Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Habs vs. Caps Game Seven: Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night

Notes on the third:

-This is shaping up to be a huge high for us, or an absolute heartbreaker. Please, no OT.

-I'm convinced Markov's playing hurt. He's a non-factor and that's concerning.

-OH...I forgot to post my all-time favourite TSN homoerotic comment last game. It wasn't even by McGuire. Gord Miller said, "Gionta has Semin all over him." Ha!

-What a ballsy call on the goalie interference! Amazing.

-PK's really good on the boards from what I've seen so far.

-Nice of Halak to stop the deflection by Gorges. How many times have we heard complaints about goals bouncing off defencemen this year? Finally a goalie snares one.

-Gionta's taking headshots to preserve this.

-Now the Caps can't complain about the post in the first. Cammalleri was about to seal it there.

-Gill looks absolutely done. What a hero he's been!

-Lapierre and Moore deserve huge kudos tonight. Lappy raced the puck down and Moore finished. I'm in awe.

-Three icings and you knew you'd see it tied with tired guys. Crap goal though.

-I nearly died in the last three minutes. At least four times.

-Who's shakin' now, Ovy??? HAHAHHAHA!

-How are they ever gonna get it up for the Pens after this?



Notes on the second:

-Forty more minutes could hurt me. Somehow, I don't think a one-goal lead will stand up.

-Markov is playing some very, very risky hockey tonight.

-Man, are Gorges and Gill going to play the entire game? Every time the Caps are in the o-zone those guys are there. I hope they've got some gas left for the third.

-O'Byrne is handling the puck like a grenade with no pin.

-Hamrlik needs to pinch as much as my heart needs OT tonight. Just stay home, you dolt!

-What a pass by Jaro! Too bad Pleky cashed like a bad cheque.

-PK is a great kid, but you can't go end-to-end with a minute left in a one-goal game if you're going to lose the puck.

-I don't think my last nerve can handle the third period.



Notes on the first:

-Ice under the spotlights during the anthem looks awful. Full of ruts.

-Don't like Pouliot on the Gomez line early. He's too soft on D, and the onslaught is coming.

-Not many Habs quality chances. They're getting some, but they're like the nougat centres in the chocolate box. The Caps are getting all the caramels and almonds.

-Caps are very physical so far, and surprisingly defensive.

-I wonder how much pain Metro is still feeling in the shoulder?

-Ping! That was too damn close.

-I get the strategy behind putting MAB out there for o-zone faceoffs. But when your team is winning only 42% of its draws, you have an excellent chance of having MAB stuck on D against scary players.

-Boudreau's using last change to get Ovechkin out against Pouliot...softest player on the ice.

-Jaro's good...and smart too. Nice move to call a rut in the ice to give the guys a breather on the icing.

-He'd better watch out though. After robbing Semin like that, he might get slapped.

-As my friend just said, "BAM by MAB!!" He's earned his money tonight. And the Gomez feed was immaculate.

-That had to be deflating for the Caps. I hope they're ready to give up.


Pre-game notes:

-Okay, here we go. No shorties, and no OT, please.

-Things that would disappoint me: a blowout by the Caps, or Habs taking a lead and blowing it. Everything else I can handle.

-Don't like Walker in the Caps' lineup. Fourth-line energy can make a difference when it crashes the net with abandon.

-Don't like the pundits talking about '71 all day. I'm afraid of offending the hockey gods.

-It's kind of nice that there's always another thing the Habs can be first to do. If they win, they'll be the first eighth-seed ever to come back from a 3-1 series deficit.

-Game plan has got to be to survive the first ten minutes, preferably scoring the first goal in the process. Gill and Gorges will have to be huge on D and Halak will have to be at his best.

-An early Habs goal and a couple of early huge saves by Halak could really take the crowd out of it, get in the Caps' heads and turn this game.

-Crucial to avoid stupid penalties tonight. The Caps' PP HAS to score sometime. And NO SHORTIES! Also, no last-minute goals in any period, please.

-Cammalleri doing a warm-up interview with TSN. He really will talk to anybody, anytime.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm already depressed. The experts are predicting a Craps win (75%)

Anonymous said...

I like that stat, the experts are usually wrong. A good omen.

CheGordito said...

Yay!!!!!!!!!

NorCalVol said...

Glorious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The TEAM defeated the COLLECTION OF INDIVIDUALS.
The Habs make it the first 8th seed to ever win a series when down 3 games to 1.
Montreal simply did not change their approach. Harass, defend, harry, defend, work hard and you will score, too. I've never heard a noisier game due to sticks clashing.
Nobody ever expected to see the Habs play defense so effectively.
Martin deserves credit.
Alright, I'll shut up...
But, man, is this great, or what?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Rock on the Rock said...

WOW

MC said...

How good was that? I guess Washington can take that charter to Florida for R&R they were planning after game four now!

The best part is that the Habs look dangerous for the next round. Bring on the Pens!

Anonymous said...

OMG!!! JT we all need defibrellators STAT! My heart was pounding so fast it was incredible. What a win, unbelievable. Jaro was channeling Roy, the guys played all out ... till they got nervous toward the end but man, what a game. DO YOU BELIEVE????

Unknown said...

Unbelievable. That was the weirdest, most stressful game/series I've ever seen. That's the first time ever I've had to wimp out and close my eyes at an opposing team's shots at the end of a game. But I'm not complaining. WAHOOO!!!!

DKerr said...

MAB gets the second star for playing 4 minutes and some change? Gill and Gorges must be saying "damn man" - but who cares, only the win counts! I thought that PP at the end would kill us, especially after their guy swept that puck away from the open net. Could Gomez put a little more on that one?!! Well done, everyone. Good hard work.

The Forum said...

What feeling! To beat the Caps is one thing, but to come back down 3-1 is another.

What happened to this team between Game 4 & 5? Vets must have taken over the room...and a little Halak helps!

pierre said...

The Habs dit it !..... we are throught ! Amazing.... a birthday week for you to remember.... isn't J.T ?

Halak was fabulous and there is alot to be said about Gill, Gorges, the veterans and about a team who really played as a Team...... Martin is the Man thats for shure.

GK said...

First we take Ovechkin, then Crosby. Then the Broons, then the Canucks. All series go to seven games, except the Broons, who get swept -- because I say so. Then we take the Swedish twins, in an all-Canadian final which will divide the nation's loyalties, and culminate in the greatest Stanley Cup final of all time. So there.

Kate S. said...

I don't think I've stopped smiling since that final siren sounded!! I feel as though I've been holding my breath for a week and can only now breathe freely...at least until Friday night!! Wow, what a night to be a Canadiens fan. Go HABS Go!!

Mek said...

Woah. Celebrations spread all the way to here, in the South of France.