Second verse, same as the first! Tucker is a punk, Stajan is a runt ... Remember this? It's deja vu all over again as Carey Price guarantees Christobal Huet has seen his last start against the Leafs in a Montreal jersey.
Plan the parade - The Christo-Wall might become the first guy to start the All-Star Game while playing back-up for his actual team. The Franchise Saviour (TM) was the difference again, turning aside 43 shots and holding off 4 of 5 Leafs in the shootout. Jason Blake finished the night with 8 shots and a shootout miss, and will be seeing a ten foot tall Price in his sleep for weeks. I'm seriously running out of ways to say the Franchise Saviour (TM) is calm, cool, steady, unflappable, always in position, and brilliant. Canadiens 31 jerseys will be flying off the shelves for Christmas this year.
The "Number 1" power play looked like it at times, going 2 for 5 thanks to brilliant passes by Markov to Kovy and then Smolinski to Kovy. El Dandy showed some jump tonight, using his speed to create chances and frustrate the Toronto defence. He looks comfortable up front. Gui! Gui! Gui! added some muscle to line 4A and potted a goal to boot. After an awful first period the Habs righted the ship and played a desperate Leafs squad to at least a standstill for the next forty minutes and overtime. The penalty kill was solid. The Habs even won more faceoffs than they lost, a remarkable feat considering they were around 30% after one period. Two points in the bank is always welcome, especially against the Leafs.
Special mention to one Michael Ryder. The FHF slams Mr. Milk Carton as much as anyone, but despite all his struggles this year, the demotions to line 4C, the benchings late in games, the calls for him to hit the bricks or sit in the pressbox, Ryder has not quit once this year. He works his ass off every night and deserves credit for that at the very least.
The sky is falling - 46 shots given up to a horrible Leafs team ripe for a beating. A first period that could have been a disaster if not for the Franchise Saviour (TM) and the Leafs tendency to aim right for the big CH on his chest. Our "shutdown" defence pairing of Markov and Komisarek let Chad Kilger pull a Mario Lemieux move for the second Toronto goal. Once again, a team coached by defensive wizards Carbo, Jarvis and Muller couldn't hold the lead with less than a minute to go, with Captain Koivu not getting enough wood on a clearing attempt in the last 30 seconds. Someone needs to look at the conditioning of this team, because they always look more gassed at the end of games then their opponents. Two points is good. Crushing the Leafs and eating their souls would have been better. Giving them a point is a bitch.
The League offices are upstairs? We'll save a stamp sending the tape. - Someone needs to fire every damn official involved in this game. The refs were atrocious in this one, and both sides have legitimate beefs. The next time Hal Gill and Andy Woznewski finish a shift without high-sticking someone will be the first. Stajan set a pick on El Dandy that got the Dandy two minutes for a brand-new on the spot penalty called offensive interference. Koivu probably thought a steel chair was the next wrestling staple someone would try on him, they even fucked up an icing call that lead directly to a Habs penalty. I'm sure there is a Leafs blog somewhere right now rhyming off just as many bad calls the other way. That was a stunningly inept performance. The only guy who had a worse night was the bloody moron on the Zamboni.
Chez Parée bound? - Franchise Saviour (TM). Kovy for the two goals and the shootout beauty. Big Tits for the shootout winner. Ryder, because he works like hell and deserves it after all the bitching and moaning he's heard. Leaf haters everywhere, because JFJ survives another day (and Glen Healy thinks he saw JFJ making a trade late in the game ... 2008 first rounder going where?)
4 lap dances out of 10. - Honestly, this was an awful, awful game to watch. The Habs were listless in the first, and if you take out a four minute span in the second and the overtime, this game was dismal start to finish. The fans were lifeless, the refs were bad, and my hoped-for curbstomping of the Leafs never materialized. Now we get to hear a few days of "Price stole you another one ... you can't beat the Leafs without your goalie stealing it" crap from the mouthbreathers. Deep breaths, everybody. Remind them that Messrs. Belfour and Cujo stole games aplenty for the Leafs over the past decade and they didn't apologize for it once.
Next evil evil foe - Habs travel to Newark to meet the Devils. If you're planning on attending, bring your kevlar and leave your valuables at the hotel ... and don't look Lou Lamariello in the eyes; you'll end up trading your plane ticket home for a Bon Jovi tape and the rights to Alex Mogilny.
13 comments:
Even for the last 40 minutes? Maybe for the second when the Habs had 4 powerplays and actually managed to outshoot the Leafs 15-13 but the third? 14-6 for the Leafs in shots to go along with 17-6 in the first period.
Eddie and Cujo might have stolen some games but over the past three seasons that has been the script for the Habs against the Leafs except for those two games that never happened.
As for the refs, Robert at EOTP seems to think that they purposely let a lot of stuff go during Habs-Leafs games which makes sense. The crew is probably more apt to try to let the players play freely in these games.
p.s. I wrote that breathing comfortably through my nose thank you very much. Now go back to pleasuring yourself with the sleeve of Price's jersey.
That Chad Kilger goal was SICK! Did you see the way he split the D? What moves he has! Mario could learn from HIM! Best move I've ever seen.
/sarcasm
Ryder deserves the props. He has never complained and has always worked hard. He had like 15 shots in a game recently didn't he?
Oh, good. You showed up right on time.
In the second and third, the Habs won the majority of the faceoffs, had plenty of possession, and while the Leafs outshot them by a wide margin in the third, the majority of those were "Jason Blake specials" (ie, thirty feet out with no one in front of the net.) Price spent most of the third picking cherries. Even Glen "Harry Neale's Leaf fellating understudy" Healy acknowledged that the Leafs held sway in the first and Montreal adjusted and played them even the rest of the way.
Good goalies steal games, and no fanbase in the world feels bad about it. If that's the script, find a way for your team to change it. Toskala stole an earlier Habs/Leafs game this year. It happens. Sometimes team sports do come down to one player putting his team over the top. Sometimes it happens again and again ... like Belfour and Cujo tormenting the Senators. Deal with it.
The fact that they let stuff go was the atrocious part. New NHL my ass ... call the game fair and by the book and I'll have no complaints. Both teams got screwed a couple of times last night. My point was they either missed or didn't call a ton of stuff that, in Bettman's New NHL, they should have.
Glad to hear you can breathe through your nose. I'm sure the "mittenstringers" you refer to on your site will be glad to hear it. As for your final comment, I have a little more admiration for the Habs jersey than that, plus I'm married to a real live girl. I realize taking the high road based on our usual hijinks is ironic, but that comment was stupid and unfunny at best and creepy and deviant at the other end. Kudos for representing Leafs Nation so well.
Since it's pile on PPP day, I'll register this complaint: when the refs swallow their whistles, this is NOT "letting the players play freely."
This is actually why I hate Ron MacLean almost as much as Don Cherry-- his whinny insistence that the refs should 'let the players decide' by not calling penalties. (That, and I don't care about Red Deer, so please shut up about it.)
The refs decide the game just as much when they don't enforce the rules as when they do. And players play more 'freely' when they aren't being hooked from goal line to goal line.
matt d - I should have been more clear but I meant that the refs think that they are letting the players play freely. I'm as frustrated as HF10 and most fans with the way that penalties can sway drastically in how they are called. It absolutely ruins the game.
HF10 - Calm down man. The last line was a joke but I didn't want to have to write [/sarcasm] after every single one. I know lawyers are wound a little tight but go hit up one of the myriad of fine establishments that you guys highlight and relax.
Good goalies steal games, and no fanbase in the world feels bad about it.
You know what else happens all of the time in hockey? The fans of the team whose goalie steals the game try to pretend that it did not happen and the fans of the team that it happened to complain about it.
I realize taking the high road based on our usual hijinks is ironic, but that comment was stupid and unfunny at best and creepy and deviant at the other end. Kudos for representing Leafs Nation so well.
Ironic probably isn't the word I'd use to describe climbing up on a high horse and misinterpreting something but that must be the law training coming out ;)
Amen, Matt d, amen. I never understood the whole "let the players decide" mentality. Then why have refs at all?
I didn't misinterpet anything. I realize you were trying to be funny, but it just wasn't. There's a difference between being "edgy" when funny and being just plain gross and/or slightly deviant. Lines about jerking off over a 20 year old kid fall in the latter category, in my opinion.
I wonder how the Leafs will enjoy playing against Carey Price for the next 15 years?
HF10 - Gross or deviant? Come on. Fine, not your cup of tea. No problem. But the rant was a little much.
Hug it out?
I wonder how the Leafs will enjoy playing against Carey Price for the next 15 years?
About as much as we'll enjoy playing against Tuukka Rask during that time period. At least the Leafs didn't trade Price.
My blog, my rants, PPP. Beauty of the interweb.
JFJ would have traded Price if he could have. He could trade Justin Pogge if it would make him feel better.
My blog, my rants, PPP. Beauty of the interweb.
Yup.
JFJ would have traded Price if he could have. He could trade Justin Pogge if it would make him feel better.
Only if he makes it past Friday morning.
The best part is the Leafs have no immediate future. HAve they had worse teams...yes of course, late 80's ballard era was horrific but they could always buy players. Kinda hard to get good quality guys when McCabe, Kubina, Tucker, Gill etc... are sucking so much cap space. Do the Leafs even employee scouts? IF they do I wonder if they have tried to commit suicide yet. Whats the point of having scouts if you just trade all your draft picks away?
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