It has been confirmed that Carbonneau will stick with Higgins-Koivu-Kovalev line for the first game of the second round tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. That means that the Kostitsyn brothers will again be centered by Tomas Plekanec.
So basically, there are no line or lineup changes expected tonight. The same team that beat Boston in game 7 is what we will be seeing on the ice tonight against Philadelphia.
It is official!!! Saku Koivu and Francis Bouillon will return to the lineup tonight against the Bruins. This is really good news going in to game 6 of the series tonight in Boston. The Canadiens obviously need a pick-up of some sort and this is it. The return of Koivu should really help out the first line as it gives the Canadiens a much better second line.
Go! Habs! Go!
Here are the line combinations for tonight's first playoff game against Boston:
Alex Kovalev - Tomas Plekanec - Andrei Kostitsyn
Sergei Kostitsyn - Christopher Higgins - Michael Ryder
Steve Bégin - Bryan Smolinski - Tom Kostopoulos
Mathieu Dandenault - Maxim Lapierre - Guillaume Latendresse
Andrei Markov - Mike Komisarek
Roman Hamrlik - Patrice Brisebois
Josh Gorges - Mark Streit
The main surprises are that Mark Streit is on defense, Ryan O'Byrne is out and Mathieu Dandenault is in. Not sure why O'Byrne isn't playing against the Bruins when everyone pretty much expects them to play extremely physical. Oh well, we'll see what happens.
Go! Habs! Go!
Well, if you are a Habs fan, tonight’s game was not good for your life expectancy. In fact, this game was almost as bad as the hideous outing we had against Toronto last weekend.
To a casual fan glancing at the broadcast tonight, it looked like Florida was continually on the power play. Unfortunately, that was not the case as Montreal only took 6 minor penalties. It was simply the Panthers in complete control for the majority of the game.
Who sharpened the Canadiens skates tonight!?! On several occasions guys would fall without anyone touching them. It would not surprise me if Jeffrey Loria had something to do with this!
The game was going so bad that coach Carbonneau started playing BINGO with his lines in the second period. I think Alex Kovalev played with just about every Habs forward tonight.
With Janne Niinimaa out of the lineup, I thought the defence would be stabilized. Guess no one mentioned this to Mark Streit, who probably had his worse game ever in a Habs uniform tonight. Since Francis Bouillon is practicing with the team now, I would be very worried if my name was Mark Streit.
David Aebischer was pulled for the second straight game as Cristobal Huet took over the crease in the 3rd period. It is weird how things change so fast. A couple of weeks ago, it looked like Abby was running away with the number one goaltender spot. Now, he is running away FROM the number one goaltender spot. I would be shocked if Huet did not get the start against the offensive Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday.
On the positive side, the 3rd line led by Radek Bonk had an overall solid outing with some pretty good scoring chances. Huet was very solid coming in to the game cold in the 3rd period. Steve Begin worked very hard. Um, well … that’s about it for the positives.
Random points: Sheldon Souray led the team in ice time with 24:07 while Kovalev led all forwards with 19:02. Guillaume Latendresse led the Habs in shots on goal with 5, but before you get your undies in a bunch (like the RDS announcers every time he touches the puck), note that he was also a –3 with only 12:39 of ice time. Mike Komisarek led both teams with 4 hits.
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Huet! Huet! Huet! Cristobal Huet was in tip-top form for the second straight game. Once again he was especially hot in the first period when Montreal was out shot 15 to 8.
Do the referees have it out for Montreal? Some of the penalties being called are simply ridiculous. It is not just tonight’s game; this has been a trend especially over the last week or so. One of these days Carbonneau is going to lose it and toss a bucket of pucks on to the ice!
Guillaume Latendresse was given an opportunity and I do not think anybody can say he has wasted it. Latendresse is simply getting the job done. The more this goes on, the more difficult it will be for Carbonneau to remove him from the first line when Christopher Higgins returns to the line-up. As I previously posted, I think that Higgins should be paired with Alex Kovalev in hopes of awakening the second line.
The Canadiens power play continues to impress with 3 goals tonight in 9 opportunities. Sheldon Souray added 2 more goals to his defensemen league-leading total of 8. Is Souray on his way to a 30-goal season? Well, if he keeps this pace (which would seem almost impossible), he will net 38 goals!!!
Random points: Sergei Samsonov led all Montreal forwards with an ice time of 19:12. Sheldon Souray had a team high of 6 shots on goal. With an assist tonight, Saku Koivu now has a point in the last 6 games. Mathieu Dandenault made his return to action on the 4th line and led the team with 4 hits!
Huet! Huet! Huet! Once again, Cristobal Huet was very good in nets and kept the Canadiens in the game during the first 30 minutes or so. The Habs were out shot 17 to 7 in the first period.
I am sorry, but it is time for Janne Niinimaa to go. He is currently at -6 and is projected to be -31 on the season. He simply can no longer compete at the NHL level. When he is on the ice, I expect him to take a bad penalty or give the puck away at least once. All I want for Christmas is a Dandenault or a Bouillon!
It is always fun to watch the Canadiens play in another Canadian city and hear the fans cheer the Habs just as loud (or as tonight, louder) than the actual home team. There were even some OLE-OLE chants!
The 3rd line played very well once again. Radek Bonk is a different player this year (guess the weight loss has helped) and Mike Johnson is a great addition so far.
I had my doubts about Saku Koivu and his vision. However, he has put my fears to rest with his impressive play about 1/5th in to the regular season. His assist tonight marks his 475th NHL point.
For a guy with a bad knee, Alex Kovalev can still turn on a dime. I would hate to be a slow/bumbling defenseman (like Niinimaa) and have Kovalev coming towards me one-on-one!
With the awaking of Guillaume Latendresse since his move to the first line, maybe the Canadiens now have a few more options for Christopher Higgins. Sure, Higgins has been a staple on the Koivu line. BUT, the second line is still not where it should be. Higgins might be the catalyst that Kovalev needs!?!
Welcome to the Montreal Canadiens News Blog!
The Canadiens have recalled 21 year-old Andrei Kostitsyn (6' 0", 202) from the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. There were rumors that Maxim Lapierre would be the call up. Kostitsyn has 8 points (1 G, 7 A) in 11 games so far this season with the Bulldogs. In 64 AHL games last season, Kostitsyn racked up 47 points (18 G, 29 A) and 76 penalty minutes. He also took part in 12 games with the Canadiens last season, managing only 3 points (1 G, 2 A).
Mathieu Dandenault practiced with the team on Sunday but will not be playing against Ottawa on Monday. If all goes well over the next few days, Dandenault will likely be in the lineup on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. If this is the case, there is no official word yet as to which of the current six defensemen will be scratched.
Francis Bouillon continues to skate in Montreal. Plans are for him to join the Habs on the current road trip to begin practicing with the team.
Alex Kovalev is playing with a bruised knee. The Canadiens coaching staff is beginning to worry about the injury, but Kovalev will continue to play for the time being.
It will come as no surprise to most fans that Cristobal Huet is scheduled to start against the Ottawa Senators Monday night at the Scotiabank Place. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
