Montreal Canadiens

[ericdaoust]

Forget hockey for today.

BONNE FETE!!

Is that how you guys say it?

Yes that is how we say it. And thanks! I watched most of the game so covering the game report is not a big burden for me. No drinks till Friday.

[rainydrinkwater]

No drinks till Friday.

Make sure you make up for the days you have missed .

[ericdaoust]

Make sure you make up for the days you have missed .

I already made arrangements for reinforcements to help me leave the bar on my feet. Except it might be more them carrying me and my feet dragging. Like I tell people, I give myself one day each year where I can take advantage of others.

[ericdaoust]

Just following up on yesterday's bit, I'm really worried about this team going cold at the wrong time. I've stated before that this team is very hot/cold due to players often times taking nights off, and right now players are taking nights off.

One issue is that the coach seems to have different standards for different players. Gomez has no reason to push himself more because the coach does nothing about it. If two young centermen on the lower lines outplaying him was not enough, I don't know what is. And Gomez knows it.

If someone like Eller, Desharnais, Pouliot or Kostitsyn have a bad night, then no problem demoting them to the lower lines. But others like Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta are not held to such expectations.

I understand the idea of relying on the vets and giving them some extra rope, but that only works if those same vets reward the coach by setting a good example.

Unless I see something drastically different over the final four games I think it might be a short playoff stint.

[dyzfunctioned]

Just following up on yesterday's bit, I'm really worried about this team going cold at the wrong time. I've stated before that this team is very hot/cold due to players often times taking nights off, and right now players are taking nights off.

One issue is that the coach seems to have different standards for different players. Gomez has no reason to push himself more because the coach does nothing about it. If two young centermen on the lower lines outplaying him was not enough, I don't know what is. And Gomez knows it.

If someone like Eller, Desharnais, Pouliot or Kostitsyn have a bad night, then no problem demoting them to the lower lines. But others like Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta are not held to such expectations.

I understand the idea of relying on the vets and giving them some extra rope, but that only works if those same vets reward the coach by setting a good example.

Unless I see something drastically different over the final four games I think it might be a short playoff stint.

It's tough because the team has a lot of huge long-term contracts that really just don't seem like they've got it this year or are just content to sit on their fat contract. Gionta has 3 more years at $5M and only has 41 points this season. Gomez has 3 more years at $7.367M and only has 36 points. Cammalleri has 3 more years at $6M and only has 43 points. That's over $18M tied up in 3 players for 3 more years, who combined have less points than Henrik Sedin posted last year. That's $167,000 per point.

Montreal really has some ugly ugly contracts.

[ericdaoust]

It's tough because the team has a lot of huge long-term contracts that really just don't seem like they've got it this year or are just content to sit on their fat contract. Gionta has 3 more years at $5M and only has 41 points this season. Gomez has 3 more years at $7.367M and only has 36 points. Cammalleri has 3 more years at $6M and only has 43 points. That's over $18M tied up in 3 players for 3 more years, who combined have less points than Henrik Sedin posted last year. That's $167,000 per point.

Montreal really has some ugly ugly contracts.

I have so many different thoughts about how that one offseason worked out where they had to revamp half the roster in a three hour stretch of time as free agency opened. Also about Gainey's role in all of that only to step down six months later. But I think that's off course of what we want to do here, which is to discuss fantasy hockey.

Regarding the long-term deals, I think there is a remedy, and that involves the coach cracking the whip and holding everyone accountable, not just inexperienced players. I'm sure Gomez would not enjoy being stuck on a third or fourth line with minimal PP time.

If someone like Desharnais or Eller are outplaying the guy on top they deserve a chance to be promoted. They might not stick permanently but I think they have earned such an opportunity. A reward system with roster rotation based on overall play would be nice.

I just feel that doing nothing sends the message that it's OK to not put in full effort. I worry that at times this can rub off on younger players in a bad way.

[ericdaoust]

Game Notes:

-This was a nice rebound effort after the recent lackluster performances. Nice job keeping the Devils to 21 shots. The Canadiens took control of the game early and their defensive game was really well executed.

-PK Subban scored goal #13 tonight and made several big defensive plays including a late-game block on Zubrus that could have easily cut the lead to one. However he did turn the puck over several times including a bad giveaway that led to a penalty shot for Mattias Tedenby.

-Mathieu Darche continues strong play and now has 12 goals despite the injury. Like I said before he does well in small doses and right now he's putting the puck in the net. Both of his goals tonight were deflections while driving to the net. It's nice to see a guy with decent size and hands understand the importance of going to the net. He along with Gomez and Gionta were the most consistent line tonight which is a nice breath of fresh air.

-Interesting stat: the Devils had 21 shots yet the Canadiens were only credited with two blocked shots all game.

-Subban and Wisniewski both played 24 minutes.

-Tomas Plekanec was 11/15 on face-offs and had an assist.

-Mike Cammalleri had an assist and seven shots.

-Carey Price looked very solid all night. He was not busy but didn't allow any soft ones that could have put the game's outcome in doubt.

[ericdaoust]

News of the day from habsinsideout:

http://www.hockeyinsideout.com/news/...-award-winners

-Roman Hamrlik wins the unsung hero award for the season. I come down hard on him at times but there is no denying that he has done a good job playing more minutes than his body can handle and making the most of it. He wears a lot of different hats for the team and is at least serviceable in all situations. Josh Gorges won the award last season.

-Carey Price wins the Molson cup for the month, which I think is the 130th time this season he won the award for the team. No surprise here.

-Travis Moen missed practice with some kind of illness.

[dyzfunctioned]

Wish I watched the game tonight. Sounds like Price and Subban were fantastic.

[ericdaoust]

Game Notes:

-This was a fantastic game for hockey fans. The low score is irrelevant. The flow of the game was excellent and the goaltenders stole the show.

-Breaking news: I will be covering some PLAYOFF games!!! The Habs clinched a playoff spot with the win tonight. Through thick and thin it is a very impressive outcome for such a shorthanded club.

-Hats off to Corey Crawford. I thought we would be seeing a system goalie that just makes the basic saves. But this guy can play. If he can play like this in the playoffs they will be a tough opponent.

-Carey Price is money. He stopped 42 of 43 tonight and was at his best in the third when the game was tied and the Haws were pressing. He stopped all 20 he faced in the third frame. I recommend checking SportsCentre for a replay of the goal-line save he makes with his glove when the puck was about to bounce in. Simply amazing.

-PK Subban was a mixed bag tonight. He made some awesome defensive plays and also had some major blunders. But in the end PK had the last word as he blasted the winning goal in overtime. The mistakes are taken in stride because he works so hard and always turns it into a positive.

-Mike Cammalleri had his best game since returning from injury. He had a goal, an assist and five shots. He could have had an additional three goals. A very good game overall and props to Cammy for winning the face-off that led to Subban's OT winner.

-Andrei Kostitsyn had a strong night with a pair of assists even though his offensive-zone penalty in the third could have killed the team. He was creating a ton of offensive chances all night and did a great job using defencemen as screens to give Crawford trouble.

-Brent Sopel blocked six shots against his former team. He brings a lot defensively and does a good job limiting mistakes.

[MoreCanadianTeams]

This was the kind of effort to build momentum for the playoffs, a great game and nice analysis Eric.

[ericdaoust]

This was the kind of effort to build momentum for the playoffs, a great game and nice analysis Eric.

Thanks for the feedback. It was a solid game but I still have the same concerns as before when it comes to playoff success. The team has so many key players that do not show up every night and that's not going away. The same guys that looked great yesterday could lay an egg tomorrow.

But as much as I am down on them for being so hot/cold, when they are on they are as good as anyone.

[ericdaoust]

For those in pools with daily starts, Price is NOT in goal for tonight. Auld gets the nod.

[ericdaoust]

Sorry guys, I had a long report written and for no reason my browser just closed and the session could not be recovered. I don't feel like re-writing all that. But all in all the game was very sloppy.

As a side note, I will be in Toronto at the ACC Saturday night for the Leafs/Habs finale. I have tickets to the Gondola buffet and will be wearing my PK Subban jersey. So with that in mind I won't be able to comment on the game until Sunday night. If someone wants to share their thoughts on Saturday it would be greatly appreciated.

[MoreCanadianTeams]

Sorry guys, I had a long report written and for no reason my browser just closed and the session could not be recovered. I don't feel like re-writing all that. But all in all the game was very sloppy.

As a side note, I will be in Toronto at the ACC Saturday night for the Leafs/Habs finale. I have tickets to the Gondola buffet and will be wearing my PK Subban jersey. So with that in mind I won't be able to comment on the game until Sunday night. If someone wants to share their thoughts on Saturday it would be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy the game Eric.