These are occasions that offer fans a chance to assess the team’s performance against the NHL’s best, as opposed to their supposed peers in the NHL’s Parity Division.

At Vancouver: Carey Price makes 37 saves, David Desharnais and Andrei Kostitsyn score goals in a 3-2 win that completed a season’s sweep of the Western Conference leaders. The game began a streak in which the Canadiens win five of six

At Tampa Bay: Vezina candidate Price made 43 saves last night and the Canadiens got goals from Hal Gil (!), DD and two from Max Pacioretty to beat the Lightning. Among the heroes was Scott Gomez, and Arpon Basu has some thoughts on the late season rise of everyone’s whipping boy.

And now …

Boston: ?

The Game of the Season is at the Bell Centre on Tuesday evening. 

The Bruins lead the Northeast Division and they’re second in the Eastern Conference. But this game is about much more than measuring up to a quality opponent.

This is a chance at revenge.

And redemption.

We all remember the Feb. 9 game at TD Garden. Boston won 8-6. Milan Lucic and friends spent the night parked in Price’s kitchen. And with the game in the bag, Claude Julien had his thugs on the ice, whaling the tar out of pacifists Jaro Spacek and Tom Pyatt while trying to goad Max Pacioretty into a fight.

It wasn’t pretty.

And some think the Beantown Beatdown got ino the Canadiens’ heads.

Coming on the heels of a loss to New Jersey, the game in Boston was part of a stretch in which the Canadiens went 1-4-2 heading into Vancouver.

It was a statement game, and what the Bruins were saying – after five losses in a row, going back to last season – was:

“Your dominance is over, bitches.”

It sure looked that way. The Canadiens were beaten on the ice and in the alley by a team that was bigger, tougher and possibly more talented.

And Boston has improved since then. General manager Peter Chiarelli has bolstered what he thinks is a Stanley Cup contender, acquiring the much sought-after Tomas Kaberle, plus Chris Kelly and Habs-killer Rich Peverley.

The Bruins lost three in a row after beating the Canadiens. Since then, they’ve gone 7-0-1, including a sweep of western Canada.

We’ve got three days to talk about whether the Canadiens are ready for their bitter rivals, so let’s get this party started.

I think they are.

Carey Price is at the top of his game, and he’ll be stoked for another go at his sparring partner, Tim Thomas.

AK46 has come back to life on a line with Lars Eller and Travis Moen. Tomas Plekanec had two assists last night; he and Michael Cammalleri play better at the Bell Centre. Gomez was brilliant in Tampa, and Pacioretty has been excellent since his call-up.

My worry, as always, is the D.

Hal Gill had his best game of the season last night: a goal, three blocked shots, a lmost six heroic minutes on the penalty-kill. Jacques Martin, with last change, will try to have Gill and P.K. Subban on against the David Krejci-Milan Lucic-Nathan Horton line.

Roman Hamrlik, who played too many minutes last night, and James Wisniewski do not inspire the same confidence as the top pairing. 

And the Bruins can score three lines deep, even if injured Patrice Bergeron can’t go on Tuesday.

Brent Sopel has bolstered the PK, which is 17-for-18 – including that crucial 5-on-3 kill last night – since he joined the team. But Yannick Weber was bounced around by the Lightning, and Jacques Martin may want to go with Paul Mara’s size and sand against Boston.

On L’Antichambre last night, CKAC morning show host Michel Langevin, who usually makes sense, suggested calling up heavyweights Jimmy Bonneau and/or Alex Henry for the Boston game.

Right. Goonify a lineup that’s won four in a row.

Brilliant. I guess since L’Antichambre couldn’t knock Gomez or praise Marc-André Bergeron, there was nothing to do but go bats— crazy.

The Canadiens won’t outsmuscle the Bruins. But if they play their game – which means forwards supporting their undermanned D – and if Carey Price is Carey Price, it could be a classic.

Two more sleeps.

•  •  •

Guest Comment from PeterD:

I really like how Eller stuck with and shadowed Stamkos for much of the night.  Eller is such a fun player to watch, he plays the game a full speed all the time and in some pretty tight quarters.

Gomez, well what ever type of therapy he is getting instead of practices seems to be working.  My guess he is dealing with some confidence issues which are between his ears.  My hope is that he becomes clear that he is successful when he is moving at top speed and making things happen.  Which he has been doing since the trade deadline. 

I loved watching MAB at our blueline when Tampa was on the PP…and especially when Gomez forced him to make mistakes.  If not for some stellar goaltending we would have had at least two short handed goals thanks to the play of MAB.  Thank God Pierre didn’t re-sign the guy.

Carey – Carey…man he is cool.  I see a goalie that has matured and has taken this team under his wing all season.  I laugh everytime I think of his comment to the fans after that pre-season game when he told everyone to “just chill”…man if he can hold it together for us and get some solid defensive team support we could make a run this Spring.  Did I just hear someone say, “Jaro who?”…enough said, that controversy is or should be officially dead and behind us.

My one concern coming into this years playoffs is that we don’t have Gorges and Markov for the run. The mind boggles (not bobbles) at the thought of how good this team could be with those two solidifying our back end.

And finally, I have to give some props to Cunneyworth and his team in Hamilton…it is because of him that Patches and DD are contributing the way they are this year.  Very well done guys and keep it up with the rest of the supporting cast down there on the farm…we could use another breakout player or two for next season.

Oh, did anyone see the Mike Milbury bit tonight on HNIC where he was calling for the end of fighting???  Is this bizarro world or what?

How good is Carey Price?

I don’t think the Canadiens will be playing for their coach’s job this afternoon in the ironically-named Sunrise, Fla.

But if they lose to the lowly Panthers to complete a 1-6 road trip, the Bell Centre is going to be a very tense place on Sunday afternoon with Atlanta in town.

Who will draw the loudest boos?

Jaro Spacek?

Andrei Kostistyn?

Benoit Pouliot?

Scott Gomez?

There is no shortage of worthy candidates for the ire of passionate fans who see the season melting away like dog doots down a sewer in a thunderstorm.

Maybe Jacques Martin will walk out and wave to the adoring crowd.

How does a professional hockey team get caught with too many men on the ice twice within 45 seconds?

Granted, it’s a long change in the second period. But where was the concentration needed to play hockey at a professional level.

With a two-man advantage, Guy Boucher summoned his guys, drew up a play and Bingo!

P.K. Subban was caught on the wrong side of Ryan Malone, with the result that Carey Price had to cheat a bit in anticipation of Martin St. Louis feedin Malone a pass out of the corner.

Price’s positioning opened a wee door for St. Louis, and Tampa Bay was on the board.

Hey, St. Louis is an ageless future Hall of Famer. Stuff happens.

But the Canadiens, who had not opened a game’s scoring since this horrible road trip began in Colorado, folded. The goal gave Tampa Bay momentum, and the Lightning took over, their speed and tenacity causing the penalties we’ve become accustomed to seeing on this trip: seven minors last night, seven (including Too Many Men) in Washington, eight against the Islanders.

What is happening to this team?

Don Cherry, who is not always wrong about everything, has said the easiest thing to accomplish in sports is getting a hockey coach fired. The players just stop trying, and that’s fatal in a game demanding so much energy and commitment.

Are you seeing much energy from your Montreal Canadiens?

Much commitment?

Any heart?

The team will complete four road games in six days today – a hellish schedule in winter, when travel is difficult.

January is easier: only 11 games. But there are three sets of back-to-backs, and this is how the schedule begins:

Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Boston at the Bell Centre; then a back-to-back: at Rangers/home to Penguins.

A home game against the Rangers is followed by the outdoor game in Calgary and a visit to Buffalo the following night. A Friday trip to Ottawa on the 21st is immediately followed by Saku Koivu’s return to the Bell Centre. After the All-Star break, the Canadiens visit Philadelphia.

Unlike October, January features opponents who are playing above .500 hockey. And if the Canadiens play like they did on this road trip, they’ll be looking up at playoff teams in the dog days of February.

Having praised Jacques Martin’s coaching acumen when the season began, I’m not going to join any groundswell calling for his head.

Let’s be honest: cotty Bowman couldn’t turn this lineup into an elite team.

But they should … indeed, they must make the playoffs – for the psychological health of Montrealers and for Geoff Molson’s bank account (which Jaro Halak was nice enough to boost by $25 million last spring.)

Pierre Gauthier acted decisively in acquiring James Wisniewski, who was one of the few Canadiens earning his salary last night.

The general manager is not going to let this season slip away

•  •  •

Hopeful analysis from MathMan:

And Louis Leblanc scored again!

• Faceoff fiasco

• Ironman Gorges takes a rest

• Advanced stats from Arpon Basu

• Where is the Canadiens’ passion? – Pierre Durocher

• François Gagnon on the team’s day off

• Carolina inches closer

Carey Price was brilliant, to the tune of 44 saves. And he could not be faulted on any of the shots that beat him.

The Canadiens came from ahead to blow 2-0 and 3-2 leads, but the team salvaged a point.

And there was enough excitement up and down the ice to keep the opening night crowd rocking – from Brian Gionta’s mostly-French player introductions right through the loud booing of referees Don Van Massenhoven and Steve Kozari. 

Price was profoundly pissed and did not want to talk about his own stellar performance. And Jacques Martin repeated his usual mantra about special teams: Two power-play goals for the Lightning, another goose egg for the Canadiens’ PP, which is 0-for-the-season.

This is the time of year when the Leafs are in first place, and perhaps we shouldn’t be reading too much into game results … at least not for a while.

But there were disquieting signs at the Bell Centre, ominous intimations that this team will be in a wire-to-wire battle for a playoff spot.

Simply put, the beginning of this season looks uncomfortably like the end of last season: a Canadiens goaltender standing on his head to keep the team in games against a superior opponent.

• Question for discussion: Was Jacques Martin schooled by Guy Boucher, and if so, what are the implications for the season that awaits us?

Tampa Bay just kept coming and coming and coming some more. 

Steven Stamkos had eight shots on goal and scored on the power-play to send the game into OT.

Teddy Purcell, the pride of Newfoundland (thanks for that note, J.T.), had eight shots as well.

Dominic Moore won 10 of 18 faceoffs and assisted on Ryan Malone’s OT winner. In the first fan election of the season, Malone won automatically because he scored in OT. That’;s one of the system’s rules. Malone had six hits and spent the night in and around Price’s kitchen, wreaking havoc and causing jitters among Canadiens defenders.

The usual suspects showed up. Martin St. Louis had five SoG and scored on a short backhand. Vincent Lecavalier seemed to be on the puck on every shift.

In addition to 48 shots on goal, TB had 20 misses and 17 shots that were blocked by Canadiens defenders (including five by Josh Gorges, best of the Dmen in the season to date). That’s 85 touches worth of puck possession, to 27 SoG, 14 misses and 13 blocks for the Canadiens.

There were some good shifts. Tomas Plekanec scored, added an assist and finished plus-2. Linemate Andrei Kostitsyn scored a beauty 31 seconds after St. Louis had tied it 2-2 … and there was treason to believe that would be enough.

Credit Guy Boucher with inculcating is philosophy of utter relentlessness. The Lightning forechecked aggressively, won many puck battles and were at their best when the game was in the balance.

That was the scary aspect of this game.

Yes, the season is very young. But if the Canadiens find themselves battling Tampa Bay for a playoff spot among the lower seedings … well, it could get very interesting.

I thought the TB defence would be suspect. And it’s not like they’re the ’76 Canadiens on the back end, but that Victor Hedman kid played a game-high 26:14, had four shots on goal and used his considerable size effectively.

Tampa Bay has an unusual schedule. From Jan. 23 to Feb. 25, the Lightning will play 12 straight games at home.

In the race for playoff positions, Boucher’s team could sail into March looking pretty good.

But that’s a long way off.

In the short term, Tampa Bay served notice that they are a difficult team for the Canadiens, or anyone else, to handle.

In lamenting his team’s numerous penalties, Jacques Martin said “this league is too good and teams are too close” to have breakdowns in discipline that cost Ws.

Some observations from Seat 39 in the pressbox:

• The power play has now gone 0-for-3 in each of the Canadiens’ games.

• Roman Hamrlik played 20:07. His timing in the O-zone looked a bit off, but Hamrlik showed no other ill effects of his inactivity.

• P.K. will be high risk, high reward all season long. Will his creativity and spontaneity survive Martin’s attempts to rein him in? And will the coach’s survive Subban’s youthful indiscretions?

• Quality minutes again from Jeff Halpern and Dustin Boyd.

• Benoit Pouliot had five hits. But he hasn’t scored since March.

• Gionta (minus-2 in the game) and Gomez skated miles and miles and miles but still lack finish in the O-zone. Gomez plays on the peripgery, and it ain’t working.

• Ryan O’Byrne took an early penalty … again … but bounced back to play a decent game and finished plus-1.

• No team does ceremony better – Dave Stubbs

• We have to be better, Gionta says of his line – Stubbs postgame column

• TB is for real – Red Fisher

• Pat Hickey’s game story

• Quotes from the room

• Pierre Ladouceur’s analysis in La Presse

• JT’s game notes

And in case you missed it …

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“We’re starting to look like the team we should have been all year.”

And they’re still missing two important players: sniper Mike Cammalleri and power-play specialist Marc-André Bergeron.

Despite their absence, the Canadiens are playing like the team Professor Gainey may have envisaged when he started stitching components together last summer.

Gomez and Gionta aren’t as young as they were when they broke in with New Jersey. But energized by the addition of Benoit Pouliot, the former Devils are playing their best hockey of the season.

And they picked a good time to peak.

The win moved the Canadiens seven points ahead of Tampa Bay. It was crucial because the Lightning have played three fewer games. Even if they win them all – and the team we saw last night doesn’t look capable of that – TB would still be a point behind the Canadiens.

Similar story with the Rangers: five points back with two games in hand.

Atlanta trails the Canadiens by six points, but even if the Thrashers were to win their three games in hand, they’d have fewer Ws than the Canadiens and would be behind per the tie-breaking formula.

But all these scenarios aside, the Canadiens control their destiny.

“They’re going to win all the rest of their games,” my friend Mitch Melnick was saying – in jest, I think – after the game.

A 17-game winning streak?

Not likely … but possible.

Before the Olympic break, a late-season surge would have been inconceivable.

But the team that looked doomed to early tee-offs after dropping back-to-back games against Philadelphia seems to have benefited hugely from 17 days off.

Maybe it was a good thing that Brian Burke snubbed Gomez and Gionta for Team USA.

I doubt Glen Metropolit was short-listed for Team Canada, and he’s recaptured his early-season form. Playing in his 400th NHL game, Metro scored his career-best 15th goal – his ninth on the PP.

Roman Hamrlik and Jaro Spacek – who had to play brutal minutes during Andrei Markov’s long absence – weren’t picked for the Games and are well-rested for the stretch run.

I think one of the little-heralded keys to the Canadiens’ surge has been stability on defence.

The three pairings have been together since the regular-season resumed and are playing equal, low 20s minutes (except for Ryan O’Byrne, who gets no PP and little PK time).

The D is still smallish and susceptible to the kind of aggressive forecheck they endured in San Jose.

There are, however, fewer sharks in the Eastern Conference. The slot if being protected, rebounds are being cleared, shots are blocked (21 last night, five by Hal Gill) and zone clearances are rarely laborious.

A tightened-up D and four forward lines able to spend stretches ion the opponents’ end – props to the Dominic Moore/Travis Moen/Sergei Kostitsyn unit on that score – have made life easier for the Canadiens’ goaltenders.

Jaro Halak was not spectacular last night. But he made the saves he had to in racking up win number 20 – a career high.

If Melnick’s scenario plays out, maybe we don’t see Carey Price until the Canadiens have clinched a playoff spot.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 

When a knee-on-knee hit by Mattias Ohlund left Tomas Plekanec flat on the ice, 21,273 at the Bell Centre and all the fans watching RDS held their collective breath and saw the playoffs KOed along with Pleks.

He returned to action, but tghe team MVP will benefit from the rest Jacques Martin is giving his players today.

They’ve earned it.

•  •  •

Twice during his postgame press conference, Jacques Martin praised Mathieu Darche’s intelligence, as evidenced by the fact he’s a graduate of McGill University.

Hey, that’s my alma mater, too.

But I majored in Hedonism during the 1960s.

Darche’s degree is in economics – and the veteran is playing like he understands the difference between AHL and NHL contracts.

•  •  •

The return of Mike Cammalleri can’t come soon enough for the struggling Pleks line and comatose Andrei Kostitsyn.

The interesting question: What happens when MAB is ready to play?

The power play needs Bergeron, but the D doesn’t.

Fourth-line forward?

Probably, with Metro and …

Tom Pyatt and Ben Maxwell will go back to Hamilton. But Martin will have to pick who – among Darche, Sergei and Maxim Lapierre – watches the game from the pressbox.

•  •  •

Bulldogs win ninth in a row – a franchise record.

What becomes of us broken-hearted Canadiens fans?

Can we ride this roller-coaster through the end of the season without sustaining serious psychological damage?

Jaroslav Spacek had the right approach:

He got sick BEFORE the game.

(Shout-out to Jarred Friedman for the video)

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How does a team beat the Devils in New Jersey, plaster the Rangers 6-0, enjoy a day off in southern Florida and then drop two games to playoff rivals by a cumulative score of 5-1?

A cliché we’ve heard since the beginning of the season:

In order to win, the best players have to play their best.

Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos scored for Tampa Bay.

The Canadiens’ best?

Well, Andrei Markov played 26:11 … and he didn’t yell at Carey Price once!

Scott Gomez fought a big Swedish kid.

Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta each had four shots on Antero Niittymaki.

So did Mathieu Darche.

Do we still count Carey Price among the Canadiens’ best?

He made 27 saves, including several beauties. And despite the elaborate analyses that you’ll find in the Comments section, Price could not be faulted on any of the Lightning goals.

Through the ups and downs of the Canadiens first 53 games this season, I don’t think anyone could question their character or heart. Deprived of their best player in the season opener, the team scratched, battled and clawed in almost every game they played.

The goaltending was consistently good-to-excellent.

Tomas Plekanec played his heart out.

Roman Hamrlik stepped up big. He’s not Andrei Markov, but Hammer tried.

The PK was among the best in the league … mainly because it had so much practice.

Marc-André Bergeron helped the power play.

Scott Gomez came to life, and his resurgence happily coincided with the acquisition of Benoit Pouliot and the return of Brian Gionta.

It all came together against the Rangers at the Bell Centre.

Then it all fell apart in Florida.

Second to the puck and losing every battle.

Soft, badly coordinated defensive zone coverage.

Long-range, easily-stopped shots. Nothing from the slot, no net presence, no forward willing or able to play in the dirty zones qwhere most of the NHL’s goals originate.

I could go on, but what’s the point?

We’re serious hockey fans.

We know what we’re watching … and it ain’t pretty. 

The Canadiens are in ninth place. The teams above and below them in the Parity Division all have games in hand.

On Saturday, the Canadiens will be at Scotiabank Place to face the Senators, who’ve been on fire since Daniel F. – their captain and leader – returned to the lineup.

In his postgame press conference, Jacques Martin looked like (choose one):

a) Jimmy Carter during the worst of the Hostage Crisis

b) Guy Carbonneau during the February road trip last season

c) A guy who wishes he could stay behind in Florida

Martin thought the Canadiens played better in Tampa Bay than they did against the Panthers.

He praised the contribution of Sergei Kostitsyn.

Can we add another possibility, then:

d) Keith Richards during Happy Hour.

On to Ottawa.

Jaro Halak will get the start.

And Jaro Spacek should be recovered … unless he watches this game tape.

•  •  • 

Carolina pastes the Rangers in New York.

Sergei Samsonov: Two goals

Tom Kostopoulos: Two assists

Oh, and Gui! got one …

Discuss … and oh, you will.

Have they played a lousier 20 than the third?

What a team!

The two guys RDS thinks belong on Team Canada couldn’t score on Carey Price.

The guy named to Team Czech Republic beat Mike Smith in OT to win it.

An excellent game in which I think we saw the lineup that, barring injury, will carry this team for the rest of the season.

Price, who hadn’t played in two weeks and hadn’t won since Dec. 7, made 34 saves … including 12 in the third period. This was a HUGE game for Price, and a most encouraging performance.

Despite the short interval, I’d start him again against Florida.

Marc-André Bergeron, doing his best Mark Streit impression, joined Maxim Lapierre and Sergei Kostitsyn on a fourth line that contributed quality, high-energy minutes and let Jacques Martin roll four for most of the game. That helps ona long trip.

Roman Hamrlik returned to the lineup and played a superb game, steadying the D, helping countryman (and fellow Olympic snubee Jaro Spacek) and firing four thunderous shots on goal.

Josh Gorges joined Andrei Markov, who has a point in every game since he returned, to form the team’s number-one D pairing.

Ryan O’Byrne had five hits, blocked a couple shots and joined Hal Gill to form the team’s Twin Towers pairing. Gill’s experience will help O’B, who continues to develop.

The D keyed the early-game domination. Zone clearances were crisp and efficient. 

Benoit Pouliot and Brian Gionta have joined Scott Gomez (who’s been terrific for two weeks) to form a dangerous second line that was better in Tampa than the first line.

Matt D’Agostini had four shots, battled for loose pucks and may have found a home with Glen Metropolit and Travis Moen. I don’t know what this means for Max Pacioretty.

It wasn’t all peaches and cream.

Mike Cammalleri is a different player on the road. He’s squeezing his stick, making ill-advised plays.

The power play, which has carried the Canadiens, was gosh-awful on three chances. TB pressured the puck and forced bad passes. More patience would have helped.

But the PK was perfect … and the nice aspect of that was so little work. For a team that takes way too many penalties, three minors was progress. And unlike Sportsmen of the Year Senators, the Lightning took four penalties.

Hands up everyone who thought the Canadiens would take 10 points on this road trip … with a shot at 12.

And they got help.

The Rangers, Ottawa and Atlanta lost.

The Canadiens are in seventh place, three ahead of Philadelphia, Atlanta, the Rangers and the Lightning.

Florida is sitting 12th, so the 5 à 7 won’t be a New Year’s Eve party.

Doesn’t matter.

This holiday road trip, long and fraught with danger, has been a brilliant success.

•  •  •

The New Jersey Devils are the top team in the NHL.

Sure, Marty is great.

But Jacques Lemaire is a #@$%ing genius.

And John Tortorella isn’t.

10 points on the trip.

Plan the parade.

Our most prolific correspondent offers this scouting report on tonight’s opponent:

Montreal fans love to talk about the tradition of passing the torch from one generation of stars to the next.  Don’t look now, but that is already happening in Tampa.  Twenty-nine year old, Vinny Lecavalier, has already been eclipsed by 2nd year budding superstar, Steven Stamkos.

This year’s annual road trip to Florida takes on special meaning as both games will be four pointers.  Just another sign of how parity has changed the face of the game for our Montreal Canadiens.

• Steven Stamkos (21/16/37/7) certainly isn’t suffering from any sophomore jinx.  Great skater, beautiful passer, lethal wrist shot, and an ability to excel on special teams. Six points in his last five games with an outside shot at 50 goals.  Stamkos has enough untapped potential that he might just be able to join the big three at some point down the road.  He’s the ultimate building block.  It’s a good thing he is here seeing that Tampa Bay has the 2nd largest drop in NHL attendance next to Phoenix.

• Martin St. Louis (8/35/43/4) is perhaps the most consistent hockey player in the NHL these days.  He is 2nd on the team with 123 shots on goal and creates the magic on the PP with 16 assists. St. Louis has 8 points in his last 5 games.  Vinny Lecavalier (9/28/37) had a rough beginning but has started to find his game this month.  He leads the team in shots (143) and has 13 helpers on the PP.  Ryan Malone (19/16/35/6) has really bounced back and is now earning his inflated salary.  He has 6 PPGs and an astounding 7 GWGs in just 39 games.  The fact that he gets to play with Stamkos and St Louis  certainly doesn’t hurt his stats. Alex Tanguay (6/16/22/2) plays with Vinny and Steve Downie and has experienced an up and down year so far (paging Vinny Prospal).  He scored back to back goals in his last two games after having gone scoreless for 18.  He no longer gets the same PP time as he used to and may only be getting top six minutes by default.  He certainly should be motivated for this game.

• Steve Downie (7/9/16/4) isn’t quite the loose cannon (aka Danny Carcillo) that he used to be as he learns what it takes to be a regular NHL player.  Playing with Vinny and getting secondary PP time also doesn’t hurt.  Tampa is 2nd in the NHL with 35 fighting majors with the penalty brigade being led by Zenon Konopka (144 minutes), a guy  who takes on all comers.  He’s the ultimate middleweight who engages the other team’s heavyweights.  Martin better make sure that Laraque is suited up for this game.

The Lightning’s secondary players aren’t that impressive as the club suffers from a lack of depth.  Stephane Veilleux (PK specialist), James Wright (just 19 years old), David Hale (also plays D), Todd Fedoruk (town thug), and Paul Szczechura (surprise signing from ‘08) round out the 3rd and 4th lines.  Jeff Halpern is still here but is once again on the injury list.  Martins Karsums (23) and Carter Ashton (18) are solid young prospects who are waiting in the wings.  A lack of secondary scoring hurts Tampa as they have scored less than three goals in half their games which has led to a dismal record of 2-11-7 for those contests.

• The first thing you notice about Tampa’s defense is their overall size.  They average out at a  scary 6’4″ and 225 lbs.  You will notice the size difference right away, even on TV.  Kurtis Foster (5/9/14/8PPPs) has been a great addition to go along with returning Dmen such as Paul Ranger (injury woes this year) and Andrej Meszaros (over-paid and over-rated).  Matt Walker is also here (from Chicago) and is primarily a defensive Dman.  The real news, of course, is the arrival of Swedish stars, Victor Hedman and Mattias Ohlund.  We certainly heard enough about Hedman (3/8/11) at this summer’s entry draft so I’m going to focus on Ohlund.  He’s my player to watch for tonight’s game.  Ohlund signed a 7 year deal at the age of 33 to play with the Lightning.  It’s basically a five year deal that works out to a cap hit of 3.6M a year.  Ohlund is the consummate shutdown defenseman.  He leads the team in average ice time (over 24 minutes a game) and is usually out on the ice against the opponent’s top lines.  He is a great open ice hitter who adds grit and leadership while acting as a perfect mentor for young Victor Hedman.  Ohlund’s offensive production has dipped and he tends to be injury prone but he is in the right place at the right time for Tampa.  He wears sweater #5.  Mike Lundin and Matt Smaby are the blueline depth players. Lukas Krajicek was waived last week.

• Mike Smith (23/8/10/5/3.02/.900) has had an inconsistent year as he really hasn’t lived up to expectations.  I’m sure it doesn’t help that Brad Richards is on fire in Dallas.  His game has improved the past few weeks as Smith made his fourth consecutive start against Boston, a 2-1 victory for the Bolts . In those four games, Smith has posted a 3-1 record with a 2.50 goals against average while recording a .922 save percentage, stopping 122-of-132 shots.  Antero Niittymaki (18/7/5/4/2.46/.920) shares the goaltending duties this year and has put up some decent numbers.  Tampa is a low scoring team so they really need solid goaltending to win those tight games.
- the Team Canada Olympic watch has Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos in the running with Vinny Lecavalier as a long shot candidate.  It’s difficult to disregard Stamkos’ scoring ability and the magic he creates with St Louis.  Add a big, tough left winger and you have a set line that’s ready to go. 

• Stat Pack – GF: 26th, GA: 22nd, GD: -9, GAA: 2.87, PP: 17th, PK: 18th, STT: 97.6%, FO: 51.0%, CS: $4.5M (which includes bonus money).

• Injury Report – Fedoruk, Halpern, and Walker are all out with lower body injuries.  Ranger is missing due to personal reasons.

Montreal needs to win 5 of the 7 games  in order to classify this road trip as being a success.  That means they must win one of the games in the state of Florida that conclude their schedule for the calendar year.  It’s very difficult to win the final game of a long trip, especially seeing that they are back to back games.  Therefore, it becomes imperative that the Habs win tonight against Tampa.  Vinny and St Louis will be primed to play the Habs, so let’s hope that Montreal’s goaltending and special team units can win the game for us.

Then, and only then, would we be able to accurately gauge the success or faiulure of Dr. Gainey’s off-season science experiment.

So let’s hold off for another week, during which the Canadiens are at home to the Flames and then travel to Phoenix and Nashville.

Factoring in an 8 p.m. start in the home of country music, the Canadiens will have completed 20 games by next Saturday at 10:30.

Then, at 10:31, we can start panicking.

The Canadiens are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They are three points ahead of Atlanta, which has four games in hand.

The Canadiens began the night a point ahead of Tampa Bay. By virtue of their win, the Lightning vaulted into seventh place.

If the playoffs began now, Tampa Bay and the Islanders would be in, the Canadiens and Boston out.

But it’s too early to panic, right?

Right.

But here’s a preview of the 20-game assessment:

The Canadiens are not an elite team. They’re in the Parity Division – 20 NHL teams of approximately equal strength (or, more accurately, weakness) who are among neither the NHL’s Top 5 nor its Bottom 5.

The Canadiens will be in an 82-game marathon battle to win a playoff spot, and the key to their season will be staying within reasonable distance of eighth-place until Andrei Markov comes back.

it won’t be easy.

The team’s two best defencemen, Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek, are logging way too many minutes. Josh Gorges and Paul Mara are playing their hearts out; but with Hal Gill and Ryan O’Byrne out, there’s no depth on defence.

Goaltending?

Allan Walsh, Jaro Halak’s agent, posted this to Twitter last night:

Interesting stat of the night….Price is 10W, 32L in last 42 starts. Hmm.

Not nice. In susbequent Tweets, Walsh claimed to be joking.

Hmmmmmm.

I thought the Boston game would set Carey Price up for a string of Ws, particularly with Tampa Bay as the next opponent. The Franchise wasn’t terrible against the Lightning, but he wasn’t great, either.

That rebound Alex Tanguay – ALEX TANGUAY, fer crissakes! – batted in should have been steered toward the corner. Too often, Price lets pucks bounce off him into the danger zones directly in front of the net.

The third goal – a momentum-killing building-silencer that came after extended Canadiens’ pressure – was such a complete cluster#$%^ it’s hard to gauge whether Price should have stopped it. Josh Gorges was backing in on him, the puck was sliding around … a total mess.

But because Jacques Martin understands hockey a bit better than I, he was able to assign blame for that backbreaking goal. Max Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse were soft in the offensive zone, which created a turnover, and they were late coming back on TB’s odd-man rush.

Max and Gui! were benched for the third period. Latendresse’s ToI, 5:28 for the game, may have been his career low (in the spirit of the big guy, I’m too lazy to check).

On the way out of the Bell Centre, I saw a player who’d be able to contribute a lot more than five minutes and change of horsespit hockey.

Sergei Kostitsyn. Still with the Bulldogs (who were in the pressbox last night), while Gui! and Max have three goals between them and are doing SFA in Montreal.

So Martin shook up his second line … again. Tomas Plekanec centred Andrei Kostitsyn and Ryan White. They brought energy and, in White’s case, some jam and work ethic. But each had only one shot on goal. That’s not going to do it, with Pleks skating miles and making plays for them.

The Canadiens are a one-line hockey team. Scott Gomez had eight shots on goal, Brian Gionta six and Mike Cammalleri three.

They never stop skating and they work hard on every shift. Gionta is particularly industrious – perhaps inspired, in this game, by playing against Martin St. Louis, who might be the best two-way player in the league.

The Canadiens had 37 shots, TB blocked 20 and another 18 were misses.

Very impressive, but I lost count of the shots Antero Niittymaki was able to block with his chest protector. The Canadiens make opposing goaltenders look like a succession of Vladislav Tretiaks because everything is stoppable.

Here’s the indicator: for all those shots and blocks and misses, TB took one minor penalty. Shouldn’t that much offence be producing more fouls committed by desperate defenders?

The Canadiens don’t exert enough sustained pressure to induce desperation. Even with 15 shots in the second period and another 15 in the third, TB had the situation sufficiently under control to avoid a parade to the box.

The Canadiens get few second chances, few wide-open looks from the slot, few blasts getting through from the point. And no one – except the 3Ms, none of whom is named Mahovlich – crashes the net.

Isn’t this what Gui! is supposed to do? Isn’t he supposed to park his big butt in the goaltender’s face and become the Canadiens’ answer to Tomas Holmstrom?

Instead, Gui! is the answer to Inge Hammerstrom … and the question we ought to be asking is: How many chances for this big slug?

As Arpon Basu points out in his Daily Hab-it blog, Gui! has had one hit in each of his last three games. Brian Gionta had four hits against the Lightning.

Gionta is seven inches shorter and 55 pounds lighter than Latendresse. But he’s plus-2 where it counts.

Gionta is the kind of player opponents hate playing against. Like St. Louis, he brings it every shift and plays to the whistle.

So do Gionta’s linemates, Gomez and Cammalleri. And Plekanec.

That’s four players who merit attention. Shut ‘em down – as coaches can, with last change on the road – and it becomes very difficult for the Canadiens to score goals and win games.

The Canadiens have 16 points after 17 games. They’re bubbling below .500.

Bear in mind they ended last season with 93 points … and barely made the playoffs.

Their current pace will produce a 77-point season.

Can you say “lottery pick”?

But no panic until the siren sounds in Nashville.

Have the Canadiens ever made a better sixth-round draft choice?

Andrei Markov was spectacular last night: 29:21 of ice time, including 11:22 on the power play.

Five shots on goal, plus three that went wide and six that were blocked.

He was on the ice for four goals – including both of Tampa Bay’s, but it was that kind of crazy game.

Markov was part of a defensive effort that held Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis to one shot each.

He is the Canadiens best and most valuable player, the steadiest and starriest member of what is otherwise a mediocre defence corps.

If it weren’t for Andrei Markov, your Montreal Canadiens might be in the John Tavares Derby with the Lightning and a few other bottom-dwellers.

Instead, they’re in eighth place after a W that should have been a lot easier.

I hadn’t watched a hockey game from the Bell Centre pressbox until Habs Inside/Out was launched in October, 2006. At my first game and for every one since, I’ve been at Seat 39, overlooking the blueline the Canadiens defend for two periods.

I like it there, as opposed to the centre-ice Gazette positions occupied by Red Fisher and Pat Hickey, because I love watching defencemen.

I think Bobby Orr was the best player ever, a master of hockey’s most difficult position. Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Guy Lapointe, Rod Langway and Chris Chelios number among my all-time favourite Canadiens.

Markov doesn’t hit like Robinson. He’s not a brutal ass-kicker like Chelios.

But he’s a superb skater and passer – a converted centre back in Russia – with superb vision and highly refined offensive skills.

And unlike too many of his confrères, Markov never panics, no matter what the game situation.

The fact that Markov is eight points clear of Alex Kovalev on top of the team scoring list says a lot about what kind of season the Canadiens have had. The only other defenceman leading his team in scoring is Mark Streit.

(Let’s pause now to contemplate what might have been if Bob Gainey offered Streit a lousy $2.8 million in late 2007.)

The only D-man in the league with more points than Markov is Mike Green. The Capitals’ young star is also plus-24, while Markov is minus-1.

But again, it’s been that kind of season.

In his postgame remarks, Bob Gainey called Markov an "elite player" – neglecting to add "the only one we’ve got … for now."

Mr. Elite is the highest paid Canadien at $5.75 million (Wade Redden is making $8 million this season) and is signed through 2010-’11. He’ll still be around as Carey Price blossoms and the young defence studs – Ryan McDonagh, P.K. Subban, Yannick Weber – start arriving.

Crucially, Markov will be around next season, when we should all hope and pray the Canadiens can lure Alexei Yemelin out of Russia.

OK, have I raved on enough about number 79?

There were a few other guys on the ice last night, and they all played splendidly.

The ridiculous final minutes notwithstanding – and what a crusher a regulation L would have been – the Canadiens annihilated Tampa Bay.

Through two periods, the Lightning had eight shots. Their 19 were the fewest the Canadiens have allowed this season.

At the other end of the ice, Karri Ramo was facing a barrage that included 36 shots on goal, 20 that missed the net and 34 blocks by his TB teammates.

That is 90 chances – most dominant offensive-zone puck possession the Canadiens have enjoyed this season.

Saku Koivu’s dramatic OT goal gave the Canadiens momentum heading into what will be a tough game against Buffalo tomorrow night and a tougher one when the young, scary Blackhawks are at the Bell Centre on Tuesday.

The Canadiens aren’t out of the woods, but there’s a glimmer of light in the distance.

The team finally has a number one line – and you wonder what might have been had Guy Carbonneau put Koivu and the two Alexes together in October. Watching Alex Tanguay make passes is almost worth the price of admission.

Lines centred by Glen Metropolit (who can skate and has been a pleasant surprise) and Energizer Bunny Maxim Lapierre did a superb job on Lecavalier.

Guillaume Latendresse, who’s terrific with Lapierre and Tom Kostopoulos, channelled Andrei Kostitsyn (out with the flu) and turned on afterburners we didn’t know he had to score on a spectacular wraparound. No less spectacular was Gui!’s check on behemoth Evgeni Artyukhin, who had 10 HITS for TB.

Christopher Higgins continues to shine as a defensive forward and penalty-killer.

The PP scored only once but displayed great passing and puck control. Tampa Bay took nine penalties to two for the Canadiens – a good indicator of how the game went. Mathieu Schneider played too many minutes, 21:36, for a geezer; but half was on the power play, where he’s less ikely to have an on-ice coronary.

The Canadiens looked like a playoff team and the Lightning looked like what they are, a woeful franchise with sketchy ownership and a superstar whom more and more people are expecting to see traded before the draft.

Bring on the Sabres for another must-win.

Total domination.

A 2-0 lead squandered.

OT.

Captain wins it on the Canadiens’ 36th shot. 

Total domination for 20 minutes. Canadiens outshot the Lightning 20-7, the home team went sonething like 15 minutes without a shot, Carey Price stopped Mark Recchi’s penalty shot.

If you’re a Cup-half-empty pessimist, you focus on the latter 40 minutes of the game.

Your Montreal Canadiens blew the lead, surrendered five unanaswered goals and failed to compete against a team that began the game 18 points behind them in the Eastern Conference standings.

Within the space of eight days, the Canadiens have lost to two non-playoff teams. The team with centennial Cup aspirations is in fifth place, one point ahead of Philadelphia.

Will the Canadiens be filling the Stanley Cup with champagne in June?

Hey, anything is possible.

Probable?

No.

The Canadiens are not going to catch Boston. So we have to start thinking about playoff seeding.

It would be really good to finish in the top five, because starting on the road against the Bruins, Capitals or Devils could mean the Canadiens getting out the clubs before golf courses open in Montreal.

If the playoffs were to begin today, Canadiens’ first-round opponent would be the Rangers. That’s a winnable series, pending whatever moves Glen Sather makes to bolster his club between now and the March 4 trade deadline.

Will Bob Gainey do something to strengthen the Canadiens?

He’d better.

Unless Ryan O’Byrne gets his act together – and O’B wasn’t the worst defenceman in a white jersey through his 12:38 of playing time last night – the team needs help on D.

Josh Gorges was minus-1 last night. He was even against NJ but minus-3 in Atlanta. My man, who led the team at plus-18 a couple weeks ago, may be wearing down. Did you see that hit Evgeny Artyukhin laid on Gorges during the third period last night?

(One of eight checks by the big galoot who put Alex Tanguay on the DL.)

Gorges’ defence partner was minus-2. Hamrlik was minus-1 in New Jersey, minus-2 in Atlanta.

As Michel Bergeron noted during a very lively edition of  L’Antichambre on RDS last night, Hamrlik is a $5.5 million defenceman who isn’t moving the puck and isn’t hitting anyone.

The Canadiens have one reliable defence pairing. Carbo said Patrice Brisebois will be back in the lineup tomorrow night against Florida. It will be interesting to see who sits.

Playing behind what has become a suspect D, Carey Price was not at his best last night. At his height, Price probably should have prevented Vincent Lecavalier from roofing the short-side goal that gave TB the lead.

But although he was beaten four times in New Jersey and five last night, let’s be fair to The Franchise. Price was out a long time, and he might have been feeling the after-effects of a frenzied All-Star weekend.

But if the goaltender fails to shine in Sunrise tomorrow night, the Canadiens have a BIG problem.

Their place in the final standings and their success during the postseason rests on the shoulders of a 21-year-old kid who has played 80 NHL games.

I’m a huge Price fan (not least because he has a dry wit and has blossomed into a journalist’s delight). Props to Steve Mason, but the Canadiens still have the league’s premier young goalie.

It’s time, however, for Carey Price to start stealing games.

Maybe the goaltender and beleaguered D will get some help from the forwards.

Maybe.

Once again, Maxim Lapierre, Guillaume Latendresse and Tom Kostopoulos were the Canadiens’ best line last night. I love those guys. Their work ethic should shame some of their more gifted teammates.

But as Bergeron said, a team is in trouble when a fourth line is its best, as the Max Pack has been for a month. He thinks D’Agostini should take Kostopoulos’s place to give the line some scoring punch.

Another possibility is Max Pacioretty on the line, with Gui! playing RW, as he did in junior. Someone else on the telecast suggested Alex Kovalev, who played well last night.

No one nominated Segei Kostitsyn. Another one of my erstwhile favourites, SK74 is odds-on to be in the pressbox tomorrow night while Steve Bégin dresses to give the lineup a bit of grit against the Panthers (Canadiens were out-hit 24-18 last night).

Watching Bégin would inspire Tomas Plekanec, who probably should join Sergei in the pressbox. That’s not going to happen, of course, but Pleks is in a deep funk. He’s not generating any offence, and he plays soft – a playoff-unready lacune attributable to several Canadiens forwards, who are softer than a sneaker full of wet cow flop.

Thinking about impending RFA status? Could be, but Plekanec should start playing like he deserves a new contract.

And you could say the same of Christopher Higgins. But to be fair again, Higgins missed alot of games – and he was good in the first period last night, as was Saku Koivu.

Many of the Canadiens played a great 20 minutes – with the notable exception of the Robert Lang line, which sucked for 60.

The Lightning were led to victory by their star players, Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.

The guys who are supposed to be the Canadiens’ best – hello AK46! – are letting the team down.

I’m a card-carrying Cup-half-empty guy.

After a homestand that includes games against Boston and Pittsburgh – and opens with L.A., who are no longer a gimme – the Canadiens have a very tough schedule in February. The western road – Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver – could be a killer, and it’s followed by games in Washngton and Pittsburgh.

The real hockey season started last night.

It started badly for your Montreal Canadiens, who are in danger of going 0-for-Florida.

 We’re going to find out what this team is made of. Let’s hope it’s not the aforementioned bovine excrement.

Mike Smith held Tampa bay in the game during a 20-shot first-period barrage.

Then the team that wanted it more took over.