:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44397646/usa-today-8289250.0.jpg)
- You guys don't even want to know how badly it's raining chez Matt right now. Chilliwack is where all dreams of a white Christmas go to die a slow, wet death.
- On the bright side, it's hockey overload time with the WJC getting started on the other side of the country. Too bad I live on the side where it rains forever and there's no WJC games to attend.
- Jaroslav Halak not playing tonight at least minimizes the odds of... Let's be nice and say "not smart" people trying to re-ignite the Price/Halak debate.
- Carey Price is better though.
1st Period
- Canada is playing the Swiss at the exact same time as this game. Hockey overload is nice.
- Alexei Emelin just beat Kyle Okposo to a loose puck. In fairness, he had a few steps, but I'm still trying to figure out how he pulled that off.
- Not much going on a few minutes in, but it's looking like this might be one of those games that Carey Price has to steal. If it is, the good news is that he is Carey Price.
- Yeah, he's definitely Carey Price. Pretty decent. Almost like he's an Olympic gold medalist or something. He also looks kinda like someone who would never lose a game at the World Juniors...
- Lars Eller causing problems for four Islanders down low in their zone while killing a penalty.
- Shots are 8-0 for the Islanders at the halfway point of the period... Price save us all.
- Hey look! Alexei Emelin waaaaaay out of position and Carey Price gets hung out to dry as a result. This might be a long night, folks.
- If P.K. Subban did what Emelin just did, he'd be benched until February. Emelin didn't miss a shift...
- A SHOT ON NET!!!! Only took 14 minutes... They're on pace for like five shots on the night... Better make em good shots.
- Three shots in the first period. So, they will probably get more than five on the night, but I'm skeptical as to whether they can hit double digits.
2nd Period
- Emelin actually ha the fewest minutes of all Habs defenders in the first, so Therrien did bench him a little. Progress!
- You know there's a problem when you're far from the only Habs fan rooting for a player to get benched.
- Sportsnet keeps mentioning how the Islander fans have "come back because the team is winning" like it's a good thing. That means you have a whole load of bandwagon jumpers on your hands. Not cool at all.
- This is already a way better period because they have put shots on net without taking three quarters of a period to do so. Not a high bar, but it's something.
- 800th career game for the General, and he ties the damn thing up. Long live the Andrei Markov/P.K. Subban pairing. It's deeeeeeecent.
- Pairing Nathan Beaulieu with Emelin in the second feels unfair if he's still auditioning to stick with the big club. I am not the latter's biggest fan tonight, can you tell?
- Yeah... I definitely like this period better than the last one. Brendan Gallagher scores in the standard spot for Brendan Gallagher to score. We have a lead!
- Canada just went up 2-0 on Switzerland. Pretty much everything I want to see is happening and I'd like it to keep being so.
- Sekac off to the box for taking down Anders Lee. If his teammates don't refer to him as "THE DERS" then they have committed the ultimate nickname failure of all time.
-
- Always wanted to use that gif, never had a legitimate excuse to do it. Thanks, Ders.
- That period got the Habs over the double digit shot mark I was initially concerned would be out of their reach. I'll throw down another gauntlet for them; I don't think they're putting up over 20. Prove me wrong boys.
3rd Period
- Pricing it: when your team has an absolute beast of a goalie, so you sit on a one goal lead and assume that you'll win the game.
- The above bullet is in reference to the oft-used Habs third period strategy. It's entertaining at least, if you're one for beauteous goaltending. Seems to be out in full force tonight.
- Beaulieu playing with Gonchar seems a lot more fair to the youngster. He's got more minutes than Emelin by a few now too. If you could see me as I type that, you'd see a big ol' smile.
- Legit, they're not even trying to make it look like Price isn't the saviour. Lots of dump outs, which thankfully aren't yielding countless icing calls.
- Tomas Plekanec fanned so hard on his 2 on 1 shot he nearly blew Johnson over with the follow through. Still counts as a shot on net... I think.
- Please score on this powerplay, boys. I'd feel a lot better if they were sitting on two even if it is the "worst lead in hockey."
- HAHAHA nope. #Pricingit demands that you have no more than a one goal advantage.
- #Pricingit also really helps to pinpoint what exactly "finding ways to win" means.
- There's probably already too many bullets in this TSM about Price, but he just made a beauty of a pad save and made it look like nothing.
- The rest of the team also isn't giving me a whole lot to write about other than some decent looking flop shots out of the zone.
- WOW HAHAHA. Wow. woooooowww.
- Lars Eller takes the feed from P.A. Parenteau, dishes to David Desharnais to seal it. Great patience, better pass. The definition of sweet sauce.
- They didn't even get a chance to pull their goalie. Habs win, and Carey Price is still very, very good at what he does.
- Stick tap to Scott Matla for the title of this TSM.