Game Thread | Penguins vs. Canadiens | 03/18/06

SpiderManNL · Guru

Game Thread | Penguins vs. Canadiens | 03/18/06

SpiderManNL · Guru

SpiderManNL · Guru

ray · Senior Member

wow our who's not hot list is huge! We can't lose three straight to the Pens can we, maybe if Lemieux, Palffy, Recchi, Jackman and Odelein were playing. A loss tonight would really make this board angry. Yes, i was kidding about Odelein.

ray · Senior Member

hold on a sec, spidey did I see that habs will be on CBC!

davidb · Guru

I hope we win this one. If not just think that would be 7 losses between the canes and pens sor far this year. We have not won against either of them yet. I say tonight we are hungry and someone will get the hat trick. I predict we win 6-1. Hat trick to Ryder

mperra (Admin) · Guru

ray wrote:

hold on a sec, spidey did I see that habs will be on CBC!

Yes CBC ispicking up this game. One week late I say!! Why weren;t they here last week during Boom Boom's ceremony?

And I believe Bob Cole is doing play-by-play for the game. On Thursday, while in the press lounge I saw Bob Cole. He even came up to me and asked about the buffet (I was hanging around there waiting for someone). Anyway Cole was here on Thursday, either to prepare (????) for tonight's game or on lay-over on commute to New York where Toronto plays tonight.

Nil d · Guru

This may be a penetrating glance into the obvious, but special teams will dictate this one. The Penguins are dead last in the league on the PK, so the Habs will have to capitalize on their power play (God, I wish Markov were playing!). Team speed against a young Pens defense should draw a few penalties.

The Pens also have a decent power play, so the Habs PK will have to stand out tonight.

And Huet will have to come up huge against Sidney & Co.

Surely time to beat them for the first time this year; everyone else does! I predict 3-2 Habs.

Johab · Guru

Im DEMANDING a blowout tonight. We HAVE to get some sorta of confidence ball rolling, and what better way than to beat of up the worst team in the league. Sounds kinda harsh, but when our team plays the way they do, its hard not to enjoy a good old whiping. Even if its the penguins!

ray · Senior Member

Yes Johab a blowout would be great. At this point and time we need one bad!!!!!

plouf · Guru

We have lost BOTH TIMES against Pittsburgh. That scares me.

But yeah, here is a game that should theoretically build the confidence.

SpiderManNL · Guru

http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=4888

Game Preview: Canadiens vs. Penguins

MONTREAL – The Canadiens will be looking to get back on the winning track when they close out a four-game homestand tonight. Thursday night, despite a 36-save effort from David Aebischer in his Canadiens debut, the Canadiens fell 5-1 to the Hurricanes. Mathieu Dandenault notched the lone goal for Montreal, which is now 17-9-4 at the Bell Centre.

After hosting the Eastern Conference leaders on Thursday, tonight the Canadiens will welcome the last place team in the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins. In their last contest, Michel Therrien’s squad dropped a 2-1 decision to the Devils, snapping a two-game winning streak. While the Penguins have picked up just four wins over their last 16 games, Sidney Crosby has had better luck as he’s collected 20 points in that stretch. He is just 26 points behind Dale Hawerchuk to become the second 18-year-old in NHL history to reach 100 points in a single season.

Tonight’s contest is the third of the season between Montreal and Pittsburgh. The Penguins have won the first two meetings, including one in a shootout.

Four of a kind: In looking at the stats, it would be tough to argue that the Canadiens’ defensemen haven’t benefited from the “new NHL.” With still 17 games to go in the regular season, the Canadiens’ blueliners need just two more points to equal their total output of 2003-04. As well, for the first time since the 1993-94 season, when the defense corps included the likes of Mathieu Schneider, Lyle Odelein, Eric Desjardins and Patrice Brisebois, the Canadiens have four defenseman who have earned at least 20 points in a season. Monday against the Lightning, Francis Bouillon joined Andrei Markov, Sheldon Souray and Craig Rivet as the first foursome to reach the mark in over a decade. Only the Los Angeles Kings have a little more reason to boast, as they have five defensemen with at least 20 points so far in 2005-06.

MONTREAL – The Canadiens will be looking to get back on the winning track when they close out a four-game homestand tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

AB Habman · Guru

I'm not going to ask for much except to have our first ineffective PP unit of the last couple games to get their butts off the ice earlier to give our second unit more of a chance than having 10 seconds of time to work with.

Our special teams need to be special.

Don't under-estimate the Pens who are playing a little better of late.

We need this game!

SpiderManNL · Guru

davidb · Guru

I will renew my contention thats its a very and i mean very big mistake to stop Huet from playing. He has now sat for a week and that cannot be good for hisd rythym. The other night I got to the point where everytime they took a shot at him I had the feeling that I was watching Theo. Its like I had no confidence that he could stop a shot. I say bad move Play Huet instead

davidb · Guru

Well there u have it. Unbelievable BG it is now 2 zip. This game is over 3 minutes in I told you Huet needed to start and the team needs to get going.

Caper_hab_fan · Veteran Member

2-0 Penguins, ok, Abby come on, were trying to make the playoffs, and the lines, what a mess....not impressed habs fan

Habtastic · Guru

Come'on boys, this isn't a scrimmage! Looks like Montreal is starting to pick it up with some hits and now it is 2-2!!! Don't fret David!

Habtastic

Caper_hab_fan · Veteran Member

What is it with that big nosed ref, does he hate the boys or what.....i think Souray slept with his wife....(jk)

Caper_hab_fan · Veteran Member

I'm as confident in Abby as i was with Theo...why you ask, 3 goals on 8 shots. This happened the last time we played these guys...Pitts pots a few early, the habs come back, then pitts takes the 2 points in the end....I say........Put Huet in and we take the 2 points tonight.

Nil d · Guru

Well, that was a roller-coaster ride for 20 minutes! Last goal wins?

John Leclair is the Pen-ultimate Hab-killer; three points that period.

How about that Bouillon Cube! What a play he made on that first goal! He smashes the guy twice his height, grabs the puck, goes end-to-end and makes a perfect feed to Bulis for the goal. Wow! It is now official: He's my favourite player!

Aebischer looking shaky, to put it charitably. He was flopping like a fish on that second goal.

A shootout could be dangerous; the Habs don't have the tools to match the Pens offensively. This one will be interesting.

Allez les Boys!

SpiderManNL · Guru

3-3 after one period of play.

Nil d · Guru

I said the PP and PK would be key. Well, so far the Habs have scored on their only PP (and have killed 2 of 3 penalties). I keep harping that the PP unit should take more shots from the point and jam the crease. On that PP, they tried for the perfect play for a minute and a half, faked about four point shots that became pass attempts, and got no shots off. Finally, Souray blasts one form the point, Fleury can't see anything, and it's in.

It's so simple; why don't they do that more?

Habtastic · Guru

Bouillon down... damn... sounds like the same ankle injury I had and I was on a cane for many months. I hope I am wrong.

Habtastic

thompstar · Veteran Member

i have no clue why that wasn't a penalty, boullion didn't have the puck and was driven into the boards......dirty hit!!!!!!! boullion was having a great game too and hopefully he won'y be out for as long as it looks like he will.

nice to see downey fight the much bigger roy in his defence.

c'mon boys, win it for the cube!

Caper_hab_fan · Veteran Member

If he is out for a bit, then we put Simpson in, call up Cote, and send Streit back to Switzerland......if Simpson does play, we won't need both Downey and Murray, so i say keep Downey, sit Murray and call up Kostityn....

plouf · Guru

Thrashers losing 3-1

davidb · Guru

This is not good, Fluery making some good saves. Atleast the PP is going well. Our goaltending is so so. The fourth you cannot blame him. But he is no doubt shaky

thompstar · Veteran Member

not too thrilled by the play of abby yet but the team is playing well offensively

it could easily be 10-4 right now, fluery is making some key saves to keep them in it!

NL_Habs_Fan · Newbie

man our captain takes some dumb penalties.