After losing 4 of 5 games on the road, The Habs were looking for a little home cooking, but in the end they got burned. Sidney Crosby scored twice and dominated the Canadiens top line and won by a score of 6-4.
The Habs came out flying, and dominated on the early shifts on the game, but poor goaltending by Theodore, and a few defensive miscues had the Habs down 3-0 half way through the first period.
Jan Bulis was able to answer at the end of the first to cut the lead to 3-1. The late goal seemed to spark the Habs as they came out even harder in the 2nd period and took a 4-3 lead. With time running out in the second period Sheldon Souray took a costly high sticking penalty, and The Pens tied it 4-4.
In the 3rd period the Pens got a lucky winner from Crosby and the Habs have now lost 5 of their last 6 games.
Player Ratings:
Theodore: Ugly first period, while he did have a better second period, he’s no where close to his 2001-2002 form, or even his 2003-2004 level… He’s looking like an average NHL goalie, and that’s not good enough for this team. His rebound control is awful, always leaving juicy rebound in the slot. It’s unacceptable… He has to get better. C-
Bouillon: Nice game from Bouillon, didn’t make many mistakes, and made a great pass to Begin for the 2nd goal. On a night where so many was so bad, he was good. Can’t ask for much more here. B+
Dandenault: He loves talking to the press after the game, maybe he could stay behind the camera permanently. He had an awful game, he can’t get a shot through, he’s constantly out of position, and just looks totally lost. To make matters worse… Another 3 years. D
Souray: Slowly but surely he’s finding his game, maybe he’ll never be back to his early 2003 form, but he’s way better than what we saw of him early this year. The goal he scored tonight was reminiscent of his big year. He’s also doing a lot more of the little things the way he should. Nice to see him coming around. B+
Rivet: Not his best game that’s for sure, a few bad decisions with the puck and he got beat a few times. But he’s been our 2nd best defenseman all year, so I guess we have to cut him some slack. C
Markov: Ugly game from our defensive stud, while he didn’t get much help from the forwards in his own zone, he was making bad passes, couldn’t get anything done on the PP, just a bad night. He’ll be better next game. C-
Komisarek: While he didn’t play much, when he did… He made an impact. I can’t understand how he doesn’t get to play when he’s got the size and strength we sorely need. He crushed LeClair, if only he saw the ice a bit more. B
Koivu: Saku didn’t have it tonight, Crosby outplayed him, outworked him and dominated Saku all game long. This was the first game I’ve seen in a long time that Saku was invisible, except when he would trail off after seeing Crosby score. Our captain has to be better. C-
Kovalev: What happened to the guy who beat the Sens all by himself? He wasn’t there tonight. He held on to the puck too long, couldn’t get anything going, pretty bad effort, and he wasn’t pretty in his own zone either. C-
Zednik: Okay, That’s enough… I’ve had it. He’s been a favorite of mine since the 2002 playoffs. I can’t watch him anymore. He’s utterly useless; he takes the puck in the corner, loses it and can’t cover in his own zone after a turnover. He’s so selfish, never wants to give up the puck. Zednik should NEVER carry the puck, he’s purely a shooter. Let Kovalev and Saku carry the play, Zednik you get to the net. D-
Kostitsyn: Phew. I was worried about this kid, drafted 10th overall in 2003, so much hype. I now know why. He was excellent all game, he’s so smart with the puck, so skilled, and with the effort he showed tonight he can be a special player. He was what got us going in order to tie the game tonight, I was more than impressed. A-
Bulis: Nice game, he looks good playing centre, he uses his speed well and isn’t a bad passer. He came into the league as a centre, and he could be better suited there. I rather see him as our #2 Centre over Ribeiro. A
Ryder: Not a bad game from Ryder, lots of effort… I wish he’d get first line PP time, he’s a right handed shot, which we could use on the off wing. Zednik isn’t getting the job done, Ryder actually has an NHL shot, it’s a shame he gets 20 seconds to end our useless powerplays. B
Bonk: Not a bad first game back, I don’t know if he’s 100% yet, because he isn’t moving so well… But the effort was there, and it was nice to see. Great pass to spring Bulis for his goal. B
Begin: Hey Bob, can you get another one? How awesome is this guy? Neck injury and comes back with a huge game. He’s a keeper for life… Great game. A
Sundstrom: Not a bad game from Sunny, did what he needed to do. It’s too bad he has no confidence in his offensive game, its almost as he crosses the opposing teams blue line, he goes blank. B-
Higgins: Can he play more please? Winning races, crafty plays, he’s a joy to watch. Awesome set up on Ferland’s goal, well done. A-
Murray: ENERGY! Hossa? Who needs him, this guy plays with an edge, some emotion, excellent 4th line player, exactly what we need, solid overall game. B+
Ferland: Think he wants to stay with the big team? 4 shots, big hits, big goal… plays a big game. Nice energy player, always makes things happen. If not for contract reasons, he’s a Hab till the end of the year. Damn Cap… He’ll be back with the Dogs in a few days. A
It’s a free fall, we’re now looking like we’re in danger of missing the playoffs. Julien said, enough is enough… We’ll find out what that means Thursday, as the Habs go head to head with the Devils in the swamp… Go Habs Go?
Someone stop the bleeding, it’s starting to hurt.