It’s been a weird game to say the least!!!! It’s also been a fast pace game with Carey Price looking pretty shaky at times……not one of his best games especially on Jody Shelley harmless shot from the blueline. Those type of weak goals can kill a team’s momentum especially after Tomas Plekanec was able to score his second goal of the night (26th goal of the season and 61 points) to tie the game at 3-3.
The Canadiens are getting a taste of Western Conference hockey: fast paced, wide open and very physical style of hockey. They should thrive with the skating and wide open aspect of the game. We’ll have to see how well they adapt to the physicality of these games especially against the Ducks who hit the Senators like crazy tonight in a 3-1 win. The Ducks forwards were constantly pounding the Senators defensemen when they were retrieving the puck in their own end…….very similar to how they beat Ottawa in last year’s Stanley Cup final.
Tomas Plekanec is playing a great game and reminds me of two ex-Habs, Yvon Cournoyer and Mats Naslund………he’s constantly in motion like a water bug!!!
Another player who has had a good game and is improving on a game by game basis is Ryan O’ Byrne. He is rarely out of position and is gaining confidence handling the puck more frequently playing with the ever consistent Roman Hamrlik.
The third period is well under way and San Jose has just scored their 5th goal by Jonathan Cheechoo who turned Josh Gorges into a pretzel and then beat Price on the glove side.
Maxim Lapierre has picked up his game in recent days and just scored the Habs 4th goal of the game (his 6th of the season).
The Canadiens are starting to pressure the Sharks and have closed the shot margin to 35-27 at the 5:30 mark of the third period after trailing 29-18 after the second period.
Habs get another powerplay chance to try and tie the game……..the KPK line is supplying most of the offense again tonight. Habs are 0 for 6 on the PP tonight……the Sharks are the #2 ranked PK in the NHL with a 85.9% success rate and you can see why with great PK players like Mike Grier and Greenfield Park native son, Torrey Mitchell.
The Sharks scored another goal to make it 6-4 with Brian Campbell making Mike Komisarek and Carey Price look foolish on a nice spin-a-rama (his patent move)…… Price looked unprepared again on the backhander by Campbell.
It will be interesting to see if Carbo goes right back to Price for Thursday’s game against the Coyotes or gives Jaroslav Halak his first start of the season. My money is on Carbo giving Price a chance to redeem himself with a strong comeback/rebound game!!!!
The game is finally over and I can finally go to bed………..without sounding too pessimistic, I think this is going to be a long and difficult road trip!!! I think Carbonneau will be happy to finish the trip with a 2-2 record (hopefully winning in Phoenix and Los Angeles)……….Good night and sleep tight Hab fans!!!!
Tough physical game tonight, wasn’t it Habster? Carbo did some line juggling but really didn’t have an answer for the big San Jose forwards.
The Canadiens ‘D’ really let the team down tonight. San Jose hammered the D all game. The only defensive pairing that had a decent game was Hamrlik and O’Byrne. Hamrlik was particularly strong. All the others had defensive lapses even Komisarek and Markov. After playing well recently, Bouillon and Gorges were brutal.
As you mentioned, Habster, the KPK line still supplied the offense tonight. They found a way even during a very physical game to get scoring chances. The second line was quiet. I thought Ryder played well at times and Lapierre supplied some energy (and a goal). Streit seemed to be fighting the puck all night. Latendresse is invisible in a physical game like this. Isn’t it time for Hamilton yet???
I’m not ready to be as harsh on Carey Price as you Habster. His defense really let him down…and was the reason the Habs lost tonight. Price faced in the neighbourhood of 40 shots and many of them were really tough stops. With about 5 minutes left in the first, San Jose was on a 5 on 3 PP which basically became a 5 on 2 with Hamrlik hobbling around. Price did it all on is own with some amazing stops on Thorton and Campbell. Later in the game, Price made a great save on Goc’s breakaway during a Hab’s PP. The Jody Shelley goal was inexcusable on Price’s part and his one bad goal of the night. San Jose was hitting Price at every opportunity. Thorton’s goal came on a 4 on 3 San Jose PP just after Marleau ran Price (without a call).
Carbo and the coaching staff better come up with a strategy to handle the aggressive forwards, because you can expect Anaheim to follow the same pattern.
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