Hamrlik or Souray?

With the season close to 1/4 of the way through, I feel confident to say that Hamrlik was a better choice for a top two defenceman than was Souray. This statement has nothing to do with the fact that Souray has only played a handful of games.

I enjoyed Souray on the Habs. One of my favorite things about Souray was his mean streak and his strength for protecting himself and his teammates. There was the fight against Darrin McCarty in which Souray absolutely demolished him. McCarty left bloodier than any fight I could remember. Souray's shot was also something to dream of. However, Montreal tried too much to get Souray the puck on the point.

This years powerplay seems much more balanced. They are using Markov more effectively, who is leading the NHL in goals for a defenceman, Streit, and all the forwards. It makes it much harder for a team to defend against because they have multiple weapons.

Now lets look at Hamrlik. He is not as offensive as Souray, but he is a good quarterback with the puck. He moves the puck out of the zone and logs big time minutes. His under rated strength is his defensive ability. We all remember the Spezza around Souray goal. I don't expect to see any of those with Hamrlik. He is strong 1 on 1 and knows where to be.

So, I wish the best of luck to Sheldon, but must admit, Hammer time is a good replacement.

Habs Win a Big one Against Boston

In a fight filled, high scoring game, the Canadiens beat the Bruins 7-4. There was some pretty tense moments in the game like when Assistant Coach Kirk Muller wanted to fight ex-coach Julien but the team stuck together and stood up for each other and destroyed them scoring 7 goals.

The scoring was pretty balanced and it was nice to see Ryder get two assists coming off a goal in a terrible game for the team against Buffalo. Montreal will be much stronger if they can get Ryder going.

This was an important game for the Canadiens because they needed to shake the attitude and effort that went into the game on Friday night against the Sabres where they came out flat and never really got going. This Habs team continues to surprise people as people are waiting for this team to fold like they have in past seasons. The one thing that they have going for them that they don't have last year is that they have two very good goalies and they are both healthy so far.

We shall see but I looking for a top 6 finish in the east.

Habs Win!!! Komisarek Scores in OT

The Habs beat the Leafs tonight 4-3. My prediction was 4-2 but 4-3 is pretty close. Komisarek had a great game and finished off with an overtime break away goal to win the game.

Kovalev had an outstanding game along with Kosty and Pleks. Price played a great game with 40 shots although the top line with Koivu, Higgins, and Ryder was mostly ineffective. The Canadiens will need productivity from this line going into the all star break to ensure that the playoffs are reached.

Time to make fun of all those Leaf fans you know!!

Leafs Tonight...Price vs. Raycroft

The Habs face the Leafs tonight in the most storied rivalry in all of sports. For Montreal, they have young hot shot Carey Price in net while the Maple Leafs counter with under achieving Andrew Raycroft.

I would look for the Canadiens to use their speed to over power the slow moving Leafs. With Kubina injured, expect McCabe and Kaberle to get over worked and likely run out of gas. Montreal will look to lay a spank down early after the weekends collapse to the Senators. I expect Kovalev will have a great game as he was mostly ineffective in the game with the Senators. I would look for one of his patented wrist shots from the outside hash marks in the top of the net.

Ryder is also due and if he can get some shots quick and one scores, expect the flood gates to open right up and the Habs to ride that momentum. Ryder is getting chances, he just needs to put the puck in the net and give the Canadiens another dangerous weapon up front.

The Habs will have to rely heavily on Komi and Markov to contain Mats Sundin, the Leafs only real threat. If Sundin is contained, Price could pull out some good numbers.

My prediction is a 4-2 win for the Habs.

Vinny Lecavalier to the Habs?

Higgins Scores 40 Goals This Year?

I recently read an interview with Chris Higgins and he stated that he was capable of scoring 40 goals this year. I have no reason not to doubt him as he is showing that he has the potential.

In his first campaign as a rookie he showed lots of potential and lit the light 23 times. In his second season he was able to put the puck in the net 22 times, although it should be known that he missed a quarter of the season due to injury. This year, Higgins is looking healthy and is playing the best hockey I have ever seen him play.

His play seems to be elevated by confidence which could stem from greater respect from the organization, which can be demonstrated by his 'A' on his sweater. Higgins seems to be playing a stronger, more physical game which is leading to more scoring chances and more shots. His energy level has been raised and he is showing more comfort in his stick handling abilities. He is getting more and more shots which can only translate into goals.

We can only hope for a full season of Higgins and I think that he is being groomed to be the next Captain on the Montreal Canadiens. As for 40 goals, we will just have to wait and see.

Another Divisional Game

After a dissapointing loss to the Leafs in a game where they really didn't show a lot of energy or enthusiasm, the Habs seem to be doing a good job versus the Sabres. Huet was looking much better after a less than good game on Saturday night.

The score is currently 1-0 Canadiens and they seem to be getting lots of chances to score. The goal that they did score was a perfect pass from Kosty and a nice play by Pleks to squeek it under the goalie.

This is a very important game for the Canadiens as it is another divisional game which seems to mean that it is another must win game. Besides from the Senators, the conference is going to be a nail biter.

Here's hoping for a great third period....

Be Glad We are not the Leafs

This morning I think we should be happy that we are not the Leafs and that we are not being managed by JFJ. When we look at the Leafs minor league team, the Marlies, you don't see many players who look like they will ever make it up to the big leagues and have productive careers. The one guy who might do something is Justin Pogge, but his hype has dropped off since his world junior accolaides.

When we look at the Bulldogs, and I live in Kitchener so I have seen a number of Bulldog games, we have lots of good young talent. Look at our lineup on Thursday night, we had five of our home grown First round picks in the line up.

When we look at our potential stars in the making, we can include the likes of Sergie K., who likes like he will likely be better than his older brother Andrei. Who else do we have?

Ryan O'Byrne
JP Cote
Pavel Valentenko
Corey Locke
Janne Lahti
Maxim Lapierre
Matt D'Agostini
Jonathan Ferland
Duncan Milroy

I am not saying that all these guys are going to make it big in the NHL, but what if 1 out of 3 make it to have successful NHL careers? That gives the Habs a wealth of talent to pull from and a lot of opportunities to trade some of there young talent to pick up that final piece of the puzzle.

The Leafs have traded away all of their draft picks in the past so that they now have for the most part, and team of old men, and a farm system that has been depleted from years of abuse, and no cups to show for it.

Times are looking good for the Canadiens, but the Leafs appear to be heading into another 40 years of cuplessness.

Stanley Cup Underdog?

After watching last nights game against the Flyers, I went to bed with a feeling that the Habs could possibly be one of the most under rated teams in the NHL. The game against the flyers, who are doing pretty well, was domination. The game was not even close.

Kovalev scored on of his famous goals. He scored the exact same goal against the Thrashers. He is hot, he is playing well, and he is playing well defensively. Hopefully Ryder finds his stride because Koivu and Higgins are playing great and generating tons of offence.

There are not too many people who predict a team like the Canadiens to make any noise in the playoffs but who gave Edmonton a chance two years ago? The Habs are built for speed and smart defence. They try hard and they are playing with confidence. Those are most important when the playoffs come around.

They simply need to keep trying hard and don't let there great start end up like last season where they fell apart after Christmas. But this team is different than last year, they are older, more responsible, and are being led by a coach who has a little bit more experience.

Next spring should be exciting.

Ryder Writing His Own Ticket Out of Town?

Coach Guy called out Ryder today stating that Ryder is a shooter and getting one shot a game is unacceptable. Ryder currently has 2 goals this year and is clearly off to a bad start. Being the Habs highest goal scorer the last two years, Montreal's offence would be much more potent with an effective Ryder.

In my last post I mentioned that the Canucks were looking for a top six forward. Could they possibly looking for a guy like Michael Ryder? I believe it is possible. However, what would Vancouver be able to offer? Montreal needs goal scoring and you don't get scoring by trading a goal scorer.

The simple fact still remains, Ryder has signed to one year contracts in a row so I don't see Ryder having any more years in Montreal after this one. But if this season continues as it started for Ryder, he is going to have trouble signing a big contract.