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.

Trade Looming with the Canucks?

It was recently reported that a number of Vancouver scouts and the assistant GM were in attendance for the Atlanta game on Tuesday night. It is believed that the Canucks are looking for a top six forward to improve upon their pitiful offense.

I can't see Montreal trading away a top six forward to improve on their team because they are stacked in net, and their young defence is coming along quite well. I can't see Montreal even considering a trade with the Canucks at this point but maybe Gainey has a plan that no one can figure out.

This sounds like nothing more than a rumour, but only time will tell.

Price Starting at Home for the first Time

Well Carey Price has officially started his first game in the NHL at home in Montreal. It seems as though he will continue to play with his cool, calm, and collected nerves. It ensures consistency.

There is no doubt that Gainey and Carbo are grooming Price for the starters position. The question is, when will this 'Change of the Guard' begin? Is Huet going to get traded before the trade deadline?

I would argue that if Huet and Price continue to play they both are now and no injuries plague either players, I predict that Huet will complete the year in Montreal. However, if Price gets hot, and starts a number of games in a row, watch out, you might see Huet dealt to a team that has an injury or a team that is lacking goaltending....possibly the leafs?

The bottom line is that Price is going to be the future of the Habs and Price is going to be good enough to take the Habs to the big dance during his career.

Habs Tickets....

I have been waiting since last September to get Habs tickets as I was late last year to logging into the ticket site and they were all gone for the games I tried. This year, I was not going to be left out again.

I live in Kitchener, Ontario so the game needed to be on a Saturday, and it needed to be after Christmas as I have too many obligations before Christmas. I narrowed it down to a games against Washington, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. Pittsburgh was my first choice as I would love to see Crosby and Malkin skate up and down the rink with my own eyes. Unfortunately, the tickets for Pittsburgh were all gone in a matter of minutes. I had three computers refreshing when 12:00 hit to login and I still couldn't get the tickets I wanted.

I had to settle for the Washington game on January 5th. It was my third choice, but I am still super excited. I look forward to seeing Ovechkin and Semin, but mostly, to see Montreal light up the Caps.

I will be in the white seats and can hardly wait and will post all about the game.

Cheers!