Montreal Canadiens

[ericdaoust]

According to multiple sources Carey Price left practice early favoring his right leg/knee. I don't know any more but will try to update ASAP.

[ericdaoust]

Thanks to the following thread for updates:

http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...d=1#post685070

RDS confirms that Price will be in goal tonight. Sounds like a minor issue.

[MoreCanadianTeams]

Thanks to the following thread for updates:

http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...d=1#post685070

RDS confirms that Price will be in goal tonight. Sounds like a minor issue.

Donions provided some footage of Carey & Coach discussing the injury and how it was effectively treated:
http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...wpost&t=100553

[ericdaoust]

Donions provided some footage of Carey & Coach discussing the injury and how it was effectively treated:
http://www.dobberhockey.com/index.ph...wpost&t=100553

If that helps him play in Vezina form then I suggest getting a 24 on top of his net in place of water bottles.

[mister_mcgoo]

eric, you heard any good news on Plecks being able to go tonight?

[ericdaoust]

eric, you heard any good news on Plecks being able to go tonight?

Their status remains unclear as far as I know, my guess is with the Price situation this morning nobody bothered to press the issue regarding the other injuries.

[mister_mcgoo]

he's not in tonight either, this shit is killing me

[ericdaoust]

Game notes:

-This is a painful defeat where the Canadiens played alright but did not have the sense of urgency or second effort that is necessary to succeed in March. Too much perimeter play and a lot of the fundamentals were just not there.

-Cammalleri/Gomez/Gionta were put together as a line for the third period and they probably should have played fourth line minutes because they were not very good today. They had moments but they were few and far between. As the veteran leaders up front I expect a lot more from these guys especially with all the bodies that are missing.

-Not sure how the Sabres ended up with only 23 shots, but they definitely had better quality chances. Price had to move a lot to make the saves. His knee is definitely OK because if something was wrong we would know about it during the game. Another great game for Carey but the lack of goal support made this game impossible to win.

-The Pouliot/Desharnais/White line was the best one tonight. It was nice seeing them on the ice late trying to tie it up.

-Paul Mara was very physical today. Not sure how he ended up with just one hit - I can remember a half dozen. He was working the boards very well and is really embracing his role as the team's "tough guy".

-New nickname for Scott Gomez: the winger killer. Thoughts?

And that's all. I'm feeling sick tonight and will try to get some rest.

[loco man]

Hey Eric

Thought you'd be the best guy to ask. Who is the better fantasy option (pts only) between Max Pac and DD next year.

Assuming Max heals OK, he is my first choice, but I have only heard good things about DD.

What can I expect from both next season?

Thanks

[ericdaoust]

Hey Eric

Thought you'd be the best guy to ask. Who is the better fantasy option (pts only) between Max Pac and DD next year.

Assuming Max heals OK, he is my first choice, but I have only heard good things about DD.

What can I expect from both next season?

Thanks

By "DD" you mean David Desharnais? If so I would side with Pacioretty next year. The Gomez/Plekanec duo will limit Desharnais' upside while Pacioretty has a spot established in the top six. Plus Max is a winger and Desharnais is a center.

If the coaching staff didn't sour on Gomez after what we've seen this season they never will.

[loco man]

Thanks

Assuming Pacioretty returns to 100%, what kind of numbers do you see for him next year?

[ericdaoust]

Pacioretty should finish between 50 and 60 over a full season. There could be hiccups though psychologically so keep that in mind, although the injury is not as serious as first thought so maybe he'll come out of it untouched.

Desharnais I think will finish south of 50 but not by much. They really like him on the power play so that should keep some points coming even if falls on the depth chart.

[ericdaoust]

Both Nigel Dawes and Andreas Engqvist have been re-assigned to Hamilton. Obviously that means two players are ready to return. No other details were made available but I assume this means Plekanec and Darche.

[Dutch]

Both Nigel Dawes and Andreas Engqvist have been re-assigned to Hamilton. Obviously that means two players are ready to return. No other details were made available but I assume this means Plekanec and Darche.

plekanec is a game time decision I read earlier, so hopefully so.

[ericdaoust]

Game Notes:

-This was the second consecutive game where the Habs generated 0 goals. As such I do not blame the goaltending for any of the losses. This was a pathetic effort where nobody was on the same page. For the first 15 minutes it was pretty even and then the Habs somehow ran out of gas and stopped playing hard.

-Tomas Plekanec, Mathieu Darche, Jeff Halpern and Brent Sopel were back in the lineup. Picard, Weber and Pyatt sat this one out. Out of the four returning players I'd say that only Sopel had a good night. Plekanec had an awful first period where he was on the ice for the first two goals against and was penalized four minutes for high sticking which led to the third goal.

-Cammalleri/Plekanec/Halpern were together and the line was terrible. It didn't help that Cammy did nothing to help the rusty players get back in the groove. Plek and Cammy finished the night minus-four apiece.

-Moen/Gomez/Gionta was the best line tonight but were also a liability with Gomez taking careless penalties all the time. If the lack of discipline continues they will not last in the playoffs.

-I do give some credit to Gomez for playing through a clearly broken nose after his head collided with Marchand's head during a late game check. But the sudden courage pales in comparison with the uninspired play we get most of the time. Pacioretty was the only winger that ever meshed well with Gionta and Gomez.

-I was impressed with the play of a couple defencemen - PK Subban and Paul Mara, each for different reasons. Subban was the only player that was able to complete passes to teammates consistently and created a lot of chances. With more support from forwards this could have resulted in some goals. Mara on the other hand has done a very good job in the physical department and is embracing his role as the head enforcer on the team.