Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators

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 (19-18-3) at Ottawa Senators (19-15-4)

Monday, December 28, 2009
Game Forty-One (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.

Jaroslav Halak starts his fifth straight game for Montreal.  He’s faced 196 shots in the past four games and stopped 190 of them.  Quite an exit ride from Montreal.  I imagine he will be traded this month.  He wants to start and Gainey has said that he will try and accommodate the quick goaltender.

Joel Bouchard says that only one of the past four games really counts as a win for Montreal, the game against Carolina.  He says the other ones are all courtesy of outstanding play from Halak.  Agreed.  But if the team wins tonight they may move to sixth place in the East and sometimes perception is the only satisfying thing.

Michel Bergeron says that Calgary will beat Edmonton tonight and that Vos Canadiens will beat Ottawa.

Pascal Leclaire is back from his odd injury (hit by a puck while sitting on the bench).  He is Ottawa’s starting goaltender.

First Period

Metropolit starts and loses the faceoff.

Ottawa is stopped at the blue line and Pacioretty and Moen are stopped in turn in Ottawa territory.

Gorges carries it out for Montreal and dumps it in.  Plekanec line is on.

Long pass from Markov misses everyone and it’s called for icing.

Plekanec loses the faceoff.  Puck battle features Kovalev and Fisher.

Kovalev shows some life on the forecheck but the Canadiens move it out anyway.

On the return rush, Kovalev rushes to the net but Ryan Shannon is stopped in the corner and a whistle follows.

Long shot elicits an “aah” from the crowd.  Halak turned it away.

Gionta is back tonight and so is Hamrlik.  Full complement for the first time since October.

Gionta is on with Pouliot and Gomez.  Gomez has some pepper in his stance and stride.  His scorer is back.

Sergei is on next with Lapierre and D’Agostini.

They spend most of their time in Montreal’s zone.  Great.

Montreal is the NHL’s number one-ranked powerplay.  Twenty-five percent.  I had no idea til this afternoon.

Pacioretty passes to Metropolit in the neutral zone.  Metropolit bangs it in.  It’s out just as quickly.

Plekanec carries it in next.  Plekanec beats Volchenkov to the puck behind Leclaire.  Wraparound attempt fails.

Then a few great passes result in a goal for Cammalleri.  Markov to Andrei K to Cammalleri in the slot.  So quick.  So big.  The net.

Montreal 1, Ottawa 0

Just over five minutes elapsed.

Kostitsyn gets a sudden gift.  Right at the lip.  Misses the net.  What a chance.

Pouliot intercepts a pass at the blue line.  His offensive is smothered by Leclaire.

Gomez and company lose the faceoff to Laclaire’s right.  Long shot from Bergeron skitters up into the crowd.

Faceoff chases Montreal back and the puck goes out of play again.  Pouliot is on with Gomez and Gionta.  Gionta!

Gomez clears it in on his backhand and spins away from contact.

Ottawa clears it out.

Whistle.

Brunet says we have to be patient with Gionta.  He adds that Gomez will profit from his return and that they have great chemistry; you just have to watch to see it.

Halak clears the puck with two Senators closing in behind the net.  Succeeeeds.

Pacioretty’s pass to Metropolit is tangled in skates.

Halak gloves a looping puck on Ottawa’s response incursion.

Cammalleri line is on.

Kostitsyn works in the corner.  Loses it to Volchenkov.

Puck bounds around.  It’s on Kovalev’s stick.  He shoots.  Sharp angle.  Stopped by Halak.

Faceoff.

Gionta fires it as he crosses the blue line.  Hard, rising shot.  Gloved by Leclaire and held for a faceoff.

Montreal’s forecheck is not getting the job done.  But Ottawa can’t establish control when they enter the Montreal zone.  Now a shot goes up off a stick.  Faceoff to Halak’s left.  Montreal wins it.  Gomez passs to the slot.  Wide.  Another pass.  To Pouliot.  Shoots wide.

Another pass.  Another pass.  Shots.

Scrambling Senators.  Gionta fires form the slot.  Rebound.  Pouliot turns, takes the puck.  Falls.  Shoots.  Net.

Montreal 2, Ottawa 0.

Pouliot is thrilled.

Just under ten minutes.

Sloppy hockey for a few seconds.  Pace slows.  Ottawa starts passing better.  Then they turn it over.

Montreal turnover.  Campoli shoots it wide.

Puck goes out of play.

Spacek helps cause a turnover.  Cammalleri does the same.  Markov.  Short passes.  Cammalleri’s shoot-in is blocked.  Phillips carries it out.

Ottawa’s work ethic increases as the teams joust and fracas.  Wraparound fails but the puck goes to Campoli from above the circle and goes in.  Peter Regin gets the goal.

Montreal 2, Ottawa 1

Just over seven minutes left.

Sergei works in one-on-one.  Gets a low-velocity shot that looked more dangerous then it was.  They control briefly but give up a two-on-one.  Expunged.

O’Byrne goes behind the Montreal net.  Leaves it for Metropolit.  Back to O’Byrne.  Puck is lofted in.  Forecheck is brisk.  Almost fierce.  Action moves to the Montreal blue line and then to the neutral zone.  Gill has it retreating and passes it ahead.  Line change.

Halcyon.  And the hitting increases.  Crowd is blister and banana.  Apes in heat.  Whistle reduces the rabble.

Gomez.  Loses the faceoff.  Ottawa rounds it to Kovalev.  He loses it near his left circle.

Gill from the point.  Blocked.  Kovalev’s back pass is a turnover.  Gionta enters.  Tongue and snake.  Fires.  Stopped.

Bergeron retreats.  To Kostitsyn.  Senior.

Stopped.

Long pass from the Senators is called for icing.

It’s a crowd of pickpockets and burly henchmen on ice.  Fast, awkward and multiples of show.  Gionta grimaces on the bench and the commercial curtain is one that might save my perceptions.

Moen gets in.  Raised stick and turn, got the stick on it again.  Just missed.  High-wire effort.

Andrei falls while forechecking.

Gorges to Plekanec.  Fisher hassles him.  Hit elicits boos.  We are close to seeing a penalty.  Kovalev is fighting for the puck.  Loses it.  Seconds later he turns it over.  He is out of his element.  Or nobody else is in his.

Montreal is too busy creating scoring chances to notice.

Pouliot is in alone.  Just goes high.  Where did he come from?  Lanky and lurid.  And slow.  Replay shows that Leclaire made a starburst save on Pouliot.  Glove and raise.

Delayed penalty.

Two refs.  Two arms.  One penalty.  I need an orange.

Markov.  Interference.  Neil got knocked down.

Just under a minute in the period.

Kovalev is on with Shannon and Fisher.  Dangerous pass from Kovalev to the slot.  He is so aware on the power-play.

Period dissolves with water and acrylic remaining.

Brunet says that Gomez was spectacular.  Montreal finishes with 13 shots to Ottawa’s 11.

First Intermission

Montreal 2, Ottawa 1

Olympics talk from Francois.  Ryan Miller is discussed.  He will be the American goalie.  The Olympics should be for amateurs.  And Ron Wilson should retire.  He will be the head coach for the US.  Networks, suits and ties.  Be my friend; I want to goaltend for the Montreal Canadiens.

Renaud Lavoie is trying a bit harder to be happier with the Anglophone interviewees.  He yuks it up with Brian Gionta.  I hope nobody is reading these missives.  I mean missiles.

Second Period

Montreal 2, Ottawa 1

We are informed that Cammalleri’s goal was the team’s 20,000th.

Fifty seconds left in the penalty.

Cheechoo and Kovalev work on the power-play.  Puck goes to the other side and out.

Penalty ends.

Sergei gets in.  Houde almost loses it.  Sergei almost scored on a back-and-forth backhand.

Icing.  Ottawa’s numeric font is a bit Seuss.  I guess I don’t mind it.

Delay of game penalty.  Or not.  It deflected.

What’s shinier, ice or my tv screen?

Pacioretty moves to the front.  Fans on it.  Gets a handle.  Shoots.  Stopped.  Rebound is on the side, goaltender is down.  Metropolit is stopped.  Faceoff.

Kelly gets a chance down the middle.  Halak makes a European save.  Just wanted to see what that would look like.

Montreal is falling behind the play.  Ottawa senses it and their pass frequency increases.  A long shot from the point is gloved by Halak.  He should scold a few players now.

Gomez misses a backcheck and then retrieves the puck and  passes it to the Montreal slot where it is worked up by Gorges and to Pouliot whose shot as he crosses the blue line is gloved by Leclaire.  Harmless shot.  But a good choice as Pouliot was covered and had no pass receivers.

Lapierre versus Donovan.  Lapierre wins the faceoff.

Sergei is spinning and battling and then he works the puck up to the point.  Shot from a bad angle is trapped by Halak.

Cammalleri has to take the next faceoff.  Plekanec got kicked out of the  circle.  Cammalleri loses the puck and takes down a Senator.  And gets away with it.  Very lucky.  Veteran’s non-call.

Pouliot cuts with intention to the slot.  Wow.  Showing a few new things tonight.

Canadiens get called after some more frenzied action.  Spacek is called for an accidental high stick.  Chris Neil.  (Markov knocked down Neil on the interference).

Gomez creates his own breakaway.  Gets too much time to think about it.  Fails to shoot on a deke attempt.  Can’t gather the puck to pass it to the slot.

Montreal clears soon afterward.  Thirty-four seconds left in the penalty.  Nine and a half minutes left in the period.

Plekanec looks to shoot it long and then  angles it out using a nearly horizontal clearing pass.  It ends the penalty.

Gionta and Gomez are creating and Leclaire has to bucket down.  He does.  And then Halak makes a save on the other end.

Brunet takes it easy on Gomez on the replay.  He realises that Gomez is getting a lot of unfair reviews recently.

Kovalev.  Passes to the slot.  Sudden.  Off a skate and into Halak.  Stopped.  Brunet says that Kovalev has had a rough night tonight and that he is a good passer.

Montreal is on the attack now.  To the point.  Shot.  Wide.

Pouliot is knocked down as he works the perimeter of the Ottawa zone.  Montreal fans in the crowd boo.  There are a lot of them.

Just under five minutes in the period.

Cheechoo and Kelly move in and try to slow the puck velocity.  But it escapes them around the back of Halak’s net.  But Spacek’s stick stays caught between Cheechoo’s legs and it is called.

Faceoff won by Ottawa.  To the point.  Shot.  In.  What.

Ottawa 2, Montreal 2

Shannon from the point.  High wrister.  Deflected.  Over the left shoulder.

This game has had far too many whistles.  The non-penalty type.

Sergei hits the post.  D’Agostini controls it and passes it to the point.  Passenger pass.

Lapierre gets it to the slot.  Missed.  Sure goal.  Canadiens take another penalty.  Gionta.  Tripping.  Fair call.  Kerry Fraser is on it.

Just over two minutes left in the period.

Houde calls it a critical situation for the Canadiens.

Metropolit bounces a puck off Chris Kelly’s face.

Kovalev enters.  Passes.  Slot shot.  Great save.

Ottawa wins the faceoff.  Plekanec loses another.

Kovalev.  To the side.  Kuba.  Nearly puts it in.  Kuba on the other side now.

To the point.  To the phone booth.  Kovalev keeps it.  Back to Kovalev.

Rolls, turns, shoots.  Wide.  I shake my head in fear.

Puck is cleared out.

To the point.

Back to Kovalev.  Lapierre on him.  Pass to Fisher.  Scores.  Horn.

Waved off.  Horn interrupted.

Clouston looks up at the jumbotron.  Neil was in the crease.

Brunet says there was no contact.

And the replay shows there was not.

Whoops.

Unless there is something else and Brunet says there may have been in terms of distance.

Twenty seconds left.  Looks like Montreal caught a break.

Period ends.

Second Intermission

Montreal 2, Ottawa 2

Not a lot to say.  Renaud Lavoie interviews Benoit Pouliot and gives him the puck from his first goal as a Canadien.  Second Pouliot interview in a few games.  I’m ready for a Tomas Plekanec interview.  Or how about big Georges?

Third Period

Montreal 2, Ottawa 2

Goalies night.  Leclaire makes a fabulous save on Plekanec from Cammalleri.  Corner to the slot.

Kovalev bursts in.  Great speed and control, falls, shot.  He goes after the puck and Markov takes him down in the corner.  Looked accidental.  Two minutes.

Kovalev shoots powerfully and the big rebound clatters seriously in the slot before Plekanec ends up with it.  Drives and creates a shot one-on-one.

Back in the Montreal zone.  Kovalev.  In the slats.  Down.  Back.  To the point.  Shot.  Stopped.  Out.

Kovalev again.  Where is the cape.  Puck is in front.  Kovalev wants a goal.

Thirty seconds in the penalty.

Fisher is on the second wave.  Montreal clears.

Picard carries it out.  Penalty ends.

Kostitsyn senior feathers a pass into the crease.  Too far  Plekanec for Andrei.  Too high.

Action and mess.

Shot from the point.  High.  Trapped by Halak.

Now we see a montage of Pouliot efforts.  One goal, six shots.  Some good work.  Keep it up.

Kovalev is in again.  Shoots.  Stick got on it.  Goes high.

Pouliot loses the puck and smatters someone going after it.

Kovalev’s pass is intercepted by Pouliot.

Action is bounding.

Fisher steals it.  Goes to the net.  Shoots.  Halak has it.  It falls.  It bounces in.  Lights strobe in hallowed, haunting pools.  Big, slow white circles.  And that horn again.

Ottawa 3, Montreal 2

They check it.  Toronto.

Jacques Martin looks like the Penguin.

Goal.

Chris Neil gets credit for it.

Just over thirteen minutes left in the third period.

Canadiens work with desperation.  Spacek pinches.  Kostitsyn senior forechecks with gusto.

Commercial.

Spacek has a shot blocked.  And another whistle.  Many whistles.

D’Agostini has an invested seven-second segment.  Pass.  Reception.  Carry.  Move.  Shot.  Maybe nine seconds.

Halak makes a huge but sneaky pad save.  Ten minutes left.

Cammalleri doesn’t see a puck soon enough.  Would have been the kind of backhand goal that only a PS3 player could generate.  Houde is animated nonetheless.

Commercial.

Markov is snakey-snakey on the blue line.  Horizontal search.  Icing soon afterward.

Work, work, work, sleep.

Halak gloves it.

Eight minutes.

RDS says that the rhythm is disrupted often and that there are many whistles.

Kovalev is one-handing along the boards following the faceoff.

Just under seven minutes.   Cammalleri line is back.

Gomez line now.  Markov shoots.  Then Gionta moments later.

Markov.  Smart, smart and smarter.  Where is Hamrlik?

Lapierre line enters.  Offside.  Useful bunch.  Is that what I meant?  Is it?

Magic.  Who else.

Waits.  Centres.  Goes back to him.  Post.

Magic.  Who else.

But no goals.

Ottawa is pressing.  And the wand is a cannon.  The Sen crowd responds to this effort.  What a party they could have every night.  They love the big purple curtain.

Just under three minutes.

Cammalleri.   Takes it out from behind the net.  Takes a shot he wouldn’t have in the first period.  It’s the same sharp-angle result as it would have been in the first.

Montreal is playing with impudence.

Belligerent speed.

Ottawa has to ice.  Markov flips an annoyed stick at Chris Neil.  Refs ignore it.  Montreal calls a timeout.

Muller is talking using the white board.  Gionta is a strong listener.  Gomez, too.

Kostitsyn and Cammalleri will be on with them.

Halak is standing on the Montreal bench.

Ottawa clears it.  And it goes in the empty net.  Black button smoke.

Hang a pig.

Just forty seconds.

Ottawa 4
Montreal 2

HDS Stars: Pascal Leclaire, Jaroslav Halak, Andrei Markov
RDS Stars: Pascal Leclaire, Peter Regin, Benoit Pouliot