3rd Period Outburst Lifts Habs to Victory

3rd Period Outburst Lifts Habs to Victory:
November 24th, 2009 Player Grades

Montreal 5, Columbus 3. 
Marc-André Bergeron scored twice, including the game-winner, as the Montreal
Canadiens tallied 3 3rd period goals to steal victory from the clutches of the
Columbus Blue Jackets.  Mike Cammalleri, Glen Metropolit and Maxim Lapierre
scored the other goals for Montreal, while Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty
both had 2 assists.  Carey Price made 33 saves, some of them of the
spectacular variety, keeping his team in the game as they struggled early on. 
The Montreal powerplay went 0 for 3 with the man advantage while their
penalty-killing sputtered at 50% efficiency.  Montreal faces Sidney Crosby
and the Pittsburgh Penguins tomorrow night.

 

Player	Grade	Notes
Carey Price	A+	Price is in a groove and it’s great to see.  At no point did he give up on his team, making save after save after his team left him defenseless.  He instead rose to the occasion, and kept the Habs in the game until they provided him with some offensive support.  It’s not every day that a goalie lets in 3 goals and is the first star, but it was unquestionably so tonight.  I loved seeing the fire in his eyes when he saved his team’s collective asses for the umpteenth time.  That fire inspired his teammates to start playing better.
Mike Cammalleri	A-	Cammalleri played his usual solid game, creating multiple chances, most of the time against Columbus’ best defense.  It’s so nice to have a reliable goal-scorer, and it’s commendable that he hasn’t wilted under the tremendous pressure in Montreal and in spite of the injuries.  He led all forwards with 5 shots on goal and finished +2.
Tomas Plekanec	A	Plekanec has 2 assists on the night, and was his usual dependable self, creating chances, killing penalties and working as hard as anyone.
Andrei Kostitsyn	B+	Andrei continues to improve and might have had a goal if he’d had more luck.  His puck-handling created many chances, as did his physical presence.  It’s nice to see him shooting more; the goals will come.
Max Pacioretty	B+	Patches finished with 2 assists, and created many scoring chances with his speed and size.  He still makes a few rookie mistakes, but he is learning.
Glen Metropolit	B	Metro missed his man on the 1st goal, but redeemed himself with a crucial tying goal.  He played his usual gritty game.
Travis Moen	B-	His selfish penalty cost the Habs a goal, but fortunately not the game.  Still, Moen is a supposed leader on this team, and needs to lead better by example.  Then again… this is what Moen does.  The only forward at a minus 1, but led all Habs with 4 hits.
Tom Pyatt	B-	Pyatt hustled all game and was a +1 on the night.  His speed is an asset as it created several scoring chances and aided in breaking up a few Columbus plays.  He may need to sharpen his skates, as he seems to fall down at the oddest times.
Maxim Lapierre	A-	How much will Lapierre benefit from Latendresse being traded?  Well, if tonight is any indication, the answer is "lots".  Playing with a fire reminiscent of last season, Lapierre was winning battles on the boards, creating rushes and scored a crucial insurance goal.  His game got better as the game progressed, particularly when paired with Sergei Kostitsyn.
Ryan White	B-	White struggled early on in the game, over-handling the puck, and was responsible for some bad defensive coverage.  Nevertheless, he got his act together and contributed on the game-winning goal.  +1 on the night.
Sergei Kostitsyn	B+	It looks like Sergei would prefer remaining in the NHL.  Despite only playing 9 minutes, most of that on the 4th line, Sergei demonstrated that the Habs could benefit from his talent.  Particularly effective when paired with Lapierre, improving shift-by-shift, Sergei created many chances and was responsible in all areas of the ice.  He finished with an assist, +2 and hopefully has matured a bit…  The Habs are going to need him.
Kyle Chipchura	NA	With only 3:53 of ice-time, I couldn’t give Chipchura a fair rating.  Of note, he did go 75% on faceoffs.  Is he gone when Pouliot heals up?
J.T. Wyman	NA	Apparently when I blinked, it accounted for all of Wyman’s 4:21 of ice-time.
Roman Hamrlik	A-	Hamrlik was his usual stabilizing presence on the blue-line, despite playing without his usual partner.  He did a great job containing Rick Nash, and contributed well offensively.  He led all Habs with 4 blocked shots.  1 assist and +1.
Josh Gorges	B+	Gorges’ penalty cost the Habs a goal, but he led all Habs with 22:21 of ice-time and finished a +3 on the night.  Nice to see that he can adopt a larger role when necessary.  Gorges was especially punishing along the boards tonight.
Paul Mara	B	It was a rough night for Mara, first facing off against Nash all night, and then taking a hard shot to the throat.  Nevertheless, he didn’t look lost on the top pairing, and played a physical game against Columbus’ best.  He quietly remains one of Gainey’s best acquisitions.
M-A Bergeron	A-	Bergeron played one of his best games as a Canadien, and tallied 2 goals, firing a team-high 8 shots on net.  His puck movement was better than usual, but I will add that he was EXTREMELY fortunate that no one of his high-risk passes through the slots were picked off by Columbus.  He played with great confidence, and that is when he is his most effective, and made many clever pinches to help with the offensive pressure.
Jay Leach	B	I barely noticed him, which meant he was doing his job.  Quietly reliable in his own zone, Leach finished +1 on the night
Ryan O’Byrne	B+	Gone is the fumbling lummox from last year… O’Byrne 2.0 was solid, physical and a stabilizing presence in his own zone.  He finished a +2 and foiled many a Columbus forecheck.
Powerplay	D	It’s not surprising that the PP is struggling, considering the absence of Andrei Markov, Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Jaroslav Spacek.  0 for 3, but there were periods of sustained offense.  More practice sessions (or perhaps opportunities) are needed.
Penalty Kill	C	2 for 4.  Columbus employs a fierce PP, and Montreal was burned twice.  Nevertheless, in-game adjustments were made, and the PK gained steam as the game progressed, at precisely the right moment.

 

This article was written by Matt
Dilworth, who is ecstatic to finally grade a Montreal win.