Two minutes into the game and Tomas Plekanec carried the puck hard behind the Islanders net. A slick pass out front to Kovalev and it was a early 1-0 lead for the Canadiens. This was the Islanders. This should be an easy night.
30 seconds later, Andrei Markov was assessed a hooking penalty. No problem, the Canadiens PK unit had successfully defended 10 powerplay opportunities for the Wild on Thursday night. In addition, the Islanders were 0 for 15 on the powerplay last year against the Habs. So why not experiment? Carbo the chemist decided to send out Begin and Lapierre on the first wave of the of the PK. After all, its the Islanders! Hmmm, after a giveaway by Begin, it was time to change up the penalty killing unit. A Streit shot from the point deflected off Higgins stick and the game was tied.
As the game progressed, it was clear that this was not going to be an easy night for the Habs. At a time when the Canadiens should have regained control of the game, they didn’t. New York was skating. And an aggressive forecheck/trap by the Islanders caused turnovers and sloppy play by the Canadiens. Coach Carbo has seen this system used to bottle up his team before but so far, he has failed to develop a strategy to beat it. So again tonight, the Canadiens breakout suffered. With the Habs having a hard time completing passes out of their own end, the Islanders kept skating hard and throwing pucks to the net.
Mid-way through the first period, Jon Sim wristed a shot that deflected off Ryan O’Byrne’s stick and past Price. Up to that point O’Byrne had been the Canadiens best defenseman. (He would recover and play well in the second.)
For the first two periods the Canadiens struggled and many contributed: Kovalev led the team with 7 giveaways…Lang was awful on faceoffs…the 4th line was invisible…Hamrlik was having his worst game of the year…open net chances were missed…brutal penalties were taken.
After the Lapierre/Begin combo gave the Islanders their second powerplay goal and a 3-1 lead, Georges Laraques was sent out to do his thing: decisively win a fight and change the momentum. Well, that’s strike two Georges! He failed to stand up for his teammate when AK-46 took a brutal headshot in the Phoenix game and tonight his dance with newcomer Mitchell Fritz was at best a draw; certainly not a momentum changer!
When Hamrlik left his man alone to chase Islanders all over the zone, Neilsen made it 4-1 for the Islanders.
Hang the heads? No. Cue the come back!
Some may say that Carbo peeled the paint on the dressing room wall between the second and third period. Perhaps. But more importantly, Carbonneau finally woke up and moved Higgins to the Koivu line. (contrary to CJAD, it was not the first time this line was together. by the way, is there any worse than Moffat and Wilson?)
Koivu, Higgins and Tanguay started the 3rd period with a great shift. Tanguay drew an Islander penalty (by Streit, no less) and the large number of very vocal Canadiens fans in the crowd started to stir. Although the Habs didn’t score, it was clear that the 3rd would be a different period.
The Canadiens first two lines were dominant. Koivu, Higgins, Tanguay, Plekanec, Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn pressured with speed, and the Islanders were outmatched. Four goals in seven and a half minutes and the Canadiens had a lead and a tremendous victory. What a comeback!!
Despite giving up 4 goals, Carey Price played well facing a game’s worth of shots in two periods. He also had some game saving saves at the end of the third. At the other end, Yann Danis looked very beatable all night. Once the Canadiens began to shoot straight, he was!
After playing well for two periods and still being a -2, O’Byrne sat for the entire third period. Carbonneau is killing this guy’s confidence.
Why in the world was Begin on the ice for the final 35 seconds of the game? Kostopoulos and Dandenault were sorely missed on the 4th line tonight.
It should be acknowledged that the Islanders of the first two periods didn’t show up at all in the third. They abandoned their aggressive forecheck. Sitting back waiting for the Canadiens often left them flatfooted and unable to cope with the Habs speed. The Islanders confidence completely disappeared.
On a positive note, the Islanders skated well and stuck to their system for two periods. On a team that may struggle all year, Richard Park is a hard working and can be effective at both ends of the ice. He is the opposition player of note tonight.
Pre-game:
Happy 26th Birthday to Tomas Plekanec (October 31)
Rick DiPietro will be out 4-6 weeks after knee surgery. Yann Danis in.
O’Byrne, Laraque, Begin – in Kostopoulos, Dandenault – out
Rocket’s 3 stars:
1. Tomas Plekanec
2. Chris Higgins
3. Bill Guerin
(photo credit: Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Rocket,
Great game review!! I really believe the Habs took the Islanders for an easy win, especially when they got the quick, first goal.
I agree with your assessment about the Kost./Lapierre/Dandy line and commented about it my pre-game review:
“While I understand Guy Carbonneau belief of not letting players sit idly in the press box, breaking up arguably the Habs best, hardest working line against the Wild is somewhat questionable.
The Dandenault/Lapierre/Kostopoulos line has played really well the last 2-3 games and hopefully will be re-united after the Islanders game.”
As far as O’Byrne is concerned, I’m starting to believe there is a personality conflict between Carbo and O’Byrne…..there’s more to this situation, I can’t put my finger on it!!!
Carbo had a ton of rookies (Price and SK-74) and young players on last year’s roster who all played significant roles during an amazing season (and made mistakes as well) so I’m not sure why Carbo isn’t patience with O’Byrne’s development.
I don’t understand you guys. The Habs were losing 4-1, needed 4 goals to win. O’Bryne isn’t a defensemen you rely on for offense. Hell, IF he wasn’t used in 3rd, it means he played a lot in the first two because he got 14:17 minutes of icetime, all at even strenght. He played a solid game but this is getting boring. Every game you’re going to ask for Carbo’s head? Because YOU think O’bryne should have taken… Hamerlik icetime? Bouillon? Gorgoes? If you ask me, there is a reason O’bryne and Breezer are altering, not Breezer and Bouillon. These are the two bottom defensemen. So when your “6th” defensemen plays 14 minutes, I think he must be happy…
beats being in the press box anyway
Oh and two other small things, I said, a week ago, that ONE player wasn’t good enough on this team and was eating icetime from other, better players. Finally found who? He was in uniform tonight.
And seriously, you say that today the Habs played only a period but… that wasn’t the first time. I have the feeling the Habs didn’t play a single full game (except maybe Toronto). Impressive to get 17 point in about 15 periods of hockey played. But this shit need to stop. Either tey learn by themselves to play a full game or get a humiliating loss (like the Rangers yesterday against Toronto) to get them going.
And last but not least, it may be a good timing to switch Latendresse and Higgins permenantly. The change yesterday netted the tying goal and there is a 5 day period to practise with your new line. timing is perfect. Lats did a good job and can walk chin high but I think it may be time for him to go on the third line and, hopefully, bring some of that confidence with him.
I wonder if Halak might end up with the Islanders. They can’t rely on Yann Danis, and DiPietro is chronically injured. Danis wasn’t a #1 goaltender in the AHL, much less the NHL. Halak was miles ahead of him in Hamilton and is a few years younger. NYI have to find a new starting goaltender for the future, short term, and probably long term. There is no better candidate in the league than Jaro, and I think he deserves a chance to start. If they try to keep him behind Price too long, he will go back to Europe to “visit his family”, as they say.
P.S. – I think you guys are flogging O’Byrne a bit much as well. There is nothing in his past that indicates he will ever be more than a 5th or 6th NHL defenseman.
Hey guys! Some great comments and things to respond to. As I have said before, I love a good hockey debate.
Let’s look at Ryan O’Byrne first. I agree J-F. In the third period, where the Canadiens found themselves down 3 goals, Carbonneau could be expected to ‘shorten his bench’. O’Byrne can move the puck effectively and has been making some good decisions pinching at the blueline. But, it is reasonable for Carbo to reduce his 3rd period icetime to generate offense. However, Carbo didn’t only reduce his icetime, he nailed O’Byrne to the bench. When a player is benched for an entire period, that is evidence of a coach sending a message to his player. (even Brisebois hasn’t been benched for a period) Therefore, I believe that Habster is exactly right when he suggests that there is a personality conflict. Especially, as you say J-F, because O’Byrne “played a solid game”. (As small point Habster: I don’t think that Carbonneau can be credited for effectively handling Carey Price during his rookie year.)
I’m going to agree with you again J-F (are you surprised?) The Canadiens haven’t played to their potential for three full periods of hockey yet this season. Last night’s game was the most dramatic example of winning with one period of effort. It is clear that the Canadiens own a big target on their back this team. Teams are preparing and have been executing a game plan for at least part of the game against the Habs. My concern is that the current luxury of practise days aren’t being used effectively. It is a luxury that will soon disappear.
And we have agreement on more point J-F (now this is getting boring!) Chris Higgins has obvious chemistry with Saku and can be a more effective finisher being set up by Koivu and Tanguay. Higgins also is defensively responsible which is a necessity for second line players. The Canadiens have been guilty for a few years now of rushing Latendresse’s development, to his detriment. As J-F says, Gui’s confidence can be raised playing on the 3rd line while he takes time to develop his skills and two-way play.
J-F, I can only guess that you are referring to Steve Begin as the guy who doesn’t belong on the roster. The skill level on this team has now improved to pass Begin by. Kostopoulos does everything that Begin can, and much more. And it seemed that the writing on the wall spelling the end of Begin’s usefulness came when Gainey acquired Laraque. I agree with Habster’s assessment that Lapierre, Dandenault and Kostopoulos have become a very effective unit mostly through their hard work.
Rob, I’m a little puzzled about your suggestion that the Islanders are in the market for a #1 goaltender “for the future, short term, and probably long term.” Rick DiPietro will be out 4-6 weeks after his knee surgery but let’s not write his eulogy just yet. DiPietro is only 27 and still has 13 years remaining on his 15 year, $67.5 million contract. I don’t believe that DiPietro will play out the contract but my point is that the Islanders must be rather happy with him to offer DiPietro such a lucrative contract.
Jean-Francois,
First off, I agree with you about the Habs getting away with not playing a complete game and falling into bad habits. These deficiencies will bite them in the asses sooner rather than later. If the problems aren’t rectified, we will see a serious losing streak or a bad stretch down the road.
The team needs to play a more consistent game similar to the Red Wings if they have a realistic chance of winning a Stanley Cup. Granted, they are 8-1-1 and at the top of the NHL for GA and GF which is also something we shouldn’t lose sight of in the bigger picture, but the warning signs are there!!!
The thing that concerns me is how a team can be 10 for 10 on the PK against the #3 ranked powerplay (Wild), then give up two PP goals against an Islanders team which had a 13.6% PP before last night’s game……once again, it’s back to the consistency issue!!
As far as O’Byrne is concerned, he isn’t going to be a superstar in the NHL and nobody is suggesting such an idea. With that being said, the coaching staff have to give O’Byrne enough TOI to better evaluate his game and allow him to feel comfortable. I think the 14:17 TOI is a great start (he did have some shifts in the 3rd period though they were limited) and hopefully he will response to it with the solid defensive zone play he demonstrated at the end of last year’s regular season. Let him have the same stretch of games Brisebois had to start the season (7-8 games).
I’m I expecting him to be the next Larry Robinson or Bobby Orr, not a chance, but if he can develop into a solid #4-6 defenseman who can act as a shutdown type of player then great….but give the guy a chance to fly or burn!!!
Regardless, I still believe Bob Gainey will make a deal to upgrade the defense at the trade deadline. He has the prospects and NHL depth to swing a deal for a solid two way defenseman and won’t hesitate making a deal with such a solid Stanley Cup contender.
Rob, trading Halak is always a possibility (like anything in life…LOL)but his trade value would be dependent on who is packaged with him. If he is traded in a one for one deal, don’t expect a lot in return as his trade value is average at best (a draft choice or a prospect or equal level player).
Yes, he has played extremely well at the AHL level and has displayed “flashes” of solid goaltending at the NHL but he has played a grand total of 25 NHL games over three years. His numbers are decent (2.69 GAA and SP of .913) over that span…..Halak is only one of many cards in Gainey’s poker hand, it should be an interesting trade deadline unless a trade is done before!!!
DiPietro has missed more games than he has played since signing that contract. It isn’t going to get any better in the future for him, I don’t think. I would bet that the Isles have their eyes peeled to find a young goaltender who isn’t too expensive to compete for the the #1 job. Yann Danis is not that person.
Sorry Rocket,
We posted our comments at the same time….LOL
I’m starting to get a bit scared when I see you and J.F agreeing on too many issues!!!
I agree that it was inevitable that Higgins would be re-united with the Koivu line. Guillaume Latendresse’s play has flattened out a bit and I think he would be a better fit playing along side Lang and SK-74.
As far as the Price/Carbo issue from last season, I don’t totally disagree with your take on it. Carbo had Huet still in the picture at the time and with Gainey choosing to keep Price after training camp, Carbo probably felt a bit slighted, regardless he should have gone with the best goaltender which was Carey Price.
You have to admit that he is handling the goalies better this year……O’Byrne is another case though!!
Last year, it was Huet or Price, this year, it’s O’Byrne or Brisebois!!! Why can’t things be simple!!!
Rob,
When DiPietro is healthy (which, as you said is not often), he’s a very capable #1.
Halak would be an affordable option for the Isles but I would hold onto Halak until closer to the trade deadline. You could package him with other players for a good rental at that time and only if it makes sense
Hey guys. I’ll respond to both AND Rob. I don’t see Halak leaving this year. He could be traded for much more than Habster suggested (read:Garon for Bonk and Huet) but unless we receive a player AND a second goalie, I don’t think Gainey would feel confident to have Danis, I mean Denis, as second string goalie yet. Maybe later, who knows.
The only reason I still read you guys is because we actually have a lot of similar opinions. My usual problem is your love/hate for O’Byrne/Brisebois and the occasional “Gui isn’t working on a line that produce more than 1 ppg. True, Gui isn’t as good as CH but he was doing a good job forechecking, hitting and overall helped create some space for his linemates. Higgins will NOT create that same space, but he is a better overall player which will more than compensate. But for two guys who seem to give a lot of importance to icetime given to young players to development, it’s hard to understand how much you wanted to remove Gui from a line that was working to replace him by a guy who barely came back from an injury and wasn’t yet 100% NHL speed ready. I think letting Gui hang on to his spot for the time being, until it’s clearly better to make the switch, was the best move.
As for O’bryne and Breezer… well… Breezer isn’t as bad as you see him and O’Byrne isn’t yet as good as he’ll be. Expect to see this pattern until next injury (and then we’ll be happy nobody had to wait 20 games in the pressbox).
Oh and Habster, Bouillon was injured. I don’t think Carbo would have started Breezer 8 games already if it wasn’t for that fact.
And no, Begin isn’t a problem. LARAQUE is. My god don’t you guys see how f***ing slow he is compared to his linemates? And he played with two of the slowest players on our team. If he isn’t going to be a deterent (and he wasn’t as of yet) and he won’t fight hard for his team (his attempt yesterday was puzzling… he looked like a guy who barely wanted to survive) he is pretty much dead weight. And we’re talking 240 pounds of dead weight.
So yeah. Basically, I agree with most of your points, most of the time. I don’t like to say the same thing as you guys so I usually only talk about the difference in our opinions and I’m sorry if I sound like an ass when I do. It’s genetic. I AM an ass ;-)
In the future, however, try not to do a Bergeron of yourself (the 110% guy now on RDS) and give information without looking up your numbers. Like O’bryne’s ice time. Or Bergie saying on TV that Komisarek isn’t hitting this year (3rd in the league isn’t enough)
Because everytime I see someone telling me Carbo is doing mistakes, I remember a comment from Mike Boone regarding Bergeron (again) saying how Carbo wasn’t doing things properly: “Bergie, who is talking to a NHL lockerroom trying to win the cup and who is talking with Alain Crete?
Nuff said.
Keep up the great work guys
J.F,
I’m not totally convinced Carbonneau would have started O’Byrne ahead of Brisebois even if Francis Bouillon was healthy to begin the season….I guess we’ll never truly know the answer to that question, will we?
J.F,
I forget to mention in my last comment that the Garon for Bonk and Huet deal was, from what I remember, a salary dumping deal that Sens GM John Muckler had to do because he was trying to loosen up some salary to re-sign Marian Hossa and Martin Havlat.
If you recall, Bonk was scheduled to make $3.5 million in 2003-04 and by all reports, Muckler was deseparate to get rid of him and his salary ( before the lockout occured!!)so I wouldn’t make a parallel with Halak on this trade…..too many invariables.
Yes Habster, it is scary that J-F and I agree on so much..but I’m sure that we will still find plenty of things to disagree about to restore order to the world. :) Also, scary that you and I are agreeing about Carbonneau, Habster. Must be a leftover effect from Hallowe’en!
As far Laraque, you are preaching to the choir, J-F. I wasn’t happy with his signing, but I thought I was the only one in Montreal who wasn’t. Glad to hear that we are in thesame camp. I was told that Laraque was brought here to protect his teammates, change the momentum of a game, and be an effective 4th line player who would hit hard and chip in with a few goals. Laraque hasn’t played much but so far, he has failed to live up to any of the advance billing.
I stand by my comments on Begin (see Habster, J-F and I still disagree on some things!)
Actually, I must take exception in the strongest terms with something you wrote J-F. Comparing either of us to an ass like Bergeron really hits the jugular. “In the future, however, try not to do a Bergeron of yourself (the 110% guy now on RDS) and give information without looking up your numbers. Like O’bryne’s ice time.”
Habster and I try not to make statements that we can’t defend. With respect to O’Byrne’s ice-time, I didn’t recall seeing him on the ice in the third period. But before I wrote my review, I checked the NHL play-by-play report. I didn’t see #3 listed. Either I missed it (it was late) or the NHL revised the report afterwards (which happens). In any case, I made a mistake and missed O’Byrne’s 2 shifts and approximately 90 seconds of ice-time in the third period. I apologize for the mistake but resent the implication that we don’t check our facts. We do our best perhaps better than some of the guys for which this is a full-time gig. For Habster and I, it isn’t!
Rob, I must say, I remain puzzled about your DiPietro comments. You said: “DiPietro has missed more games than he has played since signing that contract.” As far as I know, DiPietro played 63 games in 2005-06, 62 games in 2006-07 and 63 games in 2007-08.
Really appreciate all the discussion and different perspectives guys. Thanks to all of you, J-F, Rob and Habster!
Rocket,
Maybe J.F should consider writing some articles on All Habs and help lessen our workload…..LOL!!
Okay. Sorry. I’ll apologize. Comparing you to Bergie was low. And I mean REAL low. We’re talking about RDS equivalent to Don Cherry. My point was simply what could happen if you go down that path. You could end up on RDS :-/
“We do our best perhaps better than some of the guys for which this is a full-time gig. For Habster and I, it isn’t!”
And you DO a better job IMO than most media coverage. But then again, it isn’t THAT hard. And it’s a damn shame. I’ve been claiming for years that the best hockey city deserve the best coverage. I’ll give props to RDS for replacing Yvon by Benoit (he isn’t there yet but he’ll be a solid analyst) and Joel Bouchard is doing a better job between period than I’ve seen on French tv since… well… I can’t even remember.
As for Laraque, I was glad we signed him. But I thought he was better than that. He may be one of the best figther around but he has to bring more than that to the table. Otherwise, give me back Tom the Bomb.
And as for Carbo use of it’s lineup, I am happy with it. Not saying I’d do the same but Carbo likes to keep everyone playing at least a bit and, up to now he did. Dandenault, O’bryne and Breezer all have 8 GP. Also, Ryan, Pat and Frankie B are within 13 seconds of average icetime per game. And since O’Byrne doesn’t play much specialty minutes, that makes him more used at even strenght than both other low level D. I don’t see it as a lack of confidence from Carbo. He’s doing is best to make everybody play and, from what I can see, he think those 3 are pretty much in the same bath.
Has for Habster “lol invitation”, if my video blog project crash and burn (and that’s HIGHLY) I’ll think about it. But I’m not sure I’d fit well next to two great hockey minds like yourselves.
That’ the last free ass kissing I’m doing.
J.F,
Please, no more ass kissing….LOL….we like you better when you’re bringing up great points we can debate about!!
Anyhow, the “LOL” invitation is no laughing matter. If you want to share your opinions and good hockey knowledge on All Habs just send us an email and we’ll talk…..standing offer.
By the way, not to worry about the Bergeron reference….though some of his opinions can be somewhat outdated and archaic!!!
Thanks for the compliments J-F! That’s enough for now, but we’re starting a new week! :)
Apology accepted!
OK, now this is truly scary. Anyone who has talked hockey with me has heard me say similar words to ones in your comment: “I’ve been claiming for years that the best hockey city deserve the best coverage.” Perhaps I’ll jot down some thoughts in a new article and we can discuss this topic in the future.
Hey Rob, what do you think about Halak going to the Flyers? I think that’s a far better fit and more likely to happen than a deal with the Isles.
You can add the Devils to the Halak wish list!!
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