Down 2-0 Heading Home

It wasn't even close last night either. The Habs were crushed 5-1 by the Bruins, and dominated in virtually every aspect of the game. The team now returns home needing to beat the Eastern Conference Champs 4 times in 5 games to win the series; a long shot at best.

Interestingly, the team hasn't won a game since Andrei Markov left the lineup (they're now 0-6), and even though his return would certainly increase spirits, I'm not sure if he'll be healthy enough to be the contributor that the Habs will need him to be. I suppose anything is possible though, and if the series is 2-1 after Monday night then it'll be a whole different situation. Not a lot to go on I know, but right now it might be the best that they've got...

Thoughts and Questions After Game 2:

-Should Milan Lucic be suspended for his hit on Maxim Lapierre? Some suggest that he led with his glove and that the shot was no cheaper than the Lapierre hit on Kessel after the empty net goal in Game 1, but it's certainly a tough call to make.

-Who exactly should start in Game 3? History tells us that Gainey likes Price, but is a GAA of 4 and a .875 SVP what the team needs right now?

-What lines will we see next game? The shuffle will likely continue to try and get things going, but how will it work out? Maybe Gainey should try the Carbonneau route of pulling names out of a hat?

-For all of those people who answered the poll question with the Habs winning this series (and there were a bunch of you), what have you seen so far to suggest that it's still possible?

Unbelievable...

This team is so bad it is unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. Who would have thought we could fall this far, this fast?

Incredible.

Remember the All-Star Game?

Back when Alex Kovalev was the toast of the town and things were bright and cheery in Montreal? Those were the days...

The Habs suffered a 5th straight loss tonight (5-2 to the visiting Leafs), and now sit at an abysmal 1-3-2 with Bob Gainey behind the bench. Excepting another solid performance from Maxim Lapierre nothing worked well, and it's getting to the point where it's difficult to figure out just why the team has seemingly quit on the season. The effort just isn't there any more, and it's looking less and less like it's going to be coming back any time soon.

On the plus side, with Florida losing in regulation tonight the Habs maintain their tenuous 1-point edge for the coveted 8th place position in the East (and the privelege of getting thrashed by Boston or New Jersey in the first round of the playoffs).

Keep those postseason dreams alive...

OttaStraw

Well that's gotta be it. The camel's back is broken.

Can Bob find a new camel?

Standing Ovation in Montreal

Not for the reason you might think though. The Habs played another abysmal game in losing to the Devils 3-1, and were soundly booed throughout much of the third period and as they left the ice. The standing ovation was instead reserved for Martin Brodeur, who tied Patrick Roy atop the all-time wins list with career victory 551 last night. Forced to make only 22 saves it wasn't even much of a challenge for him, and were it not for a goal by Tomas Plekanec (who continues to impress) midway through the first period, he would have added another shutout to that impressive total on top of the historic win.

With the loss, the second Bob Gainey era now sits at a mark of 1-1-1. More disconcerting than just the record is the complete lack of defensive effort (to go along with a sputtering offence), allowing a staggering 48 shots on goal last night. For anybody still thinking that this is a legitimate playoff team, you have to question just who they'd be able to beat in a first round match up with the effort we've seen in the last week or so...

The 8th-place Rangers will be the next opponents to visit Montreal (Tuesday night), and with playoff positioning slipping away this will likely be a must-win situation. Whether the team will be up to that type of challenge remains to be seen

New Coach, Same Old Habs

It didn't take long for the luster of the Bob Gainey era behind the bench to wear off, with the Habs falling 3-2 in OT to the lowly Islanders last night. Were it not for another outstanding performance in goal from Carey Price there wouldn't have even been 1 point to show for things though, as the Canadiens were again hopelessly outworked for large portions of the game (a disturbing trend). Interestingly, rather than being rewarded for his solid play Price will instead be riding the bench on Saturday night, with Jaroslav Halak drawing back in to face the visiting Devils.

This trend of sitting the hottest goalie is a bit confusing, since this is the second time in a couple of weeks that it has happened (Halak lost his starting position after 4 consecutive wins even after recovering from the flu). With Carbonneau behind the bench you could at least chalk it up to his lineup roulette, but with the much more calculating Gainey in charge it just seems a bit out of character.

In other lineup news Patrice Brisebois will play career game #1,ooo on Saturday night, replacing Ryan O'Byrne. The bigger story with respect to milestones will invariably come from the visiting Martin Brodeur though, who looks for victory #551 to tie Patrick Roy atop the all-time list.

Game time is 7 PM from the Bell Center.

The Price is right, but the team is wrong

Well, the Canadiens move on from a pathetic showing in Atlanta, shut out by that eight time vezina winner Kari Lehtonen (note that these comments are dripping with sarcasm). Five minor penalties in the first did the Canadiens in, but so did the lack of effort all the way through as Carey Price battled back from an eternity of "confidence problems," and had his best showing since before the all-star break. Sure, it was the Thrashers, but Price stood tall, making some great stops on Rich Peverley and Ilya Kovalchuk. 

However, it was not to be, and the Habs go down 2-0. All of you voting in our pool that the Canadiens will catch Boston might need to see a doctor, because the Canadiens couldn't catch a cold right now. In fact, the chances are better that they finish out of the playoffs than in the top four. This pundit says that if the Canadiens don't win two of their next three, they can start booking tee-off times.

And a message to Saku Koivu: 

Oh Captain! My Captain!  

Rise up and hear the bells.

Rise up - for the flag is flung - for you.

A Wednesday to forget...

If you're anything like me, you probably turned on TSN this afternoon, or logged onto your favourite hockey websites, or turned on your local sports station, anxious to find out who the Canadiens had added for their coming playoff run. The answer: no one. And after tonight's game in Buffalo, maybe there won't be a playoff run.

This team looked bad. 1999 Canadiens bad. And Scott Lachance was nowhere in sight. Really, what happened? I know Carey Price was in net, but they were soft, and asleep after the first ten minutes. It's sad that Carey Price starts are now predictable losses. He was an all-star six weeks ago.

I must say, if I was on a team that didn't make a move at the deadline, perhaps I'd see it almost as a vote of non-confidence. And maybe that would affect my confidence.

But Gainey got Schneider. And Metropolit. That was good enough. Wasn't it?

As a sidenote, I really, really wish the Habs had grabbed Gary Roberts off of waivers. He's the jam that this sandwich needs.