Toronto Musings and In-Game Scribbles
October 31, 2009, by Homme De Sept-Iles
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 (6-7) host Toronto Maple Leafs (1-7-3)
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Game Twelve (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.
First Period
Barber pole outfits. Komisarek touches the puck and the boos begin. Are they booing the uniforms? Uh. No. But it could be interpreted as such.
The brown gloves are a nice touch.
Halak is the starter tonight which surprises me considering how well Price played last night. Perhaps he’s sick.
The stripes are difficult to watch, they create a problem for the screen on the live feed. On television, certain types of dots and stripes (on ties or suits) are not used for the same reason.
Chipchura chips the puck past Schenn and then skates easily by him and retrieves the disc. That should tell you something about Luke Schenn.
I really don’t like these uniforms. They add another distraction to recognizing the players.
Canadiens are fast and light. Passes are short. Skating is uniformly chopping. Leafs are playing up to the level, as well.
Montreal is carrying the play in these first five and a half minutes.
Brunet says that there is a lack of confidence with our friend Andrei Kostitsyn. He shows Kostitsyn hesitating and costing himself a good shot opportunity.
Canadiens control on the five-on-five. Komisarek is booed every time he touches the puck. Montreal puts pressure and Kaberle takes a hooking penalty. First power-play for Montreal.
Metropolit is on the first wave with Cammalleri and Plekanec while Bergeron and Mara are the blue-liners.
Latendresse is on the second wave. Toskala has to make a save on this segment. Gionta and Gomez are also second-wave.
Montreal power-play is sharp. Smart passes and good energy. Hamrlik is having an excellent first period. Spacek appears to be getting into his rhythm for the first time this season.
Leafs have won only one game this season. It’s unexpected. And because I’ve only seen one of their games, I have little idea why their record is so poor.
Pacioretty is lanky and lookin’ for hits. Chasing and finding.
Gorges is similarly energetic and we’ve seen him deep in Toronto territory once already. Little confidence on the Leaf bench including Ron Wilson. Just a wait and watch feel. Disaster impending.
Whistle as the Leafs are called again. Interference. Schenn tied up Kostitsyn as the Montreal forward chased a puck into the corner.
Plekanec turns over the puck early. Toronto pushes it down and it deflects out of play. Faceoff to the right of Halak.
Montreal wins it and then Bergeron has some trouble controlling it. He gets forward help and then Mara brings it up. Montreal is forced to re-enter and then they do. Toskala stops the play and a small fracas occurs after the whistle.
Penalties result. Komisarek is being his usual rough self.
We proceed with the five-on-four.
Hamrlik has a rare shot blocked at the blue-line and the Leaf two-on-one is barely snuffed. Canadiens take it back down where Gionta is banged off the puck nicely by Beauchemin. He’s bigger than I realised.
Lapierre hits the post after the penalties have cleared and the action begins to go Montreal’s way. It’s as if the Canadiens know the Leafs can’t keep up this pace for much longer. Barber Polers are winning more and more of the battles.
Halak then makes a game-saver on Colton Orr. Left pad save, fast, fat biscuit on the ice.
Jason Blake forwards the puck from a slot incursion but a weak poke is all that results. Very dangerous chance. We are told that Blake has only one goal this season.
Bergeron makes three errors on one play and the Leafs get a point-blank shot on Halak as a result. No harm done. This time. Bergeron’s over-confidence in interviews might be over-compensation or it may be genuine. He has the pomposity of Alex Tanguay. He claimed in one interview that he doesn’t understand how some people perceive him as a defensive liability. Maybe he should compare himself to other defenders sometime.
Spacek takes a penalty.
Toronto goes to the power-play with over three minutes left in the period.
Leafs get some yo-yo movement and players are pulled by a bounding puck. Out of position like magnet-boys. It results in a bizarre slot chance. Halak captures the puck after it floats up into the air.
Moen and Plekanec are the second pairing on this penalty-kill.
Toronto has gotten their best group of chances on this man-advantage. Finally, Montreal finishes off the penalty-kill. Sudden three-on-two. Gomez to Gionta. He fires a high-velocity wrister but it misses the net. Then the puck is in front and Toskala has to cover it. Cammalleri was moving it to the front with one hand.
Greg Stewart comes in now on a mild three-on-two and fires right into Toskala’s chest. Play stops and Stewart considers fighting Komisarek. Mike doesn’t want any of it. And neither does Stewart. Another player combo would surely have resulted in a fight as Stewart somersaulted over Komisarek on the play. Both players go the box and the remainder of the period will be played in four-on-four. It’s Stewart’s first game of the season. Must be nice for the Kitchener, Ontario lad to get the call against his Leafs. His ex-Leafs?
Bergeron and Mara are defencemen for this. Neither team is able to make anything happen and the period ends scoreless.
We see that Montreal outshot Toronto 12-5.
First Intermission
Montreal 0, Toronto 0
Alain Crete and Francois Gagnon give us some thoughts on the Colorado Avalanche and their unexpected early success this season. Who cares?
I find Michael Del Zotto’s four goals and eight assists far more interesting. He was the Rangers first round pick in the 2008 entry draft. We see his highlights and he looks athletic.
We see Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay’s numbers with their new teams and the heading is “disappointing former Canadiens”. Each player has four points thus far. They also mention that Komisarek is -6 this season. Sounds like last season. It’s as if he peaked a year and a half ago. It helped that his defensive partner was Andrei Markov. He appears paired with Kaberle this season but Dr. Rick says Kaberle, though good, is not in the same class as Markov. I’m rolling with that.
This has to be one of the most boring intermissions in three or four seasons. Maybe Wayne Gretzky should announce his (long-awaited) return to the game. Or a new golf career (I was following Tiger around the other day and I just got the itch).
Three good suits. Alain. Jacques et Joel. The good suits for Saturdays, the lucky suits for Tuesdays. Lucky suits are usually a lot older.
Bouchard is talking about turnovers, imprecise passes and mental keys for the upcoming period. Nobody ever suggests drinking lemonade between periods as a key. Or singing as a group in the dressing room. Or sitting in darkness for seven minutes.
When the new leagues really get powerful, will we see mass defections from the NHL to Europe and Russia? Or will the NHL get smart and establish teams in Europe? What a missed opportunity. It’s still there.
Starting Halak is cool because it changes the pressure on the goalies. It’s a message that says you won’t get yanked or started based on how you play. You’ll get the occasional opportunity based on other reasons. Workload balance is one of those other reasons. It’s better because goalies are already under enough pressure as it is. Just as with shooters in basketball, you let goalies relax and play their game. It’s a position, generally speaking, there are exceptions, that is played best when one is not putting undue pressure on oneself.
Second Period
Houde says that it’s been an intense match despite the non-scoring. He has a pleased tone when he says it.
Habs win the opening faceoff. Hamrlik controls. Passes to Spacek who gives it away. Blake benefits with a long shot. It goes wide to the left of Halak.
We’re still in the four-on-four mode for about a minute.
Bergeron is called. Delayed penalty. Interfered with Ponikarovsky on a dump-in.
Plekanec is on with Gill and Gorges for the four-on-three. Leafs score.
Off the faceoff, Gill flubs around. Loses it. Goes to the point. And finally in the net.
Toronto 1, Montreal 0
Well.
Stewart gets free for a breakaway but his slow-motion deke ends badly as he falls and crashes into Toskala. He seems to find the whole thing amusing as he chats about it smiling on the bench. He’s always got the wrong attitude.
Toronto gives several pucks away and finally Metropolit scores. Fluke goal. Nice shot but really, it shouldn’t have gone in. High on the short side with Toskala hugging the post.
Montreal 1, Toronto 1
Wilson looks like a beaten man. He yells a half-hearted “come on”. He looks like a suitcase man. Whatever we’ve gone through this off-season and in the mid to late-nineties doesn’t compare to the cosmic irony that is Leaf hockey.
Komisarek takes out Metropolit. Then he won’t fight Moen. And Chipchura goes to the box. Hit was legal. But a bit of a head-hunter play. It’s all fine. I just wonder why Komisarek won’t fight after something like that. How does he get an exemption? And why won’t Laraque fight this season? One fight. He’s not dressed tonight. What a waste of money and a roster spot. We’re better off with another skill player.
Second penalty. Delay of game. Unlucky says Brunet. Hamrlik shot the puck over the glass in his zone. Five-on-three.
Why are there so many knuckleheads in hockey? Fighting is so stupid. What if I just showed up at CBC and dropped the gloves, fought Cherry. You think I’d be a good ol’ boy then? No. And hell, no. I’d be in jail.
Five-on-three ends. Halak made one great save.
Now it’s five-on-four for a minute. Toronto is controlling.
Saku should be here. Someone with fire. And leadership. And unflappability. Yes, Montreal has players like that right now. But one more would be nice.
Metropolit is dragged down on a one-on-one. No penalty. Then Mara hits the post.
Houde can’t believe there is no call.
Cammalleri goes to the box for roughing. Strange stuff.
Plekanec gets the first scoring chance. Too sharp an angle. Moen and Metropolit are the second pairing. They do well enough to prevent a shot on their watch.
Finally Toronto get a shot in that hits the post. Houde almost yelled “Et le but” but corrected himself. He said “Et Le!!”
Canadiens kill the rest.
Gomez takes down Grabovski and doesn’t get called for it. Houde says it’s at the limit. Brunet and Houde discuss how the teams are still determining those limits tonight.
Goal.
Montreal 2, Toronto 1.
Latendresse nailed Komisarek about twenty seconds prior to the goal. A jam-fest was the ultimate result. And Latendresse got the goal. Remember that time he got a hat-trick in the exhibition season? Maybe it was just two.
Now Toronto’s Mitchell goes to the box just seconds after the faceoff. For holding.
On the replay, I don’t see the call. And neither does Mitchell. Mistake.
Montreal power-play nonetheless.
Gomez has quite the release and shot. Latendresse is rewarded with a spot on the first wave.
Cammalleri takes a shot that is difficult for Toskala who makes an alert save and a quick pounce forward for the freeze. I can’t help but like Toskala. I don’t know why. Something about being underappreciated and beleaguered, I’d guess. He does well whenever I see him.
Gill scores. And a fracas.
Boomer shot from the point. His first career goal. And I’m not sure how it got in.
It deflected we see on the replay. Cammalleri is not afraid of anyone. He elbows Beauchemin just prior to the goal and the puck deflects off Beauchemin’s leg. Francois was not pleased.
A few guys go to the box but they’re happy guys. Gill and Gorges. Martin is pleased, too but he’s playing the general with a ref.
Houde and Brunet are amused and surprised that Cammalleri is not in the box.
And it was Gill’s thirty-second NHL goal if you must know. He had two last year with Pittsburgh and three the year before with Toronto and Pittsburgh.
Toronto goes to the power-play with just under five minutes left. They get control and move the puck around. Fire from the point. Score. Just like that.
Lee Stempniak. From the blue line. Deflected.
Montreal 3, Toronto 2.
The last five minutes settle into each team attempting to force the other into their language. Montreal says they are faster and better passers and Toronto says they have more grit and can’t be dominated. It’s a mutual rhythm that lends itself to a pleasant viewing tension. No whistles, some board work and good short passes with puck-chasing tenacity.
And thus the period ends.
Oh, wait. Some Alberta-style action to close the period. Gionta and Latendresse are in there. Wallin and someone who doesn’t deserve to wear the Leaf “7” is there, too. Ian White, ok?
King Clancy and Tim Horton both wore the number seven for the Leafs. As did the legendary Max Bentley. And your buddy Lanny. So. Should anyone else be wearing that number for Toronto?
Second Intermission
Seven is a popular number for athletes to wear and as such, is one of the least-available numerals as a great player is more likely to wear number seven sooner than another number. In Montreal, the number seven is retired, too. Howie Morenz.
New York Rangers: Rod Gilbert
Boston Bruins: Phil Esposito
Chicago Blackhawks: Nobody yet
Detroit Red Wings: Ted Lindsay
And in Toronto, wearing number seven …. IAN Whiiiiiiite!
Yes, they have honoured numbers (honoured members is the term the team uses) at the Toronto rink. But certain numbers should be pulled from circulation. Or rather, certain players should get their due. So you can retire one or two legends and then maintain a “we don’t retire numbers” as a general policy.
Joel Bouchard now shows us how ‘shoulder-jump’ skating is far less efficient than just using the feet and legs when skating. Minimization of movement is less fatiguing and more efficient. Great drill segment.
Third Period
Montreal 3, Toronto 2
Tepid hockey to start. Then we have some discussion and a delay of game penalty goes to Gill. Puck went out of play. Members of the crowd don’t like it. In onscreen French, we see Hal Gill, Retard de Match. I’m just translating.
Stuff you won’t read in the Gazette.
Toronto has a bad start to their power-play. Gomez pushes Kaberle off the puck. Nothing results. But Toronto can’t get set up either.
Hamrlik and Plekanec do the best work of the penalty-kill and we return to even-strength with over sixteen minutes left.
Halak is a witch on a broomstick on a slot-shot save. Outstanding positioning. Got over on a quick pass from the corner. Adroit.
Stewart options out of a shot-blocking opportunity and Halak is forced to handle a tough shot sequence. Puck is held for a commercial.
The commercials aren’t irritating me as much this season. I’m more ignorant.
Stick to the face and Lapierre and Komisarek almost go. But you knew they wouldn’t. It was Lapierre’s face. Lapierre is not as intense tonight along the boards.
Lapierre is always getting sticks in the face. Remember Ray Emery’s stick? What a toxin.
Canadiens go to the power-play. Twelve minutes left in the period.
Bergeron and Mara are the blue-liners. Cammalleri, Plekanec and Metropolit are the forwards. Two centres. Martin likes that approach.
Second wave is Gomez, Latendresse and Gionta. Hamrlik and Spacek are the quarterbacks.
I’m starting to get the hang of who will be on. Finally.
The power-play stays in Toronto’s zone for most of the power-play. Stajan looks very tired. Other Leafs are just hanging around. Finally as the penalty expires, Gomez waits, waits, waits. Fires. Scores. And Hamrlik gets the deflection. So it’s the big Czech’s goal. Went off his leg. Hockey. What a game of bounces.
Montreal 4, Toronto 2
Was there ever any doubt? Not on this couch. First time I’ve felt that all season. Probably won’t have many more games like this. Survive. Hang on til Brother Bob engineers a trade and til Markov returns.
Gill gets turned around very slowly and Halak has to handle an angled shot as a result. It’s all very ugly. I wonder if a greater percentage of Montreal fans as compared with Gill’s former teams yell inappropriate or unbecoming things at the defenceman. I’m guessing probably.
Ron Wilson still has that “what are we going to do – what can we do” expression on his face. Nothing. And nothing.
Anyone who thinks Toronto is going to improve under Wilson and Burke is an optimist and worse, in denial.
Cammalleri and Gionta regularly push people off the puck.
Now Plekanec, Lapierre and Latendresse show terrific fight along the boards and in the trenches. But no goal.
And then Toronto scores. How? Alexei Ponikarovsky.
Montreal 4, Toronto 3
The Leafs show a much greater interest in the game’s outcome. And they control the play for two minutes. Not many shots but some cycling and decent passing. Now with 1:18, they pull the goalie. Toronto controls. They get a chance. Whistle. They bang at it. Scrum. A Hab windmills wildly downward. And then it all stops.
It was Plekanec against Stajan. Again, Plekanec is showing greater ferocity this season. It’s the last edge his game needs. He should be a 75-point guy every season for maybe seven seasons. I hope it resumes for him this year.
Montreal loses the faceoff but show great effort to get it out. But fail. Puck stays in. Goes over to Kaberle. Shot. Deflects. Deflects again. Goal.
Toronto 4, Montreal 4.
Well, it’s in doubt now.
Fifty seconds left.
One last faceoff in Montreal territory. About forty seconds. Montreal makes an excursion. Nothing much. Time drains away.
End of period.
Overtime
Gomez and Gionta are paired. Then Cammalleri is on the ice. He has good puck reception skills. And is a good passer.
Houde comments that Halak seems nervous since the two Toronto goals were scored.
Gionta is like a stuntman. Diving for everything. Ben Cahoon. Knievel.
The play is stretched and lactic. Not a lot of galaxy or hyperdrive. The passes aren’t working for both teams.
Finally they settle into a better cohesion. I expect passing percentages to increase in the four-on-four situations. Of course. And they are shown to.
Mara lofts a pass to Gomez, beautifully executed and Gomez gets a shot. Rebound is missed by Metropolit whose stick was being lifted by Stajan. Great breakout but the net goes off its moorings and the chance is null.
Not much else and the teams go to shootout.
Shootout
Cammalleri is first. Fast acceleration. Moves right, slows, a little fake shoots, scores.
Stempniak. Halak. Stopped. Direct shot. Went down the middle. Shot at Halak’s chest.
Gomez. Right side. Similar to Cammalleri. High, quick shot. Scores. No fake.
Kaberle. Big leadoff skate. Down the middle. Deke left. Shot. Stopped.
Canadiens win.
End of period
Montreal 5
Toronto 4
HDS Stars: Mike Cammalleri, Jaroslav Halak, Scott Gomez
RDS Stars: Tomas Kaberle, Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri
First Period
Barber pole outfits. Komisarek touches the puck and the boos begin. Are they booing the uniforms? Uh. No. But it could be interpreted as such.
The brown gloves are a nice touch.
Halak is the starter tonight which surprises me considering how well Price played last night. Perhaps he’s sick.
The stripes are difficult to watch, they create a problem for the screen on the live feed. On television, certain types of dots and stripes (on ties or suits) are not used for the same reason.
Chipchura chips the puck past Schenn and then skates easily by him and retrieves the disc. That should tell you something about Luke Schenn.
I really don’t like these uniforms. They add another distraction to recognizing the players.
Canadiens are fast and light. Passes are short. Skating is uniformly chopping. Leafs are playing up to the level, as well.
Montreal is carrying the play in these first five and a half minutes.
Brunet says that there is a lack of confidence with our friend Andrei Kostitsyn. He shows Kostitsyn hesitating and costing himself a good shot opportunity.
Canadiens control on the five-on-five. Komisarek is booed every time he touches the puck. Montreal puts pressure and Kaberle takes a hooking penalty. First power-play for Montreal.
Metropolit is on the first wave with Cammalleri and Plekanec while Bergeron and Mara are the blue-liners.
Latendresse is on the second wave. Toskala has to make a save on this segment. Gionta and Gomez are also second-wave.
Montreal power-play is sharp. Smart passes and good energy. Hamrlik is having an excellent first period. Spacek appears to be getting into his rhythm for the first time this season.
Leafs have won only one game this season. It’s unexpected. And because I’ve only seen one of their games, I have little idea why their record is so poor.
Pacioretty is lanky and lookin’ for hits. Chasing and finding.
Gorges is similarly energetic and we’ve seen him deep in Toronto territory once already. Little confidence on the Leaf bench including Ron Wilson. Just a wait and watch feel. Disaster impending.
Whistle as the Leafs are called again. Interference. Schenn tied up Kostitsyn as the Montreal forward chased a puck into the corner.
Plekanec turns over the puck early. Toronto pushes it down and it deflects out of play. Faceoff to the right of Halak.
Montreal wins it and then Bergeron has some trouble controlling it. He gets forward help and then Mara brings it up. Montreal is forced to re-enter and then they do. Toskala stops the play and a small fracas occurs after the whistle.
Penalties result. Komisarek is being his usual rough self.
We proceed with the five-on-four.
Hamrlik has a rare shot blocked at the blue-line and the Leaf two-on-one is barely snuffed. Canadiens take it back down where Gionta is banged off the puck nicely by Beauchemin. He’s bigger than I realised.
Lapierre hits the post after the penalties have cleared and the action begins to go Montreal’s way. It’s as if the Canadiens know the Leafs can’t keep up this pace for much longer. Barber Polers are winning more and more of the battles.
Halak then makes a game-saver on Colton Orr. Left pad save, fast, fat biscuit on the ice.
Jason Blake forwards the puck from a slot incursion but a weak poke is all that results. Very dangerous chance. We are told that Blake has only one goal this season.
Bergeron makes three errors on one play and the Leafs get a point-blank shot on Halak as a result. No harm done. This time. Bergeron’s over-confidence in interviews might be over-compensation or it may be genuine. He has the pomposity of Alex Tanguay. He claimed in one interview that he doesn’t understand how some people perceive him as a defensive liability. Maybe he should compare himself to other defenders sometime.
Spacek takes a penalty.
Toronto goes to the power-play with over three minutes left in the period.
Leafs get some yo-yo movement and players are pulled by a bounding puck. Out of position like magnet-boys. It results in a bizarre slot chance. Halak captures the puck after it floats up into the air.
Moen and Plekanec are the second pairing on this penalty-kill.
Toronto has gotten their best group of chances on this man-advantage. Finally, Montreal finishes off the penalty-kill. Sudden three-on-two. Gomez to Gionta. He fires a high-velocity wrister but it misses the net. Then the puck is in front and Toskala has to cover it. Cammalleri was moving it to the front with one hand.
Greg Stewart comes in now on a mild three-on-two and fires right into Toskala’s chest. Play stops and Stewart considers fighting Komisarek. Mike doesn’t want any of it. And neither does Stewart. Another player combo would surely have resulted in a fight as Stewart somersaulted over Komisarek on the play. Both players go the box and the remainder of the period will be played in four-on-four. It’s Stewart’s first game of the season. Must be nice for the Kitchener, Ontario lad to get the call against his Leafs. His ex-Leafs?
Bergeron and Mara are defencemen for this. Neither team is able to make anything happen and the period ends scoreless.
We see that Montreal outshot Toronto 12-5.
First Intermission
Montreal 0, Toronto 0
Alain Crete and Francois Gagnon give us some thoughts on the Colorado Avalanche and their unexpected early success this season. Who cares?
I find Michael Del Zotto’s four goals and eight assists far more interesting. He was the Rangers first round pick in the 2008 entry draft. We see his highlights and he looks athletic.
We see Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay’s numbers with their new teams and the heading is “disappointing former Canadiens”. Each player has four points thus far. They also mention that Komisarek is -6 this season. Sounds like last season. It’s as if he peaked a year and a half ago. It helped that his defensive partner was Andrei Markov. He appears paired with Kaberle this season but Dr. Rick says Kaberle, though good, is not in the same class as Markov. I’m rolling with that.
This has to be one of the most boring intermissions in three or four seasons. Maybe Wayne Gretzky should announce his (long-awaited) return to the game. Or a new golf career (I was following Tiger around the other day and I just got the itch).
Three good suits. Alain. Jacques et Joel. The good suits for Saturdays, the lucky suits for Tuesdays. Lucky suits are usually a lot older.
Bouchard is talking about turnovers, imprecise passes and mental keys for the upcoming period. Nobody ever suggests drinking lemonade between periods as a key. Or singing as a group in the dressing room. Or sitting in darkness for seven minutes.
When the new leagues really get powerful, will we see mass defections from the NHL to Europe and Russia? Or will the NHL get smart and establish teams in Europe? What a missed opportunity. It’s still there.
Starting Halak is cool because it changes the pressure on the goalies. It’s a message that says you won’t get yanked or started based on how you play. You’ll get the occasional opportunity based on other reasons. Workload balance is one of those other reasons. It’s better because goalies are already under enough pressure as it is. Just as with shooters in basketball, you let goalies relax and play their game. It’s a position, generally speaking, there are exceptions, that is played best when one is not putting undue pressure on oneself.
Second Period
Houde says that it’s been an intense match despite the non-scoring. He has a pleased tone when he says it.
Habs win the opening faceoff. Hamrlik controls. Passes to Spacek who gives it away. Blake benefits with a long shot. It goes wide to the left of Halak.
We’re still in the four-on-four mode for about a minute.
Bergeron is called. Delayed penalty. Interfered with Ponikarovsky on a dump-in.
Plekanec is on with Gill and Gorges for the four-on-three. Leafs score.
Off the faceoff, Gill flubs around. Loses it. Goes to the point. And finally in the net.
Toronto 1, Montreal 0
Well. Montreal, if the team was
Stewart gets free for a breakaway but his slow-motion deke ends badly as he falls and crashes into Toskala. He seems to find the whole thing amusing as he chats about it smiling on the bench. He’s always got the wrong attitude.
Toronto gives several pucks away and finally Metropolit scores. Fluke goal. Nice shot but really, it shouldn’t have gone in. High on the short side with Toskala hugging the post.
Montreal 1, Toronto 1
Wilson looks like a beaten man. He yells a half-hearted “come on”. He looks like a suitcase man. Whatever we’ve gone through this off-season and in the mid to late-nineties doesn’t compare to the cosmic irony that is Leaf hockey.
Komisarek takes out Metropolit. Then he won’t fight Moen. And Chipchura goes to the box. Hit was legal. But a bit of a head-hunter play. It’s all fine. I just wonder why Komisarek won’t fight after something like that. How does he get an exemption? And why won’t Laraque fight this season? One fight. He’s not dressed tonight. What a waste of money and a roster spot. We’re better off with another skill player.
Second penalty. Delay of game. Unlucky says Brunet. Hamrlik shot the puck over the glass in his zone. Five-on-three.
Why are there so many knuckleheads in hockey? Fighting is so stupid. What if I just showed up at CBC and dropped the gloves, fought Cherry. You think I’d be a good ol’ boy then? No. And hell, no. I’d be in jail.
Five-on-three ends. Halak made one great save.
Now it’s five-on-four for a minute. Toronto is controlling.
Saku should be here. Someone with fire. And leadership. And unflappability. Yes, Montreal has players like that right now. But one more would be nice.
Metropolit is dragged down on a one-on-one. No penalty. Then Mara hits the post.
Houde can’t believe there is no call.
Cammalleri goes to the box for roughing. Strange stuff.
Plekanec gets the first scoring chance. Too sharp an angle. Moen and Metropolit are the second pairing. They do well enough to prevent a shot on their watch.
Finally Toronto get a shot in that hits the post. Houde almost yelled “Et le but” but corrected himself. He said “Et Le!!”
Canadiens kill the rest.
Gomez takes down Grabovski and doesn’t get called for it. Houde says it’s at the limit. Brunet and Houde discuss how the teams are still determining those limits tonight.
Goal.
Montreal 2, Toronto 1.
Latendresse nailed Komisarek about twenty seconds prior to the goal. A jam-fest was the ultimate result. And Latendresse got the goal. Remember that time he got a hat-trick in the exhibition season? Maybe it was just two.
Now Toronto’s Mitchell goes to the box just seconds after the faceoff. For holding.
On the replay, I don’t see the call. And neither does Mitchell. Mistake.
Montreal power-play nonetheless.
Gomez has quite the release and shot. Latendresse is rewarded with a spot on the first wave.
Cammalleri takes a shot that is difficult for Toskala who makes an alert save and a quick pounce forward for the freeze. I can’t help but like Toskala. I don’t know why. Something about being underappreciated and beleaguered, I’d guess. He does well whenever I see him.
Gill scores. And a fracas.
Boomer shot from the point. His first career goal. And I’m not sure how it got in.
It deflected we see on the replay. Cammalleri is not afraid of anyone. He elbows Beauchemin just prior to the goal and the puck deflects off Beauchemin’s leg. Francois was not pleased.
A few guys go to the box but they’re happy guys. Gill and Gorges. Martin is pleased, too but he’s playing the general with a ref.
Houde and Brunet are amused and surprised that Cammalleri is not in the box.
And it was Gill’s thirty-second NHL goal if you must know. He had two last year with Pittsburgh and three the year before with Toronto and Pittsburgh.
Toronto goes to the power-play with just under five minutes left. They get control and move the puck around. Fire from the point. Score. Just like that.
Lee Stempniak. From the blue line. Deflected.
Montreal 3, Toronto 2.
The last five minutes settle into each team attempting to force the other into their language. Montreal says they are faster and better passers and Toronto says they have more grit and can’t be dominated. It’s a mutual rhythm that lends itself to a pleasant viewing tension. No whistles, some board work and good short passes with puck-chasing tenacity.
And thus the period ends.
Oh, wait. Some Alberta-style action to close the period. Gionta and Latendresse are in there. Wallin and someone who doesn’t deserve to wear the Leaf “7” is there, too. Ian White, ok?
King Clancy and Tim Horton both wore the number seven for the Leafs. As did the legendary Max Bentley. And your buddy Lanny. So. Should anyone else be wearing that number for Toronto?
Seven is a popular number for athletes to wear and as such, is one of the least-available numerals as a great player is more likely to wear number seven sooner than another number. In Montreal, the number seven is retired, too. Howie Morenz.
New York Rangers: Rod Gilbert
Boston Bruins: Phil Esposito
Chicago Blackhawks: Nobody yet
Detroit Red Wings: Ted Lindsay
And in Toronto, wearing number seven …. IAN Whiiiiiiite!
Yes, they have honoured numbers (honoured members is the term the team uses) at the Toronto rink. But certain numbers should be pulled from circulation. Or rather, certain players should get their due. So you can retire one or two legends and then maintain a “we don’t retire numbers” as a general policy.
Joel Bouchard now shows us how shoulder-jump skating is far less efficient than just using the feet and legs when skating. Minimization of movement is less fatiguing and more efficient. Great drill segment.
Third Period
Montreal 3, Toronto 2
Tepid hockey to start. Then we have some discussion and a delay of game penalty goes to Gill. Puck went out of play. Members of the crowd don’t like it. In onscreen French, we see Hal Gill, Retard de Match. I’m just translating.
Stuff you won’t read in the Gazette.
Toronto has a bad start to their power-play. Gomez pushes Kaberle off the puck. Nothing results. But Toronto can’t get set up either.
Hamrlik and Plekanec do the best work of the penalty-kill and we return to even-strength with over sixteen minutes left.
Halak is a witch on a broomstick on a slot-shot save. Outstanding positioning. Got over on a quick pass from the corner. Adroit.
Stewart options out of a shot-blocking opportunity and Halak is forced to handle a tough shot sequence. Puck is held for a commercial.
The commercials aren’t irritating me as much this season. I’m more ignorant.
Stick to the face and Lapierre and Komisarek almost go. But you knew they wouldn’t. It was Lapierre’s face. Lapierre is not as intense tonight along the boards.
Lapierre is always getting sticks in the face. Remember Ray Emery’s stick? What a toxin.
Canadiens go to the power-play. Twelve minutes left in the period.
Bergeron and Mara are the blue-liners. Cammalleri, Plekanec and Metropolit are the forwards. Two centres. Martin likes that approach.
Second wave is Gomez, Latendresse and Gionta. Hamrlik and Spacek are the quarterbacks.
I’m starting to get the hang of who will be on. Finally.
The power-play stays in Toronto’s zone for most of the power-play. Stajan looks very tired. Other Leafs are just hanging around. Finally as the penalty expires, Gomez waits, waits, waits. Fires. . Scores. And Hamrlik gets the deflection. So it’s the big Czech’s goal. Went off his leg. Hockey. What a game of bounces.
Montreal 4, Toronto 2
Was there ever any doubt? Not on this couch. First time I’ve felt that all season. Probably won’t have many more games like this. Survive. Hang on til Brother Bob engineers a trade and til Markov returns.
Gill gets turned around very slowly and Halak has to handle an angled shot as a result. It’s all very ugly. I wonder if a greater percentage of Montreal fans as compared with Gill’s former teams yell inappropriate or unbecoming things at the defenceman. I’m guessing probably.
Ron Wilson still has that “what are we going to do – what can we do” expression on his face. Nothing. And nothing.
Anyone who thinks Toronto is going to improve under Wilson and Burke is an optimist and worse, in denial.
Cammalleri and Gionta regularly push people off the puck.
Now Plekanec, Lapierre and Latendresse show terrific fight along the boards and in the trenches. But no goal.
And then Toronto scores. How? Alexei Ponikarovsky.
Montreal 4, Toronto 3
The Leafs show a much greater interest in the game’s outcome. And they control the play for two minutes. Not many shots but some cycling and decent passing. Now with 1:18, they pull the goalie. Toronto controls. They get a chance. Whistle. They bang at it. Scrum. A Hab windmills wildly downward. And then it all stops.
It was Plekanec against Stajan. Again, Plekanec is showing greater ferocity this season. It’s the last edge his game needs. He should be a 75-point guy every season for maybe seven seasons. I hope it resumes for him this year.
Montreal lose the faceoff but show great effort to get it out. But fail. Puck stays in. Goes over to Kaberle. Shot. Deflects. Deflects again. Goal.
Toronto 4, Montreal 4.
Well, it’s in doubt now.
Fifty seconds left.
One last faceoff in Montreal territory. About forty seconds. Montreal makes an excursion. Nothing much. Time drains away.
End of period.
Overtime
Gomez and Gionta are paired. Then Cammalleri is on the ice. He has good puck reception skills. And is a good passer.
Houde comments that Halak seems nervous since the two Toronto goals were scored.
Gionta is like a stuntman. Diving for everything. Ben Cahoon. Knievel.
The play is stretched and lactic. Not a lot of galaxy or hyperdrive. The passes aren’t working for both teams.
Finally they settle into a better cohesion. I expect passing percentages to increase in the four-on-four situations. Of course. And they are shown to.
Mara lofts a pass to Gomez, beautifully executed and Gomez gets a shot. Rebound is missed by Metropolit whose stick was being lifted by Stajan. Great breakout but the net goes off its moorings and the chance is null.
Not much else and the teams go to shootout.
Shootout
Cammalleri is first. Fast acceleration. Moves right, slows, a little fake shoots, scores.
Stempniak. Halak. Stopped. Direct shot. Went down the middle. Shot at Halak’s chest.
Gomez. Right side. Similar to Cammalleri. High, quick shot. Scores. No fake.
Kaberle. Big leadoff skate. Down the middle. Deke left. Shot. Stopped.
Canadiens win.
End of period
Montreal 5
Toronto 4
HDS Stars: Mike Cammalleri, Jaroslav Halak, Scott Gomez
RDS Stars: Tomas Kaberle, Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri
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