Atlanta 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 (7-7) host Atlanta Thrashers (5-4-1)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Game Fifteen (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.

Bright light, big face. They have the spotlight on Joel Bouchard’s face and because all the arena main lights are off, we get a Halloween version of the digital ice prince’s face.

It’s the first time I’ve been on time for the Accueillons Vos Canadiens and the player introductions since the team’s first home game. I used to get chills hearing this stuff. Now I just see carpets and awards. Another carpet. Another award.

The Bell Central crowd is asked to remove their hats. Anthem singer Charles Prevost-Linton appears to be blinking tears back. He opens with the American anthem. So far the words are the same as last time. Something about the Quebec Remparts and Maurice Richard’s bombs. Guess they don’t know the Rocket didn’t play football. Or is that a war reference. Who writes these things?

I predict he’ll sing the Canadian anthem next. Yup. I was right. A rare moment for me.

There’s a new kid in the lineup, number 72. He looks about 19 years old.

Is Andrei Kostitsyn just making fun of us as was suggested in a CJAD interview today? I can’t remember the principals. The suggester was Francophone. Interesting theory. Perhaps more a theory of frustration but hey, it’s possible.

Anthem ends and we have to see some cup. Ah. The Molson Cup. Awarded to the October player of the month. And somehow Carey Price has earned it. Very quiet response. A small chant of Carey, Carey, Carey goes up in response to the few hoots we can hear. Perhaps they turned down the arena mikes at this moment to spare the young fella.

First Period

Kerry Fraser and Dennis LaRue are the refs. And I’m still ill. I have a cold (don’t say “sick” in response).

Another new mask for our anointed one. I like it from the brief first impression. There is a delay as they bring out a small shovel to scrape the ice. It’s a devil’s spade, a black fireplace tool whose head is smaller than a boot. There are three shovels in total working on this problem. Two satan scoops and one huge silver Canadian Tire special. Heavy metal, yo.

Latendresse has been promoted to the second line with his buddy Lapierre and Tomas Plekanec. Andrei is not happy (we have been told earlier today) but finds himself demoted to the fourth line. He was quoted as saying, “should I shoot more?” He thinks it’s unfair.

My mildly sinister yet wise compatriot, Dr. Rick says he’d like to see someone explain life to Sergei’s older brother.

Kovalchuk is absent tonight as well.

First incursion by either team occurs about 90 seconds in. It’s the second line. One shot from our buddy Tomas.

Metropolit and Moen hop on next. They control deep for a short time. Some good neutral zone work gets the puck right back into Atlanta territory. We get a closer look at Price’s mask. We see some aces on the dome part and some greyed out red on the side. Still determining what it might be.

Hamrlik takes a delay of game penalty for shoveling the puck over the glass. Accident.

Canadiens get an early clear.

Emstrom and Bogosian are on the blue line for Atlanta. White is on with Kozlov.

They move the puck on the right side. Just three guys. And Kozlov gets a shot from the edge of the high slot. It’s right at Price who was in good position, nonetheless.

Canadiens clear. Atlanta make it back in.  They lose the puck on the next entry and Canadiens clear again (I don’t technically have to use the word “the” before “Canadiens” in case anyone was getting irritated with that habit).

Montreal kills the penalty. I like to think that I can say Montreal kill the penalty, as well. But in that case, the Chicago Style Guide and Strunk and White would be in my locker and phoning my parents.

Kozlov, Afinogenov, Antropov.  They can ice that kind of line.  With Kovalchuk missing.  Impressive.

Now Atlanta is controlling. Plekanec line ends all that. Metropolit is on briefly with them. Moen and Pacioretty join him soon enough. They are the third line.

Delayed interference call draws the most silvery cheer from the crowd tonight. The whistle signals a television break.

John Anderson. The most consistent man on television. My television only shows RDS hockey games so I guess you’d have to factor that in. Anderson is Atlanta’s coach. The NHL’s personal Michael Caine.

Montreal. Power-play. Gomez to Latendresse. Great chance. No.

Second entry. Metropolit with Cammalleri and Plekanec. Mara and Bergeron are on the blue line. Cammalleri makes a pasta lob at the goalie. It nearly creates some problems.

Bergeron fans on it. He looked a bit Gingras doing it. I’m going to have to look at the films to see what this constant reminder of Gingras might be.

Hal Gill is out indefinitely, I forgot to mention.

Pavelec makes two good saves soon after the Bergeron fan. And Atlanta survive this penalty.

There are too many missing players. When the puck bounces behind the net, that special bank pass a defenceman will make to his shift partner behind the net, I can’t help but think of Francis Bouillon. And then I inadvertently wonder if Dandenault is going to be on wing tonight or on the blue line.

The pace slows somewhat and there are few turnovers. Atlanta is waiting for Montreal to do something. Gomez, Gionta and Cammalleri are all very dangerous players in tie situations or in situations where the other team relaxes a degree.

We see some highlights from Pavelec’ last game against Montreal; the 34-save game. He was very good that night. Montreal won as you may recall. In the shootout. Always a shootout with the Thrashers, eh? Ondrej Pavelec. We see a graphic showing his current save percentage 0.924, sixth in the NHL.

Gomez. Small mistakes but always, always, the puck goes where he wants it to. Very interesting player. He’s like an old farmer who’s learned when and with which situation (animal or crop?) to go with the flow and when and with which ones not to. (The weather?)

Thrashers drive down and force Gomez to take a penalty.

Price stops Antropov. This Atlanta team is heavily laden offensively.

Hamrlik bungles a bit in front of the net following a bungle by Chipchura. They push it away but seconds later, from the other side, Price makes a save that impresses Pierre Houde. Houde says that when Price is at the top of his game his lateral movement and positioning are among the best. It was a great save. Very quick left to right déplacement, as they say in French.

Pacioretty delivers a heavy hit. Then Moen two seconds later. Pacioretty’s hit was on the border.

Thrashers veer in now. Another very good save by Price. Boy, if he’s going to go up another level this season…

Stewart, Kostitsyn and Gomez are battling deep behind Atlanta’s net.

Spacek now makes a mistake on the blue line but he makes up for it by neutralizing the resulting Atlanta incursion. He dives to do so.

Pace is as quick as it can be without being out of control. Both teams. Afinogenov is creating. He’s interrupted. Then Montreal moves it down. Latendresse with Lapierre. Chipchura is on with them. Bulldog line, one might say. Montreal loses the puck on the blue line.

Atlanta takes it in now. Weird deflection. Fluke. Behind Price.

Brunet wonders how Price will react.

Atlanta 1, Montreal 0

They drop the puck quickly and suddenly Metropolit is on the lip of the crease. Forcing Pavelec to sink and save. Whistle.

Pace has gotten fast. Almost too fast for this old man. Saved by a commercial. My new strategy of having an early supper rather than prepping it between periods is something I should have been doing for the past five seasons. Change. Change and resistance to change.

Muller is interviewed briefly by Joel Bouchard by the bench. I have nothing to report.

Puck gets trapped on the sideboards in Atlanta territory. Cammalleri is on with Gomez. Gionta, too. They take control of the puck. Their confidence is growing. Each of the three are slowing action down, looking or alternatively trying newer or more complicated moves than earlier this season. This has been developing shift to shift over the course of these first 12-13 games.

Action constricts space, speeds action. The puck is faster than the man. Corner. Behind the net. Slot. In the net. Rich Peverley. Bing, bing, pang.

Atlanta 2, Montreal 0.

Montreal seems unaffected. Lapierre line brings the condiments for a very short follow-up shift that ends the period.

Shots on goal are 13 to 9 in favour of Atlanta.

First Intermission

I wonder when we’ll hear about the first all-vegetarian sports team. Calories are an issue, or so we are told, particularly for football players and so meat is an easier source and would require less frequent meal consumption. But because it’s so much more efficient to be vegetarian, I imagine at some point we will see it. There must be other caloric solutions for athletes who consume double or triple the average daily intake. Whatever team uses it will credit it as having given them an edge. Maybe it’s already happened in college sports.

Change. And resistance to it. I had a salami sandwich last week.

No ties. It must be Tuesday. They discuss the NHLPA situation. The latest stories are suggesting that we may see Kelly’s return. All the right people think Kelly is right for the Players’ Association. Ken Campbell’s coverage of the incidents is particularly illuminating.

Gagnon is suggesting that circumstances show that the time has come for a former player to take the role of NHLPA leadership. Gene Upshaw did a good job earlier in his tenure as NFLPA leader but heard harsh criticism his closing years in that role.

Gagnon suggests a few names, most notably former St. Louis Blue Mike Liut who is currently a player agent. Alain Crete adds that Liut is a lawyer. And I’ll add that, yes, we all remember the dominant goaltender’s time as a Hartford Whaler. One of the least appreciated goaltenders of his era. Did a lot of good work in obscurity. A bit like Rogatien Vachon with his years in Detroit and then Los Angeles.

We see some Detroit highlights. They have a 2-0 lead over Boston. Don’t believe the hype. The team is struggling in the early part of this season but Detroit will be around come April. And they’ll be Stanley Cup champions come June.

Both Crete and Demers are wearing the poppy. Does the poppy glorify war? So I’ve been told. Demers is wearing a grey shirt under his blazer. Lots of gold buttons on the sleeves. Neither of them discuss World War One. One might think that was the first multi-country war of international status given its magnificent name.

World Champion Kansas City Royals. World Champion Houston Rockets. World Champion Dallas Cowboys.

I wonder if a lawsuit could occur. What’s the opposite of defamation or libel? Hubris? The World Champion San Francisco 49ers were sued by the North American Champion Edmonton Eskimos yesterday. For hubris.

They interview #72. He talks about the speed difference.

Someone is phoning long-distance. Do they imagine that I might answer the phone during a game? Vivid and rich imagination. Maybe they should go into film-making.

Second Period
Atlanta 2, Montreal 0

We see the replay of the Peverley goal and Brunet says you can’t let a player of his speed get open like that. Hmmm.

I just thought of something. We can’t let the other team score more goals than us. We just can’t let that happen. That’s how you lose games.

Peverley gets taken down. Looks like a knee-to-knee. Spacek. “Good men sometimes do bad things.” Heard that today on CJAD. Fair enough. We can’t dismiss unsavoury actions by saying that a perpetrator is normally a clean player.

Todd White ends up going to the box for roughing. That’s it. Refs didn’t see anything else. Another “hmmm”.

Montreal goes to l’attaque massive.

I can’t believe it. (I screamed that) Puck should have gone in twice. Flip.

Pavelec. Great seventies save. Reaches across with his tortoise-shell and traps the lonely but popular puck in the crease.

Pavelec is solid seconds later against Metropolit who curves into the crease from the side and jams it. Pad save.

Still a minute on the clock in this power-play. Montreal works the pucks around and then another missed certain goal. Side pass from Cammalleri to the slot is fanned on. Then another great chance. Pavelec stops it.

Now the team has someone to blame in the post-game talks.

Atlanta drives down and is repelled. Montreal moves down on a three-on-two. Gomez leads down the left side, passes to Gionta on top of the left circle and Gionta fires it in.

Atlanta 2, Montreal 1.

Unremarkable pass and shoot but it works. It was a one-timer and Gionta has a good shot.

A lot of folks have expressed their unlove for Kerry Fraser over the years but I like how he calls games. He’s experienced and he knows how to keep the game loose, free but not too chippy. He’s good whatever he may have been back in the day. And yes, I used to love making fun of him, too. I’ve grown a bit since then. I think.

Lapierre makes a mistake on the boards in the Montreal zone. Allows Atlanta to extend their stay. Peverley is back and he must be doing ok to be back on the ice.

Kostitsyn gets his first shot of the game. Drives down with another Hab and just shoots. Pavelec stops it and holds it.

Martin says Gionta and Cammalleri are next. Brief shot of the coach there.

Stewart and the fourthers are on for now. And they generate enough control to get Kostitsyn a shot from the side boards. Finally the first line hops on.

I’ve had enough of waiting for Godot. I mean waiting for Andrei.

I miss the other Andrei, too but I don’t mind waiting for him. He’s a playa.

Gorges. Leaves it for Gomez behind the net. This carry-out is stopped at the Montreal blue line.

Another break-out is repelled at centre-ice. Shoot-in. Lost battles behind Price. Puck goes out to the point. High shot. Over Price’s glove. Mark Popovic. First goal of the season.

Atlanta 3, Montreal 1.

Eight minutes elapsed in the second period.

Bouchard, standing by the team benches, says that the sentiment is that the goal was a bit of fluke. He says the disc was a bit of a butterfly. He adds that the team seems unworried and are still determined.

Slater gets in and Price has to stop and freeze.

Stewart. Bad pass. Spacek. Good pass. Hamrlik fine shot.

They regroup. Bergeron behind the net. Gionta dumps it in. And the line retrieves the puck. With the help of a pinching Bergeron. Then they create a scoring chance when Bergeron comes in and backhands a rebound at Pavelec. The goalie stops it and holds it for a faceoff.

Good defence can be a good offensive.

Don’t respond to that.

Commercial.

Houde says Gregory Stewart has his place in the NHL. Despite being dropped from the lineup so many times so far this season. Brunet agrees and adds that guys like Stewart are like Chris Nilan and similar types. They have to know when to drop the gloves and help in that way.

How does this look in the business world? Each firm has to have a guy who knows how to harass women and pick up a bar tab? Or is it more a guy who knows how to cover up the strange occurrences on an excel profit sheet and tell the great frat boy jokes?

Hmm.

Atlanta with White and Peverley are causing problems in the Montreal zone. No major problems but they continue to control and keep the puck from the Canadiens. Kubina joins in the fun.

Six and a half minutes left in the period.

Is Kostitsyn misunderstood and thoughtlessly developed or is he surly, selfish and entirely interested in his cell-phone over the interests of his storied team?

Stewart quickly hits a Thrasher who looks vulnerable by the boards. Uncool. He gets called for it. Radek Bonk did not do stuff like that. Stewart. Always the wrong gestures.

A team becomes a long list of players one misses. This is why being in the living room with grand-dad when the game is on can be so irritating. Guilty.

We return from a commercial for the Atlanta power-play. First incursion results in a Montreal clear.

Plekanec and Lapierre combine for a near scoring chance. And they waste valuable Atlanta time. Well, maybe not valuable. Thirty-eight seconds and Atlanta is starting out from behind their own net.

Little gets a dangerous shot in. White can’t convert. Price was compromised. Canadiens clear it out.

Penalty elapses.

Now Atlanta is called for interference.

Boulton. He disagrees. Shakes his head. But it’s a good call as we see from the replay. Why shake your head? Why talk to the ref? Frat chat.

Gomez with Bergeron and Spacek. Latendresse is on the first wave. Bergeron loses the puck on the blue line and Colby Armstrong gets a breakaway.

Arm save. Price.

Now Gomez takes it back in. Mara and Hamrlik are the next blue-liners. Carey makes a great back-pass to save a bad situation by his net. Montrealers are back in. Cammalleri is on the side of the net looking to pass it in front. Gets two chances. Then. Ondrej.

Ondrej. Whistle. Ondrej. What a great name.

Plekanec takes the faceoff. Loses it. But Kostitsyn prevents Atlanta from exiting. Mara pivots and backhands it down. Penalty ends. Pressure continues. Hamrlik shoots from mask-range. Pavelec. Glove. Great save. Hamrlik looks annoyed.

One-twenty in the second period.

Cammalleri fans on a great pass from Gionta from behind the net. Then Cammalleri strips Peverley of the puck goes in alone. Dekes. Beats. Scores.

Somebody was right. I like Mike Cammalleri.

Atlanta 3, Montreal 2

He plays with a high level of pride.

Pavelec tries to look unaffected by the crowd. They are calling for a delay of game as a puck bounces off a player and over the glass. Pavelec shot it. He is immersed in this game and keeping his head above water very well. I hope this doesn’t become a career habit for him. Playing well against Montreal, I mean.

Montreal outshoots Atlanta 16 to 8 this period. We need more stats.

Second Intermission

Crete comments on Peverley’s error on Cammalleri. Then he and Demers discuss Latendresse’ job on the second line tonight. He misses a sure goal but gets a pass on that. We see some good, if not great work; on the boards, in front of the net and some skating. Latendresse is only 22 and he may develop into someone very important for the team. He has that power-forward potential one always hears about in discussions in what the Canadiens lack. But the lack of hitting and the lack of scoring, both are being talked about in Montreal and some folks feel that Latendresse, like Kostitsyn is not delivering and should go.

My take? Let’s give it the full season and see how the young players jell with the many newcomers. We’re into game thirteen of an eighty-two game season. Lotta hockey left. Lotta hockey.

I don’t want to say “lotsa”. It sounds a bit too Tim Horton’s for my liking. Too bad.

Crete always gives me that Dave Hodge vibe; genius trapped amongst fools. I think the only guy Crete respects on the team is Francois Gagnon. There may be others, perhaps Pierre Houde but I don’t get the chance to see them on-screen together.

Colby Armstrong is talked to prior to the third period. Pay attention. This is what the hockey unsavouries often sound like. Polite, good Canadian boys. Then they go back on the ice and continue to careen towards ending someone’s career via injury.

Third Period
Atlanta 3, Montreal 2

Plekanec line starts. Immediate pressure. One minute of control and then a Plekanec shot from a distance is trapped by Ondrej.

Antropov strikes me as careless with the puck.

Gionta line controls deep. Creating problems. Atlanta clearing effort fails. Gionta intercepts. Fires. In the net. Wrister. Low slot.

Atlanta 3, Montreal 3.

Number 72 is on the third defensive pairing, he is here for Gill.

Atlanta exit from their zone results in an interference play. Carle fans on it and trips a Thrasher. That’s number 72. Mathieu Carle. It’s my first time seeing him. Outside of Hamilton.

Early segment of the power-play results in a high shot caught by Price.

Gionta is causing problems on the PK, as well. Now Plekanec and Lapierre are interrupting the Thrashers. Lapierre gets a lead pass, a deep skate and a nice shot. Repelled. But with only twenty seconds left in the penalty, Atlanta has little time. But they make it work.

Kubina. From Afinogenov. Or it went off Moen’s skate. At this point they give the credit to Kubina. Also his first goal of the season.

Atlanta finds some motivation from this goal and they are down in Montreal territory for a failed shot attempt. Montreal responds with a rush of their own and Pavelec is forced to stop and freeze.

Bergeron does a good job stopping a two-on-two. Really good positioning as he skated backwards.

Fourth line is on again. Fourteen minutes left in the period.

Pacioretty is out of sorts with his passing. The game is still too fast for him.

Kubina beats Kostitsyn in the corner for the puck. Shoulder to shoulder and AK46 loses.

Now Price is beaten on the other end but the puck skitters wide.

Gionta line is on. Trouble for the opponent again. Brunet says that their subsequent line change was bad and gave Atlanta a chance.

This team really misses Markov’s offensive IQ.

Cammalleri shoots like a golfing mad cowboy. Got all of it. Twisted like an uncle. Nicklaus screwball. Pass from Gomez. Slot shot. But no goal. What a good line.

Kostitsyn gets booed for a lazy clear-in attempt on a line-change. Houde says that the people here know their hockey.

Montreal is pushing every shift. About eight on the scale. Seven is normal. Nine is playoff.

Pacioretty is getting better at hitting. And he was already good at that. Contribute any way you can.

Just under eight minutes. Montreal is trying everything and Atlanta is again waiting for the footsteps of doom. Have a plan.

Montreal rush.

Plekanec scores. That one felt inevitable. Faked. Sharp angle. Brought Pavelec down. Found the high netting. Beautiful goal. Goal-scorer’s goal.

Atlanta 4, Montreal 4.

Off the faceoff we are forced to watch the puck on the Montreal sideboards. Gionta line is on.

Problem. And Armstrong scores. Not the kind of boy one wants to see succeed.

Atlanta 5, Montreal 4.

Pass went through. To the low slot. Armstrong had nothing but net to look at and shoot for.

Over six minutes left. What a waste-of-time goal.

Experience is so important for a defenceman. Having seen so many patterns leads him to make the right decision more quickly. More intuitively. (Her, sure).

Just under five minutes.

Gionta line is on now.

They have trouble controlling.

Pacioretty line is on now. Chipchura controls it deep. They get it in. Lapierre is on with them.

Pass goes back to Spacek and he lances a dangerous puck high into a pile of players. Those kinds of shots sometimes find their way in. Game of crowds and hacks. Play stops. Pavelec found it.

We go to four-on-four as penalties were given out while we were in commercial zone.

Just over two minutes in the game.

Montreal creates two good chances in two segments. Without Kovalev and Koivu to slow things down or effect control, these games are more fragmented. Moments and opportunities. Space and time are not on this team’s side. They must fight for them.

Price goes to the bench. Gionta fires from the off-wing and Pavelec has to make a tough glove save. Whistle. Montreal calls a time-out. About forty seconds.

Montreal wins the faceoff and they manage to keep it in. Twice.

Twenty-five.

They are moving it around. But the puck finally escapes, on Spacek’s side.

Houde says Montreal has been involved in another bizarre encounter. He mentions the 68 shots totaled.

Atlanta 5
Montreal 4

HDS Stars: Ondrej Pavelec, Rich Peverley, Mike Cammalleri
RDS Stars: Rich Peverley, Bryan Little, Brian Gionta

Related posts:

1. Montreal Canadiens versus Tampa Bay Lightning
2. Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators
3. Montreal Canadiens vs Atlanta Thrashers
4. Montreal Canadiens vs Atlanta Thrashers
5. Atlanta Musings and In-Game Scribbles
6. Atlanta Musings, In-Game Scribbles