Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Falling Short

Coming off a win on Saturday night against the New York Rangers, The Canadiens would face the Ottawa Senators. The Sens have won their last 4 games, and would look to extend their winning streak to 5 games. 
  • First Period
    • With the game in Ottawa, there were quite a few Habs fans in the arena, as you would hear "Go Habs Go" chants shortly after the period began. With Montreal making most of the opportunities, they would not be able to get the early lead. Bishop, the Sens goaltender would make key saves to keep this game at 0-0 at the end of the first.
      • Montreal: 12 Shots On Goal
      • Ottawa: 5 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • With a minute gone by in the second, Brandon Prust would get a golden opportunity on the backhand in front of the net, but Bishop denied him. 5 minutes after that play, Benoit coming in on the rush would slap one past Carey Price to give the Sens the go ahead goal. Heading to the midway mark of the second, Cole would ring one off the crossbar, the Canadiens would hit another post, but could not convert. With 3.8 seconds left to play, Andrei Markov would slap one from the blue line tying this game heading into the third.
      • Montreal: 18 Shots On Goal
      • Ottawa: 10 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • Both teams would look to get a goal to give themselves an advantage, but it would be the goalies who would play strong. The Canadiens who had took more shots than the Senators, just could not get the puck past Bishop. As the period came to a close, these two teams needed overtime to settle this.
      • Montreal: 10 Shots On Goal
      • Ottawa: 8 Shots On Goal
  • Overtime
    • The Canadiens would enjoy a 4 on 3 powerplay in the overtime period, but Bishop made a few dandy saves to deny everything the Canadiens threw at him. With 5 seconds to go, Peter Regin on the rush would slap one beating Carey Price, but hitting the post. As the post gave the Habs some hope, this game would need a shootout.
      • Montreal: 5 Shots On Goal
      • Ottawa: 1 Shots On Goal
  • Shootout
    • Jakob Silfverberg (OTT) - Goal
    • Alex Galchenyuk (MTL) - Save
    • Daniel Alfredsson (OTT) - Save
    • David Desharnais (MTL) - Goal
    • Kyle Turris (OTT) - Save
    • Brendan Gallagher (MTL) - Save
    • Kaspars Daugavins (OTT) - Save
    • Brian Gionta (MTL) - Save
    • Peter Regin (OTT) - Goal
    • Tomas Plekanec (MTL) - Save
With the shootout finally coming to an end, the Senators would win their 5th straight game. The Canadiens outplayed the Sens by a margin, but it was Bishop who made 44 saves on 45 shots. The Habs do pick up a point on the effort, keeping them at the number one spot. They play the Maple Leafs in Toronto, Wednesday night.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Carey On!

With a loss on Thursday night ending the Canadiens 5 game win streak, the Habs would look to bounce back from there loss against the New York Rangers last night. The Canadiens had won 3-1 over the Rangers on Tuesday which they played in Ranger territory. This time the Canadiens would welcome New York to Montreal.
  • First Period
    • With the first period underway, there was no real action or goal scoring opportunities by either side. Coming to the end of the last minutes of the first, the Rangers would get a partial breakaway, but Price made the easy save. For the first 20, it seemed like it would be a close match all the way till the end.
      • Montreal: 3 Shots On Goal
      • NY Rangers: 6 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • Just a minute and a half into the second, Erik Cole would wrist one for his third of the season, making it 1-0 Canadiens. The Rangers would add more pressure to the Canadiens net after that goal, but Carey Price would not let anything by him. With 6 minutes left to play in the second, Galchenyuk was coming in on the rush from Eller, Eller would pass it back to Galchenyuk who dekes the defenseman putting himself right in front of Biron scoring his third of the season. With only 30 seconds left in the period, the Canadiens would be in a powerplay. The Rangers could not get the puck out of their zone, which lead Galchenyuk to capitalize, as he passed it to Eller scoring his second of the season. 3-0 Canadiens at the end of 2.
      • Montreal: 12 Shots On Goal
      • NY Rangers: 7 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • The Rangers would only get a opportunity in the first 5 minutes of play in the third, 2 slap shots from the blue line is what the Canadiens would let them have. Price though, stopping both of them as he slowly counted down the last few minutes of play, looking for his second shutout of the season. The Rangers would only take another 2 shots this period, as the the Canadiens would end this game and win their seventh straight game against the Rangers. 3-0 the final.
      • Montreal: 3 Shots On Goal
      • NY Rangers: 4 Shots On Goal
With a win last night on home ice, The Canadiens have now won 6 of their last 7 games played. They face the Senators in Ottawa Monday night, the Sens have won 4 straight games, will they extend that lead to 5? Or will the Canadiens break the streak? Don't miss this one!

Friday, February 22, 2013

The Streak Is Gone

As the Montreal Canadiens were coming off a 5 game win streak and leading all Eastern Conference teams with the most points, they would get to add onto that streak with a win at home ice against the New York Islanders last night. The Islanders have only won 3 of their previous 10 games.
  • First Period
    • With 30 seconds into the game Price would have to make a big save on John Tavares who was right in front of the net. With only 20 seconds after Price's big save, Travis Moen would roof one past Evgeni Nabokov making it 1-0 Canadiens. 10 minutes later, the Canadiens would go on the powerplay where Max Pacioretty would slap one into the net from a pass from Desharnais. The Canadiens would really dominate the first period as they had most of the opportunities.
      • Montreal: 14 Shots On Goal
      • NY Islanders: 3Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • The Islanders would start the second period on the powerplay, Matt Moulson would tip in the point shot from Mark Streit cutting the lead down to 1. With 11 minutes to go in the second, Pacioretty would score again as he receives a pass from Desharnais from behind the net. The Islanders on the powerplay once again, would score making it 3-2 Canadiens heading into the third. 
      • Montreal: 14 Shots On Goal
      • NY Islanders: 12 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • Midway through the third, Frans Neilson on the rush would snap one past Carey Price tying this game. After that goal, both teams would try and convert chances to goals, but it would remain a tie game. This game needed overtime!
      • Montreal: 4 Shots On Goal
      • NY Islanders: 8 Shots On Goal
  • Overtime
    • The Canadiens would get the most of the chances for the first 3 minutes, but it would be the Islanders who would capitalize. Thomas Hickey was left unmarked, as he just wrists one into the open net, Carey Price had no chance at all. The Islanders would win 4-3, the Canadiens do pick up a point in there effort.
      • Montreal: 1 Shots On Goal
      • NY Islanders: 2 Shots On Goal
With a loss last night, the Canadiens break their winning streak and are now tied with the New Jersey Devils at first place. The Canadiens will look to bounce back from their loss on Saturday night as they face the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre. The Rangers have won 8 of their 16 games played this season. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

On A Roll!

The Canadiens visited the New York Rangers last night, Brandon Prust the former Ranger would play against his former team mates and hopefully grab a few points. The Canadiens needed to win this game in order to rank themselves in the number one spot in the Eastern Conference standings, did they do it? Find out below.

  • First Period
    • Carey Price would finally get to start after sitting out 2 games as he had the flu. Early in the first the Rangers would capitalize on a few opportunities, but Price would play strong. Late in the first, the Canadiens would get there first shot on goal which came from 16 minutes of play. The first period would end at 0-0.
      • Montreal: 3 Shots On Goal
      • NY Rangers: 5 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • Both teams would get their fair share of chances throughout the first 10 minutes, but it would be the Rangers who would score first at the 7:32 minute mark. On a delayed penalty call, the Canadiens seemed to relax a little bit whereas the Rangers would capitalize. Carey Price with the initial save, could not stop the rebound from Stralman. With a minute left in the second, Pacioretty would receive a pass from Josh Gorges and slaps one making it a 1-1 game heading into the third.
      • Montreal: 7 Shots On Goal
      • NY Rangers: 10 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • 2 minutes into the third, the Canadiens would get a 2 on 1, Brandon Prust to Galchenyuk who would score his second of the season. Coming to the 6th minute mark of the period, the Canadiens on the powerplay would give the puck away as the Rangers rush on a 2 on 1 opportunity, Price making the first save would thank the goal post for the second save. With only 3 minutes left to play, the Canadiens would take a penalty. The Rangers would pull their goalie making it a 6 on 4 advantage, but Rafael Diaz would shoot the puck from the Canadiens zone all the way to the Rangers empty net, 3-1 the final.
      • Montreal: 8 Shots On Goal
      • NY Rangers: 10 Shots On Goal
As the Canadiens celebrate their 5th straight win of the season, they would also see themselves sitting at the number one spot on the Easter Conference standings. The Canadiens will look to continue their streak thursday night as they face the New York Islanders at the Bell Centre. The Islanders are 3-7-0 in their last 10 games this season.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Streak Kept Alive

With the Canadiens winning their previous 3 games, they would face off against the Carolina Hurricanes who have also won their last 3 games. The Montreal Canadiens took first place in their divisional standings Saturday night, and would look to stay on top with a win against the Hurricanes.
  • First Period
    • Petr Budaj would get his second straight start for the Canadiens, as Carey Price was unable to play due to a flu symptom. Both teams would get some pretty good shots on goal, but were not able to score in the first period. The first would come to an end at 0-0.
      • Montreal: 7 Shots On Goal
      • Carolina: 5 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • The Canadiens would come out strong in the second period, Carolina would take costly penalties which created the Canadiens to gain momentum and stay in the Hurricanes zone for more than half of the period. Although the Canadiens did get their chances, Carolina goalie, Cam Ward was there to stop every attempt made by the Canadiens. The Hurricanes would come close late in the second, but Petr Budaj made a couple key saves to keep this game at 0-0 ending the second period.
      • Montreal: 11 Shots On Goal
      • Carolina: 8 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • 2 minutes into the third, Galchenyuk would drive to the net and pass it back to Brandon Prust who would wrist it past Cam Ward opening the score. Nearing the 8th minute mark, Tomas Plekanec from the wing side would take a slapshot which would hit Ward's shoulder and slowly make it's way into the net, making it 2-0 Canadiens. 18 seconds after, Max Pacioretty would just throw one at the net from the center line, the puck would trickle into the net as Pacioretty gets his first of the season making it 3-0 Canadiens. The Canadiens would hang on to win with Budaj getting his first shutout of the season.
      • Montreal: 8 Shots On Goal
      • Carolina: 6 Shots On Goal
With a win last night at the Bell Centre, The Canadiens have now won 4 straight games and are still sitting at the number one spot in the divisional standings since Saturday. The Canadiens move on up to second place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Habs will play the Rangers in the New York today, the Rangers who have won 7 of their last 10 games will look to break the Canadiens win streak at MSG.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Taking First Place

The Montreal Canadiens played in the Bell Centre last night after playing 2 straight games on the road. The Philadelphia Flyers, who have only won 6 games of their 16 games played needed a win desperately to keep themselves in line with the other teams in the Eastern Conference standings. 
  • First Period
    • With no action coming within the first 8 minutes of play, Brendan Gallagher would wrist one past the Flyers goalie to give this game some excitement and something for the fans to cheer about. The Flyers would get their fair share of chances, but Budaj was there to shut the door, ending the first period at a 1-0 lead.
      • Montreal: 12 Shots On Goal
      • Philadelphia: 2 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • With only a minute into the second, Max Pacioretty from behind the Flyers net passes it right to Desharnais who would wrist one past Boucher giving the Canadiens a comfortable 2-0 lead. With 7 minutes to play, Budaj handles the puck behind his net but makes a terrible pass along the boards, the flyers would come close to scoring but PK Subban would dive into the initial shot taken to save a goal. With only a minute after that mistake, Danny Briere would wrist one past Budaj making it 2-1 Canadiens heading into the third.
      • Montreal: 6 Shots On Goal
      • Philadelphia: 8 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • 4 minutes into the third, Plekanec would backhand one on the net, picking up his own rebound and shooting once again and stopped, receives his rebound again and finally puts it in the net as Boucher was down. The Flyers would come close with 3 minutes to play, the initial slapshot from the point was stopped, causing a scramble near Budaj's net. Budaj would reach behind and cover the puck to avoid another goal. With 2 minutes left to play, the Flyers pull their goalie, a face-off in the Habs zone was won which led Rene Bourque on the rush with only 1 Flyer defenseman back. As Bourque was tripped on the play, he would just get the puck into the net as it hit the post and went in. The clock would tick down, as the Canadiens win their 3rd straight, 4-1 the final score.
      • Montreal: 11 Shots On Goal
      • Philadelphia: 9 Shots On Goal
The Canadiens defeat the Flyers for the 3rd straight meeting, with a win last night the Canadiens move into first place in their divisional standings and fifth in the conference standings. The Habs face the Hurricanes Monday night at the Bell Centre. The Hurricanes have won 3 straight!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Sunshine State Controversy

With a shootout win in Tampa Bay, the Canadiens would see even more sun 2 days after their game. The Canadiens faced the Panthers last night in Florida, the Panthers who have only had 4 wins in their 12 games played would look for a win to move out of third to last place in the Eastern standings.
  • First Period
    • The first period didn't really bring any real opportunistic chances for either team, although they had their fair share of shots on goal. Both goaltenders started off the first period by making some key saves to keep this game at a tie game heading into the second.
      • Montreal: 11 Shots On Goal
      • Florida: 6 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • In the second period, the Canadiens began to be more aggressive on the puck and taking more shots on the Florida net. With many attempts by the Canadiens, they could not get past Panthers goalie, Jose Theodore. The Panthers would not be able to get any opportunistic chances on Carey Price. The period would end at 0-0.
      • Montreal: 10 Shots On Goal
      • Florida: 7 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • At the start of the third, the Canadiens would get a sure goal opportunity, but Theodore made a split save going from one end to the other. Midway through the third, the Panthers would get their opportunity but Carey Price would stand tall. With both goalies playing a solid game, they would not allow any goals past them throughout all 3 periods, to overtime we go!
      • Montreal: 9 Shots On Goal
      • Florida: 13 Shots On Goal
  • Overtime
    • With 2 minutes into the 5 minute overtime period, the young rookie Galchenyuk would rush the Panthers net with Rene Bourque coming in from behind. Galchenyuk with the initial shot which was stopped, Rene Bourque would find the rebound and finally put one past Theodore, taking the win in Florida.
      • Montreal: 2 Shots On Goal
      • Florida: 0 Shots On Goal
With a win in sunshine state, the Canadiens move into 5th place above the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens play the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night at the Bell Centre!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Lights Out

The Montreal Canadiens looked to break their 3 game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. The Lightning who had only one win in their last 4 games needed to win this game to grab some points. With both these teams needing those valuable 2 points, who would come out victorious?
  • First Period
    • The first period kicked off with both teams getting there chances in both sides, but unable to convert to a goal. Midway through the first, Andrei Markov would get as close to ringing the post from his slapper on the line. With less than a minute left to play, Brian Gionta would score on the powerplay making it 1-0 Canadiens heading into the second.
      • Montreal: 8 Shots On Goal
      • Tampa Bay: 9 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • Midway through the second, PK Subban would get his second of the season from sniping one from the blue line, through traffic and behind the net. Less than 2 minutes to play in the second, Travis Moen scores his first of the season. The Canadiens go into the second with a comforting 3-0 lead.
      • Montreal: 9 Shots On Goal
      • Tampa Bay: 7 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • With nothing coming in the first 14 minutes of the third period, the Canadiens kill a penalty at the 6 minute mark, but the Lightning gain possession. Taylor Pyatt passes it to Victor Hedman who snipes one past Price. 2 minutes later, the Bolts take out their goalie adding an extra skater, Victor Hedman would charge the net tipping the initial shot from Purcell making it 3-2 with 1:30 left to play. Tomas Plekanec would take a tripping penalty, this would create a 6 on 4 advantage for the Lightning with only seconds to play. Sami Salo would tip the slap shot from Lecavalier, 3-3 after 3. We go to overtime!
      • Montreal: 11 Shots On Goal
      • Tampa Bay: 7 Shots On Goal
  • Overtime
    • A 4 on 4 overtime would be needed to decide the winner, as the Lightning take a penalty with only 2:30 left to play in the overtime period, the Canadiens would come close to scoring but Lindback would make some unbelievable saves bringing this game to a shootout!
      • Montreal: 6 Shots On Goal
      • Tampa Bay: 1 Shots On Goal
  • Shootout
    • Victor Hedman (TBL) - Save
    • Alex Galchenyuk (MTL) - Save
    • Martin St. Louis (TBL) - Save
    • David Desharnais (MTL) - Goal
    • Steven Stamkos (TBL) - Save
The Canadiens would win in a shootout acquiring the 2 points they needed. The Canadiens will play in sunshine state Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. The Panthers have 4 wins in 12 games played, their currently seated at 13th in the conference standings. 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

A Night To Remember

The Montreal Canadiens faced the Toronto Maple Leafs last night at the Bell Centre. These 2 teams had opened the NHL 48 game season, where the Leafs would win by a slight 2-1 victory. The Canadiens who have lost 2 in a row looked to win against the team they lost their home opener to. On the other hand, the Leafs were coming into this game with 2 straight wins on hand.

  • First Period
    • The Canadiens started off the period by letting Kuleman outracing Andrei Markov as he passes it to Leo Komarov who wrisdt one past Price with only 59 seconds into the start of the first period. 6 minutes later,Tyler Bozak picked up the rebound in front of the net making it 2-0 Leafs heading into the second.
      • Montreal: 8 Shots On Goal
      • Toronto: 12 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • As the Canadiens lost all momentum, the Leafs would capitalize. With 4 minutes gone, Phil Kessel from the side of the net passes it to James Van Riemsdyk in front of the net and scores for the Leafs. The Canadiens would spend the next 15 minutes of the period trying to score atleast one goal, they pressed and pushed but could not beat James Reimer. To take the momentum away, Phil Kessel who only has a goal this season, scores for the Leafs on the powerplay making it 4-0 heading into the third.
      • Montreal: 20 Shots On Goal
      • Toronto: 8 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • With only 4 minutes into the third, McClement backhands one at net, Carey Price kicks out the rebound right to Leafs forward Holzer who was coming in on the rush, this made it 5-0 Leafs. As the Habs lost all hope, several fights would break. A total of 18 penalties were taken just in the third, 3 Canadiens players got 10 minute game misconducts. As the Canadiens taking too many penalties, they would be short handed. Dion Phaneuf would slap one past Price for his first of the season. The game would end, as the Habs get completely destroyed by the Leafs.
      • Montreal: 9 Shots On Goal
      • Toronto: 8 Shots On Goal
The Canadiens move down in the rankings, as Toronto moves ahead leading by one point. The Canadiens play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, the Lightning have lost 3 straight games just like the Canadiens.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Falling Short

The Montreal Canadiens took on the Buffalo Sabres last night at the First Niagara Center. The Sabres who had not won a game in their previous 3 matches, would look to break their losing streak against the Canadiens who completely dominated them in a 6-1 victory on February 2nd.
  • First Period
    • To kick of the first period, Alexei Emelin takes away the puck from Tomas Vanek and leads the rush into the Sabres area. Passing it to Tomas Plekanec who would wrist one top shelf on Ryan Miller. With only 15 seconds after the goal scored by the Canadiens, Steve Ott would put one past the legs of Petr Budaj, the backup goalie for the Habs. The period would end in a 1-1 tie game.
      • Montreal: 13 Shots On Goal
      • Buffalo: 10 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • Midway through the second period, the rookie Brendan Gallagher would receive a pass from Brandon Prust in the middle of the Sabres territory and wrists one over the glove of Ryan Miller giving the the Habs the 2-1 lead. With only 50 seconds gone since Gallagher's goal, Tyler Ennis was left unmarked and recieved some open ice towards the Habs net, he would snipe one through the legs of Budaj. The Habs on the power play with only 1:30 left to go in the second, PK Subban would slap one past Miller marking his second goal of the season. The Habs would lead 3-2 at the end of the second.
      • Montreal: 12 Shots On Goal
      • Buffalo: 18 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • With only 45 seconds into the third, Tomas Plekanec would wrist his second of the night, giving the Canadiens a comforting 4-2 lead. Ryan White, who has been known to take bad penalties for the Habs, takes a 4 minute double minor penalty for fighting. The Sabres would convert on the power play bringing the game at 4-3. With only a minute left, the Sabres pull their goalie, clock ticking down with only 5 seconds remaining, the Sabres push for one more chance. An unbelievable effort results in a goal with only 2 seconds left to play. The Habs were left in shock as no one took advantage of the loose puck in the crease, Vanek saw it and poke checked it between the legs of Budaj. This game needed overtime!
      • Montreal: 5 Shots On Goal
      • Buffalo: 10 Shots On Goal
  • Overtime
    • A 4 on 4 overtime brought a couple of chances for both teams, but none could convert. The fans would get to see a shootout! 
      • Montreal: 2 Shots On Goal
      • Buffalo: 2 Shots On Goal
  • Shootout
    • Tomas Vanek (BUF) - Goal
    • Alex Galchenyuk (MTL) - Goal
    • Tyler Ennis (BUF) - Stop
    • Rene Bourque (MTL) - Stop
    • Jason Pominville (BUF) - Goal
    • Brian Gionta (MTL) - Stop
As the Canadiens fall short in a 5-4 shootout loss against the Sabres, they do pick up a point, although 2 points would have been better. The Canadiens will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night at the Bell Centre, the teams that opened the hockey season will put on another exciting show tomorrow night!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Bruins @ Montreal

Last night, the Montreal Canadiens took on the number one seated division leaders, the Boston Bruins. The Bruins who have suffered only one loss in regulation with 9 games played. The Canadiens coming into this game only had 2 regulation losses in their 8 games played. If the Canadiens win, they would go on to take the number one division spot over the Bruins, which hasn't happened in 5 years!
  • First Period
    • The crowd in Montreal was overly excited to finally see these 2 teams play against one another. The Montreal Vs. Boston rivalry has been a overwhelming experience for fans. To kick off the first period, the Canadiens would dominate the Bruins as they took 11 shots on goal, compared to the 4 the Bruins took. It took 11 minutes for the Bruins to get their first shot on Carey Price. Although the Canadiens came hard, the score would be held at 0-0 as the first period came to an end.
      • Montreal: 11 Shots On Goal
      • Boston: 4 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • Midway through the second period, Bruins aggressive forward, Milan Lucic took a high sticking penalty, resulting the Habs to go into their third powerplay of the game. As we all know, when P.K. Subban hits the ice on a Canadiens powerplay, the crowd just goes wild. With only 9 seconds left on the Habs powerplay, Markov saw an open Subban at the blue line, Subban received the pass and slapped the puck over the glove of Bruins goalie, Tuuku Rask. The period would end with Canadiens leading 1-0.
      • Montreal: 5 Shots On Goal
      • Boston: 11 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • The Bruins would start the third period with a goal, with only 14 seconds into it. Tyler Seguin backhands one past Price in front of the net. 2 minutes later, David Krejci deflects a pass from Lucic right in the crease of Price, making it 2-1 Bruins. The Habs would try and press forward to score a goal and tie the game, but they could not get past Tuuku Rask. The Bruins would go on to win yet another game, leaving them in top spot.
      • Montreal: 5 Shots On Goal
      • Boston: 8 Shots On Goal
The Canadiens fall into 6th place in conference standings. They face off against the Sabres tonight in Buffalo. The Sabres will look to come back from their previous loss against the Canadiens, in which they had lost 6-1.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

"SEN"-T Packing

The Ottawa Senators coming off a loss against the Carolina Hurricanes, looked to regain 2 points against the Montreal Canadiens today at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens who started off Superbowl weekend to a great start with a dominating win against the Sabres Saturday, looked to finish off the Senators for a perfect weekend.

  • First Period
    • The Canadiens began the period getting into penalty trouble, as Tomas Plekanec would get penalized for goaltender interference on Sens goalie, Craig Anderson. With a minute gone into the powerplay, Jakob Silfverberg snipes one past Carey Price over his left shoulder. The Canadiens would respond back in less than a minute, David Desharnais skates in front of the Ottawa net and tips the shot from Max Pacioretty between the legs of Anderson. Midway into the first, PK Subban receives an assist as Erik Cole picks up the lose puck in front of the net and back hands it, making it 2-1 Canadiens heading into the second.
      • Montreal - 13 Shots On Goal
      • Ottawa - 6 Shots On Goal
  • Second Period
    • The second period really showed each teams ability to handle the puck in the offensive zone. Both teams taking 3 penalties each but none could convert as the second period was all credited to the goaltenders on both sides. No goals coming in the second period.
      • Montreal - 13 Shots On Goal
      • Ottawa - 16 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • The Senators really took momentum away from the Canadiens in the third period as they held the puck in the Canadiens for quite some time. The Sens were taking advantage of loose pucks and driving to the Canadiens net to create some sort of goal opportunity to tie the game. Andre Benoit did put a puck past Carey Price from the point, but it was waived off as Silfverberg was called for goaltender interference. It was really a bad call by the referee and should have counted as a goal tying the game at 2-2, but the referee made his decision final. The Canadiens would go on to win the game and move themselves up in the standings.
      • Montreal - 7 Shots On Goal
      • Ottawa = 11 Shots On Goal
The Canadiens take on the Boston Bruins this Wednesday, the Bruins are first in the division standings having only one regulation loss. The Canadiens and Bruins have quite the violent history among them, you wouldn't want to miss all the fights in this one!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Sabres Silenced

The Canadiens played against the Sabres today at 2:00 pm eastern time. The Buffalo Sabres who a day earlier had defeated the undefeated Boston Bruins, came into the game thinking it would be an easy task. Later, they would learn the hard way, here is the game summary:

  • First Period
    • Starting off the game with penalty trouble, both sides could not convert on powerplay opportunities provided in the first period. Remarkably, in the last 8 dying seconds of the period, Rene Bourque scores on Ryan Miller from a pass that came from captain, Brian Gionta. 
      • Montreal - 15 Shots On Goals
      • Buffalo - 1 Shot On Goal
  • Second Period
    • The second period started off with an electrifying crowd raising there voice as Brendan Gallagher snipes a shot past Miller only 2 minutes into the period. 8 Minutes later, the crowd had something to cheer about again, as David Desharnais bullets a slapshot into the Sabres net at the 10th minute mark of the period. A 3-0 lead after 30 minutes of play, then 28 seconds after Desharnais scored, Lars Eller who had the assist for the previous goal, goes five hole past Ryan Miller making it a 4-0 game heading into the third period.
      • Montreal - 6 Shots On Goal
      • Buffalo - 12 Shots On Goal
  • Third Period
    • Buffalo replacedThe Habs came roaring into the third period as Rene Bourque scores his second of the afternoon with only a minute into the period. Carey Price was magnificent the first 2 periods, but two minutes after Bourque's goals, the Habs would be on the powerplay where Diaz gave the puck away to the man you would not want to give it away to, Tomas Vanek, the leagues leading scorer. Vanek flips the puck over Price on the breakaway, Price got a piece of it with the blocker but it wasn't enough to stop the puck from going in. Desharnais would add another goal on the powerplay recieving a pass from Subban who picked up a point in his first game, finishing the game off in a 6-1 win.
      • Montreal - 11 Shots On Goal
      • Buffalo - 18 Shots On Goal
The Canadiens continue Superbowl weekend tomorrow afternoon, as they go against the team that destroyed their winning streak, the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre!