.

A Vancouver native, Lucic has been a physical force in the series thus far. He has been credited with eight hits, including a couple of momentum changers in Game 1, and has racked up a playoff high 24 minutes in penalties. He has also collected a pair of assists and a +2 rating.

He will be eligible to return for Game 4 on Wednesday in Montreal.

Milan Lucic Crosschecks Maxim Lapierre

Milan Lucic uses his stick on Mathieu Schneider and then crosschecks Maxim Lapierre in the head.

Grand Rapids beats Bulldogs on controversial goal

Grand Rapids beats Bulldogs on controversial goal

By Garry McKay
HAMILTON SPECTATOR

The Grand Rapids Griffins took advantage of a goal that should never have been allowed to beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-1 Saturday night at Copps Coliseum.

With the game tied 1-1 8:50 into the third period Griffins centre Justin Abdelkader drove Hamilton defenceman T.J. Kemp into goaltender Marc Denis and with both of them out of the way then knocked the puck into the empty net to put Grand Rapids up 2-1.

The Bulldogs were incensed but referee Ghislain Hebert allowed the goal to stand.
To add salt to the wound Abdelkader also scored into the empty Hamilton net at 19:54 to ice the victory.

Denis didn’t want to get drawn into the controversy of the goal too much but called Hebert ‘gutless’ for not giving him an explanation of why he allowed the controversial goal.

With the win the Griffins take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven AHL North Division semi-final and the series now switches to Grand Rapids for games on Monday, Wednesday and, if necessary, Friday.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes Ryan White put the Bulldogs up 1-0 at 3:39 of the second when he won a draw in the right faceoff circle and then ripped a rising wrist shot past Jimmy Howard.

It was the only time the Dogs would beat the Griffins netminder, however.
Ville Leino tied the game on a power play at 5:39 of the third.

Bulldogs coach Ron Wilson was upset, not that Abdelkader’s goal was probably illegal, but that his guys weren’t doing the same thing.

“That’s what they’re doing and we’re not doing. They’re going to the net hard and we’re not,” he explained. “They’re paying the price to score goals and we’re not.”

The Bulldogs will need to win at least two of the third games in Grand Rapids to force a Game 6 back in Hamilton on Sunday, April 26.

Hits and misses

Molson Cup Three Stars: 1. Ville Leino, Grand Rapids. 2. Justin Abdelkader, Grand Rapids. 3. Ryan White, Hamilton.

Flamboro Downs Workhorse of the Game (hardest working Bulldog): Alex Henry.
Scratches: Steve Gainey, Andrew Conboy, Max Pacioretty.
Shots on goal: Grand Rapids 29 Hamilton 23.
Power plays: Grand Rapids 1-4. Hamilton 0-5.
Attendance: 2,296.
Up next: Game three in the series is in Grand Rapids Monday at 7 p.m.

Canadiens-Bruins: Game 2 -- Special teams weren't so special

2009 Playoffs Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: Game 2

Montreal 1 Boston 5 (TD Banknorth Garden)

Posted by: Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

After the game, Hockey Night in Canada reporter extraordinaire Elliotte Friedman asked Bob Gainey "Aside from penalty killing, what else can team do better?" Gainey's answer was simple and direct "Listen to the coach."

I suspect that the Canadiens were listening to their coach and following the game plan for the first ten minutes of the game. The Habs were skating, forechecking and carrying the play. Shots on goal were 8-to-2 for the Canadiens. Tim Thomas looked beatable.

The Bruins then got their first of five power-play opportunities. Metropolit failed to clear the puck and Marc Savard scored for Boston.

After that, the wheels fell off for the Canadiens. The last half of the period, the Bruins outshot the Canadiens 13-to-3. Carey Price made several spectacular saves just to keep the team in the game.

Chuck Kobasew scored to give the Bruins a two goal lead. Roman Hamrlik, who struggled all game, was caught roaming high in the slot.

Georges Laraque delivered a blow up hit to Milan Lucic before the period ended.

The Canadiens showed some signs of life with a goal in the first minute of the second period. It was a weak goal for Tim Thomas who seems to lose all confidence when Kovalev has the puck.

The poor play continued for the Lapierre line. They look completely lost in the series. Lapierre, Latendresse and Kostopoulos got caught up ice, and Hnidy scored on the resulting 3-on-2.

Boston got their second power-play goal on a cross-ice pass to Marc Savard. Lapierre needed to get his stick in the passing lanes.

The Bruins scored their third power-play goal in five chances with only 2.3 seconds left in the second period. Dandenault was caught chasing which setup a 2-on-1 for the Bruins.

Jaroslav Halak came in to start the third period. Bob Gainey said it was simply a measure "to regroup as a team in the third period."

Halak started the period with a solid pad save but only faced four shots the rest of the period, none of them difficult.

The Habs just played out the third without mounting a threat. Josh Gorges surprisingly lost a fight to Patrice Bergeron in his first NHL tilt. Even more surprising, Laraque stood by and watched without engaging anyone.

In the final minutes, Lucic continued his thuggery. He began with stickwork on Mathieu Schneider and then crosschecked Lapierre in the head. He skated away when Mike Komisarek arrived.

Given the timing and circumstances, expect Lucic to receive at least a one game suspension for a blow to the head.

The Canadiens finally received their first power-play of the night with less than five minutes in the game.

The Canadiens were beaten by special teams play. Three Bruins goals were scored on the power-play.

Saku Koivu was the only Canadiens player with success on faceoffs at 59%. Lapierre won only 27% and Metropolit won 19% of the draws.

Alex Kovalev was the Canadiens' best forward with a goal on six shots.

Sergei Kostitsyn had some good shifts with his brother and was the co-leader in hits with four, including one on Lucic.

Francis Boullion played just over a minute and a half before retiring to the dressing room for the night. Presumably his groin injury was aggravated.

After the first ten minutes of the game, the Canadiens did not compete and they hung their goalie out to dry. As Komisarek said "I don't think the responsibility falls to one guy, especially Carey. We lost tonight because we weren't good enough as a group."

The Habs' special teams simply have to be better starting Monday night when the series shift to Montreal.


Pre-game

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

Carey Price and Tim Thomas started in goal.

O'Byrne, D'Agostini, Plekanec, Brisebois and Stewart were scratched from the line-up. Markov was out with an injury. Lang is on injured reserve.

Lines:

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

Defense:

Hamrlik-Komisarek
Schneider-Weber
Gorges-Dandenault
Bouillon

Rocket's three stars:

1. Marc Savard
2. Michael Ryder
3. Chuck Kobasew

(photo credit: Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Canadiens vs. Bruins -- Game #2: What will it take?

Posted by: Rocket
AllHabs.blogspot.com

Lineup update: Tomas Plekanec and Matt D'Agostini will be healthy scratches for game two. Yannick Weber and Sergei Kostitsyn will play.

After a good start in Game One, the Canadiens will have to improve to win game two. I expect that the Bruins will be better. Claude Julien will see to it as he was not impressed with his troops after the first game.

In the last two games in Boston, the Canadiens have shown that they are a different team than earlier in the year. They can beat the Bruins.

So what will it take?

Defense:

It has been clear all season that Patrice Brisebois no longer has the skills to compete in the NHL. Never was that more evident than in game one of this series. He must sit for the remainder.

Francis Bouillon is not yet 100% but he may play. Bouillon is feisty and fearless. He would be a good addition playing limited minutes.

Mike Komisarek was very effective in game one. But, he can't do it alone. Ryan O'Byrne could take some of the physical load from Komisarek. He can play well when paired with Roman Hamrlik.

Yannick Weber brought an instant spark to the power-play when inserted in game #81 in Boston. He held his own physically as well.

Josh Gorges must be much more disciplined than in his last two games against Boston. His recent bad penalties have been a liability.

Forwards:

Koivu's line is still carrying the offense. Bob Gainey will likely use Georges Laraque less on the first line than in game one.

Andrei Kostitsyn played well with three hits and three shots in game one. Matt D'Agostini suffers from defensive lapses in his own zone. Max Pacioretty could be an impact player in this series through his physical play and willingness to drive to the net. (word is that Pacioretty is presently injured in Hamilton).

Metropolit's line has been effective in their shutdown role. Chris Higgins was the Canadiens best forward in game one. Metropolit and Higgins have been outstanding penalty-killers. Dandenault is better on this line than Laraque.

The third line is one of the keys to the series. Lapierre, Latendresse and Kostopoulos have the potential to be impact players against Boston. A series against the Bruins should be tailor-made for this line. They have been very quiet in the last two games in Boston. They must be much more physical and take the puck to the net.

Special teams:

The Canadiens will win or lose the series on the performance of their special teams. A lethal power-play is a far better deterrent to Bruin thuggery than Laraque.

The Bruins power-play was ranked forth in the league this season. The first wave of penalty killers has been good but Lapierre and Kostopoulos must do a much better job covering the points.

Goaltending:

Carey Price was much better than Tim Thomas in game one. Expect Thomas to up his game for game two. Referees may try to clamp down on crease crashing after the Bruins ran Price all game long on Thursday night.

Intangibles:

Bruins fans were rather quiet and nervous in game one after the Canadiens tied the score. The lopsided playoff advantage for the Canadiens is a mystique that worries Bruins supporters, and perhaps players themselves.

Random Thoughts Before Game 2

Posted by: Kyle
AllHabs.blogspot.com

We've all heard the cliché that you're not in trouble until you lose at home, but does even the most cockeyed optimist believe that the Canadiens can win this series if they go down 2-0? I know it's been done, but really...this team? I don't know.

To me, today is a must-win for the Habs. I hate calling a game a "must" win because it's not really a "must" until after you've lost 3 games, but a 1-1 split is a totally different world than an 0-2 hole.

I thought the Canadiens played as well as they could have been expected to play, considering:

• Plekanec's line is hurting more than helping
• Markov was out
• Brisebois was awful (as I expected)
• Laraque played over 13 minutes (which is twice as much as he should be playing)

So what will be different in game 2?

• Well...do we have to talk about the 2nd line again? Didn't think so. Let us pray.
• Markov will still be out.
• Is Breezer in the lineup tonight? Again, let us pray that he isn't. Weber CAN'T be any worse can he?
• IMO Laraque will not see as much ice as he did in game 1. He'll be between 8-10 minutes.
• Stupid penalties are a no-no. Stand up and take a bow Josh. Please don't do that again.

If the Habs are to win this game, not a whole lot has to change. Small adjustments and a little discipline means we could be going home with a split. Kovalev seems to have Tim Thomas in his back pocket, especially glove hand, short side. Hopefully he can keep his torrid streak going. I'd love to see the Habs score the first goal. Maybe even the first 2, even though I don't think this team can protect a lead to save their lives but obviously it's better to be up by 2 than down by 2.

I'm not sure what effect this will have, but the Canadiens didn't have a morning skate today because of the Celtics game. Will they be sluggish out of the gate, or have fresher legs? I'm inclined to say the former over the latter; these guys are creatures of habit.

So what do you think needs to change in order for the Canadiens to even this series up? Did I miss anything?

PS - Matt Hunwick of the Bruins was rushed to the hospital earlier today with what seems to be a spleen problem. He's out tonight but let's hope he's ok.

The Score: Cabbie with Carey Price & Georges Laraque

The Score: Cabbie with Carey Price & Georges Laraque

Photos:

NHL Playoffs First Round - Boston 2009 Photos

Video interview:

Cabbie with Carey Price & Georges Laraque

Bulldogs lose opener

Dogs lose opener
Grand Rapids takes advantage of turnovers, sloppy defensive play

Garry McKay
The Hamilton Spectator
Apr 18, 2009

History is not on the Hamilton Bulldogs' side now.

The Dogs dropped a 4-3 decision to the Grand Rapids Griffins last night at Copps Coliseum in the opening game of their best-of-seven American Hockey League North Division semifinal.

In 10 previous playoff series in their history the Dogs are 2-8 when they dropped the first game. The last time they won a playoff round after dropping the opening game was in 2003 against Manitoba.

With their win, the Griffins also took back the home-ice advantage that the Dogs had worked so hard to earn in the final weeks of the regular season.

More than history the Dogs should really be worried about how the Griffins were able to take advantage of Hamilton turnovers and sloppy defensive play.

The two teams came out of the first period tied 2-2 after a 20 minutes that surprisingly featured only so-so goaltending and more that a few defensive mistakes

In fact, both Grand Rapids goals were the result of the Bulldogs turning the puck over in their own zone.

Darren McCarty gave the visitors a 1-0 lead at 5:01 when Mattia Ritola's shot from above the right faceoff circle deflected off him past a started Marc Denis into the Hamilton net. The Dogs got that back at 5:59 on a perfectly executed three-on-two, which ended with Kyle Chipchura feeding the puck across the front of the net to T.J. Wyman at the back door.

Joakim Andersson jumped on a rebound and slammed it past Denis at 6:50 to put the Griffins back in front.

Shawn Belle did likewise when he raced in and blasted a loose puck past Jimmy Howard to tie it at 9:47.

After a scoreless second period, Justin Abdelkader took advantage of a sloppy defensive play by the usually trustworthy Kyle Chipchura, to give Grand Rapids the lead for good just 19 seconds into the third.

He cut across the front of the net, unchecked, and banged in a pass from Ville Leino.

Milton's Darren Haydar gave the visitors some insurance on a great tip-in at 13:06, and they needed it. In fact, it turned out to be the winner when David Desharnais got the Bulldogs back to one down at 18:08.

The two teams meet again tonight at Copps and then the series switches to Grand Rapids next week for games three, four, and five, if necessary.


Bulldogs vs. Griffins

next Sunday.

Game 2

Tonight, Copps Coliseum, 7 p.m.

Cable 14, Talk820

Games 3, 4 and 5 will be in Grand Rapids on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the series returning to Hamilton -- if necessary