Let's go Habs!!!! 4-2 win for us Kovy'll have his part in the win

Ok guys, i have a hunch...THIS will be Saku's breakout game. He will have a MUCH better game than his last 2 which were less than stellar considering we all know how he CAN play. Kovalev will continue his dominance and Huet will be strong in net. Dont expect 6 goals from the habs in this one though. Much closer game and if the habs can play stong defensively, the game is theirs thanks to shaky Carolina goaltending.

GO HABS GO

I am hoping we see a marked decrease in penalties taken by the Habs.  32 mins (minus the time for goals scored when down a guy) in 2 games.  Also, hoping to see the same fire in Kovalev's game and hope it's contagious.

Habs 4 - 'Canes 1

well guys im a new poster here but been reading your opinions on here for last 2 seasons...great forum you have here and very informative(being in NS sometimes our info on the Habs is a little slow reaching us) so keep up the good work and GO HABS...btw habs win tonight 5-2....3 pp goals with big effort from kovy, and both the 3rd and 4th lines frustrating carolinas scorers and making them take dumb penalties instead of us.

habscsi wrote:

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well guys im a new poster here but been reading your opinions on here for last 2 seasons...great forum you have here and very informative(being in NS sometimes our info on the Habs is a little slow reaching us) so keep up the good work and GO HABS...btw habs win tonight 5-2....3 pp goals with big effort from kovy, and both the 3rd and 4th lines frustrating carolinas scorers and making them take dumb penalties instead of us.

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Hi Guy!  With a name like Jones and the "csi" reference, I'm guessing you're from Cape Sable Island (Clark's Harbour, perhaps).  My niece is a Jones from CSI.

Am I close?

http://www.canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm?sectionID=habsNewsDetails.cfm&newsItemID=5001

 

Canadiens - Hurricanes: Game 3 Preview

 

Canadiens lead best-of-seven series 2-0


MONTREAL – It’s been said all along that the playoffs are a whole new season. After winning the first two games in their best-of-seven series with Carolina, the Canadiens have proven just that, having dropped all four meetings with the Hurricanes this season. Monday, Michael Ryder was the hero in double overtime when he scored his second goal of the game for a 6-5 win and a 2-0 series lead as the focus shifted to the Bell Centre.

Alex Kovalev kept up his strong play, adding another two points to bring his total to five, placing him fourth in the league, just two behind Ottawa’s Jason Spezza. For a second straight outing, Cristobal Huet hit the 40-save mark, stopping 41 of 46 shots by the Hurricanes, who lost their second straight for just the second time all season.

Heavy lifting: The Canadiens took a 2-0 series lead for the 54th time in club history and the first time since the 1996 playoffs, when they won the first two games at Madison Square Garden. Until now, Montreal is 50-3 with the two-game lead. The Hurricanes/Whalers haven’t been among the select few to beat the Canadiens in such circumstances, as the Habs have won all four series against their former Adams Division rivals when they’ve won the first two matchups.

Working overtime: Monday night’s thrilling win in Carolina marked the Canadiens 21st playoff game that required more than one overtime period. Ryder’s third career NHL playoff goal improved Montreal’s record in marathon postseason games to 12-9. The Canadiens last double OT victory came exactly nine years to the day dating back to Patrice Brisebois’ triple overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over the Martin Brodeur and the Devils on April 24, 1997. The Hurricanes are now 0-4 in multiple overtime games all-time with two of those crushing defeats coming courtesy of the Canadiens.


MONTREAL - Playoff action hits the Bell Centre tonight, as the Canadiens will step on to the ice tonight in front of their fans with a 2-0 series lead, looking to push the Hurricanes to the brink of elimination.

I predicted that koivu would at least be in on the OT winner.

So now a new prediction: Ribeiro will score tonight. And I think it will be an important goal...maybe the second in the game( either putting the habs up 2-0 or making it 1-1)...

On TSN today they were discussing the Habs turnaround and they said that they felt it was 80% Huet and 20% Gainey. Obviously Huet is the main reason we are here so he needs to put up .950 plus save percentage numbers. Monday night showed me one thing. If Huet is average we are in trouble. As Huet goes, so goes the habs. Can you imagine us up 2-0 with Theo in goal? Anyone?

Muller93 wrote:

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barry33 wrote: On TSN today they were discussing the Habs turnaround and they said that they felt it was 80% Huet and 20% Gainey. Obviously Huet is the main reason we are here so he needs to put up .950 plus save percentage numbers. Monday night showed me one thing. If Huet is average we are in trouble. As Huet goes, so goes the habs. Can you imagine us up 2-0 with Theo in goal? Anyone?   oh my. Must resist temptation to get roped in...must resist.... Any word on the weakness of this Ward goalie? Shot high? crowd the net?

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Nothing to "get roped into Mulsey". It is fact. Without Huet we are not in the playoffs..period. Personally I feel that Gainey is more than "20% responsible" as he is now getting a work ethic out of some floaters that did not exist before. As well he has done alot of good things with the lines. But anyone who can tell me that this season would have turned around without the goaltending of Huet I will recommend for an immediate visit by the boys in white coats and butterfly nets.

barry33 wrote:

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Nothing to "get roped into Mulsey". It is fact. Without Huet we are not in the playoffs..period. Personally I feel that Gainey is more than "20% responsible" as he is now getting a work ethic out of some floaters that did not exist before. As well he has done alot of good things with the lines. But anyone who can tell me that this season would have turned around without the goaltending of Huet I will recommend for an immediate visit by the boys in white coats and butterfly nets.

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yes I do agree that without Huet, I cannot imagine the habs would even be in the playoffs.

AND...some of the main changes that have resulted in the turnaround could have been done anyhow while CJ was the coach( Replace Thedoor with Heut...get rid of Ribbies insane clown posy, stroke Kovalev's ego with an "A", and bring tougher players in like Murray and Downey).

So, I do not once hesitate to agree with what I think is your main points in most of your posts...that being that Gainey had an agenda to replace CJ and saw fit to have it happen...But a very large part of me says that I am more "comfortable" with Carbo and Gainey for some reason. And that the "percentage" is more like 50/50....

Let's hope Cam Ward's last performance was a fluke and he brings his regular season stats, GAA 3.68 Save % .882, to the Bell Centre tonight

Go Habs Go

Hip, Hip, Huet!!!

What a start! Ryder 2 chances in first couple minutes. Carolina came out hard but looks like thety are slowing a little maybe? It's back, gotta run!!

Ando wrote:

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And-o predicts that tonight will be all about special teams play!
...the Habs will need to avoid the box and capitalize on their own PP's for success!
Carolina is hungry...and they have almost exclusively went to playing five forwards on their PP's.....Crisis???...or opportunity???
(Please give Murray one chance to stand in front of Gerber/Ward on the PP...PLEASE!!!)

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I like that idea And-o. Why do the Habs put smurfy players in front of the net on the PP?

Boy what a difference a goalie makes in carolina. As much as it pains me to say it, And-O is looking like a prophet right now with his earlier post saying "With average goaltending Carolina is up 2-0". Ward is playing solid, has had some help from his buddies the red iron and I guarantee you thyat Carolina comes out in the second on fire because of it. But hey, Huey is not too shabby tonit eeither.