The Boston Bruins won the cup last night which was a disappointment to me as I was really hoping Vancouver would pull through. I should also note that I generally harbor no love for the Bruins…. but seeing as I am a huge fan of NHL hockey, I enjoy the sport. But whatever. Congrats.

All in all though after watching many games in this year’s 2011 edition of the NHL Playoffs, I still have to go back to the opening round and say that for me the best most entertaining series was the Canadiens vs the Bruins. It had intensity, back and forth hockey, goaltending… it had it all. Game 7 overtime…. etc.

Finally, congrats to some of the people in Vancouver for showing us your drunken stupor…. I seriously doubt many of you participated in that riot were actually die hard Canucks / NHL fans…. and more so just fans of the “drunken stupor”…. May you who participated see it for what it really was with sober sight.

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Never count your chickens before they hatch….

I’m not sure if the Bruins players heard or believed the hype about their chances in winning this series, but if they believed it at all they may have succumb to the danger that follows…. that being a sense of entitlement.

That would just be an assumption on my part. I have no idea what the Bruins players were thinking going into the series. I do have an idea of how they feel after 2 games though…. that being disappointed.

Truth be told, the Canadiens have out played them in 2 games. They’ve been outworked. The Habs have been on so many of the loose pucks and have won so many of the battles along the boards.

There is no substitute for hard work.

Finally, here’s a post-game interview with PK Subban on Versus.

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First off, I’d like to say congrats to the Philadelphia Flyers on their win and the trip to the finals. It stings a bit because the Habs were battling as a team so well.

But credit to the Flyers and Peter Laviolette for the way they played the Canadiens. I thought they played a very different game plan then the Penguins and Capitals did.

The big difference was that they didn’t seem to concentrate so much on “scoring goals”.. or how to beat Halak. They collapsed defensively much better then both the Pens and Caps. They played a better defensive game against the Canadiens.

And they battled hard for loose pucks in front of their net.

Canadiens had the early momentum tonight by scoring that early goal…. but when Richards came out with a break while Halak came out…. there was a costly defensive error… Hamrlik hits into Halak…. they struggle to get up…. Richard scores.

Momentum shifted.

Playoffs, much more so then the regular season, are games of momentum, confidence, work ethic… belief….

Again, congrats to the Flyers.

I’m very satisfied with how the Canadiens battled to make it to the 3rd round. Would have loved to see them win the series?? YES!!

Win it all?? YES!!

But I’m not and have never been a “wagon jumper”. I’m looking forward to seeing if there are signings made, draft day, and “UFA season”.

My interest never dies.

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But from all accounts it seemed to be a pretty hard fought game for the Habs.

Here was Sportsnet’s coverage of the highlights.

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After the way the season went with injuries and then the line juggling in the lineup…. the seeming lack of simple coaching moves like taking a time out… I’m almost amazed at how the Canadiens have looked after 6 games against the mighty Washington Capitals.

Coming into this series I had no doubt in my mind that the Capitals could be beaten. I’m not gonna tell you I would have bet on it at the time but I certainly did believe they could be beat.

Washington’s biggest weakness is their defense.

They finished off the season with a 2.77 goals against average which ranked them 16th in the league. While they boast being a powerhouse offensive team you’ll often hear something about winning in the playoffs. Defense.

The New Jersey Devils would choke their opponents not so long ago… the Detroit Red Wings were also masters at controlling the puck.

The Canadiens were not a good defensive team this season. They were right at the bottom at 5 on 5 hockey. They did however spend a huge chunk of the season without key players. Markov, Gionta, Cammalleri, Gill…

The team struggled along and made the playoffs. In these playoffs they pretty much have their lineup as it was projected at the start of the year…. with a few minor tweeks here and there of course. So they’ve finally got their skilled puck moving players running on all gears… they’ve got their defensive players running on all gears. They’ve got a goaltender who’s gained a heck of alot of confidence.

What could this team have accomplished had there been a fraction of the injuries?

The team is playing some defense around the net. It was very frustrating watching teams falling all over Price and Halak this season. Now in these playoffs you’ve had O’Byrne logging some ice along side Markov…. a big physical d-man who is clearing more room in front of Jaro… and one of the greatest puck moving defensemen in the game today in Andrei Markov to move the puck out.

You’ve also got Stanley Cup champion Hal Gill who played a huge role in the Penguins Cup run… as a shut down guy. Hal Gill has been great. He’s used his long reach perfectly, his body is somehow always in the opponent’s way or he chokes up passing and shooting lanes with that long reach.

Josh Gorges, who’s been Gill’s partner in crime, seems to be playing some of the best hockey in his young career as well. What I’ve really enjoyed is how both Gorges and Gill have shown patience, trust in one another and they’ve made simple plays to move the puck out of the zone when needed. You don’t need to do anything fancy to win hockey games. Something I’ve also noticed is that although Gill doesn’t throw huge punishing hits, he uses his big body well enough that he can bump someone off the puck without having to throw the big hit.

You don’t have to kill someone against the boards to get the puck away from them. As long as your team gains possession, that’s all that matters.

So we’re gonna witness a game 7 in a series where most people had written the Habs off early.

Well done guys!

Go Habs Go!

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P.K. Subban has been recalled from the Hamilton Bulldogs for this all important game 6 in the first round of the 2010 NHL playoffs.

Habs face elimination tonight against Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals. The game is in Montreal.

The Bell Center will likely exploded with energy. Habs weren’t really expected to win the Capitals but in the course of this series they’ve shown some good things against the Caps… and that the Caps can certainly be beaten.

P.K. Subban has become a fan favorite without barely scratching the ice in Montreal. He’s a great young prospect who’s had an incredible year in Hamilton. Always enthusiastic and upbeat P.K. will certainly bring lot’s of energy in the lineup. I expect that the crowd will show him some love tonight…. think we’ll hear some “PK” chants? I do.

Subban has 18 goals and 35 assists in 77 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs this year. He’s got great skating and puck moving skills and can play a physical game.

In my opinion, the Canadiens have nothing to loose in bringing him up being that they’re down 3 games to 2 and had a sub par performance by MA Bergeron in the last game. Although I don’t think Subban will be the savior for the series I think this is a great opportunity for him to get a taste of the pressure cooker in a Montreal Canadien’s playoff game… facing elimination.

Here’s the official press release!

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One recurring theme this season is the constant back and forth from many fans about who they’ve thought can and will prevail in goal for the Montreal Canadiens. While everyone probably has a favorite sometimes this “debate” has gotten ugly.

But the point of this little blog article isn’t really to go there. Instead, I want to once again state something that to me seems quite obvious.

This team won’t get far without playing stronger team defense. Name your goaltender…. even pick names like Roy, Brodeur or Tretiak….

The point is that time and time again this season I’ve seen some “same old” situations. Say like the other night…. on Monday night.

Montreal VS Washington. Game 3. The Habs are pushing hard…. then what happens?? Spacek ends up diving on a play… sliding into Halak… pushing him into his net… the puck goes in. Can’t really fault Halak on that one?

This theme has played itself out all year. You can’t fault either goaltender for alot of those kinds of plays all season long…. and as for a goalie’s confidence… well, if you were in goal and hung out to dry often by your team’s defensive play… you’d probably shrug your shoulders too. I mean, what the hell can you do about it being in goal. You can’t really make defensive hockey plays for your guys and you obviously can’t score any goals to help even up the score. (I’ll get back to team defense in a minute)

Now… game 3… fast forward to Halak getting pulled… and Price comes in.

This very scenario plays out again for the 4th goal of the game. What happens?

MA Bergeron (I believe, correct me if I’m wrong) attemps to clear the puck out of the Habs defensive zone…. it’s picked off… Caps have a couple of guys in close…. Price is left to clean up the mess.

And yet, some people will want to blame him for that goal. What’s up people?

Team defense…. if you speak with alot of coachs…. will be credited for winning games. Maybe even the Stanley Cup.

Now, back to the Canadiens team defense. Something that I have to say is that at times in this series I’ve been impressed. Why have I been impressed? Let’s put it in context.

Washington is the best offensive team in the league. There is not another team that can score goals like they can. Yet, the Habs defensive play at times have managed to shut them down. It can be said that maybe the Caps were just playing bad. But I don’t buy that. It’s happened for several long stretches that the Habs have dominated play. They obviously had a game plan and at times executed that plan to a T.

Gainey was heavily criticized for signing a couple of these guys too…. Spacek and Gill. They’ve played great hockey. Not perfect. But they’ve managed to put their sticks and/or bodies in the way of the likes of Ovechkin and co. Which is no small task.

Seems to me that this really is Hal Gill’s time of year. As I watched game 3, I was really impressed with many small things that he was doing with that long reach of his… and sometimes even though he didn’t crush his opponent with bone breaking hits… he would simply bump them out of position…. which is essentially a sound defensive hockey play. Gill has also taken up alot of real estate in front of his goaltender blocking many shots. Credit him for his strong play in these playoffs. I can see how valuable he was in Pittsburgh for their cup run.

I believe Washington has a game plan against both these guys. Something to watch for when Price is in goal. The Caps forwards will be crashing the crease more. You’ll see bodies falling on him more then you’ll see them falling on Halak. Jacques Martin and co need to find an effective way to clear these guys out.

In my mind there really is no goaltending debate at all. Both of these young guys have shown over the last couple of years that they have the ability to steal a game or 2 or 3. But experience also shows that they cannot be counted upon for a series win or playoff birth. Even back in 1993 when Roy was in the pipes…. the Habs had some other players making waves in that playoff run.

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Tonight…. in just a couple of hours The Montreal Canadiens will play game one against the Washington Capitals.

I suppose one could look at an 8th seed team and automatically write them off as they face such a high powered offense in Washington. Not only Washington’s high powered offense, but the once Habs net minder Jose Theodore who’s been playing VERY well the last few months….. his season started with such tragedy and he’s played some very inspired hockey this year.

I was heartbroken for you Jose…. but I’m glad you’ve had a strong season.

Now going back to the Habs. I don’t really “expect” them to win. The Capitals are clearly the more high powered offense and they also have bigger bodies. I would personally say that both these team’s defense are basically a wash. Neither were among the top in goals against this year.

Montreal finished 13th in goals against and Washington at 16th.

Both teams also boast some very talented offensive defensemen in Andrei Markov and Mike Green.

But I believe there is definitely some hope for the Habs!

There are 2 great young goaltenders who in any given game can steal one for you. Now keep in mind that they’d be stealing one against the most high powered team in the league.

I also think that this team is just now… for the most part generally healthy. Mike Cammalleri is back… This is the time of year you want to click. The Habs have won these Capitals…. Tomas Plekanec performs well against these Caps….

The playoffs are always slightly different. You get to play your opponent at least 4 times in a row. This should give your coach a chance to try some things….. I would be changing it up as needed. Really feel out your opponent.

Now something that I’ve seen the Canadiens do this year and I’m not sure if it’s a true coaching strategy….. is sit on a lead. A 1 goal lead? Try to get through the game from about the second period on to win the game? Not a strategy I’m a fan of. Push for the second goal.

This Capitals team is not the team you want to play against trying to sit on a lead….. they will barbecue you, burn you… and throw you out without eating you.

So please, what I’d love to see is a hard fought game. I wouldn’t say “run and gun”…. there’s just no easy way to win this series if you’re the Canadiens. You’re matched up against a strong team.

But, push offensively as the Caps aren’t the strongest defense….. and play hard…. play hard and try to draw penalties.

The power play COULD become an important asset in this series.

Here’s a great blog article over at Lions in Winter on why the Habs could win this series.

Go Habs Go!

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