The Canadiens are currently in a freefall.
It's not panic time yet, but the team needs to get back to the things that brought them success early in the season.
Losing three games in eight days against a divisional rival is tough to swallow. Buffalo is back into the thick of the Eastern conference race thanks to their four-game winning streak, three of which came against the Habs.
This is a Sabres team that is a skeleton of the one that dominated the NHL last year on the way to the President's Trophy. Daniel Briere and Chris Drury are gone. Teppo Numminen is still out with his heart problem. Thankfully, we won't see them again for quite some time and the Canadiens should be happy about it.
The Habs still have a respectable record (12-8-1-2).
Their record against the Sabres is now 2-3.
Against the Sens, they're 0-3.
So six of their eight regulation losses have come against two teams.
Fast, skilled teams. Teams the Canadiens are supposed to match up well against. This simply hasn't been the case. In fact, the Habs were thoroughly outclassed in both recent games against the Sabres. They can bitch all they want about the call against Mike Komisarek on Friday night, but the fact is that Saku Koivu interfered with Ryan Miller on an earlier goal, this is the way these things go. If you're playing the game in such a way that a single penalty call turns the game against you, you're doing something wrong.
It's extremely disheartening to see early chances with no goals to show for them. That's exactly what happened at the Bell Centre tonight. The Habs, like their fans, get down on themselves when they can't get an early lead.
Good teams overcome these things and find ways to put the puck in the net. Brian Campbell's Sabres are starting to look like one of those teams. The score would have been much more lopsided had it not been for Cristobal Huet's heroics.
Campbell logged 27:49 of ice time, was a +2 on the night, and got an assist and blocked seven Canadiens shots. He quarterbacks his teams offense while paying the price in his own zone.
Alex Kovalev had five hits and two shots on goal. This is a problem. You don't want your best offensive player getting more hits than chances.
We could discuss stats ad nauseum, but the key thig is, the Habs are too reliant on their special teams. There's bound to be ups and downs in any given season, but the key thing is to adapt and continue to find ways to score goals and win games.
When a game ends, wipe it from your mind and move on.
On to Toronto for a HUGE game on Tuesday.
Showing posts with label Buffalo Sabres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffalo Sabres. Show all posts
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Friday, November 23, 2007
Gamenight in Buffalo
Habs in Buffalo tonight, exactly one week after getting tossed around in a 4-1 loss in the same building. The Sabres seem to be finding their stride after a slow start to their season. Ryan Miller is starting to look like the dominant goaltender that emerged last year. In his last seven games, Miller has posted a GAA of 1.86, and has gone 3-4-0.
The Canadiens possess the best road record in the Eastern Conference (7-3-1).
The Sabres are at 8-10-1, having played only 19 games, the Habs have played 21. They're (6-4-0) at home.
This home-and-home date represents the 4th and 5th meetings between the two teams already this year. The home team has won the first three, with the Habs getting two wins at the Bell Centre.
Derek Roy has 9 points in 8 games in his career against the Canadiens.
Trade rumours are stupid. They never seem to actually come true. Patrick Marleau? Shawn Horcoff? Why would anyone want to move those guys? Who could the Habs give up to get guys like them? They need a winger, not a centre.
Well, they could use Lecavalier or Thornton, but I don't think those guys are available.
Interesting to see that the Leafs had a chance to pick up Lecavalier back in 2001 when he fell out with coach John Tortorella. In typical Leafs fashion, they opted out of the deal, undoubtedly going for a more "right now" solution.
If Carey Price gets the win tonight, he'll be 6-1-1. Hard to argue with that kind of success.
The Canadiens possess the best road record in the Eastern Conference (7-3-1).
The Sabres are at 8-10-1, having played only 19 games, the Habs have played 21. They're (6-4-0) at home.
This home-and-home date represents the 4th and 5th meetings between the two teams already this year. The home team has won the first three, with the Habs getting two wins at the Bell Centre.
Derek Roy has 9 points in 8 games in his career against the Canadiens.
Trade rumours are stupid. They never seem to actually come true. Patrick Marleau? Shawn Horcoff? Why would anyone want to move those guys? Who could the Habs give up to get guys like them? They need a winger, not a centre.
Well, they could use Lecavalier or Thornton, but I don't think those guys are available.
Interesting to see that the Leafs had a chance to pick up Lecavalier back in 2001 when he fell out with coach John Tortorella. In typical Leafs fashion, they opted out of the deal, undoubtedly going for a more "right now" solution.
If Carey Price gets the win tonight, he'll be 6-1-1. Hard to argue with that kind of success.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Last Night
Cristobal Huet answered his critics with a convincing shutout win over the Buffalo Sabres. The Habs goalie stopped all 29 shots he faced and was particularly sharp in the first and third periods.
Tomas Plekanec got the game winning goal on a feed from new linemate Andrei Kostitsyn, who also played a solid game for the Habs, filling in for Guilaume Latendresse, who injured his back in the warmup.
Andrei Markov got two assists and logged just under 25 minutes of ice time as the Canadiens beat the Sabres in regulation for the second in this young season.
Michael Ryder managed a shot on goal but had difficulty again as last years leading goal scorer remains stuck on two goals and four assists on the season.
The Canadiens took only two shots in the third period, one of which was Bryan Smolinski's empty-net winner.
I wrote an additional post about the success of Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek and Roman Hamrlik so far this year. Thanks to the miracle that is Windows Vista, it was lost to the ages.
Tomas Plekanec got the game winning goal on a feed from new linemate Andrei Kostitsyn, who also played a solid game for the Habs, filling in for Guilaume Latendresse, who injured his back in the warmup.
Andrei Markov got two assists and logged just under 25 minutes of ice time as the Canadiens beat the Sabres in regulation for the second in this young season.
Michael Ryder managed a shot on goal but had difficulty again as last years leading goal scorer remains stuck on two goals and four assists on the season.
The Canadiens took only two shots in the third period, one of which was Bryan Smolinski's empty-net winner.
I wrote an additional post about the success of Andrei Markov, Mike Komisarek and Roman Hamrlik so far this year. Thanks to the miracle that is Windows Vista, it was lost to the ages.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Gamenight: Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres (5-6-1) at Montreal Canadiens (7-3-3) 7:35pm
The Canadiens are at the Bell Centre for the last game of a four game homestand tonight as they welcome the Buffalo Sabres to town. The Habs are coming off their third regulation loss of the season against the Leafs on Saturday night.
It looks like Francis Bouillon will be back in the Habs lineup after being missing three games.
This is the second game of the year between the teams, after Roman Hamrlik scored the winner and got the first star in a 4-2 Habs win on Oct 20th.
Buffalo sniper Tomas Vanek has done well in his career against Montreal, including 5 points in his last four games against the Habs.
The Habs will hit the road following tonight's game for a four game stint against divisional rivals, with their 8 of their next 11 games being played on the road overall.
The Canadiens are at the Bell Centre for the last game of a four game homestand tonight as they welcome the Buffalo Sabres to town. The Habs are coming off their third regulation loss of the season against the Leafs on Saturday night.
It looks like Francis Bouillon will be back in the Habs lineup after being missing three games.
This is the second game of the year between the teams, after Roman Hamrlik scored the winner and got the first star in a 4-2 Habs win on Oct 20th.
Buffalo sniper Tomas Vanek has done well in his career against Montreal, including 5 points in his last four games against the Habs.
The Habs will hit the road following tonight's game for a four game stint against divisional rivals, with their 8 of their next 11 games being played on the road overall.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Big Night
So the Canadiens have a home win. They got some bounces, didn't exactly dominate but Chris Higgins summed it up,
"We'll take it."
Roman Hamrlik and Bryan Smolinski got their first goals as members of the team. Kyle Chipchura got his first career NHL goal. Mikhail Grabovski got his first point of the season.
All in all, a solid team effort. The coach was happy, and there was a sense of relief in the room following the game.
The two teams played the game as advertised, with plenty of end to end action and lots of scoring chances. Ryan Miller lost at the Bell Centre for the first time in his career and looked anything but spectacular on several occasions. The Sabres are definitely not the same team that won the President's Trophy last year, scoring an eye-popping 308 goals in the process. They are a good team, but the Canadiens have now played against a few of the better Eastern teams and looked pretty good in the process.
Sam Gagner of the Oilers also got his first NHL goal tonight, so a couple of World Junior standouts have popped their NHL cherries.
Tonight's going to be intense, so don't look for a post tomorrow till later.
"We'll take it."
Roman Hamrlik and Bryan Smolinski got their first goals as members of the team. Kyle Chipchura got his first career NHL goal. Mikhail Grabovski got his first point of the season.
All in all, a solid team effort. The coach was happy, and there was a sense of relief in the room following the game.
The two teams played the game as advertised, with plenty of end to end action and lots of scoring chances. Ryan Miller lost at the Bell Centre for the first time in his career and looked anything but spectacular on several occasions. The Sabres are definitely not the same team that won the President's Trophy last year, scoring an eye-popping 308 goals in the process. They are a good team, but the Canadiens have now played against a few of the better Eastern teams and looked pretty good in the process.
Sam Gagner of the Oilers also got his first NHL goal tonight, so a couple of World Junior standouts have popped their NHL cherries.
Tonight's going to be intense, so don't look for a post tomorrow till later.
Setting Up the Sabres
The Habs (2-2-1-1)are back at the Bell Centre tonight to face the Buffalo Sabres (3-3-0) in the first meeting of the season between the two teams. Ryan Miller is in goal for the Sabres and Cristobal Huet goes for the Canadiens. Miller has never lost in Montreal, going 4-0-0 with a 1.71 goals-against average at the Bell Centre in his young career.
The teams split their eight game season series last year, with the Sabres compiling a 4-3-1 record against the Habs.
After scoring 18 goals in a three game winning streak, the Sabres were held off the scoresheet by the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets last night, dropping the game 3-0 as former Sabres Captain Michael Peca scored his first career goal against his former team.
The Canadiens are still looking for their first home win of the season, but don't blame Cristobal Huet, who has stopped 59 of the 62 shots he has faced so far this year at the Phone Booth. The Canadiens have scored only two goals in those two games.
Michael Ryder had five goals in eight games against Buffalo last year, and Thomas Vanek scored four goals and four assists top lead his team against the Habs over the same span.
Things to look for tonight:
1. Habs coming out of the gate strong and feeding off the fans, hopefully keeping it up throughout the game and getting a few goals to show for it.
2. The Sabres could show some fatigue, having played last night at home.
3. Sabres Defenceman Brian Campbell has 9 points in the first 5 games of the season. that means he's on pace for about 147 points. Look for him to slow down on that pace, hopefully starting tonight!!
Bon match tout le monde, today's a big day for me, as I will be hosting the Habs This Week starting at 4 pm and staying on until 630 as i take off for the Bell Centre to catch the game live. Listen and call in with your thoughts when we open up the lines!
The teams split their eight game season series last year, with the Sabres compiling a 4-3-1 record against the Habs.
After scoring 18 goals in a three game winning streak, the Sabres were held off the scoresheet by the surprising Columbus Blue Jackets last night, dropping the game 3-0 as former Sabres Captain Michael Peca scored his first career goal against his former team.
The Canadiens are still looking for their first home win of the season, but don't blame Cristobal Huet, who has stopped 59 of the 62 shots he has faced so far this year at the Phone Booth. The Canadiens have scored only two goals in those two games.
Michael Ryder had five goals in eight games against Buffalo last year, and Thomas Vanek scored four goals and four assists top lead his team against the Habs over the same span.
Things to look for tonight:
1. Habs coming out of the gate strong and feeding off the fans, hopefully keeping it up throughout the game and getting a few goals to show for it.
2. The Sabres could show some fatigue, having played last night at home.
3. Sabres Defenceman Brian Campbell has 9 points in the first 5 games of the season. that means he's on pace for about 147 points. Look for him to slow down on that pace, hopefully starting tonight!!
Bon match tout le monde, today's a big day for me, as I will be hosting the Habs This Week starting at 4 pm and staying on until 630 as i take off for the Bell Centre to catch the game live. Listen and call in with your thoughts when we open up the lines!
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