2) Carey Price: The only concern I continue to have is his tendency
to allow 3rd period goals but in his defence, the ones he has allowed have been
either good shots or on second chance opportunities.
(Previous: 1  Average:
1.75)

3) Alex Auld: Part of me can’t help but wonder if Auld deep down may
regret having such a solid game – coach Martin may think he can get away with
sitting him nearly another month before his next start…seriously though, kudos
for doing so well having sat so long.
(Previous: N/A  Average:
3.00)

4) P.K. Subban: He’s starting to shoot more which is a very good
sign, as is the fact he often gets back to either make up for his own mistake or
cover for his partner. 
(Previous: 3  Average:
5.75)

5) Jeff Halpern: Is there anyone left who thinks they have ammunition
to complain about this signing?  With 7 points in 11 games, he’s becoming
one of the bigger bargains in the league, let alone on the Habs.
(Previous: 8  Average:
6.50)

6) Travis Moen: I maintain the opinion that he’s not the right player
on the Gomez/Gionta line but he was the only one on that trio who scores which
surely counts for something.
(Previous: 17  Average:
12.75)

7) Benoit Pouliot: He still gets little to no respect from the
coaching staff (and some fans) yet he wound up with a point in 3 of 4 games
despite decreasing ice time.  Hard to expect more from him quite frankly,
especially when he’s on a checking line.
(Previous: 4  Average:
8.50)

8) Andrei Kostitsyn: Like Plekanec, went quiet on Saturday but he too
had a quality week the other three games.  Once again, the contract season
is proving to be a motivator.
(Previous: 2  Average:
7.00)

9) Josh Gorges: There were a couple of mishaps that caught my eye
simply because he doesn’t make too many mistakes.  With Markov returning,
his ice time should come down to a more manageable amount which will be best for
the team long-term.
(Previous: 6  Average:
7.00)

10) Mathieu Darche: I’m still not a big fan of him playing over
Dustin Boyd every night (as he did this week) but with a pair of goals, who am I
to complain?
(Previous: 20  Average:
17.50)

11) Andrei Markov: I was relatively impressed with his season debut
considering how long it was since he last played.  As the game progressed,
he looked more and more confident which bodes well moving forward.
(Previous: N/A  Average:
11.00)

12) Scott Gomez: Forget the lack of points and salary for a minute (I
know it’s hard, but just try).  What do players in a slump need to do? 
Hustle at both ends of the rink and keep shooting (or in his case, start
shooting).  He’s struggling, but he’s doing the right things to get out of
it.
(Previous: 14  Average:
12.25)

13) Mike Cammalleri: I’m not sure his slump is entirely broken but he
did manage a goal this week at least.  He needs to trust his shot and just
fire instead of trying to pick the tiniest corner though.
(Previous: 7  Average:
6.75)

14) Brian Gionta: Unfortunately, being a good captain alone isn’t
worth $5 million nowadays.  Like Gomez, he’s doing the right things but
sooner or later the puck needs to tickle the twine.
(Previous: 12  Average:
10.75)

15) Alexandre Picard: Continues to play relatively safe, mostly
mistake free hockey which is ideal from a 6th defenceman.  Ryan O’Byrne
probably should be getting a little worried that he may be down to 8th on the
depth chart now.
(Previous: 16  Average:
16.75)

16) Maxim Lapierre: His quietest week offensively without a doubt but
at least the physical game was there most nights. 
(Previous: 11
 Average: 9.50)

17) Hal Gill: Typically, I notice Gill making a couple of key
defensive plays each game.  I just didn’t see that this week, though he
certainly didn’t play terrible either.
(Previous: 10  Average:
12.25)

18) Jaroslav Spacek: If there’s any player who stands to benefit the
most from Markov’s return, it’s him.  At this stage of his career, he needs
to be 16-18 minute per game player, Markov being healthy allows that to happen.
(Previous: 13  Average:
15.75)

19) Roman Hamrlik: Directly responsible for multiple goals this week,
he seemed just a tad slow in reacting to almost everything.  I wonder if
the lack of training camp caught up with him this week…and if a similar fate
might happen with Andrei Markov.
(Previous: 9  Average:
13.33)

20) Lars Eller: There are times where he looks great and others where
he looks lost…we saw a lot of the latter this week.  Being shuffled and
benched repeatedly looks to have killed his confidence.  A demotion to
Hamilton to get him going again may not be a bad idea right about now.
(Previous: 15  Average:
14.25)

1st Star: Carey Price (6-3-1, 2.38 GAA, .912 SV%, 1 SO)

He was the biggest question mark of the season – could he handle being the
number one goalie full time?  So far, the answer is a resounding yes. 
He has stolen them a game or two while providing goaltending that has at the
very worst kept them in every game.


2nd Star: Tomas Plekanec (11 GP, 5-5-10)

No matter what, he was going to have to be a key part of the offence but with
Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta struggling, there was even more pressure on him to
produce.  Suffice it to say, he did just that.

3rd Star: Andrei Kostitsyn (11 GP, 6-4-10)

Take a look at P.K. Subban who for the most part has lived up to the hype in
this early season.  Though he was dominating in stretches last year, the
Habs resisted the temptation to call him up, save for a short stint when
injuries arose.  He played a huge role for Hamilton for all of last season
and he appears to be reaping the benefits of the patience showed to him. 

As always, there are some Bulldogs who are off to strong starts to the season –
David Desharnais, Yannick Weber, and Aaron Palushaj, the latter two will be
focused on here.  Weber has had some success in a pair of AHL years while
Palushaj is starting his first full season; both of these players are popular
when discussing who should be coming up to replace (insert player here). 
Neither though have dominated for a full year and that’s what’s key. 
Players who merely average a point-per-game in a short stint have a tendency to
not do so in the NHL, so why boot a veteran to make room for them already?