Maple Leafs’ Francois Beauchemin gets bumped by Canadiens’ Andrei Kostitsyn during the first period on Thursday night. Getty Images
Preview | Matchups | Thursday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s Game Blog and About last night … | Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey’s game story
• Audio: Jacques Martin English French | Brian Gionta | Carey Price | Hal Gill | P.K. Subban
• At a Glance: The Canadiens dropped their season opener to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, a 3-2 loss at the Air Canada Centre signed by Leafs goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère.
The Leafs jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the game was nine minutes old on goals by Tim Brent and Phil Kessel.
Dustin Boyd got one back for the Canadiens 12:19 into the period after some good work forechecking by Maxim Lapierre.
After a scoreless second period, Leafs forward Clarke MacArthur made it look easy in the third period, walking around Jaroslav Spacek and firing an accurate backhand past Carey Price 1:36 into the period.
The Canadiens came right back though, with another newcomer, Jeff Halpern, scoring less than a minute later to narrow the Toronto lead to 3-2.
Carey Price, who was questionable for the game with the flu, made 21 saves on 24 shots. Giguère made 26 stops for the Maple Leafs, including several game-savers in the dying seconds.
• Key Moments: Missing Michael Cammalleri and Andrei Markov on the power play, the Canadiens were unable score on three consecutive power plays in the second period and that would come back to haunt them down the stretch.
• What It Means: For now, it means the Maple Leafs are ahead of the Canadiens in the standings. But there are 81 games to go, so it’s still a little early to panic.
• What’s Next: The Canadiens go onto Pittsburgh for Saturday’s game, then return to Montreal to open the home portion of their schedule on Oct. 13 with a visit from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Yes, but not until the new year. I think they’ll use Quick a lot more than people think in the regular season and use a fresh Bernier around the trade deadline and into the playoffs.
Boy o Boy its gonna be a loooong day today…all I can think about is game 1 of 82 tonight! Can’t wait to see our boys beat up on them laughs…GO HABS GO!
He is semi-creepy and 100% future vezina winner.
It’s a good thing they can’t score or they would be scary good.
Also a good thing that Chiarelli has ignored drafting good defensemen for the last 3 years.
If anybody can screw up the talent he has, it’s Chiarelli.
With Caron and Colborne I have no idea why he didn’t trade out of his Seguin pick and take Gormley or Gudbranson around 3,4 or 5
are you assuming bernier takes away the number 1 role away from quick… that guy was lights out last year in the ahl and looked great in the nhl. he’s soo damn fast and has excellent positioning.
They’re worse than us!
HA HA
i know he looked pretty good in pre-season and with a defensive minded coach/ system this could be trouble for years to come with boston. but man i used to think jaro halak looked a little creepy/nerdy… rask looks 20 times creepier lol almost expect him to drive a white van wearing a pin that says” registered” lol
100% serious.
Last year my prediction was Canucks and Flyers.
Year before it was Penguins v. Red Wings
Prior year was Devils v. Red Wings
You can bet your behind that either the Kings or Canes will make it.
Tonight’s the night. Man, I can’t wait! Bring on those Leaves!
http://habsbros.blogspot.com/
are you being serious about this? i actually think carolina will be challenging the caps for that division; they will have to stay healthy though.
We need to get used to Rask playing out of his mind.
ya, he’s a flopper that’s for sure but pretty good one at it though. still, he didn’t have a bad year last year; rask was just playing out of his mind.
Sucks that price is “sick”.
YES!!!!
O’Byrne, Gill, Kostitsyn and Moen push our weight up a wee bit.
did anyone else read that matchup link, and scratch your head when you saw our avergae wait at 205 and theres at 200??.. they mustve weighed our guys in full equiptment
Funniest thing I’ve read in a long time by the way is on the Rotoworld website under NHL player news.
Tim Thomas is quoted as saying that a torn labrum in his hip last season forced him to change his technique.
I don’t know if he’s ever watched video of himself playing goal, but if one thing’s clear about Tim Thomas, it’s that he has NO technique.
Haha….they are setting it up for a tailgate party and showing the game on big screen at Dundas Square, I think.
Also…the Toronto Star has the Habs pegged at 7th in the conference and I cannot disagree with that. Who says that the TO media knows nothing?
“I am guilty of using elipses…”
got tickets for the game tonight boys.. hope to see carey play… GO HABS!
I like your thinking but it’s a Jacques Martin team opening on the road. The strategy will be to weather the storm early and hope the Leafs empty the tank in the first 10 minutes due to all of the excitement.
Look for our Habies to finish the first period very strong.
If we shut the door in the first 10-15 minutes, we should win the game handily.
OK Boys enough ranting about who is on the team in TO and who was sent to Hamilton – the Habs have their team for now. Time to drop the puck and let it fly.
Seems like the Habs potted a decent amout of goals in the preseason – I hope there is a high level of confidence to start the season. I’m looking forward to seeing how Eller and PK will do. Hopefully speed and skill will wear the Laughs down and at some point the Habs put in a couple quick goals to get the season started with a solid win!!
GO HABBIES GO
Okay. I’m gonna say it now. My Stanley Cup prediction.
The Carolina Hurricanes v. The Los Angeles Kings.
Los Angeles wins in 6 games.
I’ll be watching in Shanghai…luckily it’s holiday time for me! I don’t have to pretend to be working.
__________________________
I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend your right to make yourself look stupid.
If I were a 23 year old millionaire I’d have a new mask every game. I love the Mask!!
They Call Me Shane
Year 1 – 2.89 .906 – Year 2 – only 4 starts – Year 3 – 2.86 .915 – Year 4 – 2.40 .924
I know that is why I put it in my post
I lost all remaining expectations that he could be more than a choker when Team Canada went out of their way to make him confortable with Marleau and Heatley on his wings with Boyle on the point for the PP and they still weren’t that good out there during the Olympics, when Thornton went off and Toews went on, it was like a shift in momentum as Toews would do the hard work and got Marleau and Heatley a couple goals.
4 players of a 5-man unit were all intimately familar from playing more than half a season together and dominating the Western Conference and they were at it like they’d all gotten together yesterday.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
Don’t knock that stuff…it really works (especially the extra strength)
Note Gionta’s scoring totals when he was given a Top-6 assignment this season with the team, 9 goals and 6 assists, that’s better scoring than Chokin’ Joe has ever managed in his career. Gionta stepped up and scored like a beast when he had to in the post-season. Thornton’s never had more than 3 goals in a playoff run (Our favourite punching bag contract Gomez has beaten that 5 times in his career!).
Thornton is a superstar who is over PPG in his regular-season stats, but he just doesn’t raise that scoring in post-season like other stars will do and doesn’t exactly make it up with Selke-quality defence. He always disappers in big games and doesn’t carry his team onwards like others do. Koivu dragged the Habs on his back with .89 PPG scoring in his post-season career on some pretty sad teams. That’s a leader, you go above and beyond your ability for when it matters most.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
actually the guy is a loser. he lost more games than he won last year, wasn’t even close.
Toronto, Boston, Buffalo, Ottawa, Philly, Pitt, Atlanta, Tampa, Calgary, Edmonton… just to name a few.
worse: MONTREAL CANADIENS BY PLENTY!
I dunno man, since getting traded to San Jose he’s had 47 pts in 56 playoff games. I’d say he’s done fairly well, but the team hasn’t – I don’t think one player can will a team to the cup (goalies excepted).
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8466138&view=stats#&navid=nhl-keymatch
how many playoffs points would u like him to have? PS he averages more points per game in the playoffs than our captain… As a captain he’ll lead his team to the playoffs. Keep in mind in regarsd to playoff production he suffered in year one of his playoofs and in the year he had bruised ribs…
Poorly phrased, sorry. What I mean is that Bergeron wasn’t out there for much 5-on-5. It doesn’t change the fact that JT caves in big games. Nothing will. Also? Leafs suck.
Captains need to be able to step up and lead in the playoffs. Everything I’ve heard of Joe is he’s a great guy, one of the nicest guys in the NHL but he doesn’t have it in him to raise his game for the post-season or big game situations, I remember watching him and his hackwork at the Olympics. A team’s captain should be up front in the playoffs doing all the right things and the plays that lift his team. Thornton has yet to show he’s anything beyond a regular-season star.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
well he always handles the media well… not like he drives around killing people
Good point…. what does your magic 8ball say about his character :p
Exactly. Somehow I’m more confident in throwing Dustin Boyd or Jeff Halpern out there instead of Kyle Chipchura and Georges Laraque.
so how are you feeling about Ak ? does your bet still count if he gets traded?
what do u know of thortons character in the dresing room? just because he has had some playoff stinkers doesn’t mean he’s not capable of being a good captain.
Apparently Price is sporting a new mask too? How many does he have now?
+/- doesn”t count against you when you get scored on in the PK.
Habs will gel as a team.
Also apparently Price has ANOTHER new mask! lol