Montreal Canadiens versus New Jersey Devils

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 (21-22-3) host New Jersey Devils (30-10-1)

Saturday, January 9, 2010
Game Forty-Six (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.

Visit and be great.  Our guys have to be great every night.  The more we can have players like that, the better.  Our visitors only have to be great for one night.  What simple, peaceful lives they must lead.  How happy and healthy their versus-Montreal statistics.

Pierre Houde says Martin Brodeur is great against the Montreal Canadiens, particularly in the Bell Centre.

Chapeau, chapeau.  Toujours avec le chapeau.  C’est ennuyant.  Est-ce qu’on peut avoir un autre metaphor?

The goalies for tonight are Jaroslav Halak and Martin Brodeur.

First Period

Metropolit wins the opening faceoff against Rob Neidermayer but New Jersey’s forecheck nabs the puck for some brief but inconsequential control.

D’Agostini resumes his good work from the past game in forechecking with zest.

Puck moves down into the Montreal zone where Markov has some trouble moving it out.  Finally the Canadiens get it to the neutral zone.

Lapierre line is on.  Pass back to Spacek. Turnover, bad pass into the neutral zone.  Georges Laraque is out of the lineup and White is back and on the fourth line to take his place.

Neidermayer is back on with Jay Pandolfo.  New Jersey gets it to the point for two shots.  Goes behind Halak.  Gill is there and working against number 21.  A shot results for New Jersey from the circles.

Devil forecheck is quick and limits Montreal’s decision-making deep in their own zone.  Whistle.

Mario has a stressed expression on his face behind the Devil bench.  He is the assistant to head coach Jacques Lemaire.  Mario Tremblay, of course.

A problem with the score-clock causes a stoppage of about twenty-five seconds.

Montreal wins the faceoff.  Plekanec.   New Jersey enters quickly following a brief Montreal presence.  Zach Parise gets a pass in front of Halak and a backhander escapes the Slovak goaltender.   Brunet says that Halak should have had it.

New Jersey 1, Montreal 0

Gionta and Cammalleri work to keep Montreal possession and to bang a shot on Brodeur from inside the blue line.

Lapierre line is on and they are chasing.  Houde says that the Devils are controlling the play.  Houde adds that protecting the puck is one of the musts against New Jersey.

Six minutes elapsed.

Markov starts from behind the Montreal net.  Up for Gorges.  His pass is captured by New Jersey.  Turnover and Montreal is in.  Pacioretty sends a light shot at Brodeur that is turned away easily.

Metropolit takes the puck from Salvador and sends it to the slot.  Nothing.

Cammalleri is stopped point-blank in the crease moments later.

Shot from the boards by Plekanec is stopped and held by Brodeur.

Commercial.

Gomez wins the faceoff.  Gorges shot is deflected away and New Jersey moves it out.  Devils are called for tripping on the forecheck.  Zach Parise.  He argues not a whit.  He took down Pouliot in the curve of the boards to Halak’s right.
Faceoff is in thhe New Jersey zone as a result.

Montreal wins the faceoff (Plekanec).  Puck goes to Markov who sends it cross-ice for a shot.  Action continues in the New Jersey zone.

Cammalleri from the side.  Brodeur stops it.  Cammalleri gets it in the corner and sends it to Markov on the point.  Another Markov shot.  Both shots are problem-causers but the rebounds find no red sticks.

Markov is the quarterback on this sequence and he has six nice plays including two one-timer set-ups for Cammalleri in the circle.

Markov turns it over from his zone and a shot goes into the crowd.  About ten seconds in the penalty.

Brodeur’s saves were excellent.  He still has the great quickness and athleticism to go post-to-post on cross-ice pass-and-shoots.  I’m running out of hyphens.

Penalty ends and we are at ten minutes left in the first period.  Gill hammers Parise to the ice.  Legal.

Langenbrunner has it behind Halak.  Tries a slot pass.  Montreal intercepts it.

Devils exit attempt is shortened and interrupted by Matt D’Agostini.  Great work from the new-look forward.  He had his best NHL game on Thursday and seems ready to have an even better game tonight.  He had a few lapses in that Thursday game which were highlighted on the post-game show but his effort overall overshadowed those, in my view.  Mike Cammalleri makes players around him better.  That is my hypothesis.

Parise’s face is bloodied.  Gill’s shoulder was the reason.  Brunet says it’s legal but he expresses concern about the rules that allow it.

Ralston and Elias create two quality shots on the five-on-five and Halak has to make good saves.  Just under eight minutes left in the first period.

Moen is chasing it with Metroplit.  All three forwards are quite deep and the Devil exit almost becomes a three-on-two but for a pass that goes a bit long.

Metropolit bangs two Devils on the boards to Halak’s right.

Montreal moves it out.

Fight.

Fraser versus Moen on the New Jersey blue line.

The referees and linesmen watch.  Not a lot of punches.  They turn like the dancers in the Beat It video.  No knives.  The fight goes on til both guys are exhausted but upright.  It seems rugged yet impersonal.

D’Agostini chases the puck into the Devils’ zone.  He gets to it by getting around a defender who had position.  Great work.  Delayed penalty is called; hooking against the Devils.  Travis Zajac.

Langenbrunner is on the first pairing for New Jersey.  Metropolit and Cammalleri are on with Plekanec as the Montreal first wwave.  Markov and Bergeron are the rearguard.

Thirty seconds of nothing.

Bergeron moves up to keep the puck in.  Metropolit and Bergeron share two passes.  Shot by Metropolit goes wide.  Plekanec has it on the side.  Moves with it.  Shoots.  Nope.

Markov has it on the point.  Cammalleri in the corner.  Back to Markov.  To Bergeron.

Finally New Jersey clears it.

Spacek leads the attack for the second wave.  Gomez and Gionta with Pacioretty.  Montreal carries it in but Gionta is called for interference.  Martin maintains his calm countenance.

We got to four-on-four.  Fifteen seconds of that and then Jersey will have a goodly chunk of time to work with.

Just under five minutes left in the first.

Montreal keeps it in for an extra few seconds before Langenbrunner moves it out.  Green is on with Parise on the first wave.  Markov is on the side boards and he captures and clears the puck.  Just over a minute in the penalty.  Green and Zajac move the puck into Montreal ice.

Langenbrunner, Zajac and Parise work the puck on the left side.

Lapierre forces the puck out but is interfered with preventing a two-on-one.  It goes uncalled.

Zajac and Parise continue their good work on the right side.  Zharkov supports.  It goes to the point.  Penalty ends.

Pouliot reaches for a long pass and it is too far.  He returns to the Montreal bench.

Plekanec’ line is on.

Montreal controls and a shot from Spacek results.  Deflected away.

D’Agostini is chased by Rolston as Montreal moves the puck out on the right side.  And back we go into Montreal’s zone.

Montreal’s closing efforts are good enough to force New Jersey out on three occasions.

Brunet suggests that the Canadiens’ work needs more intensity.

Brodeur montage and Houde asks Brunet almost rhetorically if Brodeur enjoys playing against Montreal.  The answer is yes, of course.

Just over a minute left in the first period.

Devils have it.  Rolston and Elias are playing with grim purpose.  Montreal exits the puck.  Pouliot and Gionta.  Markov supports with a shot.  Gionta can match any intensity level.

Cammalleri and Lapierre are on to close the period.  Cammalleri ensures the puck’s exit from Montreal ice.  Disc drifts to the New Jersey zone.  Players are slower.  Clock ticks down.  Period ends.

Montreal leads on shots, 11-7.

First Intermission

New Jersey 1, Montreal 0

Great chemistry between Alain Crete and Francois Gagnon continues as they discuss the surprises and disappointments from this mid-season perspective.  First up is the positive story; Tomas Plekanec.  Brad Richards, Dustin Penner, Marian Gaborik and Maxim Afinogenov are also on the positive list.

Next are the disappointments.  Gagnon surprises me, and I’d guess most of us, by listing Vincent Lecavalier as the first man on the list.  Crete is sneaking a peek at Gagnon’s yellow writing pad.  Philadelphia, St. Louis, Steve Mason and a Boston player are on the list of remaining disappointments.

Surprises according to Gagnon are the Coyotes, Predators, Devils, Avalanche and Montreal.  Crete asks if it is a good or a bad surprise to have Montreal on the list.  Gagnon says it’s a good surprise.  He says that their 21-22 record is better than he expected considering the injuries and the team’s changeovers.

RDS viewers are asked who is most likely to win the Vezina this season; Ilya Bryzgaloff, Martin Brodeur or Ryan Miller.  Je choissis Ryan Miller.  They’ll have the answer for us in the third once voters have phoned in their votes.

Quick interview of Zach Parise is shown prior to the period.  Parise is not Francophone.  At all.  Except his name.  Interview is translated by RDS to French for us once completed.

Second Period

New Jersey 1, Montreal 0

Using a laptop in the literal sense can’t be good for a human.

New Jersey gets an early entry and they are controlling it enough to get a shot from Green from the point.  Montreal takes over after the shot goes wide.

Cammalleri is on with D’Agostini and Tomas Plekanec.

Gionta and Gomez are on and Niedermayer gets the puck in the corner and passes to Gomez for a shot from the circle.  Stopped easily by Brodeur.

Parise is sent at high flight by Langenbrunner.  Thwarted before a shot can be launched.

Pacioretty is in for Montreal next.  High wrister is quite hard but quite wide and, uh, quite high.

Metropolit and Pacioretty are in again but they lose the puck and Kelly exits.  New Jersey control in the corner to Halak’s left.  Pass to Johnny Oduya on the left point.

Teams are skating at a good level.  Montreal is playing the New Jersey game.  Mistake-free and hard to the man.

It’s a game that stays close to the boards and sees few passes to the middle.  When we see those, it is Montreal who are at the source.

Fifteen minutes left in the second period.

D’Agostini enters.  Drops it on the right side for Plekanec.  Shot wide.

Devils are three in a hook around Halak.  He makes his best save of the night.  Another save from a longer shot follows about ten seconds later.

High-sticking penalty against Rob Niedermayer.

Plekanec wins the faceoff.

Pacioretty is on with them instead of Metroplit.  Pacioiretty gets a backhand attempt from the high slot after some tangle and wow.   But it doesn’t work.

Pouliot is on the second wave with Gionta and Gomez.  The 1A Line as has been referred to in the Montreal press.  Pouliot has been identified by many as an outstanding skater with a textbook stride.

Montreal’s attack is haphazard and struggles for the most part.

Lazy clear attempt by the Devils.  Hamrlik gets it.  Shoots.  Houde cries “But!”  He’s wrong but the rebound is potted by Gomez.  Now it’s a goal.

Montreal 1, New Jersey 1

Lazy might not be the right word.  Hasty and poorly-thought out clearing attempt.  It was intercepted on the boards.

Pacioretty is called for offside on a Plekanec incursion within thirty seconds of the post-goal faceoff.  It is very close.

Some dangerous passing by the Canadiens doesn’t result in a turnover.

The Devils are tyring some odd stuff, too.  Long cross-ice pass to the point for a one-timer, for example.  From the hash.  Seems odd to me for the Devils to do.

Kelly gets a low distance shot on Halak that is turned away.

Gionta, though a winger, will skate as far as he has to be part of the play.

Pouliot has it behind the net.  It moves up the boards where Pouliot catches up to the play and two Devils.  High-stick penalty is called against Montreal seconds later.  It’s an accidental play.  Pouliot.  He was trying to lift an opponent’s stick.

Plekanec and Moen are the first PK pairing.  They are up against Parise and his crew.  Parise has to take the faceoff after Langenbrunner is chased from the circle (for breaking the faceoff alignment rules).

Devils control for the first thirty-six seconds but their shots are from a distance and none are harmful.

Montreal clears and then stops New Jersey in the neutral zone.  Then New Jersey enters offside.

Just under eight minutes as we resume with forty seconds left in the penalty.

Elias is on for the second wave.  Gionta and Gomez are on as Montreal’s second pairing.  Gomez and Gionta make a beautiful incursion and Markov entering as the third man nearly scores.  I can’t see how it failed.  Looked certain.

New Jersey’s next possession ends the penalty.  Without much.  Lapierre is called for some roughness.   He tries to get a Devil in with him.  A la Steve.  Begin.  Lapierre’s call is for boarding.  Against White.  Legit call.  I wish boarding would come to an end in this league.

Lapierre failed to get White into the box.

Six and a half minutes in the period.  Devils’ first entry is stopped.  Second entry, too.  Plekanec stood it up at the blue line.  Plekanec now chases the puck and carrier behind the Devil net and remains relentless.  Can we sign him before the off-season?  Please?  Bob Gainey said recently that he does not have a hard-and-fast rule regarding signing players prior to the off-season.  Many writers and fans were assuming and saying otherwise.  Gainey has a tendency in that direction.  Tendency.

Just under a minute in the penalty.  Gomez and Gionta are on now.  Gomez is very dangerous on the penalty kill.

Ryan White gets some work on the last segment of the penalty-kill.  He clears a puck and Brunet and Houde share some data; White is more robust than Pyatt and White will get his chance to stay with the team by working well on the PK.

Penalty ends.

Cammalleri is on briefly but Paciorettty’s line hops on to create a near scoring chance.  Mara swooped into the crease and whacked at it.  He prevented the puck from exiting as he moved back into position.  Great sequence.

Point-blank chance on the next incursion.  And the puck skirmish draws a Devil penalty.

Ilkka Pikkareinnen is in the  box for hooking.

Lemaire has an intense senator (MP, whatever you prefer) look about him.  It gets a bit more demanding and calculated moments before the faceoff.

Devils disrupt the early Montreal efforts.  Good efforts with smart, unexpected passes and good urgency.  The quality of the game increases.  First minute is killed effectively by New Jersey as a result.

Second wave for Montreal.  Cammalleri and Pacioretty centred by Plekanec.  Pandolffo clears it.

Thirty seconds in the penalty.  Minute and a half in the period.

Montreal fires it in but can’t contain it.  Houde notes the sprinkled booing.

Puck bounces out of play in the bench area.

Montreal’s home power-play is much worse than on the roard.  We see stats that support this.  Pressure stat.

Lapierre shoots.  Brodeur goes to his knees.  Dangerous rebound.  No red jerseys.

Just over thirty seconds.  Hits on the boards.  Moen is going to go.  Booing escalates.  Then it fades.  Moen stops to chat with the ref.  He is calm and brief about it.

Gomez and Gionta are the first pairing.  Rolston is on the first wave for NJ.  Early shot goes into the crowd.

Niedermayer and Gomez combine to send the puck to the opposite corner.  Montreal moves it out.  Gomez tries to set up Gionta from the boards just outside the New Jersey blue line.  Intercepted.

New Jersey enters.  Not much else.

Montreal holds the shot advantage 9-8 for the period and 20-15 for the game.

Second Intermission

New Jersey 1, Montreal 1

Alain asks Jacques and Joel if they would give Ilya Kovalchuk 10 million for ten years and they both say no.  Demers says that Kovalchuk is not as good as Ovechkin and Joel says that Kovalchuk isn’t a huge attraction at the gate.  Or not big enough to justify that kind of salary.

But today’s salary world is not one of static values.  The value of a given player, say a forward, increases and decreases based not just on his abilities and accomplishments but on the demand for a given player in the off-season.  If there is a high premium on forwards, the price commanded does get influenced.

The real questions are, what is the demand for an Ilya Kovalchuk in the summer of 2010, who is looking and how much money is available to the teams that are looking.

Third Period

Montreal 1, New Jersey 1

Power-play resumes.  Puck goes deep.  Plekanec intercepts.  Gets it out.

Canadiens are making the quality plays to start this period.  Poke-checks, smart, quick passes.  Getting open in space.

But suddenly, New Jersey forces Halak to slide and save.  Crunched leg save.  He is very low following the puck-trap, a cat and mask.

Penalty ends.

Gorges is in deep.  Keeps it.  Goes around the net.  Back up to the point.  New Jersey lets him keep it along the boards.

Gomez reaches for a puck in the wash.  Crosses the passing lanes and takes it.  Sends it along.  New Jersey takes over soon afterward.

Gomez’ presence on the ice is noticeable and his sense of purpose augers well from this writer’s perspective.

Lapierre is on.  Passes from the side as he crosses the blue line.  Intercepted.

Whoever invented malt vinegar should be honoured.  Sea salt and malt vinegar peanuts from Life Brand are a winner.

Canadiens carry the pace.  Completed passes.  Forced turnovers.  Support for each other.

Turnover.  Big triangle chance.  Halak gets across.  Pouliot gave it away.

Habs are back on the other end right away and they get their own doorstep chance.

Crowd rises like yeast.  The smell is bitter.  The ice is cold.  The action is froth.  Whistle.  Commercial.  Not a beer one.

Houde says it’s a great game and a great duel of goalies.  We see the last save by each of Brodeur and Halak.  Halak’s is a nine.  Brodeur’s is an eight.  Both great saves.  The numbers are mine.

Lapierre bangs a Devil.  Plekanec finds Bergeron deep.  Gorges keeps it in.  Green gets it.  Montreal forces a turnover on the attempted exit.

Devils clear.  Halak controls it behind his net.

Montreal is carrying the play.  Cammalleri shoots from the corner.,

Dual penalty.  Plekanec and Motel.

Four-on-four.

Gionta and Gomez are the first pairing for Montreal.  Parise and Zajac are on for New Jersey.  Neutral zone action featuring much puck control by Montreal is the order for the first twenty seconds.  Next segment sees a brief press and keep by Montreal.  New Jersey exits but they go offside.  Elias was involved.

Oduya and Colin white work in the Devils zone to brush the red off.  Double minors end.  Metroplit and Moen are on.  They create a chance.  Moen from inside the blue line.  The shot gets more boom than I thought it might.  Brodeur drops and lets it hit his chest, nonetheless.

Whistle.

Ryan Miller wins 52 to 41.  Houde adds that if Cristobal Huet continues as he is playing in Chicago that he would have to be considered as well.

Ryan White chases his own dump-in.  He gets immediate help from Hamrlik and Lapierre.  The team is a team.  A team, team.  I love it.

Keep in mind that both Kostitsyns are absent.

Plekanec enters.  Pauses at the circle.  Shoots.  Just wide.  I like it, though.  Better than the deeper stop and turn for a turnover or forcing to the boards in previous weeks.

Just over seven minutes left.

Plekanec takes it away from #11.  (We have a technical issue here tonight in Mystique Tower).  [ed note: #11 is Dean Mcammond]

Canadiens are taking advantage of a gassed Devil unit.  Brodeur saves them by exiting and clearing it to an open man who exits the puck.

Ole, ole begins.  Four and a half minutes left.

Gomez.  From Cammalleri.  They enter.  Gomez.  To Gionta.  Nearly scores.  Houde loses a bit of composure.  He stays in control.

Puck goes out of play.  Devils are ready to be converted. Commercial.

We resume with Hamrlik and Spacek on the ice on defence for Montreal.  Elias is on for New Jersey.  He fires it in.  Spacek retrieves.  Up for Metropolit.  Dumped in.  Devils get it.  And a mirror play occurs on the other end.  Destiny changes when Metroplit and Gill can’t keep Neidermayer from the puck.  Devils control.  Neidermayer from behind the net to a peregrine Jarkko.  Just misses.  Canadiens move it out.

But eight seconds later Montreal is struggling to get it out again.  Finally Markov moves the team out.

The teams take turns establishing offensive presence but no quality shots result.

Minute and a half.

Pouliot chases it down the left side.  Behind the net he falls.  Ralston is on.  Shot.  Wide of the net.  Halak reaches out and gloves it.  Whistle.

Brunet gives out a hat.  To the Habs.  For working for every inch tonight.

I’m all out of hats.  They’re too far away, rather.  On a high shelf.

Good work by both teams, though.  Martin versus Lemaire.  Defensives unite.

Just over thirty seconds.  Plekanec sends Gionta in.  He’s covered but he gets a shot.  Goes high.  Out of play.  Good acceleration from Gionta.

Sixteen seconds.  Zajac is in on the off-wing.  Shoots.  Stopped.  Rebound.  Oy.  Stopped.  What a great save.  Right in the crease.

Period ends.

Some jostling following the whistle.  Lasts about three seconds.

Devils won the third period shots derby 11-7.  Total is in Montreal’s favour 28-26.

Overtme

Four-on-four, as per the dictates.  Gionta and Gomez are Montreal’s first pairing.  Markov and Gorges are behind them.  Gorges plays the right side when on with Markov.

Cammalleri is on with Plekanec next.  Devils win their second overtime faceoff.  Green.  To Oduya.  They enter.  Another pass is intercepted.  Knocked up into the air.

Markov is cruising in on the left side.  Balleen entry.  Gets pass from Plekanec.  Not much more.

Oduya is in.  Looking ot he slot where Langenbrunner is posted.  Puck doesn’t make it far.  But Langenbrunner grabs it seconds later.  Turns, moves to the net.  Shoots.  Fans.  He is wearing the “C” and he has the sense of urgency needed (feared) in overtime situations.

Three and a half minutes.

We flow like butter in an hourglass.  Like warriors in blue milk.

Markov.  Nearly scores.  Follows the puck.  Falls in the corner.

Parise is free.  Seconds to act.  And he does.  All alone in front of Halak.  Backhander.  In.

Mario Tremblay claps Jacques Lemaire on the back and then remembering where he is, his expression becomes the serious mask again.  He’s right.  We remain unhappy.

New Jersey 2
Montreal 1 (OT)

If no player is bigger than the jersey then neither is any coach, manager, president or owner.  You can fit fans in there wherever you want.

HDS Stars: Jaroslav Halak, Scott Gomez, Jamie Langebrunner
RDS Stars: Martin Brodeur, Jaroslav Halak, Travis Zajac