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Game 48: Canadiens score touchdown on Sens

Kevin Mio — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 03:55:18 +0000

Canadiens’ Carey Price makes a glove save on Senators’ Bobby Butler during the first period on Friday night. Andre
Ringuette, NHLI via Getty Images

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Game
Blog, Quick
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AUDIO: Carey Price | Tomas Plekanec | Max Pacioretty | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: For the second time in three games, the Canadiens jumped out to a commanding lead on an opponent, but this time they never let up and won 7-1 over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night. The Canadiens struck early in each period, with Benoit Pouliot scoring 1:53 into the opening period when he was sent in alone by Mathieu Darche. Tomas Plekanec scored his first of the game 3:45 into the period when he was left alone in the slot and fired a shot past Mike Brodeur. The Senators got one back before the game was 10 minutes old when Chris Kelly tapped a puck into an open net after a nice pass from Chris Campoli. But unlike Monday night againt the Calgary Flames, the Canadiens didn’t let the Senators back into this game, scoring three more times in the second period. Brian Gionta scored his 16th of the season when he accepted a pass from behind the net by Scott Gomez only 1:12 into the second period. Max Pacioretty, who left Tuesday’s game in Buffalo after taking a slapshot to the ribs, scored a power-play goal 5:33 into the period, chasing Brodeur from the net. Brian Elliott didn’t do much better as Plekanec scored his second of the game when he blocked a shot at the Canadiens blue line and went in alone on Elliott 11:27 into the period. Only 2:18 into the third period, Andrei Kostitsyn gathered a rebound and flipped a shot from a bad angle into the top corner over a sprawled Elliott. P.K. Subban scored his fifth of the season with about seven minutes to play with a blistering slapshot from the point during a power play. Carey Price made 33 saves for his league-leading 24th win of the season. It’s the second time this season that the Canadiens have scored seven goals in a game, beating Carolina 7-2 on Nov. 13.

• Key Moments: Up 5-1, the Canadiens killed off a 5-on-3 disadvantage late in the second period and early in the third, thus eliminating any thought the Senators might have had of mounting a comeack.

• What It Means: Montreal improves to 27-17-4 for 58 points, jumping back into sixth place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the New York Rangers, who have played one more game. Montreal is also one point behind the Boston Bruins for first place in the Northeast Division.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens are back in Montreal Saturday night to take on the Anaheim Ducks, marking the return of former captain Saku Koivu. Montreal then plays the Philadelphis Flyers on Tuesday before having nearly a week off during the NHL All-Star break before taking on the Washington Capitals on Feb. 1.

Game 28: Habs breeze over Senators

Dave Stubbs — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:09:44 +0000

Canadiens centreman Tomas Plekanec congratulates goalie Carey Price following Montreal’s 4-1 Bell Centre win Tuesday night.
Allen McInnis, Gazette

• PREGAME AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Cory Clouston | Daniel Alfredsson

PAT HICKEY
The Gazette

Canadiens forward Jeff Halpern was asked to play a larger role after centre Scott Gomez left the game with a lower-body injury, and the veteran met the challenge, scoring the game-winning goal in the Canadiens’ 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Halpern snapped a 1-1 deadlock when linemate Maxim Lapierre forced a turnover and sent Halpern into the clear. He gained a step on Senators defenceman Chris Campoli and showed great patience as he waited for Pascal Leclaire to go down before he lifted the puck over the goaltender at 2:18 of the third period.

Montreal played the last half of the game without Gomez, who suffered a lower-body injury on his first shift of the second period and left for treatment. He came back for one more shift and then shut it down for the evening.

Canadiens coach Jacques Martin said Gomez’s condition will be evaluated Wednesday.

Canadiens captain Brian Gionta added an insurance goal at 10:01 of
the third period when he poked the puck away from Ottawa defenceman
Filip Kuba in the Canadiens’ zone and beat Leclaire with a shot off the
rush. It was his ninth goal of the season and he tied Tomas Plekanec,
Michael Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn for the team lead.

Gionta
also picked up an assist when Roman Hamrlik knocked the puck into the
net after it bounced off the helmet of goaltender Brian Elliott, who
came in when Leclaire left the game briefly with a skate problem.

It
was the third win in a row for the Canadiens, who are third in the
Eastern Conference with 38 points, and it was goaltender Carey Price’s
league-leading 17th win. Price made 27 saves.

For the Senators, it was their ninth loss in their last 12 games.

The
Canadiens dominated the first period, but Ottawa escaped with a 1-1 tie
when Nick Foligno scored on a power play with nine seconds left in the
frame. Foligno took a cross-ice pass from centre Jason Spezza and beat
Price with a 30-foot shot along the ice.

The Canadiens, who outshot
the Senators 13-6, also took advantage of a power play for their goal.
Leclaire made a stop on 15-footer by Cammalleri, but Cammalleri scored
on the rebound of his own shot at 9:09 for his ninth goal of the season.

Neither
team was able to score in the second period as Montreal squandered a
golden opportunity when Chris Kelly was assessed a major penalty for
pushing Yannick Weber’s head into the boards. The Canadiens’ best
scoring chance came late in the power play, but Leclaire stopped
Alexandre Picard’s shot from the blue-line and then thwarted Roman
Hamrlik on the rebound.

The Canadiens’ ineffectiveness on the power
play drew some boos and there were chants for rookie defenceman P.K.
Subban, who was a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game.

YouTube’s most boring video ever?

Dave Stubbs — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:40:15 +0000

No talking with Ottawa Senators’ Alex Kovalev after morning skate today at the Bell Centre. He’ll only speak to the media after tonight’s game vs. the Canadiens. But Kovalev was first on the ice this morning and had his usual fun with the puck before he was joined by his teammates. If practice doesn’t make perfect, it doesn’t hurt.

FFgnWl-jKls

Game 14: Kovalev’s pair buries Canadiens

Dave Stubbs — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:52:08 +0000

Canadiens goalie Carey Price keep a close eye on a bouncing puck.
Shaun Best, Reuters

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Brian Gionta | Mike Cammalleri | Mathieu Darche

• At a Glance: The Canadiens returned home from their 3-2
Friday night victory over the Sabres in Buffalo,
hoping to win their ninth game in 14 matches. But then, they hadn’t counted on
former Hab Alex Kovalev bringing his A game to the Bell Centre. Kovalev scored
twice, bringing him to within three points of the 1,000 mark, to carry the
Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 win over Montreal.
Kovalev, voted the game’s first star, got the visitors on the scoreboard first with a shot that glanced in
off him at 17:50 of the first period, eluding the stop of the 28-save Carey
Price in the Habs net. Then Zack Smith, called up from Binghamton earlier in the day, made it 2-0 at
12:15 of the second. The Senators’ checking, and the Canadiens inability to
mount much in the way of offence, didn’t augur well for the home team. But
Jaroslav Spacek finally beat Brian Elliott with a slapper from the blue line at
18:39, his first goal of the season a shot tipped in by an Ottawa defender. Kovalev made it 3-1 at 6:42
of the third with Spacek serving a minor for interference before Canadiens captain Brian
Gionta bagged his long-awaited second of the year at 15:53 to close out the
scoring.

• Key Moments: Bad, untimely penalties taken by the undisciplined Canadiens killed any momentum they night have generated. And Senators goalie Elliott was solid
throughout, making 21 saves to improve Ottawa’s
record to 7-6-1.

• What It Means: The Canadiens are now 8-5-1, their home
record at 3-3-1. Montreal has lost three of its last four games and is struggling offensively, having scored just five goals in those four.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens are home Tuesday to the
Vancouver Canucks, head to Boston for a Thursday date against Tim Thomas’s
Boston Bruins, then finish up their week next Saturday at the Bell Centre
against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Game 7: Canadiens, Price blank Senators

Kevin Mio — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 03:58:20 +0000

Canadiens goalie Carey Price makes a save on Senators’ Mike Fisher Saturday night. Jean Levac, Postmedia News

AUDIO: Carey Price | Mike Cammalleri | P.K. Subban | Benoit Pouliot | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: Two nights after a disappointing outing against the New Jersey Devils, the Canadiens bounced back on Saturday night in a 3-0 win over the Ottawa Senators.
Andrei Kostitsyn scored his third of the season 10:54 into the first period to open the scoring after taking a from Tomas Plekanec, who attracted two Ottawa defenders on the play to open space for Kostitsyn to beat Brian Elliott with a nice shot.
Benoit Pouliot made it 2-0 for the Canadiens just after a power play expired when he corralled a rebound off the back boards and backhanded the loose back behind Elliott.
Kostitsyn made it 3-0 before the second period was up when he snuck in behind the Ottawa defence and grabbed a Michael Cammalleri rebound to make it 3-0.
Carey Price, who has started all seven games this season, won his fourth game and was solid in nets, making 19 saves for his first shutout of the season and the fifth of his career.
It was Price’s first shutout since Nov. 2008, also against the Senators.

• Key Moments: Up 1-0, Price made several good saves in the second period before his teammates added a few insurance goals.

• What It Means: The Canadiens move to 4-2-1 on the season with nine points and have won their two games against the Senators so far this season.

• What’s Next: Montreal plays fours game next week, starting with the Coyotes in town on Monday, followed by the Islanders on Wednesday. The Canadiens then hit the road to face the Islanders on Friday before coming back to the Bell Centre to welcome the Panthers next Saturday

Game 5: Price nabs first win at home in months

Kevin Mio — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 11:10:01 +0000

Canadiens’ Tomas Plekanec celebrates his game-winning goal against the Senators on Saturday night. Robert J. Galbraith, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Saturday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s
Game Blog and About last night … | Stubbs

on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

• At a Glance: Carey Price won for the first time at the Bell Centre since Feb. 10, and the Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-3 Saturday night.
Brian Gionta scored his first goal of the season – and his first as the Canadiens captain – only 1:06 into the game after a turnover at the Montreal blue line gave him a breakaway on Brian Elliott. Gionta deked the goalie and beat him with a backhand.
Ottawa got that one back nine minutes later when Milan Michalek pounced on rebound on a shot from Daniel Alfredsson.
The Canadiens dominated the second period, with Ottawa not getting a shot on goal until the 10:20 mark of the period. But Ottawa made it count when Erik Karlsson blasted a shot from the point past Price. Less than a minute later, Michalek scored his second of the game for a 3-1 Ottawa lead.
The Canadiens fought back, though, to tie the game 3-3 before the period was over. Jeff Halpern was credited with the second goal when his pass from behind the net went off the skate of Ottawa defenceman Chris Campoli and slipped behind Elliott.
Andrei Kostitsyn tied the game 3-3 with less than three minutes to play with a nice move after a pass from Tomas Plekanec.
The two players combined to give the Canadiens a 4-3 lead, this time with Plekanec beating Elliott with four minutes to play for his second goal of the season.
Price finished with 16 saves, while Elliott stopped 33 of 37 shots he faced. Robin Lehner stopped three shots he faced at the start of the third period as Elliott missed the first few minutes of the frame as he had a skate repaired.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens power play was blanked again, going 0-for-5 and has scored only one goal all season.

• What It Means: Montreal’s win improves its record to 3-1-1 for seven points in five games and they have won two straight games.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens have a few days off before the New Jersey Devils visit the Bell Centre. Montreal then travels to Ottawa to face the Senators again next Saturday.

Habs aim to end skid; game on RIS

Dave Stubbs — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:29:08 +0000

• Confirming: tonight’s game will be telecast in French on the RIS network. Check your cable/satellite grid for availability

C’mon, we’re KIDDING about the “skid” headline… it’s preseason, let’s all have some fun!

The Ottawa Senators are at the Bell Centre tonight to face the Canadiens in the Habs’ second game of the preseason. The visitors show a 5-0 win and 4-1 loss in consecutive-night games against Toronto, while the Canadiens dropped a 4-2 decision to Boston to open their exhibition season.

The Senators’ lineup for tonight:

• Goaltenders: Pascal Leclaire, Mike Brodeur.
• Defence: Eric Gryba, Erik Karlsson, Geoff Kinrade, Chris Phillips, Craig Schira, Patrick Wiercioch.
• Forwards: Cody Bass, Eric Condra, Kaspars Daugavins, Mike Fisher, Colin Greening, Ryan Keller, Chris Kelly, Alex Kovalev, Francis Lessard, Corey Locke, Peter Regin, Jarkko Ruutu.

Boone will blog the action live, Stubbs will be on Twitter through the game beginning late afternoon, before committing a column, and Hickey will type the game story and Habs dressing-room for The Gazette, his words to be linked here.

If you don’t get RIS TV, pretend it’s the early 1950s and hear CJAD radio’s Rick Moffat and Sergio Momesso call the action here beginning at 7:30.

Game 73: Canadiens flat against Senators

Kevin Mio — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:58:59 +0000

Senators’ Peter Regin deflects the puck passed Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak during the first period Monday night. John Mahoney, The Gazette

AUDIO: Brian Gionta | Jaro Spacek | Hal Gill | Andrei Markov | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Canadiens had a chance to take a big step up in the Eastern Conference standings on Monday night, but they came up empty in a 2-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Montreal mustered only six shots on Brian Elliott in the first period, but the Senators did even worse with only five shots on goal. However, they got one past Jaroslav Halak when Peter Regin tipped in a pass from the top of the crease. After a scoreless second period, Erik Karlsson scored his second goal of the season on the power play 8:17 into the third period. The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Senators and handed the Canadiens their second-straight loss after a six-game winning streak.

• Key Moments: For the second straight game, the Canadiens inability to take advantage on the power play cost them dearly. Montreal was 0-for-5 with the man advantage. Travis Moen left the game in the second period after being cut in the face by a skate, but RDS was reporting that he did not need to hospital and was treated at the Bell Centre, which is a good sign.

• What It Means: Montreal drops to 36-30-7 and remains at 79 points in seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Senators and Flyers. The Senators and Flyers play each other on Tuesday night.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens play in Buffalo on Wednesday before coming home to play the Panthers on Thursday and the Devils on Saturday.

Update: Bell four-pointer for Habs, Senators

Dave Stubbs — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:38:00 +0000

Former Canadien Alex Kovalev hopes to snap a nine-game point-less slump Monday against the Canadiens, who are home to an Ottawa Senators team that’s lost five straight.
Mike Stobe, NHLI via Getty Images

• Habs reinforcements in sight: Hickey
• Senators’ Kovalev upbeat despite slump: Stubbs

• AUDIO: Senators coach Cory Clouston | Alex Kovalev | Daniel Alfredsson

The Ottawa Senators, losers of five straight heading into tonight’s huge game against the Canadiens, held an optional practice Sunday morning at the Bell Centre, and 16 players skated for an hour.

Coach Cory Clouston maintains his team is doing a lot of things right, and it was an upbeat dressing room after practice; no moping despite the team’s current skid. Nick Foligno and former Canadien Alex Kovalev were the last off the ice, having been out for a full 90 minutes until they were asked to leave, hundreds of Casino de Montréal employees and their familiies waiting to enjoy an afternoon of skating on the Habs’ rink.

Senators not skating Sunday: captain Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Chris Phillips, Andy Sutton, Milan Michalek, Chris Campoli, Filip Kuba and Erik Karlsson.

The Canadiens had Sunday off. They’ll skate this late this morning in Brossard, while the Senators will skate once more at the Bell Centre.

Game 56: Canadiens lose game, Cammalleri

Kevin Mio — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:45:11 +0000

Canadiens’ Michael Cammalleri tries to chip the puck past Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson Saturday afternoon. Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Jaro Halak | Brian Gionta | Benoit Pouliot | Tomas Plekanec

• At a Glance: The Ottawa Senators are on a roll and the Canadiens were just another bump in their road on Saturday as they posted a 3-2 overtime win to extend their winning streak to nine games, two of which have come against the Canadiens. Alex Kovalev gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead in the first period when he was left all alone at the side of Jaroslav Halak’s net for an easy tap in. Jason Spezza made it 2-0 in the second period with a nifty deflection on a shot from the point while Roman Hamrlik was in the penalty box. Benoit Pouliot scored the Montreal goal, also on the power play, when he redirected a Tomas Plekanec pass by Brian Elliott. Brian Gionta tied the game 2-2 with another power play goal near the end of the third period when he pushed a pass from Andrei Markov behind Elliott. Mike Fisher scored the winning goal with the teams playing 3-on-3 in overtime after being sent in alone on a pass from Erik Karlsson. Fisher held off a Montreal defender and deked Halak to score his 19th of the season.

• Key Moments: Forget the score, the key moment came with seven minutes to play in the third period when Michael Cammalleri went hard into the boards after a body check, his leg buckling under him. It did not look good at all, and he was unable to put any weight on his right leg. At first glance, it would appear to be either an ankle or knee injury and could be a lengthy absence.

• What It Means: The Canadiens have now lost three straight and saw saw their record drop to 25-25-6 for 56 points and a temporary hold on eighth place in the Eastern Conference pending results of the games on Saturday night.

• What’s Next: Montreal is home to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night and are then in Boston on Thursday and then play a pair of afternoon games in Montreal next weekend, with the Penguins in town on Saturday and the Bruins on Sunday.

Habs start Halak vs. Senators

Dave Stubbs — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:13:27 +0000

Jaroslav Halak gets the start in goal today vs. the Ottawa Senators.

The 24-year-old is 3-4-0 lifetime vs. the Senators. He brings a season record of 14-8-1 with three shutouts and .927 save percentage into this afternoon’s 2 pm matinée at Scotiabank Place.

Halak has faced the Senators twice this season: a 45-save, 4-1 victory on Dec. 8 and a 24-save, 4-2 loss on Dec. 28.

Game 49: Habs let it slip away vs. Senators

Kevin Mio — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:00:39 +0000

Canadiens goalie Carey Price lets in a goal by Senators’ Zack Smith during first period Saturday night. Christinne Musch, Reuters

• AUDIO: Andrei Markov | Mike Cammalleri | Brian Gionta | Benoit Pouliot | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Canadiens missed a chance to move up the standings on Saturday night as the Ottawa Senators scored two quick goals in the second period to take a 3-2 lead and held on for the 4-2 win. Carey Price, making his second straight start, did not look sharp on any of the three goals he allowed. Zack Smith scored his first NHL goal shorthanded 11:26 into the first period with a perfectly placed shot to Price’s blocker side. Benoit Pouliot got that one back 12:49 into the period just after the power play ended. It was Pouliot’s eighth goal of the season and his sixth with the Canadiens. Montreal took a 2-1 lead early in the second when Tomas Plekanec scored at the 2:05 mark, beating Mike Brodeur from an awkward angle. But the Senators got two quick goals from Daniel Alfredsson, in his first game back from an injury, and Chris Phillips. Mike Fisher scored into an empty net to seal the win. Brodeur, coming off a 2-0 shutout of the Rangers, stopped 30 of 32 Montreal shots, while Price made 24 saves on 27 shots.

• Key Moments: Montreal was 0-for-6 on the power play against the Senators, although their two goals did come seconds after the end of Ottawa penalties. The Senators couldn’t score on their two chances with the man advanatge.

• What It Means: The Canadiens remain in eighth place in the Eastern Conference despite the loss with a 23-22-4 record and 50 points.

• What’s Next: Montreal gets right back at it on Sunday night in the Big Apple against the Rangers. The Canadiens then play the Blues at home on Wednesday before travelling to New Jersey to play the Devils on Jan.22, then back home to the Rangers on Jan. 23.

Game 41: Senators play trick on Canadiens

Kevin Mio — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:22:59 +0000

Canadiens’ Tomas Plekanec looks on
dejectedly as the Senators celebrate their second goal of the game Monday night. Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images

AUDIO: Brian Gionta | Mike Cammalleri | Benoit Pouliot | Jaro Halak

• At a Glance: The Canadiens were served some of their own medicine on Monday night as Senators goaltender Pascal Leclaire was the difference in a 4-2 Ottawa win. Things looked good early on for the Canadiens as they grabbed a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. Michael Cammalleri scored his 19th of the season – and 20,000th in Canadiens history – on a nice tic-tac-toe play started by Andrei Markov, who passed to Andrei Kostitsyn before he fed Cammalleri. Benoit Pouliot scored his goal with the Canadiens 9:50 into the period when he gathered a rebound and flipped a shot passed Leclaire while falling. But Leclaire shut the door from that point on, and his teammates did the rest. Peter Regin made it 2-1 at the 12:48 mark of the period. Ryan Shannon scored on the power play in the second period to tie it 2-2 and Chris Neil batted a puck out of mid air for the third Ottawa goal 6:15 into the third period. Chris Campoli scored in an empty net to seal the game. The Canadiens were handed five penalties, while the Senators received a pass from the referees all night. Montreal outshot Ottawa 31-28.

• Key Moments: Near the end of the second period, Ottawa had a goal disallowed when referee Kerry Fraser judged that Chris Neil had interfered with Jaroslav Halak, but the replays clearly showed there was no contact and the goal should have counted.

• What It Means: The loss is Montreal’s first on their road trip and snaps a four-game winning streak. The Canadiens record now sits at 19-19-3. The Canadiens missed a chance to pass the Senators in the Eastern Conference standings and grab sixth place.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens head south to Florida to wrap up 2009 with games in Tampa Bay on Wednesday and the Panthers on New Year’s Eve. Montreal is then back home after the seven-game road trip on Jan. 3 against the Sabres.

Game 31: Halak solid as Canadiens drop Sens

Kevin Mio — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:21:05 +0000

Canadiens’ Jaroslav
Halak makes a save down low with Senators’ Mike
Fisher in front of him at the top of the crease at
Scotiabank Place Tuesday night. Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images

• At a Glance: One night after the Canadiens and Philadephia Flyers combined for 28 shots, the Canadiens allowed 46 shots against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, but still came away with the 4-1 win. Jaroslav Halak, making only his third start in a month, was outstanding in this one for Montreal, making 45 saves. His only mistake was a rebound he allowed to Mike Fisher, who scored his 13th of the season in the second period. But his teammates made sure to give him all the offensive support he would need on this night. Michael Cammalleri scored his 17th of the year after a nice pass from Tomas Plekanec, beating Brian Elliott, who faced 26 shots. Marc-André Bergeron scored the game winner in the second period during a power play. Andrei Kostitsyn scored for the second straight game, also on the power play, in the third period, and Scott Gomez added an empty-netter for his fourth goal of the season. Montreal was 2-for-3 with the man advantage.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens were perfect again playing shorthanded, killing off all seven Ottawa power plays.

• What It Means: With a third straight win, Montreal moved above .500 with a 15-14-2 record for 32 points, the same number as the Senators, and sit in eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s the first time this year the Canadiens have won three straight games in regulation this season.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night before travelling to Atlanta to play the Thrashers on Saturday.

Game 7: Kovalev, Leclaire extend Habs’ woes

Kevin Mio — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:30:40 +0000

Senators Mike Fisher celebrates a second period goal by teammate Daniel Alfredsson against Canadiens goaltender Carey Price Saturday night. Dave Sidaway, The Gazette

Gazette Preview | Today’s NHL Schedule | Matchups | Mike Boone’s Game Blog and About last night … | Pat Hickey’s Game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Mike Cammalleri | Brian Gionta | Tomas Plekanec | Alex Kovalev

• At a Glance: The boo-birds were out at the Bell Centre on Saturday night as the Canadiens’ struggles continued, losing 3-1 to the Ottawa Senators on Alex Kovalev’s return to Montreal. And l’Artiste received a mixed response from the crowd when the game started, but the fans gave him a loud ovation after he scored Ottawa’s third goal on a blistering wrist shot from the high slot, where he was left totally alone on a defensive breakdown in the Canadiens end. Kovalev also assisted on a second period goal for his first multi-point game of the season. Montreal came out like gangbusters in the first period, outshooting the Sens 13-3, but could only get one of those shots past Pascal Leclaire on Michael Cammalleri’s first goal in a Canadiens uniform.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens gave the Senators a pair of 5-on-3 power plays in the second period. Unlike the Canadiens, who couldn’t score on their own two-man advantage in the first period, the Senators took advantage of their chance when Daniel Alfredsson scored on a pass from Kovalev.

• What It Means: The Canadiens have now lost five straight games and the only reason they are not in last place in their division is because they mercifully share it with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have yet to win a game this season.

• What’s Next: The surprising Atlanta Thrashers, who defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 Saturday night to improve to 4-1 on the season, are the next Bell Centre visitors on Tuesday night.

Cheer your favourite AK – 46 or 27

Dave Stubbs — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:59:07 +0000

Of course, that’s Andrei Kostitsyn and Alex Kovalev.

And please be civil when the image of Prime Minister Stephen Harper hits the high-definition scoreboard. Guessing the PM didn’t have to dig deep with the scalpers as every other last-minute game-goer for tonight’s tilt.

Pacioretty returns, Price in goal

Pat Hickey — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:10:08 +0000

Max Pacioretty’s therapy day proved to be, well, therapeutic, and he will be in the lineup against the Ottawa Senators tonight. He’ll start the game on the second line with Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn. Matt D’Agostini will will be on the third line with Guillaume Latendresse and Max Lapierre while Travis Moen drops from the top line to the fourth line where he will join Georges Laraque and Kyle Chipchura. The front-loaded top line has Scott Gomez between Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta.

As expected, Carey Price will be in goal.

Audio: Habs load top line for Senators

Pat Hickey — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:42:34 +0000

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Mike Cammalleri | Tomas Plekanec

It appears that Jacques Martin will load up his top line for tomorrow night’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta were together for practice today at the Bell Sports Complex.

Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn were the most productive forwards in Thursday’s 3-2 loss to Colorado and they practised with Matt D’Agostini.

Max Pacioretty skipped practice with what was described as a “therapy day” while Glen Metropolit is still out with bruised ribs.

Audio: Neilson saves otherwise listless game

Dave Stubbs — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:13:48 +0000

Canadiens hopeful Eric Neilson protests his third-period ejection, claiming to the referee unseen that a guy has to actually have his gloves off to fight.
John Mahoney, Gazette

Yes, there are purists who say that fighting has no place in hockey, that it only tarnishes the beauty of the game.

But without Eric Neilson last night, the ushers would still be finding sleeping bodies at the Bell Centre.

• Hickey’s game story
• Postgame in the dressing room

This game, richly populated by farmhands, will never be confused with classic hockey, the Canadiens beating the Ottawa Senators 2-1 on goals by Brian Gionta and Ben Maxwell. But it was Neilson, a career-minor leaguer who this summer signed an AHL contract with the Hamilton Bulldogs, who fans are talking about this morning.

The 25-year-old fought 2 1/2 times – thumping Jeremy Yablonski, drawing with Chris Neil and finally being bulldogged to the ice by Cody Bass, never getting his gloves off the final time.

Postgame, Neilson thanked every reporter who stopped to talk. Fans in Hamilton are going to LOVE this guy, and here’s hoping the gritty, likable role player will be back in Montreal early and often this season.

Here’s a chat with Neilson after a game he’ll not soon forget.

Game 79: Heatley does in Canadiens

Kevin Mio — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:54:26 +0000

Senators’ Chris Campoli beats Jaro Halak with Ottawa’s first goal of the game.
Christinne Muschi, Reuters

• POSTGAME AUDIO: Bob Gainey Mike Komisarek Josh Gorges Tom Kostopoulos

• At a Glance: The Canadiens got some bad news before Monday night’s game when they learned Mathieu Schneider will miss the rest of the season and Andrei Markov will be out for three weeks, but the news didn’t get much better once they hit the ice against the Ottawa Senators. The Sens, already eliminated from postseason contention, put a wrench in the Canadiens postseason push with a 3-2 win at the Bell Centre.

• Key Moment: Dany Heatley scored goals 38 seconds apart in the third period to erase a 2-1 Montreal lead.

• What It Means: The Canadiens wasted a chance to move up in the Eastern Conference standings as they played the game in hand they had over the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers. They remain in seventh spot with 92 points, three ahead of the New York Rangers.

• Who’s Next: The Canadiens leave Montreal immediately and head to New York where they will take on the Rangers Tuesday night. On Thursday, the Canadiens are in Boston to take on the Bruins.