Oilers vs. Habs - Don't Get Caught Edition

Notes on the third and OT:

-Closeup of Pleks on the bench shows a fire in the eyes we don't get to see from a distance.

-Markov embellished like a calligraphy artist on that penalty call.

-That was the most poorly-played 5-on-3 in the history of the universe.

-Does Gomez ever score on a breakaway that's not in the shootout?

-This is what happens when you give a team that's lost its confidence a chance to compete with you.

-Just when you think Sergei Kostitsyn's never going to be a big point producer, he does THAT and you go back to hoping.

-The fourth Oilers goal was the worst goal Halak has allowed all year. Brutal. Deflected or not, it was brutal.

-There's an awful lot of standing around on the Habs' part. Martin needs to inform them there's no bus stop handy.

-On the OT PPs, the only thing they proved was that they can pass the puck too often really quickly. Why does nobody on this team ever shoot the bloody puck?

-Halak on Horcoff was the first in-game breakaway he's stopped in about seven hundred years.

-He saved the game in the end, but Jaro could have made this a LOT easier on us all.

-Way to go, Andrei Kostitsyn with the beautiful SO move. Thank goodness The Game That Wouldn't End didn't drag on any longer.


Notes on the second:

-The Oilers aren't THAT far off being good in the National Parity League. They'll get a great pick this year and add it to some of their really strong prospects. We'll see them improve in two years.

-Gill is getting beaten like an egg by the Oilers' speed. He was on for both goals against and several scary chances already.

-I swear to God I saw Fraser's arm start to go up when a Hab was dumped in the crease, then jerk back down again.

-Gionta slips through the neutral zone like the Bluenose through the Atlantic.

-Two guys in blackface with Subban shirts on in the crowd. That's the crudest thing I've seen at a game in a long while.

-Whenever Martin gets a fresh haircut you really notice he could hang-glide with those ears.

-Moore on the PK: the single greatest bit of penalty-killing I think I've seen since Christmas.

-Habs are getting too fancy with no finish. They're like the high school tease.

-What a difference it makes when the third and fourth lines are contributing. I think the Olympic break was very good for some of these grinders.

-Pat Quinn looks like he's glad his hair is already white.

-With the Bs beating Philly, our guys really need the two points. Hope they remember that in the third.



Notes on the first:

-Plekanec hits 20 for the fourth straight year. Last year wasn't great, but in the goals department, you can't say he's not consistent.

-Ugh. Looks like the defence is looking ahead to Boston. That must be why they're completely blind to the Oilers wide open in front of the net.

-Halak does not look pleased.

-With his hand-eye coordination, Gionta could be a brain surgeon when hockey's over.

-What a play by Andrei Kostitsyn to get the backhander away! He's strong as a Clydesdale, but without the work ethic.

-Very nice two-on-one play by Spacek. Wily vets really come in handy at this time of year.

-It's almost a crime against nature for a guy as big as Gill to be so soft. It's like a beautiful girl with BO or a sleek racecar with a four-cylinder engine.

-Shot of Gauthier and Lowe speaking animatedly in the pressbox: Gauthier: "Aw, come on! Lapierre for Eberle. You guys are getting Taylor Hall anyway." Lowe: "Um, Pierre? I'm not allowed to have power anymore."

-Nice PP. Darche is that rarest of finds: a big guy who actually goes to the net and stays there.

-Would have been nice to come out of that with the lead, but the Habs are obviously the better team if they don't get too cocky.