I’ll be honest, this loss has left me rather unenthused to write anything. So, perhaps appropriately to the game I just witnessed, I’m totally half-assing this article. Apologies in advance.

The frustration of having Georges Laraque on the Injured Reserve through training camp and the start of the regular season was offset by the anticipation of his debut in the lineup.

The Battle of the Slumpers! One team was going to have their fortunes turned around, and it was the Canadiens that came out on top.

Let’s face it, there was nothing in the Habs’ recent play that had anyone thinking they could win this game.

It’s time for “Cooking up a Loss in Atlanta!” First, add a bunch of defensive breakdowns; then sprinkle in a bit of bad luck; and add a large dose of elite goaltending by Kari Lehtonen. Throw it in the oven for 60 minutes, and voila, this game is done!

It was a game defined by missed opportunities and bad penalties by the Habs, with a general theme of ugly, ugly goals.

After one of the worst defensive games of the year, Carbonneau decided to go with… the exact same lineup. Well, it paid off, as the Canadiens fought their way to a 6-3 win in New York.

Defense? What defense? There were players not covering their man, weak battles in their own zone, and giveaways galore. Frank J. Selke just hit 10000 RPM.

Happy New Year? It was the night of the Bulldogs in New Jersey, as all of the latest callups (that dressed) made a positive mark on the game.

Hats off to Maxim Lapierre! His goals sure did the trick! You’d certainly say he’s a natural! (I’ve got plenty of these, and I missed grading Kostitsyn’s hat-trick game, so I’m using them all here).