Montreal 2 Toronto 3 SO (Air Canada Centre)
Many say that the best way to see a game is live. Normally, I would agree. But I had no interest in being at the Air Canada Centre tonight. Instead, I watched the game with more than 50 of the most enthusiastic Canadiens’ fans you’d ever want to meet.
It was thrilling.
Members of the Habs’ community that have spent most games together this season via Twitter made the leap to get together in person. For many, they were meeting face-to-face for the first time. I think it’s fair to say, it won’t be the last.
It was a diverse group with a common passion for the Canadiens. Some had travelled great distances for the shared experience of meeting to support their team. Now only if they could have transferred some of the energy in the room to the Canadiens on the ACC ice.
I suppose that we can trot out the cliches: ‘Habs played down to their opposition’; ‘they looked rusty’; ‘no sense of urgency’; and ‘Leafs had nothing to lose’.
But the bottom line is the Canadiens missed a golden opportunity to pick up two points against a team that is next to last in the entire league. Given the Habs’ light workload this week and a chance to leap past conference rivals, one expected them to come out with jump. Instead, it was an uninspired effort.
During their winning streak, the Canadiens had dominated the neutral zone by creating turnovers to help generate offense. Tonight there was a lack of puck support. As assistant coach Perry Pearn noted, the players were too often trying to make things happen in isolation.
The Canadiens were back to being a one-line threat. Brian Gionta scored both Habs’ goals with Scott Gomez assisting twice. Benoit Pouliot picked up an assist on a nifty behind-the-back chip for Gionta’s goal in the last minute of the third period.
The Canadiens’ once-vaunted power-play was dismal against a weak Leaf’s penalty-killing team. The Hab’s were 1-for-6 with the man advantage. They squandered a four minute opportunity while Jamie Lundmark was off for high-sticking without getting a quality scoring chance.
The Leafs scored on their one power-play chance with Josh Gorges caught reaching for the puck.
It’s fair to say that Jaroslav Halak wasn’t at his best. Rebound control was a problem and he was out of position on Phil Kessel’s go-ahead goal. Halak was beat on all three shots in the shootout.
And as you might imagine, the group I was with lived and died on every shot in the shootout.
A disappointing ending, you say? Sure it was. But despite this being a lackluster game on the ice, it was thoroughly exciting way to watch a game.
I’m sure we’ll do it again.
Upcoming is a four-game week for the Canadiens with the next game at the Bell Centre against the Ottawa Senators.
Rocket’s three stars
1. Brian Gionta
2. Nikolai Kulemin
3. Tyler Bozak
special mention: Scott Gomez
Player quotes from wire services were used in this report.
(photo credit: AP)
I thought that Halak played a good game making more then a few nice saves. If you would, could you explain this rebound control to me, I don`t understand that phrase at all, is it something you heard from the talking heads on TSN or the CBC? If a player takes a shot on a goalie from 15 feet out and the shot hits the goalies pads, it`s bound to rebound out, I don`t understand how you can blame the goalie for where the rebound goes as most of the time the goalie is just trying to make the save let alone direct the rebound. I thought you said you played goalie before? I`ve played for over 30 years and have no idea of this rebound control. What are your defense for if not to gather up rebounds and get rid of the puck? Now if the shot comes from the blueline and isn`t too difficult a goalie can direct it to a corner or a player out front so that the player can play it out of your zone but thats not rebound control, thats just good hockey. At any rate, could you clear that up for me please, would hate to think i`m playing wrong after 30 years : )
The ACC was a morgue. Even in that loud pub, you could hear nothing was coming out of the TV but the noise on the rink.
Oh well, at least the tweetup was fun :)
halak wasn't beaten on all 3 shoot out attempts. kassel missed his attempt.
That was quite the uninspiring game for sure. I was saying before that Toronto is like a vortex of hockey fail and if you get caught up in it, you're doomed.
Anyway… the tweetup was fun! =)
Hi wendell. I simply meant that Halak didn't make a save in the shootout. Kessel's shot beat him cleanly and it went off the crossbar. Kulemin's shot was a goal stick side and Halak overplayed Mitchell's deke on the winning goal.
Anon, I don't know what to suggest about improving your own goaltending but rebound control is certainly taught in most goalie clinics that I'm aware of. At the NHL level, goaltenders should be able to hold the puck when making a glove save, smother a shot to their body, and kick a pad/stick save to the boards. All comprise rebound control. It's something that Halak has been asked to work on, but hasn't shown any improvement. Some nights are worse than others.
I hope there is no argument that Halak wasn't sharp last night. He lost his position to the net on the Kessel goal, and didn't look good in the shootout.
Having said that, an effective power-play against a weak PK would have covered Halak's soft goal and the game wouldn't have made it to a shootout.
EP31 and Number31, I agree completely about Toronto and the ACC. I haven't a clue what the Leaf fans were excited about after the game.
Glad you enjoyed the tweetup! So did I.
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