superhab wrote:

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I thought Zednik got hurt. Is he cleared to play?

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And what about Souray?  Any idea when he'll be back?

 

davidb wrote:

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The Dallsa game will tell us if we are turning the corner. I certainly hope if we still lose that gainey sees first hand where we need help.

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Interesting that Gainey's second game behnd the Habs' bench will be against his old team.  I  imagine he'll be pumped - although you'd be hard pressed to tell by looking at him.  Let's hope the players will be pumped as well.

Go Habs!

 

AB Habman wrote:

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 I like this line-up! Keep Ribs on fourth line and if he earns ice time, keep giving him PP and more ice time up with the second line in place of Bonk like last game! This should get him more productive if he now knows what is expected! It had to be difficult not knowing one game to the next where you're playing and what is expected! CJ had him on every line including the bench! It was with good intentions but it didn't work! Start him on fourth every game( The two big line-mates will help also) and let him do his thing! Remember, he has alot of maturing to do as a hockey player and person( threw that in for Muller) as he has only played a couple full seasons!  One day we may all be happy that this guy is still a Hab ( except Muller and John of course)!

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I can't agree. You are putting the worst defensive and plus minus player on what is supposed to be a checking line. Yes you are limiting his ice time, but you are asking him to do something he is not very good at. Play defence and hit., But on the positive side I like the fact that Gainey did not hang Ribs completely out to dry offensively. He used him on the Power Play from time to time and the Power Play was clicking. I like the fact that Gainey just turned the guys loose Saturday and, until he gets his sytem in place, that is the way to go. Saturday's game was all about adrenylyn and effort and hopefully some of that will carry over tonite.

GO HABS GO!!

-- Edited by barry33 at 12:24, 2006-01-16

Dalls is playing well. Modano and crew are fast skaters. Lets see if Theo can stay on his feet.. I hope he can turn in another good performance. But it seems when we get all excited about a game, it goes down hill from there. I need to see 3-4 solid wins before I am convinced all things are ok 

This is gonna be a tough one against one of the BEST teams in the league.  Time for the boys to show their worth. Theo for sure wasn't tested against SJ and will have to be at his absolute best tonight.

Couldn't find anything on Souray or Zeddy for tonight?  Anyone know if they are good to go?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=151039&hubname=

 

Carbonneau takes aim at Stars

 

MONTREAL (CP) - Newly hired Montreal Canadiens associate coach Guy Carbonneau says the relationships he built working with the Dallas Stars over the last three years will never die.


But that doesn't mean he won't try to take advantage of the Stars' weaknesses when they visit the Bell Centre on Monday night.

"If you look at their last four or five games, they've had a bad habit of falling behind every game," Carbonneau said Sunday after a brisk one-hour Canadiens practice, his first with his new team. "If we can do that, then we'll be in better shape. That's what we'll have to exploit."

Canadiens general manager and interim head coach Bob Gainey said Carbonneau's knowledge of the Stars could be an asset for him Monday night, but Dallas head coach Dave Tippett wasn't overly concerned.

"Everybody in the NHL knows what everybody else does anyway," Tippett said. "There's not a lot of big secrets out there about the game."





Not only will Carbonneau be facing his former employer, but he will also have to coach against son-in-law Brenden Morrow, who is married to Carbonneau's eldest daughter Anne-Marie.

"If we only had him to worry about," Carbonneau said with a laugh, "we'd be OK."

Stars forwards Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen, who both won a Stanley Cup in Dallas with Carbonneau in 1999, were very happy to see their former teammate land a job they both said he was perfectly suited for.

"His mind for the game and the way he thought the game out, he obviously had those tendencies and you could see it a little bit in the back of his mind that he was kind of leaning towards that after he was done playing," Modano said.

Lehtinen credited much of his success as one of the league's top defensive forwards to Carbonneau's influence over the first five years of his career.

He said that even back then, Carbonneau was able to have a positive affect on the team's game plan with his observations.

"He was good in the locker-room," Lehtinen said. "Between periods, you always knew what was wrong with our game. Whatever happened on the ice, he knew what to do right away. He could analyze the game pretty fast and quick."

The Canadiens will be looking not only to win a big game for their new associate coach, but also to maintain some momentum after Saturday's 6-2 blowout of San Jose in Gainey's debut as head coach.

Habs forward Alex Kovalev said Gainey's style and insistence on moving the puck forward at all times was a welcome change from former coach Claude Julien.

"I don't know what Claude was telling the defence, but it looked like they were confused out there and didn't know what to do," Kovalev said. "But the simplest thing is what we've talked about, just move the puck up the ice and move everything forward. "And that was Bob's focus (Saturday), whenever you have the puck move forward, never move back. That made a big difference."

Kovalev said that change in philosophy was a major reason his Russian compatriot Andrei Markov broke out with a four-point night just hours after Gainey told reporters that Markov could play better.

"I've said many times, ever since I got traded to Montreal, to give that guy room and give him a chance to play so he can show how good he is," Kovalev said. "That's what happened. You can see the talent, you just have to let it go."

Canadiens defenceman Sheldon Souray practised with his teammates and said he hoped to play on Monday after missing Saturday's game with a knee injury. Souray also said he wasn't upset upon hearing Gainey's remark that he too could improve his game.

"We spoke briefly and he told me I was one of the guys that he thought could play better, and I don't disagree with him," Souray said. "I still have room for improvement, I know that."

Another PP goal by Ribs. Seems like he got the message from Gainey.

Anyone notice Begin block a shot like Carbo used to do? Hmmm, I think there might be some influence in the way some of these guys are playing. They are using speed and are working as a unit. They aren't leaving there D-men hanging. Bonk has 4pts in 2 games, maybe And-o was on to something.

JohnM wrote:

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Anyone notice Begin block a shot like Carbo used to do? Hmmm, I think there might be some influence in the way some of these guys are playing. They are using speed and are working as a unit. They aren't leaving there D-men hanging. Bonk has 4pts in 2 games, maybe And-o was on to something.

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At this stage it is all about effort. adrenylyn and fear of playing hockey in the East Coast League. They are moving their feet and making the second and 3rd effort. You cannot underestimate the value of hard work and it is showing tonite. The new coaches have not had enough time to get a system in place so now it is about hard work and fear. Obviously, that fear was not there with CJ. Now as the coaches get their system in place and the "Fear Factor" wears off, we will then see the results (hopefully) of good coaching. But right now it is just sheer determination.

Dallas comes back with a cheapy....

Shots on goal 4-3 in the second period.  Has the trap returned?

Sounds boring..........................

Nil d wrote:

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Shots on goal 4-3 in the second period.  Has the trap returned? Sounds boring..........................

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Not boring if you like the Habs, pretty interesting actually. Habs capitalizing on their chances. Sak just got his 300th assist. Nice work Saku!

Habhead wrote:

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Wow, just got home . . . it seems the habs are playing well again tonight!

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Not bad so far... Could be 8-1 lol