Plus/Minus: All we do is win

I know I haven't written one of these in a couple of weeks. So why not start up again after the Habs have a near-flawless week? ...Am I jinxing them somehow?

PLUS

+ THAT HIT by Lars Eller. Seeing it in person was something else. I don't even have the right reaction gif to express it.

+ David Desharnais' mustache. It is now a proven fact that mustaches make NHL players better at hockey.
+ Ever since I left on vacation, Max Pacioretty has been some kind of wonderful. (See also: Minus.)
+ Brandon Prust and Travis Moen are suddenly scoring goals, and I am very, very okay with that.
+ Apparently some Scandal fans are upset that the show is basically turning into Alias. I don't see how this is a bad thing.

+ I got to my seat at the Bell Centre on Thursday just in time to observe the moment of silence for Nelson Mandela. Apart from one moron who decided to shout incomprehensibly (and get shushed), the arena was quiet. It was really moving to see the organization - and the fans - pay such respect to a man who changed the world. A moment of silence can be hard to come by in one of the league's loudest arenas, and even at that, it seems like a small tribute to a great man. But I'm so happy that the team chose to take a minute and recognize everything he did in his lifetime.

MINUS

- Penguins. Bruins. You all are crazy. Stop kicking and punching everyone in the head.
- Now that Max Pacioretty is scoring goals and taking names, lots of people are saying that the people who wanted him traded have been silenced. Who are these people that wanted him traded? And exactly what illicit substances have they been ingesting?
- The Mindy Project is one of the most watchable comedies on network TV. The fact that it's going on hiatus for three months is a crime. The only upside to this is that it'll be replaced by Brooklyn Nine-Nine, one of the other watchable comedies on network TV. Still, I have no idea how this bodes for Mindy in the long term, and I'm concerned that Fox is sinking a show that seems to be in line with what they want to be as a network.


I hope I'm not jinxing them.

Our 2012 All-Star Draft

You may remember that last year, the Hab It Her Way girls got together and drafted their own All-Star teams, with all the stress of not knowing who to pick. (Parts One and Two, if you're interested.)

Czechtacular and I are giving it another go. This year, we decided to change things up a little bit. We set some ground rules:

• Starting lineups only: 3 forwards, 2 defencemen, 1 goalie.
• No players that were named to the actual All-Star Game.
• And, since we are Habs fans, there has to be at least one short guy on the team.
• We will be drafting one coach each - but he'll be coaching the other person's team.

And here we go:

Team Czechtacular's first pick...

Radim Vrbata, Phoenix Coyotes. Because he has 23 goals, which is fifth-best in the league, and his real All-Star invitation must've gotten lost in the mail but that's okay because mine is prettier.

Kudos to anyone who got the Count of Monte Cristo reference, which I doubt is anybody. But see? Pretty.

Team Rookie's first pick...

Saku Koivu, Anaheim Ducks. Big surprise there, eh? I was hoping he'd be named an All-Star so that I could go to Ottawa and see him again, and not cry.

Team Czechtacular's second pick...

Ilya Bryzgalov, Philadelphia Flyers. Because he's already used to letting a ton of goals in during regular games for the Flyers and having choice quotes about it after the game. But don't worry, on my team he'll definitely have a mic on for the whole experience just in case he wants to inform us more about blonde-girl huskies and/or solar systems.

Team Rookie's second pick...
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames. Because Czechtacular took Bryz away from me, and that is humangas big not cool. Kipper is always great to watch, and I don't get to see him play often enough.

Team Czechtacular's third pick...
Matthew Lombardi, Toronto Maple Leafs. I know, I know. But I waited a whole season to have him back from that concussion and he's mainly here for my version of the Skills' Competition in which he'd zoom away with the Fastest Skater Award anyway, sooooo.

Team Rookie's third pick...

Mason Raymond, Vancouver Canucks. You want fast? Raymond is fast. You're losing that Fastest Skater competition, Team Czechtacular. Sorry. And my picking Raymond now is just a coincidence, because it's a known fact that I put him on my All-Star ballot every year.

Team Czechtacular's fourth pick...

A Magically Healed and Ready for Action Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers. There's nothing in the rules about not being able to stage our version of the All-Star Game in eight weeks, is there? Because like a lot of the Panthers this season, he's been flying under the radar with 24 points, tenth-most in the league among defensemen. Meanwhile, his D partner Brian Campbell gets to be a real All-Star as he spends his break and the next two months or so recovering from knee surgery. I cry foul.

Team Rookie's fourth pick...

Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks. He's the kind of guy you'd want on your All-Star team, representing your league. He'd probably be good for a point or two, and his stats this season are just as good as actual All-Star Ryan Suter's.

Team Czechtacular's fifth pick...

Ladislav Smid, Edmonton Oilers. In my All-Star Game there are hits and blocked shots. Smid is among the league leaders in both categories. And if you're a regular watcher of Oil Change you'll know why he's the other logical choice to be mic'ed up for the weekend.

Team Rookie's fifth pick...

Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers. I never, ever thought I'd pick a Flyer, but I still sort of half-think of Simmonds as an L.A. King. He'd bring some grit and energy to the team, and if you watched 24/7 you'd know that he seems like a nice enough guy. He's maybe not as quotable as, say, Bryzgalov, but he'd get along well with his teammates and have fun with fans.

Team Czechtacular's sixth pick...

David Desharnais, Montreal Canadiens. The little assist-machine (not too shabby at scoring goals against the Wings, either) that could, after getting a rough ride by many of the Habs' faithful for much of this season he's quietly emerging as a top-tier producer, so he's going to be my Tricolore representative this year.

Team Rookie's sixth pick...

Josh Gorges, Montreal Canadiens. Okay, so I coincidentally saved my Hab for last, too. His offensive skill will be an asset in the ASG. He'd have a great time. And, just in case this game goes to overtime and I need someone to score a game-winning goal, he's got it covered.

And now, for the coaches. How do you pick a coach for someone else's team, to play against you?

Czechtacular picks Team Rookie's coach...

Joel Quenneville, Chicago Blackhawks. Because moustache.

Rookie picks Team Czechtacular's coach...

Kirk Muller, Carolina Hurricanes. He might not have a moustache, but how could I not pick Kirk?

And that's our draft, ladies and gentlemen. No awkward cuts to the social media room, no confetti, no free cars. (Offers are welcome for car sponsorships for next year's draft.)

Plus/Minus: Gettin' busy

This week I got to spread my wings a little and talk hockey in a couple of new places. I was asked to take part in the Sunday Shinny panel on The Franchise. I handled early-morning radio at least as well as late-night radio, I'd say. It was also nice to not be surprised by the realization that I have to choose, of all things, a baseball team. (Decision still pending.)

I also filled out the Female Fan Frenzy questionnaire for Queen Crash, as over 100 female hockey fans from teams around the NHL have done before me.

Oh, and the Montreal Canadiens did stuff this week too.

PLUS

+ Harold Gill. Two goals. One week. I think I'll start a For Your Consideration campaign to get him the Art Ross Trophy.
+ David Desharnais playing like he's as tall as Gill. I love it!
+ It may have hurt to see Ben Maxwell in a Thrashers jersey, but the arrival of Brent Sopel just happened to coincide with four consecutive wins. I'm cool with winning.
+ Legendary Habs forward Elmer Lach is apparently recovering well from surgery to repair his broken hip. I hope he's up and around as soon as possible!
+ The Bulldogs won this afternoon. Gabriel Dumont set Brendon Nash up for a game-winning overtime goal. Who could ask for anything more?
+ Jarome Iginla: 10 consecutive 30-goal seasons. See? This is why he's my favourite!

MINUS

- Did Mason Raymond just get injured? Please say no.
- It's probably not as bad as the high ankle sprain suffered by a certain Oiler who had previously been in the race for rookie of the year. (As usual, yes, I am also in that race.)
- All other injuries go in this Minus. Please stop getting hurt, NHL.
- Attendance is bad in cities like Atlanta. Unless the number of people who attend Thrashers games magically doubles within the next week, we'll keep hearing about it. But until someone says something new and original about unpopular teams and how they should be moved to [insert city here], just stop talking about it. There's a month left in the regular season and plenty of hockey to talk about. Why not discuss the Atlanta Thrashers or the Phoenix Coyotes as they are right now? If fans in cities like Quebec and Winnipeg really love hockey, they'll watch hockey. They won't just tune in to a three-minute segment about how whatever team should be moved to whatever city.

This week looks like it'll be a big one around the league! TV is in reruns, right? Right? I hope so.

Plus/Minus: Trade deadline is over

Hopefully my thoughts on the last week will be even a little bit cohesive. Turning the trade deadline into a drinking game was a bad idea on my part. The stress caused by Ryan White being told not to practice, then sent to Hamilton, then returned to the Habs mere hours later, was not my fault at all. (The rumour that Jarred Tinordi was traded is also not cool.)

PLUS

Go Bulldogs!

+ 3 What a game against the Canucks! A plus to Andrei Kostitsyn for finally busting out of his funk and putting some points on the board this week. And the biggest Stanley Cup contender in the league lost a game because of two of its shortest players. Fantastic goals by Gionta and Desharnais.
+ I'm looking forward to closing out the season with Brent Sopel. He knows what it's like to make a Stanley Cup run and above all he's a good guy.
+ Ryan O'Byrne had hisface sliced open on the ice, and finished his shift. I think it's really unfortunate (and yes, a little bit gross) that the injury had to happen, but O'B gets a few Chuck Norris points for this incident.
+ Great game by the Hamilton Bulldogs at the Bell Centre on Friday. Goals by new hire Nigel Dawes, my boy JT Wyman, and Aaron Palushaj (who's some kind of Bell Centre scoring machine).

MINUS

I have a couple more of these if anyone's interested

- I hate spelling mistakes. Especially when a professional journalist makes the same typo over and over and over again. I'll overlook it once or twice, but Francois Gagnon didn't notice after he typed "Cancuks" the twentieth time?
- I'm not good with trades, to be honest. So even though I knew that Ben Maxwell wasn't the guy to lead the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup victory, I'm going to miss him. Until I see him tomorrow in Atlanta and will have to cheer for my Habs.
- Mike Komisarek should get slapped for hitting Tomas Plekanec.
- Habs fans: Haven't we been through this before? You don't boo your own players. How can you hate Alex Auld when he's only started a handful of games?
- That being said, yes, I know. Phil Kessel and Brett Lebda scored goals and the Leafs beat the Habs. It sucks.

At least this week we won't have to deal with the stress of a Brad Richards rumour every other minute.

Czechtacular attempts Plus/Minus

Happy New Year for reals, now. Don't do anything I wouldn't do in 2011. Also note that I haven't as of yet figured out what I am doing in 2011.

So how does this work? Is this thing even on? Time for me to tap at the microphone here.

PLUS

+ A win to end the year. And what's that thing they always say? Something about how you end the year is how you'll be spending the next one...? Lots of hope for that.

+ James Wisniewski and the fact that if he continues playing like he has since he was acquired, less people will have to Google how his name is actually spelled.

+ David Desharnais is here! So what if it's a mini-plus? He led the AHL in points when he was called up. Post-its for everyone! (If you don't know what that means, clearly you don't have a repertoire of ingenious sign ideas for Hamilton games.)

+ A hard-fought game to kick off 2011. Overtime bites, it really does. Hell, I'm still shaking my fist at Dustin Penner. But despite running head-first into a hot goalie in Ondrej Pavelec the Habs did throw the kitchen sink at him. Just ask...

+ Brian Gionta, who took nine shots on goal and got the goal that sent the game into extra time in the first place.

+ Carey Price wins the Molson Cup! Again!

+2 Team Canada moves on to face the USA in the WJC semi-finals. Louis Leblanc scored in Sunday's 4-1 victory over Switzerland.

MINUS

This just about sums it all up.

- In four games played this week the Habs scored six goals.

-2 Josh Gorges on the IR.

- Habs' fans were treated to a litany of missed chances and the accompanyment of bruised vocal chords that came with each and every single one.

- Overtime bites, it really does.

- Another late-period goal was scored by Atlanta yesterday afternoon. Those are like nails on a chalkboard.

-3 No wins and certainly no tans were acquired over the Florida roadie. Also, Cedrick Desjardins is back in the AHL now, but that first win was against the team that dealt him, wasn't it?

-4 The Winter Classic was late, not great, was thought to be presided over by The Weather Network rather than sports' channels, and those stuck watching NBC and their odd camera angles were heading to their barf bags more than usual the day after New Year's Eve.

- @StevenHindle pointing out "Although no longer with the team, Georges Laraque still collects $2,688 from the #Habs every single day of the 2010 regular season. #ezmoney"

- The other Team Canada lost the Spengler Cup to SKA St. Petersburg.

NEITHER A PLUS NOR A MINUS

? Lapierre moves on. It probably didn't take rocket science to figure out some move was coming, but here's hoping that a change of scenery will allow him to grow into a different kind of role, maybe one that involves less muck and sandpaper (even if we all know that character did wonders for him these past playoffs).

Plus/Minus is not going to make a "Boxing Day" pun

Hope you all had a great Christmas, even if you don't celebrate it. Plus/Minus is a little short this week because sometimes I talk too much, so I'm giving my dear readers the gift of brevity.

PLUS

+ It's always nice when Team Canada wins their first game. This applies to both the World Juniors and the Spengler Cup, where former Hab Glen Metropolit is playing for Canada. (Bonus plus: I now kind of know what the Spengler Cup is!)
+ David Desharnais named AHL's First Star of the Week!
+ Andrei Kostitsyn scored a goal, to shut up all the haters. And Alexandre Picard has been making himself useful as well, which I guess should shut me up.

MINUS

- Lost to the New York Islanders. You know what hurts? Watching your Habs lose to the Islanders, then seeing the highlights three times on Sportscentre.
- Okay, I take it back. That probably didn't hurt as much as whatever mystery ailment is plaguing Josh Gorges. I've known for a while that things aren't going well for Josh, but now he isn't playing well, and Dave Stubbs reported that he left practice limping. I do not like any of this. At all.
- I almost forgot about that game against the Dallas Stars, but then I remembered. I wish I hadn't. (Aside: Conan was really funny that night, as I found out the next day.)
- I wasn't going to complain about anything I saw on 24/7, because I didn't want the show to hold back. But Matt Hendricks' bloody eye was a little tough to look at for extended periods of time. And Crosby's cup was the kind of thing that would have made me nauseous, if I hadn't known about it in advance and shielded my eyes.

What awesome Christmas gifts did you all get? Or give?
I went for a walk early last week in the cold (I just needed to move a bit and clear my mind), spent some time wandering around Centennial Plaza, and got the sniffles a few days later. The Montreal Canadiens are no good at Christmas presents.

'Dogs are in town tomorrow...

There's a new breed of Bulldogs coming to Montreal tomorrow night.

The Movember kind.

Scary thought of what that holds aside, our farm team's not doing too shabby as of late. After taking forever to kick off this season (seriously, the rest of the AHL was 3 games in going "where are you?") they've now got a record of 6-1-1-2 and 15 points, good for first on the leaderboard in the North Division. While Oklahoma City and San Antonio also have 15 points, only Wilkes-Barre and Portland are ahead of them in the whole league.

David. Desharnais. He's a long way from that Canada/Russia Series five years ago where I pointed out that Guillaume Latendresse could eat him in one bite if he wasn't too careful. Most notably he has a point in every single game, 14 in ten games to be exact, 6th in the AHL overall. Max Pacioretty, who recently commented that the best thing for him would be to play all of this season in Hamilton, isn't too far behind. Dubbed "Maximillion" by 820 CHAM's Derek Wills, he has played every bit like the player we eventually want to see in Montreal, racking up 12 points in ten games.

Any lamenters of PK Subban's departure have also zipped their lips by now (or must have been hiding under a rock as of late if they continue to go on about it). Yannick Weber has stepped up where needed and bolstered the blueline in addition to putting up six goals, the most of any defenseman league-wide.

The Binghamton Senators, their opponent tomorrow night at the Bell Centre, haven't been quite as fortunate. Sitting at 6th in the East Division with a 4-3-1-1 record, they've struggled a little in terms of consistency and stringing wins together as their key forwards have struggled to produce. Right winger Bobby Butler, however, has notched five goals in nine games and at least a point in almost every single one. Also, goaltender Robin Lehner is back after a stint with the big club, which will be another thing to look out for tomorrow night.

On beating the Capitals

Every now and then, a team will play a game that says a lot about them as a team, and as a franchise.

Last night's 6-5 OT win against the Washington Capitals was that kind of game.

The Canadiens proved that there's a lot to be proud of. Our prospect development might be seeing a turnaround, as Tom Pyatt and David Desharnais recorded their first NHL points. Our small forwards (that ever-popular joke material) played big. Even Scott Gomez got in on the game. You know it's a special night when Gomez scores a goal. The team proved that when they really get things going, they can overcome pretty much any challenge.

It was also the proof, once and for all, that some idiots will never be happy with this team. They didn't seem to notice that the Canadiens ended the Capitals' 14-game winning streak, a feat that not even the reigning Stanley Cup champions were able to accomplish. I'm not even sure these people even know the Habs won. Hell, some of them (I won't name names, but they're people who should know better) couldn't even stop player-hating long enough to acknowledge that their home team won. Two points, hello? Isn't that a good thing? They couldn't even set aside the so-called "goalie controversy" long enough to realize that Jaroslav Halak might need some rest, and that it's maybe not a good idea to have him start every game before our Philadelphia aller-retour, tire himself out, then jump on a plane to Vancouver, be Slovakia's go-to guy for the Olympics, and come back and play some more. Even if this was the case, there'd be more bellyaching no matter where the Canadiens wind up in the standings come season's end.

People like this are exactly the reason why we haven't won the Stanley Cup in over a decade. There, I said it. You know what else I'm going to say? Congratulations, Habs, on an exciting win despite a slew of injuries and a really tough opponent.

Washington @ Montreal 2-10-10

This is a shirt I wanted, but will have to hold off on buying, at least for tonight. The good thing is that it can apply to more than one Tomas, and that I can deal with.
Since I had a pre-game responsibility of another nature all day and missed out on the game preview, I come to you now with a live blog. Quick bullet points before puck-drop:

• Carey Price finally gets some ice time in goal, facing Michal Neuvirth, who has 4 wins in his last 4 starts. Washington's got a ridiculous win-streak going if you haven't heard about it by now (14). Also the same number of points separating them from the 2nd place Devils last I checked.


• Alexander Semin has five game-winning goals, and he and his buddy Tomas Fleischmann (see shirt design) were a lethal double-team last time they faced the Habs, which I missed, which is good, as both of them happen to be part of my extracurricular Enjoyable Hockey Players and I'm not allowed to enjoy them in such a context.


• Mike Green is back after nearly decapitating Kladno native Michael Frolik, so you can bet I'll be one of the ones looking on pretty skeptically.

First period notes:

• Holy quick start, Batman. Gomez allows Tom Pyatt to get his first NHL point. Penalty upcoming, though.
• This game is happening faster than I can type it. 1-1, Brooks Laich with the goal from the infamous two extracurriculars.
• I've lost track of which Hamiltonians are here and which aren't.
• First time I actually see the "C" on Ovechkin. I feel like there should have been more fanfare around that.
• Maxwell to the box for hooking. The only thing fun about that is his caption which says "Benjamin."
• I just realized the ridiculous amount of hockey I have to follow tonight.
• Gionta and Pleks shorthanded 2 on 1 ruined by my favourite Kladno-killer.
• Hope Tom Pyatt can provide some energy in this game (not that it's currently lacking.)
• RT (yes, in a blog) @All_Habs: Bell Centre seats seem to filled, but sounds like game is in Atlanta.
• Semin in the box. Capitalizing on the Capitals? ...We'll never know. Gionta goes off with a penalty of his own.
• ....Josh? Yikes.
• The place seems to have gone completely dead. Kudos goes to the Capitals for their response to that injury. End 1st.

(Intermission: all I seemed to notice was the "Krispy Kernels" ad behind Jacques Demers' head.)

Second period notes:

• PYATTTTTTTTTT!! First point and now first goal in the NHL. Assists to O'Byrne and Gomez.
• ...And Washington's use of the classic tic-tac-toe ensures their ridiculously-quick response to THAT.
• Desharnais' turn. Soon, please? Or I'll need more wine.
• Maybe Pleks' line could stop being offside sometime soon?
• Since when is Ovie anti-McGill?
• Goalie change, just as my mother (the one who keeps reminding us Jose Theodore exists) comes downstairs. Coincidence? I think not. Also nice timing for the fans to wake up in this game.
• Habs to the powerplay! It's about time. Don't ruin it now.
• First half looks like a powerfail. Second half has some nice passes but no finish.
• "OMG. omg. OMG! omg. (pause) whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" - the most coherent translatable reaction to the Pyatt line's barrage, all stopped by Theodore.
• Brendan Morrison to the box on that play. Hopefully less of a powerfail will result...
• Pleks hits the side of the net, aaaaaaaaaand DESHARNAIS' 1ST NHL POINT. Unless Toronto decides otherwise.
• Not so. Glen Metropolit does indeed record his 12th goal of the year. How long before the Caps respond to this one?
• Sergei Kostitsyn and Maxim Lapierre team up and give the Caps more of a challenge. 4-2 Habs. Good on them!
• HALA--err. The Price is Right!
• Kinda wish the Habs would save their best for every team, not just the throne-holders of the league.
• Well. That goal was a ball-buster. Everybody into the net?....Waved off. Wow.
• Ryan O'Byrne was rude and will have a two-minute time-out.
• Pleks looked like he wanted to have a little rest on Ovie's shoulder listening to that explanation.
• PING.
• Update on Gorges via Twitter (might also have been from the TV but my parents have been conversing loudly as part of their own liveblog): RT @All_Habs: Gorges with scalp laceration, lost fair amount of blood but will be ok.
• PLEKS! Sweet pass from Sergei and ladies and gentlemen, we have chicken wings! End 2nd.

Third period notes:

• 13 seconds. And 3 seconds after that, it's 5-3 on Mike Green (him again)'s 14th of the year. Numerical irony there if you can spot it.
• "There goes Pyatt's GWG," - Rookie. Good point, sadly made :(
• PING.
• Sergei K has been silently kickass this game. Right there, he was loudly kickass.
• "Potty?" - my brother on Washington's #3. I haven't been paying attention to see if RDS still calls him that.
• "MAKE SOME NOISE!" Yeah. Maybe something other than chanting poor Theo's name. (I was a fan, okay)
• ...damnit. On second thought, maybe you can resume that taunting.
• Uh oh. 5-4. And now RDS is all over O'Byrne.
• Boyd Gordon sounds like a cheesy superhero name from one of those shows you'd find on Teletoon Retro.
• Ovechkin. Go away.
• Youppi sitting where he does in the third period irritates me. If you know me well this isn't the first time you've read this. (To quote Christian Bale, the words "it's fucking distracting!" come to mind)
• Another powerplay (or powerfail?) ... answered by one Hal Gill.
• I reinterate the point I made three bullet points ago.
• My mom just said a bad word. In French.
• Fleischmann, how dare you even try.
• My dad just said a bad word. In French. (But seriously, was that really a non-call? Poor Gionta.)
• .......
• From a score that was 5-2, RDS shouldn't be tipping their hat to the Habs getting a point. They also gave one away.

Overtime (...) notes:

• My dad's "affection" for Ovechkin can be resumed in the word "hotdog."
• Someone be my hero. Someone whose jersey isn't dominantly white. Please.
• The Halakisms are on their way back in the fans' vocabulary already. Where's the justice in that? I don't see any.
• !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY HERO WAS MY HEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. (My poor dog has run for the hills.)
• I can't formulate any other comment, other than my joy at my post picture being ironically relevant. So I leave it up to you. Habs win! 6-5 in OT!

Special delivery...

According to rds.ca, Marc-Andre Bergeron is unlikely to indulge in the Habs' Superbowl Weekend festivities, out with everyone's favourite elusive "lower body injury", allegedly suffered in Boston. With Benoit Pouliot, Tomas Plekanec and Sergei Kostitsyn all taking therapy days at practice this morning, a quick call to Hamilton brought them three "just in case" replacements in Brock Trotter, David Desharnais and Ryan White.

Hamilton, for its part, has a game in Rochester tonight that starts an important three-game roadtrip before their return on February 13th to face Abbotsford. Their 32-12-3-4 record is good for first in their division and conference, with two of the three latest call-ups in the top 10 scoring leaguewide. Should their stay in Montreal be extended enough, one's gotta wonder where the Dogs' reinforcements will come from...

Remember this guy?

A familiar face, and one we'd love to have back as soon as possible. Apparently, that might happen sooner than we even think!

Andrei Markov skated today, and while it wasn't for long, it was just the kind of encouraging sign the Habs needed after a loss against Pittsburgh that, while not entirely without effort, was still pretty sad to watch. He's aiming for a comeback in late December/early January, but whether or not he'll be able to participate in the Olympics in Vancouver is yet to be determined, or in his words, "my secret."

In other news, Benoit Pouliot was one of the few at practice this morning, and David Desharnais was sent back to Hamilton this afternoon. (Here's hoping his next chance will come sooner than later.)

Witty titles elude me today: Game Preview 11-25-09

Well, well, well. The Habs have an almost-identical record to the Pens in their last ten. Hard to have even conceived of, should you have a clear memory of the shellshocker that was the last game that these two met up (and believe me, I do). Ideally, the Habs will show that they have enough momentum behind last night's team win against the Blue Jackets to spur them heading into Mellon Arena, especially after a most encouraging sign, yes, that's right, Maxim Lapierre can survive without Guillaume Latendresse!

RDS' collective sigh of relief may not come yet, but here's hoping he adds to that tonight. (photo courtesy HabsInsideOut)

Injuries seem to be the new trend these days (newest: the limping Andrei Kostitsyn). Every team's got 'em, and despite how many eyes have been rolled at the cliches of saying so, it really is an awesome opportunity for some. Take David Desharnais for example. He's come a long way from his days of captaining the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and being that "too-short" kid just dying to get a shot. With every chance he got, he made something of it--most valuable player in the ECHL, a share of the top point-getting Hamilton rookies, his NHL regular-season debut--tonight of all nights against the defending champs.

These ones can fly

• A certain someone who I prefer not to name better not duplicate his feat of a hat-trick tonight.


• With seven points in five games and always dangerous, Evgeni Malkin (this is where my blogging counterpart runs and hides, for she saw the looks I gave my R.J. Umberger-supporting friend last night at the Bell Centre).


• Despite being 7-5-0-1 against Montreal, Marc-Andre Fleury has won his last two and faced a combined 53 shots in those games.


• Martin Skoula is ... from Litomerice? Wow, didn't know that. He's stepped up in the Pens' injury woes, notching two goals in a recent game against Atlanta.


• Maxime Talbot on the first line is a recipe for frustration that the Habs need to watch out for, lest there be penalty trouble.