The other night as most people have seen, Travis Moen got Cullen’s skate to the forehead…. causing a really nasty cut and lots of blood.

I could help but go back to that moment all game long. Maybe that fact was made easier by the seeming lack of effort that the Habs showed on the ice.

My very best wishes go out to him.

Travis had a streak going this year. He was one in 3 players who had worn the Habs uniform in every season game (along with Plekanec and Gorges who probably should have missed one due to blocking a slap shot with his head).

Here are the game highlights from the Montreal Canadiens vs the New Jersey Devils played on December 17th 2009.

I missed the first period of play as I was at my daughter’s Christmas concert. (She did very well!)

Something the Canadiens have to improve on is the penalties they take. Again last night they took bad penalties which always puts them behind the 8 ball. While their penalty kill has been good this year (currently 8th in the league) it’s certainly not a reason to play shorthanded. Even when your only goal comes short handed (Travis Moen scored Montreal’s goal shorthanded).

Last night wasn’t the most exciting hockey in the world…. lot’s of shut down style defense. In the end though the one thing that sticks in my mind is New Jersey’s first goal. A long shot that was going way over the net…. Price puts his glove up…. the puck hits his glove, goes directly on the right side post…. bounces up to his feet…. where the puck then hits Carey’s skate as he skates back…. and the puck goes into the net.

Bad.

Here are the game highlights:

But I suppose that even though Price did let in a stinker… every goaltender will occasionally let one in. Even the great Patrick Roy let in the occasional stinker.

You can also find the game stats here:

Game Summary

Event Summary

Facoffs Report

Full play by play

TOI Devils

TOI Canadiens

Roster Report

Shot Report

Coming into tonight I’ve seen positives and negatives in the previous 5 games. The Avalanche should provide a very formidable opponent. They’ve got some great young talent and their taking off.

Here’s what I’ll be looking for tonight:

Gomez and Gionta
From the line combinations that we saw in the last couple of days it appears that these 2 guys will be paired up together. Trying to get them going together is nothing but a good idea in my opinion. Gionta always seems to find a way to get open for a shot and Gomez can really pass the puck. Should be a good combination.

Travis Moen
I could have added Moen with Gomez and Gionta… as he will likely play on the top line tonight but I didn’t… (hey, it’s my blog!) I thought Moen was rather invisible in the pre-season and so far in the first 5 games I saw the type of player we’ve been lacking in Montreal for some time. Moen will surely be trying to create some space for Scott and Brian as well as going to the net where he could pick up a couple of goals off of Brian Gionta rebounds. And throwing some good hard hits….

I love Moen’s play so far… can be hard nosed, go to the net.. crash the net… throw the hit.. drop the gloves…. Keep it up!

Cammalleri+Plekanec+A.Kostitsyn
Maybe having Cammalleri teamed up with Plekanec will bear fruit tonight…. both of those guys have been working really hard through the first 5 games. Both of them have been putting up decent shots on goal… and I think it’s just a matter of time before we see them net a few together. Andrei Kostitsyn…. I really hope he can find some kind of a groove with both Mike and Tomas… AK is loaded with talent and possesses a killer shot. Hope this line clicks tonight. The Bell Center would explode if this line shines.

Carey Price
I’m looking for a strong show from Price tonight, home opener, new mask… new beginning really. BUT… Let’s hope the defense looks stronger in front of Carey this evening as a few games seemed to show a slightly confused defensive system…. but we’re only the 6th game of the season.

Shawn Belle
Although I don’t think Belle will score a hat trick or anything miraculous… I believe Belle will provide a different kind of spark then Weber had.

Where Weber almost looked a bit timid at times, like seeing him avoid a hit and loose the puck in the corner…. Belle will play a much more solid defensive game. He should be able to clear a bit of room in front of Carey and I’m looking for him to want to impress with some solid checks, physical play (in general) and also some simple passes out of his own zone.

I was also kind of impressed with an interview by Belle…. you can find the interview here on the HABSInside/Out website.

Kyle Chipchura
Kyle doesn’t have to do a whole lot except play hard and make some nice simple plays while playing physically. And there’s also one other aspect where he has been playing well…. Chipchura’s been doing well on the faceoff. So let’s hope that trend continues.

Those are some of the things I’ll be watchin’ for tonight.

I’m also hoping that the “boo birds” stay home.

The Canadiens have had 2 big injuries and 1 minor injury in their first 2 games and thankfully last night everyone made it out ok!

Here’s a few thoughts on some ups and some downs so far (in no real particular order).

Ups : Carey Price

All through the summer with all the speculation and chatter about the upcoming season and the questions around all the new players there was another subject kind of floating around.

How would Carey Price play this year?

Now granted, we’re 3 games into the season. There are 79 games left to be played but in his first 2 games Price looked very sharp. He faced a ton of shots in both his games and at the start of the first game, I remember hearing a commentator saying he looked nervous… soon after the rubber was bouncing off of him and he looked composed.

At times his rebound control looked very good.

Downs : Injuries!

So in 2 games the best player on the Team Andrei Markov gets hurt and is out for months… followed by Ryan O’Byrne’s injury.

In a previous article I wrote about Markov I mentioned his offensive production last season… ranking 1st in the league in assists among defensemen and 2nd in overall points among defensive.

Markov is the team’s quarter back and he simply can’t be replaced.

I feel bad for O’Byrne, not that I don’t also feel bad for Markov having been hurt with a major injury, but O’Byrne really seemed to be playing with confidence. Ryan was looking good. Big guy at 6’6 who can skate well for someone his size, long reach and playing physical.

I thought Ryan was poised to have a strong year.

Ups: Georges Laraque, Travis Moen

Many people were calling for Laraque’s head over the summer and going back months into last season.

I thought that if Georges could be healthy he could definitely help the team not just with dropping the gloves every now and then either.

Back when Laraque played in Edmonton I remember watching Oilers games and there were a few things that stuck in my mind about Georges. Yes, one of those things were that if he dropped the gloves he was quite able. But another thing that stuck in my mind was that he could be strong along the boards.

So far, Jacques Martin has played Laraque a fair bit and used him in a couple of different combinations and his play along the boards has been strong. In all 3 games he was able to control the puck along the boards and open up the ice a bit.

Travis Moen is probably one of my favorite players in the lineup. I thought he had a very quiet training camp but since the first game he’s picked it up.

Moen will drop the gloves, he checks well, seems to be well positioned, he will go to the net, block the shots and when he’s banging around the net he seems to have pretty good hands. I remember Tom K could have had about 35 “garbage goals” last year but could rarely capitalize on the chances (Tom…. I love you man)… I suspect Moen will get more of these opportunities then Tom did.

Ups: Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Mike Cammalleri

I’ve been very impressed with the way Gionta has been playing. He seems to find a way to get into openings where he can put a shot on goal. And of course, sorry to use this term again… but he plays big!

Generally, I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from all 3 of these guys. The only thing that I’ve found lacking is that their play hasn’t been consistent. But, to be honest, we’re 3 games in. In last night’s game they were very good in my opinion.

They’ve displayed nice skating, passing and the ability to get shots off.

Downs: The team’s tighter defensive system

Heard lot’s about Martin’s system and how protecting the goaltender was going to be a priority.

The team looked disorganized at times… but see, we’re still just 3 games in. And of course, take away Markov and O’Byrne… you get the picture.

We’re just a few games into the season and really these are just some of my observations in these 3 games. In 10 games the team’s defense and offense could be quite different. There could be greater chemistry and a flow in both the offensive and defensive game… or more of the same.

Who knows??

The only way to find out how it will turn out is to keep watchin’…. and if you’re anything like me you certainly will be watching!

I got to watch a good chunk of Thursday’s game. I missed some of it so I’m not going to write a game recap or anything like that. But there were a few things that I did notice that I thought were worthy of a comment.

I can remember last season, and the season before and etc…. The Montreal Canadiens had a core of players for a good number of years, the veteran guys who weren’t brought back…. some who just up and left.

One thing I found interesting on Thursday night were the penalties. And for the Habs of last year and a few years before… 3 names instantly came to mind.

First off though… I gotta partially ask this question.

Were there any bad penalties for the Canadiens??

I gotta ask that for 2 reasons, 1 if you noticed some, please feel free to comment about them. Because as I mentioned, I did miss a good chunk of the game. 2, it relates to previous seasons.

So, one thing that did come to mind Thursday night watching the Canadiens vs the Leafs was the penalties… Komisarek in particular got me thinking about it.

There were 3 guys who I remember would frustrate me at times with taking bad penalties.

1. Mike Komisarek – I’m not sure if you guys remember, but I seem to remember watching some games where Komisarek would sometimes try to be aggressive, just like he was doing for the Leafs the other night and he would take untimely penalties…. just like he did for the Leafs. But Thursday, it didn’t frustrate me at all… I rather enjoyed it. I was also reminded of some times where he would pinch in the blueline and get beaten to the puck and the result was a bad 2 on 1.

I loved Mike Komisarek in Montreal. But one aspect of his game was when he would take bad penalties.

2. Alex Kovalev – How many times do I remember Alex taking a bad penalty?? Using his stick to slow down an opponent?? Even at the end of a game with the Habs needing to score??? To man times. So frustrating.

3. Sergei Kostitsyn – I seem to remember Sergei taking bad penalties ala Kovalev on several occasions too.

One of the reasons these names came to mind was that none of them were playing for the Habs. 2 are no longer with the team and the 3rd… well… we’re not sure what he’s thinking.

I saw one bad penalty that I remember the other night. Paul Mara taking a penalty while the Habs were already on the PK… resulting on a 5 on 3. Luckily though, the Leafs played with the puck for about 35-40 seconds instead of giving the puck to Montreal….. which would have given them a near 2 minute 5 on 3. But thankfully, Toronto wasn’t paying attention.

If anyone noticed any other bad penalties (by the Habs) please feel free to comment.

There were some good penalties.

Georges Laraque fought Orr. It did send a brief message. And funny enough, Laraque was used effectively in the game while Orr didn’t really play afterwards. Orr only played a total of 1:28. Laraque didn’t play a ton. But he was out there a few shifts in the 3rd.

Travis Moen. Good penalties. Fought Rosehill…. then, Moen was also used throughout the game. Rosehill only played a total of 2:13.

Moen also fought Komisarek… although it would have been nicer to see them square off cleanly… as Komisarek was grappling Travis while he was trying to get up.

The extra penalty on Moen was goaltender interference. That was a good penalty in my opinion. Komisarek bumped Moen as he was skating towards Toskala…. Moen bumps Toskala.

Remember 2 years ago? The Flyers won the Canadiens in the second round…. they were running Price.

Having guys who will go to the net hard is a good thing. It sometimes creates opportunities and it can get the other team’s goaltender off his game. Grit and toughness was one of the criticisms on this team for too long. In that respect, there were some good signs.

Some things that concern me about that first game? Well, it was the first game. But, the biggest concern was the amount of shots on goal.

46-27 for Toronto. That is way way too much. It resembles last season’s numbers and that is bad. But, it’s only game one. So, it’s ok for now.

A positive has to be the play of Carey Price. I thought at the very start he could have been shaky. But as the game went on, Price played very well.

Price is gonna have to be good this year for the Canadiens to have success…. but that also has to be coupled with the team defense being much better then they showed on Thursday.

I’ll bet Martin had that on his list of things to “talk about”.

I had seen the Montreal Canadiens get pushed around a bit too much for my liking and I was sure that Laraque would provide some of the much needed toughness that was plaguing the team the few previous years.

But last season was a disappointment for Laraque, something I’m sure he’s aiming at making better this year.

As far as the media and all the noise coming out of Montreal last season, it seemed as though the team was ready to be better then they had in 2007/2008 when they were the best in the Eastern conference… many were claiming that Gainey’s “5 year plan” would come to fruition and we’d see a great parade in Montreal for the summer of 2009.

Something that wasn’t meant to be.

Laraque was injured most of the year and took some heat from media and fans. I’m sure this didn’t sit well with Mr Laraque.

As last season unraveled, it wasn’t just Laraque who had a subpar year, the entire team seemed to spiral downward and while there were a few positives at the end of last season (like Montreal making it into the playoffs) it appeared as though nothing could be done to turn it around.

This year I’m full of optimism looking at this team. Maybe I am every year…. quite honestly…. because I’m a hockey/Habs nut.

The Montreal Canadiens will have a very different look, a different character and for those who seem to think they’re alot smaller I beg to differ. In fact though some of their acquisitions are a bit smaller there are other acquisitions who help balance it out.

I’m sorry, but I have to say this.

In my opinion George Laraque may be like a new acquisition on this team. Last season, only playing in 33 games and being unhealthy all year he had no impact.

I’m excited to see that he’s healthy and weighing in about 20 lbs less then last season at 245 lbs.. he’s changed his diet, he’s been into Yoga…. I believe that he also knows that he needs to put last season behind him.

Laraque can be an asset on this team, there is no doubt in my mind. The eastern conference has changed a fair bit in recent years. While the Flyers seem to always ice a pretty tough team, the Bruins and the Leafs, 2 of the most hated rivals have gotten much tougher to play against in the last few years (Leafs much recently of course).

I think Jacques Martin will be using Georges Laraque in a way where he can be much more effective then he was used under Carbonneau last season. Instead of having Laraque solely act as a “defender” when somebody takes a run at his teammates, I think Laraque will be engaged in delivering some punishing blows to opposing teams…. maybe provoking them.

Jacques Martin will know how to use his players better then Carbonneau.

Carbonneau was and still is one of my all-time favorite Montreal Canadiens players and always will be. It’s just too bad he got the head coaching job with such little experience.

A healthy Georges Laraque in Montreal this year…. do you think he can make an impact? Do you think Montreal are gonna be tougher to play against physically with a healthy Laraque, Travis Moen, Paul Mara, Hal Gill?

What do you think???

I thought I’d take a look at what we could see individual players achieve in 2009. What career achievements could be made by players on the Habs roster. I haven’t listed all the possible numbers…. but listed many.

So here’s my little preview!

Mike Cammalleri

• Needs 34 games played to reach 400 games played in the NHL
• Has 155 career assists, could break the 200 assist mark
• Has 287 career points, will definately break the 300 point mark

Scott Gomez

• Has 578 career points, will break the 600 point mark
• Has 1914 total shots, will break 2000 shots

Brian Gionta

• Has 473 career games, will break the 500 game mark
• Has 160 career assists, could break the 200 assist mark
• Has 1351 career shots, could break 1500 shots

Andrei Kostitsyn

• Has 186 career games, will break the 200 game mark

Tomas Plekanec

• Has 184 career points, will break the 200 point mark

Glen Metropolit

• Has 338 career games, could break the 400 NHL games played mark

Guillaum Latendress

• Has 82 career points, will break the NHL point mark

Georges Laraque

• Has 667 career games, should break the 700 game mark
• Has 98 career assists, will break the 100 mark.

Travis Moen

• Has 362 career games, will break the 400 game mark
• Has 487 PIM, will break the 500 PIM mark

Andrei Markov

• Has 571 career games, will break 600 game mark
• Has 255 career assists, could break 300 assist mark
• Has 945 shots, will break 1000 shot mark

Josh Gorges

• Has 246 career games, will break 300 game mark

Roman Hamrlik

• Has 1157 career games, will break 1200 game mark in the NHL
• Has 564 career points, could break 600 point mark
• Has 58 career PP goals, should break 60 career PP goals
• Has 2694 shots, will break 2700 career shots

Jaroslav Spacek

• Has 33 career PP goals, could break 40 career PP goals

Paul Mara

• Has 639 career games played, should break 700 games played
• Has 943 career shots, will break 1000 career shots

Hal Gill

• Has 851 career games played, should break 900 games played
• Has 985 career shots, will break 1000 career shots

Carey Price

• Has 93 career games played, will break 100 career games

One of these is Travis Moen.

Travis Moen will likely be the replacement to Tom Kostopoulos… he’s a real team guy who will try to block every shot he can and certainly won’t back down in the rough stuff.

Here’s a taste of Travis squaring off with Carcillo (from Pheonix):

I’ll say it again, because I have said it before, that I’m impressed with the changes that Gainey has been able to make. In a mere few weeks the team has a new coach and coaching staff, a whole new look when it comes to the players on the roster (10 guys not back…. maybe more to come??)…

Unreal.

The addition of Moen goes to address alot of the early comments that the team will once again be too small…. champions aren’t always the biggest team. But Gainey has certainly added some pieces to make sure they’ll be able to mix it up a bit more physically. So those Montreal VS Boston games, Montreal VS Toronto games will be lots of fun.

Plus, Moen has playoff experience. His name is on the cup. I’m not sure how much that really matters… but at least some experts can say that he is a tough customer… and knows what it takes to win.

So, Travis Moen…. welcome to the Montreal Canadiens!