Rocket:
This was a very strange game.
Even by the numbers it was odd:
First period shots = 8 total for both teams. 3 for Montreal and 5 for Carolina and the Hurricanes scored twice.
11 penalties for Montreal. 1 penalty for Carolina.
Guillaume Latendresse got his first point in 10 games…a penalty shot goal.
Alex Kovalev finally scored after going 19 games without a goal….shorthanded.
Carolina had the 27th best power play in the league…and scored 3 PP goals.
Joe Corvo played almost 31 minutes.
Rod Brind’Amour won only 52% of his faceoffs. Josh Gorges was 0 for 1 on faceoffs.
Watching the game was almost painful at times. The Canadiens looked in disarray with small spurts of pressure. Carolina wasn’t much better but the Hurricanes had 11 power play chances. Both goalies looked rather shaky.
I was watching on RDS. Somehow, Guy Carbonneau was watching a completely different game from behind the bench. Afterward he said, “I thought we played better than them. We were all over them. They had nothing going unless they had a power play. So, I’m happy with the way we played.” Too much cough syrup Guy?
Despite the Canadiens not being on the same page, there were some good efforts. Tomas Plekanec had another strong game. It is amazing to me that he continues to work so hard without having the support of his linemates. His penalty killing was superb. Matt D’Agostini is a threat to score every time he is on the ice. Matt led the Habs with 5 shots. Problem was that he only 13 minutes of ice time. Andrei Kostitsyn had fewer minutes than that.
Max Lapierre had another energetic game and was very good on faceoffs . The 4th line is still getting too much ice time especially on penalty killing. Members of the 4th line were victimized for each of Carolina’s first two goals.
The Canadiens earned most of their 11 penalties but the performance of the referees was as bad as the two teams tonight. The refs were generous in making a marginal penalty shot call in favor of Latendresse. But they would fix their mistake by assessing two minutes to Lats even though he wasn’t near Pitkanen. Joni simply fell down. And I’m not sure why Markov’s goal was called back. From the replays it seemed that his stick was crest high when it contacted the puck.
It was an undisciplined effort from a team who just wasn’t into the game. Bad penalties, sloppy play, giveaways and questionable goaltending. Halak can’t be faulted on the first two Carolina goals. But it was an adventure all night as he struggled with his net positioning and glove hand. Halak did make a good glove save on Scott Walker but it was one of the few. It seemed that Carolina was testing him. On more than one occasion Pitkanen flipped the puck toward the net. Halak couldn’t hold on and it led to a scramble.
Cam Ward wasn’t tested too often but he didn’t look much better. Latendresse placed his shot perfectly while Kovalev just threw his shot at the net yet both seemed to surprise Ward and find the top corner. Like Halak, Ward was giving up big rebounds. When Begin shot the puck to the net, Ward couldn’t control it which led to Markov’s called back goal.
Due to some poor play by the Hurricanes, amazingly enough, the Canadiens were in it until the end. Guillaume Latendresse had a chance to be the hero. With time running out and Gui standing in the slot, a soft short pass to Kovalev who was alone with an empty side to shoot at could have tied the game. Unfortunately a rushed shot was right at Ward.
It was a slow, disjointed game with little entertainment value. The Canadiens have now lost three straight. Fans are certainly upset. The players don’t seem to be enjoying themselves. And while coach Carbonneau wasn’t complimentary about the officiating, he is pleased with the team’s level of play. Well, at least someone’s happy.
Pre-game:
Same line-up tonight. Higgins, Komisarek, Dandenault, Price, Koivu all out with injuries. Laraque is scratched. Marc Denis will back-up Halak.
Rocket’s 3 stars:
1. Eric Staal
2. Tomas Plekanec
3. Joe Corvo
(photo credit: Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)