Montreal Canadiens vs Atlanta Thrashers
December 21, 2009, by Homme De Sept-Iles
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 (16-18-3) at Atlanta Thrashers (18-13-3)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Game Thirty-Eight (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.
A strange arena in a league of strange arenas.
Jaroslav Halak starts.
First Period
We skip ahead to fourteen minutes left in the first period. (Sorry, I started late … and Steve, you’re going to be annoyed with my comments tonight … maybe)
Lights seem greenish-blue. Thrasher jerseys are their usual etrange teal. And Andrei Markov is back in the lineup for his second game since his odd injury in game one. I don’t want to admit that I was at that game.
The ice seems fast as apples on a roadway. And Montreal is in high heart. I mistake Hal Gill for Markov at certain turns; Gill is playing a very smart game, economic and fleer.
With under ten minutes to go in the first period, the Atlanta puck-minder releases to his bench and the referee soon signals hooking.
Gill goes for the penalty; holding behind the Montreal net.
Atlanta wins the faceoff. Drive from the right.
Houde said that Halak transformed himself into a mural and moved not. Another shot. This one from the other point. Sping. And out. Post.
Kozlov and Kovalchuk play kid-keepaway with Enstrom. Atlanta spends most of their seconds with these clever angles and only three shots. Good ones, though. Just under thirty seconds left in the power-play.
Kubina and White work the puck very well with Afinogenov and they manage a cross-ice pass, besides. It’s as if they studied more film than usual. With a wisdom merchant at each session.
Plekanec gets hit. O’Byrne gets involved. Confronts Kane. Yep. Same Kane from last time. Brunet applauds it. Adds that it’s well-done.
Kane is a bit of a hot-head. Johnny Storm type (not Johnny Oduya).
Markov’s back, I inform my incurious housemate. And we get a shot of Mister Caine behind the Atlanta bench. Evander Kane heads for the penalty stall, himself.
Brunet gets agog over Markov’s passing on the power-play.
Markov is a list of good decisions. I find myself wishing for the larger view again. Just to watch a good decision-maker at work. I told someone about five years ago that Andrei Markov was a high-quality defenceman and was met with incredulity. I’m sorry to say that he was one of those Leaf know-it-all fans that one hears about. I only hear about these guys when I’m in Alberta, it seems. Regardless, scarce as they are, they exist.
Montreal’s power-play is dish and glisse, click and crack. But only about three shots and one terror-filled turnover that results in Halak making a snow-spray save about five seconds after the two minutes expire.
But lots of good work from Gorges, Bergeron and others in keeping the fire ablaze.
Chivas Regal commercial. And I hearken back to some unexpected advice from Jean Beliveau.
We see a replay of Markov’s pass to Kostitsyn in the slot from the previous sequence.
I believe that Markov is on the second pairing for now. Until he gets his game legs back, I imagine.
Metropolit (still looking Michael Ryder’s uncle) takes a faceoff deep in Atlanta territory and loses it.
Pacioretty is game and offers support but mistimes his check and the puck dances away. Gill is back to retrieve it and the Canadiens relaunch their attack. Kostitsyn, Gomez and D’Agostini are still a trio and they get some brief work done deep but can’t retain for a shot. They make a second incursion. And Paul Mara misses a shot. He was intruding from the blue line. In Atlanta’s crease.
We’re at just over a minute left.
Nothing an injury to increase a player’s value. Markov is aware of what people have said about him, I’ sure. It’s been good for his confidence and it shows in his demeanour and bearing. Don’t forget the big ovation he got has he was ovated in the team’s first home game (in his civvies, as they say; or used to say).
Hainsey advances and gets around a spinning ice-flat defender and scoops it in, somehow. Caine looks avuncular amongst his fifteen-year old charges.
Hainsey’s pass went to the crease and Kovalchuk put it in. Replay suggests that the puck was forced in with a leg or skate. If the movement was purposeful, it will be refused.
Very quick decision from Toronto. Goal stands (referee checked via phone and the final decision-maker is based in the league’s Toronto office. I presume the office is in the Air Canada Centre. Just kidding).
Atlanta somehow leads in shots on goal 18-3. When did they get the fifteen shots I don’t recall?
Montreal has outworked Atlanta, beating their opponents in the one-on-one puck battles and in the skating and pride columns. But they have a deficit for all to admire. This game. This game.
First Intermission
Atlanta 1, Montreal 0
Chronique a la Une. Francois Gagnon discusses some of the international team selections for the upcoming Olympics and we see some footage from 1998 when the Czech Republic won the gold medal. Jaromir Van Halen and Dominik Hasek are the prominent players mentioned. I mean Jagr.
Vladimir Ruzincka will be the Czech head coach.
Now a brief mention of Slovakia and we are reminded that Jaroslav Halak is going to be up against Colorado’s Peter Budaj for the starting goaltender position. Who is Kristian Kudroc? Apparently plays in the Swedish League.
I know far too many NHL players at this point in my return to the game. Hummm.
Commercial and a big bow-tie around a belching, gas vehicle. Should I be impressed? My science books had convincing artist’s renditions of the 21st century including slot-mobiles (electric) and gigantic solar collectors. Should I be disappointed? Wrong question. Should I be impressed with these sinisterly placed “jury-is-out” arguments? Or just in wait-til-you-die mode? Die.
Is the jury out on a round earth, too? It wasn’t out on garbage and pollution in 1975. Who reconvened the court? Who? Who?
We get some highlights and the Panthers are leading 1-0.
We can have these games without commercials. Just come up with a different funding formula. All you need is a big, shiny, ugly table, mean lemonade smiles and a big Gamble tome.
Joel Bouchard is convinced that the Canadiens seem unwilling to bring intensity to the game. I feel as if I watched a different period. I’ll give Bouchard the benefit of the doubt. I missed the first five minutes, after all.
Canadiens assistant coach Perry Pearn is the surprise interviewee prior to the second. It’s the first time I’ve heard him speak. Ever. I’m sure he’s spoken before. Certain, in fact.
Second Period
Atlanta 1, Montreal 0
Brunet says that Kovalchuk earns his money, his salary. He says that Kovalchuk puts on a show every night he plays.
Reasoner is jamming away. Halak has to scramble. Canadiens have it deep. They have to regroup.
Three-on-two. Delayed pass to Plekanec. He tees it briefly. Fires. And it goes straight up. Into the net.
Golf-shot. We see two replays. Brunet is very impressed with the shot. We hear that this is Plekanec’ 37th point of the season.
Montreal 1, Atlanta 1
Peverley moves it to the point. Shot. Kozlov deflects it. Almost.
Peppery. That’s how once could describe Kane’s work. It’s a generous description. Be generous with all, be generous with none. But never with just one.
Long shot. Hedberg was going the wrong way.
Laraque is on the ice. And icing occurs from a missed long pass.
We see a replay of Metropolit’s long shot that nearly beat Hedberg. Great awareness from both players. But where was Hedberg coming from?
Halak makes a superhero save and follows it with a hero save. Going from his left to the right. Puck is back behind Hedberg within six seconds. And then back out again within seven.
O’Byrne is battling behind Halak. D’Agostini is standing around. What a liability. Any time the puck gets trapped in our end, I see big Matt. Doin’ nothin’. [He missed his block.]
Just under thirteen minutes left in the second.
I’m distracted by a story (courtesy Doctor Rick). Thanks, Doc. I just got it now.
Cherry is an arrogant man. And he needs to go. Home. And away from microphones and the like. What a splinter.
Atlanta goes offside. Afinogenov preceded Kovalchuk on a potential three-on-two. Houde says it looked dangerous.
Cammalleri retrieves a puck. Chance in front of Hedberg. He fumbles it. And a whistle.
Cherry’s continued on-air existence is just evidence of the old boys club’s influence at the CBC. Even with Mellanby gone, did you think that the entire station would be free of shame? This is Toronto, moke. Towns like this never get clean.
Hedberg. Save. Good one. Spread sausage pads. Rebound is too easy. Andrei.
Montreal 2, Atlanta 1
Cammalleri to Kostitsyn. First shot was good. Save was great. Second shot was in, no defence. And no defender. Just a goalie, his goal-line and a skyward glance.
Just under nine minutes. D’Agostini relaxes regardless which end the puck is in. It’s not even like a Larouche or a McDaniel situation. At least you could count on Terry McDaniel to be interested in the glory-hound deep coverage (he hated covering short). D’Agostini. What’s he interested in? Casual skate.
Seven and a half. Gorges and Gill are doing good work. And then Gorges gets penalized. What for. Houde says it’s with cause. Odin’s beard.
Atlanta is having trouble setting up. Hedberg retrieves it and gets it to a player. Kovalchuk (wearing the “C”) accelerates and nearly scores going down the right side and in through the crease. I don’t feel sick when he touches the puck anymore. Is he less lethal?
Plekanec escapes with the puck. What acceleration. He’s going to shoot even though he has a teammate streaking with him. Shoots. Stopped. Rebound. Teammate. Stopped. Teammate was Moen.
Penalty ends soon afterward. But not before Kovalchuk gets a shot.
Commercial.
Atlanta is up 33-12 on shots. Just over five minutes in the second.
Markov leaves the puck for Gomez behind the net. Atlanta interrupts at the blue line but go offside. This arena has an organist. Do all of them?
Gomez sends a dangerous pass to the slot. Tangle and good defence. Andrei Kostitsyn is with them.
Line-change
Sergei now. From the corner. Turns. Shoots. Bergeron is in the crease. Hedberg teeters and falls into his net. Goaltender interference. Academy. Exaggeration.
Initial repulsion. And another. And the first pairing leaves for Sergei and Gomez. You ought to know, by now, who that first pairing was.
Three on two for Montreal. Markov. To Gomez. Good pass. Shot goes high. I’m very intrigued to see how the two passers are going to work together, Markov and Gomez. Intriguing defender-forward connection. It’s going to create a lot of interesting chances for whoever’s on with Gomez.
Atlanta is useless.
Well, it seems like it. Ok. That was a bit big brush. But they haven’t done anything but give Montreal scoring chances.
And now O’Byrne gets one as the penalty ends. See? Mid-slot shot.
Metropolit takes the faceoff against Reasoner. Loses it. Reasoner was kicked out of the circle, too. Ugh. Atlanta moves down. Reasoner helps create a chance. Halak is on his wheat-bag. But the puck leaves.
Just under a minute.
Is it rude to resent form letters at Christmas time? Ulp.
Uh, I overheard someone say that and was just curious.
Ting. Third post tonight, says Houde.
Mara is down. Hand injury. He’s back up. But his glove is on the ice. Houde says it’s a cruel consequence of the rules. About four seconds later he is able to go get checked.
Whistle helps. They need to change the rule, maybe. Scrum follows. Kane. Of course. Someone should regulate this guy. A bunch of people are responsible for his unruly self. A bunch of my countrymen. Get some dignity. Angelo Mosca would crumple you. And he didn’t need to fight after the whistle. Now, did he? Or how about Brett Williams? Or Uzooma Okeke?
Or how about 36 shots to 16?
Moy, moy.
Misbehaviour should be arrested early.
Second Intermission
Montreal 2, Atlanta 1
Demers is dusting himself off as we go to Joel Bouchard and the digital pulpit.
There are actually people that support Cherry. These people still exist. Wow.
Someone argues the position well, though.
Renaud Lavoie. Again showing how much he loves speaking to Anglophones. He interviews Tomas Plekanec. Someone should put together a video of this guy talking to Francophones running next to his interviews with Anglophones. It will reveal much.
Third Period
Montreal 2, Atlanta 1
Early incursion from Atlanta. Lapierre line starts.
Thorburn’s shot attempt goes high and into the crowd.
I guess young people believe everything Cherry says.
Kubina shoots. Rebound. Score.
Atlanta 2, Montreal 2
Antropov was in the right place and turned awkwardly but quickly to get his stick on it. Right in the crease.
About fifty seconds into the third.
Atlanta feels a bit more confident and Bogosian demonstrates this with a one-man flow. Speeds in with some nice moves and draws a hooking penalty. And nearly scores all the while. Forces Halak to a double-pad stack.
Atlanta scores within twenty seconds.
Brunet is laughing.
Atlanta 3, Montreal 2
Antropov. Slot-shot this time. Low slot. Also off-balance. Moreso. He was falling but got his stick on it.
Brunet reminds us that the Canadiens gave up 40 shots in their last game (Saturday against the Islanders).
It’s hard to believe that young folks would believe Cherry. Anything he says. Everything in the bible is true. Because it says so in the bible. Ok. I can believe it. Who changes channels or makes comparisons these days, anyway. Right? Right?
Golly gee, oh me, oh my.
This point “people should see tapes of the sixties, it was way worse then”. Really? Why would you instruct people to do something you haven’t done yourself? Clips aren’t tapes. If one watches full games from that era one will see that it is true that respect between players has declined. There are some horrible examples of violence from that era but during the game, contact was far more infrequent and much less jarring. One reason is that shifts were longer but another is that players didn’t head-hunt as they do today.
Mike Babcock once said that there are far more big hits in a game than there used to be in a week of hockey. I agree.
The incidents of violence outside of regular play were worse than they are today, though. In general. But for every Ted Green stick-swinging incident, there seems to be a comparable McSorley whacking Brashear over the head incident today.
The apologists for fighting are legion in hockey. Nothing of the sort in MLB, NBA and NFL ranks. Somehow the culture of lugs hasn’t survived as well in those leagues. Plenty of morons in those ranks as well but the reffing and the culture of violence is far worse in hockey. Yeah, I’m throwing the reffing in there. Wanna go?
As a group, NHL fans are the dumbest team sport fans in North America. And if we were permitted to run a proper scientific test, it could be proved.
Just under sixteen minutes in the game.
Wanna go?
Lapierre line is on. Expect some standing around from #40. And an increase in Atlanta shots. We should also have a shots on goal stat per shift. Not just plus-minus numbers.
And quality of shots granted. Shot contestation would be a variable in determining quality of shots.
All it takes is one Cherry story to remind me that most people are unreasonable. Logic is meaningless with them.
Most. Could be 51%. Could be 99%. I’ll just stay with “most” for now.
And we return from commercial to find that the Question Dodge has resulted in another 51. Fifty-one percent of voters feel that the Thrashers will make the playoffs.
Moen is hurt and walks down the hall. He has to stop. He is being assisted. Gomez is in the box, in the meantime.
Kozlov shoots hard. And wide.
Montreal’s PK is effective for the first minute. Markov takes Kozlov down with a high arm. Unexpected. Houde suggests that there may be a story between the two that we don’t know about.
Moen is back. And he nearly scores in a quick scramble in front of Hedberg. Power-play for Atlanta all the while.
Atlanta sets up. It all ends as Plekanec takes the puck to lead another two-on-two short-handed rush. Shoots. Stopped. Rebound. Nothing.
Markov moves up. Misses. Retrieves the puck. Passes. Two chances result. Second one should have gone in. Markov is playing an aggressive offensive game today. It’s been a season since I’ve observed him. A season, anyway. That first game was just a first game. Let’s see what he brings this season. He had two goals on Saturday.
Plekanec. Over the blue. Passes to Cammalleri. Two-on-two. Cammalleri shoots to bounce. Goes too wide.
Kostitsyn has a backhand chance. Stopped. Puck goes to the point. Sent back down.
Kovalchuk goes the other way. Puck is plugged against the boards. Kubina shoots wide.
Neutral zone. Turnovers. Atlanta comes up with it. Goes behind the net. Rich Peverley exits from behind Halak. Backhands. Nope.
Pacioretty and Moen work with Metropolit. Great line. Gill moves up to keep it in play. Finally Atlanta moves it out and then they ice.
Peverley has been on the ice for a long while says Houde. Icing means you have to keep the same line on. Icing team, anyway. Montreal wins the faceoff and they try and take advantage but the puck squirts to the neutral zone and Atlanta is able to make changes.
Markov is going past the hash or behind the enemy net and creating space and dangerous rebounds without getting out of position. Shoots. Then circles around the net. And shoots again and returns to the point.
Understanding why Don Cherry is effective is to understand why the Republicans are well-loved and re-elected in the US. Charisma and seeming trustworthiness along with an every-man demeanour count for more than facts or fairness with North Americans. Check the Reagan years. Or the Bush years. Or the Clinton years. He was a form of Republican, as well.
Andrei Kostitsyn goes to the box for slashing. Another third period penalty. He broke Todd White’s stick which is automatic. We’re suddenly at just over four minutes.
I’ve been rambling like an old man. Ahem.
Atlanta is first able to set up with thirty seconds elapsed.
Kozlov to Kovalchuk on the lip after about 48 passes. God. Nearly scored. Good patience, I must grant.
Here’s a question for your buddy (Malcolm) Gladwell: is machismo a form of stupidity or is stupidity a form of machismo? It gets more complicated if you think about it.
Habs kill the penalty.
Bogosian is called for something as Andrei enters with purpose and speed. He was in with his brother. Second time I’ve seen them on the same line tonight. I like it. Ok, I love it. They play so well together. I guess they’ve both earned it.
Michael calls a timeout. John Anderson, I mean.
Halak gets ready. Does some Roy movements with his chin and mask. Like he’s itching himself handless.
Montreal wins the faceoff.
I see Markov on the point and I feel like all is possible.
Wow.
Bergeron scores seconds later. Big shot. Pass from Markov. I yell and I believe.
Montreal 3, Atlanta 3
Brunet remarks on the power of the shot. A one-timer from the point.
Ninety seconds left. Another Atlanta shootout?
Metropolit misses the puck after a Pacioretty entry and it results in a turnover.
Montreal ices soon afterward. Martin tries to keep a calm demeanour but his expressions are becoming familiar. He isn’t Bryan Murray heart-attack more House of Commons blink-a-lot.
Time expires.
Shots on goal are 48-22 for Atlanta. Lots of harmless ones in there, though. Get me a magnifying glass.
Overtime
Why play dramatic music in a dramatic situation? Maybe it makes sense in telling a story. But it makes none in the moment. (Sam Spence blaring in downtown Iraq? Yeah, downtown Iraq. I’m stealing from our buddy Russell. Lovin’ it.)
Four-on-four.
Halak gloves a harmless, high shot.
Twitter me this. Forty-ninth shot. (Halak’s agent likes to use Twitter to advocate for his client. In a controversial way)
Peverley tries a turn and shoot. Around the net. Nope. Too slow. Just stick to whacking like a boy.
Halak steals a puck. White failed. Whoof. What a save.
Brunet says “what a superb game by Halak”.
Three and a half.
Spacek dumps it in. Hedberg stops it behind the net. Gives it to Kozlov. They enter. Kubina. Keeping it. Gives it away.
Two-on-one. Plekanec. Gets it to Bergeron. He makes a magnificent move to slip it in one-handed. He limps quickly to the dressing room. Hurt?
Montreal 4, Atlanta 3
Montreal 4
Atlanta 3
Now they are checking it. Did the net go off first?
Calling Toronto. I don’t trust Toronto. Well-spring of hockey triumphalism.
Goal stands. I take it back. This time.
Montreal 4
Atlanta 3
HDS Stars: Jaroslav Halak, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Markov
RDS Stars: Jarsolav Halak, Tomas Plekanec, Nik Antropov
Brunet says that this win must (should?) relaunch the Canadiens. I forgot about Antropov’s two goals but I’m too proud to change my initial choice. And I’m not apologizing to close out 2009. I’ll resume apologizing in January.
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