Game Thread | Canadiens vs. Lightning | 12/28/05

SpiderManNL · Guru

Game Thread | Canadiens vs. Lightning | 12/28/05

brooklynhabfan · Guru

Do we have to watch?

Nil d · Guru

brooklynhabfan wrote:

Do we have to watch?

The Habs seem to do everything in reverse these days, so I say this one - which they should lose, on paper - they will win. I was right the last time I said that (vs. Ottawa)!

davidb · Guru

NilD I am not so sure. They are just floundering we need a real pick up. You know I wish they could inject each player with some Red Bull lol

Jonny G · Senior Member

davidb wrote:

You know I wish they could inject each player with some Red Bull lol

I think that, by IOC standards, Red Bull might be a banned substance.

It'll be interesting to see this one shape up. Tampa'a offence plays so strongly in the corners and behind the net.

Is the Christmas trading freeze over yet? It's too bad that Huet probably lost whatever slight trade value he may have accumulated.

Anyways, I hate looking up the standings at the Laffs.

davidb · Guru

I know, but I think Theo is very shaky Danis may not be able to take over so I hate to see Huet go. Its like Bonk, people would like to see him traded. Thats like me offering u my used car that needs a trany and brakes.

Johab · Guru

HABS have to win, its clear...the team knows it, the media knows it, the habs brass know it..i EXPECT a win tomorrow night....and if not....the board will hear Johab's rants of all rants!

SpiderManNL · Guru

http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey/canadiensstory.html?id=40ca20a3-d459-4013-952d-517757e2cf8d

Boyhood chums Higgins and Komisarek drop gloves during high-energy workout

By PAT HICKEY

Canadiens coach Claude Julien was hoping to see some intensity in practice, but he got more than he expected.

The team's high-energy workout in preparation for tonight's game against the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800) was interrupted by a fight between longtime friends Mike Komisarek and Chris Higgins.

The battle provided fodder for some post-practice jokes, but the two were serious as they traded jabs with their sticks before they started throwing punches.

"I guess I started it," Higgins said. "I gave him a little slash and then he cross-checked me and, if I hadn't given him another shot, it would have ended there."

Instead, the boyhood chums from Long Island, N.Y., began swinging, although Higgins said teammates stepped in before either could inflict any damage.

"These things happen in hockey all the time," said Komisarek, who appeared to be embarrassed by the incident. "We were both working hard and things got a bit out of hand."

"We've been friends since peewee," Higgins said. "The guys have been ribbing us since practice ended. Mike stayed at my house on Christmas Eve and guys were ribbing me that I was upset because he didn't make my grandmother's bed or we fought over who was getting the aisle on the flight back to Montreal."

All kidding aside, the lack of intensity during games is a matter for concern, and that's why Julien emphasized skating and breakout drills yesterday. He was upset with a lack of effort in Monday's 4-0 loss in Atlanta.

"We have some injuries and we have no control over those," Julien said. "But we can control other things and there's no excuse for a lack of effort or a lousy work ethic."

"We have to work hard," Higgins said. "It's better to work hard in a game and have an easy practice than to take it easy in a game and then have to go through a tough workout like we had today."

Injuries have played a part in Montreal's slide from No. 2 to No. 8 in the Eastern Conference.

"But there's no excuse for not working hard," Julien said. "It has hurt that we've lost some key players and it's tougher because we're missing three guys (Saku Koivu, Radek Bonk and Tomas Plekanec) at one position."

The Canadiens have a number of players in various stages of recovery, but the only one likely to see action tonight is goaltender Jose Theodore, who has missed four games with a bruised left knee. A final decision will be made this morning, but Theodore seemed ready.

"There's still pain, but my mobility is good," said Theodore, who was sporting an ice pack on the injured joint after practice. "When I go down to block a shot, I can feel it, but I think I'll be ready."

Koivu and Bonk might be ready to join their teammates for this morning's skate, but neither will play. Defenceman Sheldon Souray said he's "hopeful" he'll be in the lineup. He skipped practice yesterday, because he has an infection in his right knee.

Koivu and Bonk are both recovering from groin injuries, and they skated by themselves after yesterday's practice.

"We hope they'll be ready to go sometime on this road trip," said Julien, whose team plays Florida on Friday and Carolina on Saturday.

phickey@thegazette.canwest.com

© The Gazette (Montreal) 2005

barry33 · Guru

For those of you wondering about how intense CJ's practices are maybe you should read this. He makes it clear that he is upset by the lack of effort and it showed in practice yesterday. But he can work their butts off, it remains up to the players to perform.

JohnM · Guru

barry33 wrote:

For those of you wondering about how intense CJ's practices are maybe you should read this. He makes it clear that he is upset by the lack of effort and it showed in practice yesterday. But he can work their butts off, it remains up to the players to perform.

Agreed, but it's nice to see some intensity in practice. Before this I was reading how easy going practices were. The Habs will put on a show tonight after a hard practice, I can feel it.

SpiderManNL · Guru

http://www.tsn.ca/headlines/main_story.asp?id=148459

Habs look to avoid dubious road mark

(Sports Network) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to avoid a three-game losing streak this evening, as they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum.

The Habs have dropped two straight and are just 3-4-2 in December. The poor stretch has dropped Montreal down to fourth in the Northeast Division with 40 points - 13 behind first-place Ottawa.

Montreal emerged from the holiday break on Monday and was handed a 4-0 loss in Atlanta. Michael Garnett made 36 saves to post his second straight shutout and Jaroslav Modry had a goal and two assists to lead the Thrashers.

Cristobal Huet made 34 saves for the Canadiens. No. 1 goaltender Jose Theodore sat out that game with a knee injury and is questionable for tonight's tilt.

Montreal has not won on the road since defeating Buffalo on November 4, a span of nine games, which is one short of the team's 10-game record set in 1926.

Tonight marks the third test of a five-game road trip for the Habs, who are 6-6-4 away from Montreal this season.

The Lightning, meanwhile, halted a four-game losing streak Monday versus Carolina. Dan Boyle scored with 33.6 seconds left in overtime to lead the Lightning to a 5-4 win at the Forum.

Dave Andreychuk scored two goals and Fredrik Modin had a goal and an assist for the Lightning.

Vaclav Prospal assisted on Boyle's game-winner to extend his point streak to five games. He has two goals and four helpers in the run.

John Grahame turned aside 26 shots in the victory.

The Lightning are playing the third installment of a four-game homestand. They are 11-7-1 in Tampa this year.

Montreal won the only meeting of the season between these teams on November 8 at the Bell Centre. That win snapped a two-game series losing streak for the Habs.

davidb · Guru

I have decided to take a night off and not watch the game. I think I will take one of my Vicodins and go to sleep. Its like this, we need a trade we all know it. We cannot put ourselves in BGs head. We do not know what he is thinking. I hope Cj is not fired, he is a great coach. Last night I watched Scooby Doo coach the Pens and they are 0-5 with him there. Cj is a great coach, but he can only do miracles for so long with a broken team

SpiderManNL · Guru

Ando · Guru

...too bad Komisarek wouldn't fight someone NOT wearing a "CH"!

(And-o's heart bleeds for this kid because he lost his Mama so young...but he needs to get his head out of his arse and live his own life to the fullest potential!!!)

SpiderManNL · Guru

http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=4619

Game Preview: Canadiens vs. Lightning

TAMPA BAY – The Canadiens will be looking to get back on the winning track tonight after dropping their ninth straight contest on the road, Monday in Atlanta. Claude Julien’s charges were unable to beat Michael Garnett, who stopped all 36 shots in the Canadiens’ 4-0 loss, just their second shutout loss this season. Tonight’s stop in Tampa is the third of five on the road for Montreal, who will close out 2005 in Florida and Carolina this weekend.

The Lightning head into tonight’s meeting following a dramatic 5-4 overtime win at home over the Southeast Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes. Dan Boyle scored the game winner with just 33.4 seconds left in the five-minute overtime. The win snapped a four-game slide for John Tortorella’s squad, who prior to the skid had earned at least a point in 12 of their previous 14 contests (10-2-2).

Tonight’s matchup is the second of the season between these two clubs. Back on Nov. 8, Jose Theodore made 34 saves to lead his teammates to a 3-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup champs at the Bell Centre.

Theo returns: After watching Cristobal Huet make four consecutive starts while he nursed a bruised knee, Jose Theodore will be back between the pipes for the Canadiens Wednesday night. The 29-year-old backstop had been sidelined since Dec. 15, when a puck hit his knee during a game in Edmonton. In 12 career games against the Lightning, Theodore is 5-5-2 with a 2.15 goals-against average.

1925-26 vs. 2005-06: In the 1925-26 season, the Canadiens dropped their last 10 road games of the campaign and were outscored 40-15. Contrary to the road woes of the 2005-06 edition of the club, all those losses were in regulation, as neither overtime nor a shootout existed at that time. During the current slide, Montreal has collected three points, with one shootout and two overtime losses.

Discipline by example: While their penalty killers have had difficulties of late, allowing 10 goals in 28 opportunities over the last five games, the Lightning are making things easier for themselves. Tampa Bay is the least penalized team in the league, averaging only 12 penalty minutes per game. With the same average in 2003-04, the Lightning ended the season third overall.

It'll be a heated battle between Alex Kovalev and Dan Boyle as their two teams vie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.

davidb · Guru

I know I will be blasted for this one, but I think our PP will stink, we will be in the box all night and Tampa is just too fast for us. I say the score will be 5-2 u know who

SpiderManNL · Guru

Habs lead 1-0 after one period of play.

Bulis scored the goal and Kovalev got the assist.

JohnM · Guru

1-0 Habs, Bulis from Kovy.

JohnM · Guru

CJ held two hard practices in prep for tonights game and put Ribs down to the 3rd trio. These were much needed moves to get his troops going. Well done.

JohnM · Guru

2-1 Habs, Souray for the 2nd Habs goal and Lecavalier for TB's first.

JohnM · Guru

TB ties it up (Ryan Craig - who)?

SpiderManNL · Guru

2-2 after two periods of play.

barry33 · Guru

JohnM wrote:

TB ties it up (Ryan Craig - who)?

Anyone notice on that goal..Theo had his glove on the puck and no whistle..then w ego down and Grahame no where near has the puck covered with begin in front and he blows it..once again...consistent officiating

Figaro · Guru

This is Habs game plan B - get a lead while goalie plays well, then blow it by giving up. Actually, Ribs is to blame for the first goal, I think, since he took a long shift and/or made a bad line change. The second goal seemed to have been kicked in (and should have been blown sooner...)

Oh well, 2-2. Usually I'm a little more optomistic, but it seems like as soon as Montreal gives up a goal the fat lady has sung.

Figaro · Guru

2 assists for Kovy so at least a positive. Key for the third is to score on the PP in the first 90 seconds. Stay out of the box, take smart shifts and take a time out if things aren't going so well...

barry33 · Guru

Actually it is the same old story..we got 2 breakaways and did not score..Tampa got one and did. Missed opportunities come back to bite ya in the buttock area

JohnM · Guru

Streit scores his first but TB comes back to tie it up. 3-3

Nil d · Guru

Figaro wrote:

Key for the third is to score on the PP in the first 90 seconds.

You called it!

JohnM · Guru

Dags makes it 4-3.

JohnM · Guru

How come Komi hasn't played at all?