Cataclaw

I personally believe the Plekovalevonov line can work, it just needs more time. If i were Carbo, i'd play the line as it has been until now for half the game, then experiment for the second half.

I predict this is either going to be a wild game or a total snooze fest. Either Theo plays an outstanding game and shuts down the Habs ...or... The Habs rip Theo a new !@%&$ and outscore Colorado by a 5 goal margin

There's an existing anti-maple leafs thread Merge?

Michael Rydes Her (avec beaucoup de Latendresse) HEHEHE. He bonk'd her koivu with his johnson Souray about that! What? What are you all looking at?

I'm not TOO worried. Sens lost because they suck as of late, no chemistry anywhere on the team. Still, it will be an exciting game!

I have to go, won't post a complete analysis tonight, but here are some overall thoughts: 1. Lackluster refs tonight. 2. Overall, effort was low this game, and the last period was pathetic to watch. No tank left in the gas. Can we fault the Habs? Should we be upset? Nah. After the first period was over i had a feeling Habs were going to lose this one. They had an intense game yesterday against Calgary followed by a 17 hour drive to Chicago with no time to practice/prepare/recover. Conclusion: Yes the Habs played bad, but the NHL schedule was the main culprit in my view. Not too worried.

This period's analysis will be brief as i'm going to the dép in 2 minutes. 1.Latendresse | B- | Whoa where'd he come from all of a sudden? Solid period by the rookie. He's showing a lot of effort. 2.Niinimaa | A- | Impressive work here by Niniimaa. Won't get into the details, but i'll provide a more in-depth analysis at the end of the game. 3.RDS guys | F- | They're annoying as heck. They go on about an old Chicago player for 45 seconds while the Habs come up with 3 scoring chances. Worst commentators ever. Ever. PK Unit | A | Another great effort by the PK squad.

I only caught the last 14 minutes of the period, so my opinions reflect what i saw in terms of play. 1.Rivet | C+ | Not the best period for Rivet, a few slip ups, one semi-accidental give-away, etc. 2.Aebischer | B | I didn't see the chicago goal, but what i did see of Abby was pretty solid. 3.Higgins | A | A solid A for Higgins. Higgins is the best player on the Canadiens at the moment no question about it. He creates space for himself, he creates opportunities, he's always up there forechecking, creating problems for Chicago, etc. Higgins a rising superstar? I'm starting to believe it! 4.Bonk | B+ | Wow! Bonk and those face-offs. What happened? Last year his percentage of face-off wins was what... 5%? Heh. This year, he's doing quite well in that department, and he's playing well both offensively and defensively. He still seems a bit slow at times and suffers from the occasional brain cramp, but overall, Bonk is impressing big time this season. 5.Latendresse | B- | A generous B- for Guillaume, creating a bit of a stir in the offensive zone on at least two occasions, if at least to provide time for his teammates to change. Watch those shift lengths though! 6.Markov | B- | He seems to pop in and out of a trance. Seems half asleep then wakes up, does a great 180 spin to avoid a chicago defensemen, pulls off a great pass. Then goes back into hibernation.. 7.Streit | C+ | Average performance for a 5th/6th defensemen, but a step up from what he brought to the table last year. Power-play | C | Sluggish at best. Yes Higgins got a great goal, but that was entirely Saku/Higgins and company generating that chance in the span of a few seconds. Before that, the power play was rather unremarkable. Put some energy into it guys! I know you're tired from yesterday, but still! PK Unit | A | Great as usual. Notes: 1. Latendresse again on the power play with Plekanec and Kovalev. I guess Carbo feels the need to give Latendresse more ice time, at Samsonov's expense, unfortunately. 2. Kovalev seeing some penalty kill time. That's new and unexpected... he seemed to do okay too.

Preview @ Habsworld.net : http://habsworld.net/article.php?id=1195 Preview @ NHL.com : http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&am...007&gtype=2 Downey injury @ Sportsline.com : http://www.sportsline.com/nhl/story/9736047 Preview @ Canadiens.com : http://canadiens.com/eng/news/redirect.cfm...newsItemID=5260 5 Ryder (1st), Niinimaa (1st), Johnson (2nd), Souray (3rd), Kovalev(3rd) 2 Smolinski(2nd), Havlat(3rd) Habs back in chicago for the first time in years. Should be an interesting game. Despite the potential for fatigue (Habs played yesterday + trip to Chicago) i sense a certain optimism and high level of motivation among the Canadiens. I think they'll come out strong. Habs have scored a point or more in every game so far this season. Can they keep it up? Interesting statistic: Chicago has the second worst PK unit in the NHL while the Habs have the 5th best power play. GO HABS GO!

Sloppy? I thought they were pretty solid tonight.

CANADIENS 5 - 4 FLAMES 1.Bégin | A+ | What a period for Bégin. He was all over the place.. forechecking, backchecking, coming up with short-handed rushes and 3 seconds later he clears the puck and then gets a hit, etc. Good show Steve. 2.Huet | B+ | The Cristowall goes up in the third. 'nuff said. 3.Souray/Rivet | B | I give the duo a solid B for their third period effort. A lot of people have been hating on Souray/Rivet lately, but they play with passion, they stick up for one another, they've got "A"s on their jerseys for a reason. Solid effort. 4.Kovalev | B- | After his dynamite 2nd period, the Russian Rifle put it on cruise control, and although he had a few good plays, nothing extraordinary like in the second. 5.Niinimaa | C+ | That period wasn't so hot for Niims. He looked sloppy one a couple of plays and accidently shot the puck over the boards for a 2 minute penalty, though i can't fault him too much for that. It happens. C+ for the period, but a B for the game overall. I'm starting to like this guy a lot. 6.Carbonneau | A | Great coaching moves this round. A lot of subtle decisions may have had a large overall impact. Such as when Guy put the third line on for the last 45 seconds of the power play in the 3rd. Use the time to rest up the 1st and 2nd lines for the last couple of minutes of the game, ensure the win. Little details matter. PK Unit | A | Another well-deserved A for the short-handed squad. Overall a good game by the Habs tonight. 4 goals against will hurt Huet's stats, but i still think he played okay and the goalie race is definitely still on. It's still too close to call. Against some of Calgary's shots tonight, i don't think Aebischer would have faired much better. Great effort by the Habs tonight. It's great to see them motivated. Bon travail les gars! 8 points out of a possible 10. Great start to the season. Cataclaw's game puck: Steve Bégin Bégin really impressed me tonight. I like his play every night, but tonight.. wow. Hitting left and right (how many hits that game? i lost count), backchecking, forechecking, pokechecking, everythingchecking, rushing short-handed, etc.

1.Bonk | A | Wow! Good show by Bonk. He's looking outstanding out there. 2.Huet | B- | Huet came up with a lot of good saves that period, despite giving up a pair of goals. 3.Koivu | A | Saku saku saku! Robbed THREE times! Poor Saks working so hard out there but just can't get it in. Unlucky! 4.Kovalev | A | Dynamite baby. The Russian Rifle didn't take the night off this time. I predicted a goal by Kovalev in the second, looks like i was right! I gather he'll pick up one last point before the night is over. 5.Johnson | B+ | He worked so hard that period, it was a pleasure to watch. He's like a more talented version of Murray. Puts in the same amount of effort, has good work ethic, gives his all, and he has talent. He's turning into one of my top 5 Habs... 6.Souray | B+ | He was fairly sharp defensively that period, and, to top it off... *pump* *click* *BAAAAAAAM* *ch-chik* goa. 7.Streit | B- | Doing well, not all that impressed, but no significant mistakes to warrant anything less than a B-. Go Streit! Show 'em you deserve a regular line-up spot. PK Unit | N/A | Couldn't fault the early-period goal to the PK unit... that just hpapens. Special note | Latendresse on the power play with Samsonov and Kovalev? Interesting. #84 put up a good effort. Is this a permanent thing or is Carbo trying to give the rookie some more playing time? --- Summary: Lots of positives (A's and B's) and very few negative comments from that period. Nothing really blatantly bad to point out i guess. Keep it up boys. Go habs go!

1. Kovalev | A- | Wow did he ever have some great moments tonight. Kovalev regularly takes "games off" but today isn't one of them. You can just tell by how he skates around. He seems so alert and quick. I predict a goal by him in the second. 2. Komisarek | A | This guy just keeps impressing me. If he keeps progressing at this rate.. 3. Huet | C+ | Blargh, the second goal was sloppy. Huet is usually good at positioning but that time he looked a bit slow. Can't fault him entirely though as the D slipped up a bit on that one. 4. Koivu | B+ | Another strong showing by our captain. 5. Souray | B | One or two slip-ups, including losing the puck during that power-play and a few other minor things, but his bullet-goal makes up for it. 6. Higgins | B+ | The Higgins train shows no signs of slowing down. 7. Bonk | A | Solid A for Bonk for showing a lot of improvement in face-offs, getting that great short-handed goal, etc. Keep it up Bonkster! Just watch the hooks, please. You can't do that anymore in the new NHL. PK Unit | A+ | Asside from that one semi-lucky goal by the Flames, our PK unit was an absolute JOY to watch. Wow. I fully expect Montreal to keep the top PK unit spot for the rest of the season. (I must point out Calgary's PP unit was weak, they had trouble, but still.. Habs were on top of their game.) Special mention | Did anyone notice Johnson/Komisarek swap sticks during a PK? Komisarek loses his stick, Johnson gives it to him, Johnson goes back later and picks up Komi's stick? The guys have great communication between themselves... nothing short of awesome!

2 hours 14 minutes until the puck drops. Go habs go! I ordered RDS this week, was fed up of listening to the Habs on the radio over the years with only the occasional game on CBC/TSN. Can't wait!

LOL Oh man, hilarious pic. Excellent stuff

I still think we should merge this thread with the existing Anti-Maple Leafs thread... Plus this is the Habs Discussion forum.

Damn Sundidn't scoring in OT for the win and his 500th goal. Must... enact... revenge...

The Good - Higgins continuing to show he's a force on the ice. Samsonov picking a great time to get his first. Lots of players showing improvement (Niinimaa settling in nicely, Latendresse showing up more, especially in the 1st and 3rd, etc.) The Bad - Two injured defensemen = DISASTER. Let's hope and pray they're okay... that's all that matters at this point. Refs missed two obvious calls in favour of the Habs. What was that? Cataclaw's Pick - Komisarek impressed me a great deal tonight. He's going to need to be at his best, along with the other 3 regular d-men, now that we've got two injuries.. Conclusion - Yeah we lost, but a point is a point. We've netted a point in every game so far. If we keep doing that every game, we'll be in business. 6 points out of a possible 8 is excellent. At that pace, the Canadiens would get a 123 point season!

1. Samsonov | A | He's been lightning fast tonight, but unable to generate any scoring chances. Until late in the third period... he gets an A from me for that great tough-angle shot. 2. Komisarek | A | I've mentioned him every period, and it's well deserved. Another great effort in the 3rd. 3. Koivu | B+ | Came up with a lot of solid efforts especially in OT 4. Souray | C+ | Blah, better but still not too impressed tonight. 5. Niinimaa | B- | Alright Janne! Some great plays, starting to get the feel of things Overall | B | Good period by the habs! And i'm cutting my analysis short, i don't want to miss the shoot-out! GO HABS GO!

1. Komisarek | A | Another outstanding effort. Checking, getting the puck, making good passes, and coming up with another drive/shot on goal. Excellent. 2. Kovalev Line | C+ | Fairly invisible that period, then again Habs were on the PK a lot so we didn't see much. 3. Latendresse | N/A | I don't remember seeing him a single time that period. Maybe i was looking away at the wrong time, but did he even play at all? If he did, i sure as heck didn't see it. 4. Markov | C | Sloppy sloppy sloppy. Oh Andrei! 5. Rivet | B+ | Solid period and a nice SOG by the veteran d-man. 6. Niiniima | B- | Despite silly penalties, he played a decent period. 7. Huet | B | Huet came up with some nice saves this period. PK Unit | A | Solid as ever. With Ottawa clearly increasing the pressure in the second, the boys held their ground. Nothing but praise in this department. Team overall | C+ | Unimpressed with the period overall. Was rather boring to watch, not much action, few scoring chances. One last period to go. Better come back strong, Habs!

1- Komisarek | A+ | For his first period play. Wow was he fun to watch. Coming up from the point to get the puck and keep it in the zone. Checking sens back and forth to get the puck, putting in tons of effort, coming up with a solid drive in the last half. Damn. He's turning int one of my favorite Habs. 2. Kovalev-Samsonov-Plekanec | B | Nifty moves, tons of speed, especially by Samsonov, but nothing yet in terms of production. It'll happen in the second period, mark my words. 3. Dandeault | A | I give Dandenault an A for coming in and protecting Koivu during that little incident in the last few minutes. "Dandeneault to senators: You don't mess with our captain." 4. Niinimaa | B+ | Looking better and better.. 5. Higgins | A+ | Outstanding SH goal. This guy is on fire. Watch out sens! 6. Huet | B- | Although none of the goals could be falted entirely to Huet, he seemed a bit sluggish on the second one. 7. Souray | C | I'm a big fan of Souray, but his performance was blah that period. He didn't cover his man, led to the second sens goal. 8. Latendresse | C- | I'm rooting for Lats like you wouldn't imagine, but is it just me or did he seem totally confused out there this period? 9. Koivu | B+ | Good first period by our captain 10. Bégin | B | When there's forechecking to do, you can be sure Bégin is there. I love this guy. Also, has anyone noticed 75% of the time, if there's a breakaway, a rush, or a shorthanded goal attempt, Bégin is always involved somehow? 11. Markov | C- | Unimpressive.. what's with this guy this season? He was my fav. D-Man last year. This year.. struggling... Overall | B- | Although we're down by a goal, i thought Habs played an OK period. Hope they come back strong in the second!

59 minutes until the puck drops! GHG!

Calgary-Leafs tonight! I'll be watching that during the intermission of Habs-Sens. GO FLAMES GO!

Alright :/ I'd like to make another one around the holidays if that's alright with everyone

Just wondering how game threads work around here. Easy quick question: How do you know who makes the next one?