Posted by Kyle Roussel
AllHabs.blogspot.com
AllHabs.blogspot.com
As I sit here, a quivering mass of malady, I can’t help but remain hopeful that the Habs will salvage some measure of pride tonight and eek out a game 4 victory to avoid a sweep on home ice. This game could be the gateway to the beginning of a very turbulent time in Habs land.
Should we lose tonight:
It could be the last we see of Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Mike Komisarek and a whole littany of other free agents of varying importance in Habs jerseys.
If it’s evident that the Habs are going to lose, will Koivu’s potential last moments as a Hab be to a chorus of boos? What about Kovalev? These guys deserve better, but I’m not putting anything past the Bell Center crowd.
This could also be the final game of the George Gillet era. The Bob Gainey era as well. Imagine, in a couple weeks our team could have
- No owner
- No GM
- No coach
- No roster
You could remain optimistic and say that the next owner and GM can rebuild the team from scratch, but smart fans know that contenders don’t spring up out of the ground overnight. This could be a total and complete rebuild, from the 7th floor of the Bell Center right down to ice level.
Anyway, back to tonight’s game.
Who starts in net? Gainey has made it clear through his actions that Price is his guy. And Price has not come through with the type of performances needed to win in the playoffs. That’s not to say that Price is to blame for the 0-3 hole, but he hasn’t helped much either. Many people are calling for Halak to start game 4. My question is why? Does anyone truly believe that the Habs can still make a series of this? In my opinion Gainey and Price have made their beds and now need to lie in them. Why should Halak be the guy on the ice when the final siren sounds and the Canadiens lose? If the Habs win tonight, fans and media will go absolutely bananas on Gainey for not starting him sooner. He will then be forced to go with Halak until they lose again. That would be egg all over Gainey’s face. Game 3 was the time to start Halak, when the chance to make a competitive series was still a possibility. I think Gainey sticks with Price tonight, but I could be wrong.
There seems to be confusion everywhere from different sources on who skated with the team, who skated on their own, and who didn’t do anything. I thought that it would be all hands on deck tonight, but then again if you believe Jacques Demers, some free agents may not want to risk further injury. If there’s one thing hockey players like more than hockey, it’s getting rich, long term deals to play hockey. I don’t think any free agent who’s significantly injured would risk further injury and jeopardize their future by trying to help the Habs dig their way out of an impossible situation. Therefore I doubt the lineup will look any different than what we saw on Monday.
The other day I made a fearless prediction on Twitter that Tomas Plekanec would play a strong game tonight, along with Andrei Kostitsyn. When it no longer matters, he’ll make an impact.
What ends up being the game plan for tonight? We saw the Canadiens come out like gangbusters in game 3. They dominated every facet of the game in the 1st period on Monday night. Everywhere, except the scoreboard that is. They left for the 1st intermission tied at 1. It was all downhill from there. The Bruins weathered the storm, took the lead, took control and took a stranglehold on the series. Do the Canadiens try to do the same thing tonight? Empty the tank in the hopes that you can get a couple past Thomas and coast to game 5? To me, the only hope to live another day is to play the same way again, just pray for a little more luck. Thomas was beaten on 2 long wrist shots on Monday, and I believe that he is human. Shoot more!
So that’s it for now. Not a lot of reason for optimism that I can see. Overcoming an 0-3 deficit has only been done twice in history (’42 Leafs and ’75 Islanders), so to think this series represents the 3rd occurence is probably a fool’s hope. I just don’t want to see the same shenanigans that polluted the Bell Center on Monday (the booing of the U.S. national anthem). I especially don’t want to see the Canadiens booed off the ice should they lose, and an ensuing riot downtown should the rumours prove true.
Enjoy tonight’s game just the same! Hopefully tomorrow we can start talking about Saturday’s game 5.