Sunday, May 16, 2010

Habs vs. Flyers Game One: Let's Get It On

Notes on the third:

-The Habs never make it easy, do they? There's a write-off game in every series, like the guy you drop from your pool at the end of the season.

-There are two versions of the Canadiens. There's the one that shut out Philly 1-0 late in the year to help them make the playoffs. Then there's the one that allowed the Flyers six goals in each of back-to-backs a month before that. We're getting the team behind Door Number Two tonight.

-The Canadiens have been outworked all night by a team that played for its life two days ago. This does NOT look promising.

-Jeez, Gomez. If you're going to take a dumbass penalty, take one of them DOWN.

-Habs are pinned to the boards like butterflies.

-Surely, if there are hockey gods, they don't want to see the Flyers and their Neanderthal fans win?

-Another thing I hate about the Flyers: Scott Hartnell's cave-man hair.

-Has every French guy on the Flyers scored now? There must be one who hasn't, surely?

-This is Cinderella when the clock strikes midnight and she's sitting on the street next to a big empty pumpkin, in a torn dress with one lousy glass slipper and the other foot full of splinters.

-If there's any rage in their hearts, may it come to the surface on Tuesday. This is horrible in a soul-scratching kind of way.

-Shut out by a tinker goalie. Awesome. I think I've not seen the Habs play a more wretched game since they lost so miserably to Carolina in the last week of the season. I was hoping I'd never see it again, but like the Loch Ness monster, it rises again just when you thought it wasn't real.


Notes on the second:

-I have a feeling MAB will score one, if only because whenever he's been sufficiently useless for sufficiently long enough for the coaches to consider sending him to the pressbox, he dazzles them all once again with a laser goal and keeps his spot. Then again, maybe he'll just continue to outright suck.

-Of all the Flyers I want to see lose, I think Briere is the one I most want to beat. His smarmy mustache, unparalleled joy in beating the Habs and the way he used Montreal to boost his contract value in Philly disgust me.

-Subban not having much luck tonight. He's watched both of the first two Flyers goals up close and personal.

-Feel like '93? Nope. Feels more like 2008.

-Joke of the night on me: I saw Subban leading the rush on the PP, and for a moment thought he was wearing 75. I nearly choked to see Gill skate like that.

-If I were Kostitsyn, I'd have a personal vendetta against all the guys drafted after me in 2003 who make me look bad. I want to see him rip up Richards in revenge.

-This is exactly like the first game against Pittsburgh. Stupid penalties and a lousy PK. Now Price is in. Deja vu, although I have a sneaking suspicion this series isn't going to end as well for Montreal.

-I don't place much blame on Jaro. He's been screened on every goal. The Flyers are using their size and willingness to go to the net to their advantage.

-Oh, add to the list of things I hate about the Flyers: Their fans. Singing Ole now, in mockery. If that doesn't fire up the Habs, nothing will.

-Habs spend more time working on the perimeter than a mathematician.

-Martin's very rosy-cheeked tonight. Either he's ripping mad, he's been drinking or he's allergic to Philly. Maybe all of the above.

-This one's over. I hope they can salvage some pride in the third.


Notes on the first:

-Non-hockey fan spouse says it's not a bad thing the Habs drafted Andrei Kostitsyn. It's only bad that they neglected to draft his brain as well.

-Cinderella versus Snow White tonight in a bitch-slap match of fairy-tale proportions.

-Okay...A Little Like '93 on HNIC. Nice. I still say it feels nothing like '93 though.

-Cherry on the game opener, still calling Jaro "Havlak." Boys in the tunnel look nervous.

-Add to the list of things I hate: Laviolette and his stupid orange ties.

-Gomez needs to be a heck of a lot smarter. That Coburn goal hurts because it gives them the special teams advantage, and it proves how much physically stronger the Flyers are.

-Biggest problem with the two-ref system: One more body on a too-small ice surface, getting in the way.

-The Habs' version of dump and chase is as successful as trying to find a diamond in a landfill.

-I guess it's a good thing Lapierre can insult Briere, Giroux and Gagne in their native tongue. Mabye that'll get to them if they hear their mothers are 'hos in French.

-Cammy's wearing Pronger like a king-sized blanket knitted from cactus skins.

-Wouldn't it be ironic if the journeyman goalie who couldn't stick with the Habs beats one of his many old teams?

-My question isn't why Gomez scored only twelve goals this year. It's: How the hell did he score 33 one year in Jersey?

-Halak robbed Gagne like a Dickensian orphan in a crowd of toffs.

-Thirteen to six shots on goal in Habs favour. That never works out well.


Pre-game notes:

-I really hate the Flyers. I hate their cheap-shot version of "toughness." I hate their smug French Canadians who'd love to beat up on the Habs. I hate Pronger, voted dirtiest player in the league by his own colleagues. I hate the orange and black uniforms. I hate Kate Smith on the big screen during the anthems. Most of all, I hate the desecration of clean, skilled hockey the entire franchise represents.

-I think the Habs have the edge in goal, as long as Jaro doesn't get rattled by the inevitable pile of goons in his crease all night.

-If the refs do their job, the Habs should get a few power plays tonight. It's vital for them to capitalize on the PP, and for the PK to be working. It could very well make the difference.

-Habs are shifting from a shut-down game against the likes of Crosby and Ovechkin, to countering the Flyers' attempts to shut down Cammy and Gionta. If those guys get smothered, it'll be tough for the Habs to score.

-Third and fourth lines will be very, very important to the Canadiens in this series. This is one of the times when your support team has to come through. You can't go all the way without them.

-It would also be a very good time for the "big" guys on the first two lines, AK and Pouliot, to finally wake up. A little help in the goal-scoring department would be very beneficial.

-Did I mention, I hate the Flyers?

13 comments:

Unknown said...

I hate the Flyer's brand of hockey.

After sitting through the first two rounds, all that scared me were übertalented superstars taking over a game. And maybe Matt Cooke.

But now, it'll be the constant worry that the Habs will get beaten up. I worry about them but I have one comfort. Just maybe Martin has a game plan that will deal with them much like they were able to deal with those golfing superstars.

I want to see good hockey! Is that too much to ask?

Habsfan23 said...

Totally agree! I hate the Flyers too. The only other team in the NHL that I despise more is the Maple leafs.
I'm hoping that if the goons are focusing on Cammy and Gionta the 3rd and 4th line can get a few goals. My biggest fear is that someone such as Cammalleri or Gionta will be injured. There's no doubt the Flyers will be crashing Halak as much as possible. As long as the Habs don't lose their cool, I really believe they can beat these Bullies.
Cinderella team my eye. Philly is more like the Nightmare on Broadstreet.

ganderhab said...

One hour before game time I went in to Flyers site and you could still buy 2 seats 13 rows off the ice for tonights game - rabid fans!! For these cretins in the U.S. we have to watch a saturday afternoon game!! Thanks Gary.

Unknown said...

Why the Hallowe'en colors on the uniforms anyway? Of course, it seems appropriate given Hartnell I guess.

Their D is mostly only rolling 4, so ought to be fun seeing them try to keep up to the Smurfs, especially late in the 2nd and throughout the 3rd. You can't kill what you can't catch.

I hate the Flyers too, BTW. Don't want to be left out here....

NorCalVol said...

The Flyers' penchant for rough/dirty play notwithstanding, what worries me more is their forechecking - they usually play a very aggressive forechecking system, a 2-1-2 as opposed to a more conservative 1-2-2 system. With our relatively poor puck handling in our zone, it will be interesting what Martin has in store for the Habs to counteract the Flyers' aggressive tendencies.
I think there is going to be a lot of pressure on Subban to get the puck out of the zone - he may be our best at doing so. Gill is going to have to lay off his tendencies to hold needlessly.
The Habs are going to have to play away from the puck with excellence to create any serious offensive rushes. Otherwise, we're going to be looking at being supremely opportunistic.
This first game will be very, very interesting.
Go Habs Go!

norCalVol said...

First Period - I'm encouraged. Even though down 0-1, the Habs found much more space to create an open offensive game than I thought would happen. Unfortunately, none of the Habs' shots were in the immediate vicinity of the crease - hardly any rebounds available with which to follow up.
The Flyers' forechecking was as strong as predicted. We have to remain as strong and together as possible. Scary stuff - let's make them pay for their aggressiveness with some good outlets...
The penalty on Gomez was completely unnecessary - really stupid and really costly - took us out of a full PP and gave them the PP to score.

Anonymous said...

Habs not ready to play. If they aren't competetive in game two this will be a sweep. At least the Hawks look good.

Anonymous said...

O'Byrne better dress for game two.

NorCalVol said...

Yuckko buckko.
Everything went wrong in the 2nd period.
Needless to say, I'm no longer encouraged.
If discipline was the number one objective to fulfill in order to have a chance to win, the Habs get an F.
Reacting to Philly's provocative play gets us into the box - 3 roughing, 1 boarding, and 1 goalie interference (more of a runaway train).
Trying to intimidate the Flyers just gets Philly more motivated.
We've obviously lost our heads - time to use the 3rd period to get our S**t together in order to gain some confidence going into Tuesday.

Anonymous said...

At least, I don't have to search frantically for the nitro bottle...

NorCalVol said...

More of the same in the 3rd, only worse.
That was awful and embarrassing.
Obviously not mentally ready to handle what they faced.
Now that they know what to expect,...
Let's just forget about it and move on to better days.

Rock on the Rock said...

Well that sucked.

It's too bad that goonery is allowed; takes away from THE game. All you really need is 23 Vegans that weight 250 lbs!

Anonymous said...

These were the regular season Habs tonight and if they play game two the series is over. I know what you mean about hating the Flyers, it's called jealousy. If the teams could only change uniforms I'd be dancing all over the house and so would you.