The Habs managed to squeeze out a shootout win in Anaheim, despite being down 3-0 after the first. They’ve won 3 of 4 on this road trip, with the loss being a rather close game with San Jose. They might be able to hold onto a playoff berth if things keep going this way! They will need to play better defensively, and maybe actually bother to show up whenever Price is in nets (sure Halak is #1 now, but Price will be getting some games, and it’s rather insane the way the team plays differently for him! Price, of course, will have to learn to focus and not fall asleep whenever there’s a lull in the shots against him, too).
What a bizarre game, but the two points were needed, and I’m rather happy about this past week of hockey!
Wasn’t so much a Huet meltdown as a defensive breakdown. Two guys were on Williams when he scored and if one of them had lifted his stick, that goal doesn’t go in. Then there was the Bertuzzi/Filpula two on zero that was only close to a two on one because Big Bert pulled up at the last second. Nothing Huet could’ve done on either. Chicago got lazy defensively and it cost them a win.
It was nice to see some fire out of Markov in the last minute of regulation, even if it took a Corey Perry slash (and subsequent non-call) to make it show.
Nice to see them get some breaks, too. Bobby Ryan hits the post trying for the empty net, and Gionta’s last ditch shootout attempt just barely, barely squeaks through Hiller.
Hopefully they keep it up tomorrow night back at home against Vinny and the Lightning. Tampa’s only four points out of a playoff spot, and five back of Montreal for seventh. Should be a good game.
Ten games on the slate tonight, including Montreal at home to last-place Edmonton, Detroit hosting Minnesota and the Canes facing Sid & Geno (and the rest of the Penguins) in Raleigh.
In other news, the general mangers are meeting in Boca Raton, FL, and have come to a consensus about hits to the head (particularly blindside, shoulder-to-head jobs). Any blind-side hit where the head is the intended target or the principal point of impact will result in a minor or major penalty, and will be reviewed for potential supplementary discipline.
What surprised me the most recently is the fact that Carolina went on a long winning streak to move them out of the cellar of the Leafs and Oilers. They actually have a shot at a playoff spot. How did there become such a turnaround? Legace doing miracles? I thought they had the same as before with no real changes, behind the bench or even in the dressing room.
Aren’t the 'Canes largely the same team that made it to the conference finals last year? They are a pretty good team on paper - I wonder if it was just a combination of bad luck and injuries, with some mental stress thrown in, that lead to their bad start to the season? I think they’ve figured out how to play again, and if they don’t make the playoffs, they are at least potential playoff spoilers for a bunch of other teams. They really aren’t a team to take lightly.
Habs play the Oilers tonight so either a) the Habs win by a landslide or b) they get shut out. They’ve been playing really good hockey since the break, and I hope that team shows up, but these are the same guys as before the break, so who knows? And rumours have Cammalleri and Bergeron back within the next week or so…I hope they’re true! I miss Cammy in particular! He’s quickly becoming my favourite player!
I’m actually going to a Sharks game this year, after I had given up on the prospect. My wife bought a charity-auction pair of tickets, but it turned out to be for next season. After turning down a last-minute offer from the provider of those seats for a game last-week, my wife randomly comes home from work with two tickets from a co-worker for this Saturday. They were given in appreciation for her help on something, and they’re darn good seats, too.
I’ll be attending my first Wings game on Saturday vs. the Sabres. Finally had enough extra money and figured the Sabres were the best game left after the olympic break.
I saw the Wings play at the Pepsi Center in the first game back from the Olympic Break. Great seats off StubHub and the Wings didn’t blow a third period lead!
I was at a Senators game back in November; a shootout loss against the Rangers. Next year I’ll make my first journey to catch a Habs game in Montreal. I didn’t get to see the old Forum until after it was renovated, and I’m looking forward to seeing the Centre Bell on a Saturday night.
Ok, so the Habs managed option c): give up a goal every time they score one, and barely win in overtime. Halak should be thanking his goal posts after the last two games! He was positively mediocre tonight.
Anybody Mind if I bring College hockey in here? I doubt there will be enough interest for a whole nother thread, but I was curious if there was any at all?
CCHA playoffs are going, and there is a big game tonight Michigan-Michigan state. Should be a good grudge match, Particularly since Michigan has under achieved* They came in as the 10 seed! that never happens. It’s the best of three in the ccha, but they very seldom meet in the quarter finals, usually much later when they do meet. In the Michigan area(and maybe others) Comcast is showing it on channel 900, which doesn’t seem to be listed many places.
*Like every other team I like this year, WTF is going on
I don’t even keep up with the McGill Redmen, and I have a classmate on the team! I know nothing at all about US college hockey, or really hockey at any level other than the NHL and bits of the AHL due to players moving up and down.
Having just looked them up, the Redmen are playing the OUA Queen’s Cup Championship Game tomorrow at Lakehead University, which explains why the above-mentioned friend wasn’t in class today. It does not, however, explain why he has failed to (fail to) grow a playoff beard. How am I supposed to know the season is getting interesting if he has no patchy facial hair?!?
McGill has also qualified for the CIS Championships next weekend. Who knew?
Well it was a great game for the wolverines :). They were the 7th seed also, not the 10th :smack:, it’s hard to keep all the disappointed wolverine seasons straight.
As I type this, Anaheim is playing Nashville. Selanne needs two goals in the last eleven minutes to reach 600 in his career; he’s another player whose numbers suffered because of the clutch-and-grab era.
Still, 600 is a lot. Only seventeen men have scored that many; Selanne would be the eighteenth, and there might not be another one for a while. Mark Recchi’s next in line, but he’s still 41 short and he’s life and death to reach 20 this year. So he’s probably two seasons away, and I’m not sure he’s going to play that long. Mike Modano comes after Recchi. He needs 44 more, but only has 13 so far this year; so he’s probably at least two years away as well. Keith Tkachuk is next up; he needs 67 more.
I just finished up the Sharks game from Thursday. I had paused it at 2-2 in the second, just after Thorton tied it up. The Sharks entered the 3rd period trailing 2-4, but wound up winning by a score of (freaking) 8-5. This was on 4 points by Joe Pavelski* in the 3rd alone, and an empty-net, first-NHL goal by defenseman Jay Leach.
The comeback completes the first time a team has won 3 games in regulation while trailing at the start of the 3rd period of each.
I’m actually a little concerned how they’ll play when I watch them against the Panthers tomorrow, given how exiting their last three games were.
*: Remember the name of future super-star Joe Pavelski. Now to convince my wife to let me get a #8 on a jersey.
Five in a row for Les Glorieux, holding off the Bruins 3-2 tonight at home. That puts the Habs four up on Boston for 8th, and 7 points up on the Rangers for 9th. They’ve got a chance to do some damage to the Rangers’ chances on Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden. Versus has the game for American viewers; RDS for Canadians.
RDS always has the game…that’s why I love them! Fun game - good one for Sergei, who needs to prove he’s worth keeping around once Cammalleri and Bergeron come back. I’m thinking Pyatt will head back down to the 'Dogs, but a few others need to work for their jobs right now.
In non-NHL news, Team Canada won 4-0 against Italy in the first game of the Paralympic Hockey tournament, which is a good start towards winning the third Canadian gold medal of the 'lympics.
And it seems the Redmen wonthe Queen’s Cup, which is awesome (and will earn my friend even more criticism for his lack of playoff beard).
Obviously mine ended a bit happier. The joe exploded when the OT goal was scored. Great game, though Buffalo came out flat and were punished for it. Outshot seventeen to eight in the first period. Not what I expected at all. Detroit did what they wanted and that’s how they got the first two goals.
