You can’t give a team as good as Detroit that many power-play opportunities.

The officiating was not great. But against a great puck-possession team, the Canadiens spent a lot of the first two periods chasing the biscuit; and when that happens, fouls ensue.

The Canadiens had discipline lapses, notably O-zone penalties to Mike Cammalleri and ace PK centre Tomas Plekanec. That’s deadly against Detroit.

My friend Arpon Basu offers advice on how to make a loss feel like a win. Basu was more impressed with Dustin Boyd than I was (I’ll cop to lapses in attention, due to coping with HIO’s server SNAFU), but he amkes a good point:

You have to love the third-period comeback.

If Jaro Spacek doesn’t make that pass to no one at the left point, maybe it’s a 3-3 game. Things were certainly trending that way.

Without Andrei Markov and Scott Gomez, the Canadiens dominated the Western Conference’s top team for 20 minutes, outshooting them 19-3 in their own barn and giving Motor City fans more excitement than they’re accustomed to seeing when heir powerhouse team is protecting a lead.

If Andrei Kostitsyn cashes that open net, late in the second period, the game is 2-2 … and who knows?

That didn’t happen. Instead, the amazing Pavel Datsyuk – who scores backhand shelf with a curved hockey blade? – made it 3-1. And that was just too big a mountain to climb, the more so because Jimmy Howard, who had looked shaky and given up a zillion rebounds, decided to do a Carey Price impression late in the third period.

Speaking of Price, it’s fitting he was on the bench when the Canadiens surrendered their first fourth goal in regulation this season.

Has the goaltender played a bad game yet?

Has he surrendered a bad goal?

OK, maybe a couple. But it bears repeating: Carey Price gives the Canadiens a chance to win every game they play.

There are certainly two points to be had in Toronto tonight … especially if that third-period dominance carries over.

Jacques Martin and his staff have to get their players prepared for a tough game on short rest, because against the Canadiens, the Leafs play like the Red Wings.

Mikhail Grabovski, however, is not Pavel Datsyuk.

And Dion Phaneuf certainly is no Nick Lidstrom.

A W, coupled with that honourable loss in Detroit, sets the Canadiens up for a huge mid-week back-to-back: Philadelphia and Boston at the Bell Centre, preceding a seven-game road trip.

A challenging December continues, and as my man Arpon asserts, there are reasons to feel very good about the Canadiens.

•  •  •

That was the only meeting of the two Original Six teams this season.

What a drag!

Whom would you rather see six times, the Red Wings or Sabres?

As Larisalapointe Comments:

I would love to see a rematch of these two teams. It’s this type of
hockey I watched as a kid and was forever hooked. Too bad we only play
Detroit once a year. Our team is a contender. It’s hard to see that when
you’re playing the Sens what seems like 15 times.

And this from a Wings fan who was at the game:

The only reason I’m posting on your forum this evening is to
give an enormous amount of kudos and respect to the Habs fans that were
at the game with me tonight at the Joe. As a hockey fan in general, I
agree that the officiating tonight was more than a bit suspect, and
objectively, the calls were in the Wings favor. But this happens in
almost every game regardless of who is playing. What I do want to
comment on is the fact that the surrounding Habs fans around me, and
from what I saw in general, made the game this evening an example of
what a great NHL game should be. Outside of the obvious good natured
ribbing that we all exchanged throughout the duration of the game, you
guys (Habs Fans) are the most knowledgeable and respectful of any fans I
can think of that have been to the Joe in recent memory. 

You
guys have a absolutely solid squad, and your fan base has the most
admirable traits in all of the NHL, I just wish we would play each other
more often. I have always respected the Habs, and tonight did nothing
but reinforce my belief that if we were ever to share a title of
Hockeytown it might be with you folks.

(And I didn’t have to deal with those damn idiots from Toronto or Pittsburgh …)

Thanks Habs..

Yes, the Canadiens played with appalling lack of discipline in the first period.

Mike Cammalleri’s penalty epitomized the kind of selfish play that has me wondering whether Cammy is dealing with a bad case of PMS – P(lekanec) M(issed) S(orely).

But no call when Brian Rafalski nearly took Tomas Plekanec’s knee out?

Five consecutive minors called on the Canadiens before Jonathan Ericsson took Detroit’s only penalty of the game?

No calls in against the Wings in the third, even though the Canadiens were outshooting the Wings 19-3 and were being smacked to the ice and held in front of Jimmy Howard?

Unlike his predecessor (and current l’Antichambre star), Jacques Martin doesn’t abuse officials. He’s smart enough to realize it’s a mug’s game.

But the kindly old coach didn’t like a late no-call when Travis Moen was held, and he let the refs know it.

And after the game, Martin said his team played Detroit even 5-on-5.

But let’s be honest: A very talented team – arguably the best in the league when they’re on their game – played 40 great minutes and won the game.

And 29 games into their season, the Canadiens became the last team in the league to give up more than three goals in regulation time .. and it took an empty-netter to do it.

The turning point: AK46 misses an open net, and Pavel Datsyuk goes shelf to make it 3-1.

The earlier turning point: Josh Gorges tries to freeze the puck, killing a 5-on-3. But the Wings pop it free, and a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer makes it 1-1 with less than a second left in the first period.

On L’Antichambre, Tony Marinaro said the game proved the Canadiens’ greatest need is a replacement for Andrei Markov, as opposed to a Top Six forward.

They need both.

The old Czechs each played more than 22 minutes against a speedy, slick-passing team. Granted, the Canadiens don’t face Detroit – or anyone that good – every night. But the absence of Markov’s ToI will hurt more as the season progresses.

Up front, the usual suspects played their hearts out: Pleks, Benoit Pouliot (what a goal!), the rapidly-emerging Lars Eller. But AK46 took the night off, and it becomes increasingly obvious the team needs another finisher, preferably with size.

There’s time to work that out.

If the Canadiens could duplicate their third-period effort for 60 minutes …

But factor in Detroit sitting on what looked like a safe lead.

Still, the team never quit.

As I wrote on the game blog, this season is proving the CH stands for CHaracter.

•  •  •

P.K. is back.

Subban played almost 20 minutes, and his speed and puckhandling skills were a big part of the third-period comeback.

He’ll be in the lineup against Toronto.

But Carey Price, spectacular against a 29-shot bombardment through the first two periods, may get a rest to give Alex Auld some work.

•  •  •

Jeff Halpern was plus-2 and did yeoman service in replacing Scott Gomez.

It’s a deceptive stat, though.

Maxim Lapierre was minus-2, and I thought he played a helluva no-quit game.

•  •  •

Loved Lars Eller.

Always do, and he had a great game against his fellow Scandinavians. (Is Denmark in Scandinavia?)

But 2-7 on faceoffs wasn’t great.

•  •  •

Nicklas Lidstrom: 40 years old, played 25:16, scored a goal, blocked three shots.

And how many players in the league can go backhand shelf to score like Pavel Datsyuk.

Man, that’s a good team.

•  •  •

More tomorrow.

But too little, too late.

But credit a gutty effort.

Maybe Scott Gomez and P.K. Subban will play.

Maybe they won’t.

• Gomez hopes rest is tonic

• Martin details Weber-Subban and his thoughts behind the situation: Stubbs column

• Cam Cole blasts benching of P.K.

• Stubbs on some of the season’s better hockey books

• Pat Hickey on Jarred Tinordi

I know: it’s a filthy job, but someone has to do it.

The game?

Very exciting … and would have been more so if Georgers Laraque’s back were still bothering him.

It’s SRO in Canadiens’ sick bay, but BGL has returned to lose a fight in Washington and take six minutes of first-period penalties against Detroit.

And it should have been more.

I mean, c’mon.

How is that hit on Kronwall, which damaged the MCL in his left knee, not a five and the toss?

The Canadiens took six minor penalties in the first period, handing two 5-on-3s to a team with a textbook power play.

It’s pretty simple with Detroit’s PP. They get the puck back to the point for blasts by Brad Stuart (who had 10 SoG for the game … unreal for a Dman) and stick a big body in the crease.

Let’s hope Max Pacioretty and Guillaume Latendresse were watching Tomas Holmstrom closely last night.

This is the kind of game power forwards have to play in the NHL: drive the net and make life miserable for the opposing D and goaltender.

Who did that job on the Canadiens’ ONE power play last night?

Glen Metropolit.

Does no one else have the cojones for it?

Jacques Martin said the Canadiens played Detroit fairly even 5-on-5. He lauded his team’s character in coming back from 2-0.

And the coach liked his new line combination.

Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn brought a dead building to life nine seconds into the third period.

It seemed like they were out every second shift through the final 20 minutes. And they made good things happen.

I think the line is a keeper. With Brian Gionta and now Scott Gomez on the shelf, Martin needs scorers – and these three have obvious chemistry.

AK46 has played with Pleks on many nights this season, but the addition of Cammalleri has finally brought the big lug out of his coma. Kostitsyn is skating, hitting, firing off that deadly wrister and, tonight, making tape to tape passes to Cammalleri for one-timers.

The 3M line had its moments, as did Max Lapierre centring Tom Pyatt and Ryan White.

The fourth line was BGL, whose 4:47 ToI was less than his PiM; Kyle Chipchura and poor, lost Gui!, who played a pathetic 5:42.

Is it humanly possible to be worse skaters than those three? They’re too slow for golf.   

Detroit had 34 SoG. The Canadiens blocked 29 and another 21 missed the net.

The corresponding Habs’ numbers were 18-8-17.

Detroit passes the puck efficiently, they crowd the net and they shoot from everywhere.

The Red Wings are an elite team – and the Canadiens, fresh on the heels of a surprising win in Washington, played them even for the first 10 minutes of the game and might have taken them but for that penalty parade in the latter part of the first period.

Detroit had two power-play goals, but the PK guys worked their asses off.

Props to Pleks, Metro, Josh Gorges, Paul Mara, Roman Hamrlik, Jaro Spacek, Travis Moen, Ryan O’Byrne, Max Lapierre, Ryan White and Tom Pyatt.

And props to Carey Price, who was under constant bombardment. Brad Stuart’s long shot looked stoppable, but the Datsyuk goal was a beauty.

Arpon Basu, who does the excellent Daily Hab-it, ran up some numbers: Carey Price stopping 64 of 68 shots over two games while his teammates
managed only 40 shots in the two games combined. That makes it five
straight games where Price has allowed two goals, and he is 4-2-1 with
a .941 save percentage and 1.94 goals against average over his last
seven outings.

Price gave up his first two shootout goals of the season, but he’s been superb – and has to be, because the banged-up Canadiens are surrendering a lot of shots.

Datsyuk had six shots on goal and went 13-3 in the faceoff circle. What a player! And he’s 19 for 37 in shootouts. 

PK work, especially against a puck-possession team like Detroit, is exhausting. It’s a tribute to the Canadiens’ grit that they were able to summon the energy for a third-period comeback.

Not a bad week, as Martin said. His team took five of a possible six points, while the parade to the injury list continued.

Day off on Sunday, then a tough part of the schedule continues with Columbus – yes, they’re good now – here on Tuesday, preceding a Wednesday visit to Pittsburgh and a Saturday home date with Alexander Ovechkin.

My dear friend, the beautiful barrister, is singing Tosca at La Scala tonight, and I’m on a 9 a.m. flight to Milan. Should make it just in time for the curtain to rise … just as the curtain falls on hockey for 2008-’09.

In the immortal words of the Grateful Dead, what a long strange trip it’s been.

I’d review the Canadiens’ season, but would rather save my tears for Puccini.

As a special treat for Habs Inside/Out readers, the Living Legend of Sports Journalism is handling the live blog tonight:

Pre-game: That rocket’s red glare song sounds familiar. I think they used to sing it at the Olympia.

1P 20:00: Come with me now to the anxious moments before Game 6 of the 1958 final …

Just kidding. Red Fisher will be home watching the game … like everyone except me.

Enjoy it and post lots of Comments.

Tyler Kennedy, of all people, scores the winner in a 2-1 thriller. 

Superb efforts by Jordan Staal, Marc-André Fleury, Rob Scuderi 

Total domination by the Wings.

I just want this to end in six because I have something on Friday night.

They took control in the second period, played textbook lead protection in the third and now it’s best of three. 

They keep the puck in the Detroit zone for 1:25 on a PP before Sergei Gonchar scores the winner.

Max Talbot, who played his usual energetic game, scored an empty-netter to make it 4-2. 

They’ve won it all 31 times.

Pittsburgh has a HUGE mountain to climb.

And who the heck is Justin Abdelkader? 

Pretty decent game …. although Detroit was in complete control once they got the two-goal lead.

They’ll be at it again tomorrow at 8 p.m. 

I really don’t care who wins the Cup once the Habs are out but I would
imagine that most hockey fans are picking the Wings to win it all this
year.  I still feel it will be a close series and the Pens just might
win it due to the following factors:

- Pittsburgh had a deer in the headlights start to last year’s final.  They were star struck during the first two games and were down 2-0 before they could catch their breath.  In fact, they were shutout 4-0 and 3-0 in Detroit.  Gaining a split on the road this year will be a great start for them.  Motivation and valuable experience should come into play.

- The Pens need to  nullify Detroit’s home ice advantage.  This may already have been accomplished seeing that Detroit has some key injuries and the NHL has scheduled back-to-back games this weekend.  Both teams will also play 4 games in 6 nights and 5 games in 8 nights to start the series.  Not a good omen for a team with some age and health issues.

- Mike Babcock is a superior coach who also has a wealth of experience.  Yet Pittsburgh was able to take the series to six games under Therrien.  Dan Bylsma has little experience (just six years removed from playing in the NHL) but he does have the Pens believing in themselves (and his style of play) as they have gone  supernova (30-8-4 including playoffs) since he has taken over.  He doesn’t have to outcoach Babcock – just holding his own should suffice.

- Geno Malkin was either hurt or missing in action in last year’s final so he should be primed for a comeback this year.  Detroit has some great forwards but they have none who compare to Malkin and Sidney Crosby – two of the top three players in the game.  This isn’t going to be the same as shutting down people such as Rick Nash and Patrick Kane.  As well, Pittsburgh’s strength down the middle is superior to any team in the NHL (except in the face-off circle where Detroit holds the edge).  The fact that Jordan Staal was able to nullify his brother should be a warning  to the Wings.

- Pittsburgh lost quite a few depth players from last year such as Jarrko Ruutu, Gary Roberts, Georges Laraque, and Adam Hall.  Ray Shero not only replaced those players ( with Chris Kunitz, Ruslan Fedotenko, Matt Cooke, Craig Adams) but he also improved the team’s overall speed in the process.  This is a key improvement over last year.  The team still has grit and hitting ability but can also play the transition game.  There certainly is no replacing Marion Hossa’s contribution from last year, but Guerin and Kunitz more than make up for Ryan Malone and Petr Sykora.  It’s imperative that Guerin and Kunitz don’t blow a tire in the final.

- I would expect the series to be fast-paced and skill-oriented, but the Pens also have the players who can dole out the hits.  Brooks Orpik, Cooke, Tyler Kennedy, and Staal should open up some ice for Crosby and Malkin.  Detroit’s two greatest strengths are their puck possession and the transition game (which starts from their defense).  Both Pen stars are young and well rested so I would be double shifting them as much as possible. They have been averaging 21 minutes a game so it might help to try and increase that by another 3 or 4 minutes.   Crosby and Malkin need to have the puck as much as possible throughout the series.  And once they have it, they need to up their shot totals instead of passing off too much to lesser lights.

- Special teams usually play a big role in the playoffs although I really don’t expect a lot of penalties.  Detroit’s PK (14th/73.7%) has been shaky throughout the playoffs while Pittsburgh (5th/83.6%) only allowed one goal on twelve chances by Carolina.  To win the series, Pittsburgh’s PP (7th/19%) will have to stay on a par with Detroit’s (3rd/26%) .  The Wings have two solid units while the Pens basically rely on Crosby, Malkin, Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, Kunitz, and Guerin. Detroit also excels at 5-on-5 play, so the PP becomes even more important for the Pens.

- Detroit’s defense is much better than Pittsburgh’s, but Bylsma has been using a seven-man rotation and the results have been better than expected.  Gonchar and Letang run the PP and are in charge of puck movement.  Orpik leads the hit parade while Rob Scuderi (much improved) is the shutdown guy.  Mark Eaton is unheralded but is coming up big for the Pens. Hal Gill is a pylon but comes with a great wing span which is especially helpful on the PK.  Makes the box  that much bigger.  Philippe Boucher has lots of experience and doesn’t have to carry a heavy load which adds to his value.  To break even here against the Wings would be a huge bonus.

- Finally, it goes without saying, that Marc-André Fleury will have to outshine Chris Osgood.  That won’t be easy seeing that Osgood seems to have found his groove at the most opportune time of the year.  Detroit is better around the (offensive) net than Pittsburgh and Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen add a dimension that most teams don’t have.  The Wings also tend to out-shoot their opposition.  That certainly doesn’t bode well for Fleury yet he seems to make the big save when his team needs it the most.  If he can play like he did in Game 5 of last year’s final, then it just might mean that the Detroit gets it’s wings clipped.

This is how much the NHL cares about its players:

The league’s showcase series begins with exhausting, injury-risking back-to-back games.

The Penguins and Red Wings begin the Stanley Cup final Saturday night at 8 in Detroit. Game 2 will be played on Sunday, time to be determined.

The series resumes in Pitsburgh on Tuesday and Thursday.

Game 5, if necessary, will be in Detroit on Saturday, June 6. A Game 6 would be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, June 9.

If a Game 7 is necessary, it will be played in Detroit on Friday, June 12.

All games are on the CBC. Games 1, 2 and 5 through 7, if necessary, are on NBC in the U.S., with Games 3 and 4 on Versus.

So I’ll miss what I fully expect to be the final game of the Western Conference finals.

I’ll catch up on Comments when I get home. 

Time to start thinking about it. 

Props to those kids: the blow a 3-0 lead against the champs and then hang in and win. 

Hreat, great game.

And a bitter pill for the young Hawks, who got a HUGE effort from Nikolai Khabibulin. 

During his post-game remarks, Guy Carbonneau said there were four or five crucial games in the course of a regular season that define the character of a hockey team.

Canadiens are 1-for-1.

They were up against the toughest opponent they’ve seen through the first quarter of the season.

They beat the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings – and it wasn’t a fluke.

They did it by playing sound, disciplined, defensive hockey. With five
Canadiens in the neutral zone, the Red Wings had few opportunities to
get their puck possession game untracked. There were white jerseys on the puck all night.

Canadiens won after losing Alex Tanguay, their leading scorer, less
than 10 minutes into the game. For the rest of the way, it was gut-check
time with improvised lines and double-shifting for several players as
Carbo executed adroit in-game adjustments.

The Canadiens took only thre minors and were perfect on the PK. Their power play scored once in three chances.

Easily the  most impressive performance of the season.

It’s fine to beat Ottawa 4-0. But hello, Ottawa sucks.

It’s fine to come back from a 3-0 deficit on Long Island. But the Islanders are almost as bad as Ottawa.

The Canadiens played 12 of their first 20 games against teams that would be on the golf course if the playoffs began now.

Detroit isn’t one of them.

It was a win to savor.

When it was over, I got an e-mail from my guru, Pierre McGuire. He worked the game for TSN and was duly impressed:

"Great win by MTL. Character and poise. Well coached tonight."

Very well-coached. In an earlier e-mail, McGuire wrote:

"Smart game plan. Took the speed out of the Wings game. Made it a tough game to play for the skill guys. Kostopoulos matters a ton. Make Koivu and Higgins play bigger."

After Tanguay was hurt by a Brad Stuart hit that was remniscent of the knockouty blows Scott Stevens used to dish out, Kostopoulos moved up to the Koivu line, adding grit and his usual Tom Non-stopoulos energy.

Higgins cranked up his game as well. He had four shots, skated and forechecked effectively all night.

On RDS’s L’Antichambre, François Gagnon pointed out a very significant stat:

The Canadiens had 25 shots on goal. There were six missed shots, and Detroit blocked five.

Against the Islanders on Monday night, the Canadiens had 26 shots. There were 22 muffs and the Islanders blocked 25.

The difference?

Patience. Making plays that are there, rather than attempting anything fancy. Controlling the puck, keeping it deep behind the defencein the Detroit end and forcing a superb transition team to battle its way out of the d-zone and up the ice.

In their own end, the Canadiens displayed superb puck support. The forwards got back deep. Rather than wait at the blueline and in the neutral zone, they played close enough to the defencemen that short, high-percentage passes made for efficient zone clearances.

Detroit plays that way all the time. Canadiens showed they could, too.

Tomas Plekanec, who was brilliant last night, scored a goal off passes – from Alex Kovalev and Andrei Markov – that recalled the glorious nights of last season.

Of greater significance, however, were the goals by Maxim Lapierre and Higgins. Both came as a consequence of doing nothing fancier than getting the puck on net. It doesn’t make the highlight reel, but simplicity wins a lot of hockey games.

In a 60-minute team effort, it’s hard to pick out individual stars. But a few players caught my eye:

• Carey Price: 32 saves, 15 in the third period. Can you believe how good this kid is at his age? I mean, can he buy a drink legally in Detroit?

• Andrei Markov: For one game at least, he was better than Nicklas Lidstrom.

• Josh Gorges played 22:33, blocked shots with his knee and his hand and, once again, was a perfect partner for Markov. Gorges is not the thumper that Mike Komisarek is, but he’s very smart, a good skater who’s better than Komo at moving the puck and joining the rush. The Canadiens might not have to trade for a number 4 defenceman.

• Tom Kostopoulos, Steve Bégin, Maxim Lapierre and Mathieu Dandenault: Lunchpail guys excelled in a blue-collar effort that beat one of the most skillful  teams in the NHL.

• Tomas Plekanec: I thought he was good against the Islanders and even better against the Wings. A goal (and almost two), four shots, skated like a demon and inspired his linemates to try a little backchecking.

• Patrice Brisebois: 15 shifts and I didn’t notice him. This is a good thing.

• Ryan O’Byrne: Yes, he was horrible on the Franzen goal and had been deked by the Detroit winger earlier on that shift. But Carbo played him 17-plus minutes as a confidence builder, and O’B responded with a solid effort.

• Robert Lang: You have to watch carefully, because many of the skills are subtle. But this veteran is smart, and he really knows how to play hockey.

• Alex Kovalev: Five shots on goal, a couple of hits, fewer Toller Cranston moves and hard work in all three zones. He’s still not playing like the Kovy of old, but against first-rate opposition, he didn’t look like an old Kovy.

As my man McGuire pointed out, the coach deserves a lot of credit.

I thought the Canadiens would get smoked in Detroit.

They didn’t, and the huge W is something to build on.

"They bought into the adjustments," Carbo said, "and they kept at them for 60 minutes."

Maybe the Canadiens play to the level of their competition …. although they haven’t against Boston.

Maybe they’re more adept against another skill team that plays Euro hockey. The Czechs and Russians bested the Swedes.

Whatever, let’s hope there’s more of the same in Washington tomorrow.

Make that three.

The Canadiens played textbook hockey for 40 minutes and hung on down the stretch to beat Detroit 3-1. Goals by Maxim Lapierre, Tomas Plekanec and Chris Higgins.

Johan Franzen undressed Ryan O’Byrne – who’d been great – to spoil Carey Price’s shutout bid. 

Price made 15 saves in the third period, 32 on the game for his 10th win of the season.

Great team effort.

No passengers on the bus.