Pre-game
- This season has thus far been a tale of two teams. Which iteration of the Habs will turn up in the twin cities?
- Whichever team does turn up, let’s just hope this game is more entertaining than the average Habs-Wild game, because historically speaking, they are snoozers.
- Adidas definitely improved these Wild jerseys. I feel it’s taken such a long time for Minnesota to have a nice home kit.
- That said, I still can’t deal with the neck stripe on either of the Habs’ uniforms. /
First period
- Oh, no not another goal in the first thirty seconds… whew!
- Galchenyuk-McCarron-Mitchell – can we just call this the ‘centre line?’
- Awww, Carey Price gave Matt Cullen a birthday present. Price isn’t weak, he’s just really nice!
- Oh, oh no. Another goals-against burst. It’s not the good-Habs that traveled to St-Paul.
- At what point do we worry about Carey Price and that really expensive, quite lengthy contract extension that kicks in next year?
- This period has returned to being boring.
- Aw crap, 3-0!?!
- That other Habs team better be waiting in the locker room, ready to play two periods of awesome hockey.
- Not making this up: Alex Galchenyuk played less than three minutes of hockey in the first period. Writing, meet wall./
Second period
- I feel better about Carey Price – for now. I’ve breathed, remembered, and re-watched the goals he let in, he isn’t at fault for at least two of the three Wild goals.
- I do, however, feel bad for Price, who watched his team play more than six minutes before getting a shot on net this period.
- Plekanec just got hurt by a Petry shot. Claude Julien may have to break up… the centre line if Plex is hurt.
- If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, do the Habs still punish Alex Galchenyuk?
- Craig Button is not pulling his punches when criticizing the Habs’ lack of effort.
- Craig Button is not wrong.
- Here come the Wild, it’s 4-0. Can I go home now? Looks like the Canadiens have…
- Oh, hey, it’s Brendan Gallagher scoring a goal!
- And what’s that? Charles Hudon with an assist? Hudon’t say…
- Yikes, Jeff Petry now hurt from a blocked shot. Please don’t be hurt, please don’t be hurt, please don’t be hurt…
- He’s back on the ice now, but Tim Peel thinks Petry could use another two minutes to recover. Phantom hooking call engaged!
- My favourite part of the second period: when it came to a close. Mercifully there are only twenty more minutes to this debacle.
- It’s 4-1, you’d think it might have been a fun game in some respects, but no – you’d be wrong./
Third period
- Well then – another goal in the early seconds of a period. This Habs team has a glass jaw, folks.
- Down by four goals, the white sweaters have disappeared. Canadiens’ forwards aren’t chasing pucks in Wild territory, aren’t slowing up Minnesota in the neutral zone, and the defence (I’m looking at you, Karl Alzner) is sloppy.
- Saku Koivu had such an impact on me as a Habs’ fan, that I honestly don’t mind his little brother Mikko racking up points against us. That’s two assists for little Koivu.
- After a penalty kill, for a few seconds, Artturi Lehkonen, Jonathan Drouin and Alex Galchenyuk were on the ice together and looked… good.
- SHAWZER!
- Phillip Danault put his signature all over that Canadiens’ goal, creating the turnover behind the net and making a beautiful cross-crease pass to Andrew Shaw.
- Brendan Gallagher never stops, even when so many around him have given up. He’s going as far as pestering the Wild with his bump n’ smile between plays.
- And no sooner had I typed this, Gally puts another goal in for Montreal!
- Bruce Boudreau doesn’t look happy with his team, but that was a classic Gallagher effort kind of goal, can’t be mad at that, can ya?
- Oh my Gallagher is trying to get a hatty. Please get a hatty please get a hatty please get a hatty.
- No hatty for Gallagher. No win for the Habs. No fun for Habs fans. But it was nice to see a sign of life at the end of a game that barely kept anyone awake. /
Thoughts
- It really is all that bad.
- No it’s not, it’s ok. Just a few tweaks and they’ll be ok.
- Nah, they’re doomed.
- Probably not, though.
- Habs./
Highlight of the night
Andrew Shaw sneaks back into the play and, cuts the deficit to three goals for the Habs pic.twitter.com/RwJTv0rYKC
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) November 3, 2017
