Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres

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 (15-15-3) host Buffalo Sabres (19-9-2)

Monday, December 14, 2009
Game Thirty-Four (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.

Bon soir. Sabres are in town.

Jaroslav Halak is in net versus Ryan Miller.

First Period

Early penalty to Ryan O’Byrne for hooking.

Moen and Plekanec are the first pairing and they repel the Sabres’ first thrust.

Halak makes a mistake on the next incursion but gets away with it.

Gomez is on the second pairing. I really resent not being able to see the entire ice surface. It’s time for the XBOX television set.

Montreal’s penalty-kill is its best unit. Penalty is killed. Buffalo wasn’t able to achieve any significant lateral blue-line passing at any time during the penalty.

Paul Mara continues to be absent on defence.

Halak is noticeably and significantly smaller than Carey Price. It creates that big-net seventies tension.

Lapierre chases deep with Sergei Kostitsyn and Scott Gomez as linemates.

Gill and Gorges combine to end a brief Buffalo entry.

Now O’Byrne chases a puck back in the Montreal zone and moves it out. And he does the same ten seconds later.

Derek Roy dumps it in on his backhand. Andrei Kostitsyn and Glen Metropolit are together with Max Pacioretty. Kostitsyn leaves and Moen takes his place.

Action is in the neutral zone and along the Buffalo boards before Pyatt grabs it and takes it down the right side for a harmless, bad-angle distance backhand.

Kaleta and Sekera are working to control in Montreal’s zone. They get a twenty-second presence that makes Montreal look short-handed. Then a Montreal is intercepted at their blue line to add eight more seconds of woe.

Puck care is critical against the Sabres. Recall the Sabres 4-0 first period lead in the teams’ last encounter.

Checking line is on. They get the first good scoring chance of the night for either team. Pacioretty to the point for Spacek for a shot that bounces out in the slot for Metropolit who is bodied but almost whacks at it.

Fourth line watches Sekera carry it in along the left boards. Ellis takes it away from O’Byrne behind Price. It goes to the point. Wide but the rebound bounces off the back boards and to Halak’s left where Buffalo’s Mike Grier, Matt Ellis and Adam Mair have a chance. Big crowd. Halak freezes it.

Buffalo is big man with a shovel. Stay out of the driveway, kids. They’re winning more of the puck battles and they impose their will without exertion.

Faceoff. Gomez exits with hustle in his stride. Left side. Shot. Skips high and out of play from a Lafleur distance.

Moen is banged to the ice and the crowd boos momentarily. Hamrlik moves the team out. Puck can’t be glued. And it goes behind Miller.

Hamrlik and Spacek prevent a sprightly entry down the middle. The action is very fast. Not the skating. It’s the fast passing, all short passes by both teams. A sophisticated ice lexicon. Makes it hard to keep up. Very high-quality hockey for the past three minutes of play.

I get lucky and catch a commercial.

Quick look at Saku’s good friend Craig Rivet. Rivet was the guy that took down Moen. Good check.

Connelly line is on. Cammalleri line matches. Plekanec beats his man. In the corner. Backhand pass. Rolls around to Andrei on the other side. His pass is off-target.

Buffalo enters. Shot by Kennedy.

Sergei exits to a rising cheer. Makes a nice move to centre, lifted stick, dodged body and the puck floats fast to the slot. But no sticks reach. And Rivet swoops in to take it away. Moments later the whistle goes as Ryan Miller is turned backward in his crease and on his knees, groping like a grandmother for glasses.

Rivet is called in the bumping afterward.

Quick passes after a won faceoff. Three of them. Long shot. Goal.

Andrei Kostitsyn. Fourth in his last five games.

Montreal 1, Buffalo 0.

Houde tells us that it’s the fourteenth time the Canadiens have scored the first goal this season.

Pacioretty enters offside. Houde chuckles. It’s uncalled. Vanek looking for Stafford

Halak takes a goal off the scoreboard. Right pad save.

Buffalo pressures. Keeps it in. Fires.

Montreal penalty.

Metropolit is called for holding.

Montreal pushes and skates. They keep it away and out. Now it hops over the glass. Sergei and Gomez are the second pairing. They move it out and dump it in. Buffalo has to reset.

Forty seconds left.

First pairing is back. Moen and Plekanec.

Plekanec gets it circles out of the zone. Then circles back. Then fires it down. Crowd loves it. So do I.

Siren goes.

Shots on goal are Buffalo 9 versus Montreal 9.

First Intermission
Montreal 1, Buffalo 0

Chronique A La Une (that’s the show’s name). They’re both in a good mood.

We see some outstanding footage of Slava Fetisov’s return to the game, Gordie Howe’s stunt game with the Detroit Vipers and a photo of Howe in Whaler regalia with his sons. I’m moved every time I see effective old-champion-returns iconography. Fetisov is playing hockey again eleven years after his NHL retirement.

We get a shot of Chris Chelios and some other older but bolder stars that played late.

They interview Andrei and he is more confident. His English has improved a bit, too. It’s still quite basic and it’s very endearing. He gives a last glance to see if the interviewer thought his answers were ok. Luc Gelinas thanks Andrei. Prior to that Demers told us that he believes in keeping the younger players around and that he disagrees with those fans that wanted to see the Kostitsyn brothers traded earlier in the year.

I have to admit that I was one of those. I hang my head in shame. Jacques Martin has shown that he has the touch to bring these and other young fellows around. He did great work in keeping the disparate family of personalities together in Ottawa enough to win and win big. That team finished first in the NHL in the 2002-03 season with 52 wins, for example.

Second Period
Montreal 1, Buffalo 0

Opening faceoff. Puck is dropped. And a distraction.

O’Byrne and Adam Mair are going to fight. This is a bizarre matchup. O’Byrne is not a fighter and while Mair doesn’t make his name that way, either, he is a tough guy. Mair has just 13 penalty minutes in 17 games with Buffalo this season.

Fight is a draw. No falling to the ice. And the bout seems to end on fatigue.

Buffalo’s site, like many NHL sites for American-based teams, has a “Buy This” entry page and you can only enter the site by clicking the ad. I feel shrugged-shoulder about it. Selling tickets makes sense. But aesthetics count. And so does soft selling. It’s complex, eh.

Miller’s mask is a bit too cartoon-birdie for my tastes. But on a seemingly contradictory note, I wish they’d bring the word “Mighty” back for the Ducks. They went from Anaheim Mighty Ducks to Anaheim Ducks. Their admin staff has a funny way of pronouncing Duck. It’s hard to spell but it sounds like “Dee-yucks”. But speed it up.

Gorges blasts it in and around where Metropolit gets it. To Moen behind the net. Sharp-angle shot from Metropolit. Goes across the crease. Back in Montreal territory where Pacioretty and Gill combine to move it through the neutral zone. Lapierre traps Stafford on the boards. Sekera retrieves it and passes it to centre ice. Montreal re-enters. Gomez and Lapierre are behind the net. Goals, goals, goals. That’s all I think when the puck is behind either net. Suddenness.

Puck leaves.

Lapierre ends his shift by dumping it in soon afterward.

Fourth line. D’Agostini, Pyatt and Pacioretty who hasn’t gotten off from his shift yet.

Hal Gill is averaging 21 minutes over his past five games according to RDS.

Deep faceoff. Connelly versus Tomas Plekanec. Plekanec wins against the taller Connolly. Puck goes to the point and then to the boards where Buffalo moves it out.

Canadiens get a rush. Plekanec. Fires. Rebound pongs out. To the slot.

Cammalleri beats Miller. Puck dribbles across the line but not over. Post first.

Now Halak freezes it.

Lydman fires it diagonally into the left corner. Gill retrieves and starts a rush. That ends at the Buffalo blue line. Jochen Hecht enters cross-cutting on the left. Shoots backhanded. Wide.

More short passes. Both teams are using playoff-style tactics. Not holding on to the pucks for longer than necessary.

Hamrlik and Hecht put gloves in each other’s faces. It cools off rather quickly. Hecht has some respect for Hamrlik (who never plays dirty or cheap).

Line two. Classic term. They’re really line one these days. Plekanec, Kostitsyn and Cammalleri.

Cammalleri over the blue line. Pauses, cross-ice to Plekanec. A bit off but Plekanec surprisingly gets it to the slot where Andrei backhands it. He let the puck hit his stick as he crossed the slot. Just turned the blade like a magician. Miller was ready. Faceoff.

Gorges is called for holding. Replay confirms it but it’s a close call according to Houde.

Connolly versus Plekanec. Plekanec wins again.

Goes to the other side where Moen nearly sets up a clear. Puck is kept in at the line.

Myers has it on the point. Raises his stick. Hold it in the air. Continues to hesitate. Finally shoots. Nothing. Back to Myers. And again.

Connolly has it on the hash. To Pominville. Back and forth between the two. Plekanec gets props from Houde for his tight puck coverage.

Puck stays in. Connolly fires it from the circle. It tips high but stays in off the glass opposite.

The penalty ends and an ugly shot goes in from the point seconds later. How?

Houde and Brunet try to figure it out. Replay is inconclusive.

Buffalo 1, Montreal 1.

Just under seven minutes left in the second. Delayed call. Against Montreal. It better be cuz your buddy Miller just took off for the Buffalo bench.

Gomez takes a cheap and bad one. Retaliates with his stick after a seemingly legal hit. Man.

Buffalo gets early control.

Hecht and Roy work it on the right side. Sekera loses sot to Sergei. Pyatt follows the action that Sergei generates. Tries to move along the Buffalo boards towards miller but can’t get close.

Just under a minute in the penalty.

Stoppage in play.

Thirty seconds.

Plekanec is out with the puck again. Wheeling on the Buffalo side-boards. Passing backhand to the slot. Nobody there. Penalty ends soon after.

Andrei. Working with one hand. Moving. Behind the net. Working. Loses it.

Pacioretty retreats to retrieve it. Somewhat dangerous backhand pass in front of Halak. Pace has changed. Passes are longer. And there are more spaces for both teams to operate. Chase is ebbing. The teams have been working hard and been emotionally committed for a long time. It has to ebb.

Montador gets called for slashing. He slashed Sergei for a legit check.

Hecht leads an early two-on-one. He passes once to Grier who passes back as they cross the blue line. Hecht keeps and backhands. Stopped by Halak. Snow and knees. Faceoff.

One minute in and the Canadiens can’t get a shot. Not for lack of accurate passing.

Another two-on-one. Pass and pass and goal. Backhander for Kaleta. From Connolly. I thought Halak got over. Price might have had it. Yes, I typed that. When things change only a fool wont’ acknowledge it. And only a judgemental, green fool would criticize that acknowledgement.

Buffalo 2, Montreal 1.

Try subtracting the joking tone and see what you hear.

Period ends.

Shots are 10-5 and 20-14 in favour of the Sabres.

Houde says that this is a scenario we’ve seen before from the team this season; play well but take a couple of bad penalties and manufacture the momentum for the opponent.

Second Intermission
Buffalo 2, Montreal 1

Replays and bad Coors commercials. Oh. Coors Light. Is there such a thing as heroin light? Man.

Third Period
Buffalo 2, Montreal 1

Another faceoff won by Vos Canadiens.

Both teams are briefcase and coffee. Third period business.

I feel supper-inspired surges of carbohydrate sugar-joy and wonder if my pride in the team’s play in the past three weeks is misplaced.

Buffalo penalty. Miller yaps with the official about it and makes a big show of pointing to the jumbotron.

Three passes. Goal. Andrei.

Montreal 2, Buffalo 2.

Referee told Miller not to get too involved in these types of discussions according to Houde.

Andrei was alone in the slot. Standing in front of the net as some of you like. He was alone when he got the pass and he sent it under Miller.

Moen drives down. Both teams are up again. Action looks more frazzled. Bad pass is intercepted by Hecht going the other way. Goes in and shoots. Stopped by Halak.

Sergei is on with Gomez and Lapierre. This is a new line. Very interesting combo.

A playmaker, a playmaker and a fast checker who can pass and shoot reasonably well.

Canadiens generate three good scoring chances from three lines following the goal.

The last one is engineered by Cammalleri.

Grier and Ellis work hard and create a chance of their own. Very low percentage whack from the side of the net is the result. Hard work, weak result.

Gill has it behind the net. To Gorges. Moen and Metropolit work to contain the puck. Pacioretty is assisting. Another good line combo. It took time but it might all work out.

Henrik Tallinder to Tim Kennedy and a long pass misses everyone and costs the Sabres an icing.

Halak stops it behind his net. To Bergeron. Stopped at the blue line. But Sergei has it and gets a chance. Houde’s voice climbs. Crowd climbs with him.

Montador has it at the point. Fires. Blocked.

Cammalleri and Plekanec are working around the Buffalo net. Plekanec is playing with the most confidence I’ve ever seen him play. He is head up and looking as he creates or as he digs.

Shifts change as the pace settles into a series of searchings and crafty passes by both clubs. Thomas Vanek gets a shot now. Halak has to freeze it. Three short Buffalo passes led to the thrust and fire.

Faceoff will be to his left.

Steve Montador and Scott Gomez have a kings of the truck talk-down after a whistle. It slows as neither truck guy wants to give up his coffee or take a black eye. Not against a buddy, now. League buddy.

Buffalo pressures mildly following the faceoff.

Spacek has a different kind of lunch bucket. He blocks a shot above the slot. Sudden bowling shirt fall but it works. Really important blocked shot. The game is on the line. And in the past ten games, more and more members of the team are extending themselves individually for the cause of the many.

Group. And drink. Whatever works. What is it today, I wonder? Text messaging teammates?

Plekanec and Cammalleri talk strategy on the bench. Now Pleks and Kostitsyn talk it up a bit. Plekanec initiated the second one. Didn’t see the beginning of the first one.

Pacioretty loses his stick and the reaction is way too slow. Either someone should have jumped on the ice or the stick should have been given out more quickly.

Cammalleri skates over the blue line quickly like Naslund. Mats. Fires. High. Gloved by Miller and held.

Lapierre wins the faceoff, Montreal loses the possession.

Just under eight minutes left in the game.

Lapierre and Gomez nearly trap the puck deep.

Kaleta creates on the other end. Halak has to reach left … and right. He can’t reach and get it. He should have had it. And now it finds a corner pocket. Goal.

Buffalo 3, Montreal 2

Cammalleri scores.

Give and go. To Andrei. To Cammalleri. Off-wing. Wrister with poise. Precision. And pride.

Montreal 3, Buffalo 3

Moments later both Metropolit and Derek Roy go to the box. And D’Agostini. Oy.

Andrei was on the blue line as the linchpin on that goal. Tape to tape pass (tape on the sticks; tape to tape is a way of lauding accuracy).

Buffalo has a power-play. Now a high stick. O’Byrne. He hit Pominville accidentally.

About a minute and twenty seconds of five-on-three. Time-out is called.

Lindy Ruff has the whiteboard out and all the Sabres look interested.

Plekanec with Gill and Gorges. Faceoff won. Gill clears.

Buffalo sets up. Connolly shoots. From the point. Wide.

Pominville from the point. Halak gets a glove it.

Slot set-up. Fanned.

Side of the net. Score.

Buffalo 4, Montreal 3

MacArthur.

Halak looked a bit off on it. Not urgent enough. He gave up on it. It’s the same effort as always, a good one but it looks different in light of Price’s recent work which is underscored by a quickness reserved to only a few.

Kaleta misses on a goalmouth chance. Sent it high. Fortunate.

Four minutes and eighteen seconds as the penalty ends and a commercial begins.

Buffalo is playing to close it. Montreal crowd is hoping. Cammalleri line is on looking for more.

Hamrlik gives it away on the backhand. Just trying to get it out.

Just under three minutes.

Gorges to Moen. Sergei follows it into the corner.

Team is forced back to their zone.

Sergei took it in the face. Buffalo penalty.

Lydman is called. Sergei put his glove to his face. Sergei exaggerated it a bit.

Exactly two minutes in the game and the penalty.

Plekanec. Connolly. Connolly is kicked out of the faceoff circle. Plekanec wins.

Experience keeps it in the Buffalo zone. Cammalleri and Plekanec. Bergeron from the point. Right on Miller’s stick.

Bergeron to Cammalleri. Shot from Cammalleri. Wide. They have to reset.

One minute.

Bergeron. To Spacek. Back.

Halak will go.

Six on. Empty net. Hamrlik keeps it in after a shot from Bergeron.

They keep the puck in and the pressure on. Kostitsyn for Cammalleri. Opposite side. Shot. Not enough on it. Miller smothers it. It was one of those Markov to Kovy cross-ice specials.

Good pressure.

Montreal calls timeout.

Martin is doing all the talking. Not Muller. Notepad and pen discussion with his team. Short and done.

Plekanec is on for the faceoff. The team’s number one centre. As good as Koivu these days.

Nineteen seconds.

Buffalo clear fails. Shot from the point. They do well to keep it in. And a shot. Not a lot of velocity. Trapped by Buffalo. Win or lose, the team has shown they can do it.

Clock hadn’t moved and the refs have to talk about it. They check it. And the clock should have run out.

Disappointing loss for the team but encouraging signs for the fans and observers. This team has growing chemistry and resilience. They will make a run in the spring.

Buffalo 4
Montreal 3

HDS Stars: Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, Ryan Miller
RDS Stars: Andrei Kostitsyn, Tyler Myers, Jochen Hecht

Anti-Chamber: What goes unmentioned is that Carey Price, playing the way he has in the past few weeks would have stopped two or three of the Buffalo goals. Tough saves all, but it would have been the difference. Montreal is getting ready to move up in the standings. Look for a good late December.

Related posts:

1. Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres
2. Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators
3. Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes
4. Montreal Canadiens versus Ottawa Senators
5. Buffalo Sabres Versus Montreal Canadiens
6. Buffalo Musings, In-Game Scribbles