zzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz… zzzzzzzZZZZZZZ-oh, pardon. Historical game
aside, I couldn’t have been more bored. Watching a New Jersey game is like
watching a Perfect Game in baseball: sure you’re seeing talent being showcased,
but how about a little offense? On the night Martin Brodeur was aiming to tie
Patrick Roy’s all time wins record (with Roy in attendance, in Montreal), the
Habs didn’t really show up. There were, once again, too many shots against, poor
defensive zone play, and a token amount of effort. It appears that it doesn’t
matter who is behind the bench, the players’ execution remains the same.
Just keeping it
simple and going with what was "Positive," "Negative" and "Neutral."
|
Positive: |
1000: Buried under the Martin Brodeur hoopla was
Patrice Brisebois’ 1000th game. He made it a good one. Patrice was
awarded an assist on the Habs’ lone goal of the evening, and broke up a 2 on 1 with
a nifty sprawl. Kudos to Patrice! A shame his 1000th wasn’t a W.
Hot! Hot! Hot!: Tomas Plekanec has been on a tear.
He scored again, his 10th goal in 14 games. It’s a shame no one else has taken
his lead, but we’ll all commend the individual performance of Tomas.
"Fat Pig": This was Don Koharski’s final game on
Canadian soil. A 34 year career as an official (32 in the NHL) will come to an
end this season, as he will be retiring after 9 more games. Despite what some
may claim, he refereed this game as well as anyone could have, and did so
without slant. Here’s wishing him
many donuts in his
retirement.
The Final Buzzer: What? I genuinely thought it was
positive when the game ended, mercifully, and I could watch other exciting
things similar to games against the Devils. Like paint drying.
|
Negative: |
Put it on the Glass:
2 delay of game penalties in one
period, and one of them led to a 5 on 3 goal against. It’s been said that the
hockey god’s hate the delay of game penalty, and they made their displeasure
known to Mike Komisarek.
Team Character: With a chance to defend Patrick Roy’s record, with a
chance to stand up and say, "Not in our building," the Canadiens… played like
they have since the all-star break: about 15 minutes worth of good hockey in a
60 minute game. It was a gutless effort in front of "Saint Patrick," a known
fierce competitor in his own NHL career. But throw the historical aspect of the
night out the window: do these guys realize they are in a playoff race?
Shooting Gallery: I swear the players must not like their goaltenders
personally. 48 shots against (more than double what Montreal threw at Brodeur).
If they aren’t playing an offensive game, is this supposed to be their defensive
game?
Jaroslav Halak: His two weak goals allowed in the first set the tone,
unfortunately. While the rest of his night was superb, the energy in the building
deflated after Halak let in those softies.
|
Neutral: |
Left In: In an odd move, with the Habs needing 2 goals to tie, Bob
Gainey didn’t pull Jaroslav Halak and put the extra skater on for more offense.
What was the message? "This loss is on you guys, not Halak"? "We’ll just give
Brodeur the win. Let’s not show any drive or will to win and try to spoil his
night"? I don’t know what Bob was trying to say, but we’ll once again have to see
how this team responds to yet another message.
Glen Metropolit:
He’s in the neutral section because
I’ve noticed that’s the only place he can be, every game, every shift. He is
definitively average; a Pontiac Sunfire of a hockey player; a euphemism. There
is nothing about his style of play that makes him stand out… and he’s playing
on the "energy" line.
|
Player |
Grade |
Player |
Grade |
| Jaroslav Halak | B- | Glen Metropolit | C |
| Matt D’Agostini | B | ||
| Mike Komisarek | C | Maxim Lapierre | B- |
| Mathieu Schneider | B+ | Max Pacioretty | B |
| Patrice Brisebois | A | Tom Kostopoulos | D |
| Josh Gorges | B- | Mathieu Dandenault | C |
| Andrei Markov | B- | Saku Koivu | C |
| Roman Hamrlik | C+ | Chris Higgins | B+ |
| Andrei Kostitsyn | B- | ||
| Powerplay | C | Gregory Stewart | D |
| Penalty Kill | B- | Alex Tanguay | B |
| Tomas Plekanec | A |
This article was written
by Tristan Tapscott with
only 980 HW articles to go till 1000.