Like last night, the Habs spotted the Flyers an
early 3-0 lead and like last night, they weren’t able to come back. Unlike
the previous night in Philadelphia though, there wasn’t particularly much of an
effort to even try this time. Jaroslav Halak clearly was off his game and
the team did nothing to pick him up in this one. Brian Gionta and Scott
Gomez tallied goals for Montreal while Daniel Briere (3), Blair Betts, Jeff
Carter, and Mike Richards replied for the Flyers.
HW 3 Stars of the Game:
1) Brian Gionta: The +/- rating may suggest otherwise, but he had a
very strong game once again. The biggest offensive threat without question
for the Habs in this one and seemed willing to fire from almost any angle
whatsoever.
Statline: 1 goal, -2 rating, 7 shots (11 attempts), 2 hits, 20:43 TOI
2) Scott Gomez: Another quality effort from him as well (that line in
particular). Used his speed quite effectively to generate several chances
and he got a goal by following the old adage of simply getting to the front of
the net.
Statline: 1 goal, -2 rating, 8 shots, 2 giveaways, 42% faceoffs, 20:28
TOI
3) PK Subban: Though the cheers for a basic dump in got beyond
annoying by the end of the 1st period, he earned at least some of the praise
lavished on him tonight. He looked more comfortable in this one,
particularly in his own end though he needs to cut down on demanding the puck so
often.
Statline: 1 assist, even rating, 1 shot, 2 giveaways, 22:08 TOI
HM) Maxim Lapierre: Though he didn’t have an overly strong game, I’ll
give him credit for trying to mix things up to start the 2nd to give the team
some energy. He was strong on the draw tonight and led all players in
hits.
Statline: 0 points, -1 rating, 2 PIMS, 4 hits, 83% faceoffs, 13:45 TOI
Stat of the Night: With the game clearly out of hand, I would’ve liked to
see the youngsters get a little more ice time in the 3rd period – the team needs
to see what these guys can bring to the table. Case in point: David
Desharnais, who played just 7:17 in this game and played but 4 shifts with the
game out of reach.