Okay, the Islanders fired 44 shots at Cristobal Huet.
But he stopped 43 of them, and by the time Mike Comrie spoiled the shutout bid, this W was in the bag.
Canadiens got two goals from Steve Bégin and singles from Christopher Higgins and Tomas Plekanec to rack up an impressive road win against a tough defensive team that’s been hot lately … and a goaltender who’s one of the best in the league.
Third period shots were 20-4 in favour of the Islanders. That sounds like domination, but Canadiens were shorthanded three times during the period, and they took their feet off the gas pedal with a 4-0 lead.
Three Canadiens goals were scored at even strength. And nine players – including Huet – got their names on the scoresheet.
Most impressive stat: 327 Comments.
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Ditch it. As a fellow I used to play with would say, it’s addition by subtraction.
I like having a new page as well. I don’t think it needs to be changed. Having two pages allows everyone to view any changes on the main page while still keeping track of the blog and everyone’s comments.
We’re reviewing the design of the karma feature, but it’s certainly not an effective way to “attack” posts. Rather, it lets the community make collective appraisals of specific comments, so if a few people read a troll post or something else offensive, they can mark it as such. Because one person can only give a small amount of karma to any comment (and there are other restrictions to prevent abuse of the system), their ability to “attack” is pretty limited — it would require a lot of effort and an email exchange among a bunch of registered users to coordinate any kind of significant karma attack. For us, if enough users give bad karma to a bad post, we’ll find it more easily and be able to deal with it more effectively. For you, if you’re scanning a post you missed and only want to read the best comments, voila, you’ve got a system to help you find them.
I like new tab too, but I usually do it automatically anyway.
LOVE your icon!
I link Mike from the main page. It’s not easier to have a new page open? That can be done, but first I’d like to know if anyone feels strongly about it.
Dave Stubbs
Habs Inside/Out
Sports Feature Writer, Montreal Gazette
It depends on their coach and most of our picks seem to have coaches with good track records but some instructers at NCAA who have been around awhile are there politically or are kiss asses that talk the BS but then again there’s that in junior also. I’ve been involved with them years ago when they were recruiting and they left a lot to be desired in their scouting of players.
DD,
It doesn’t help matters any that these people have been living on a Don Cherry diet for the last 15 years or more. God love him, but the game has gone way past Cherry. Things do evolve….even the dinosaurs didn’t live forever.
Breezer !!! Almost cost us another one.
The Islanders are again involved in a one goal game. HABS 1 Islanders 0.
There are lots of stories like that, Brian. Parents put pressure on kids at a young age, and some of these kids have agents now when they are peewee age. It’s just the way people have been programmed here for ages. They think Major Junior A is the high road to the NHL. What happens to the great majority of players who do not make it to the NHL? Playing junior hockey and going to school at the same time are pretty much incompatible, so most of these kids have nothing going for them at that point.
I started watching the college game about 10 years ago, and really had my eyes opened. That’s great hockey.
I flipped channels to check the sound and missed the goal. Geeez.
Steve Begin! Now if he can go on a scoring binge like he did several years ago.
Wow…great start.
Woooo!!! Good to get an early one!
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“Vote Saku for All-Star… or little Timmy gets it!!!”
Hey… where did the RDS sound go?
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“Vote Saku for All-Star… or little Timmy gets it!!!”
That’s a good start, the sound just went on RDS.
I’ve set my browser to open in a new tab…
Tommy
Old time hockey people think riding the ‘iron lung’ in Junior A builds character, although for the life of me, I don’t see how driving 20 some hours from Brandon, Man. to Victoria, B.C. or S Ste Marie to Ottawa helps anyone learn anything about hockey except maybe how lucky they are that they are not to be sitting beside some one fat.
Request: Mike, in the future can you set it so links to your blog from the Habs Inside/Out homepage don’t open in a new window?
TommyB: A fellow I knew in our TO office when I worked at Salomon Brothers told me this story. His nephew was good enough to play major junior at I think 15 and he tried to convince his parents that he would be better off playing a tier below so that he wouldn’t blow his NCAA eligibilty. If he was truely that good, he could get a full ride to a really good university in the US. (Remember, one of two NCAA championships Harvard won was in ice hockey.) They would have none of it, given the sacrifice that they made through the years. I really think Canada should take a serious look at rethinking the whole college hockey/major junior thing. Heck, you might even get a reverse mygration. I would not have any problem playing the equivalent of NCAA D-1 in Canada and say getting a degree for example from McGill.
yeats,
RDS doing a feature on NCAA D-1 players right now. Seems like people are finally starting to take notice of that calibre of hockey.
Like you said earlier, an 18 year-old can be playing against 24 year olds. You learn to keep up real quick.
Wouldn’t it be nice if here in Canada schools had the money and a system like the NCAA? There is no doubt in my mind that the college game is the way to go if you have the academic smarts to go with hockey skills.
Unfortunately, most kids start with Junior B here, and take a natural progression to Junior A, which has it’s merits, but is nowhere near the game at the US college level.
I agree that the game tonight will probably be fairly low scoring and slow. It will probably resemble the second Boston game this season. I just hope that Montreal clears the front of the net and ties up sticks in the slot. In my opinion, that is what really killed the Habs against Ottawa. They forgot about playing D.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the Chipchura line tonight, I think they will play well. Kostopolous gives them decent speed and really grinds opposing players down. I really think that Chipchura and Latendresse work well together. Latendresse is slowly learning defensive hockey and I still think he can be an impact player in 2-3 years. He’s simply going to take longer to develop.
I think it is if you want to “anonymously” rate other members’ posts. My own view is that it is entirely bogus because, at its worst, it allows cowards to attack posters they don’t like rather than make their points in print and argue them like real “people.” Karma is internal. If a person feels they’re right in their heart, they constitute a majority of one. A high “Karma” score and $2.25 will get you on the subway in NYC.
it’s for “scoring” other people’s comments. i personally like the idea, but i’d rather just have a +/- link instead of the seven options in the dropdown. keep it simple!
Can anyone explain the purpose of the “karma” on the top right…
Ian: Damn, that’s a good picture of you. Glad you dropped by the room!
Ian: At least, we know we have two local boys who will be very motivated tonight.
I don’t have anything brillant to say. this is only for Mike’s totals. I have to go over to a friends place tonight to get it on RDS, so I’ll catch up on things here when i get back. Maybe the 2 points will be deposited by the time I get home. ENJOY THIS ONE BOYS AND GIRLS !!
I burned my firewalk t-shirt years ago.
What about that “putz” boss of yours? Since you posted this, almost everyone has stopped posting. Now see what you have done. I think that the replies do count, as there are 3 comments shown for the PuckCast, and one of them is a reply. It would not be fair to Boone to count replies for other HIO contributors, but not for Boone, whose boss has certain expectations.
Aside from the fact that the guys have a “Plan B” if they don’t make it to the show, I think the general approach is better. You practice every day and at most play three games a week. So, from an instructional point of view, it is probably better than major junior where the opposite is true. Also, with a few notable exceptions, I would be willing to say that the coaching is in general better. Most of the guys coaching at top notch programs have been around the game for years and at their respective schools for a very long time. I’m thinking Red Berenson at Michigan, Don Lucia at Minnesota, Mike Eaves at Wisconsin and Jackie Parker at BU and Gerry York at BC. Also, there are very few traditional 18-yr old freshman playing D-1 anymore. (That’s what makes Max Pac all the more impressive.) Also, you can end up playing against seniors who are 24-25 years old. It’s really top notch competition.
The NCAA better be the right route as most of our drafted players are playing there, if not, we may be fighting the lafs for the bottom spot not the playoff spot.
highlight of that series: barry melrose’s doughnut taunt to pat burns. shades of jim schoenfeld!
Es muy posible.
Ah sí New Jersey, él debo estar en el mismo lugar que Jimmy Hoffa.
No sabemos? Desde que hizo una observación sobre despectivos Newark, New Jersey, no se le ha visto.
Nah, if the first 20 games are any indication of the next 62, we won’t be on the playoff bubble this year..lol. Just for kicks and giggles, if we extrapolate from the current standings, this is what we’d get:
01. OTT 69-13-00-138
02. NYI 53-29-00-106
03. CAR 47-23-12-105
04. MTL 45-25-12-103
11. TOR 30-34-19-78
Like i said, totally meaningless, but it’s fun to see the Laffs in 11th ain’t it. On a more serious note, let’s hope the hot start is the only similarities we have with last season. The 2nd half of last season was agonizing.
Donde ahora está la energía dentro para Melrose?
Mike: A friend of mine played for him at Adirondack. He left the game due to an injury and BM wrote him recommendations for graduate school. He ended up going to Columbia B-school. To be fair though, he played with Joey Juneau at RPI, so he had the goods without hockey. That’s why I am a big supporter of NCAA D-1 over Major Junior. At least the guys get an education.
That’s not the worst of it. Melrose was and probably still is a Tony Robbins disciple.
I’ll try to post totals between periods.
Seriously, it’s nice to get a big response but I’m just goofing about keeping the totals up.
I am watching the Kings/leafs ’93 semi-final on the NHL network. Is it me or is Barry Melrose the freakin’ “Master of the Mullet?”
Chuck: The tech guys asked for it. I am off to get my copy of Magna Carta!
Screw technology, just put the original posters name and a colon to reply. I don’t like this reply feature at all. It’s like the goddamn posting equivalent of doing suicides: blue line back, red line back, blue line back and all the way down. I hate, really hate, did I mention I hate, that damn drill!
If the 2006-07 Habs were any indication the Isles winning all these tight games will come back to even out come the second half.
Crap! the comment counter on the main page doesn’t seem to recognise a “reply” as a comment. Looks like we’ll have to try a little harder than we first thought.
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It’s my night, quantity and not quality, just like my usual posts. Suits me folks.
The early season successes have been many and the team finds itself in a solid playoff position. However, they have stumbled lately and need to quickly get back to winning consecutive games. They will be a playoff bubble team if they continue the win one/lose one approach.
ryder will score tonight
you heard it here first
Mike, how do we know when we’re anywhere near the required number of posts since they’re not numbered anymore?
I heard that Chipchura could move to the third line for tonight’s game. This would be a good thing as he seems to be rock-solid in his positioning and puck-handling. His ice time would be up and Smolinski’s down, which would make sense as he has been struggling lately.
I hope our face-off improvement in the last two games continues tonight as it would help us with puck-possession in their zone and our own defensive zone coverage.
2 points here tonight and 4 points against Buffalo — then back at it with the unstable laffs (oh how sweet last nights loss was). Alot of work ahead of us in a few short days. Ok Huet get it together tonight and the team has to play better infront of you. I wonder how we are going to approach this game …. gun and run or tight D? ….. any opinions as the NYI are terrific deffensively — as much as i would like us to run and gun againt these guys tonight and supirse them i do not think it will happen. Hopefully playing deffensively will not put Kovy in a funk. If Huet does not win tonight i think Price should get the next 3 starts to see what he can do. Sooner or later he has to play 2 games in a row so why not againts Buffalo ….and we all agree Huet is not good against the Leafs. just throwing it out there. Good luck tonight guys
good luck mike on hitting your target.
Go habs go
I think the Chipchura-Latendresse-Kostopoulos line is going to steal the show tonight.
Donovan from Barfly?
my french is a little off, by off i mean none at all, but did rds say we have scored more goals than the laffs this year
Nice try for Ryder, but what a penalty!!!
Ryder is snakebit…there’s no other explanation.
WOW! Michael’s lips say it all… It hurts!
Speed produces another power play. That was a mean-looking slash, too.
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Good thing they didn’t take McGuire’s advice nd sign Sutton.
What a pylon
Uh-oh ryder in pain on the bench from that slash
-Donovan
more points by defencemen.
Well that slash isn’t going to help Ryder’s scoring touch at all.
I dont think so?
-Donovan
now why wasn’t that a penalty shot? T.k. on the poweplay? what does carbo think about when he makes these decisions, we now have a chance to put these guys away
thanks
simon and komisarek awesome
HA! I love Huet crawling away… And that fight was bound to happen… we saw it almost start a few moments ago with Kovy.
The Isles play music during the fights? Whaaaaaaaaaaaa?
And Komi wins that one, even with the tumble!
Wow. I”ve found a worse team in the east than Boston, your Gilligan’s Islanders.
What a ship wreck of a franchise.
At 19:14, after Begin scored his first, I said:
“Steve Begin! Now if he can go on a scoring binge like he did several years ago.”
I guess that he is officially on a scoring binge. Now, if Ryder could only go on a similar scoring binge.
Not big on the fights, but I have to give Komi the nod on that one. Nice physical work earlier on the boards by Kovalev, too.
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time to bury the game
-Donovan
4 min powerplay, for the love of god lets put these guys away now
Kovalev , plecs … awesome
PLEKY!!!
SWEET passing! 4-0!!!
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wow that was pretty
Quick get to a Cage and get ready fer some free wings!
Brisebois-Kovy-Pleks.. awesomer!
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WAHOOOO!!!!
-Donovan
The Beg is back!
nice shot, hopefully ryder is taking notes
Get Begin on the first line!
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And it’s true what RDS says… Dandy rocks.
I don’t want to get into a huge argument because I know how loved Barbaro is, but he should have been put down sooner. No way could Barbaro have recovered from that triple fracture. Secretariat however was a legend and I look forward to #25 for your pic of him.
Any thoughts on Northern Dancer? He was the best Canadian, after all.
He does get paid, but the Islanders have that covered with insurance, as I believe all teams do.
Oh, and just being picky: it’s 2.2 million per year for the next eight years as of March 2007.
Thanks. I imagine it still counts towards their cap?
There are only a select few NHLers who deserve anything more than a 5 year deal, and it has nothing to do with point production. They have to have heart as well. Sakic, Yzerman, Lemieux, Messier, Bossy, Orr. If you have one of those guys, you sit him down and tell him he’s not leaving until he chooses to and tell him to name a price.
Not sure, but I doubt it. The only way it would count is if they bought out his contract, but that would be spread out over double the remainder of his contract. So if a guy like him had 5 years left and was playing like a bum, they’d buy him out a la Yashin and have to count half his salary to their cap for 10 years.
But at least it’s not all legalese
So for all the posters bashing Begin before the season started with coments like “What is he doing on our team?” I hope this game answered your questions. He can score but doesn’t shoot enough. Because THAT’S NOT HIS FREAKIN JOB!
Oh, and he has 1 goal more than Jason Blake
Shhh, or he’ll be askin’ for a raise…
That Jason Blake thing has already made my day and it’s 3:00am. Thanks, ClaytonM.
I have to admit that I only started paying attention to Begin maybe four years ago when a mutual friend said she thought he was a great guy, a lot of guts, a hard worker, and that he’d been a good friend to her through a difficult time. He is now definitely one of my favourites on the team. I have yet to fully forgive Carbo for benching him early on.
It wasn’t meant as an attack, more of an observation. I was just pointing out to another poster that you tend to have a double standard as far as players. Players you like can do no wrong, players you don’t can do no right. It seems pretty evident reading your blog.
As far as Kostopoulous, I agree he works hard and stands up for his teammates. Both positives. Overall he is a pretty marginal hockey player who on most nights, I don’t even notice. I only mentioned him because you asked me to cite a player you always praise despite their contribution. I did. I do admire his willingness to take a beating for his teammates. I disagree with you that he has made a better contribution to the team than Mike Johnson did last year. He does a few thing better but overall, I have no doubt that Mike Johnson is the better player and it’s not even close.
Best regards
ebk
who was ragging on him, Clayton. I was asked by Mr Boone to name him an example of someone he likes that I think he tends to overstate their contribution. I did.
You are the one making the judgments about even strength and short-handed goals, not me. I said 5 on 5 he has been pretty ineffective. As a penalty killer he has done a decent job.
Mike Boone got to 400 posts for a mid week game against the Islanders. Look out for the next game against the leafs. He is just warming up, and like our Canadiens, has yet to reach his full potential.
I have to say that the registration requirement has certainly improved the content in all threads, and has eliminated certain annoyances. It is hard to believe how much this site has improved in such a short time.
You are probably right, but Koivu & Higgins each had at least a minute extra on both the power play & at even strength. You would think that Ryder’s ice team would be similar in those situations.
That’s your best shot?
Yes, I like Tom Kostopoulos. He works his ass off every shift. He hits at both ends of the rink. He fights – ineffectively, I grant you – when it’s necessary. He’s the kind of honest, industrious hockey player you need to win. Any goals he scores will be a bonus. He has one point less than Guillaume Latendresse and he’s plus-1 on the season.
That’s kinda what I call a positive contribution to the team.
Tom Kostopoulous continuely gets praised by you. 20 games no even strength goals, is kinda what I call ineffective.
Mike,
I can’t believe I misquoted that line. Duuhhh.
I’ve glanced through some of the game posts and see where posters are sayin that Mike Boone Train is on a Anti-Huet campaign, what’s that all about.
Great game. Glad to see Huet play so well, and nice to see a hard worker like Begin be rewarded with 2 goals.
Nice to see three even-strength goals tonight, too!
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3P Commercial break:
Should I even mention ….
No.
You jinxed it, didn’t you Boone?!
Great road win tonight! Pretty well dominant from start to finish. Interesting to see two defensive teams with almost 80 shots. Huet was very cool, very businesslike in limiting the Islanders chances. He can scoop up those rebounds like a Hoover when he’s on his game! Way to go guys! On to Buffalo!
Good first two periods, 3rd was a bit boring, but eh, that’s usually how we roll when protecting a 4 goal lead so I won’t complain.
43 saves out of 44 shots. That’s why Huet is our number 1 people. I also agree with whoever said how Boone’s praise for Huet is quite non-existant compared to if Price were in nets. A little objectivity would be nice.
Can’t complain though, it was nice to see Begin get to goals and for Huet to give a solid performance in front of the net.
Go Habs Go!
You’ll have to edit that comment total. I heard that stat is in for revision.
who cares about the number of comments? it’s kind of taking away from the enjoyment, mike. no offense, but it seems like a used car salesman asking for us to hit your quota.
Great win, we needed it and good effort from everybody. Not to beat a dead horse with this but koivu & Ryder can not play with Higgins, yes he worked his but off and he scored abig effort goal and i like him. There just is not any chemistry out there. Even on the power play, not one three way passing play the whole night. Heck I would play even Begin with Koivu & Ryder. I know Carbo loves Higgins as do we ,but this is a very poor fit. Not only Ryder is off his game, Koivu is also. They are working extreamly hard but you will never see three way passing plays made in deep even on the power play. After a great team win I don’t want to sound neg. But all three players game suffer with this combo. I won’t bring it up again. Happy to have the 2 points.
OT:
If any of us think it’s hard to be a Habs fan sometimes, imagine being English tonight: Croatia defeats England in the qualifying round for Euro 2008 in an absolutely heartbreaking match (for anyone who is not from anywhere near the former Yugoslavia). Let the riots commence!
Canadiens did a god job of keeping the Islanders on the outside. The shots total was misleading. Islanders were never in this game. Huet was solid, he wasn’t really tested at any point.
Kovalev was dominate yet again, what a pass to Plekanec.
You hardly ever hear him mentioned on this site but Begin is this team’s best grinder.He crushes people, is tough along the boards and occasionally scores a goal or two.
The Canadiens defense either played their best game of the season or the NYI are the least offensive team 5 on 5 that I’ve seen this year. I’m going with the defense on this one. They played very well
Team rebounded well from a bad performance on Monday. It’s a good thing because the Sabres look to be finding their stride. Should be an exciting weekend.
Hot Pie
Depends who you are, the players he likes, get praise no matter how ineffective they are. The players he doesn’t, like Ryder and Huet, even when they play well, get only back-handed compliments. Oh well, I’m sure they can handle it.
Cop the two points, grab your away-game meal money and get on the bus. That’ll do pig that’ll do!
Hi Ian,
Maybe I’m wrong, but I would have to think that when these guys are practicing and playing together night after night that they have some say in how they feel about playing with each other. I can’t see Carbo calling every shot without some input from the guys. What do you think?
Right on “Babe”
I agree with you Ian Cobb. Every team can use a few Christopher Higgins’ type of players, but he is affecting the other players on that line, especially Ryder. Higgins loves to carry the puck, and get the shot on net himself. He is seldom going to pass to Ryder. I don’t think he has the on ice vision of a Kovalev or Koivu, and this is why he does not pass that often. Ryder was much more effective on the power play last year when playing with Koivu & Kovalev.
Ryder only played 12:08 tonight, and appears to be in the dog house again. Despite this he still led the team with 7 shots.
No offense intended, but every time I see your chosen picture, I have this vision of a lawyer from NYC named Tom Hagen headed to you home town. For God’s sake either lay low, or make damn sure that Johnny Fontaine gets the part in that picture! LOL, Yeats!
You are proberly right MOEY, I realy don’t know why, I just see a change in both Ryder and Koivu’s game and I think It is just the way Higgins plays that makes a difference, but what do i know were winning, and im having a lot of fun with them this year!!
For people asking about the three stars – as per RDS:
Begin
Huet
Dandenault (the playmaker on Begin’s first goal and had another
assist)
Huet had a really solid game, but it’s true that he does give up a lot of rebounds. And every time he comes out to play the puck I cringe, expecting to see him pass it along the boards to a member of the opposing team – which happened a few times tonight. The whole team played well, but undoubtedly the tempo was set by Begin, Dandenault and Smolinski, who can take heart from this game.
What’s with Streit? He seems to be fighting the puck and hesitating when there is no one getting at him. He seems to have lost confidence recently.
Glad to see Higgins and Plekanec score.
Ed – It just might work itself out, a little frustrating watching them struggle though.
Yeats,
“I gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse”…probably one of the best lines in movie history. I’m sure you don’t recognize my boy, but he is Barbaro, I thought he would be a great mascot for the Habs, determination, perseverance and I hope his winning spirit lives through our boys.
MIKE– 8 pages, how many is that now ? 400 yet
Yeats- This is well over my head, but im a short fart anyway
The Hamilton Bulldogs won 6 to 3 as Yann Danis stopped 42 of 45 and O’Bryne was back from injury and also scored.
Thanks for the update DREAMER!!
Yeats and Ian,
I forgot to hit the reply button, but I posted below.
Looks like a terrific mascot to me, If only you could wipe the toothpast off his forehead. Old joke sorry
No, I didn’t recognize your chosen horse as Barbaro. My ignorance! He’s up there with numbers 4 ,5, 7 and 9, et al. We can’t truely gauge an animal’s heart, but God knows if the current squad posessed his, number 25 would be on the way!
Ian, you have the umbrella in your hand. Come on we’re all waiting for your rendition of “Singin
in the rain!”
That’s what I think,and he’s staying until 25, then I’ll post duo pics, the big B and Secretariat.
Mike Boone– What is this about, pertaining to Yashin, 2 mil per yr. for 10 years to this turkey who never played for anything but what was written on his back???
Im retired, but just to get out every day i drive school bus for 6 hrs per day. And I am known as the singing bus driver. Tomorrow just for you it will be a little Sinatra.
I realy can’ sing worth a dam, but i have a ball and what do 4 5 and 6 year old’s know. I tell them i was on Canadian idol.
Ed : The reason Ryder’s time is down is because of the penalties and Carbo using Saku & Higgy killing them which he’s experimenting with like he did last year with Saku & Ryder. I don’t think Carbo’s pissed off at him cuz he had 7 shots and that’s what he wants and if he was pissed off at him he would have his boy in his spot.
Cite me an example of a player I like being praised even though he’s ineffective.
“I MADE him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
I thought he wasn’t drafted till a year ago. I’m sure i heard it in the media somewhere and ran with it only to be embarassed later. Keep on posting.
Sorry for going off habs topic but
David Beckham IS England. Their demise occurred the moment Beckham was sliced off the team. I’m not the most avid Beckham supporter, but the results are there from when he’s in the line up, and when he’s not. Beckham on the pitch for the final 45 minutes, England out-scored their opposition 2-1. It’s a shame what Steve Mclaren did to Beckham, opting for speeds down the flank, and Beckham proved McLaren flawed in earlier qualifiers, yet McLaren opts again for the speed in the final fixture, fitting end for Mclaren’s England side.
Uhhm…. I don’t think Nonstopoulos gets paid to score goals! It’s all the other things he brings that make him praiseworthy.
Conversely, Ryder does get paid to score goals …. and he doesn’t do the other things Nonstopoulos does.
it was a pretty solid game last night.
I love christopher higgins but I dont really think he will be a power forward. I could see him scoring 30 goals but I dont think he is going to be a power forward. he is a player who works really hard, plays well defeinsivly and can score goals.
This a hockey forum, not a chick’s sport forum. Soccer is for girls in University and boys in elementary school. Not to mention it’s boring and has bad officiating to boot.
You’re gonna rag on a guy who’s job is to forecheck and shut down the other team’s PP with a comment like that? Really? I suppose 2 short-handed goals count for less than even strength goals in your universe?
C’mon, ebk, get real.
I’d also add that the Habs were pretty weak without him the other night. He is an intangible. Like Begin. Not huge on the scoresheet but I’m thinking he has a presence. I can’t even imagine what this team would look like without Begin.
As per my previous post, I think we played good D, but the Islanders were awful tonight. Distracted and unprepared and undisciplined.
Bring on the SABRES!
It’s classic Islanders. They clearly didn’t learn from the Yashin experience when they signed DiPietro. What I’d like to know is whether DiPietro gets paid even if he has to quit the game because of injury. Obviously I don’t wish it on the guy, but I am curious.
TIC – TAC – TOE
I give that one to Komisarek too. That dumb (t)witt only got a late take down.
pleky woohoo, from kovy and the breezer
let’s keep the write-ins for Kovalev for the ballot. . . keep him motivated. 5,000 is pretty impressive
Begin: 2 Goals
Ryder: 0 Goals
How much do you wanna bet that Carbo is gonna put him on first line now?
Awww… nice try by Kovy.
Could we say so far so good?
wow .. Shots on goal … 29 – 17.
Mike Boone, in your original introduction, you talked about a possibly low scoring, boring game, & a lot of us probably agreed. We need more games like this from our HABS.
It is just at this point in a game like this that the coach would be very happy to find someone like Chris Nilan on the bench. He wouldn’t even have to tell hime what to do…..
good point.
“Sutton takes a vicious two-handed swipe at Ryder. The league has to look at that.”
Sigh, get real.
i’m really impressed with kovalev, kostitsyn, and plekanec… all been solid all year and the youngster looks better with every game.
i LOVE higgins, but this year the man has had ZERO finish. even his goal tonight was lucky based on berard putting it in. taking it to the net makes good things happen, but he really hasn’t much finish. . . he’s a great stick handler, solid skater, good positional player, and has moves. . . but he always loses the puck. although they had completely different strengths, i can remember the same feeling about geoff courtnall – he’d look so damn exciting out there moving at a thousand miles per hour but then you’d see him skate faster than he could stickhandle. higs is totally different phenotype but same result: disappointing finish. i hope it’s just a blip; don’t remember him being so much like that in the past.
Wow I almost feel bad for the Islanders:o
kind of a weak call, but we all had to know it was coming
Uh oh… Could this be the breaking point?
ah shit, he drew blood
no – they’re just having an off night and be careful! now here’s a 4 minute power play
Should I just copy paste from above?
Well, that ain’t good.
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Crap, I wanted Huet to get a shutout, let’s hope they can kill this PP.
just get out of this period unscaved
So 1 to 1 in the fat lip game
yes!!!
good job boys
The door creaked open for the Isles… and slammed shut.
that’s unscathed
Booner, you cost me some money.
I have money on the Under and I put money on either the canadiens or Islanders to win by exactly one.
Both can no longer happen lol.
Thanks for the trends.
Showey47,
I think you meant “unscathed”.
i used to think that “up and at ‘em” was some biblical reference like “up and adam” that i didn’t get
and that “for all intents and purposes” was “for all intensive purposes”
just in case you think i’m being a know-it-all prick
Way to jinx …
It would be amazing for Huet to get a shut-out! Off topic, I wonder what will Ottawa do about their goalie situation. Gerber totally deserves to be #1 but Emery bailed them out last season…
yeah, what she said. lol
That’s not exactly a bad problem… especially for the #1 team in the league. They will likely keep them both… and platoon like we did last year.
The only problem is that will not work in the play-offs.
Boone will be glad that you said it first.
Notes on the second:
Well, I guess while we were anticipating watching paint dry, the Habs were busy painting the place red. Goal light red.
Higgins hauled his hands out of his pockets and lo and behold…they still work! Great goal.
I’m opposed to random use of the taser, but I think in Ryder’s case it should be applied whenever he attempts to deke a goalie in close.
I’m now convinced the Kovalev twins have been playing a little game with the NHL for the last fifteen years. This year, the GOOD brother won the coin toss and gets to play hockey.
I’m expecting a goon show in the third. It turns out the tight, disciplined Islanders aren’t much better than the Bruins.
Speaking of which, what happened to the much-vaunted Islander’s D? I spent all day sweating about how the Habs were going to have to be so responsible and not make a single error or they’d start falling apart like last year. The Isles PR people owe me a beer.
And Boone…I guess the barn isn’t burning yet, but the Habs are sure holding a magnifying glass in the sun right over it.
Uh-oh. Someone said the s-word. You’re not Mike Boone in disguise, are you?
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agree with last comment – not a problem and the evidence is that notwithstanding our defeat the other day gerber let in a couple against the leafs he wanted back and let in 3 against the sabres in the first period tonight.
wow, you just broke the golden rule when talking about the “S” word.
LOL Kovalev twins! Nicely done.
Emery is in goal against BuffaSlugs tonight, not the baby food guy.
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you said the same to me when i said the habs would win the game going into the third against the bruins. . .
we don’t have any effect on the game, bill. . .
Ottawa still has pretty subpar goaltending, they just happen to be a very strong team on the offence which keeps the other team out of their end. I have no doubt that once the tight, hard checking starts in the playoffs that Ottawa will break.
didn’t know that. . . thanks.
What 2 players have made a huge difference to our Habs this year, I say the Hammer and Kovalev.
Still have 3:18 left to kill I believe, playing a much better defensive game tonight with all five guy’s collapsing. May not be exciting but its effective. GO HABS GO!!!
agreed. . . . liked that one, too.
I think Ottawa will probably keep both, but if they do move one, it will be Emery. He is younger and more marketable than Gerber. The Senators do have a really good young netminder in Brian Elliot and if they decide that they can add to their already vast depth up front, they may move Emery before the trade deadline. However, I don’t think Brian Murray likes to give any possible advantage to any other team, so I doubt Emery will get moved. And you never know when a goalie like Gerber will cool down.
Lots of pressure by NYI early on… Lets hope the Habs don’t crack!
well they have scored 4 goals and have 30 shots on net, still pretty exciting
very solid kill. . . kept them in the periphery most of the way. . . only a few tense moments.
Gerber’s stats so far this year:
2007-2008 WINS (13) GAA (1.85) SAVE % (0.939)
Overall: 1st 4th 2nd
If that’s what you call subpar… wow.
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good kill, we came out “unscathed” lmao sorry moey i had to do it
WOW, HOW IS THERE NO SLASHING CALL ON PLEKS?????????
i’d take it 82 games a year . . . and someone suggested goonery likely to cause some other forms of intensity in the third.
i’d take it 82 games a year . . . and someone suggested goonery likely to cause some other forms of intensity in the third.
Don’t worry Showey47, I wasn’t being a know it all,(I’m far from it) just helping out.
How did the Islanders win 11 games?
anybody else ever typing a response to someone and see the tabs at the top of the page out of the corner of your eye and see “puckcast” and mistake the “p” for an “f”. . . i have a little panic attack that i somehow ended up on a porn site on my work computer
Stats of course mean everything. Watching the garbage goals he gave up to the Leafs, the Habs and Buffallo in 3 straight games, plus his imploding in the playoffs when he played with Carolina AND his garbage play of last year, I say yeah, he is subpar.
They hadn’t played us yet, but I’d like to know who they were playing, if you get my drift.
He’s also on a streak of something like 25-2-1 stretching back into last season. You’re right, that is kind of subpar.
Well, I guess that you’re entitled to your opinion, however wrong it may be.
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Err opinions are just that. If you can quantify his skill somehow by using some sort of scientific forumula, maybe have him play a full season for each team to make sure he is simply not a product of his environment then perhaps you can say i’m “wrong”. Unfort for you, the quality of a goalie is decided by his playoff performances not his regular season (for an idea of what I mean check up on Dan Cloutier).
Gerber’s playoff stats according to TSN.ca
GP: 8
W: 1
L: 1
GAA: 3.48
SV%: .854
Yeah its my opinion, and when he continues to be awful in the playoffs this spring (if ottawa is stupid enough to play him), we’ll cover this topic again
Okay, the twins comment gets my nomination for comment of the year so far!
They spent the first quarter beating up on struggling teams. Buffalo, Rangers, Devils mostly. When they start playing Philly, Ottawa and us they’ll come down in a hurry.
I guess sooner or later the Habs will have to protect that 1-0 lead they’re so often sitting on in the last minute of their defensive-shell type games. Huet pulled it off against Buffalo…hopefully he’s on top of his game tonight. I see this as another building block for the team. They have to be able to blow out teams like the Bruins once in a while…but they also have to be able to skate into the asbestos barn on Long Island and come out on top playing *their* game too. We’ll see how they adapt.
I’m reading ths article on espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?page=campbell1120
And if you noticed for the number 8 he says Jean Beliveau wore the number 8 during the 1970-71 season do anyone here know why
Erik:
This came up last year when we were looking at who wore every number in Habs’ history. We didn’t know the answer to that question either, so Dave Stubbs kindly called M.Beliveau and asked him. He said his sweater was stolen right before a game in L.A. and there was no backup number four…so they grabbed a number eight and he played with that. I always wondered if the thief still has that sweater!
Mike, are you aiming for 400 comments tonight, or should it be only 200 due to the possible defensive nature of the game? If we have to try & stay awake during the game, as you suggest, then maybe even 200 is too high. How about you give us a number to reach for pregame comments, and then we can fall asleep if the game is too boring.
lol, nicely said
Ed: We can probably hit Boone’s target if we all promise to employ the blog equivalent of the trap. No posts longer than three sentences or three full lines of type. If you think you have several things to say, space them out. And, Boone has to let freelancers know in advance that the will be benched. (Four sentences, but only three lines of type.)
We’re already at bit beyond the 10% mark of the 250-post target and it’s still about two hours till puck drop. We could get there by the anthems, if we want to. Remember that scene in Mr. Smith goes to town. Just start typing in famous historical documents. Anyone have a copy of The Declaration of the Rights of Man?
Interesting…. so i guess he wore it for one game.
Do you think the team carries back up sweaters nowadays
I would assume that they do. But, I do remember a Calgary game where Theo Fleury was cut and was asked to go to the room by an official and change his blood-soaked jersey. If my memory serves me correctly, a fan took off his Fleury jersey and tossed it to him so he wouldn’t have to leave the game.
Yes, teams carry spares, in case a player’s regular jersey gets demoed to the point where it needs an in-game repair that can’t be done between periods.
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drinking can help make a defensive game more interesting. it can make almost anything a bit more interesting. perhaps the two teams should have to take a drink every time ryder takes a shot (pardon the pun). that could be anywhere between 6 and 13 drinks, not bad. now that would qualify as entertainment.
Not only can drinking make almost any hockey game interesting, but in the case of last night’s Bruins/leafs contest it can turn downright festive!
I hope it won’t come down to protecting a one-goal lead. Not only are we not very good at it, but my nerves can’t stand it. We have to get to DiPietro early, score a couple and get the Islanders on their heels while keeping the slot hermetically sealed. However, they have a winning record at home against us of late, so the above scenario might be a little idyllic. I know we can beat them if all cylinders are firing, but will they be? This is becoming an issue lately.
Getting the puck up the ice in a smooth transition and making a 2nd effort in the offensive zone will provide the team with PP opporunities that the Habs need to capitalize on. Isles play a conservative game and if the Habs try to run and gun they’ll get burned. Nolan is doing a fantastic job with his team thus far this year (and I’m happy for him, that guy has went thru a lot, unjustly) and his team’s work ethic outplayed their skills thus far this year.
Not a team to mock imo.
Looking forward to this battle…. Our NY boys (Higgins, Komi, Boui) always show for friends and family. Higgins will be flying…still wish Price was between the pipes….GO HABS GO!!!!
Despite losing 2 of our last 3, I’ve seen a lot of positives that I think will help this team in the long run. I mean, most importantly, both Higgins and Ryder are beginning to score in addition to Koivu. Pleks and the Super K’s are still husseling and being dangerous, night in and night out. The offensive game is there, and with the team having put some serious practise time into their defensive game, the team should put on a much better performance tonight.
Kostopolous back in the lineup is good, as Grabo just doesn’t seem ready for the NHL IMO, Maybe it’s because he’s getting so little ice-time, but I think they should consider sending him down so that he can play more regularly and thus improve his development (plus aid the struggling Bulldogs). Smokes’s play has also slipped a bit, but he’s a vet so I’m sure he’ll be able to turn that around.
Should be a great game, Go Habs Go!
I think Grabovski is faring a lot like Kostitsyn did (up until a week and a half ago) and is looking a little better every game. The lack of ice time and the lines he play son definitely don’t flatter his game but I think I am seeing improvement. He could use a little more strength but I think he appears weaker than he is because when he is moving that fast it doesn’t take much to derail him (not that he is Bure but he was the same way). I think he is learning when and where to use his speed and he is still better served playing sporadically with the big club than in Hamilton.
Guys with his speed are hard to come by so I see him much like Latendresse in that they will be given a lengthier timeline to adjust to the intricacies of the NHL. Lats seems to be adapting to the pace and is looking better again and Grabovski doesn’t appear so out of control anymore. He reminds me of a young Russ Courtnall. Once he learns his speed will help on the forecheck and in explosion type situations better than racing through the neutral zone into the trap with a bullseye on his head he will be valuable.
On Melnick’s show yesterday, Pierre McGuire said Grabovski is still adapting to smaller North American ice surfaces. He seems to think Grabovski will become a player … and McGuire is right most of the time (including his opinions on Souray and Huet, which I crapped on last season.)
That’s great to hear because you are right about Mcguire knowing his stuff. What were his comments on Huet??? I remember last year him talking about him being vulnerable upstairs but I don’t recall any specific comments from Friday’s loss to Buffalo. I can’t imagine they were all that flattering as it was his worst performance of the season.
ah man this is gonna turn into another goon show, isn’t it
Hammer Helmet. Helmet Hammer. I’m sure we could play on those words a bit and find something funny…
I’m stretching here, folks!
I’m not going there… I know the way that you think, Naila!
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Helmet Head Hammer… Jello? Jello? Is this thing on?
Hey… Huet has started using the “Carey Crouch” when hugging the post!
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Carey Crouch? That sounds way to sexual to me…
if only he was German Naila
What about Hammer Hummer Helmet? Hunter? Help?
Huet got an assist? Maybe we should stick Ryder in nets! He’d get points then!
Ouch,
I am glad I never blog during games….I have a big cyberyap.
Just have to break up your thoughts. Be short and crisp. No verbal cycling.
Another way to look at it is that we’ll be shooting from outside the high slot.
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Go for the sure shot instead of looking for the perfect play.
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That way we’ll be able to bump up the post totals.
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Quantity over quality tonight.
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And maybe little Timmy will get his meds tonight.
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And at the very least this will be a very annoying read for any laffs trolls that happen to wander by tonight!
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Regardless of the post, just disagree with it. Then we only need 125 original thoughts!
Oh how true that is.
LOL! You guys are hilarious!!!
sounds like an STD. . . “went to amsterdam – had a great time until i came back with that carey crouch”
No, silly! One pad vertical and one pad horizontal.
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a HAB just got high sticked in front of our own net…WHERE’S THE CALL?
the teacher is reminding the class there’s a hockey game going on!
talk about sounding sexual, naila
What is the purpose of Smolinski again?
Well … he’s got 2 assists and is +3 in only 8 minutes of ice time.
so true.
Nice penalty call
Hits the player and he does a little spin. Yes his stick touched his skate for a nanosecond. Crap call.
Is that how to sit back & protect a 4 goal lead? Or was that just a poor shift? I think it was the latter.
A filibuster it is!
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Only yield for a question!
Four-score, and seven years ago…
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“Call me Ishmael…”
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…our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation: conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
nice trip by guerin
Mike: CJAD had a good interview with Komisarek’s dad during the 2nd intermission
penalty on markov? Fraser is an idiot
I love Guy’s Watcha talkin about Willis looks after a crappy penalty call
WELL, NO KIDDING HE COMPLAINED, HE GT MAJORLY TRIPPED BEHIND THE NET??? what’s with the pathetic calls..I’m really fed up….
Lol Fraser is a joke. Easily one of the worst refs in the league, always such a bitch. Markov should clear the puck off his melon on the next PK
Huey’s looking solid. Really into the game tonight… So close, yet so far. He should thank his posts.
Noooo I missed it
HAHAHAH GIRTH, NICE
nothing wrong with Smolinski..doing exactly what he’s supposed to…
Was Mike Sillinger part of the original Islanders dynasty?
boone mentioned that one of the commentators between periods mentioned that smolinski has been a disappointment. i tend to agree. not sure why we needed anybody different than bonk but it’s water under the bridge.
Remember kids…because NYC can’t support three crappy mediocre teams, Canada will never get another franchise…regards Mr. Bettman.
I wouldn’t pay $5 to watch the Islanders take on my beer league all stars.
Sorry I’m late guys…
what’s the score???
Seems like I should miss the Live Blog more often…
One more goal for some cluck-clucks!
Go Habs!
Woot!
I’ve made a huge mistake…
i agree, just waste one off his beak
Thanks …
I keep the event summary page open. It auto refreshes. It’s amazing what those numbers will tell you.
Habs have been playing great – much crisper passes, either because of the ice or because they’ve been trying harder, I don’t know.
The Islanders aren’t playing terribly, but they’re playing poorly enough for the Habs to take advantage (nothing to show for two 5 on 3s!).
Is “surprisedly” a word?
LOL…. yeah it’s almost a trademark for him!
Lol Ryder clearly trips the guy, then the fellow trips Koivu and…..sigh. The logic of it all escapes me…
another great chance by higgy
Someone needs to hold him down and shave his head/rip off his rug!
Good call, Mike
Well I thought I was at a terrible game friday in buffalo.
I feel real bad for the islander fans right now…
wait, no i dont.
How is it that the team leading by four goals to none spends so much time in the box??!!
mike said:
222: A fine pain-killer, back in the day, and an impressive total for Comments after 40 minutes.
it may be true… but let us concentrate on the game, not the numbers – eh?
after all, this isn’t television.
It;s not a Huet game without a save by one of the skinny red guys.
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It’s a perfectly promulent word.
FLAKE,
since the NHL started hiring the worst referees in the history of the game
DAMN!
too bad
Crap. There goes the shutout.
how can they put on the sirens and do the chant thingy after a late meaningless goal with 3:50 left?
Aargh! Boone strikes again!!!
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Ah yes but what about those tv ratings. I bet there are more people watching the Ottawa game on TSN then New Yorkers watching on whatever network is covering this game. Any takers?
Chuck, don’t blame Mike, I was the first one to say the “S” word tonight. I’ll know better for next time.
You mean like chanting Ole Ole in Ottawa a few weeks ago in a 1-0 game?
I thought that goofy Ole Ole Ole thing was the french Go Habs Go.
It should make for some pretty interesting posts, too! (burp)
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As my little guys are fond of saying, what fart and waste it, when you can burp and taste it?
Is Guerin playing tonight?
i think i saw him interviewed between periods (in uniform) but haven’t heard his name on the ice. . . good point.
islanders announcers said they’ve been resting him tonight once game out of reach because of busy schedule coming up.
Any thoughts on the 3 stars?
1. higgins
2. begin
3. huet?
Begin and Huet for sure.
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It says a lot about Kirk Muller that he would come back and coach with us after we inflicted that indignity of trading him to the Islanders.
That Isles player took his sweet ass time going back for that puck!
Just a guess…
1. Huet (44 shots so far)
2. Begin (2 goals)
3. Hammer (+2 … 26 minutes)
Mike Boone, how come the only things you’ve really said about Huet all night are that he’s given up “juicy” rebounds, and that you’re “surprised” he’s playing well? No offense, but I suspect that if it were Price in net, and if Price had played the exact same game, your praise for the goalie would be a little less faint. Huet has better numbers against better competition, his play is no surprise to me.
i wholeheartedly agree. . . mike is on the price bandwagon a bit early. . . huet is very solid and positionally strong. i’d rather have him in nets than price at this point in their respective careers, and i’m not taking anything away from price but huet has been great ever since we acquired him.
Here Here Haarumph and well said sir
Bill,
Maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve said this before, Mike loves the “wind up”, unless he tells me otherwise, he’s still running the Boone train and you can either ride it to the end or get off for some fresh air along the way. Another thought, maybe he got some free tickets for a ride on Chris de Burgh’s Spanish Train…..
It was nice while it lasted…
40 shots allowed already. Huet is earning his spot tonight.
Is it just me or do you guys have a good feeling about this year. I think it’s premature to talk about a cup or anything, but it seems to me like the boys are more convincing this year. Last season during their hot streaks they seemed to be clawing their way back and getting horribly out shot, but wining but fluke goals. This year the TEAM seems a lot stronger and these guys are looking like champions out there.
Haha the PA announcer called Huet You-eat
that’s hilarious. . . who were the three stars?
i’m really impressed that waddell saved his job in atlanta by firing hartley. . . they’re on a tear and it’s going to be a horserace for a playoff spot in the east. we have to keep it up, a little slip up like last year and we’re immediately a bubble team again. sure is a far cry from the 16 out of 21 teams in each conference make the playoffs.
The guys sat back and tried to preserve the shut out.Can’t do it from your own end.And that is the way it seemed to me.Hey 4 – 1 is not bad by any means.
When you’re up by 4 going into the 3rd, job one HAS to be the win. A shutout would only be a happy byproduct.
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What is it with Huet and those rebounds?!
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good start by the habs scoring first now the huet is the target of a shooting gallery
They play a tighter D game when Price is in nets, they protect him, not fair for Huet.
Mike, you’re right about those Isles uniforms, they’re hectic.
We’ve seen worse (Ex: 1980′s Vancouver). But I agree.
I don’t mind the the new Islanders jerseys but I do miss the fisherman. It actually looked pretty good. I think the old style logo is junk.
whats with huets lousy rebound control
THAT could be worse too – see Aebischer…
/\\ike
GO HABS GO!
habs powerplay, lets capatalize and make the islanders come out of their defensive shell
Moey,
I am not sure I got all of that. I actually couldn’t even figure out if you were being positive, hostile, or neutral, but that’s okay.
FWIW, I think it’s better to ride the Crazy Train than the Spanish Train, unless Casey Jones is driving it.
Bill
Bill,
Sorry, that one goes back a few months, didn’t mean to confuse you. But at any rate, the Boone train is an interesting one, to quote you “is it positive, hostile or neutral”?
Have a good night. See you next game.
any chance game is online?
Can’t find it on line either
anyone? whats the usual sites its on?
There is audio at nhl.com … click on the CH and it’ll bring your to the habs site where you can get a radio feed.
Hope this helps
Just got the HABS on Myp2p
wow, kind of makes you think why players should use aluminum sticks, or at least wood
OMG MIKE BOONE SAID LOL!!!!
Also, I thought the game started at 7:30 and was overjoyed to get home at 7:19… But hey! We’re up by one, so I’m happy anyway.
That NCAA/College hockey report on TSN sounds really interesting. I hope they re-air it or it’s available online. Thanks for the tip
Nice team play!!
nice save off kovy, great work by markov to create that chance
great scoring chances for the habs
my hand is held high
nice try on the 2 on 1 the puck was bouncing on him though, smokes just should of shot
Who’s on the powerplay???? Hard to tell.
streit has looked so shaky on the powerplay the last couple of games
2 powerplays and no real pressure
you’re prescient. what’s wrong with his passes on this pp and in the past couple of games?
Comri’s dad owns the Brick!? Cooooolll… I wonder if NHL players get a discount!
I am really appreciating DiPietro’s play. Whether we like the contract or not, he’s a good goalie overall, and very solid.
what a terrible call, the guy falls down and its a penalty
That’s ridiculous.
I understand that there probably aren’t a lot of butts in the seats, but even then this has to be the quietest NHL crowd that I’ve ever (not) heard.
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Hey! Huet made a save and actually sorta controlled the rebound!!
That is the SOFTEST call of the season! Give me a F@#$ING Break ref!
in a couple of years his contract is going to be considered a bargain
pretty good first period, kind of hope those squardered powerlays oppurunities don’t come back to bite us in the a$$
Hey! +/- 125 comments… That’s pretty good!
stuck in the west coast US, this was the one day I thought I’d get out of work in time to make the puck drop. At least their winning and I’ll be able to joke with my father-in-law (a lifetime Islanders fan) about that.
Man, those Islander uniforms SUCK! It’s like someone took three colours of fabric and threw them in a blender.
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“Vote Saku for All-Star… or little Timmy gets it!!!”
What kills me about it is how Kovy went out of his way to reach for the puck so as not to get called for a penalty.
Can you imagine if the Islanders had scored on that PP?
Yup, that’s the pathetic-ness of the NHL these days, guys getting penalties for pursuing the puck….I thought the point of all this was to stop the hooking and grabbing….If he’s not hooking or grabbing, why are they calling all these freaking stupid penalties?
It goes just like that way too often.
Kerry fraser is one of the worst in the league, i don’t know what i hate more. His ego or his wind tunnel tested hair-do.
Hate it when the refs go into ‘God’ mode.
The hair …
Notes on the first:
Well, it appears the Habs learned a little something about forechecking from the Sens. It’s not perfect yet, but it’s certainly an improvement. Then of course, Spezza’s not out there either.
Higgins failed “Broad Side of a Barn” at target shooting school. Next up…”Water From a Rowboat 101.”
It’s hard to beat a team that has Satan playing on it. I guess the Habs could counter with Jesus Price if it gets too sticky out there.
This game is going to be hell on the old PP stats.
People are crapping on Smolinski, and it’s true he’s not playing his best. But, if you throw him in a bag with Tom the Bomb and the Hammer, I’d still weigh the Habs’ free agent aquisitions against those of a lot of other teams’ and find the Habs’ tip the scales.
It’s absolutely creepy that there’s no crowd noise through most of this game. It must be what it’s like to sit in a submarine waiting to get torpedoed.
Huet’s playing a solid game…but someone might have to tether him to the net with my last nerve.
Boone was right…this is a bit like watching paint dry. But at least it’s drying on our side of the fence.
Don’t get me started on Fraser, life is too short. Back then I hated Gregson, who I regarded as Fraser ‘Lite’, I couldn’t believe the incompetence of Denis ‘Mr. Magoo’ Morel, but noone would get me screaming bloody murder like that piece of sh!t fraser.
2-0 sabres over the sens so far
Ray Emery may be just what the Sabres ordered. How come they didn’t answer my prayers to start him this past Monday?
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“Vote Saku for All-Star… or little Timmy gets it!!!”
entertaining analysis as usual, alot of empty seats at ice level, those must be the expensive $50 dollars seats
Kerry Fraser I hate that guy.Hes the reason refs don’t have names on their sweaters anymore.
Signing in from Paris…good to see the Habs are up. We gotta keep firing pucks at DiPietro.
I’m glad Huet is in nets. Love Price, but Huet’s still #1 and this is a game where he gets a chance to show his focus, the grip he has on his game and for his teammates to show up for him.
cause we never see a back-up goalie, we are not nearly as forturnate as the laffs who have seen more back ups this seasonthan we have seen in 3 years
Koivu gotta keep his head up…and what a NICE hit by arkov on the boards!@!!!!
Huet is looking Price-like tonight, seems very calm.
Look at Chipper skate!!
I agree… It’s sooooooooo creepy! The sound is so soft that I forget I’m watching hockey.
Is Gerber considered a back-up goalie? How about Thomas? If they’re not, then the laffs have a record of 2 wins, 7 losses against backup goalies. If they are, considering Emery and Fernandez were expected to be their #1 goalies, then it becomes a 3-13 record.
Yep… and they keep losing to them, too! Sweet justice for Tukka Rask last night!
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“Vote Saku for All-Star… or little Timmy gets it!!!”
Also check out cjad.com. The sounds quality tends to be better and you can catch all the pre-game and post-game shows as well. Very useful for Habs fans stuck in Toronto
touche
that may of been more net than trent hunter
YEY!!! HIGGY!!!!
hey higgy
i think he got some help from berard
Nice play, nice to see ryder shootin, some VERY NICE opportunities that werent wasted by ryder, made the best of them
higgins makes it 2-0 nice….
-Donovan
apart from actually scoring that is
-Donovan
Oooh… video replay maybe?
Great stuff! Always nice to score one in your hometown!
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“Vote Saku for All-Star… or little Timmy gets it!!!”
Nobody can accuse Higgins of being a perimeter player, he takes the most direct route to the net almost every time.
Higgins has hands. He just has to get used to them!
begin again, sweet