He’s 37 today.

I don’t know what Jaro, one of the team’s media-friendly good guys, has planned by way of celebration.

But tomorrow night the Leafs will give him the bumps.

Because Hal Gill was out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury to that long upper-body, Spatcho played 20:38 against the Islanders. He was teamed with P.K. Subban and was on the ice for only one New York goal, Michael Grabner’s first, erasing a 2-1 Canadiens’ lead.

When Jacques Martin spoke about the Gill absence putting a strain on his older Dmen, he included Spacek. But Roman Hamrlik played 27:07 and was on for two Islanders goals, finishing the game at minus-1.

New York cycled effectively, spreading out the Canadiens’ defence and working the puck back to the point, maintaining possession for long periods and wearing out the Canadiens D, which looked tired in the third period.

P.K. was, as usual, one of the best players on the ice. Yannick Weber played well against a team that was nothing like Boston in terms of physicality. Alexandre Picard had three giveaways (Hamrlik had four), but finished the game at plus-1.

James Wisniewski nearly gave the game away, passing inexplicably to Matt Moulson which resulted in a scoring chance with 41 seconds left.

I’m harping on the D, as usual, because without Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges and, now, Hal Gill, the Canadiens’ blueline has become the team’s area of greatest vulnerability.

After the Beantown Beat-down (love those alliterative phrases), I thought the Canadiens’ greatest need was more size up front to cope with the hulking Bs, Flyers, Rangers and other potential playoff opponents who enjoy significant grit advantages.

It would still be nice to pry David Clarkson out of New Jersey. But if Gill is on the shelf for a while, Pierre Gauthier has to go D hunting again, as he did after Gorges was hurt and the GM acquired James Wisniewski.

Trouble is, the trade deadline is 17 days away. A lot of shoppers have crowded into the Mall, and demand is driving up the price of supply.

There are rumours Brian Burke wants a first-round draft choice, a prospect and a roster player for Tomas Kaberle. That’s ridiculous, but the Toronto GM could probably snag two of those elements from a playoff-bound team that needs help on D.

Chris Phillips? Less expensive, better on the back end than Kaberle. But Bryan Murray’s phone must be ringing off the hook.

The game on Saturday looms large as an indicator of where the Canadiens, losers of three straight for the first time in 2011, are at.

The team has given up 15 goals in the three losses. Three times last night, the Canadiens failed to hold a lead.

They are still comfortably ensconced in sixth place, four points up on the Rangers with a game in hand. But the schedule is about to get scary.

After the Leafs Saturday and Sabres next Tuesday, there’s a western swing to Edmonton, Calgary for the outdoor game and – gulp! – Vancouver.

February ends with home games against Toronto and Carolina.

March starts with three on the road: Atlanta, Florida and Tampa Bay. The Canadiens play 15 games on 30 nights, including two sets of back-to-backs.

If the D is still depleted during March …

Well, it just doesn’t bear thinking about.

So let’s dwell on happier thoughts, like the steady improvement of David Desharnais. His line, with Benoit Pouliot and Ryan White, was the Canadiens’ best last night.

The team is getting ongoing excellence from its young players. That augurs well for a promising future – but how much of it will Pierre Gauthier have to sacrifice to help the present?

•  •  •

The Sporting News has named the 10 greatest NHL teams of all time, selected by a panel of former players, coaches and execs.

Numero Uno: The 1976-’77 edition of your Montreal Canadiens. Guy Lafleur had 56 goals and 136 points, Steve Shutt scored 60, Larry Robinson was plus-120, the team went 60-8-12 and swept the Bs in the Stanley Cup final.

Second best? The 1955-’56 Canadiens, who went 45-15-10, led by Jean Beliveau’s 47 goals, 38 from Maurice Richard and Jacques Plante’s 1.86 GAA in 64 games.

After the 1983-’84 Oilers, the ’81-’82 Islanders, the ’51-’52 and 2001-’02 Wings and 1969-’70 Bruins, the ’64-’65 Canadiens were ranked eighth best of all time. In Sam Pollock’s rookie season as GM, they won a 13th Cup for the franchise … and were led in regular-season scoring by Claude Provost, with 64 points.

The ninth and 10th spots were the 1991-’92 Penguins and ’46-’47 Leafs.

Let the arguments begin …

•  •  •

Guest Comment from Displaced:

When the Flyers traded for Pronger, I thought, they
WAY paid overpaid for an older defenseman with rapidly diminishing
skills…  I was wrong.  But I missed the big picture.  They have a
singular goal – win the Cup.  Not “make the playoffs”.  Not “be
competitive”.  Not “make money”.  Win the Cup.  They spun their wheels
early last season and brought in Laviolette, a coach with a Cup winning
pedigree.

What is our goal?  Seriously…

BG
and PG have had success (hell, lots more than most) but they seem to be
making the safe moves rather than going for it.  And our team seems to
be inheriting that conservative trait.  Let’s review our recent major
moves:

- Our major acquisition for last year’s
playoffs was Moore.  Nice pick up.  Cost us a second rounder.  He
certainly contributed to our unexpectedly good playoff success.  But is
that a Cup win move?  No. 

- We lose Markov and
Gorges and replace them with Wiz.  Again, nice pick up.  Moderate
cost.  Is that a move that will win the Cup? 

-
Two years ago, we added Cammi, Gio, Gomez, some older D, and bring in
JM to coach.  Are Cammi and Gio really first line forwards on a Cup
winner?  Probably not.  Gomez top line on a Cup winner – sort of.  He
was a rookie when the Devils won their second and scored 55
regular-season points on their most recent Cup winner.  Again, nice
additions and perhaps the best players available that offseason.  Not
really Cup winning stuff.  

- JM is the Volvo of
NHL coaches.  Nice guy.  Safe pick.  Long tenure.  Lots of wins.  Good
organizational guy.  Never won a Cup.  Hell, he had to buy tickets to
get into the Cup game.  He has  the second most regular seasons wins
without a Cup appearance.  Second to Ron Wilson… ouch. 

Safe
is becoming our trademark.  I’d be more optimistic that there’s a Cup
in our future if we rolled the dice, swung for the fences, or reached
for the brass ring.  If this team isn’t going to win it all, break it
up.  If it has a shot, make the big moves.  Until we start taking
chances are theme song as fans might be Stuck in the Middle with You. 

The new system of fanvoting deprived the best player on the ice of a star.

Michael Grabner, a former Vancouvewr first-round draft choice whom the Islanders claimed off waivers from Florida, scored twice and spent the night in Alex Auld’s kitchen, untroubled by an proximate red jerseys.

But the native of Villach, Austria, got jobbed as the homer fans voted stars to Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty.

They both played well.

An indicator of Pleks’s all-around value (no news there!) was the 26 faceoffs he had to take. He topped Canadiens forward with 22:31 minutes of ToI and scored the goal that gave the Canadiens the last of the three leads they relinquished.

Pacioretty, who hasn’t played a bad game since his call-up, continued to shine: A lovely one-timer goal, SEVEN shots on goal, three hits.

Hometown star selectors might also have considered any member of the Canadiens’ best line: 

Centring Benoit Pouliot and Ryan White, David Desharnais, who had trouble on draws when he first came up from Hamilton, won 10 of 14, set up Pacioretty’s goal and played 22 shifts.

Scott Gomez played 23 shifts. He was better than he was in Boston – how could he be worse? – but Gomez continues to make bizzare plays that befuddle his easily-confused linemates, Lars Eller and Andrei Kostitsyn. They were all minuses, for the second straight night.

When asked whether his team had experienced an emotional letdown after that wild game in Boston, Jacques Martin conceded that possibility but pinpointed wear and tear on his aging defencemen as a more pressing issue in letting the lowly Islanders erase three leads en route to winning the game in a Shootout.

An injury to Hal Gill meant Jaro Spacek (teamed with P.K. Subban) and Roman Hamrlik had to play brutal minutes: 27:07, in the case of Hamrlik. That’s a lot for an old geezer in the second game of a back-to-back – the third such set in 10 days.

The Canadiens have Friday off and then try to break their three-game losing streak against the Leafs – another team, like the Islanders, playing with no pressure.

More in the morning.

But still.

The Islanders, for pity’s sake.

Gionta: Save

Schremp: Save

Max-Pac: High and wide

Nielsen: Save

Plekanec: Wide

Parenteau: Wide

Pouliot: Save

Okposo: Goal!

•  •  •

My technical screw-up made second-period blogging disappear.

it’s up now.

Sorry.

“Lamentable” “Inacceptable” “Épouvantable”

OK, the last one is a bit tricky. Épouvantable translates as “frightful, dreadful, shocking, horrible, appalling”.

I hope the Antichambre guys have saved some good adjectives for tomorrow night, when the Canadiens visit Washington. It will be the teams’ first meeting since the Capitals were knocked out of the playoffs in April.

Think the Caps will be hungry?

Think Bruce Boudreau may drop an f-bomb or two in his pre-game pep talk?

Think Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich may be scarier scorers than Blake Comeau, Michael Grabner, P.A. Parenteau and James Wisniewski?

Be afraid, peeps.

Be very afraid.

And be certain there will be lineup changes, because the team is in trouble.

The Canadiens are 0-10 when trailing after the first period and 0-13 when facing a deficit after 40 minutes.

Only Minnesota matches the Canadiens’ 0-for futility.

These are not the Comeback Kids, and you don’t need a French-English dictionary to know that translates to enormous pressure on Carey Price.

If the goaltender isn’t great, if there are breakdowns on D or a couple deflections beat Price early, the Canadiens lose.

Think Washington will get some first-period bounces?

Because the Habs Inside/Out server performed worse than Alexandre Picard last night, I had a chance to suck a beer and watch L’Antichambre from beginning to end. The panelists – my man Frnçois Gagnon, Michel Bergeron, Tony Marinaro and Gaston Therrien – made some interesting points:

• Citing his own coaching experience, Bergeron wondered how a team trailing 4-0 in a hockey game can play with so little emotion. Maybe it’s because no one ever called Jacques Martin Le Grand Tigre. Nor do the Canadiens have a Dale Hunter to take someone’s head off and spark a rally. Max Pacioretty may turn into a power forward, but he’s no Hunter … or even a Patrick Kaleta.

• Gagnon tallied SoG, blocks and misses to point out the Canadiens had 73 to 43 for the Islanders. But the team had poor execution, no finish and the snipers blew chances.

• Puck possession and speed. This is supposed to be the Canadiens’ game, right? But against Colorado and Detroit, the Canadiens were the slower team and couldn’t complete two straight passes.

• Enough penance already! P.K. Subban has to play. The Canadiens gave Yannick Weber enough rope, and he’s hung himself. You can no longer sit a Top Four defenceman in favour of two guys, Weber and Picard, who would be number six and seven on good hockey teams.

Nor can a player with Subban’s skill set be omotted from a defence corps that includes three guys aged 35+ and an injured Josh Gorges.

• Marinaro says Lars Eller belongs in the AHL, where he can play 20 minutes a game. He’s with the Canadiens, Marinaro asserts, to save face for Pierre Gauthier on the Jaro Halak trade.

I don’t always agree with my friend Tony, who can be a bit bombastic, but he’s got a point. Up till now, I’ve thought they were right in bringing Eller, an abvious talent, along slowly. But on a team that can’t come back and sonsequently shortens its bench when trailing, the kid has two goals, four assists and is average a shade over 10 minutes ToI.

• If the Canadiens are getting nothing from their 12th forward – Hello, Tom yatt! – maybe they should dress and rotate seven D to give the aforementioned geezers and Gorges few minutes.

• Gagnon talked about the puck-support system Jacques Martin has precahed since the beginning of training camp in 2009. When the puck is in the Canadiens’ end, you should be seeing five skaters in close proximity.

This works well for the Detroit Red Wings, who pass like a basketball team and have puck-moving defenceman who make superb first passes.

It would work well for the Canadiens if Andrei Markov (and maybe, eventually, P.K.) were snapping off 40-foot tape-to-tape passes.

Or if Andrei Kostitsyn could backcheck and play transition as well as Pavel Datsyuk.

• The Canadiens are averaging 31.8 SoG per game. They’re allowing 29.8. They protected Carey Price well enough through October to ensure the goaltender got off to a confidence-boosting start.

But again, the system is great for protecting 2-1 leads.

Erasing deficits? Not so great.

The sports phone-ins – including Marinaro’s – will be fun today.

On to Washington.

•  •  •

Guest Comment from Bill:

This is no longer a slumping team, but a team in real trouble. They
get plowed by a team as terrible as the Islanders … and the Islanders
banged up too!

It’s a team characterized by terrible defensive
lapses and absolutely zero finish. The latter has been a problem all
year, as the Habs have had a hell of a time scoring goals. The former
has probably been a problem all year too, but had been masked up to this
point by unusually hot goaltending. With Price slumping – bad numbers
the past eight games – all the team’s warts are showing.

Although I
am not the biggest JM fan – okay, I don’t like his style – I am not
willing to blame him for the nose-dive his team has taken. The Habs have
good playmakers and good finishers on both the top lines, and AK and
Pacorietty provide size in the slot. Goals should be going in, but they
haven’t been all year … nobody except Plekanec willing to pay the
price? I don’t know.

Maybe it’s just the Markov trickle-down
effect. It actually could be that simple. Only thing I know for sure is
that Martin has proven unable to right the ship, and I’m not expecting
anything more from him. His “system” in Montreal has only ever worked
with lights-out goaltending. If Price can get back on track, he can
carry this team again. If not … the rest of the season is going to be
uglier and hairier than half-price night at a Peruvian bordello.

Especially after holiday weekends.

Particularly after the Canadiens lose … badly.

• Habs self-destruct

• Pacioretty remorseful

• About last night …

• Pierre Ladouceur’s analysis

Your Montreal Canadiens sucked.

To launch a killer stretch of four games in six days, the team was thoroughly beaten by a no-hope team that has 18 fewer points than the Northeast Division “leaders”.

Here’s the stat that says it all.

Blocking shots is dirty and dangerous work. Like taking a hit to make a pass, blocking a shot shots is a leading indicator of the will to sacrifice your body in order to win

The Islanders had 17 blocked shots by 11 players. John Tavares, Blake Comeau and Frans Nielsen blocked shots.

Seven Canadiens combined for eight blocks. Scott Gomez, Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Maxim Lapierre and Benoit Pouloit combined for ONE BLOCKED SHOT, by the captain.

Lars Eller blocked a shot. The only Canadien who had more than one BS was Max Pacioretty, who had two.

Roman Hamrlik had no blocks … possibly because at his age, if he goes down he might not be able to get back up.

Josh Gorges: none. Hal Gill: none.

Carey Price blocked 21 … but I’ll save comments about the goaltender for About Last Night …

Suffice to say, at this point, we can be thankful the Canadiens haven’t been in a shootout this season, because one-on-one does not seem to be the goaltender’s forte.

But Carey Price didn’t cost them the game.

The Canadiens were awful, and they play in Washington on Tuesday night.

Habs Inside/Out was awful because our server crashed before the third period began.

I’m totally bummed.

More tomorrow.

•  •  •

Schadenfreude Special:

Martin F. Brodeur has been pulled more often than he’s won, six times vs. five.

Video reviews in Toronto missed the angle that showed Josh Gorges fishing out a puck that had crossed the line.

Michael Grabner took advantage of errors in the neutral zone by Brian Gionta and Alexandre Picard to sweep in alone and, of course, beat Carey Price.

Canadiens had a 16-7 shot advantage in the period.

“Moving the puck through the neutral zone,” Halpern added. “Getting it into places where we can go get it. Creating chances.”

Halpern also heaped praise on the team’s top two lines, pointing out that constant pressure by Tomas Plekanec-Mike-Cammalleri-Andrei Kostistyn and Scott Gomez-Brian Gionta-Your Uncle Ken keep opposing teams on their heels, opening the ice for the Canadiens’ creativity.

All the elements were on display in another dominant performance by the Canadiens, who held the Islanders to 23 shots and would have won by four were it not for some hot goaltending by Dwayne Roloson and a couple of tips on long Islander drives.

The coach urged caution.

“We haven’t achieved anything,” Martin said. “Every night is a battle. Every night we have to be at our best.

“We haven’t won anything.”

Technically, that’s true. Nine games do not a season make.

But the Canadiens are fast out of the gate (and I use the metaphor advisedly) and they’re winning raves from fans who didn’t really know what to expect this season.

What can we conclude, with 1/9 of the schedule in the books and the team sitting at 6-2-1?

Speed kills. Pierre Gauthier alluded to it at training camp, describing the team Bob Gainey and he have crafted as fast and highly-skilled.

And that was before the amazing P.K. Subban emerged as a Human Highlight Reel. P.K. has the legs that let him recover from his rookie mistakes, as he did several times against the Islanders.

This is the best-looking young player the Canadiens have had in a long, long time.

The only question is whether Jacques Martin can watch P.K. through 82 games without a cardiologist and a crash cart behind the bench.

There hasn’t been a crowd-pleaser like Subban since Alex Kovalev was in his glory. And with P.K., the best is yet to come.

We may still pine for a centre with size, but Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez are probably the fastest one-two tandem in the league. Coming out of transition, they are instantly in top gear and scaring the bejeezus out of opposing Dmen.

In the case of Plekanec, his speed and creativity are being complemented by a linemate who is on fire, AK46, and a scorer who is becoming a very slick passer.

Cammalleri had one shot on goal, but he was getting creative touches on every O-zone sequence the line played … and there were many of them.

Gomez fed his pal Gionta for four SoG. The captain also had four against Phoenix. Gionta is working hard, as usual, and you have to believe the goals will come.

G&G need a complementary left-winger. I think it should be Benoit Pouliot, but I suspect Martin likes the grit Moen (2/3 of a Gordie Howe hat trick) brings to the line, and the team is winning so there’s no urgency to the LW hunt.

There are more speed merchants on the third and fourth lines. Max Lapierre and Tom Pyatt can fly, which helps their lines perform yeoman gars-de-soutien duty, forechecking, keeping the puck in the O-zone and thereby diminishing pressure on Carey Price.

In making his ninth straight start, the goaltender matched his longest run last season. Between a Nov. 12 game at Phoenix and his Dec. 1 start against the Leafs at the Bell Centre, Price went 4-3-2, a streak that included two Shootout losses and a SO win.

Everyone knows it was imperative for Price to get a good start this season. Mission accomplished, largely on the strength of team defensive play that has kept the shots down: 21 by the Islanders, following 29 by Phoenix, 19 twice by Ottawa, 23 by Buffalo, 24 by Toronto and 20 by New Jersey.

The key is puck management. 

As has been the case in all their wins, the Canadiens are making high-percentage passes, p[atiently and intelligently moving the biscuit out of their own end and through the neutral zone.

A blind person could tell the Canadiens were playing well against the Islanders: when the home team had the puck, it was click-click-click, a succession of tape-to-tape completed passes.

Unlike some of the teams we’ve watched in recent seasons, this edition plays consistently smart hockey.

Of course there will be errors.

It’s a game played on ice, and the schedule is devoid of weak sisters. When you play against Kyle Turris and John Tavares, there will be lapses.

But the goofs are few and far between.

The season to date has been mercifully free of WTF Moments, those brain-dead plays that kill momentum, take the crowd out of the game and ensure a steady stream of former Canadiens coaches warming the chairs on L’Antichambre.

The Canadiens are playing Jacques Martin hockey: puck support, defensive responsibility, nothing risky.

But contrary to Martin’s rep, this style is fun to watch … if you understand hockey and appreciate watching it played intelligently.

The scoresheet included goals by Princeton grad Halpern and McGill alumnus Mathieu Darche.

Score one for cerebral hockey … with more to come.

* League leaders: Carey Price with six wins, Mike Cammalleri at plus-9

• Why he should be a centre: Lars Eller, who continues to shine in measured playing time, won 6 of 9 faceoffs

• Alliterative names: Islanders must lead the league – Mike Mottau, Matt Martin, Matt Moulson

The fans are getting spoiled

Preserve a one-goal lead for two minutes against the sixth-worst team in the NHL and the Canadiens would have punched their ticket to the dance.

Didn’t happen.

The Canadiens blew 2-1 and 3-2 leads.

Jaro Halak faced 42 shots.

Andrei Kostitsyn took a penalty in OT.

And first up in the shootout was Maxim Lapierre, followed by snakebit Mike Cammalleri.

Is there anything more tear-out-your-hair maddening in sports than being a Montreal Canadiens fan?

I haven’t been teased like this since Grade 11.

I’m watching Michel Bergeron on l’Antichambre, where he’s ragging on the goal-scorers who are missing in action.

Mike Cammalleri has been blanked in the 10 games since he returned from his knee injury.

Scott Gomez hasn’t scored in 12 games.

Benoit Pouliot has one goal in a dozen games.

But the problem is more profound and troubling than anemic offence.

The team lacks killer instinct.

It’s one thing to blow a 2-0 lead late against Buffalo. The Sabres are an elite team.

But the New York Islanders?

With a defence consisting of Mark Streit and five guys you’ve never heard of … including Mark Flood, whom the Canadiens drafted out of Peterborough in the sixth round, 188th overall, seven years ago?

For the first period and the latter part of the third, it was hard to tell which team was heading for the playoffs and which for a lottery draft pick.

In addition to their 42 shots, the Islanders missed the net 13 times and had 26 blocked. Corresponding numbers for the Canadiens were 31, seven and 14.

That’s 81-52, and it corresponds roughly to the NFL’s time of possession stat as an indicator of dominance.

Brutal.

Yes, the Islanders have been giant-killers. Playing with no pressure, they had knocked off Ottawa and Calgary. 

Credit the Canadiens with bouncing back from a dismal first period to seize momentum and take the lead. Huge goals by Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta, who have been clutch all season. And a brilliant individual effort by Max, recently paroled from the pressbox.

With the Rangers getting pasted in Buffalo, all the Canadiens had to do was preserve their lead and, woo hoo!, they’re in.

Didn’t happen.

Maybe Jacques Martin should have called timeout with five minutes left and invoted Alec Baldwin to address the troops.

Remember Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross, invoking the salesman’s creed:

“ABC. Always Be Closing.”

The Canadiens couldn’t close. And now they go to Carolina and return hom for a game against the Leafs that they may still need for either the postseason or a favourable seeding.

Positivity?

• The third and fourth lines gave everything they’ve got. They always do.

• The power play had some decent puck control. But everything happens on the right side, to the too-frequent exclusion of Markov.

• The PK – especially the oft-maligned Hal Gill – was heroic in OT.

• Ryan O’Byrne had 10 hits and blocked six shots, leading both teams in both categories. O’B outplayed his Norrisworthy partner. Along with Josh Gorges, he forms the B.C.-born heart of the Canadiens’ D.

• Jaro Halak made some brilliant saves, notably a robbery of John Tavares. 

Was the third Islanders’ goal stoppable? Was Jaro brutal in the shootout?

Will we see Carey Price in Carolina?

Yes, yes and no.

But no matter who’s in nets, the Canadiens will have a tough time with the Hurricanes – and, God save us, the Leafs – if the top two lines continue to spin their wheels.

Barring a total, pointless collapse and a miracle Rangers revival, the Canadiens will be playing hockey next week.

But if they play with the phlegmatic lack of intensity we saw on the Island, it will be another very quick exit, regardless of first-round opponent.

Such a frustrating team.

Then 1:49 of PK in overtime.

And a shootout loss.

Moulson: Goal

Max: Save

Nielsen: Goal

Cammalleri: Post

Over

Most Valuable Canadien … and the C on the jersey is next.

The two goals were nice.

They put an exclamation mark on Andrei Markov’s return to the lineup.

Michel Bergeron says Markov is worth a two goal swing: one more goal per game for the Canadiens, one fewer against.

What’s important, though – and what I hope we’ll see through the balance of this road trip – is the ripple effect of having the team’s best player back in the lineup.

Markov makes the D better.

Markov is the ideal partner for Jaro Spacek.

Markov’s minutes – 20:25 on Long Island, and it will be 25 in Atlanta – mean that Ryan O’Byrne plays 12:11. It means Marc-André Bergeron is a fourth-line forward and PP specialist.

It means 23 minutes for a solid, stay-at-home pairing: the Of Mice and Men duo of Josh Gorges and Hal Gill.

And the D will be more solid still when Roman Hamrlik returns.

The game reinforced the Martin Mantra: Special teams and goaltending make the difference.

All three Canadiens goial were scored on the power play.

The penalty kill was perfect through six shorthanded situations, including three penalties to ace PK guy Tomas Plekanec.

And the goaltending …

Jaro Halk thinks he’s a number 1 goalie.

So does his agent.

It’s easy to talk. But Jaro walks the walk – and he does so at the most opportune times.

The Canadiens were flundering last season when Halak won four straight starts in February – facing an average in excess of 40 shots.

Halak earned his shutout by stopping 40 shots. The Islanders are not the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Halak made many spectacular stops – notably against Matt Moulson – at critical times.

Halak will start in Atlanta on Monday. And if he beats the Thrashers …

Maybe Bob Gainey shouldn’t be in such a rush to trade this guy.

The gang on L’Antichambre stalked a lot about the importance of playing .500 hockey. The consensus was it’s crucial to be at that level after the game against the Panthers on Dec. 31.

That should keep the Canadiens in the thick of a crazy race, where five points separate eighth place from 14th.

But .500 might not be enough to make the playoffs. CKAC’s Michel Langevin calculates it will take at least 93 points.

The Canadiens have 35 points after 37 games. They would need 58 in their final 45 games to hit that projected cutoff point.

Not easy. 

But with Markov back six weks earleir than anyone had hoped, not impossible.

The next return to the lineup I’m looking forward to is Brian Gionta’s. It will be timely ebcause we’re starting to see the best of Scott Gomez.

It’s hard not to think of that ridiculous contract. But this grossly overpaid guy can play hockey.

A graduate of Lou U and the New Jersey system, Gomez is one of the team’s most conscientious and effective  D-zone forwards. He is excellent on the PK and good on the second wave of the PP.

Gomez is one of the few Canadiens who can consistently carry the puck into the offensive zone. He has excellent vision and makes great passes.

The problem is his wingers can’t ascore. And that should change when Gionta returns. Those two with Sergei Kostitsyn or Benoit Pouliot could finally give this team a viable second scoring line to complement Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri (blanked on the road … again) and Andrei Kostitsyn.

The third line had a good night. Glen Metropolit played a smart, aggressive game and got a goal off Gomez’s perfect feed. That’s four on the power play for a guy whom no one saw as a PP player. Travis Moen was what he’s been all year: a hard-working, dependable winger. Max-Pac had three shots on goal, but I’m starting to wonder whether this first-round pick – for whom the Canadiens passed on David Perron – will ever get 20 in the NHL.

Maxim Lapierre was pressed into PK service while Pleks was in the box and played well. But he continues to do nothing 5-on-5. BGL played 6:25 and contributed a stern lecture to Islanders’ behemoth Andy Sutton – who, it must be said, was less feisty thereafter.

And with a W within their grasp, the Canadiens played a nice shutdown third period.

In addition to 40 SoG, the Canadiens blocked 24 (five by Gill, four by Gorges) and there were 11 misses. That’s 75 shot opportunities – for the New York Islanders.

It won’t do to give Ilya Kovalchuk that many chances.

Granted, the Islanders are a bad team and they were playing their second game in as many nights.

But still …

This was total domination. And it owed a lot to the coach’s tinkering.

Martin shuffled three of his lines. And it workjed.

He started Jaro Halak. And it worked.

Once again, his system kept an opponent to fewer than 25 shots on goal.

But Martin graciously shifted credit to his players … and one in particular: Glen Metropolit.

The well-traveled veteran was great at everything he was asked to do. Metropolit had two assists and went 5-2 on faceoffs. He was excellent on the PP and the PK.

The Canadiens are his seventh NHL team. Metropolit also has played in Finland and Switzerland. Jacques Martin saw him play in Europe and liked what he saw.

Montrealers saw Metropolit for 21 games last season. He was one of the very few who did not suck against Boston in the playoffs.

You have to love a hard-working overachiever with an interesting back story. Metropolit grew up in the tough Regent Park area of Toronto. His brother is in prison.

And he’s in Montreal, playing his heart out on every shift and centring a third line that looked like it might be together for a while. Metropolit’s savvy and the grittiness of Travis Moen just might be the combination Max Pacioretty needs to get going.

Max-Pac, who hadn’t scored since January and had bounced from the first line down to the fourth in early-season configurations, got a goal on five shots and used his speed to great advantage. By playing with Moen (how come the Gainey-bashers don’t whine about THAT signing), Max-Pac will learn how to use his size to advantage.

The kid NHL speed and he can score. If Max-Pac’s game comes together, we’re in for a treat … and Gu! might be on the fourth line for a while. 

I thought all four centres played really well. You expect it from Gomez – another huge night for the big line – and Plekanec, who had two assists and helped set up new winger Maxim Lapierre’s first of the season.

But the play of Metropolit and, to a lesser but not insignificant degree, Kyle Chipchura, gave the Canadiens balance they’re going to need on nights when the big lien is stifled.

(And Chipchura won another fight. Who needs BGL?)

Almost lost in a 5-1 laugher – the Canadiens’ first regulation-time win in 16 games, stretching back to last season – was the excellence of the defence corps.

Marc-André Bergeron deserved a star for a spectacular PP goal that was one of the lasers he’s reputed for. And his good quotes in the room delighted the long-suffering francophone media. He’s going to be a Bell Centre favourite.

But the real heroes on D were Roman Hamrlik, Jaro Spacek, Josh Gorges and Paul Mara. Great positional play, superb offensive support, control of the corners and good housekeeping in the slot: all the key elements of the new system were there last night.  Hal Gill’s wingspan helped on the PK, and he actually belted someone along the boards, kinda like that future captain used to do before he went off to Toronto to inhale donket flatulence.

The D corps is slowly but surely recovering from the loss of Andrei Markov and learning a Jacques Martin-Perry Pearn system that minimizes opponents’ quality scoring chances. That’s five in a row in which the Canadiens have had the shot advantage, and the nights of 40-shot bombardments seem to be history … at least until they play Washington or Pittsburgh.

Jaro Halak has been very good. But you have to wonder how Carey Price might have fared behind a D that bottled up Atlanta and the Islanders.

Halak’s inept puckhandling led to the Islanders’ goal. He should just never touch the biscuit at all.

Have you heard about this deal that has ran shipping enriched uranium to Rudssia for processing? I wouldn’t want Jaro handling the shipments.

Before we start scouting good seats for the parade, let’s remember the Canadiens haven’t racked up their two Ws against the Penguins and Blackhawks.

But points are points. And one of the marks of a playoff-calibre team is the ability to win consistently against inferior opposition.

The Canadiens have taken six points from the Leafs, Thrashers and Islanders. That is as it should be.

The Rangers will be tougher.

As to which goaltender will be facing that stern test …

There’s the incllnation _ and I think Martin will follow it _ to ride the hot hand and play Halak until he loses.

But sitting The Franchise three in a row?

In his RFA season?

That’s why coaches – and, in this case I’m sure, general managers – get the big bucks.

Jacques Martin – a coach whose every move paid off in the Canadiens’ first rout of the season – wasn’t saying.

“I’ll sleep on it,” Martin said. “And then I’ll have a bright idea.”

When I was a young boy, my grandmother used to take me
downtown to the flagship Eaton’s store at College and Yonge in Toronto.  I would marvel at the number of floors,
the high ceilings, and the vast amounts of marble.  At the end of our visit, she would take me downstairs to the
discount level in the basement where all the ‘real’ people shopped. 

Fast forward to 2009 and you will find
that the New York Islanders are one of the dwellers of  the NHL’s basement brigade.   They have been there for quite a
long time and they don’t appear to be leaving anytime soon. 

• Bob Gainey spent two weeks
this summer trying to retool the Canadiens.  The Islanders have been trying to rebuild their franchise
for 20 years.  In essence, it’s
only truly just begun and there’s a long way to go. This is basically a total
rebuild similar to that of an expansion team.  The Isles GM, Garth Snow, is taking his time and going with
the kids.  He has had a very quiet
summer with the exception of shoring up the goaltending mess.

• it all begins with John
Tavares.  Just 19 years old, he
already wears a variety of hats for the Islanders.  Offensive catalyst, major building block, team saviour, and
the marquee player who will hopefully become the new face of the
franchise.  No need to review his
history as we all witnessed his selection as the 1^st overall pick
this summer.  Some question his
skating, but he is off to a great start after seven games as he has already
accumulated 7 points. To top it off, he scored the SO winner last night for the
Isles first victory of the year.  
A pure sniper with great hands and hockey sense.  His ‘extra year’ in junior and the
Olympic break  should mean that he
will be able to keep pace throughout the long NHL season. 

• He is joined up front by two
other top notch young forwards. 
Kyle Okposo is a budding power forward who displays an array of high end
skills.  Believe it or not, he was
the Islanders top scorer last year with 39 points. And he only played 65 games.  Josh Bailey is the 1^st round
pick that Snow traded down for in the 2008 draft.  He passed on budding star, Nikita Filatov, so Bailey better
come through.  Bailey is a great
playmaker who made the jump straight from junior in his draft year.  He certainly appears to be the real
deal and will be the perfect 2^nd line centre to provide a solid
one-two punch along with Tavares.

• Raise your hand if you have
ever heard of Matt Moulson.  That’s
what I thought – I’ve never heard of him either.  Right now, he’s the player to watch on the Islanders.  He has exploded onto the scene with 5
goals and 3 assists in 7 games. 
Plays on a line with Tavares and Okposo and is making the best of the
opportunity.  Classic late bloomer
at 25, he is an UFA signing from the Kings’ organization.  Moulson had a great career in the NCAA
and has been a solid contributor in the AHL where he amassed 160 point in 180
games (with 36 PP goals).  He has a
decent shot and a nose for the net. 
Wears # 26. 

• Doug Weight, 38, has been brought
back for another year to add some experience and help out the PP.  He should also take some heat off the
young kids as he fulfills the role of mentor.  Weight should also bring another pick or asset to the
organization when he is traded at the deadline.

• There are a few young players
on this team who have been kicking around for awhile and need to take it to the
next level if they are going to make an impact on the organization.  Sean Bergenheim (25), Blake Comeau
(23), Frans Nielsen (25), and Steve Tambellini (25) are all examples of players
who still haven’t reached their potential.  Tambellini is on the clock while Nielson is the guy with the
most upside.  Not a lot of
finishers on this list.

- Trent Hunter is a warrior but
he tends to be injury prone due to the nature of his game.  Too bad, seeing that he is in his prime
and comes in at a low cap hit. 
Richard Park is a reliable jack of all trades who benefits from the fact
that the roster is so thin. Tim Jackman is the enforcer as witnessed by his 19
fighting majors last year.  
Scoring is a major issue in New York as the Isles only netted 198 goals
last year.  That should be good
news for Rob Schremp who is a waiver pick-up from Edmonton. Lots of skill and
potential here but he displays a half miler work ethic and  attitude.  Schremp is the Isles’ version of SK74.

- it’s not pretty on the
back-end and the Islanders will need to bring in more kids as the D lacks skill
and depth.  Radek Martinek is a
decent defenseman but he always seems to struggle with injuries.  He has never played more than 70 games
in a season during the past 6 years. 
Andy Sutton has great size but is hurt even more than Martinek.  Brendan Witt (-9 so far this year) was
horrible last year and may be living on his past reputation He’s lost a step
and costs big coin.  Any of these
guys could go at the deadline.

- Bruno Gervais and Mark Streit
are the bright spots in terms of the future.  No need to review Streit on this site, but Gervais does have
the potential to break through. Unfortunately, he is off to a rough start this
year (no points, -6).  
Smallish Dman, Jack Hillen, is also in the mix..  Calvin De Haan and Aaron Ness are two
undersized, puck moving defensive prospects who bring hope to the Isles.  Both players will need tons of
seasoning.  Corey Trivino hails
from Stouffville and is presently attending college.  He’s a nifty pivot who you will be hearing from in another
few years.

- As we all know, Rick DiPietro
is the newest disaster to weigh down the Isles.  Thank goodness for insurance or this guy would rival Alexei
Yashin (6 more years at a cap hit of $2.7M per year) in terms of drag on the
budget.  Dwayne Roloson (solid in
Edmonton)  and Martin Biron (in
decline?) are his replacements and should also provide good trade bait in the
new year.  Snow also drafted two
top young prospects in the summer, Mikko Koskinen (Finland) and Anders Nilsson
(Sweden).  Both these guys come in
at 6’5″ and reflect the team’s concern over DiPietro’s cloudy future.

Stat Pack – (does not include
the Carolina game) GF: 29^th, GA: 16^th, GD:
-13, GAA: 3.50, PP: 11^th, PK: 13^th, FO:
48%, CS: 16.3M!

 Injury List – DiPietro, Hunter, Nielsen (played against
Carolina)

The Islanders won their first
game of the year last night in a SO against Carolina. The victory put them one
point behind Montreal in the East. 
Roloson was in net and stopped 35 of 38 shots. Puck possession was the
difference in this game which was reflected by the fact that New York had a
44-20 edge in face-off wins. 
Martinek and Streit both logged over 26 minutes each. Montreal plays
them twice in the next five days so four points is a must.  A split won’t be good enough.  It’s time for the forwards and the PP
to start lighting the lamp.

It’s a rousing speech by Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday. But just as I I can’t imagine Bob Gainey running up and down a Manhattan sidewalk bellowing "Attica!", I don’t see him pumping up his team this way on any given Saturday, Tuesday or Thursday.

The Gainey style is quieter, less demonstrative. His approach to coaching, like his approach to life, is cerebral. Cue up the Dalai Lama video.

And with the clock ticking down on a wacky season for your Montreal Canadiens, the Gainey Way seems to be working.

Norman Flynn said something interesting on L’Antichambre:

"There’s not one player on this team who can look Bob Gainey in the eye and say ‘You didn’t give me a chance’."

Gainey fired his friend, Flynn added, because his friend wasn’t getting enough out of the team.

Gainey believes in the players.

And the Canadiens are finally beginning to justify their GM/coach’s faith.

9rFx6OFooCs

Gainey looked his players in the eye. He met one-on-one with each of them and explained what their role would be and what was expected of them.

It took two weeks and wasted most of a long homestand, but the messages seem to have sunk in. There isn’t a player on the roster who’s been worse since Gainey took over behind the bench, and several have been better.

Gainey knows you need experience and veteran leadership at this stage of the season. That’s why, Breezer-bashers notwithstanding, mistake-prone Ryan O’Byrne is in the pressbox, along with Matt D’Agostini.

That’s why the very promising Max Pacioretty is in Hamilton.  

Assessing his talent, Gainey created a top line that is as good as any in the league right now. Fearless prediction: Alex Tanguay wll be signed for next season and beyond. And his linemates are playing like they want to stay in Montreal.

It took 70 games of the season to manifest, but the unsigned Canadiens are finally playing for their future jobs.

Exhibit A: Mike Komisarek – becoming the Komo of old under Gainey.

Exhibit B: Christopher Higgins, brilliant in the role to which his skills are best suited … and watch him revive the Pleks line over the next week.

The acquisition of Mathieu Schneider resuscitated a moribund power play. And it was smart to pick up Glen Metropolit, a feisty and fast-skating centre who’s giving Gainey 10 to 12 qualty minutes on the fourth line and the penalty kill.

One of Gainey’s best moves: bringing versatile, superb skating Mathieu Dandenault in from the cold of Guy Carbonneau’s doghouse. I like Dandy on D … mainly because it keeps Breeze in the pressbox. And it’s not like the PP suffered without ol’ number 71 last night.

Gainey made Carey Price the number one goaltender …. although the coach faces an interesting decision in Toronto. In a crucial game being telecast coast to coast, if Price is ready he’ll get the start.

Now if Gainey can get Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec going and the renaissance will be complete, just in time for the postseason.

Something that’s really impressed me: While the rustiness showed at first, Gainey is displaying the kind of in-game coaching you’d expect from a Scotty Bowman-trained player. The Canadiens lost two starters against Chicago on Tuesday night, and Gainey expertly manipulated his forward lines and defence pairings to ensure no one got tired against a young, fast-skating team

No such legerdemain was required against the AHL Islanders last night.  But when Jeff Tambellini made it 4-1, I liked Gainey coming back with the Energizer Bunny Maxim Lapierre line, buzzing around the New York zone and snuffing out any chance of a momentum shift.

I don’t have a lot to write about last night’s game. A power failure in my neighbourhood prevented me from watching all but a couple minutes of the first period. Juice was restored just in time to watch Mathieu Schneider score what proved to be the winning goal.

I also got to see Georges Laraque do what Gainey signed him to do. BGL also gave his coach 7:12 minutes of solid, penalty-free hockey.

Penalties tell the story. The Canadiens scored three times in eight man-advantage situations. The Islanders, undermanned and outgunned, took a series of minor penalties because they just couldn’t keep up with the high-flying Habs.

The Canadiens took three minors, one of which came with the game no longer in doubt.

The game wasn’t in doubt from the time the puck dropped. The Canadiens easily  beat a team they were supposed to beat. That hasn’t happened often enough this season.

But for all the injuries and adversity, if the Canadiens run the table they can reach 100 points – four fewer than last season.

I’m still not reserving my spot along the parade route, but things are looking up.

Big test at the ACC tomorrow.

Let’s trash downtown Montreal!!

OK, maybe we’ll wait for a while.

But after an easy 5-1 stomping of the Islanders and the Rangers’ 4-2 loss in Carolina, the Canadiens can breathe a little easier.

Until Saturday. 

Gainey sounded saddest when he talked about the Bell Centre crowd’s reaction to the Canadiens’ lacklustre play during the second period.

"I hear the fans a bit," Gainey said. "I think our team is trying."

That’s the disconcerting aspect of last night’s embarrassment.

None of the Canadiens mailed it in last night. They were trying. But they weren’t succeeding against a team that has the inside track in the John Tavares Derby.

And today they have to prepare for a team that, barring a Pollockian trade, will not get a sniff of Tavares.

For my money, the New Jersey Devils are the best hockey team in the Eastern Conference.

The
Canadiens have an appointment with destiny tomorrow at the Bell Centre
– and destiny’s name is Martin F. Brodeur, who comes home with a chance
to tie Patrick Roy’s record for career wins.

New Jersey has beaten the Canadiens three times this season. They’ll be going for the series sweep tomorrow.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Islanders are the worst road team in the league. They have seven wins away from home – three fewer than Ottawa.

Two of the Isalnders’ road wins have come at the Bell Centre.

Brutal.

The best Islander, Trent Hunter, is injured. Defenceman Brendan Witt is minus-21 on the season. Last night’s lineup included two players with fewer than 10 NHL games between them.

Didn’t matter. In his fourth start in The Show, Mike Iggulden scored his first NHL goal. And Joel Rechlicz, playing his third game, pounded out Tom Kostopoulos.

The Islanders dominated the second period, during which the Canadiens had one shot on goal for the first 14 minutes before a flurry got them up to seven.

The Islanders dominated the final minutes of the third period, during which Carey Price had to make a series of miraculous saves to secure a point for his team.

The Islanders dominated OT, during which they spent 26 seconds in the Canadiens zone before promising rookie Kyle Okposo shook off Mathieu Schneider to beat Price with a 10-foot wrister that slid agonizingly slowly across the goal line.

The islanders dominated, and the crowd was not amused.

I’ve often said the Bell Centre is the La Scala of hockey. Just as at the fabled Milan opera house, fans have a sophisticated understanding of what they’re watching. They expect the best – and anything less is greeted with catcalls and worse.

At La Scala, they throw rotten tomatoes at bad tenors.

It hasn’t come to that at the Bell Centre. Maybe the crowd realizes their beloved Canadiens are trying.

last night they were very trying. Consider:

• Trailing 2-1, the Canadiens had a 5-on-3 power play for a full two minutes during the third operiod and managed three harmless shots on Yann Danis.

• Blake Comeau had six of the Islanders’ 32 hits. The Canadiens’ leader, with five of their 22, was non-thumper Mathieu Dandenault.

• Okposo, whose father is a Nigerian who came to the U.S. to earn a PhD, was David Fischer’s teammate season at the University of Minnesota. A year out of college hockey, Okposo had seven shots on Price last night. Mathieu Schneider led the Canadiens with four – all from a distance unlikely to baffle Danis.

• The Long Island boys, Christopher Higgins and Mike Komisarek, had five and four of their shots blocked, respectively.

• Komisarek and Andrei Markov, with four each, commited  eight of the Canadiens’ 15 turnovers.

• Saku Koivu was 9-12 on faceoffs.

• Max Pacioretty took a hooking penalty half a minute into a Canadiens’ power play.

Tomorrow night, we’ll see Zach Parise, who scored his 40th in the Devils’ 5-2 win over Phoenix last night.

Parise was picked 17th in the 2003 draft.

Andrei Kostitsyn, who was picked 10th, did not score his 40th last night. AK46 skated around and around to no great effect, had ZERO shots on goal, one hit  and made a few of the indecisive and ill-advised plays that elicited boos from the crowd.

Given his physical gifts, Andrei Kostitsyn should be an NHL star by now.

He isn’t. 

The Canadiens’ stars are a 34-year-old cancer survivor, a 36-year-old enigma who was home sick last night, a brilliant defenceman who would be top pairing on any team in the league (but, malheureusement, can’t play 60 minutes a game to save the other five shleps on D) and a 21-year-old goaltender who will have to carry this team into the postseason.

Maybe Bell Centre security should start checking for tomatoes.

•  •   •

The Bell Centre cognoscenti did not boo themselves proud by getting on Mark Streit.

As I wrote in my game blog, why don’t those lame-brains boo Adam Smith? Why don’t they boo capitalism?

Late in 2007, the Canadiens offered Mark Streit a contract extension that would pay him about $1.8 million per. That’s triple what he was making last season.

A reasonable raise, right?

Wrong. Risking a career-ending injury that might befall Streit during the second part of the season, his agent told him to wait and see what he might be offered as a UFA on July 1.

Streit’s agent was right.

He signed a five-year deal with the Islanders for $20.5 million – and so far, Streit has earned every penny.

Alex Kovalev missed morning skate because he’s under the weather (which is sunny and cold today in Montreal) and stayed home.

He’s been declared an unhealthy scratch for tonight’s game against the New York Islanders, putting Matt D’Agostini and Max Pacioretty on Tomas Plekanec’s wings.

Carey Price starts in goal. Patrice Brisebois is a healthy scratch, meaning he must wait another game to play his 1,000th in the NHL.

AUDIO: • Gainey English & French  • Higgins  • Pacioretty  • Gorges, on Streit, etc. 

(And thanks to Team 990′s Andie Bennett for Bob en anglais.)