Currently on vacation...

...but that doesn't stop predictions. 

Wings in seven.

Pens in six.

And these Briere for Price rumours are an absolute joke. 

If the seasons wasn't on the line Tuesday...

...it is tonight. Habs v. Sens, in Ottawa, 7:30. It's a must win for the Canadiens, in every sense of the word.

Carey Price starts in goal.

Three Solid Periods

Well, if you count OT as a full period anyway...

The Habs managed a 4-3 victory over the visiting Oilers last night despite playing one of the worst second periods in recent (and distant...) memory. Fortunately, other than that aberration the team actually looked quite impressive in the first game under the Bob Gainey regime, carrying the rest of the play and getting solid contributions from virtually the entire lineup. Carey Price continued his renaissance, and Saku Koivu scored late to tie the game and again in OT to seal the victory. The one obvious blemish was that the performance of Alex Kovalev was somewhat lacking (his only "contributions" came in the form of minor penalties), but given his strong relationship with Bob Gainey and his solid linemates, it is unlikely to be a prolonged slump.

The Habs continue their extended home stand on Thursday night, when they welcome the New York Islanders. Although recent games against Eastern bottom-feeders like Atlanta have been far from inspiring performances, you can be sure that Gainey will have the team prepared and focused for this one at a key point in the season.

Habs Win???

Who saw that one coming?

For the first 25 minutes the Habs looked hopelessly outclassed, yet a goal by Andrei Kostitsyn early in the second period surprisingly squared the game at 1. From there, the Canadiens went on to score two more times on only 19 total shots and coasted to a 3-1 victory over the Stars in Dallas. Carey Price was again outstanding, making 30 saves and keeping the team in the game during a first period that saw the Canadiens take 9 minor penalties and put forth about zero effort.

Despite the win, things are certainly not all well in Montreal. The startling lack of effort and discipline last night should never have amounted to a win (the stagnant Dallas powerplay helped things immensely), and more games like that will yield significantly different results down the stretch. As well, the team seems destined for a goaltending controversy with Carey Price wresting control of the starting position from Jaroslav Halak on account of an ill-timed bout of the flu. Halak was clearly the better choice before falling ill, and it seems reasonable to suspect that he'll be a bit upset about his new position on the bench.

Notes:

-The team returns home on Tuesday night to face the Oilers.

-Patrice Brisebois should likely be back in the lineup for game #1,000 of his career; an event that will greatly impress his legions of adoring fans in Montreal...

Thrashed

Despite a much improved performance from Carey Price, the rest of the Canadiens didn't seem to bother showing up in Atlanta last night and the result was an ugly 2-0 loss. This follows on the heels of a 5-1 drubbing in Buffalo on Wednesday night, and seems to mark a distinct lack of both effort and urgency from the team as a whole.

The return of Alex Tanguay to the lineup did not have the desired effect on team scoring, although with just under 14 minutes of ice time it's clear that he's still rounding back in to game-shape after missing an extended period with a shoulder injury. Perhaps more disturbing were the body of special teams play, with the Canadiens taking a number of undisciplined penalties and the powerplay going ice cold after a brief stretch of success. Although the outcome wasn't greatly affected by either of these factors last night, if the Canadiens were playing a team with aspirations for Stanley rather than Tavares it would have been a much worse result to be sure.

Now sitting only 2 points clear of 10th place in the East, the Canadiens need to pull things together quickly or they'll be on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. We'll see if they manage to right the ship on Sunday in Dallas (a 6 PM EST start), or if the gradual wreckage of the once vaunted Centennial season continues.

Goalie Competition and More

With the recent ascension of Jaroslav Halak into the starting role, you have to wonder how this will sit with Carey Price going forward. While he'll obviously downplay the situation in the media, and everyone always says that having two quality players in net pushing each other is a positive (it's worked well for Boston so far this year), you have to assume that being pushed to the side (even if only temporarily) after being handed the reigns to the team at the trade deadline last year is something of a wake up call for a young player. Whether this is another motivational factor like we saw with the Kovalev banishment or just a case of going with the hot hand at a critical time of the year is unclear, but it could certainly lead to some interesting discussions within the team if Halak keeps up his solid play from the last couple of games.

Part of me also has to wonder if Price has ever fully recovered from his injury earlier in the year, since he clearly rushed himself back in time to start the All Star game. His play since that return has been sub-standard to say the least, so it begs the question of whether there's still something lingering there that we'll only find out about at some later date.

On the topic of injuries, it's a bit disappointing to hear that Tanguay has suffered another minor setback and will be delayed in his return for a few more days, although that is tempered by the news that Robert Lang sounds like he will make a full recovery from his Achilles injury that some thought could end his career. Although it's unlikely that he'll suit up for the Canadiens again this year (or maybe ever given his pending UFA status), the fact that they're talking about a return to the NHL is still a very positive fact.

In non-Canadiens news, it will interesting to see how the hiring of John Tortorella in New York impacts the potential for a Sean Avery comeback. Tortorella didn't have a lot of great things to say about Avery during his brief stint as an NHL on TSN commentator, but whether those opinions carry over into the dressing room of your own struggling team remains to be seen.

A Few Thoughts

I like the choice to go with Halak tonight. While conventional wisdom might suggest that you go with the "franchise" in Price, at this point in the year you need to go with the guy that gives the team the best chance to win and solidify playoff position. Right now, that's Halak.

It's nice to see that Tanguay is nearing his return. He was a solid contributor before the injury, and the team could certainly use his playmaking abilities down the stretch.

A lot of talk (here and elsewhere) has focused on what the Habs will/won't do at the much vaunted trade deadline. I for one think that the acquisition of Schneider was all we'll see from Bob Gainey this year. With only about $350k in free cap space, there isn't much room to maneuver unless somebody like a Hamrlik or Kovalev is moved. Additionally, with players like Tanguay and Latendresse slated to return before the end of the season, the team will actually be improved over it's current state without having to make any moves outside of their own roster. That seems like the smartest route to follow, leading into a more productive offseason when cap room is cleared rather than tearing everything down for a deadline day "quick-fix" that would be doomed to failure.

The McDonalds commercials featuring J.C. Petit are awesome. That guy can play, although the new Russian might be some serious competition...

A Big Win for Les Canadiens

A great game this afternoon for the Habs as they prevail 5-3 over the hated Ottawa Senators. Alexei Kovalev was the man of the hour, with two beautiful set-ups, a goal, and great penalty kills for the Canadiens. Josh Gorges had a spirited fight, and Jaroslav Halak kept the Canadiens in it with some fairly solid goaltending. It will be interesting to see who Carbonneau starts Tuesday against Vancouver, as one can make a reasonable argument for both. 

A positive for the Canadiens: the power play continued to click, as Mathieu Schneider scored yet again in his Habs-redux. The Canadiens power play is a solid 7 for 12 since acquiring Schneider, and is quickly moving up in the NHL rankings from the terrible 30 where it once sat.

A great game, a great weekend, and a challenging week ahead. Will Kovalev and Koivu continue to lead the way? Will Gainey make another trade?

Will the real Carey Price please stand up?

Another Day, Another Loss...

The Montreal Canadiens, for the most part, held Alexander Ovechkin in check - but it was not to be. Washington threw 35 shots Carey Price's way, but despite his valiant efforts the Capitals defeated the Habs 4-3 in a shootout on goals from Niklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov were unable to score on behalf of the Canadiens.

The outcome could have been very different, however, as Price played spectacularly the entire game. Tomas Plekanec rang a shot off the inside of the post with 30 seconds left in overtime, and clearly had Jose Theodore beat. Another inch and the Canadiens win. Thems the breaks, as they say.

A good game for Price, Plekanec, Koivu, Higgins, Pacioretty Kostitsyn Sr. and Lapierre. A great debut for Mathieu Schneider. He looked solid, logged significant minutes, and contributed an assist on the power player. Also a great game for Alex Ovechkin. He is a hockey behemoth. How he scored his goal on Carey Price, with Kyle Chipchura essentially getting a piggy back as Ovechkin fell on his side, I will never understand. But that's what great players do, they score when they're not supposed to.

Now, would the outcome have been different had Alex Kovalev been there to go in the shoot-out? We'll never know. 

Montreal is in Pittsburgh tomorrow night. 

Blame It On... The Pads?

Yes, in one of the most tumultuous times for the team in recent memory, goaltender Carey Price has made the landmark decision to return to his usual white pads instead of the more recent red set. We can only hope that the new pair brings with them a return to the form that we saw earlier in the season, and not more of the ~0.850 SVP and GAA north of 3 that marked the tenure of the reds.

No word yet on whether the new pads will make an appearance in Washington tonight against the surging offence of Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and the rest of the Southeast-leading Caps .

Vancouver Bringdown

A 4-2 loss proves that the Habs have not broken out of their funk. Saku Koivu plays like a possessed man, but it's not enough as the team yet again lets down Jaroslav Halak. The one bright spot? Carey Price came in late in relief to play in front of his family and friends and looked good. However, that's really stretching it for a bright spot. 

A few days off may help now, but what this team really needs is a shake-up. Whether it's a trade or a new coach (see Penguins, Pittsburgh) Bob Gainey really needs to figure out how to right this ship. Or this has Titanic written all over it.