Montreal 7 NY Islanders 2 (Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City)
“What got into Cammy? It seems so out of character for him to react like that.” The quote, from the person seated next to me, seemed to sum up prevailing opinion about the incident.
Mike Cammalleri, seemingly unprovoked, went after Islanders prospect Nino Niederreiter high-sticking him and then slashing him twice on the back of the leg. Cammalleri received a five-minute slashing major and was ejected from the game at 16:52 of the second period. Niederreiter limped off the ice and didn’t return.
So what happened?
Islanders assistant coach Dean Chynoweth called Cammalleri’s actions “gutless.” A NHL disciplinary hearing will decide whether Cammalleri will be available for the Canadiens home opener against Toronto on Thursday night.
But Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin offered an explanation for his player’s behaviour.
“I think Cammy was reacting to being blindsided on the play before that,” Martin said. “I’m sure when the league reviews the incident, they’ll look at that part.”
Replays show Niederreiter attempting to deliver a vicious blind-side head shot. The blow glanced off Cammalleri as he went to the ice.
Many expressed the view that Cammalleri’s behaviour was undisciplined. Most think that he will be suspended for one game.
Will the NHL prove that they are serious about headshots this season and discipline Niederreiter? Had he connected as intended we would be talking about whether the Habs could survive the season without their most lethal sniper. Will the NHL suspend Cammalleri putting an end to differing rules for regular folks and the Alex Ovechkin-type superstars of the league?
I won’t attempt to predict what Colin Campbell will do. Consistency is not exactly a strength of the NHL when determing supplementary discipline.
I’d like to take a different tact. Whether Cammalleri is suspended or not, he sent a message, which is consistent with what the team has been broadcasting. Habs are serving notice that they won’t be taken advantage of this season.
We have watched players stand up for their teammates throughout the pre-season. This is a tight group who won’t be manhandled. I don’t expect Cammalleri to be suspended but if he is, it may be worth it in the end to send that message.
Responsibility for what happened on Saturday night must also rest with the NHL schedule-maker who decided it was a good idea to schedule two Islanders games on the same night. The Isles iced a patchwork lineup filled with AHL’ers, retreads and goons. They realized early on that the only way to be competitive with the Canadiens was to adopt street fighter tactics.
After Cammalleri was tossed, the Islanders decided to target Lars Eller. While a linesman-restrained Ryan White was anxious to jump in, Eller looked after himself just fine. He also demonstrated his heavy shot, scoring twice, although one goal was mis-credited to Benoit Pouliot (the puck went off Islander defenseman Dylan Reese).
Plus and minus:
▲ Tomas Plekanec continues to be the on-ice leader of the team. He scored his fifth and sixth goal of the pre-season.
▲ Andrei Kostitsyn is looking comfortable on the bench and dangerous on the ice. He had two assists.
▲ Carey Price was sharp when he had to be. He has looked very good in his last two appearances.
▲ Special teams were very good with the Habs scoring three power-play goals and killed off four New York chances. The only blemish was yet another goose egg on a 5-on-3 advantage.
► For a rare time, P.K. Subban didn’t take a penalty. He scored a power-play goal on a one-timer but was responsible for the Islanders second goal when he was caught out of position.
▼ Moron fans at le Colisee who, for no particular reason, decided to jeer Carey Price at times.
▼ The New York Islanders organization who brought a Bridgeport Sound Tigers lineup to Quebec.
Montreal plays their first game of the regular season schedule against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
All Habs game stars:
1. Tomas Plekanec
2. Lars Eller
3. Mathieu Darche
(photo by Getty)
If you watch the video replay carefully, Cammy hit the blade of his skate, not his leg.
Islanders report that Niederreitter is day-to-day with a bruised calf.
Loved Cammi’s energy but a combination of acts (stick to the face area and the slash) will garner him a game or two. Agreed that the Habs will not be taken advantage of this year.
A word about the “fans” at the Colisée, since I was present…
One has to admit, especially in light of the Marche Bleue, a gigantic love fest for the return of the Nordiques held on the Plains of Abraham yesterday afternoon, the majority of fans at the Colisée Pepsi last night were not bleeding Bleu, Blanc, Rouge. In that respect, I would have been truly surprised they’d cheer for the Habs. But their heart was not really about the game in front of them — not that I blame them really for the lack of adversity in the “home” team: ridiculing Price was for some the “cool” thing to do, as would being more preoccupied in forming a everlasting wave while there was action (and a goal scored) on the ice below, or giving out a well deserved standing ovation to attending Peter Stastny but extending a couple of minutes after the play had resumed…
Basically, there were some hockey fans there but most of the crowd were finishing off the celebrations of the day, a few in advanced stages of partying.
To illustrate, the group next to me spent the better part of the 2nd period arguing about the spelling of Josh Gorges name.
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