When it comes to stanchions, fans of the Montreal Canadiens cringe at the
thought after last year’s incident with Max Pacioretty and Zdeno Chara.
Unfortunately for those fans, the bar once again played a role in a
Boston-Montreal matchup as an early dump-in bounced off one in the Habs’ zone,
leading to an early Jordan Caron goal. Although it wasn’t the winner, it
made a difference in a 2-1 Boston victory.
Caron’s goal was the lone tally of the first, coming barely 90 seconds in.
The second period featured a whole lot of skating and very little else,
including whistles. In fact, Montreal had as many shots (six) in the frame
as there were whistles. No goals were scored leading into the oddest
in-game moment of the season.
Mike Cammalleri, who spoke out on Wednesday on a variety of issues, was
nowhere to be seen on the bench. Late in the game, it was reported that he
was heading to the hotel in a taxi having been told he was dealt. As of
the time of this article, the report was that Rene Bourque was coming to
Montreal as part of the deal.
There was also some in-game intrigue in the final period as most of the
game’s offence (which doesn’t say much) came here. Josh Gorges scored…on
his own net, a goal ultimately credited to Milan Lucic that proved to be the
winner. Yannick Weber gave Montreal a fighting chance with a powerplay
marker but it wasn’t enough. Despite the trade rumours spreading to the
bench, the Habs, even despite being shorthanded at the end, put forth a valiant
effort but were unable to tie it up. Carey Price allowed both goals on 30
shots in the loss while Tim Thomas made 33 saves in the win. The Habs were
1/3 with the man advantage while Boston was unsuccessful in their four
opportunities.
HW 3 Stars of the Night
1st Star: Yannick Weber (1 goal, even rating, 1 shot, 1 hit,
13:37 TOI)
There are three ways a player can respond when given a chance to play after
mouthing off in the media. He can do worse, the same, or put his money
where his mouth is. Weber did the latter, picking up his team (defence)
leading 4th goal in the process.
2nd Star: Josh Gorges (0 points, -2 rating, 2 hits, 6 blocks,
21:59 TOI)
Yes, he scored on his own net but he actually was making the correct
fundamental play keeping his stick on the ice. He seemed more aggressive
physically and once again was strong in his own end. The new contract
certainly hasn’t gotten to his head.
3rd Star: Michael Blunden (0 points, 5 hits, 2 shots, 13:44 TOI)
It was a quiet but effective game for the 4th line grinder who found himself
on the second line as a result of the injury to Brian Gionta. His physical
style was effective in a gritty game, he had a couple of good chances, and even
earned himself some PK time in the 3rd.
Honourable Mention: Tomas Plekanec (0 points, -1 rating, 16/21
faceoffs, 16:03 TOI)
I give him the HM for the faceoffs alone. The rest of the team won a
whopping 10 draws, Plekanec deserves some credit for being dominant in that
element.
Stat of the Night: For the past few years, Tim Thomas has
basically had every team’s number with the exception of the Habs. In
2009-10, his GAA against Montreal was 3.44 and only slightly improved to 3.22
last season. 2011-12 is another story as after tonight’s game, his GAA vs
the Canadiens sits at a sparkling 1.26.