- Unfortunately former Habs great Scott Gomez was scratched tonight, for the 7th straight game.
- I know Panthers fans won’t like this, but I hope the Panthers move to Quebec. Think about it, they have a young and relatively talented team. Huberdeau would become an instant star and we would have to contend with players like Bjugstad, Markstrom and Barkov who are all poised to become high-end NHLers. Not to mention it would be an instant-rivalry that would make our team that much more interesting to watch. A whole generation missed out on the Nords-Habs rivalry and the Quebec Panthers would be the perfect team to reignite it.
- According to my eye test, Budaj has damn good rebound control. It doesn’t help when he’s abandoned by the team, but he kept us in the game (as per usual for a Habs goalie) as Montreal put together a pitiful second period. We’ll have to wait for Chris Boyle’s opinion, but I am going to go ahead and proclaim Budaj as a goalie that possesses above average rebound control.
- Bournival, Eller & Galchenyuk are a sexy line and I wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more of them in the future.
- Watching Plekanec on the penalty kill is pleasant. Instead of bringing puppies to the hospital as a calming presence, they should loop his short-handed play 24/7.
- Desharnais had a good game today, he might have been our best forward outside of Galchenyuk.
- Speaking of Galchenyuk, he has 3 of our last 4 goals. Unfortunately those goals are spread over 15 or so games, as Montreal seems to be making a legitimate effort to avoid putting the puck in the net.
- He’s 19. 19! He could be in a Habs jersey well beyond 2030. Amazing.
(Note: The positive vibes stop here)
- Montreal has no identity. Michel Therrien has turned this team from a puck possession team to a dump and chase team. Probably the worst possible system to use when your team has players such as Subban, Galchenyuk, Pacioretty, Markov, Gallagher, Eller, Briere, Desharnais, Gionta…etc. Wake up and smell the smoke Michel, because there’s a fire brewing. The best teams in hockey (A Visual Guide to Fenwick) are high possession teams, and a ‘chip and chase’ strategy makes absolutely no sense considering the make-up of the team. Our system is better off with controlled entries than low percentage dump-ins. The worst part is that Therrien has absolutely no ability to change his strategy on the fly, which I assume is because he has no plan B. He’s not a cerebral coach, he’s a “Let’s go boys! Puck on net!” type of coach and his shtick is wearing thin.
- If I was Guy Boucher I would send Marc Bergevin a very nice Christmas card, maybe even an edible arrangement.
- The Panthers, one of the worst defensive teams in the league, were down to 5 d-men for most of the game. Let that sink in.
- The Habs have struggled mightily against the following teams: Panthers, Flyers, Islanders & Sabres. The cream of the crud of the NHL.
Things that are more exciting to witness than the Habs playing hockey:
- A New Jersey Devils practice
- Gary Bettman describing his rare rock collection
- PJ Stock trying to read a book that isn’t Harry Potter
- The empty road as you wait for the bus
- A double header of The Bridges of Madison County and Fried Green Tomatoes.
- A Ken Dryden speech
- Internet Explorer attempting to load any website
- The Dutch Tile Museum
- The Daytime Emmy’s
- The Primetime Emmy’s
- Sober Baseball
- Sober Basketball
- Sober Football
- Writing the TSM after a boring game.
There are no top 3 stars tonight, because absolutely everyone that stuck with us during this last stretch of boredom deserves a star.
Congrats to all of you, this was your Vietnam. You’ll tell stories to your grandchildren about how you made it through these last few games.
