Well we still haven’t solved the Canadiens. Interesting group they have on the ice. Plekanec, Koivu and Kovalev are pretty spectacular and when you add Cary Price in the mix you have a very exposive combination. We haven’t beaten this team in forever and this game would be more of the same.

The first 2 periods we pretty much had our way, in hits, shots, face offs and goals. Never mind their power play, we were disciplined and taking it to them on every level. But something was really off. They seemed to be taking our measure. Playing us just enough to keep up (much like WG complains that we usually do… waiting to feel the opponent out, responding rather than initiating). All of us conspiracy theorists at the patio table during intermission kept saying the Canadiens were laying back… well turns out the tin foil hats were right.

With no goals scored in the first due to some excellent goaltending on both sides and only 1 penalty each, both teams seemed to be evenly matched. I thought it might come down to a goalie pissing contest and could only hope Telly was up for another crazy shoot out kinda night.

But early in the second Plekenec got loose and drew first blood for the Habs. 1 - 0 was not where we wanted to be with 35 minutes left to play. and we managed to convert Lapierre’s 4 minute high stick into an answering goal. 1 - 1 game on the Doan from Mules and Jovo PP. Unfortunately no matter that we threw 16 more shots at Price (some of them top quality) and Lapierre got a second 4 minute trip to the box giving us a wonderful chance to take the lead, it was a no go.

The third is when the trouble started. Even though my baby boy Z was having a horrible game he managed to pinch in at the best possible moment to pick up a Mueller deflected puck and snap it right through Price’s force field. Really good screen from the big PM and we take the lead on an ugly angled wing and a prayer shot. That really should’ve been the GWG but we got over anxious and the Habs took us out behind the woodshed. With Boynton and DMo losing their cool and Perrault’s phantom hooking (hey I didn’t see it and if you have a replay that shows it let me know) the Habs were able to unleash that deadly (25% accuracy) PP everyone keeps talking about. Koivu and Markov tie the game up then take back the lead within 4 minutes on seriously devastating PP goals. 3 -2 with another 10 minutes to go.

You would think that in 10 minutes we could generate something… but that’s only if you could take the sunburned lil rookie out of the Habs net. Price looked really good in spite of scrums and screens, the kid hung on like a lil pit bull.  Then we completely lost our lil minds (Vrbata at the blue center ice and Yentle at D on the right…. no one on the left side at all...) one of those Kostityn boys got loose (no one even saw him back there… was the bench not screaming watch your back? I sure was, I think I broke my voice box) Higgins manages to corral a huge rebound and send it to the all alone Sergei and then break with him past a flat footed Vrbie and Yandle… 2  on none… poor Telly. 4 - 2 Habs.

We got frustrated and we took a couple more penalties… ughhh like the Habs needed to show us again how a ‘real’ PP is supposed to look. But we managed to not give up a 5th goal, but not by much. A totally undisciplined 3rd period killed us. WG says we shot ourselves in the foot… I say we pretty much shot ourselves somewhere much more vital.

But hold the suidui hotline people we are not out of anything yet. We didn’t get eliminated by this loss. We are still sittin at 10th with 73 points, right behind VAN at 76 (we play VAN 2 more times so we can get some breathing space there when we win) and only 5 points out of that last spot (NSH & COL are tied for the 7th & 8th berths w/ 78 points each) its tuff but doable. COL is ailing again and so is NSH to a more minor degree which may allow some other teams to take advantage of them and help us out.

OTT is up next in the schedule and with Alfie out, they have been struggling, its DTD but we can hope he’ll be out past Saturday can’t we? We need to take advantage of their woes and nail this game in regulation decisively. The lines are back together and the ice is marginally better, let’s hope TGO’s lil plan to start the day at the Renaissance hotel (like an away game would start) pans out. We could use a little road magic at the Job. BTW - Enver Lisin was practicing today, he was on the wing with Rhino and Vrbata and looks like he’ll see some action on Saturday!

Let’s Go Coyotes!

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