LeMac wrote:

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Wow Spiderman, I leave for a few months and your gameday threads have evolved so much.  They were always intense back in the day, but now... wow, good work.   These posts alone warrant a visit to good ol' Gohabs.com on game days.

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Thanks LeMac

http://www.canada.com/topics/sports/hockey/canadiensstory.html?id=70c8a85e-328c-42ba-be65-3df2011c69e7

Canadiens must avoid penalties against Sabres

By PAT HICKEY


Staying out of the penalty box will be a priority when the Canadiens meet the Sabres tonight (7 p.m., RDS, CJAD Radio-800).

The Sabres scored two power-play goals - including the 3-2 overtime winner in a 5-on-3 situation - to win Round 1 of this back-to-back series Tuesday night in Montreal.

Coach Bob Gainey blamed the Canadiens' predicament in overtime on a lazy penalty by Saku Koivu. He said the Canadiens talk continually about avoiding penalties and there was one simple solution to cutting back.

"Most of the penalties are committed by the team that does not have the puck," Gainey said. "If you can do a better job of controlling the puck, it puts the pressure on the defensive team."

While the Canadiens have been shorthanded more often than opponents - they have been outscored 17-7 on the power play in their last 11 games - Gainey said he doesn't feel the officials are picking on Montreal. But he did take exception with the way tripping penalties are called.

"That's one penalty which has bothered me all season," Gainey said. "You'll have a play along the boards where there's a battle for the puck and there are sticks and skates involved and you wind up with a tripping penalty that is really the result of two players battling for the puck."

"I've said all along that you have to give players a chance to have those battles," Gainey said.

One such penalty was assessed to Francis Bouillon in the second period of Tuesday's game and it led to the first goal by Maxim Afinogenov, who also scored the overtime winner.

Controlling the puck tonight might be a problem, because two key players - Richard Zednik and Koivu - missed practice here yesterday because of the flu.

Zednik remained home in Montreal, but there was a possibility he could join the team today.

"We're hoping it's similar to the situation with Jan Bulis last week," Gainey said. Bulis didn't accompany the team to Boston, but played the following day.

Koivu is in Buffalo, but he wasn't feeling well enough to practise. Gainey seemed confident he would be available tonight.

After tonight, the Canadiens have one more game - Saturday at home against the Atlanta Thrashers - before the Olympic break.

Six players will head to Turin Sunday - Alex Kovalev and Andrei Markov (Russia), Zednik (Slovakia), Bulis (Czech Republic), Koivu (Finland) and Mark Streit (Switzerland).

The rest of the players will get some time off before reconvening in Montreal for an off-ice training session on the afternoon of Feb. 22. The Canadiens' first game after the Olympic break is Feb. 28 on Long Island. That game kicks off a six-game, 10-day road trip that includes games against Florida, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Toronto and Boston.

Notes - The Canadiens returned defenceman Jean-Philippe Cote to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. The move serves two purposes, allowing the Canadiens to save some money while providing Cote with the opportunity to get some ice time during the Olympic break. He has been a healthy scratch the last two games.

Gainey said he won't return Alexander Perezhogin to Hamilton. "I think he may have played too many games in the first half of the season to be eligible to go back, and I don't think he'd benefit from the move," Gainey said.

phickey@thegazette.canwest.com

© The Gazette (Montreal) 2006

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=154199&hubname=

Habs look to snap Sabres streak

BUFFALO, New York (Ticker) - The Montreal Canadiens were unable to put an end to the Buffalo Sabres' winning streak on Tuesday. They get to try again on Thursday.

The Sabres will attempt to match their season-best winning streak of seven games Thursday when they skate with the Canadiens in the back end of a home-and-home series.

Buffalo extended its winning streak with Tuesday's 3-2 overtime triumph over Montreal as Maxim Afinogenov scored twice, capped by the game-winner 30 seconds into the extra session.

Derek Roy also tallied and Ryan Miller made 32 saves for the Sabres, who last won seven straight games from December 4-19.

Miller has started each game during Buffalo's winning streak and is 13-3 with a 1.80 goals-against average since returning from a broken thumb on December 19. He has allowed three goals or fewer in 15 of his 16 starts in that stretch.





Montreal trailed, 2-1, for much of Tuesday's game before Alexei Kovalev netted the equalizer on a breakaway with 3:36 remaining in regulation.

Rookie Christopher Higgins also scored for the Canadiens, who saw netminder Cristobal Huet's scoreless streak ended at 173:19 with Afinogenov's second-period goal.

Since winning their first two games against the Sabres this season, the Canadiens have dropped three straight encounters - including the last two meetings in overtime.

A total reversal of the first game.  Late tying goal by the home team, but the away team scores in OT.  Three points by the Habs in the two games (now 7 of 8 possible points in the past four games).

Sounds like AK was on his game, the other two underachievers perked up as well.  Great!