Well, he might not have the signature mullet, the size or the superstar label, but Tomas Plekanec seems to have learned a thing or two from his Kladno homeboy and childhood hero. Jagr himself couldn't have wired that OT winner any better than Pleky did. The fact that it was Plekanec, who'd taken a beating all night in the game and all week in the press, was simply poetic justice. With apologies to the benighted spouses of Habs fans everywhere, Plekanec made us all happier than we've been in a while.
The beautiful thing about that goal, however, was its origin. Sure, Plekanec was the guy who lasered the puck past Theodore, but he wasn't alone on the play. A hard-skating Mike Cammalleri provided the stick-slapping decoy and Jaro Spacek, who gathered his wits and his game after a poor first period, made a beautiful breakout pass right on Pleky's tape. The entire sequence was representative of the way the Habs played all night: as a team.
They managed to work together for the entire seventy-three minutes last night, although I admit for the first twenty they seemed to be working together to be bad. The giveaways in the first period were more generous than Mother Teresa. Thankfully, when the team found itself tied after that sad display, they pulled up their collective socks and got to work.
I wrote a couple of days ago about my silly theory that if the Habs pressured the Caps' defence, they'd get chances. I observed in the regular season game the Habs won 6-5 in OT against Washington that the Caps seemed to be so used to having the puck, they didn't know quite what to do when the tables were turned. The Habs demonstrated the truth of that theory last night. I think when they emerged tied after the first, they looked up and realized that maybe, just maybe, they could win. They started forechecking, using their speed and grinding along the boards. They gave up a ton of shots, but they were really good at pouncing on rebounds and denying second chances. They were disciplined and showed a lot of heart.
In a team game, it takes a real team approach to win as underdogs. I was really proud to see the Habs stand up and fight together. In the process, they, perhaps exposed a Washington weakness. When things got tight for the Caps, they started to play as individuals. They're hugely talented individuals, mind you, but history has proven a bunch of stars who don't work together have a hard time beating a bunch of plugs who do. In a game like last night's, it's almost unfair to single out individuals for praise, but some Habs really put everything on the line.
Hal Gill was the best Habs defenceman on the ice. I fully admit I never thought I'd ever write that sentence. But boy, did he ever play his oversized heart out last night. He and his ten-foot stick were everywhere and made smart, simple plays that helped turn the tide of the game in the second period. I think he's possibly proving his containment of Ovechkin last year in the playoffs wasn't an accident.
Dominic Moore made the third line a giant pain in the Capitals' President's Trophy-winning asses all night. Every time we heard his name, the camera showed him fighting like a pit bull for the puck. He took a terrible amount of abuse, but he stood up and did the job anyway. If a team like Montreal is to win against a powerhouse like Washington, every line has to go all out until the last siren sounds. Moore and his linemates lived that motto last night.
Jaro Spacek sucked in the first period. He gave the puck away, made dumb passes and looked overwhelmed physically. He went into the dressing room during the intermission, and emerged a different defenceman. In the final fifty-three minutes of the game, he was smart, wily and effective. He was a big reason why Ovechkin didn't register a shot in 73 minutes.
Jaro Halak deserves a special mention because he kept his team in the game, as he almost always does, when it doesn't deserve to have a chance. Cammalleri said it best after the game, when asked to give his take on Halak's play. He said, "Jaro was Jaro. He's been so solid for us all year. He's had to be that way. There really isn't an option." He could barely get the sentence out through a fit of incredulous giggling, but he's exactly right.
So many people did so many little things right, it'd be impossible to detail them all without making you read for an hour. What I saw was a team with heart playing like a real team and confounding a very talented group of individuals. The question now is whether the Habs can do it three more times.
I don't think for a moment that Ovechkin will have another night as unremarkable as his Game One. I do think the Caps were expecting a walk-over because they're listening a little bit too much to their own press. It's interesting that so many of them took the bait on the Plekanec comments earlier this week. I think, in a market where they're not used to having so much media attention on a regular basis, they're buying what they're being told. Now the Habs have shocked them and they'll be nervous, wondering if it will happen again. Tomorrow is a great time for the Habs to press that advantage and get to them again, before the Caps wake up.
It won't be easy, but the Habs proved to themselves and to the Caps that it's possible. The Caps will be mad now and trying to avenge last night, which will make for a very tough Game Two. Then again, the Habs have Tomas Jagr, their secret weapon.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Habs vs. Caps Game One: The Battle Begins
Notes on OT:
-I've crossed my fingers, toes, eyes and heart.
-I want Jaro's game-worn jersey from tonight. It's going to show lots of authentic game wear.
-I'd love to know how Gionta could be dumped on a semi-break with no call, but I guess it's one of the mysteries of the playoffs.
-MY BOY!!! Plekanec is king of the world. Jaro Halak is Crown Prince.
Notes on the third:
-I hate that siren.
-Nice of Pouliot to put a bow on it for Knuble, whom I've hated since his Bruins days. There should be docking of pay for failing to clear your zone with a clear chance to do so.
-Ah, Pyatt! Patch that hole in your stick, kid.
-GOMEZ!! If the Habs pull this off, I forgive him this year's salary.
-Worst penalty call ever on Moen. They really are taking hitting out of the game. The man threw a hard, legal check and gets called for it.
-Credit to Jacques-the-usually-blunt-Knife for the timely time out. His guys needed a break on the icing call and he gave it to them.
-Whatever happens now, nobody can laugh at the Habs tomorrow.
Notes on the second:
-Is it me, or is there an unusal number of guys getting kicked out of the faceoff circle tonight?
-Does Martin's Game One ensemble scream "excited!" or what?
-Pouliot looks good when his line actually penetrates the offensive zone. So does Andrei Kostitsyn. Both guys are using their size well. Jeez...didn't mean to sound so Pierre McGuire there.
-Nice sequence on RDS showing the punishment Ovechkin is taking. Even Gio hit him hard, but not as hard as the bench door.
-Martin must have drilled them in making sure they get the second shot cleared away. They're doing pretty well at that tonight.
-There's no excuse for crappy line changes in a huge game like this. Too many men is a hard way to go down, isn't it, Don Cherry?
-Poor Jaro. He keeps looking up at the clock wondering how much of his hour on the shooting range he's got left.
-You know who's playing well? Hal Gill.
-Nice on the fourth line to draw a penalty. It feels like one by one, they're waking up.
-I have to give Goat Head props on bringing in Moore. He's like a miniature gladiator on the boards tonight.
-Much, much better period. If the Habs can scrounge up another goal and hold on...
Notes on the first:
-Nervous, nervous, nervous. I hope the team isn't half as nervous as I am.
-Just before the game starts, I think Theodore is going to play well. He's a grown-up now.
-I just hope this thing doesn't go to OT. There are no loser points in the playoffs, and getting them that close would really suck if the Habs don't win.
-During the anthems Jaro reminds me of the kind of condemned man who goes calmly and with dignity up the gallows steps. Theo looks like he totally OD'ed on the propecia.
-Well. You might call THAT an inauspicous start. Way to go with the penalty in the first bloody minute, MAB!
-Hal Gill and his ten-foot stick come through on the PK. That stick should be listed on the lineup card as another player.
-This game could very well turn on faceoffs. Habs best guy is Moore at 55%. Gomez is 50.8% and the rest of the centres are below 50%. The Caps' top three guys are better than 50%, with Steckel at 59.2% and Belanger at 56.4%. You have to win the puck before you can do anything with it, and the Caps win it more.
-Hamrlik looks like a boob on D, and if he keeps it up, the Caps will milk him for a goal. Spacek's not much better.
-Wow. Seven minutes in and their first shot. It's not exactly the raging forecheck, crash-the-net style I was hoping to see.
-Bergeron is totally outmatched by the bigger Caps forwards. Laich just pantsed him in the corner.
-Cammy! Finally! I hope he goes on one of those legendary goal-scorer's tears now.
-Habs are not getting beat by the Caps. They're beating themselves with their lousy puckhandling in their own end. Horrible.
-I keep shouting SHOOT, but I forget to add HIT THE NET!
-Tentative period. I was hoping for better, but Jaro is on and if they actually get a few rushes going, they're in this.
-I've crossed my fingers, toes, eyes and heart.
-I want Jaro's game-worn jersey from tonight. It's going to show lots of authentic game wear.
-I'd love to know how Gionta could be dumped on a semi-break with no call, but I guess it's one of the mysteries of the playoffs.
-MY BOY!!! Plekanec is king of the world. Jaro Halak is Crown Prince.
Notes on the third:
-I hate that siren.
-Nice of Pouliot to put a bow on it for Knuble, whom I've hated since his Bruins days. There should be docking of pay for failing to clear your zone with a clear chance to do so.
-Ah, Pyatt! Patch that hole in your stick, kid.
-GOMEZ!! If the Habs pull this off, I forgive him this year's salary.
-Worst penalty call ever on Moen. They really are taking hitting out of the game. The man threw a hard, legal check and gets called for it.
-Credit to Jacques-the-usually-blunt-Knife for the timely time out. His guys needed a break on the icing call and he gave it to them.
-Whatever happens now, nobody can laugh at the Habs tomorrow.
Notes on the second:
-Is it me, or is there an unusal number of guys getting kicked out of the faceoff circle tonight?
-Does Martin's Game One ensemble scream "excited!" or what?
-Pouliot looks good when his line actually penetrates the offensive zone. So does Andrei Kostitsyn. Both guys are using their size well. Jeez...didn't mean to sound so Pierre McGuire there.
-Nice sequence on RDS showing the punishment Ovechkin is taking. Even Gio hit him hard, but not as hard as the bench door.
-Martin must have drilled them in making sure they get the second shot cleared away. They're doing pretty well at that tonight.
-There's no excuse for crappy line changes in a huge game like this. Too many men is a hard way to go down, isn't it, Don Cherry?
-Poor Jaro. He keeps looking up at the clock wondering how much of his hour on the shooting range he's got left.
-You know who's playing well? Hal Gill.
-Nice on the fourth line to draw a penalty. It feels like one by one, they're waking up.
-I have to give Goat Head props on bringing in Moore. He's like a miniature gladiator on the boards tonight.
-Much, much better period. If the Habs can scrounge up another goal and hold on...
Notes on the first:
-Nervous, nervous, nervous. I hope the team isn't half as nervous as I am.
-Just before the game starts, I think Theodore is going to play well. He's a grown-up now.
-I just hope this thing doesn't go to OT. There are no loser points in the playoffs, and getting them that close would really suck if the Habs don't win.
-During the anthems Jaro reminds me of the kind of condemned man who goes calmly and with dignity up the gallows steps. Theo looks like he totally OD'ed on the propecia.
-Well. You might call THAT an inauspicous start. Way to go with the penalty in the first bloody minute, MAB!
-Hal Gill and his ten-foot stick come through on the PK. That stick should be listed on the lineup card as another player.
-This game could very well turn on faceoffs. Habs best guy is Moore at 55%. Gomez is 50.8% and the rest of the centres are below 50%. The Caps' top three guys are better than 50%, with Steckel at 59.2% and Belanger at 56.4%. You have to win the puck before you can do anything with it, and the Caps win it more.
-Hamrlik looks like a boob on D, and if he keeps it up, the Caps will milk him for a goal. Spacek's not much better.
-Wow. Seven minutes in and their first shot. It's not exactly the raging forecheck, crash-the-net style I was hoping to see.
-Bergeron is totally outmatched by the bigger Caps forwards. Laich just pantsed him in the corner.
-Cammy! Finally! I hope he goes on one of those legendary goal-scorer's tears now.
-Habs are not getting beat by the Caps. They're beating themselves with their lousy puckhandling in their own end. Horrible.
-I keep shouting SHOOT, but I forget to add HIT THE NET!
-Tentative period. I was hoping for better, but Jaro is on and if they actually get a few rushes going, they're in this.
Habs Notebook: Playoff Edition
I wonder if I'm the only one who startled myself out of a sound sleep early this morning, heart racing, with the dawning realization that the playoffs are finally here? I suspect not. We might only have four more games to cheer/agonize over our Habs, but no matter what the odds, they're our team and we're with them. A few Habs-related thoughts on this playoff day, as we wait for the puck to drop:
-I'm really hoping les boys don't go with the playoff beards this year. I think the chin whiskers are cliche if the team advances, and embarrassing if it doesn't. Who wants to be eliminated with a half-assed week-old growth? That's not even worth shaving, let alone sporting for a few games. Underdogs should always be clean-shaven.
-The Hamilton Spectator had a nice article today about PK Subban's growth as a more well-rounded defenceman. The one thing that struck me in it, and a note of warning for all you fans who are screaming to have PK on the team yesterday, was a quote from Guy Boucher. He said, "We always want heroes and we want them fast, and the problem is that we kill them many times." If that's not a sobering...and true...idea, I don't know what is. Boucher doesn't think Subban is ready for the NHL yet, and I hope we don't see him with the Habs until he is. I think Carey Price can attest to the pain of being a failed hero in Montreal.
-Speaking of kids in Montreal, another bit of that Spectator article made me think of guys like Price and Latendresse. Subban himself mentioned how much he's learned about how to behave off the ice by spending the year in Hamilton. He was talking about lifestyle and moderating the amount of partying players can do without harming their game, but another comment he made was of even greater interest to me. He said, "There are guys here that have played pro for 10 years and have families and kids. They teach you things that the leaders on your team in junior can't." This is what I think privileged guys like Price and Latendresse missed out on by being promoted directly to the NHL. They didn't get to live side-by-side with guys who will never play in the big league, but work like dogs at the minor-league game because it puts bread on their family's table. They didn't get to see that not everybody gets the chances they get, and learn to really appreciate what they have. That's a vital lesson to learn in the rarified atmosphere of the NHL, in which it's very easy to forget how lucky you are. I hope the team keeps all its kids in the minors for a year from now on.
-A couple of things are scaring me about tonight. First off is the Bergeron/Markov pairing. I think this pair is fine on the PP, with Markov's vision and Bergeron's bomb. But the idea of them as a regular defence pair is frightening. I'm picturing huge, fast, aggressive, mulishly-strong Ovechkin barrelling down the left wing on small, not-strong, defensively-challenged Bergeron on right D. It's not a pleasant picture, but it's going to happen frequently because Martin will want Markov on the ice when Ovechkin is out there. Giving Ovy and supporting cast a two-out-of-three chance of facing Bergeron or Gill every time they take the ice is basically giving them the run of the Habs' zone. O'Byrne hasn't been perfect lately, but he's big, strong and mobile and doesn't frighten me like Bergeron does in this situation.
-The other scary...okay, maybe not scary, but worrying...thing is Jaro Halak. I love the guy. He's proven his consistency and ability to rise to the occasion many times over the last few years. What scares me is his stamina. He's played more games this season, 45, than he has since the 47 he played in junior in 2005. Thrown in the middle of that was a very intense, extremely busy Olympic tournament with a ton of cross-country travel. Add in the stress of trying to make the post-season and the fact that Halak has essentially already been playing playoff-level games in the last month, and I'm worried about him being a very tired goalie. I remember Price imploding against Philly two years ago, then remarking about how he was so tired from playing too much hockey in too short a time. I didn't like the way Halak looked slow and unprepared against Toronto last week, and I'm really hoping it was just a bad game, not exhaustion.
-Listening to the Habs this week talk about not knowing yet who they'll be matched up against is kind of disheartening. If Jacques the Knife plans to line-match with Boudreau, IN Washington, the Habs are doomed.
-Lots of people have been asking me to make predictions about the series. I tell them until I see the Habs on the ice for a period, I don't know what to think. Montreal is really an enigma of a team this year. So, I'll make only three predictions: 1. Gionta and Gomez will show up and really prove why they've won Cups before and why Bob Gainey wanted them, 2. Ovechkin will hurt a Hab with a borderline hit, but will not be disciplined by the league and 3. The special teams will make the difference in the series, and there will be at least one horrid call that will leave us screaming. That's as far as the crystal ball lets me see.
-I'm not expecting the Habs to win this series, but I've watched enough playoff games over the years to have learned not to write anybody off. All I'm really asking is that the Habs give it their best shot. The only thing that will disappoint me is if I see guys wearing the CH dogging it and conceding without a fight. So, go out and fight Habs, and make it fun!
-I'm really hoping les boys don't go with the playoff beards this year. I think the chin whiskers are cliche if the team advances, and embarrassing if it doesn't. Who wants to be eliminated with a half-assed week-old growth? That's not even worth shaving, let alone sporting for a few games. Underdogs should always be clean-shaven.
-The Hamilton Spectator had a nice article today about PK Subban's growth as a more well-rounded defenceman. The one thing that struck me in it, and a note of warning for all you fans who are screaming to have PK on the team yesterday, was a quote from Guy Boucher. He said, "We always want heroes and we want them fast, and the problem is that we kill them many times." If that's not a sobering...and true...idea, I don't know what is. Boucher doesn't think Subban is ready for the NHL yet, and I hope we don't see him with the Habs until he is. I think Carey Price can attest to the pain of being a failed hero in Montreal.
-Speaking of kids in Montreal, another bit of that Spectator article made me think of guys like Price and Latendresse. Subban himself mentioned how much he's learned about how to behave off the ice by spending the year in Hamilton. He was talking about lifestyle and moderating the amount of partying players can do without harming their game, but another comment he made was of even greater interest to me. He said, "There are guys here that have played pro for 10 years and have families and kids. They teach you things that the leaders on your team in junior can't." This is what I think privileged guys like Price and Latendresse missed out on by being promoted directly to the NHL. They didn't get to live side-by-side with guys who will never play in the big league, but work like dogs at the minor-league game because it puts bread on their family's table. They didn't get to see that not everybody gets the chances they get, and learn to really appreciate what they have. That's a vital lesson to learn in the rarified atmosphere of the NHL, in which it's very easy to forget how lucky you are. I hope the team keeps all its kids in the minors for a year from now on.
-A couple of things are scaring me about tonight. First off is the Bergeron/Markov pairing. I think this pair is fine on the PP, with Markov's vision and Bergeron's bomb. But the idea of them as a regular defence pair is frightening. I'm picturing huge, fast, aggressive, mulishly-strong Ovechkin barrelling down the left wing on small, not-strong, defensively-challenged Bergeron on right D. It's not a pleasant picture, but it's going to happen frequently because Martin will want Markov on the ice when Ovechkin is out there. Giving Ovy and supporting cast a two-out-of-three chance of facing Bergeron or Gill every time they take the ice is basically giving them the run of the Habs' zone. O'Byrne hasn't been perfect lately, but he's big, strong and mobile and doesn't frighten me like Bergeron does in this situation.
-The other scary...okay, maybe not scary, but worrying...thing is Jaro Halak. I love the guy. He's proven his consistency and ability to rise to the occasion many times over the last few years. What scares me is his stamina. He's played more games this season, 45, than he has since the 47 he played in junior in 2005. Thrown in the middle of that was a very intense, extremely busy Olympic tournament with a ton of cross-country travel. Add in the stress of trying to make the post-season and the fact that Halak has essentially already been playing playoff-level games in the last month, and I'm worried about him being a very tired goalie. I remember Price imploding against Philly two years ago, then remarking about how he was so tired from playing too much hockey in too short a time. I didn't like the way Halak looked slow and unprepared against Toronto last week, and I'm really hoping it was just a bad game, not exhaustion.
-Listening to the Habs this week talk about not knowing yet who they'll be matched up against is kind of disheartening. If Jacques the Knife plans to line-match with Boudreau, IN Washington, the Habs are doomed.
-Lots of people have been asking me to make predictions about the series. I tell them until I see the Habs on the ice for a period, I don't know what to think. Montreal is really an enigma of a team this year. So, I'll make only three predictions: 1. Gionta and Gomez will show up and really prove why they've won Cups before and why Bob Gainey wanted them, 2. Ovechkin will hurt a Hab with a borderline hit, but will not be disciplined by the league and 3. The special teams will make the difference in the series, and there will be at least one horrid call that will leave us screaming. That's as far as the crystal ball lets me see.
-I'm not expecting the Habs to win this series, but I've watched enough playoff games over the years to have learned not to write anybody off. All I'm really asking is that the Habs give it their best shot. The only thing that will disappoint me is if I see guys wearing the CH dogging it and conceding without a fight. So, go out and fight Habs, and make it fun!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
He Said, He Said
So, Tomas Plekanec is talking smack. He's disrespecting the Caps' goaltending and riling up the Caps. It's going to cost the Habs, because it'll motivate Theodore to shut them out four straight. He never should have said it.
What a crock! This is not trash talk. This is an honest, earnest guy answering a reporter's question in his second language. Somebody asked him if he was relieved to be facing the Caps' goalies rather than Miller or Brodeur. He said he was, because the other two guys are all-stars and the Caps' goalies gave up a lot of goals this year. Big deal. I have absolutely no doubt Plekanec meant no harm by his comments. He certainly didn't mean to be quoted in a way that painted him as an instigator.
The reason this is happening is because this series is boring for reporters. What can you say about a series between a completely dominating powerhouse like the Caps and a struggling, inconsistent eighth seed like the Habs? If Washington doesn't dominate Montreal in every way, it'll be a shock of immense proportions to most of the hockey world. We ever-hopeful Habs fans may have delusions of an upset, but every hockey expert everywhere else is choosing the Caps.
So, because there are still two days to go before any actual hockey starts for Montreal, and dozens of reporters are looking for a story on both sides of the series, Plekanec's doubtless innocent comment is out there as fuel for a non-existant fire between the two teams.
Of course there's no bitterness, though. How can there be? The two teams have never met in the playoffs. They don't really see each other much during the regular season and when they do, it's usually a mismatch. Either the Caps are wretched or they're dominating. The Habs just cruise along as their unassuming, middle-of-the-road selves. There's no history, no hate and no rivalry between these teams, so the media is attempting to manufacture those things.
Listening to Jose Theodore's lame response to Plekanec's comment today was just painful. "Tomas who? Jagr? Oh, Plekanec. I thought you meant Jagr," he said. That doesn't even make sense. It was a silly response to a silly, manufactured bit of "trash talk."
I hope this dies by tomorrow, but I'm not expecting it. The media will try to build on it and get the "fire" stoked. It won't make the tiniest bit of difference when it comes down to it, though. Theodore will not raise his game any higher because Plekanec said he's not Brodeur. If he wasn't already motivated to beat the team that cut him loose, he'll never be motivated. Ovechkin won't score more goals than he would have scored anyway. The only thing this little episode will do is inspire the Caps to rub it in a bit if they do dispatch the Habs, as everybody outside Montreal expects they will. It possibly will also draw some undeserved heat down on Plekanec's head if the Habs lose and he doesn't score a point a game.
If this is the level of pre-series analysis we have to look forward to for the next two days, Thursday can't come quickly enough. I'll bet Tomas Plekanec thinks so too.
What a crock! This is not trash talk. This is an honest, earnest guy answering a reporter's question in his second language. Somebody asked him if he was relieved to be facing the Caps' goalies rather than Miller or Brodeur. He said he was, because the other two guys are all-stars and the Caps' goalies gave up a lot of goals this year. Big deal. I have absolutely no doubt Plekanec meant no harm by his comments. He certainly didn't mean to be quoted in a way that painted him as an instigator.
The reason this is happening is because this series is boring for reporters. What can you say about a series between a completely dominating powerhouse like the Caps and a struggling, inconsistent eighth seed like the Habs? If Washington doesn't dominate Montreal in every way, it'll be a shock of immense proportions to most of the hockey world. We ever-hopeful Habs fans may have delusions of an upset, but every hockey expert everywhere else is choosing the Caps.
So, because there are still two days to go before any actual hockey starts for Montreal, and dozens of reporters are looking for a story on both sides of the series, Plekanec's doubtless innocent comment is out there as fuel for a non-existant fire between the two teams.
Of course there's no bitterness, though. How can there be? The two teams have never met in the playoffs. They don't really see each other much during the regular season and when they do, it's usually a mismatch. Either the Caps are wretched or they're dominating. The Habs just cruise along as their unassuming, middle-of-the-road selves. There's no history, no hate and no rivalry between these teams, so the media is attempting to manufacture those things.
Listening to Jose Theodore's lame response to Plekanec's comment today was just painful. "Tomas who? Jagr? Oh, Plekanec. I thought you meant Jagr," he said. That doesn't even make sense. It was a silly response to a silly, manufactured bit of "trash talk."
I hope this dies by tomorrow, but I'm not expecting it. The media will try to build on it and get the "fire" stoked. It won't make the tiniest bit of difference when it comes down to it, though. Theodore will not raise his game any higher because Plekanec said he's not Brodeur. If he wasn't already motivated to beat the team that cut him loose, he'll never be motivated. Ovechkin won't score more goals than he would have scored anyway. The only thing this little episode will do is inspire the Caps to rub it in a bit if they do dispatch the Habs, as everybody outside Montreal expects they will. It possibly will also draw some undeserved heat down on Plekanec's head if the Habs lose and he doesn't score a point a game.
If this is the level of pre-series analysis we have to look forward to for the next two days, Thursday can't come quickly enough. I'll bet Tomas Plekanec thinks so too.
The Top Ten Ways You Know It's Playoff Time
The signs are all around us, but here are my top ten ways you know it's playoff time:
10. Your four-year-old is going around the house singing "Eye of the Tiger," and you know it's because she's heard you humming it to yourself.
9. Melodramatic commercials featuring grim-looking Ovechkin and exultant Crosby are on every channel, voiced-over by hyper-excited announcers who've never played the game but make predictions anyway.
8. Your weekend "Beers of the World Night" moves to Thursday.
7. Habs fans everywhere are feverishly calculating the stats from 1971, '86 and '93 and comparing them to this year's team because "you never know, anything can happen."
6. Conspiracy theories involving reffing and the NHL brass lurk under every puck, and none of them favour the Habs unless they're thought up by jealous leafs fans.
5. You find yourself taking heart from reading the comments of random strangers on the internet who say "Habs in five!" for no apparent reason.
4. The combined scents of the dusty residue left by melted snowbanks, freshly-turned earth and distant early barbeques smell like "hockey" to you.
3. You spend an hour stomping around the house because you can't find your "lucky" Patrick Roy t-shirt from 1989, and wondering why people are always into your really important stuff anyway?
2. Your spouse makes plans to be gone out on every second night until it's over.
And, the number-one way you know it's playoffs:
1. Your heartrate picks up when you think about the two teams standing for the national anthems before Game One. Your hands get a little sweaty imagining the puck drop. You walk with a spring in your step when you remember how it felt to win a playoff game before. And you can't stop smiling because, even if it's only four games, this is what hockey's all about.
10. Your four-year-old is going around the house singing "Eye of the Tiger," and you know it's because she's heard you humming it to yourself.
9. Melodramatic commercials featuring grim-looking Ovechkin and exultant Crosby are on every channel, voiced-over by hyper-excited announcers who've never played the game but make predictions anyway.
8. Your weekend "Beers of the World Night" moves to Thursday.
7. Habs fans everywhere are feverishly calculating the stats from 1971, '86 and '93 and comparing them to this year's team because "you never know, anything can happen."
6. Conspiracy theories involving reffing and the NHL brass lurk under every puck, and none of them favour the Habs unless they're thought up by jealous leafs fans.
5. You find yourself taking heart from reading the comments of random strangers on the internet who say "Habs in five!" for no apparent reason.
4. The combined scents of the dusty residue left by melted snowbanks, freshly-turned earth and distant early barbeques smell like "hockey" to you.
3. You spend an hour stomping around the house because you can't find your "lucky" Patrick Roy t-shirt from 1989, and wondering why people are always into your really important stuff anyway?
2. Your spouse makes plans to be gone out on every second night until it's over.
And, the number-one way you know it's playoffs:
1. Your heartrate picks up when you think about the two teams standing for the national anthems before Game One. Your hands get a little sweaty imagining the puck drop. You walk with a spring in your step when you remember how it felt to win a playoff game before. And you can't stop smiling because, even if it's only four games, this is what hockey's all about.
Monday, April 12, 2010
A Quick Poll While We Wait
Ten questions:
1. Who'd shock you the most as a Habs hero if they were to win the series?
a) Sergei Kostitsyn
b) Maxim Lapierre
c) Ryan O'Byrne
d) Georges Laraque, in a startling return
2. Is Halak good enough to steal the series?
a) Yes, he's not lost all year when facing forty or more shots, which is about what we can expect on Thursday
b) No, he looked bad under pressure in the last game of the season
c) I don't know because even though he was good in the regular season, we haven't seen him under the gun in the playoffs yet
d) Halak sucks, start Price! No, Price blows, start Halak! No...
3. What, aside from goaltending is the most important X factor for Montreal?
a) playoff experience among its veterans
b) speed
c) no-quit attitude
d) Hal Gill's ten-foot stick
4. What's the Caps' biggest weakness?
a) They're under huge pressure to win.
b) goaltending
c) defence
d) Ovechkin becoming easily distracted by inventing new goal celebrations
5. Is it possible to slow Ovechkin down enough to neutralize him?
a) No, they'll just have to focus on controlling the other potent scorers in that lineup.
b) Yes, they've done it a couple of time this season already.
c) Maybe, if Ovechkin isn't himself under pressure, as we saw in the Olympics
d) Possibly, if they send some local talent to his hotel room to entertain him late the night before.
6. On the PP, the Caps and Habs are one-two in the league. On the PK, however, the Habs are considerably more efficient, at 83% versus the Caps' 78.8% Can the Habs PP take advantage of that Washington weakness well enough to make a difference?
a) Yes, Bergeron's shot is a potent weapon and is just rounding back to form after his injury layoff.
b) No, the Caps won't take enough penalties to give the Habs a chance
c) Perhaps, if the Canadiens can manage to get some traffic in front of the net and shoot often.
d) Only if O'Byrne and Gill are used as a human wall in front of Theodore.
7. Metropolit is shooting the puck and skating hard. If he's able to make a miracle comeback, will he make a difference?
a) Yes, it takes gritty guys like him to rally the team, and he's great in the playoffs.
b) No, we're not exactly talking about the return of Saku from cancer here.
c) Maybe, if he's able to take a hit and can stabilize the fourth line.
d) Even if he manages to come back, it might mean the Habs are out of miracles for the year.
8. What's the worst thing Martin can do to hinder the team's chances?
a) bench Sergei Kostitsyn
b) bench Ryan O'Byrne
c) sit on a one-goal lead
c) coach the team in the playoffs
9. If, by some miracle, the Canadiens can beat Washington, how far do you think they can go?
a) All the way, baby! Taking down the Caps would be a sign it's their year.
b) To the second round, then they'd lose to Brodeur and the Devils
c) To the third round, before the miracles run out
d) Crescent Street, where the rioting and drinking would ensure half the team has to resign the following day.
10. If, as predicted by every expert on earth, the Caps win quickly and easily, what positive memory will you take from this season?
a) the arrival of Benoit Pouliot
b) the emergence of Halak in net
c) the return of Tomas Plekanec to solid production
d) the Centennial game, in which all the greats reminded us of what this team stands for, but may never see again
1. Who'd shock you the most as a Habs hero if they were to win the series?
a) Sergei Kostitsyn
b) Maxim Lapierre
c) Ryan O'Byrne
d) Georges Laraque, in a startling return
2. Is Halak good enough to steal the series?
a) Yes, he's not lost all year when facing forty or more shots, which is about what we can expect on Thursday
b) No, he looked bad under pressure in the last game of the season
c) I don't know because even though he was good in the regular season, we haven't seen him under the gun in the playoffs yet
d) Halak sucks, start Price! No, Price blows, start Halak! No...
3. What, aside from goaltending is the most important X factor for Montreal?
a) playoff experience among its veterans
b) speed
c) no-quit attitude
d) Hal Gill's ten-foot stick
4. What's the Caps' biggest weakness?
a) They're under huge pressure to win.
b) goaltending
c) defence
d) Ovechkin becoming easily distracted by inventing new goal celebrations
5. Is it possible to slow Ovechkin down enough to neutralize him?
a) No, they'll just have to focus on controlling the other potent scorers in that lineup.
b) Yes, they've done it a couple of time this season already.
c) Maybe, if Ovechkin isn't himself under pressure, as we saw in the Olympics
d) Possibly, if they send some local talent to his hotel room to entertain him late the night before.
6. On the PP, the Caps and Habs are one-two in the league. On the PK, however, the Habs are considerably more efficient, at 83% versus the Caps' 78.8% Can the Habs PP take advantage of that Washington weakness well enough to make a difference?
a) Yes, Bergeron's shot is a potent weapon and is just rounding back to form after his injury layoff.
b) No, the Caps won't take enough penalties to give the Habs a chance
c) Perhaps, if the Canadiens can manage to get some traffic in front of the net and shoot often.
d) Only if O'Byrne and Gill are used as a human wall in front of Theodore.
7. Metropolit is shooting the puck and skating hard. If he's able to make a miracle comeback, will he make a difference?
a) Yes, it takes gritty guys like him to rally the team, and he's great in the playoffs.
b) No, we're not exactly talking about the return of Saku from cancer here.
c) Maybe, if he's able to take a hit and can stabilize the fourth line.
d) Even if he manages to come back, it might mean the Habs are out of miracles for the year.
8. What's the worst thing Martin can do to hinder the team's chances?
a) bench Sergei Kostitsyn
b) bench Ryan O'Byrne
c) sit on a one-goal lead
c) coach the team in the playoffs
9. If, by some miracle, the Canadiens can beat Washington, how far do you think they can go?
a) All the way, baby! Taking down the Caps would be a sign it's their year.
b) To the second round, then they'd lose to Brodeur and the Devils
c) To the third round, before the miracles run out
d) Crescent Street, where the rioting and drinking would ensure half the team has to resign the following day.
10. If, as predicted by every expert on earth, the Caps win quickly and easily, what positive memory will you take from this season?
a) the arrival of Benoit Pouliot
b) the emergence of Halak in net
c) the return of Tomas Plekanec to solid production
d) the Centennial game, in which all the greats reminded us of what this team stands for, but may never see again
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Capital Punishment
The NHL season that's just been put on ice isn't cold yet, but the jokes are already rolling in about the Habs' chances against the Caps. One leaf fan wanted to know how many goals it's possible for Ovechkin to score in four games, then wondered if he might need a calculator to add them up. Another one figures if the game starts at 7:00 on Thursday, the Habs will be down two by 7:15. Yeah. Okay. We get it. It's a tough matchup. On paper, there's no way the Habs should have a chance.
Just imagine it. The top team in the league, with 121 points and a winning percentage of over .700%. The roster includes the league's most dynamic goalscorer and its most offensively gifted defenceman. The team destroyed all comers, leading the league on the powerplay with a success rate of greater than 25%. It's scored more than 300 goals and has ten guys with more than twenty apiece. In comparison, our Habs' leading goal scorer is barely 5'7" and didn't hit forty. The overall points leader barely cracked seventy. They're second in the league on the powerplay, but not nearly as impressive as the top team. There's some skill up front, but nothing remotely like the firepower the other guys can muster. The only thing they've really got going for them is a young goalie who's capable of stealing games.
The comparison doesn't look good for the Canadiens, does it? The only catch is, the teams I'm describing are the 1970-71 Boston Bruins and their first-round playoff opponent Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens won that series in seven games and dumped the team everyone thought was a shoo-in Cup winner. On paper, there's no way the likes of 76-goal-man Phil Esposito or Bobby Orr, with his 139 points and plus-124, should have lost that series to the bottom-seed team. The Canadiens should never have had a chance against the defending Stanley Cup champions, with their .776% winning percentage...on paper. The Bruins were a well-oiled powerhouse. The Habs were a mishmash of aging vets and unproven kids with no real identity.
Both today's Habs and this year's powerful Caps are less impressive stats-wise than those 1971 opponents, which puts them on approximately even footing, historically speaking. It just goes to prove when it comes to the playoffs and the Habs, nothing's impossible. Just ask the 2002 and 2004 Bruins how it felt to be a dominant number-one seed facing the eighth-place Canadiens.
That's not to say this task is an easy one for the Canadiens. Those 1971 Habs not only got timely goalscoring from some guys who went on to become Hall-of-Famers, but they had the brilliant Ken Dryden robbing the Bruins blind in net. In those two more recent Bruins series I mentioned, they had Jose Theodore playing the Dryden role and the passionate leadership of Saku Koivu. This year's team will need nothing less than stellar, inspired goaltending from one or both of Price and Halak. It will need big goals from little guys and heroic D from the seven men charged with defending their own zone.
Most importantly, it will need a leader. Someone will have to take his teammates by the collective throat and make them believe they can win. Jean Beliveau did it in '71. Koivu got the job done in '02 and '04. Maybe it's Brian Gionta or Hal Gill or Andrei Markov this time around, but if there isn't a leader that gets them all on the same page, they're lost. I take hope in the knowledge that a lot of these men have won the Cup before, and they know what needs to be done. Gill, Gionta, Gomez and Moen can lead the kids through the playoff minefield.
The good news is the Habs have played Washington pretty well this year. The Caps are a great team and an offensive juggernaut, but they're not without weaknesses. Lots of you will say Theodore is a weak link, but I disagree. Theo has almost always played a very good first round in the playoffs, only stinking it up in the second. He's very hot since the Olympic break, so I don't think he'll be the sieve people are hoping for. I think the biggest weakness the Caps have is the same as the Habs': they fall prey to an aggressive offence. This may sound like a dumb theory, but I think the Caps are so used to having the puck all the time, they don't quite know what to do when the skate's on the other foot. In the game the Habs won 6-5 in OT against them, that's the pattern I saw. When the Caps had the puck, they were extremely dangerous, but when the Habs used their speed to press the Washington D, they ran around like chickens.
If the Habs are lucky enough to find the leadership and the goaltending they need, they can win. They need to be fast, make sure their passes are crisp and giveaways are limited. If they're attacking aggressively, they have a chance. In other words, if they ignore their coach and play their own game, they'll be competitive.
This time next week, the leafs and Bruins fans may very well be cracking jokes at our team's expense. But history shows the Canadiens can often find a way to make them choke on their jests. Let's hope this is another one of *those* years!
Just imagine it. The top team in the league, with 121 points and a winning percentage of over .700%. The roster includes the league's most dynamic goalscorer and its most offensively gifted defenceman. The team destroyed all comers, leading the league on the powerplay with a success rate of greater than 25%. It's scored more than 300 goals and has ten guys with more than twenty apiece. In comparison, our Habs' leading goal scorer is barely 5'7" and didn't hit forty. The overall points leader barely cracked seventy. They're second in the league on the powerplay, but not nearly as impressive as the top team. There's some skill up front, but nothing remotely like the firepower the other guys can muster. The only thing they've really got going for them is a young goalie who's capable of stealing games.
The comparison doesn't look good for the Canadiens, does it? The only catch is, the teams I'm describing are the 1970-71 Boston Bruins and their first-round playoff opponent Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens won that series in seven games and dumped the team everyone thought was a shoo-in Cup winner. On paper, there's no way the likes of 76-goal-man Phil Esposito or Bobby Orr, with his 139 points and plus-124, should have lost that series to the bottom-seed team. The Canadiens should never have had a chance against the defending Stanley Cup champions, with their .776% winning percentage...on paper. The Bruins were a well-oiled powerhouse. The Habs were a mishmash of aging vets and unproven kids with no real identity.
Both today's Habs and this year's powerful Caps are less impressive stats-wise than those 1971 opponents, which puts them on approximately even footing, historically speaking. It just goes to prove when it comes to the playoffs and the Habs, nothing's impossible. Just ask the 2002 and 2004 Bruins how it felt to be a dominant number-one seed facing the eighth-place Canadiens.
That's not to say this task is an easy one for the Canadiens. Those 1971 Habs not only got timely goalscoring from some guys who went on to become Hall-of-Famers, but they had the brilliant Ken Dryden robbing the Bruins blind in net. In those two more recent Bruins series I mentioned, they had Jose Theodore playing the Dryden role and the passionate leadership of Saku Koivu. This year's team will need nothing less than stellar, inspired goaltending from one or both of Price and Halak. It will need big goals from little guys and heroic D from the seven men charged with defending their own zone.
Most importantly, it will need a leader. Someone will have to take his teammates by the collective throat and make them believe they can win. Jean Beliveau did it in '71. Koivu got the job done in '02 and '04. Maybe it's Brian Gionta or Hal Gill or Andrei Markov this time around, but if there isn't a leader that gets them all on the same page, they're lost. I take hope in the knowledge that a lot of these men have won the Cup before, and they know what needs to be done. Gill, Gionta, Gomez and Moen can lead the kids through the playoff minefield.
The good news is the Habs have played Washington pretty well this year. The Caps are a great team and an offensive juggernaut, but they're not without weaknesses. Lots of you will say Theodore is a weak link, but I disagree. Theo has almost always played a very good first round in the playoffs, only stinking it up in the second. He's very hot since the Olympic break, so I don't think he'll be the sieve people are hoping for. I think the biggest weakness the Caps have is the same as the Habs': they fall prey to an aggressive offence. This may sound like a dumb theory, but I think the Caps are so used to having the puck all the time, they don't quite know what to do when the skate's on the other foot. In the game the Habs won 6-5 in OT against them, that's the pattern I saw. When the Caps had the puck, they were extremely dangerous, but when the Habs used their speed to press the Washington D, they ran around like chickens.
If the Habs are lucky enough to find the leadership and the goaltending they need, they can win. They need to be fast, make sure their passes are crisp and giveaways are limited. If they're attacking aggressively, they have a chance. In other words, if they ignore their coach and play their own game, they'll be competitive.
This time next week, the leafs and Bruins fans may very well be cracking jokes at our team's expense. But history shows the Canadiens can often find a way to make them choke on their jests. Let's hope this is another one of *those* years!
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