Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Happy Days

All of a sudden, the Bell Centre is a really fun place to be on gamenights.

The Habs seem to have put their home woes behind them with consecutive monster performances on their home ice. The fans were out in full force tonight and they serenaded Alex Kovalev and his team throughout the game.

Those weren't boos you heard during the Habs 2nd period power plays, they were cries of "shoot!". Ever notice how they never score when they respond to those demands?

Alex Kovalev looked like a man playing with boys. Whoa. That sounds kind of weird and sexual. There was nothing weird or sexual about it, he just skated and stickhandled circles around the Caps all night long. He showed Alexander Ovechkin a thing or two in the process.

Tomas Plekanec continues to look like a bona-fide first line NHL centre and the Flying Kostitsyn brothers continue to amaze.

Cristobal Huet played his best game of the year and if it was any indication, the Sens need to watch their backs. When he's on, he's virtually impossible to beat. It takes a few lucky bounces, but that what good goaltenders get.

It's too early to know what the prognosis is for Daniel Alfredsson, but the Sens lost their captain to injury in a win over the Islanders and if he joins Dany Heatley on the sidelines, they may have some difficulty holding on to the Northeast division lead.

The Leafs lost to the St. Louis Blues and moaned about the officiating after the game. There were 17 scouts from 15 NHL teams in attendance, looking for signs of life from a Toronto team that seems to be dead in the water and looking to sell of pieces.

It was absolutely electric in the Bell Centre tonight, one of those games that makes me pinch myself when I think about the position I'm in.

Alex Kovalev was, as Pierre McGuire might say, smiling like a Cheshire Cat in the Habs room after the game. When quizzed about his possible broken finger he stated, "It might be broken but I still have four fingers left."

He spoke also of how much fun he's having out there and you can tell. He looks like he's ten years younger than he is and it's been a real pleasure to watch him in action all year long. He is without any doubt at all, the MVP of this team, definitely the comeback player of the year and deserves Hart trophy consideration.

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