Thursday, March 25, 2010

Panthers vs. Habs - Smelly Cat Edition

Notes on the third:

-I'm trying not to sweat about going into the third with a two-goal lead.

-O'Byrne is playing some fine hockey. He knows the basics and he uses them properly.

-One-eyed Moen is playing a fantastic game too. Maybe he should look into an eye patch after his stitches heal.

-My least favourite play is when they win the faceoff, but the other team still gets control.

-Gionta's goal was proof of what a player can do when he doesn't quit on the play. His 25th on an empty net may not count for some, but it was a hardworking goal nonetheless.

-Great win. Necessary win. There's hope for the future.


Notes on the second:

-I had no idea Spacek could do as much damage as he did on the Booth hit. It's kind of like seeing someone t-boned by an ice cream truck.

-Nice dive by Vokoun ending in the Pleks penalty.

-Man, has Gomez EVER cashed a breakaway or two-on-one this year?

-Halak is playing a hell of a game. I think the decision on which goalie the team will keep will come down to a guess about whether Price will get better or Halak will get worse.

-Nice 5-on-3 kill. I think Halak leads the league in save percentage in those situations.



Notes on the first:

-Before the game started, my thought on Lapierre over Metro in the lineup was "What the hell, Martin?" Metro actually can stickhandle, he works hard, kills penalties and has a right-handed shot on the PP. Lapierre can...(fill in the blank here.)

-Watching the Panthers play convinces me hockey isn't fixed. Why would they play so hard, knowing they're not going to make the playoffs, if not for pride?

-Horton scrambled Markov like a dozen eggs. Another great player from the first round in 2003.

-What exactly are four sets of official's eyes looking at when they don't see Markov get a stick in the face right in the middle of the play?

-Pouliot's development isn't going to advance much if he spends half his time in the box and the other half stapled to the bench in punishment for taking bad penalties.

-Then again, as long as he's playing with Gomez, maybe he doesn't need the coach on his side. Nice backhand for the goal.

-Gionta's got a great shot, but Vokoun should have had that one. Let's hope they can actually hold this two-goal lead.

-Gak! Halak with the big race for the puck again tonight. He's taking more risks than Captain Smith in the north Atlantic in April.

-If Moore puts money on the board every time they play one of his former teams, he'll have to take a second job.

-This is completely opposite from the game last night. The Habs have had very little of the territorial advantage and they're not controlling most of the play, yet they're getting the breaks.

3 comments:

Paul B. said...

Darche is also much more useful to this team than Lapierre and Pyatt.

Denise T said...

This team has to find a way to score more than 2 goals per game. Their defence isn't good enough to hold a lead of a goal or two.

Anonymous said...

Metro and Darche had slowed down during the past couple of games and have defensive issues. Martin probably wanted a little more speed and energy. Hence Pyatt and Lapierre.

For the first time this season, the Habs actually have some extra attackers, so we should expect these kinds of game-to-game permutations. I wouldn't be surprised to see Metro and Darche against Jersey with Lapierre and Pyatt in the stands.

O'Byrne plays better indeed. Not coincidentally, he's playing with Markov.