Montreal Canadiens versus St. Louis Blues

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 (23-23-4) host Saint Louis Blues (22-19-7)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Game Fifty-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.  Usually the RDS telecast of the game.

We get a look at the standings and see that Montreal, while in twelfth place in the Eastern Conference; four spots out of the eighth and final playoff spot; have 50 points, placing them only six points arrears of fifth-place Ottawa Senators.  I’m going to suggest that the requisite 92 or 94 points to finish in the playoffs is not the order this season.  Because so many teams are struggling to stay above water, the Canadiens own difficulties haven’t cost them as much in the standings as some may have feared.

Of course, the team is just three spots out of fifteenth and final spot in the East.  What end of the binoculars are you looking through, again?

Hamilton Bulldog Mathieu Darche is in the lineup tonight and the 33-year old Montreal native will be playing his first game in a Canadiens uniform.  He has spent most of his career in the minors with one significant presence in an NHL uniform, playing 73 games for Tampa Bay Lightning in 2007-08.  Prior to that he had played only 28 total NHL games since turning pro in 2000-01.

Carey Price is in net against Ty Conklin.  Conklin, the former Oiler oldie, has played 14 games this season.  It’s an unexpected start; St. Louis writers were anticipating Chris Mason in net.

First Period

Canadiens win the faceoff.  Early chase ends behind the Montreal net where Price retrieves it.  He passes between two players to his right and St. Louis cobbles a brief, shotless presence.

David Backes has it curling up toward the Montreal blue line on his backhand.  Canadiens get it out and a whistle follows.

Laraque and D’Agostini are out of the lineup tonight.  Good.

Darche will bring the sense of urgency that D’Agostini doesn’t.

Lapierre line is on.  Fight.  Moen will go against BJ Crombeen.  It’s a slow bout.  Circling and one arm.  It lasts a long time, too.  I was asked today why I stopped watching hockey for 14 years (in 1990).  This is one of the reasons.  [The circus forces the Rangers to play elsewhere (the Olympia).]

St. Louis has a new coach and I get my first look at his balding countenance.  At least he has the nerve not to shave it nor to toupee it.  Bravo.  Easy for me to say, I know.

Another whistle and the dance can’t get a rhythm.  There was a time when St. Louis and Montreal were involved in many deals together over a short period of time.

Canadiens are whistled and go to the penalty-kill.

Gomez and Gionta are the first pairing for Montreal.  Andy McDonald is on the hash.  Several passes are connected.  A shot from the blue line goes in.  David Perron.  His fourteenth of the season.

St. Louis 1, Montreal 0

It’s irritating having to type that stupid period after “St” in “St. Louis”.

You try it twenty times and see how you feel.

Blues, blues, blues.

Reds are in briefly, Plekanec pushing the puck up with his skate and the Blues exit.

Blues are in.  Kariya.  Red light.

Blues.

How?

Long shot was lost by Price and Paul Kariya bounced it in off the goalie.  Ugly.  Blue light bungle.

Blues 2, Montreal 0

Markov keeps a Pacioretty presence alive.  Whistle moments later and a small gathering.  Lapierre is there.  He’s boffing his miner-hat head as he skates off with a smile.  The expert at botheration.  He would have made an effective older brother.  Nettlesome.

Pouliot collides behind the Blues net but loses the puck.  Collides.  Isn’t that enough?

Saint Louie is back.  Down low.

Perron.  Turnover.

Pouliot drives down the left.  Looks.  Shoots.  Conklin extends a pad, a quick dainty and turns it to his right.

Tkachuk carries it out from behind his net.  Blues are forced back.

Metropolit and Bergeron work in the corner against two Blues.  Tkachuk cross-checks Metropolit to the ice and gets the puck.  Houde says it was right at the limit.  What a generous limit Mr. Walkom.

Lapierre line is on and chasing.  Why are they never getting?  Always chasing.

Mara checks Boyce behind the Priceberg and Montreal exits.

Darche is in supporting Lapierre.  Darche looks big in his jersey.  He’s wearing #62.

Puck goes the other way.  A Blue is chasing it down the right side.  Price comes way out.  Past the hash and along the boards.  Boof!

Price is taken down.  What a terrible play.

Rumble.

Price is trying to get into it.  Big crowd.  Conklin skates down to join.  It simmers down quickly.

That’ll wake a goalie up, eh.

They’d better call it.

Price was grabbing Hamrlik by the back of the jersey to pull him away so he could go at the Blue himself.  Houde chuckles as he explains this.  Commercial.

Jackman tries to avoid Price as we see on the replay.  Two penalties to the Blues and one to Hamrlik.

Montreal power-play.  Houde and Brunet feel that Price was at fault on the play.  I agree.

Plekanec wins the faceoff.  Pass to the point.  To the other side.  Shot.  Puck goes to Plekanec.  Quickly to Pouliot in the slot.  Easy goal.  Too quick for Conk.

Blues 2, Montreal 1

Canadiens win the faceoff.  Gionta and Pouliot are on with Gomez.

They control for about eight seconds across the vertical surfaced.

Markov has to retrieve following a Blue turnover.

Backes rams into him but the puck goes beforehand.  No harm done.

Faceoff seconds later to Conklin’s right.

Blues have control dep.  Price saves a point-blank shot.

Puck is cleared.  Houde calls it a bit of a panic play.  Icing.

Tkachuk’s shot following the Price point-blank save went wide from the slot.  The great Keith Tkachuk.

Lapierre line is on.  Faceoff at centre ice.

Pacioretty skates down the left side in his awkward tall crab style.  He is like Ryder.  Not very imaginative in his move outcomes.  Maybe he has some but is waiting for the confidence to use them.

Metropolit chases behind the play.  Puck is blocked on the boards and Blues have to wait before leaving.

Gionta line.  Gomez loses the faceoff to Prices right (Pennington)

Line changes.  Johnson waits behind the Blues net.

Blues are in.  Despite a missed long pass.

Blues are not pursuing the puck with intent.

Not enough hot.  Nouning.

Canadiens are matching recipes.

Finally Darche pushes up and out with the puck and sends it along for a line change.

Metropolit is on.  Spacek.  To Hamrlik.  Gives it away.  Puck is to Price’s right.  Metropolit loses his stick trying to move the puck up on the right side.

Lapierre is doing a new version of standing and waiting o the backcheck.  He’s closer to the opponent as he does it.  It is not fooling me.  Nor most of the arena, I’m sure.

Just over five minutes left in the period.

Exit pass after some more pro-Blues dithering on the Canadiens’ part.

Mara has to chase in his own zone.  Sends the puck around behind Price.

Pouliot is forechecking.

Now Gill is retrieving to Price’s right (Barker)

Blues are keeping the puck away from the Canadiens using long passes in an embarrassing rectangular shape.  Around the ice.

Canadiens are too slow and behind the play at all times.  Wow.  Some of the worst hockey I’ve seen from the team in months.

Get an interest in things.

Finally a shot goes out of play and Montreal gets a rest.  A rest from resting.  Spacek says something irritable and I hope it involves a motivational theme.

Commercial.

Maybe not.  Spacek got called for interference.  Perhaps he was yelling at the ref.

He’s old enough.

Plekanec and Moen are the first kill pair.  Blues control.

Shot from the blue line.  Another one from the circle.  Wide and deflected.

Just under three minutes in the first period.

Whistle.

We resume with Steen chasing the puck around the boards.

Lapierre falls to the ice to golf it down.  Success.

Blues enter offside.

Canadiens kill the rest of the penalty without incident.

Whistle.

Faceoff to the right of Conklin.

Gionta and Markov combine for a sardine can shot.

Long and not much else.

Two on two for St. Louis.  McClement keeps.  Shoots.  Rebound is popped in by Steen.

Louis 3, Riel 1

Period ends seconds later.  Price had no chance on a play like that says Brunet.  He adds that this is the kind of play that the Canadiens should be attempting more.  Shot banked off Price’s biscuit right to Riel.  Or whatever his name was.  Boone?  Crockett?  Pierre?  That woodsman guy that nobody will remember.  I can’t remember his last name.

Shots are even at eleven.

First Intermission
Blues 3, Montreal 1

Blues 3, Canadiens 1

Well, I’m not typing that period, either way.

Nor during this intermission.  I have to go buy ice cream.

Second Period
Blues 3, Montreal 1

Demers mentioned in the intermission that he doesn’t like the way Montreal is playing right now.  Not enough effort.

Plekanec returns to bench area favouring his left ankle.  Glides on one foot with the other foot up.

We see the hit and it looks like a knee or calf injury.  Hockey requires about eight replays per second to have a fifty percent chance of knowing what really happened.  In a way you have to respect Scotty Bowman (ten Stanley Cups) a smidgen more than Phil Jackson (eleven Larry O’Brien trophies).

Habs have it behind Casey.  Case.  What.  Whatever.  Conklin, sorry.

I know there are Oil Cans reading this.

Larry O’Brien trophy.  The NBA championship bauble.

Both teams are skating faster.  More contact from both.

I’d hire someone new to yell at the team each time it was needed.  That would keep it fresh.  And would be more effective.  You bring in Robert DeNiro one night.  You bring in Margaret Thatcher another.  And maybe Desmond Tutu the third time.  They’d listen.  Believe me.  Can you imagine Desmond Tutu getting mad at you?  I’d start crying so hard.  I mean, you really must deserve it if the Bishop has had enough of you.

Phil Jackson is a great coach and I think coaching X and O stuff in basketball is far more involved than in hockey.  Only because a coach can control the play more easily than in hockey.  There is just too much ebb and flow on the ice.  At least with basketball you can slow it down and run an offence.  Have guys run around.  Point guard looks around.  Turnovers are just far less common in roundball.  Makes for longer offensive possessions.  That’s the key; length of possession.  Hockey is the least of the major North American sports.

Stick to Gionta’s face off the draw.  Accidental.  Let’s get those full visors going.  Mandatory.

Plekanec and Cammalleri are on first.  Pacioretty is with them.

A Blue overcommits near the blue line and Montreal gets two great opportunities.  The first is a high cannon burst from Bergeron.  Off-target.  The second is a walk-into-the-slot alone back-hander from Cammalleri.  Stopped.  Whistle.

Canadiens control off the drop and Bergeron’s blue line shot is stopped and held for another faceoff.

It’s starting to feel like a game.  And I hope DT doesn’t cry tonight.  (Edmonton’s own Patty Roy; doppelganger)

Puck is in the corner.  Stays in.

Gomez’ shot.  Stopped.  From the corner of the crease.

Canadiens are making the Blues weak with space.

Penalty ends.  Gomez gets another shot.

Gloved.

Scrum.  Nobody comes over to help Gionta.  Just two other guys.  And five irritated Blues.  It ends quickly.  Maybe the defencemen were changing.  But, really, I don’t care.  Get over there.  The two new ones.

Point shot from the Blues.  Stopped.

Martin’s suit looks highly itchy.

He’s huffing and puffing and making expressions my dad makes when he’s uncomfortable about some political issue.

Kariya.  Swoops.  As smoothly as only he can.  Backhander.  Thank Odin it’s a bad angle.

Kariya’s Canadian.  Thank Sasquatch, then.

Darche is wearing #52, sorry.

Commercial.

Man, Harrison Ford is getting old.  That probably means something.

Faceoff.  Centre ice.  Yeah, I know Larry O’Brien is a banal name for a trophy.

Gomez wins it.  Finally.  I wish he would get it all together.  He will, I tell myself.  (Fairy tale reassurances?)

Long shift for the line.

Darche is playing a clever, watch and swoop kind of game.  Dracula’s cape.  He waits as his linemates work in the corner and then zooms in to intercept a Blues pass attempt.  A la peanut butter championships!

Interesting.  The wisdom of the 33-year old man.  Don’t underestimate it, Boomers.

By the way, the Kit Kat chunky bar is worth it.

Just over six minutes left.  Canadiens are starting to take over.  Crowd feels it.

Jackman rushes a pass out of the zone.  It works.  Blues have some control.  Finally Gill chases it behind his net.  Moves out and then back around to befuddle a forechecker.  The patience of veteran defencemen is something to admire.  They understand tension.  Yet they keep their poise.  They’d make good waiters.  Or mountain men.

Price.  Great save while I’m yabbling.  Off a point shot.  It deflected and he extended while in the V.  Great save.  Athlete.

Kariya’s speed is still striking.  He’s a Fiat.  Quick, sharp indigo turns.

Three and a half minutes.

Louee goes offside.

Commercial.  Time for a juice.  The real kind.  Not that “cocktail” stuff.  There are rules for using the term juice.  If it ain’t real enough, you can’t use “juice”.  Most of y’all know that, I’m sure.

“In the UK, the term fruit juice can only legally be used to describe a product which is 100% fruit juice, as required by the Fruit Juices and Fruit Nectars (England) Regulations[1] and The Fruit Juices & Fruit Nectars (Scotland) Regulations 2003.[2] However, the term “juice drink” can be used to describe any drink which includes juice, even if the juice content is 1% of the overall volume.[3] Comparable rules apply in all EU member states in their respective languages.”

Replay shows that Price’s save was more a positioning demonstration than an athletic one.  He did get that leg out quickly.  But the additional movement was a split-second after the puck hit his already positioned pad.

Hal Gill gets called for slashing.

Jacques Martin mouths something non-cathedral and shakes his head.

Blues entry is interrupted by Montreal.  Then a puck goes up and out of play.  All four officials confer to make a decision regarding whether the puck hit a Blue’s stick on the way out.  Seems not.  Delay of game against Hamrlik.  Whoof.

Two-man advantage for St. Louis.

Perry Pearn looks at the referee out of the corner of his eye in that small-town way that the suspicious reserve for authority figures gone awry.

Blues control off the faceoff.   They move it around.  Tightening trapezoid.

Click, click, click.

They make me scream in horror.  Open net and a stick.  Somehow we survive it.  Yes, we.  When I have this much sugar in my system, it’s we.

Price stops Steen.  Gloves it.  With this much sugar in my system, Carey Price is a Hart Trophy candidate.

Man, Tkachuk has been a Blue a long, long time.  He’s probably a big reason the franchise hasn’t advanced much.  Well, he and whomever is-are defending him in the building.  Apologism.  Isn’t John Davidson the GM?  Well, yes, he is.  I like Davidson; personable and bright.  Articulate.  But.  He might be a bit old school.  A bit Matt Millen.

Canadiens win two faceoffs and get two clears.

Three seconds left in the five-on-three.

Price keeps stopping them.  Keeps getting in position.

Another clear.  Five-on-four.

Gomez does Plekanec-type work on the forecheck and embezzles six seconds from the Blues power-play.

Blues work it down.  Price makes another top.  Smothers it on the side of the net.  He’s playing like a veteran.

Faceoff.  Blues win.  Hamrlik is back.  Shot from the point.  Price.  Stops it.

We’re back to five-on-five.

Gorges is communicating with a teammate prior to a faceoff.

Crowd builds a “fight starting” sound vortex.  It’s not.  Instead it’s a minor for interference against BJ Crombeen.

Canadiens win the faceoff.

Blue line.  To the circle to Cammalleri.  Snap shot.  Then to the point.  Bergeron.  Shot.  Stopped.  Frozen.

Gomez is on.  Wins the faceoff.  Gets it to the opposite point.  Shot.  Stopped.  Siren.

Period ends.

Shots are 11-9 in favour of the Blues. Total is 22-20, also for your buddies in Blue and sun-yellow.

Second Intermission
Blues 3, Montreal 1

Joel says that Montreal is letting St. Louis play hockey.  He shows a replay of a St. Louis two-on-one where the second, trailing Canadien (Scott Gomez) doesn’t commit to choosing one of the two players til it’s too late.  One Blue is left alone and he’s the one who puts it behind Price.

Third Period
Blues 3, Montreal 1

I just want a goal.  Power-play continues.

Passes are fine.  In front.  They jam at it.  How many times has that been said, eh.

Penalty ends as the Canadiens continue to tighten the screws.

The organist sounds just like the one from 1982.  What does the music book look like?

A perfect game every night.  This is what we expect.  And this is what a team can’t give.  Perfect shifts.  Perfect periods, at times.  But a perfect game every night?  Can it be done?  Can it be done.

Metropolit works against two Blues.  Mara watches and then floats over.  Metropolit works against two Blues again.  In the corner.  This time Mara is quicker.  Who’s making the mistake in that case?

Whistle.  Short melee.  Gorges is there.  Being picked on.  Stands up for himself.  Winchester is the glove to face bully.

Just under five minutes in the game.

Cammalleri line is on.  Cammalleri gets it.  Moves it left.  Bumped.  Lapierre can’t continue that storyboard.

In front.  Point blank.  Nope.

Gomez under the end line.  To Gionta.  Back to Gomez.

Pacioretty waits for Gomez in the corner.  Gets the puck.  Puck goes to Gionta.  Powerful shot.  Conklin gloves it.

Conklin.  Sounds like a modern yet long-lived truck company.  Conklin Industries.

Canadiens are controlling.  Moen and Metropolit work with diligence and Houde says that the team is playing with more energy.

Puck goes out of play.

Plekanec line is on.

Neutral zone.  Three Habs in.

Gorges gets a long shot.

Conklin didn’t see it says Houde.

Finds the forest and not the rended tree fissure.

Backes is controlling behind Price.  Leaves it for Darryl Sydor.

Both players are able to skate from behind the net, each in their turn.  Both long shots are turned away.

Gionta is making trouble for the Blues.  In his usual way.  He is a dangerous difference-maker.  Play is stopped.  But not before Pouliot nearly converts on some of Gionta’s created chaos from the slot.

C’mon, les boys!

And they score.

Giveaway or takeaway.  Gomez.  Moves in, heightened harry.  Slows immediately.  Slides it to Pouliot.  He blasts it in.  No chance for your buddy.

Blues 3, Montreal 2

Crowd cheers Pouliot’s name.  In this living room, Gomez is the OM chant of the moment.  Gohhmzz.  Gohhmzz.  Gohhmzz.

Just under ten minutes.

Metropolit line keeps the energy.  They switch off and Plekanec’ line joins the action along with Kariya on the Blues side.

Commercials should be illegal.  Intellectual pollution.  What’s more important, a country’s sanity or noisily positioned products?  There are other ways to communicate your product’s benefits.  So stop crowding my thought columns and headers.

We resume.  Markov almost erases his man along the boards but loses both the puck and man.  He gets support from Gorges and the Habs move it out.  They are back in and retrieving.

I have it on mute and it is far easier to concentrate on the facial expressions and body language.  Action is halted and Lapierre is busy dealing with the consequences of his haranguing.  No violence.  This time.

I unmute.

Plekanec line is on.  Plekanec moves it down on the right side.  Chased by Cammalleri.  Johnson and Cammalleri tangle for the puck.  Johnson wins.  Blues have control.  They dump it in for a line change.

Mara has it behind his net.  Up for Gomez.  Gomez stickhandles with rejuvenated confidence and enters with flair.

Turned away.

But Gomez enters again and shows more cape and swirl.  Another one.  Barlow?  More elegant.

On the other end, Price gives a gap and takes it away on his left.  Two saves.  Keeps the team in.  Price’s true goalie personality features a tendency to be sharper when the game is closer.  I don’t have the numbers; this is just an anecdotal impression.  But it’s an impression I am confident will be borne out.  And it’s a facet of his game that is solidifying.  From a light and heat to an opacity and coldness.  Something inevitable.  A little Roy.  A little Tony.  Espo.

That kind of stubbornness.

From behind the net, Gorges emerges.  He loses it on the boards.  Plekanec steps to the play to help.

Blues control.  Kariya tries a looping wrap-around but Markov blocks it very expertly.

Perron is on a two-on-one.  It looks inevitable.  Pass is too long.  And behind the receptionist.  Uh.  Receiver.  Um.  Teammate?

Canadiens are in.

And out again.  Puck is cleared.

Hamrlik.  Spacek.

They move it out.

Deep.  Blues take it away.

Whistle.  Blues.

Houde raises his voice with “au Blues!”.

Commercial.  I thought these were illegal.  What’s going on.

Red Bull.  Another product that should be illegal.  Anything that has heart-care comments on the container should not be readily available.  Seriously.  We had Jolt in university so I’m dating myself but I just want to say that my curmudgeon views aren’t fully ignorant and immodern.  And it’s also a show of modernism to invent words.

Penalty is to BJ Crombeen.  Remember that stupid show with the monkey?  Yeah.  That one.  What an unfortunate nickname.  No?  It’s macho and unfortunate simultaneously.

Speaking of which, Montreal’s first presence is ended with a clear.

Just over four minutes left in the game and a minute and a half in the penalty.

Cammalleri is sent in by Plekanec.  Goes to the corner.  Up.  To Markov.  Bergeron fell as he got it to Markov.  Very Bollywood.  And now a shot from Cammalleri.  That old Markov to Kovalev play.  Updated for Cammalleri.

It went high.  Brunet says it’s rare that Cammalleri doesn’t score from that area.  Well, let’s just say that it happens about 30% of the time which is enough to make it feel automatic.  It ain’t.

Penalty ends.  No other quality chances.

Spacek carries it out.

Failed clear by Tkachuk.  He gets it back and sends it to McDonald who exits.  Tkachuk line leaves soon afterward and Metropolit’s line hops on for Montreal.

Just under two minutes.

Blues look a bit tired.

Kariya is on.  Plekanec line joins them.

Hamrlik gives a short pass to his left.  Canadiens try an entry and are turned away.  Brunet says there is not much energy left to the team.  Seems so to me, as well.

They struggle.  They work.  Shot.  It goes in.  Somehow.  Spacek.  From the blue line.  Cammalleri got his stick on it.

Now they have to review it.

Brunet says it’s a goal no problem.  We see the replay three times.

Bill McCreary says it’s good.  Brunet is confident throughout.  He notes that because McCreary installs himself near the centre ice dot, that it means he will announce a goal.

Montreal 3, St. Louis 3

Jut over twenty seconds.  Canadiens work it in.  And then they prevent a Blues exit at the centre ice area and send it back.  Period ends with the Blues battling in vain for the puck near the red line by the team benches.

Referee Bill McCreary has such an earnest, honest woodsman’s face.  Healthy grizzly mustache to go with it.  Or do you prefer moustache?

Montreal takes the shot lead 14-5 for a 34-27 three-period lead.

One good period.

Deserves another.

Overtime
St. Louis 3, Montreal 3

Montreal stole a point.  And can take another.

Initial four-on-four pairing is Gomez and Gionta.

They’re in.  A drop pass.  A hard shot.  Puck pops back.  Markov takes an even harder shot.  Wide and high.

Russian thunder.

Cammalleri and Plekanec are on next.  They are control.  Hamrlik comes up.  Receives it, turns, half-circle.  Sends it across too far for anybody; through the slot.

Pouliot comes in, Hamrlik is carrying; backhand pass to Pouliot.  Shot just wide from the column to the goalie’s right.

Stoppage after some light Blues pressure.

The keep it in on the right side at the Montreal blue line.  Lasts about two seconds.

Gomez is on again.  Tries a move.  More moxie from the seven-million dollar man.  I like it.  Loses the puck but I liked the idea.

Markov is in, down to the slot.  Gets a timed pass.  Whack and stopped.

Now the other way.  Andy McDonald.  Shoots a high wrister over Price’s right shoulder.  And into the net.

Brunet says the better team won tonight.

Blues 4
Habs 3 (OT)

HDS Stars: David Backes, Benoit Pouliot, Ty Conklin
RDS Stars: TJ Oshie, Benoit Pouliot David Perron

I must have had too much chocolate and coffee ice cream.  I don’t remember this TJ Oshie.  Yet, sure enough, he is on the Blues roster.  Hum.