Monday 1 December 2014

Game Twenty-Six: Habs vs. Avs



THIRD PERIOD:

- Pretty good couple of shifts by the Pleks line, they and Eller, as usual, are the two best overall lines tonight. Desharnais could be there if it wasn't for, you know, Desharnais.

- Elller with another of those terrible lazy hook/trip penalties in the offensive zone. Those always seem to come back to haunt.

- MaxKinnon missed a pretty gaping net off a rebound on the PP. Remember that miss.

- Catious back and forth third finally broken from the noose of this tie, Pacioretty along the wing snaps one high and home. Big goal by someone the Habs can actually count on.

- Avs getting really aggressive now, pinching for every ounce possible and it's resulting in a trove of odd-man rushes for the Habs offense. Need to convert one to seal this deal.

- Price desperation flop somehow keeps the puck out. Habs defense way too soft around their netminder with the Avs storming.

- Pat Roy pull with 3 minutes left, Tangradi somehow misses the empty net from the red line.

- Blown offside call at the line hurts the Avs. Officials can't afford to miss those.

- Desharnais on with a minute left. Why?

- Jesus. Pacioretty misses from the blue line. Why???

- Ah well. Means nothing. Habs hold on for the win, Price nice saves towards the end. Still, a rather unconvincing win against yet another poor opponent, the trip will now get very difficult headed into St. Paul. Habs, playing as they are, can't realistically hope for much success on this trip. Tonight was merely the easy part.



SECOND PERIOD:

- Reminder: The Avs are a terrible possession team. They really shouldn't stand much of a chance against a team supposedly as "good" as the Montreal Canadiens.

- The Markov/Emelin pairing is frustrating. And it isn't working. When Emelin isn't putting himself way out of position, Markov is getting caught up ice, and is taking his sweet merciful time trying to cover his tracks. It's a formula for giving up some pretty shoddy goals. O'Reilly makes it 2-1 right off the bat to start then 2nd. Here we go.

- A ... powerplay goal? Markov sneaking in the backdoor? He actually scored? ON THE ROAD. Anyway, tie game. Feeling better now even though we're being outplayed (again) by an inferior team.

- I ... don't ... even ... a 4-on-1 Avs break? What is happening to this team? Only Gilbert properly playing his position, but you can only do so much with four guys storming down at you. 3-2 Avs.

- It's been a goalfest this period. P.K. Subban, off of cross ice pass, blasts it home. Prust doing some excellent muck work in the high slot to cause enough distraction to allow for the cross-ice pass. Tie game.

- So Markov with a backdoor goal for the first time since ... who knows when? Subban with a cannon goal. It's like the good ol' days. Except for the actually winning part.

- Going towards end of the second, combined times, Therrien is playing Emelin/Gonchar twice the ice as Weaver/Gilbert. Really perplexing decision going on.

- Really, really, really perplexing, sending out the slow-footed Emelin/Gonchar duo to play against the MacKinnon line. That's basically just asking for a slough of problems.

- Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy period for the Habs, they're fortunate to be playing the Avs tonight, because against even just an average team, they'd be getting their clocks cleaned. Fortunate, even at that, to be tie headed to the 3rd period.


FIRST PERIOD:


- With Allen out and Gilbert in, seriously there really shouldn't be any excuses tonight for the Habs not to squash the Avs like little tiny bugs. 

- Ah, Jiri Sekac, you are the tonic that cures my ails. Beautiful shot off the post, he's got such a tenasciois approach to this game and great offensive smarts. A future Pacioretty light, perhaps? Still think he ought be on a line with Max. Maybe eventually. 1-0 Habs.

- Eller line really motoring tonight, their speed and skill advantage giving Avs defence more than they can handle. 

- Yeah I know the Habs are blessed with plenty of fourth line depth (ergo the Moen trade), but it still doesn't justify whatever rationale is being used to play Weise on the top two lines. He's not built for that kind of assignment.

- It had to be Briere didn't it? Looks like he just won the Cup judging from his reaction. Dan, you had no business playing in Montreal in the first place. Just sayin'.



OH GAWD WE CANNOT LET THE AVS WIN TONIGHT

This cannot stand. We cannot allow Mike Haynes, the worst play-by-play hockey broadcaster on the planet, to savior victory. Michel Therrien: NO MORE BRYAN ALLEN.

CELEBRATORY GAME DAY UPDATE: 

- Tom Gilbert in. Bryan Allen out. PRAISE JEEBUZ.

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