Commandant

Last two calls were legit.... Lets show some discipline.

Darche, 2 minutes for being tripped. and of course Bourque ties it on that cheap PP.

GOAL!!!! AK46!

Seems to be true http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=595802 Sports Hernia Surgery....... out indefinite.

last time they were at the Bell Centre. <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pBSS6hEHiw?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pBSS6hEHiw?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pBSS6hEHiw?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

JM was just on hockey central.... (sportsnet, Fan590, etc...) Said Markov will skate on his own when he returns from Florida, and hopes to have him join full practices with contact before the end of the month.

Per Renaud Lavoie Markov is staying in Florida for a little more rehab with his doctor. won't be at the game tonight. He does not need an additional surgery.

Updates on Leblanc, Nattinen. http://www.thespec.com/sports/bulldogs/article/608205--whose-line-is-it-anyway

OH YEAH RALLY SQUIRREL CARDS!

I'm hearing around 1-2 more weeks.

Strange that they are keeping Willsie at C and Naatinen at Wing, when Nattinen was so good on faceoffs in Finland. Must want to keep Willsie in that position.... and I guess when Louis Leblanc is healthy they'll have too many centres, so try to get Nattinen used to it now??

Yes, both games were back to back matinees.... Penguins and Bruins, where he played on the "Bulldog line" with Desharnais and White. It was Superbowl Weekend 2010. They were amazing against Pittsburgh. Not good, but not bad against boston, but after that we started to get healthy and he went back to Hamilton.

I'm saying end of November, right around the same time he got hurt, the injury being 1 full year.

All 2 games of Brock Trotter's Big club production?

My favourite is the NESN season preview article for the Red Sox. I love to laugh at homertastic NESN buffoons. Whoever wrote this must be the baseball equivalent of Jack Edwards. http://www.nesn.com/2011/01/2011-red-sox-will-challenge-1927-yankees-for-title-of-greatest-team-in-major-league-history.html

Jm is keeping the same top 9 that got the 5-1 win. At least for the start of the game. Go with what worked and ease eller and palush in. If it doesn't work for a period, the lines will change.

Hes a winger though, we have 4th line wings. We need a center. He's a god pker, and has size, but he's not overly tough. He's not an enforcer. Don't mistake him for his father.

The injury curse even hits our prospects. Bournival out for 1 month. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-nouvelliste/sports/hockey-junior/201110/12/01-4456362-michael-bournival-a-linfirmerie-pour-un-mois.php

Not sure what Jodoin is doing with Trotter this year, I'd have to see the games. But there was an obvious move with Desharnais last year to put him in the "Plekanec Role" for the Bulldogs before he was called up. Cunneyworth and co were matching him against the other teams' top line every night. It was only after he was called up that White got that job... and finally Engqvist after White's callup. Desharnais is actually pretty good defensively given his faults. His positioning, his anticipation, his stick work, all of that is fine defensively. The one thing that hurts him is size and strength.... he loses puck battles and down low containment because of that. Its why he's a good PKer (can play high, use his positioning and stick work) while not a good defensive centre (more down low work against the cycle) and why i think his ultimate position will be as a winger (more covering the point up high). On the other hand Trotter doesn't have the defensive zone awareness, nor the positioning and stick work to be as effective as Desharnais. He's a bit bigger, but still small by NHL standards. Can he learn better defensive zone play? Thats a good challenge for Jodoin.

I'd rather swap Nashville.... much closer to the South East division geographically (only ~100 miles west of where Atlanta used to be).

Agreed I don't see him having enough skill to be a top 6er. So the question is, can he learn enough defense to be the 10-15 goal third liner I mentionned. I should also note, that I see a big change in the way the NHL is going. Think about the following players. Plekanec, Mike Richards, Jordan Staal, Eric Staal, Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kesler, Patrice Bergeron, Stephen Weiss, Mikko Koivu, Jeff Carter, Mike Fisher, David Backes, Joe Thornton, etc.... What do they all have in common? They are either 1st or 2nd line offensive centres on their team, who are also trusted by their coach to handle the "shut down" matchup against the other team's top line. I think there is much more emphasis on 2 way play in the top 6, and a belief that a good offence is a necessary part of an effective defence. So the third line is not going to be a Carbo/McPhee, or Jarvis/Gainey style line anymore. I see more and more teams going to a top 9/bottom 3 philosophy. So while Trotter has to improve his D to make the NHL, I don't think he needs to make it to a Selke level either to make the league. What is passable on the third line has changed.

I've watched this guy a lot in the AHL, and I've said this before on other boards. He's the AHL version of Mike Cammalleri. Terrific shot (especially onetimer).... natural goalscorer, but has other good offensive skills like hands, passing and decent enough skating; but he has the same warts as Cammy... hes small, not physical, and not selke worthy defensively. So what does that mean... could he be a "poor man's Cammy" in the NHL.... a 15-20 goal third line guy? I don't know, but I'd like to see him get a chance at some point. That said... Palushaj was better in camp and earned this callup.

Yes in halftime primetime.

Hunters tell Tinordi that they want him on the ice 25-30 minutes per game, and that he needs to make sure to pick his spots for fighting this year. No more fighting against 2 minute per game goons. http://www.lfpress.com/sports/knights/2011/10/10/18806141.html

Moen being there is probably very short term. But he had a goal and an assist last game... Plekanec had 3 points. Leave them together for now, we all know it won't work forever, but leave them together for the short term, and when it stops producing make changes then.