Thursday, December 30, 2010

Habs vs.Bolts - Annual Christmas Disaster Edition

Notes on the third:

-The saddest thing about this is the Lightning give up goals like a newborn gives up poopy diapers.

-THAT was a penalty shot? You're friggin' kidding me!

-Oh, and I guess St.Louis and Boucher and all those other Tampa meatheads will be bitching about Stamkos "disrespecting the game" with his little spin move to score, right? Morons.

-My hockey buddies say it should have been no goal anyway, because Stamkos stopped his forward motion. I'm inclined to agree, but the world, Fate and the hockey gods...not to mention the refs...are all against the Habs right now, so it doesn't matter.

-Once that PS goal went in, the Habs checked out. We have a serious problem here, ladies and gents.

-I feel so badly for Wisniewski. He thought he was going to a Cup contender. He's gamely passing the puck to guys who can't handle a real NHL pass. He's shooting when there's no one providing a screen. He's hustling when all those around him are dragging their asses. He's probably missing the Isles right now.

-This is unbelievably bad. As in, if I weren't wasting a night watching it, I wouldn't believe it.

-Good for Desjardins. He always dreamed of playing in the NHL. I'm glad his first game was against a complete bunch of minor-league patsies to ease his transition to the big time.



Notes on the second:

-Oh, this team makes it so hard on itself. I think I've never actually witnessed TWO too-many-men calls on one team at the same time. Never mind target practice. These guys need math class. After that one sequence, they deserve to lose. They're too stupid to win.

-Poor Halpern has got to be wondering what he did to end up with Moen AND Lapierre as linemates.

-Unbelievable stupidity going on in the Canadiens' end. It's like the whole team has caught Kostitsynitis.

-Thank God for Wisniewski tonight. He's the Habs' best player.

-Sigh. Watching a Habs' 4-on-2 with Lapierre and Spacek, you know exactly what they're going to do. Lapierre will shoot, no matter what his passing options. Check. It'll bounce back to Spacek at the point and he'll shoot it into a leg. Check.

-Price was completely helpless on the second Tampa goal, but you won't see a goalie interference call when it's your own big dumb defenceman taking him out of the play.

-I'm baffled. Why would you come back from a tough goal against with the most useless line on the team? Lapierre stinks.

-Habs have to change their goal song. They've heard "Vertigo" so many times they're taking it seriously. I've never seen a team play so much on its collective ass.

-Honest question: If Gomez wasn't making 8-million, would he still be on the team?

-On the plus side, Subban isn't playing as dumb as most of the vets. And there was no late goal. That's about it.


Notes on the first:

-I hate to say it because I really liked him, but I hope Cedric the Entertainer gets lit up tonight.

-And, no sooner written than done. Good to see Pax's strength put to good use.

-Wish it was Spacek's contract up this summer instead of Hamrlik's.

-I don't really like it when Gorges isn't in the lineup. There's a real sense of stability missing.

-And The Wiz unloads his first four-pounder right of the post! It's nice to have heavy artillery again.

-Hamrlik is wearing the Ryan O'Byrne memorial delay-of-game crown.

-Seriously...do they EVER just practice hitting the damn net? Come on, Spacek!

-Gotta love how Eller will take the hit to make the play without panicking.

-Pouliot is going to be so far in Martin's doghouse he's going to need a collar and a dish of Kibbles and Bits.

-The rink looks so dark. Are they saving on lightbulbs because of attendance problems?

-Subban looks a bit tentative. He needs three or four solid games to get his confidence back.

-A prize for the first person who can tell me what's the point of Lapierre.

-Well, only two dumb penalties and no late goal. That's a better first than we've seen in a while.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think someone behind the bench is placing bets against the Habs. How else do you get a too many men call while killing a too many men call? There goes the momentum and the game is over. Pouliot makes me want Latenderness back.

I would trade Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri for St. Louis. Bet TB's GM would turn down my offer.

Anonymous said...

Boy, this team is in trouble. They are getting worse with each outing and are very hard to watch. After giving up the second goal the team concept disappeared and it was all over. I will be very surprised when they get their next win. Wisniewski must miss the Islanders. At least they seem to like each other.

Anonymous said...

Can you say in full panick mode? This team is in disarray. It is on the coaches shoulders.

When they were winning I was concerned. The Habs have a unique ability to make other teams and goaltenders look like world beaters.

Go out and get a power forward and move away from the smurfs. I know you wrote earlier in the season that Pleks was a Selke candidate. And at times he is a usefu/serviceable player. But the bottom is this team is a periphery team > They have been for some time.

CAn we really expect them to eek out 2-1 wins and upset Philly/Pit/Washington again with a pop gun offense? Get serious this team has to identify a guy who has scored wherever he can play and let him play notwithstanding any defensive shortcomings. This is painful.

Great job JT though!

Anonymous said...

How many more games before JM is out? Makes me wonder what's going on behind the Habs' bench when I hear O'Bryne talk about how much confidence the coaching staff in Colorado have given him.

Anonymous said...

Horrible hockey team. They completely lack commitment. Gomez adds nothing. I think the smurfs can be valuable if they were paired with a big center.

Not to beat a dead horse but they were in a position of strength to get more for Halak! Like some more depth. If you look at the farm. Who can you bring up Deshanais? Another small guy. So the cupboard is bare!! Stock up on big guys who can play. Are the Habs the only ones who can't identify these guys? Use central scouting if their in house guys cant do the job.

Anonymous said...

Is it just coincidence that the player who scored the goal and Wiz have the LEAST amount of time under JM? The system is like a black hole that sucks the life and creativity out of a player. I really pray PK will somehow survive JM. To lose a talent like him, something not seen in Montreal for a long time to a fossil like JM would be hard to take.

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's a big complaint towards Lapierre. With all of last night's problems, I'm surprised you have so much angst with him. Personally, I don't think he played that bad. Look at the other guys, they were all just as bad if not worse.

Anonymous said...

They haven't really domninated a team since they thumped Boston 5-0 last year. And I dont think they dominated anyone in the playoffs except maybe the final game against Pit.

Every game is in doubt with this team. JM brings stability but spouts the same thing over and over. I really thought they blew it by letting a progressive thinking coach like GuY Boucher Go.

What happened to thinking outside the box when selecting coaching candidates? Lets face it coaching is overrated in most sports except football where there are schemes.

The coach is the steward and needs to be able to take the pulse of the team. Hab fans deserve better. I hope Gauthier is exploring all options on the trade front. I think he could have commanded more for Halak and it proved to be a wasted opportunity to address gaps in the lineup. Will Eller be good? Who knows. I think he will be serviceable. But maybe they could have gotten something that has been missing for some time. A big guy with hands that is established.

Anonymous said...

I seem to remember discussing the subject of tanking for a top draft pick last season. When can we officially open this subject? How many more losses will be needed before we can begin?

Anonymous said...

My understanding on penalty shots and shoot outs is that it's ok to stop forward progress as long as the puck is moving so Stamkos' goal was legal. The bigger question is why our top pairing is soooo easy to get by. Couldn't be an age issue could it?

Anonymous said...

Wait a minute. The habs are still in there. Yes it was a bad couple of weeks BUT the season is still long. I prefer to have the slump now than in February or March. They need a couple of wins and the situation will be okay. One guy here is proposing to tank??? We don't tank. The Habs don't tank. We are offering a level of competition every year. We are not the Islanders for God's sake.
The fact is we need 90 points to be in the playoffs approximately. Where we stand now is not that bad. You need to fight all season long to make it to the final dance. The other teams want to make it as well, the spots are there for the teams that deserve them. We now have 38 games played with 42 points. This is exactly the pace to make it to 90 points in 82 games. It's just simply the time to stop the slump. It stops now. If they on't show up big tonight against the Panthers I don't know what they need. happy new year fellow habs fans from far far away.

JT thanks for your great blog. just love it. all the best to you particularly

oli

Anonymous said...

I can't figure out what is going on with the too many men penalties. Are the players on the bench so egar to get on the ice to share the honor that they are rushing it? Or are the players on the ice reluctant to get off, just wanting to bask in the glory they have crafted? If the team starts to win look out. Could be the first team to get 20 delay of game penalties as the bench, suits, and trainers bail in.

I would say that the Montreal Canadiens are officially gone this year after just a brief emergence. The Habs are back again. And you know what? Gate will be just fine.

Anonymous said...

Tonight is a must win. Our only hope is that Desharnais brings a big effort and shames the veterans into a sixty minute effort.

Can it be true? Lapierre is a Duck? Wow.