Montreal Canadiens

[ericdaoust]

Game Notes:

-Bruins win the series 4-3.

-If I can point to one thing that eliminated the Canadiens it's face-offs. Plekanec was absolutely terrible tonight on the dot (6/30). Not sure why the coaches kept putting him out there instead of recognizing this and opting for someone that had more success (Halpern).

-The Habs fought hard but ultimately they created their own problems with so much poor play at various times in the series.

-Both goaltenders had strong nights. Price was very good especially late in the game when everything was on the line.

-What Andrew Ference did was extremely cheap and cowardly. Say what you want about Halpern and on-ice awareness, that is not an excuse for driving the shoulder into someone's head. Absolutely a shame that this was not called. It would have been justice served had he cost his team the series.

-Not sure what happened to Roman Hamrlik on the third Bruins goal. He was pushed to the ice and just laid there. He did not get back in the play and the goal was scored.

-Hal Gill had something wrong. He had trouble skating and handling the puck all night. He and Subban had their ice time limited during regulation.

-James Wisniewski returned to the lineup and played well for the most part. He did a good job with the passing but his shots kept missing the net by a mile. When shooting from a sharp angle the worst possible outcome is missing the net because the bounce can launch the transitional attack for the opposition.

-Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta were each minus-3 tonight. They are talented but they are major defensive liabilities. Gomez is constantly floating around in the defensive zone and his lack of effort is obvious.

-The Habs were excellent on special teams. Two power play goals and one shorthanded goal tonight. They were terrible at even strength and the entire overtime was played that way.

-Not sure why Ryan White can't get more than 3:32 in ice time over three periods and overtime.

-PK Subban played a great game and scored the game tying goal late in the third.

-On a personal note, I am temporarily moving to Montreal on Sunday to begin a work placement. I had a ticket reserved for me for game three. Such a tease! It would have been nice to attend a playoff game but this way I'll be able to focus more on my school work which is most important.

[ridinryan44]

Love what ya got to say, but I can't agree with the "drive your shoulder into someones head."

Yea, he leaned into it, yea it was super lame, but if that's "driving" your shoulder into someones head then Chara launched himself out of a circus cannon at patches. I don't like what Ference did at all....but saying he "drove" his shoulder into his head reeks of fanaticism. No disrespect there at all...so I hope it doesn't come across that way, but it's what I'm expecting the MTL media to focus on tomorrow.

[ridinryan44]

In other news, PK Subban is a complete stud and the real deal. I hate to admit that I was NOT a believer in this kid, fantasy wise, and have been proven completely wrong.

[ericdaoust]

Love what ya got to say, but I can't agree with the "drive your shoulder into someones head."

Yea, he leaned into it, yea it was super lame, but if that's "driving" your shoulder into someones head then Chara launched himself out of a circus cannon at patches. I don't like what Ference did at all....but saying he "drove" his shoulder into his head reeks of fanaticism. No disrespect there at all...so I hope it doesn't come across that way, but it's what I'm expecting the MTL media to focus on tomorrow.

Thanks for calling me out on that, I did not write that correctly. He didn't drive his shoulder into the head like Torres/Seabrook but he clearly directed his body into the hit. That's disgraceful IMO. I actually like the Bruins and how they put their team together. I just think they should hold themselves to a higher standard than that.

In other news, PK Subban is a complete stud and the real deal. I hate to admit that I was NOT a believer in this kid, fantasy wise, and have been proven completely wrong.

PK is absolutely a monster on the blueline. I knew the offensive plays would be there but the poise in his own end surprises me. He turns the puck over from time to time but that comes with the territory when you're the go-to guy on D. Even Lidstrom turns the puck over from time to time. Who knows what this season would look like if he didn't have that midseason drought with all those trips to the press box.

[TK12555]

Okay, before I say this, I think you know (Eric) that i despise the Habs. Likely out of blind maple leaf ignorance, the hate is in my blood, passed on from my father, from his father...you get it.

So it pains me to say that the Habs were classy in their loss, fought hard straight until the end, and were just plain awesome (except for Hamrlik, I hate that guy).

Cammalleri has a great touch on his pass. Gionta is a fighter. Subban has a rocket. Price is incredibly clutch. Gomez is terrible.

my favourite player all series, despite being injured for part, was David Desharnais. That kid has a bright future, loved his style of play.

Congrats on a growing season, and I look forward to playing you guys on opening day (presumably)

[ridinryan44]

Thanks for calling me out on that, I did not write that correctly. He didn't drive his shoulder into the head like Torres/Seabrook but he clearly directed his body into the hit. That's disgraceful IMO. I actually like the Bruins and how they put their team together. I just think they should hold themselves to a higher standard than that.

I would agree completely. So distasteful and unnecessary. I dislike a hit made on purpose like that more than the high-speed, at least somewhat hockey play that ends in a headshot. Never should be done on purpose, as light as the hit may be.

[rainydrinkwater]

Tough loss considering they blew a 2-0 series lead, and endedup losing in game 7 O.T.

Price and Subban are great pieces to build around that will serve the habs well for years to come.

Carey has come a long way, but I don't think there will be too many doubters from here on in.

P.K, aside from ironing out some focus issues he struggles with at times, has shown that he has the tools to dominate at both ends of the ice. Possibly a perrenial Norris threat and with time a true competitive leader on the blueline.

[ericdaoust]

Once I settle into my dorm room in Montreal I'll have a bit of time to write so I think my next article will be a fantasy-spinned analysis on every player to wear a Habs' uniform this season. There will be tons to write about as this season featured a lot of good, bad and ugly.

[4T2]

Great series and it couldn't have had a better ending than OT in Game 7. Montreal played their hearts out. Both the game and series could have gone either way.

Subban earned a lot of respect from me in the series for his play and for not being quite as mouthy or as much of a cowardly pest that we've seen before. His game-tieing goal in the third was huge. His horrible dive and smile earlier takes away from some of the respect he earned, but he still moved up a notch in my books.

Anyway, just wanted to thank the Habs and their fans for one of the most exciting first round series I've seen in a long time.

[MoreCanadianTeams]

Enjoy Montreal Eric, thanks again for the consistent posts - looking forward to your year end review.

[ericdaoust]

Great series and it couldn't have had a better ending than OT in Game 7. Montreal played their hearts out. Both the game and series could have gone either way.

Subban earned a lot of respect from me in the series for his play and for not being quite as mouthy or as much of a cowardly pest that we've seen before. His game-tieing goal in the third was huge. His horrible dive and smile earlier takes away from some of the respect he earned, but he still moved up a notch in my books.

Anyway, just wanted to thank the Habs and their fans for one of the most exciting first round series I've seen in a long time.

Thanks for chiming in. We don't always agree on matters but that's how life works. Keep on representing this great NHL coverage section as the playoffs roll on!

Enjoy Montreal Eric, thanks again for the consistent posts - looking forward to your year end review.

Thanks for your feedback throughout the season. The back-and-forth dynamic with other users is what makes this fun. I'll probably go into a bit of a hiatus until mid-to-late next week as I get settled into the new environment and take care of some school matters.

[ericdaoust]

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/boone...-last-night-18

A nice article looking at what is to come in the offseason. The cap situation is not great. That is, unless management requests to the Molson family that they help pay the tab for a demoted Gomez.

Not trying to continue my negativity towards the guy, but his below-average play over two years at such a high cap hit combined with the team's financial situation makes this the best move for the franchise's growth over the next couple seasons.

[ddp]

I may be alone here but I heard yesterday on team990 that Jaromir Jagr's contacted the habs to say he would play for 2 mill a year and wanted to come to montreal. They flat out said no thanks.

I don't understand why. 2 mill?? for probably the only guy to possible reach 70pts? why not? 1 year 2 mill...sign me up for jagr.

I know he's old and slower but...I bet he's still more productive then most players making 2 mill in the league.

[ericdaoust]

I may be alone here but I heard yesterday on team990 that Jaromir Jagr's contacted the habs to say he would play for 2 mill a year and wanted to come to montreal. They flat out said no thanks.

I don't understand why. 2 mill?? for probably the only guy to possible reach 70pts? why not? 1 year 2 mill...sign me up for jagr.

I know he's old and slower but...I bet he's still more productive then most players making 2 mill in the league.

Jagr has always been a weird character so who knows what really happened here. One issue is that Jagr is in Russia and we all know how news out of there can be twisted and modified to become a totally different story. Personally I would take him on my team for that price.

[rainydrinkwater]

Jagr Personally I would take him on my team for that price.

I would too, nevermind comparing that to Gomez making $8 million.