Things got interesting in the second period between the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs last night. It was the third meeting of the year between the two teams. The first was on October 11th when the Habs embarrassed the Leafs on home ice in a 6-1 spanking.
The Leafs got a measure of revenge just under a month later by handing the Habs a 6-3 defeat at the Air Canada Centre on November 8th. Mikhail Grabovski was the story that night with a goal, an assist and a butt-ending of Carey Price that went uncalled.
Grabovski is remembered by Habs fans largely as a guy who couldn't crack the lineup or find any consistency during his time with the Canadiens and had difficulty staying on his feet for more than five seconds at a time during a shift. He also left the team during a crucial Western road trip because he was unhappy about his ice time. The 24 year-old was happy to be dealt to the Leafs in the offseason and his seething hatred of the CH and Sergei Kostitsyn in particular boiled over last night. Grabovski really covered his bases, he also managed to take a shot at the French following the game.
"I think he is not Belarussian now, he is French because I never fight with Belarussian guys," Grabovski said. "I don't know why he wants to fight with me. If he wants to fight, we'll go in the street and every minute of every day I'll wait for him and we'll fight."
Grabovski went also made it clear that he only has it out for the younger Kostitsyn.
"He's not smart, because the older Kostitsyn, Andrei, he never fights with me and he never will fight because he plays hockey, he plays the game, I think it's stupid."
The fallout of Grabovski's temper tantrum late in last night's blowout is an automatic three game suspension from the NHL for "abuse of an official". Grabovski's return to the Bell Centre was also highlighted by a one-fingered salute he delivered to the Bell Centre faithful, who booed him mercilessly every time he touched the puck, upon his ejection from the game late in the third period.
It's a shame things didn't work out in Montreal for Grabovski because he's a gifted player who can make a difference when given a chance. His play has been a bright spot for a dismal Leafs team that dropped to 16-19-6 with last night's loss. That's a bad record but still has them 10 points behind the Islanders in the Tavares-Hedman sweepstakes, to the chagrin of many Leafs fans.
Round four of the intriguing Habs-Leafs season series won't happen until February 7th but don't expect any of the bad blood to diminish in the meantime. The bad news for the Leafs is that the Habs decimated them without the services of six regulars, including their starting goaltender, captain and prized offseason acquisition.
Some journalists pointed out the Leafs proved a point in the only aspect of the game in which they excelled, the fights. Jamal Mayers pounded Tom Kostopoulos and the newest Leaf, Brad May, beat the crap out of Francis Bouillon two seconds later.
Let's not lose sight of the fact that Mayers has 25 pounds and three inches on Tom the Bomb or that Bouillon gives May five inches and 15 pounds. Kostopoulos had to answer for his hit on Mike Van Ryn last time the teams met. Someone had to do something because referee Tim Peel was unable to get the job done all night long in one of the most embarrassing displays of officiating in recent memory.
Andrei Kostitsyn was a target all night for his hit on Luke Schenn, who appears to be the real deal, earlier this year.
Kostitsyn had three points and set up Alex Kovalev for a beautiful goal after avoiding a huge hit at his own blueline, drawing a hooking penalty and finally feeding Kovalev for a beauty on the delayed call. AK46 is on fire right now with three goals and six points in his last three games.
Other highlights included three first period assists for the reborn Patrice Brisebois, who has been an unsung hero for this team all year long and who saluted Habs fans with a brief tour of the rink following his being named the games first star and moving into fifth all-time on the Habs defensive scoring list. He's come a long way in his career and Guy Carbonneau is thrilled with what his old teammate has brought to the table this year.
“He’s done a lot for us not only this year but last year, too,” said Carbonneau following last night's game. “We signed him as a potential seventh defenseman or as a precautionary measure. That was the plan, but things can change pretty quickly in this business. Patrice knows his limits and he’s playing well.”
Another hated former Hab comes to the Bell tomorrow night in the form of Jose Theodore but the former Vezina trophy winning netminder will be hard pressed to follow up the Grabovski show.
Showing posts with label Toronto Maple leafs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toronto Maple leafs. Show all posts
Friday, January 9, 2009
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Looking Forward
Big game tonight.
The Habs need to win one at home. They get nervous in front of the Bell Centre faithful, almost tentative. They don't want to make mistakes or fall behind. They play a much more simple game on the road. They use their speed and skill to make teams pay. At home, they aren't as fast and seem to get into a defensive shell that eventually leads to penalties and losses.
The Habs didn't take a penalty against Philly until 15:09 of the second period, which was a huge reason for their success. They have a lot of trouble killing penalties.
The PK is ranked 27th in the league and the the power play is the the best in the NHL. Obviously, they need to stay out of the box. Saku Koivu needs to stop taking stupid penalties. Andrei Markov needs to keep making those crisp tape-to-tape passes.
Mark Streit was on fire the other night and Yvon Pednault actually said "Mark Streit est en feu.", which my friends and I found to be quite amusing.
There's going to be so many Leafs fans at the Bell Centre tonight that it might not even feel much like a home game, which could work to the Canadiens advantage given their dismal home play this season.
It's Sergei Kostitsyn's first home game, and Carbo says he's going to start the game on the top line with Chris Higgins and Saku Koivu. I liked what I saw from the kid the other day, as his confidence seemed to increase with every shift. He's got NHL talent and fantastic vision.
This game tonight is huge. The Canadiens need to turn the page at home and get two points. Count on a cardiac arrest-inducing game, as these Habs-Leafs tilts so often are.
The Habs need to win one at home. They get nervous in front of the Bell Centre faithful, almost tentative. They don't want to make mistakes or fall behind. They play a much more simple game on the road. They use their speed and skill to make teams pay. At home, they aren't as fast and seem to get into a defensive shell that eventually leads to penalties and losses.
The Habs didn't take a penalty against Philly until 15:09 of the second period, which was a huge reason for their success. They have a lot of trouble killing penalties.
The PK is ranked 27th in the league and the the power play is the the best in the NHL. Obviously, they need to stay out of the box. Saku Koivu needs to stop taking stupid penalties. Andrei Markov needs to keep making those crisp tape-to-tape passes.
Mark Streit was on fire the other night and Yvon Pednault actually said "Mark Streit est en feu.", which my friends and I found to be quite amusing.
There's going to be so many Leafs fans at the Bell Centre tonight that it might not even feel much like a home game, which could work to the Canadiens advantage given their dismal home play this season.
It's Sergei Kostitsyn's first home game, and Carbo says he's going to start the game on the top line with Chris Higgins and Saku Koivu. I liked what I saw from the kid the other day, as his confidence seemed to increase with every shift. He's got NHL talent and fantastic vision.
This game tonight is huge. The Canadiens need to turn the page at home and get two points. Count on a cardiac arrest-inducing game, as these Habs-Leafs tilts so often are.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Gamenight & State of the Nation
The Canadiens are in Hogtown for a big one tonight. Michael Ryder is off the first line. Guillaume Latendresse takes his place. Carey Price in goal. The Leafs desperately need a win.
With all the hoopla about Guy Lafleur saying the Habs looked like a bunch of fourth-liners on Saturday night, it's easy to forget that maybe they did. That was a brutal showing by the home team. After coming out of the gates strong, they faltered big-time and barely showed up for most of the night.
Saku Koivu replied to #10's barb by saying "I don't think a team of fourth liners would have the best power-play in the NHL."
True.
However, if the Canadiens continue to perform the way they did during Saturday night's game, they can kiss the #1 PP tag goodbye very soon.
Teams are letting the Habs do whatever they want on the perimeter and checking them tightly down low during man-advantage situations. The Habs need to find a way to respond to this and soon. What happened to the one-timer?
If anything can make Canadiens fans feel a bit better about what's been going on with the team in the last few days, it's the State of the Crown Jewel of MLSE, the Smurfs they call a hockey team at the ACC.
Mats Sundin is basically a one-man show this year and life for Paul Maurice, who should never have taken the job in the first place, and John Ferguson Jr, is not getting any easier. The Leafs solutions to their problems have long been veteran free-agents and trading for veteran talent. There are very few homegrown prospects succeeding in the organization. The future looks grim. JFJ will be the first to go, unless he offers up Maurice as a sacrificial lamb. It's not Maurice's fault he's been given shoddy personnel to work with during his tenure in Toronto.
It's a must-win game for both teams, much more so for the Leafs, here's hoping the Habs blow them out of the water and things start to change in the front office of one of the sorriest franchises in the NHL.
and....
Andrei Markov needs to get rolling offensively!! The Habs early success coincided with him averaging basically a point per game. During their recent slide he has been virtually invisible offensively.
A quick NFL note: Safety Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins was pronounced dead of a gunshot wound after a home invasion. How do NFL players always seem to get caught up in this stuff? I will remember Taylor as one of the hardest hitting players I've ever seen, a guy who made receivers think twice before catching a deep ball or a ball across the middle. It's a sad sad story, and one we've heard far too often.
With all the hoopla about Guy Lafleur saying the Habs looked like a bunch of fourth-liners on Saturday night, it's easy to forget that maybe they did. That was a brutal showing by the home team. After coming out of the gates strong, they faltered big-time and barely showed up for most of the night.
Saku Koivu replied to #10's barb by saying "I don't think a team of fourth liners would have the best power-play in the NHL."
True.
However, if the Canadiens continue to perform the way they did during Saturday night's game, they can kiss the #1 PP tag goodbye very soon.
Teams are letting the Habs do whatever they want on the perimeter and checking them tightly down low during man-advantage situations. The Habs need to find a way to respond to this and soon. What happened to the one-timer?
If anything can make Canadiens fans feel a bit better about what's been going on with the team in the last few days, it's the State of the Crown Jewel of MLSE, the Smurfs they call a hockey team at the ACC.
Mats Sundin is basically a one-man show this year and life for Paul Maurice, who should never have taken the job in the first place, and John Ferguson Jr, is not getting any easier. The Leafs solutions to their problems have long been veteran free-agents and trading for veteran talent. There are very few homegrown prospects succeeding in the organization. The future looks grim. JFJ will be the first to go, unless he offers up Maurice as a sacrificial lamb. It's not Maurice's fault he's been given shoddy personnel to work with during his tenure in Toronto.
It's a must-win game for both teams, much more so for the Leafs, here's hoping the Habs blow them out of the water and things start to change in the front office of one of the sorriest franchises in the NHL.
and....
Andrei Markov needs to get rolling offensively!! The Habs early success coincided with him averaging basically a point per game. During their recent slide he has been virtually invisible offensively.
A quick NFL note: Safety Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins was pronounced dead of a gunshot wound after a home invasion. How do NFL players always seem to get caught up in this stuff? I will remember Taylor as one of the hardest hitting players I've ever seen, a guy who made receivers think twice before catching a deep ball or a ball across the middle. It's a sad sad story, and one we've heard far too often.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Gamenight: Toronto Maple Leafs
The Canadiens take their sputtering offense down the 401 to take on the Leafs at the Air Canada Centre tonight. Carey Price will be in goal for the Habs, getting his first chance against the Leafs in his young career.
The Canadiens have had trouble scoring goals lately, getting only 7 goals in their last four games. They're hoping the Leafs defense, which has given up an NHL-worst 65 goals so far this year, will be the cure to their problems.
This is the third meeting between the archrivals so far this year, with Toronto winning each of the first two by a one goal margin. Toronto netminder Vesa Toskala picked up wins in both of those games and Cristobal Huet was on the hook for both losses against the Leafs.
The Toronto Sun is reporting that the Leafs will be wearing their white road jerseys tonight instead of their blue home sweaters. This is apparently due to the fact that the Leafs are 3-4-3 wearing the blue shirts and 3-3-1 in the white.
The Leafs have bested the Canadiens with a record of 10-4-4 against them since the NHL lockout.
It's exciting that the kid is getting a chance to play against the Leafs. Huet is having a great year (again) but seems to have a mental issue against the Leafs. Hopefully Price will once again be cooler than Miles Davis between the pipes and the Leafs won't get a free win like did at the Bell Centre 10 days ago.
Should we be worrying about the Habs power play? They haven't scored too many power play goals lately, but then they haven't been getting many power plays. If the slow Leafs can stay out of the box, or get a disproportionate amount of power plays, they could once again come out on top.
Alex Kovalev mentioned yesterday that the Habs tend to come out too strong, and act like it's a Game 7 situation for these games against Toronto and that they need to keep it simple in order to be successful. He's right. The Canadiens are the better, faster team and shouldn't let the Leafs stay in games.
other notes...
Garth Murray has been picked up on waivers by the Florida Panthers. He was a hard-working winger who wasn't scared to drop the gloves. I have nothing but praise for him, and wish him the best going forward.
For me, the highlight of his career in Montreal was Bob Cole in the 2005 playoffs with this memorable call,
"Here comes Murray, he can really fly."
or maybe it was
"Here comes Murray, he's got wings!"
Not the most accurate description I've ever heard but flattering nonetheless.
In other news, Mike Komisarek is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves as a legitimate number one defenceman in the league, and arguably the hardest hitting player out there as well.
The Canadiens have had trouble scoring goals lately, getting only 7 goals in their last four games. They're hoping the Leafs defense, which has given up an NHL-worst 65 goals so far this year, will be the cure to their problems.
This is the third meeting between the archrivals so far this year, with Toronto winning each of the first two by a one goal margin. Toronto netminder Vesa Toskala picked up wins in both of those games and Cristobal Huet was on the hook for both losses against the Leafs.
The Toronto Sun is reporting that the Leafs will be wearing their white road jerseys tonight instead of their blue home sweaters. This is apparently due to the fact that the Leafs are 3-4-3 wearing the blue shirts and 3-3-1 in the white.
The Leafs have bested the Canadiens with a record of 10-4-4 against them since the NHL lockout.
It's exciting that the kid is getting a chance to play against the Leafs. Huet is having a great year (again) but seems to have a mental issue against the Leafs. Hopefully Price will once again be cooler than Miles Davis between the pipes and the Leafs won't get a free win like did at the Bell Centre 10 days ago.
Should we be worrying about the Habs power play? They haven't scored too many power play goals lately, but then they haven't been getting many power plays. If the slow Leafs can stay out of the box, or get a disproportionate amount of power plays, they could once again come out on top.
Alex Kovalev mentioned yesterday that the Habs tend to come out too strong, and act like it's a Game 7 situation for these games against Toronto and that they need to keep it simple in order to be successful. He's right. The Canadiens are the better, faster team and shouldn't let the Leafs stay in games.
other notes...
Garth Murray has been picked up on waivers by the Florida Panthers. He was a hard-working winger who wasn't scared to drop the gloves. I have nothing but praise for him, and wish him the best going forward.
For me, the highlight of his career in Montreal was Bob Cole in the 2005 playoffs with this memorable call,
"Here comes Murray, he can really fly."
or maybe it was
"Here comes Murray, he's got wings!"
Not the most accurate description I've ever heard but flattering nonetheless.
In other news, Mike Komisarek is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves as a legitimate number one defenceman in the league, and arguably the hardest hitting player out there as well.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Gamenight: Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs (5-6-3) at Canadiens (7-2-3)
The Leafs and their fans are in town! Things are looking generally peachy for the Habs right now, as they've picked up points in all but two games this year and have gone 5-0-1 in their last six.
The Leafs are led by Mats Sundin, he's got 20 points in 14 games this year, and will surely have that stupid mouthguard-induced grin on his face all night.
Toronto is without regulars Darcy Tucker, Kyle Wellwood, Carlo Colaiacovo and Bryan McCabe.
Hab-killer Tomas Kaberle is still in the lineup.
Alex Kovalev and Saku Koivu have been playing like superstars. Roman Hamrlik is looking like one of the best free-agent acquisitions of the offseason. Tom Kostopulos has been solid and spectacular at times. Brisebois has been ok, all though his play seems to have diminished a bit lately.
The goaltending has been good, not spectacular. Good enough for the second-best record in the East!
The fans will be out in force tonight. The Philly game on Thursday was the most electric atmosphere I've seen at the Bell Centre for a regular season game in a while. Daniel Briere and the Flyers were intimidated by the fans.
The Leafs and their fans are in town! Things are looking generally peachy for the Habs right now, as they've picked up points in all but two games this year and have gone 5-0-1 in their last six.
The Leafs are led by Mats Sundin, he's got 20 points in 14 games this year, and will surely have that stupid mouthguard-induced grin on his face all night.
Toronto is without regulars Darcy Tucker, Kyle Wellwood, Carlo Colaiacovo and Bryan McCabe.
Hab-killer Tomas Kaberle is still in the lineup.
Alex Kovalev and Saku Koivu have been playing like superstars. Roman Hamrlik is looking like one of the best free-agent acquisitions of the offseason. Tom Kostopulos has been solid and spectacular at times. Brisebois has been ok, all though his play seems to have diminished a bit lately.
The goaltending has been good, not spectacular. Good enough for the second-best record in the East!
The fans will be out in force tonight. The Philly game on Thursday was the most electric atmosphere I've seen at the Bell Centre for a regular season game in a while. Daniel Briere and the Flyers were intimidated by the fans.
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