The opportunities were there at the end, but
the Habs simply weren’t able to take advantage, falling 4-2 to Ottawa on
Saturday night. Despite a league leading powerplay, Montreal was 0 for 6
on the man advantage, although both of their goals were scored shortly after the
powerplays expired. Zack Smith, Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Phillips, and Mike Fisher
scored for the Sens while Benoit Pouliot and Tomas Plekanec replied for
Montreal.
HW 3 Stars:
1) Tomas Plekanec – Scored the go-ahead goal in the 2nd and set up
several other quality scoring chances though none were cashed. After being
held off the scoresheet for nearly 2 weeks going into this one, his outing
tonight is certainly a step in the right direction.
Statline: 19:01 TOI, 1 goal, -1 rating, 4 shots on goal, 57% on faceoffs
(12/21)
2) Brian Gionta – Though he wasn’t the one to score from this line, he
was the most consistent player of the three throughout the game. His speed
helped to generate most of the few chances off the rush that the team had and
was stellar on the penalty kill.
Statline: 20:46 TOI, 1 assist, -2 rating, 4 shots on goal
3) Glen Metropolit – Mr. Perpetually Quiet stood out for me tonight with
several good passes while getting involved in front of the net. Though his
linemates are completely inept offensively, the line had a couple of decent
scoring chances.
Statline: 12:52 TOI, +1 rating, 1 shot, 50% on faceoffs (5/10)
Honourable mention: Benoit Pouliot – If it weren’t for some questionable
giveaways at inopportune times, he would’ve made the top three for the night.
He tried to get a little too fancy with the puck tonight which cost the team
what would’ve been a couple of good scoring chances.
Statline: 19:14 TOI, 1 goal, -1 rating, 2 PIMS, 2 shots on goal
Stat of the night: Team Giveaways – Montreal 30, Ottawa 12 – That’s the
game in a nutshell right there.