Montreal Canadiens versus New York Rangers

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 (23-22-4) visit New York Rangers (22-19-7)

Sunday, January 17, 2010
Game Fifty (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.

Joel Bouchard says Matt D’Agostini is doing nothing this season. He balances this by saying number thirty-six is a good guy. Bouchard thinks that Marc-Andre Bergeron should get a chance with Mike Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec. He mentions Bergeron’s ten goals this season.

First Period

Puck goes into the left corner of the Canadiens zone early. And Sean Avery is going to the penalty box. Call comes at the eleven-second mark of the period. Boarding.

Pacioretty fans on a crease chance within seconds of the faceoff.

Rangers move it out.

Canadiens nearly give it away and then set their formation. They are halted and regroup. Gomez chases the puck in but it is cleared. Just a minute left in the power-play.

Spacek has it at the point. Down to Gomez. To the right of Lundqvist. Some bright pokes but no goals.

It’s back at the point. Spacek. Moves left. Amble stride. Shoots. Off the post.

Pouliot has it in the corner. Up to the blue line. To Spacek again. Shot. Blue legs.

Penalty ends.

Pacioretty has it down low. Follows his work into the corner. Resumes control of it seconds later behind the net. Supported by Lapierre. Rangers get it out.

Gorges retrieves it. Up for Pacioretty who dumps it in for a line change. Plekanec line is on.

They move it down. Plekanec has it on the right. Finds Cammalleri at the circle and moving. He shoots. He scores. High shot over Lundqvist’s shoulder. It’s Cammalleri’s 22nd goal of the season.

Montreal 1, New York 0

Avery line is on and the bad-child intercepts it. Loses it quickly.

Rangers regroup and Del Zotto gets a shot as he gets in over the blue line. Turned away by Halak.

Gionta, Pouliot and Gomez are on.

Puck is in the Rangers zone.

Lead pass is intercepted at the Montreal blue line but the Rangers pursue the puck and keep it alive.

Michal Rozsival is on defence for New York.

Gorges starts the attack with a long pass from behind the Montreal end line that misses everyone and results in an icing call.

Canadiens win the faceoff. Puck floats left and Moen shoots it down into the New York zone. D’Agostini handles the puck offside and we go to the first commercial of the night.

Kostitsyn brothers are both still on the injured list tonight.

Bergeron will be on with Metropolit and Laraque. O’Byrne is the continued injury absence on defence.

Canadiens enter offside as we are updated on New York Jet’s NFL playoff win today. Ho-hum. Short passes, three yards and a cloud of dust. The APC rates are still low, moke.

Canadiens work it in the corner and the Rangers end that in three seconds.

D’Agostini leads a rush down the right side but he turns over the puck.

Gionta and Pouliot follow with a two-on-one. Gionta keeps it and shoots. It’s stopped and the rebounds he can’t get his stick on.

Faceoff shortly thereafter to Halak’s right.

Rangers win. Goes to the point. Shot. Wide.

Rink is quiet and we hear the echoes and the spit and slush of skates on ice.

Ranger forward Aaron Voros has it in the corner to Halak’s left. Short shovel pass behind the net. Nothing. Turnover.

Pacioretty retrieves the puck behind Halak and takes a medium hit from Christopher Burger Higgins. Houde says that Higgins is a disappointment in New York.

D’Agostini uses a clever bank pass at a 90 degree angle in the neutral zone. It works but the Rangers defence controls matters.

Gionta line is on.

Gomez sends it through the Ranger circles for a winger but it’s too far.

Puck is down low. Mara is whistled.

Ford informs us that many Quebecers drive their trucks. Oh, really.

Call against Mara is for holding. He is slashed afterward but that goes uncalled.

We hear some NFL update music on the MSG PA system. Old television memories.

Gill’s clear is intercepted at the blue line.

Moen and Plekanec struggle up top to get it out.

Another Gill clear is intercepted at the blue line. Puck muddles over to Halak’s right where he captures it for a faceoff. Gorges came in for support and showed gusto.

Rangers win the faceoff. Brandon Dubinsky.

Rangers have it under control.

Markov and Hamrlik are the defensive pairing now. Canadiens get their first clear of this power-play. They are not the usual pairing and are one and two the best defenders on the team.

Dubinsky has it at the blue line. Sends it to his left.

Canadiens create some curlicue.

Penalty ends. Mara is free deep. Puck is a bit long and he flubs the reception a bit. Puck dribbles away.

Cammalleri line is on. D’Agostini and Plekanec are with him.

Puck goes to the corner to Halak’s left.

Six and a half minutes left in the period.

Skating pace is low-key. Both teams. It’s a Sunday night special for both. Rangers lost to St. Louis last night, 4-1. Vos Glorieux lost 4-2 to Ottawa.

Pace shows little gain. Rangers are sticking to long shots and the team in white is standing around and not challenging.

Rangers come in and get a shot. Whistle goes. Houde says it’s a penalty and that we’ll know more after the insipid advertising break. I’m translating.

Penalty is to sulky Sean Avery for interference.

We get a shot of one of the hardest-working Habs; Travis Moen. Eighteen linebackers?

Canadiens win the faceoff.

Gomez is on with Gionta and Pouliot. Net bulges quickly. Bergeron’s point shot bounces up where Gionta whacks it in backhanded out of the air. Again, his hand-eye coordination is unmatched.

Wow.

His stick is high. They are checking it.

Montreal 2, New York 0

Chris Lee tells us that the goal stands. Lundqvist is upset, Houde says.

The rule is that the stick must be lower than the crossbar. Because Gionta is so short it looks like a stick violation; the stick was higher than his shoulder but lower than the cross-bar. Alors, ca marche.

Staal carries the puck out. Rangers chase it down. Pacioretty and Lapierre work to move it out. And it’s back in where Halak backhands it up. Pacioretty and Lapierre support Moen beyond the Ranger end-line. Moen gets it in front. Lapierre stings it. Stopped.

Line-change and Montreal puck retrieval.

Cammalleri is in next. Tries a spin. Keeps it again. But loses it. (Similar move as his goal against Dallas).

Gionta line hops on. They create a mild shot on Lundqvist.

Lee is arguing with Lundqvist. Assumedly about the Gionta goal.

Two and a half minutes left in the period.

Halak stops and holds a harmless bad-angle backhand. Brunet says that Avery has taken two bad penalties. He uses the word “stupide”. I feel reluctant to translate here. Should I? Either one.

Action is to Halak’s left. Markov and Gorges work it out.

Brunet is still going on about Avery. He uses the English word overrated. Houde translates it to French for us.

Plekanec one-arms it to the left of Lundqvist in the corner. And D’Agostini is called. Gill is discussing it with an official. Interference. Brunet and Houde do not dispute the decision.

Faceoff is to Halak’s right.

Halak is the first to the puck and he is out of his net and clearing it up.

It’s kept in but moments later Gill gets it and fires it out.

Rangers’ re-entry is stopped at the blue line.

Hamrlik clears the very brief next incursion. Sixteen seconds left. A few Ranger fans are voicing their displeasure. The buzzer signals an increase in booing.

It feels as if the game hasn’t even started.

Rangers lead 9-8 on shots.

First Intermission
Montreal 2, Rangers 0

A La Une. Francois and Alain are in the home studio in Montreal and, with a laugh, Gagnon says he prefers being in Montreal.

Gagnon has a Koivu look about him today. His hair looks recently helmeted. Good touch.

They are discussing the possibility of goaltender Marty Turco coming over from Dallas for Halak. Turco’s salary is huge compared to Halak’s. Gagnon thinks that Sanford could serve the purpose better. Sanford is playing with the affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal’s farm team. Purpose being, playing the role of veteran goalie and tutor to protégé Chris Fancy. I mean Carey Price.

The next guess is Dallas’ struggling Fabian Brunnstrom who, Gagnon notes, was activated for the Dallas game. This means that Dallas may have been showcasing him for Gainey’s review. Brunnstrom is large, rangy and has great smoothness; quickness and good puck-handling for a large-framed player.

Bouchard, Crete and Demers discuss the Rangers. Bouchard says that there seems no plan in New York but that Ranger GM Glen Sather has all the keys to all the doors. Crete wonders aloud whether head coach John Tortorella is actually any good as a coach. He says that Tortorella has done nothing with the Rangers and that he had great players in his run with the Lightning. I would counter that it takes more than a great coach to win with the New York Rangers. But Crete might know more than me. Much more. Ahem.

Second Period
Montreal 2, Rangers 0

Should spotlights be sweeping the ice surface for the start of a second-period game in January? What about understatement?

Gomez loses the opening faceoff. This is a first return to his most recent former team’s building.

Kovalev always does well returning to MSG even though he is many years removed from his glory days in New York.

Rangers score. Short-side pass across the crease. Ryan Callahan tucks it in on Halak’s left.

Montreal 2, Rangers 1

Rangers get some jump. Crowd gave us some Broadway gorilla joy when the goal was scored and the zoo bars rattle for a few minutes following.

Higgins is sent in for a poor-angle long shot.

Gomez line is on.

They are in chase mode.

Halak ends that briefly. But then the Rangers capture the puck and a shot loops up and nearly over Halak and behind the net. It bounces like an ugly black orange but can’t be shot in.

Some line changes. Neutral zone action. Lapierre line puts a small imprint on the game. Energic.

Dubinsky passes to the blue line. Puck hops over a stick.

D’Agostini forechecks with intent. Loses it one-on-two.

Callahan gets his second shot since his goal. Long one. Gloved. Faceoff.

Gill to Pouliot. Loses it in the neutral zone. Halak has to muffle the resulting entry.
Missed backhander by Higgins that stayed in the crease.

Struggle in the corner results in an accidental high stick. Mara is down. He is ok. Just getting his bearings. Drury’s stick hit Mara directly in the face.

Houde says that if Mara is cut it’ll be a four-minute penalty. (Two minutes is there’s no blood; that’s the rule)

Commercial.

This one’s in French. They’re all in French.

There was also a Montreal penalty. No blood. So to four-on-four they go. But within fifteen seconds, Michal Rozsival is called for high-sticking.

Also accidental.

Plekanec loses the faceoff. Callahan escapes. What acceleration. He splits two defenders. He loses the puck. Briefly. Gets his stick on it. Puck rolls over Halak’s sidebound, sideshow white pads.

Rangers 2, Montreal 2

Power-play resumes. Four on three.

Markov. Shoots from the point.

Canadiens keep it in.

Some chances. Dual penalties end. Montreal gets about fifteen more seconds and they control throughout. But Lundqvist traps it as the penalty ends. Cammalleri is ready to fight someone and smiles and nods, “wanna go?’. I’m translating. Refs cool it down and we go to commercial.

We are informed that five Rangers including Tortorella are Olympics-bound. The Olympics boycott is not mentioned (the one with the disappointingly small Facebook group associated with it). Three will be with Team USA; Callahan, Drury and the coach.

Prospal carries it down to the right of Halak. Passes to the slot. Goal. Dubinsky.

Hands up, pink cheeks.

Rangers 3, Montreal 2

Martin is resplendent in his double-breasted suit. Tortorella maintains the same avuncular expression. Likable persona.

About eight and half minutes left in the second.

Gorges goes after someone. Now he ends up fighting Avery. Gorges does well. He is defending Markov. Avery gets the decision. Gorges warn’t fightin’ for show. He was genuinely angry.

Avery crosschecked Markov in the face (somewhat gently) and Gorges went after Avery right away. Gorges usually plays a clean game and I’ve never seen him fight. This one, I appreciate since Markov would never fight.

It’s straightened out and we hear the announcements over PA.

Gomez line follows. And Pouliot takes a penalty. Tortorella is smiling a mildly confused smile. I’d say bemused but then you might think I don’t know the definition of “bemused”.

Ranger power-play.

Halak is on the ice and stopping it. Like an adult spread-legged counting marbles.

Roman Hamrlik, we are told while waiting for the faceoff, is playing his 1200th NHL game tonight. He is the third Czech player to reach this plateau; Jagr is one. Who is the other?

Gomez and Gionta get a two-on-one. Gomez gets it across. Or doesn’t. Net goes off its moorings. No shot.

Faceoff.

Rangers win it.

They follow it into the Montreal zone.

They keep it in but the puck loops over the glass within seconds.

Faceoff to Halak’s right.

Rangers win. They lose it on the blue line and have to regroup. Puck is fired in. Halak can’t control it behind the net. He returns to his crease with no problem.

Higgins is having a decent period. Or shift? The former Canadien is still charred lines and bun-dependent.

Another fight.

Pouliot and Redden, too. Can’t see the first one. Pouliot doesn’t want to go. But when they finally go, Pouliot gets the best of Redden. Some real redwood shots.

The other fight was Lapierre against Enver Lisin. I imagine Lisin didn’t want any part of it.

Brian Boyle wants to go with Lapierre. Lotta talk but the official put a lid on it.

More PA announcements.

Martin seems annoyed with the waste of time. His annoyed is your nonplussed. Either one? Sure. Either one.

Action resumes with a Ranger power-play for about a minute and a half.

Faceoff.

Minute left in the man-advantage.

Rangers have an almost artificial three-on-two. One pass too many results in a turnover down low.

First penalty ends.

The Rangers are a good team to trade with. The arriving player will most likely sink into his worst career performance since it is such a corrupted atmosphere. Could be corrupt, as well. Makes your deal look all the better.

Canadiens still have to kill over a minute with the other infractions becoming active.

Plekanec and Moen pairing do well to kill the first chunk.

Just a minute left in the period.

Faceoff to Halak’s right is contained by the Canadiens and they appear to have it ready to clear but they lose it. And Halak has to make a save on the best non-scoring chance of the period. Left snake.

Period ends. Avery is talking with Lapierre. Some milling around. Players finally return to their dressing rooms.

Avery was the guy that got this last bit of milling around started. He did something behind the scenes to aggravate D’Agostini. And the barber-pole jersey crowd gathered. (Montreal is in their white away jerseys. Just wanted to talk ’shop for a second).

Rangers outshot Montreal 15-2 in the second for an advantage of 24-10 (matching the score in favour of Calgary Stampeders over Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 1992 Grey Cup; just thought you ought to know).

Second Intermission
Rangers 3, Montreal 2

Yeah, I’d use Rangers-Canadiens or New York-Montreal but my use of “Rangers” is to distinguish the team from the New York Islanders. It’s an exception.

Viewers must have been complaining last week. Joel focuses on Montreal’s positives from the first period. But hey, he shows the team’s mistakes in the second.

And, once again, the yellow band along the bottom of the rink is brighter yellow on Joel’s screen than on mine. How is that possible? Time for HD, eh.

Demers talks about Avery. He says that the thing to do is to get Laraque on the ice against Avery. For a fight, of course. Bouchard says that nobody wants to fight Laraque and that someone in the middle ranks like Travis Moen should step up and fight Avery.

How about this: Ban Avery from hockey.

Next.

Putting up with fighting in hockey is like putting up with racism in society. It seems inevitable but there’s only so much accommodation I’m going to grant; only so much understanding reflection.

Fight? Banned for life. It would all end within, oh, one enforced infraction.

Next.

Roman Hamrlik is interviewed. He says that he is proud to reach 1200 games with the Canadiens jersey on his chest. Well, that’s what he said.

Third Period
Rangers 3, Montreal 2

Cammalleri, Plekanec and D’Agostini are on first. They get early pressure. Two segments. Puck goes out of play near the end of their shift. He said some other stuff about how to win the third period. It’s all very complicated.

Montreal wins the faceoff to Halak’s right and Pouliot gets down to touch it first after Hamrlik moves it up.

Pouliot gets his stick on the puck to prevent a Ranger exit but the disc slides to the slot where only New York players are waiting. Rangers can’t retain control, however.

Lapierre opts to bounce a puck back in and cede the possession rather than risk a turnover by passing backward.

Plekanec sends a puck to the slot for Metropolit who is taken down. It’s called. Canadiens win the faceoff and get an early shot. Wide.

Habs reset.

Plekanec follows the puck down. It goes to the point for a few passes.

Bergeron fires from the point. Rangers force it out to the neutral zone.

Gionta on the hash. To the point. It’s lost to the Rangers behind the net, seconds later. Forty-four seconds left.

Gomez line is on, in case you didn’t realise it.

At the point. Bergeron. To Hamrlik.

Pouliot loses it to Dubinsky. He exits but Pouliot lift the puck from him. Dubinsky doubles back, grabs the puck again and is hooked by Pouliot. And it’s called. Pouliot hangs his head in the penalty box. Hockey conscience.

Rangers score. But the referees say no goal. They are on the power-play. They retain. Crowd is not booing. We’re all waiting for the replay. Plekanec clears.

Rangers are back in.

Markov and Hamrlik click sticks and team up to get the puck out. They get help from Metropolit who is paired with Cammalleri.

Play stops and the officials get a chance to review. On-ice call is overturned and the Rangers are awarded the goal.

Rangers 4, Montreal 2

Brunet says the Canadiens aren’t playing well but that there’s a lot of time and that this gives the team a chance. Just under fifteen minutes left.

Canadiens turn it over. Rangers get a quality chance. Dubinsky. Gaborik was in the area for the rebound but unable to come up with a shot.

Gomez heads the other way. Goes past the end-line, around the net … sends a pass to the slot. But no. Misses all sticks.

Whistle shortly afterward.

Pacioretty is slowly wheeling around, actionless and waiting for play to resume (like Phil Esposito used to) and RDS goes to a commercial with the announcement that there was a penalty on the play.

Dual penalty. Hamrlik and some tough.

Rangers’ power-play continues.

Then we are at four-on-four.

Spacek has a pass intercepted along the blue line. No attack can be founded. Canadiens are able to reset.

Gomez fires it in. He is on with Gionta. Mara advances from his defence position. Lapierre suddenly appears behind the net. Pouliot is on with him (makes me think of Latendresse’ absence). Moen and Pouliot are working together now. Finally Pouliot is able to leave after a longer-than-usual shift.

Gilroy and Avery exit. They cross but lose the puck at the blue line.

Plekanec fires from the blue. Wide.

Skating is faster. Passes are longer. We are going to see more turnovers. And Halak will be asked to hold the donuts and coals more than once now.

First there is a small crowd in the crease and Halak is forced to glove the puck after a 17-foot save.

Canadiens win the faceoff. Gionta is off. Coverage won’t give an angle to cut in so he shoots. Bad angle and Lundqvist has it.

Rangers get a two-on-one as Hamrlik gets trapped on the Ranger blue line.

In the corner to Halak’s left. Rangers have the puck. Canadiens defend well and exit.

Just over nine minutes left in the game.

Lapierre is the swarming human tonight. With the puck near the net, he gets it from the side, to the front and half-jams and half-passes. Pacioretty is there. I keep watching the back of the net. But no black.

And a whistle.

Commercial.

We return and the camera is following Chris Lee. Lee goes to the corner of the ice where the arena door is open and he speaks with an MSG official in a dark-blue jacket. Camera now finds a small hole (looks like a bullet-hole) in the glass. It’s a semi-circle shape. Three MSG staff enter with a piece of glass. One remains behind.

The remaining two approach the hole with the pane. And we got to commercial yet again. They’re wearing dark blue track suits with red trim.

They show us the interior of MSG and I get my closest look at the walkways I ever have. They are painted light brown. There’s a Copps Coliseum feel to that kind of flooring.

Glass is nearly up and replaced. A fourth MSG staff member has joined the group.

Crowd begins to cheer.

They quieten as the faceoff approaches.

Lapierre has both skates up on the boards while sitting on the bench. He gives the impression that he is stretching something that’s giving him trouble.

Play resumes.

Cammalleri loses it behind the Ranger net. Rangers exit. Higgins leads an attack that is stopped.

Now a surprise from the centre ice area nearly beats Halak who doesn’t know where the puck is and seems surprised.

Just under eight minutes left.

Two-on-one. Rangers. Dubinsky. To Gaborik. Scores.

Rangers 5, Montreal 2

Game ends soon afterward. Rangers win.

Ok. I’ll continue.

Canadiens are behind 31-16 on shots.

Lapierre and Moen are on next.

Nothing else to do. May as well score.

Redden is stopped by Pouliot on the boards.

Rangers send it down.

Spacek retrieves it.

Avery hits him behind the net. Checks him, I mean. Have to be specific with Avery, eh.

Canadiens move it out after some dithering with the Rangers.

Gomez line is on.

Gomez receive it from Pouliot behind the Ranger net.

Markov advances.

Girardi moves it up.

Rangers get a brief presence before the Canadiens are out and about again.

Gionta and Pacioretty are working in the corner.

Gionta falls while forechecking and chasing behind the net. Line change.

Just over five minutes left in the game.

Which the Rangers will win.

Shot from the point is wide.

Another shot. Rebound. D’Agostini chases Plekanec’ wide shot. He retrieves it twice. Sends it to the point. Over to Hamrlik on the other point. Shot. Stopped. Held.

Halak takes a sip of something from the Gatorade bottle.

Did I mention the Canadiens will lose tonight?

Rangers score. I shouldn’t have said anything.

Drury. Their captain. One-timer from a right-side pass. Very nice play.

Rangers 6, Montreal 2

Artem Anisimov is called for tripping a few seconds later. Just under three minutes and Montreal goes to the power-play.

Canadiens are playing a sloppy brand. Uncaring. Metropolit gets back to bail the team out and to help start the power-play. But the team can’t get it established in Ranger territory.

On joue pour la forme.

Brunet says that Cammalleri was not a factor tonight in five-on-five despite his goal.

He adds that, oh I don’t know. I wanna go home.

Oh. I am at home.

Last minute of play is announced. Canadiens didn’t play badly. But the penalties were a problem. And the conditioning, one might guess. I’m not sure if I’m one of those folks.

Rangers 6
Montreal 2

HDS Stars: Brandon Dubinsky, Chris Drury, Ryan Callahan
RDS Stars: Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Marian Gaborik