Ottawa Musings and In-Game Scribbles

My English is as good as yours, I just write these in a stream-of-consciousness mode that I insist excuses me from small things like rules of grammar or general etiquette. Let’s call it conversational English, hopped up on beans. You know what kind of beans (no, Carl Mellesmoen, not the magic ones)

Montreal Canadiens (2-4) host Ottawa Senators (4-2)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Game Seven (score posted following scribbles)
Musings and In-Game Scribbles are a “live blogging” of the game that are compiled (typed, actually) during the game and edited and posted shortly after the game.

The player announcements are a bit odd.  Not used to them yet.  It’s hard to get excited about names like Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Mike Cammalleri.  Just not the same history or memories.  Of course, with time, this will change.

The carpet, blue, is out to centre ice.  I have no idea what they’re on about today.  Oh.  Stamps.  Which reminds me, Stephen Harper is in attendance tonight.

Now some important dude, Marc Courtois of Canada Post walks out on the carpet.  And Henri Richard follows.  We get a shot of Béliveau who has a gum-chewing game face on as he looks on.

Stamps.  Ok.  I guess I’m appropriately compelled.  Do we really need this ceremony right before the game?  How about having it in the morning so it doesn’t interfere with the matchup.

This is game seven.  Of the season.

We see Carey Price and are told that Bill McCreary and Dean Morton are the refs.

First Period

Puck is dropped.  And Kovalev starts with Fisher and Alfredsson.

Cammalleri leads an early rush and the Canadiens nearly score.  It’s Cammalleri and Gionta with Gomez.  They are buzzing.  And controlling early with a tenacity never shown in the first minute so far this season.  Reminds me of when Koivu is leading the way from early on in a big game.

This is a Canadiens’ night is the message from the home team.  Not a Kovalev love-in.

Senators fail to control and it continues into the 90th second as Montreal’s second line appears.  Finally the Sens make a drive but it’s Spezza’s line.  L’Artiste est retourné au banc.

Laraque manages to lead yet another dangerous rush for the Habs.  Muffled shot results.

Foligno gets a tough-looking shot in on Price and he stops it with his chest and freezes the puck.

Leclaire is in net for Ottawa.  Pascal Leclaire.  Yes.  That Pascal Leclaire.  How did they get him?  What a great addition for the team.  I know how they got him, actually, I just forgot.  It was a, uh, tough summer.

Gomez is on.

Cammalleri from the left hash (near Price and from Price).   Stopped, but the Canadiens get it out.

Plekanec’ line gets it out and the compact centre gets it to Pacioretty high and his shot deflects.  There is little time to calculate.  Both teams are closing gaps.  Cammalleri now gets a high slapshot toward Leclaire.  Wide.

Houde says that both teams are short-shifting.  Kovalev gets the puck in.  Carries it in his huge, deceptively slow way.  He looks very different in an Ottawa jersey.  Almost hulking.

Canadiens enter the zone and as they do Cheechoo gets a hooking penalty.  Yes, that Cheechoo.  Another good addition for Ottawa.  Subtract Heatley.  Add Cheechoo.  Not a bad proposition.

Gomez line is on for the first segment.

They get a brief possession and then Ottawa clears.

Now Alfredsson leads a two-on-one and sets up his winger for a perfect chance.  Shot goes high.  Price was beaten.

Now Kostitsyn and Latendresse are on with Plekanec.  Gorges takes it deep.  To Kostitsyn.  Moves around the diamond.  Gorges fires.  Hard shot.  But wide.  So loud that it sounded like the old boards at the Forum.  Is Gorges’ shot stronger this season?

Ottawa kills the remainder of the penalty and gets some control.

Crowd has settled somewhat.  They had a mixed reaction when Kovalev touched the puck.  It’s still hard to say exactly who was most responsible for his exit from the city.  Was it a non-response from Gainey?  Was it a too-slow response from Kovalev and his agent?  Different stories from different sources.

Now Kovalev is creating down low to the left of Price.  It’s interesting to see what it feels like to have him on ice as an opponent.  He is very dangerous.

But Neil gets a quick goal to halt all such observations.  A corner pass from Fisher to the slot and Neil wrists it over Price’s shoulder.  There is so rarely anything extraordinary about Price’s save movements.  This save attempt is no exception.  He moves with grace but little effect.

Ottawa 1, Montreal 0.

I’d rather have Richard Sevigny.

Laraque is on and Gill and Gorges are the defensive pairing.

Pacioretty does not look as ready for prime time as he did last season.  Being on a line with Plekanec and Kovalev helped him.  And his early tenacity was another plus.  Now, his tenacity has been replaced in a way I’ve seen before with first-second-year players who have yet to log 50 games.  Once the bravura of newly-entered adrenalin fades, they are left with experience and the nerve that comes with that experience.  They realise they are still new.  And opponents have studied them and figured out some of their weaknesses.  Some players can be intimidated.  Some can be had on the left.  Or the right.  Some are weak positionally or don’t backcheck.  Whatever, it’s a long list.

Pacioretty has more to learn.  Is he going to do that learning with the Canadiens?  Or with the learning affiliate?  The farm team, Hamilton Bulldogs.  Commercial break ends.  That’s how I got so verbose there.

Cory Clouston’s hair is getting longer and he has a wise kid’s look about him.  Good demeanour.  Pro.

Laraque is carrying down low to the left of Leclaire.  Sens just wait for him to lose the puck.  Finally, he does.

Gionta line jumps on.  There isn’t much action before a whistle forces us to a commercial.

Call was too many men on the ice.  Right off the faceoff, Cammalleri gets a chance and is hooked to the ice.  Ottawa’s Phillips goes to the box.  Five-on-three for a minute and 50 seconds.  They have only four players on early and have to scramble to get the fifth on.  Refs missed it.

Canadiens control.  Of course.  It’s five-on-three.  They’d better control.

Plekanec.  With Spacek, Gomez, too.  Cammalleri.

Puck moves around.  Three Sens tight in front of the net.  Three shots but the shots are getting blocked by Sen defenders.  Finally after another blocked shot, the Sens clear.  Alfredsson gets away with a trip as the Canadiens re-enter.  Ottawa survives.  Fisher blocked about three shots.  One of the most rugged players in the East and much underrated.

Chipchura is on and Gionta is on with him.  An injury has warranted this new pairing.

Michalek gets a shot from the side that causes a bit of difficulty and Price descends to cover.  (I’m tired of typing “goes to his knees”)

Where is Mike Liut?

I see the Michael Jackson “This Is It” movie commercial for the first time.  Saw a related photo of him earlier today on an entertainment periodical.  What had he planned for his public?  We’ll only see a sliver of that shadowmoon on the screen.  His sense of perfection is certainly compromised with all these rushed and incomplete releases.  What other incomplete work remains in the vault?  Jackson at fifty percent is like Gretzky at fifty percent.  Still better than anyone else on the silver pond.

We return to action.  I can see how folks felt Kovalev disappeared.  He doesn’t, of course, he just lurks.  A sneaky, space-finding player.

He’s on now, as well.  With Alfredsson and Kelly.  Kovalev is up high as the Sens control deep.  Now Kovalev intercepts.  Boos and cheers, both, as he ponders near and inside the blue line.  Finally the Canadiens regain control.  Lapierre is on.  What you can’t beat with guile, you attack with speed.

Bang a hammer.  Beat a gong.  The racehorse always wins.

We see a montage of Leclaire saves.  Good-looking split-saves amongst them.  Odd to see him in Ottawa reds, Ottawa golds.  Price.  Feh.

Just under a minute in the period.  Strong shot from Pacioretty goes off a well-padded Senator defender’s shin.  Another entry and the Canadiens score.  Jolt.

Cammalleri.  Gomez to Cammalleri and the wrister finds its way over Leclaire’s padding.  Off-wing wrister.  Like your buddy Maurice.  Leftie down the right side.

Montreal 1, Ottawa 1.

Second Period

Late penalty to Ottawa in the first results in a power-play for Montreal to start the period.

Hamrlik’s dangerous shot skitters wide.  Wide gawping net was waiting.

Ottawa clears and forces Montreal to get set up again.

Second line is on.   Ottawa’s captain makes things difficult for Montreal and they have to set up all over.  Finally they get it together.  Move the puck around.  To the end line for Kostitsyn but his centering pass finds nobody.  Penalty ends soon thereafter but the Canadiens continue to control deep.   Plekanec and Kostitsyn creating.  Now Plekanec gets a wrap-around chance but it’s stopped.

Canadiens currently lead 16-3 on shots.

Moen, Lapierre and D’Agostini are on.  They are aggressively back-checking and Spacek takes a penalty reaching for Jason Spezza.  Hooking.

Sens’ first powerplay.  Kovalev is on with Alfredsson and Spezza.  Gorges takes a penalty on an Ottawa entry.  He tripped Alfredsson.  Knee to knee.  Ottawa will have the two-man advantage.  Moen freezes the puck early and briefly.

Alfredsson is on the point.  Kovalev on the other point.  Spezza to Michalek at the side of the net.  Flubbed.

Kovalev rounds around and fires a slapshot.  Nothing.  Canadiens clear.

Kovalev from the side to the slot.  Fisher can’t get it going.  Now Kovalev passes to Alfredsson from the same spot and Ottawa scores.  Great pass.

Ottawa 2, Montreal 1

We see Kovalev taking some water on the bench.  His hair is back to blonde.

Gorges remains in the box.

Lotta popcorn behind Clouston.  Shouldn’t that guy be selling the popcorn instead of standing around and watching the game?

Small delay as the referees confer.  Alfredsson looks like Steve Howlett.  On game-day.  All eyes and gritted teeth.  Sitting on the bench waiting for his next shift.

Refs still confer.

Martin has a broad variety of blue shirts and ties.  Blue, blue, blue.  Black suit.

Gionta is wearing an Easton helmet.  Easton makes shoes, too.  Did you know?  And, of course, sticks.

Game resumes and Lapierre is on.  Gill has the “A” and is on with Gorges.  Whistle goes as the puck is passed by hand.

We resume and Lapierre works hard against three Sens deep in Ottawa territory.  Ottawa goes the other way and Gill gets called.  Delayed penalty.  Martin shakes his head briefly.  Tripping.  This is a homecoming of sorts for Martin, as well.  But he did have the three years in Florida, first.

Ottawa power-play features Erik Karlsson on the right point.  Faceoff is to the left of Price.  Montreal pairing is Moen and Plekanec.  Spacek and Hamrlik.

Moen does some good work on the forecheck.  And then Plekanec strips the puck on the Ottawa re-entry.

Ottawa sets up and shows good control.  They move the puck despite Hamrlik’s good efforts behind the net.  Gionta takes a merited hook.  He doesn’t like it and expresses his outrage to an official.

Five-on-three for thirty seconds.

Plekanec is the lone forward with Moen and Gorges.

Spezza and Alfredsson are on the points.  Kovalev in the phone booth.  Crowd is booing more loudly when Kovalev has the puck.  Gill gets back on the ice and the Canadiens clear.  One minute and ten seconds in the Gionta penalty.

Kovalev remains on the ice for all of this power-play.  Lapierre works well to keep things in control.  And then when Gomez fails to carry it out, Price bails out the team with a glove.

Officials are spending a lot of time fixing the ice.  Smoothing over spots to drop the puck.  Freon is a dangerous chemical.

Canadiens win the faceoff and get it out.  Chipchura controls deep and works the boards with Plekanec.  Not much.  Where is Radek Boards Bonk?

Canadiens trap the puck deep and Plekanec clears the puck out.  Icing.

Another faceoff and Gill handles it twice on a deep sequence but can’t get it out.  Pacioretty is ineffective in this situation.  Again.

Action slows down.  But Gomez’ line is on and pace and tempo matter less.  Their combined hockey intelligence can make any rhythm work.

Lapierre line now.  They combine for some unusually (for them) creative work to keep it alive.  D’Agostini wheels this way and that with the puck at the circle looking to create.  Drops it for Lapierre who works back along the boards and gets it to Hamrlik.  It’s a difficult puck and it leaves the zone.  Whistle soon afterward.

Plekanec line has been a bust so far this season.  And not because of the centre.  Kostitsyn’s carelessness with the puck in the Montreal zone results in a turnover and prolonged Ottawa visit.  Phillips gets a shot and Price stops it and holds it for a faceoff.  And another commercial.

Somewhere, deep in Toronto, Ravi Shankar is entertaining a group of folks I was supposed to be with.  I booked the tickets in the summer without thinking.  Unthinkable.  Unthinking, really.  Well, of course, I had to opt out.  Of all nights for Kovalev to return to the Bell Centre.

Price looks good tonight overall.  But he has had only one tough shot.  And that one went in.  The other one wasn’t his fault.

Brutal line-change by Montreal.  Laraque and Chipchura.  Just not protecting the possession but dumping it deep or carrying it in.  I’m surprised that Laraque has dressed for every game this season.  I’ll be just as surprised if he dresses for every game that he is healthy.

And another commercial.  The amount of commercials tonight is surprising.  Many more than usual for a Saturday night in October.

Should I feel taken advantage of?  I don’t want to buy any of this stuff.  Would you buy a $32,000 car?  Don’t answer that.

Hamrlik’s point shot is dangerous.  He knows firstly, how to get it through without a maddening deflection and secondly, where to place it on the goalie to generate a rebound.

Lapierre gets into a scuffle with Karlsson involved.  Latendresse is there, also.  Five-on-five remains the format.

Just over three minutes in the period.

Finally a shot by AK46.  Powerful wrist-shot.  Results in a huge rebound but Montreal cannot take advantage.  Seconds later, Plekanec gets a point-blank shot from the top of the crease.  Repelled by Leclaire.

Gionta line is on.  The newcomer line.  Cammalleri, Gionta and Gomez.  Down a goal.  Put these three together.

Montreal is a below-average team so far this season.  Time of possession is the lowest I’ve ever seen it.  A dearth of quality puck-controllers.  Has the philosophy perhaps shifted from all speed to more Canuck?  The deals that come up this season will tell us more.  And there will be a few more deals.  I think.

Third Period

Some ramshackle action to start the third.  Thud and bang and not much slide or slick.

Kostitsyn again with a bad pass inside the Montreal blue line.  And Ottawa keeps it in.  Finally the Canadiens move it out.

Play stops with Moen and Kovalev scrumming in an Ottawa corner.  Mostly Moen.  Looks as if Moen is irritated with.  Kovalev elbows Moen a few times after delivering a bodycheck.  But Moen started it because he didn’t like being checked.  Gainey said months ago that today’s NHL is different in that players cannot accept being checked cleanly.  I think he’s right.

Moen goes to the penalty box and Ottawa goes on the powerplay.

Bad pass from Michalek lets Plekanec work the puck out.  Ottawa’s Chris Campoli moves it in himself.  But the Canadiens move out quickly.  Three men and a sharp-angle shot lets the Sens go the other way where they create a shot that surprises Price.  He stops it.

Faceoff and the Canadiens move it out.  Chipchura and Lapierre, former Bulldogs, are the pairing.

Picard loses it on the point after a pass from Kovalev.  Clumsy.

Kovalev is letterless, carries the puck forward, makes a good move, passes ahead and Ottawa gets a chance.  Frozen by Price.

Pro-immigration ad reminds Quebecers that the province needs people for the workforce.  Fair enough.

A decent Montreal breakout allows Lapierre to come in two-on-two.  He goes around the net but no shot and no pass.  Lapierre’s speed is good.

Now the puck is caught under a Sen in the corner.  Whistle goes.

Gill’s shot off the faceoff hits Kovalev’s leg. Montreal controls and Gionta’s pass from behind the net to a driving Gorges almost works.  Just under twelve minutes left in the period.

Gomez’ shot is gloved by Leclaire.

Plekanec is on with Moen and Kostitsyn.  Moen works hard and goes to the net frequently.  He’s unafraid.  And he knows how to get on and off the ice without creating problems for possession or defensive positioning.

D’Agostini is on with Latendresse and Lapierre.  Pace picks up as the Canadiens increase tempo and Ottawa responds well.

Montreal has trouble organizing and with a lot of red guys standing around a pass goes to Kovalev in the high slot.  Wrister.  Goal.  A lot of cheering and a partial ovation.  Fair amount of booing, too.

One goal, one assist.

Ottawa 3, Montreal 1.

This won’t be like Lafleur’s return; a Montreal win, 6-4, with two goals and an assist from Le Demon Blond.  A win-win for Montreal fans.

Now Ottawa has control and create two good chances on three sequences.  Price makes a great save on the first and is compromised on the second but saved by a willful puck.

Just under seven minutes left.  Where is Saku?

Montreal’s efforts just don’t have enough slow-down-and-look.  No Ribeiro dangles, no Tanguay glissade magic, no Koivu panache, no Kovalev fear and fury.  Where is the style?  Where are the creative plays?  Where is the Montreal Mystique?

Just over four minutes left and Montreal is reduced to chasing the puck like a tier three club.

Let’s go.  Let’s go!

The missing players, particularly Markov, are a detriment to the attack.  Sergei Kostitsyn, when he plays well, is a player on the rise.  But in Hamilton and suspended, he is of no use to the team.  His brother continues to disappoint.  The first line can’t carry this team.  And one man, Plekanec, can’t carry the second line.

Just under two minutes left and Montreal shows no signs of threatening.  Booing begins.

Just over a minute.

Price is stuck in his crease.

Finally with just over thirty seconds left, Price can go to the bench for the extra attacker.  Cammalleri gets a pass to Spacek coming in but it hops over his stick.

Game ends.

Ottawa 3
Montreal 1

HDS Stars: Pascal Leclaire, Alex Kovalev, Mike Fisher
RDS Stars: Pascal Leclaire, Daniel Alfredsson, Alex Kovalev

Quick comment from the post-game interviews: Cammalleri talks like a winner.  I really like this guy.

Related posts:

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2. Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators
3. Montreal Canadiens versus Ottawa Senators
4. Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators
5. Montreal Canadiens versus Ottawa Senators
6. Ottawa Musings, In-Game Scribbles