Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Gm 3)
May 20, 2010, by Homme De Sept-Iles
Musings and In-Game Scribbles Eastern Conference Final
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
host
Philadelphia Flyers
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Round Three – Playoffs (Philadelphia leads series 2-0)
Game Three (score posted following scribbles)
Missed it? Musings capture the game in writing. A written transcript typed during the game, posted and edited about thirty minutes afterward. Based on the RDS French telecast of the Montreal Canadiens game, Musings take about 20 minutes to read. More detailed than an article, fresher than a looping highlight and good with morning coffee. Or late-night chocolate. A unique way to re-experience the game.
Danger, Danger!
First Period
Due to some very unfortunate circumstances (remember who’s writing this) I join the game with about nine minutes left in the first period. Montreal has gone to the power-play and I’m on my left coast. Ready to flay apathy. I’m not in my living room.
Gionta is parked in Leighton’s living room though. Parked in front of the net.
Canadiens work the puck. Crowd is who knows. I’m muted and anglicized. What else.
Power-play ends.
Lapierre bumblemouths at Parent.
We see an own-player collision involving Cammalleri. He may be in some pain because of it.
Remind me never to moving picture third track tractor tragedy again.
Never.
Halak covers up a creaseful of trouble.
Carcillo is chatting with the officials.
Cammalleri leaves the ice.
Montreal leads 1-0.
Bergeron is caught out of position. Gionta is back and supporting. Intercepts a pass and leads a rush.
High slot shot can’t reach Leighton.
Canadiens are skating with great speed. Flyers appear cowed. I can’t hear a thing and my face is Sinestro’s.
Subban and Hamrlik are on defence for Montreal. Hamrlik passes under his blue line to Subban. Subban mishandles and sends it to the high-slot for a Flyer middle entry between the two defenders. But Hamrlik has seen what’s happening and drops to cover. Another forward is there, too.
If the Canadiens can adjust, so can I.
But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to weep. Yeah, over a game.
Montreal’s Michael Cammalleri takes a neutral zone pass and turns to glide backward looking for a receiver all the while.
They enter. The pepper. My heart is a lumpy pile of salt. Electrodes approach. Leighton can’t see it. Two Flyer defenders can. They sweep one chance aside. They can’t get at the other. Backhand chance from Montreal fails. Flyers clear it out.
Montreal is back in. Three on two. No thought for anything but speed and closing. Shot. They converge. Rebound. Pyatt. It’s in. My fist. This crowd. That bench. This wood. This game. Is silent thrall.
Montreal 2, Philadelphia 0
At his bench, Flyer foreman Chris Pronger shakes his head. They’re going to go to the video replay.
First replay is suspicious but inconclusive. CBC spends time alternating between Pronger’s expression and those of Laviolette and Pyatt.
Flyer skate put it in.
I have to imagine the crowd. Last television moment of the sequence is Pronger’s disbelieving smile. It’s good I can’t hear what CBC’s Bob Cole or whoever is saying. Probably good.
Two and a half minutes.
Halak turns away two long shots.
Lapierre is yelling from the bench. At Flyers.
Some call is going against Montreal.
Briere is on the ice. Subban for Montreal. We stay at fives.
Pouliot with Plekanec. Must be one of the promised changes.
Stoppage as the Flyers mangle sticks to enter the Montreal zone. In a good way.
Just over two minutes. Long puck and Montreal has to rejig, pull a man in from the zone.
Another stoppage.
Post-whistle, Metropolit and Hartnell tangle. Metropolit has his stick up. Hartnell is at mild froth. He leaves the scene. We are shown Pronger in the penalty box. Tripping. Replay shows a poke-check that results in a fall on a Montreal incursion and a quick follow-up hit from a teammate. The pokecheck didn’t look as if it was intended to trip. But that angle wasn’t clear.
Stoppage. Now a clear.
Plekanec, Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn are on the first wave. Andrei works diligently but loses the puck on a slow-mo reach behind the Flyer net. The next incursion is nearly instantaneous. Andrei delivers a forechecking hit that impresses.
Third reset and a second penalty.
Coburn.
Crowd waves hands and towels.
Hooking is the call. Coburn looks morosely down and away. He is also in pain.
We resume. Faceoff to Leighton’s right.
Subban. Back and forth with a point-mate.
Now a shot. Rebound. Hit Gionta in the leg. Another shot. Nope.
Period ends.
Blowhard is shown waving his arms. All is silent. I pray I find Houde online.
What a digital disaster.
First Intermission
Montreal 2, Philadelphia 0
I have sound now. But it’s CBC English. What have I done. I search for instructions on buying the RDS feed. I thought this was going to be easy. I thought everything was going to work out. Yes, I am aware that this type of thinking is documented in the DSM and beyond. The DSM. Bah.
It’s harder to tune out English language commercials. And I don’t have a mute button in this building. But the guy at the bar is a good man. And he’s the reason I have an electrical plug-in. And volume. What’s next? Maybe a glass of coke.
Elliotte Friedman interviews Tom Pyatt. In English. I laugh out loud.
Pyatt talks like he played, uh, you know where he played. Canned and sold. Hey. Tonight, I’m buying. I get up to look for that coke. I mean Coke, of course.
Second Period
Montreal 2, Philadelphia 0
Early Flyer incursion. Halak sprawls on eagle stomach to make a save.
Lapierre line is on. Late check from Lapierre as the puck leaves the Flyer zone. More chase.
Halak smothers a puck on the other end. Faceoff to his left. Plekanec line is on. Carcillo for the Flyers. Gagne and Mike Richards on the draw. Flyers control but are chased back into their zone. Puck is jammed against the boards. Two and two. Now it skitters to the slot for a mild shot which Leighton handles and holds onto for a faceoff to his left.
Habs win it. Metropolit gets it to the point for Spacek. His off-wing shot from the blue is seen all the way by Leighton and we have a repeat draw.
To the point. Gorges sends it back to the corner. To the slot. Shot. Jounces.
Canadiens control for six seconds at even-strength.
They are forced back. Breakout. Metropolit on the left. Pass to Pouliot. Slows. Turns. Shoots. Leighton stretches left for the puck and gloves it.
Gomez line.
Again the Canadiens control.
Gomez picks up a puck behind the Flyer net. To the slot. No. But a second shot attempt works. Leighton stops it.
Hamrlik retrieves, turns and passes it twenty feet. Puck is shot into the Flyer zone. Montreal’s forecheck is very quick but this entry is rebuffed.
Action is nearly halcyon. Livid peace (yeah, peace). Both teams keep it clean but the hitting remains robust and legal. Flyers are delivering more blows than Montreal.
Stoppage.
Faceoff outside the Montreal blue.
Canadian BusKing Coles (CBC) informs us that Hartnell has six minutes of ice time so far tonight plus three hits. Hit stats vary from rink to rink depending on who tracks.
Lapierre chases a puck into the corner. High shoulders to compensate. Is jousted off the puck.
Puck goes out of the Flyer zone and then out of play.
Parent is being harangued by Lapierre all the live game long. And this time Lapierre is called. Flyer power-play.
Plekanec and Pyatt are the first pairing. They are aggressive. Twice they fold on a puck.
John Mac Majesty. Got a feed. Merci.
I have it in French.
Moore moves it out on the left.
Tries to make a move past Carle. Carle’s positioning is solid.
Another short-handed Montreal incursion. Ville Leino is going to the box.
We go to a power-play for Montreal almost immediately.
Plekanec trio is first.
Canadiens have to reset.
Entry is intercepted. Flyers create a shot. Giroux. Wide. Covered. Houde expresses concern through tone.
Entry by Kostitsyn is rebuffed.
Gomez trio. They work it in. Keep it in. Chance at the side.
No.
Canadiens re-enter. Subban down the middle. Two Flyers. Weak shot. Some shoving. Subban has earned respect already in his young career. Can a career be young? Can a nephew get fifty goals in his first pro season?
Faceoff to Leighton’s left.
Betts wins the draw and the penalty ends with the Canadiens moving the puck through the neutral zone. Puck hits an official. Gionta keeps it from becoming a turnover.
Lapierre line. Lapierre works under the end line. The home ice advantage is finally an advantage for one of our guys. Lapierre plays well at home.
Gorges up for Pyatt. To Moore. Back to Pyatt. To Moore. High slot shot. In.
I can hear the Bell. I can hear Benoit Brunet. I can see the five-hole puck.
Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0
Metropolit, Moen and Pouliot follow.
The real Ole, Ole chant resumes. Lasts about eight seconds. Skirmish. Halak pokes at someone. Brunet says that Halak really has to keep calm. I haven’t seen Halak do something like that before. Poked at Richards after the play. They’re getting in his head. Richards is called. Goes to the box with little discussion. Towels his scrunching face.
Two sets of commercials for me tonight. And no mute for either. I have earphones in for my Mac Magic feed.
Andrei Kostitsyn is also in the box.
Gomez and Gionta are the first Montreal pair for four-on-four.
Neutral zone. Gomez and Gionta push it in. Now it goes into Montreal ice. Biggest untamed space in Montreal ice that I’ve seen tonight. Puck is sent diagonally to the corner and the follow-up puck can’t be had.
Subban and Briere exchange arms and gloves in a shoving vignette. Briere leaves the ice.
Fours end. Cammalleri and Moore are on together.
Turnover. Cammalleri. The backcheck is there.
Now Pyatt, Moore and Andrei K enter. No shot is heard.
On the other end. Puck goes up and out of play.
CBC gives us a hockey night bio. Ville Leino. On-screen hockey card phrases. Ville likes lasagna, scored five goals in one game when he was seven years old and collects tennis balls. Something.
We resume. Long shot from the Montreal blue. Bangle-hangle puck.
Two gloves and a stick are on the ice in the Montreal slot. Giroux’. He returns to the bench in pain.
Cammalleri is in on the left. Behind the net. For Metropolit. To the high slot.
Intercepted. Right onto a Flyer stick. (Not Clarkie’s)
Flyers move it in.
Briere is on. Watched closely, he manages to get a stick on the puck and bats it from the high hash boards down into the corner. Flyers support but Montreal, aware of numbers stay ahead of the play and move it out.
Gionta and Pouliot enter. Offside. CBC shows the blue line shot, a good wrister by Pronger.
Gorges hit Giroux. Cross-check. Brunet says that Gorges got away with one. Houde adds that a number of things have been let go tonight and that the Canadiens have been fortunate in a number of those cases.
Faceoff to Halak’s left.
Habs win it.
Asham shoves a defenceman and picks up the puck. Turns to the slot. Shoots. Hits something. Rebound. It bounces around. Halak traps it. Cammalleri tussles with a forward.
Faceoff to Halak’s’ right. Flyers win it. To the point. Long, hard shot from Pronger. Out of play.
Canadiens lead on shots 28-17.
We resume.
Houde says that when Lapierre is on the ice that there are often discussions on the ice.
Montreal moves it out. Brake and snow. Leighton covers it.
Asham cross-shoves Lapierre twice but Lapierre ignores it. Another replay shows Mike Richards trying to get a reaction as well. Lapierre ignores this as well. He knows what he is doing.
Two on one. Moen. To Gionta. Just a bit high and long but reachable.
Just under a minute in the second period.
Long puck. Halak picks it up behind the net. They launch.
Plekanec. Button-hook. To Cammalleri. Across. Bounces back to him. Adjusts. Sends it again. To Kostitsyn. Certain gap. Just high.
Siren goes.
Brunet says it’s a very good period defensively for Montreal.
Montreal led 11-9 on shots. Total of 28-18.
Second Intermission
Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0
Joel’s tie looks like a Penguin throwback silk stalk. The feed I have is a bit dark but the tie-stripes are thick and other-decadular (yeah, yeah). On CBC, former Montreal pest-menace Claude Lemieux and Ron McLean discuss things hockular.
Demers compliments Pyatt’s work. I try and listen to Lemieux and Bouchard at the same time now. Lemieux’ hair is identical to Carbonneau’s. But the forehead is a bit white pumpkin.
Crete’s new glasses are really dark. Gothic teacher dark.
I finally see the first Montreal goal. Cammalleri diving and getting. Fist pumping and exulting. He’s one cool dude. Our man from Richmond Hill.
Crete says that the Flyers have been undisciplined and that they are starting to get frustrated. Bouchard supports with some video evidence and then elaborates on the weaker defensive play from the Flyers.
Glenn Healy and Elliotte Friedman discuss a few issues out where the Zamboni enters. And now it enters behind them. A miniature, white machine painted in yellow Hydro Quebec colours. Since when is Hydro Quebec yellow. Some kid in a Habs jersey is riding it. The rink is dusk blue and vampire black in the background.
Crete, Demers and Bouchard share a chuckle. Crete makes a nice fraternal gesture and warmly encourages a laugh from the outgoing analyst. Demers will be serving as a Senator following this season. He has secured the role but wants to devote more time.
PJ Stock is sharing some thoughts on CBC now and he then turns it over to the capable Jeff Marek and that smart guy with the beard. Marek, I like. There are a few new faces at CBC who are pretty good.
Now we just need to wait for Uncle Don to get a move on. Shake a leg, checker-bone dog.
CBC is doing a good job on the analysis from what I’ve managed to hear in my twin-induction viewing format tonight. But I’ve ignored the play-by-play and I suspect that area may be a bit, uh, off.
Right, Dan?
There’s this especial enunciation on English hockey broadcasts, an affectation that certain broadcasters use (and have used for decades). It’s an exaggerated, alley extinguisher baritone that I was so used to, I didn’t notice it until I started to listen to more American broadcasts and, of course, to RDS. It’s an imitation of an imitation. From Foster to Gallivan. And maybe one other iconic name.
Luc Gelinas interviews Dominic Moore. Moore’s French builds good feeling in the RDS crew and Houde thanks Moore for the interview after Luc returns us to le passerelle.
Brunet says that tonight, the power-play has done the job. Houde adds some detail. Brunet is out of his element. And Houde is too polite or perhaps it’s not his place, to say it.
Third Period
Montreal 3, Philadelphia 0
We resume.
Moen is on. Shot on Leighton. Stoppage.
Montreal wins the faceoff.
Seven second possession. Spacek can’t keep it in on the point. But the puck is redirected into the Philly corner.
Long puck from Philly is stopped and held for a faceoff by Halak.
Faceoff to his right.
Plekanec line.
Gorges backhands it up along the boards.
Three on two. Cammalleri enters. Hesitates. Cross-ice pass. One-timer. No. Now.
Cammalleri intercepts a pass in the neutral zone.
To the corner. Keeps. To the hash. The Canadiens cycle the puck in a distanced, vapor-ice manner.
Flyers are chasing.
Gomez keeps. Backhand turning. Keeps. Turnover. I groan.
Out and in.
Gionta. Trouble controlling. Past his man. Gets control. Too sharp an angle. Shoots. Scores.
The arena is allowed to speak. Houde waits a few seconds. Brunet blunders in. He describes the goal.
Montreal 4, Philadelphia 0
Play resumes. Gomez and Gionta are on. Sudden entry.
Shot by Gionta with a reverse shot now and Houde’s voice constricts.
Montreal controls for three six-second possessions or so.
Flyers finally get into the Montreal zone but they can’t stay ahead. Montreal’s speed is somehow much more a factor tonight and I don’t know why.
Montreal entry. Stoppage. Some wrestling.
Coburn goes to the box. His expression is one that a person gets when one is upset with oneself. But not knowing Coburn well, I can’t be sure. Plekanec goes to the box, too. Coburn is frustrated by Plekanec.
Four-on-four.
Crowd chants Coburn’s first name. Braydon. They manage about nine Braydons before the action resumes and distracts them.
Briere is not going away. He crosses the blue, demoniac, meets a puck and slithers fire to fear. Krakow. Wide.
Action continues on the perimeters.
Habs manage to get ahead of the Flyers yet again and a pass crosses the blue line and Hamrlik fires. No. Stoppage.
We see a replay of the Coburn-Plekanec scuffle and I watch Pronger cross behind Plekanec and punch-poke the centre. I shake my head.
Faceoff to Leighton’s left.
Fourteen and a half minutes left in the period and Houde says what I think; there is a lot of time left.
But there is no sign that Montreal is interested in cruising. And I feel some pride; this team is the team that cared enough to brave Washington and worked enough to stymie Pittsburgh. But why did it take a 2-0 deficit to effect this messaging tension?
Faceoff. Gomez wins it. To the point. Shot. Leighton captures the long puck. Holds it for the faceoff.
We resume. Action stays on the boards behind Leighton.
Slot pass. High shot. Eight second possession.
Flyers move it out. Pronger is clocking big minutes.
Gagne is on for Philly. Loses the puck on the boards at the Montreal hash to Halak’s left.
Flyers score. Gagne. It’s his seventh and it’s sudden spit. A reptile strike from the hash.
Houde says that Halak sent it into his own net with the pad.
Montreal 4, Philadelphia 1
Canadiens resume the attack. Plekanec line. High slot shot from Cammalleri.
Habs can’t retain.
Neutral zone ribbons. Fat white ones. And the Flyers travel a Cinderella carpet for a few swooning moments. Need I say that pumpkins are orange?
But it doesn’t last. Giroux’ long shot goes wide and the Canadiens use speed and moxie to keep pressure on Philly.
Moore gets a high flute chance.
Flyers are increasing their pace but their puck-control ability, as a group, fails them at this pace.
I lose my French feed. I have to listen to that rubber-mouth bass-boost squid now.
Just under eight minutes left. Moen and Lapierre are on. Moore is with them. Moore looks like he’s gassed. Six seconds later he leaves the ice. Lapierre and Moen worked well to keep the puck in play deep through the shift.
Flyers enter. Corner. To the slot. Halak smothers it.
Feed is back.
Just over six minutes left.
Cammalleri. Gill and Gorges are back.
Gorges is called for holding Hartnell. Gorges argues it. Helmet off, he is irritated. He calms down. Now he tilts his head and angers a bit more. That’s the first time I’ve seen that from him. He usually gets annoyed then calms and then goes. I wait for the replay to clarify; Gorges believes the refs missed something. Perhaps, perhaps.
Giroux, Hartnell, Pronger and Timonen are on.
Flyers can’t get it set up.
Ole, Ole chant begins. It goes for about twenty seconds.
Hamrlik makes a contain move. Puck is cleared.
Flyers call a timeout. Organist gets repetitive and an audio vortex to the early eighties occurs.
Lapierre is shown on the Montreal bench mocking the Flyers’ bench.
Lapierre montage of mockery is shown by CBC. Lapierre’s style has evolved. He’s learning how to personalize his horseradish smiles.
Halak smothers a puck now. Small crowd. Mild. Giroux backs away.
Only one other Flyer present. Six, seven Habs or so it seems. Chillin’.
Penalty ends.
Gomez line.
Gomez tries an exit pass. Long horizontal.
Flyers have pulled their goalie.
Pronger is on the ice.
Very interesting timing of the goalie pull. I like it. But it’s easily criticized. Not by me, though. I like it. Laviolette is telling his team to ignore the score. He wants them back. He wants the passion. His method makes the gesture one for the series, not for the game. War. Not the battle.
Flyers can’t keep it in.
But they avoid trouble.
Hartnell. Richards. Gagne.
Pronger interferes with Kostitsyn on an exit attempt.
And it’s called. Now a bunch of stuff happens.
Spacek hit Briere, Houde says. Spacek is taken down by someone.
Now Hamrlik and Hartnell are in a fight. Wow. One doesn’t see Hamrlik fight. Jersey goes up. No real punches get thrown. By either player.
They take a few minutes to sort it out.
Halak waits and watches leaning back on his crossbar.
Martin’s arms are folded. Now he adjusts his belt height.
Leighton bends and then circles out of his crease.
Montreal goes to a power-play with around ninety seconds left in the period.
Subban on the blue. Gorges opposite him. I like that pairing.
Puck goes up and out. Accidental delay of game against Philadelphia. Quick shot of the Flyer bench. Placid disgust. It’s called. Lapierre is shown again. Shivering motions from the bench towards his opponents.
Two-man advantage.
CBC spends a lot of time and energy showing Montreal in a questionable light. They should be ashamed. NBC doesn’t go after the San Francisco 49ers. FOX doesn’t go after the LA Lakers. ABC doesn’t attack the Boston Red Sox.
Montreal scores.
Good rotation. Bergeron. Leighton’s pads-down butterfly is beaten to his right. Not sure if he saw it.
Philadelphia will be able to blow this one out the tubes and forget it. Well they ought to. Also they (and I) must figure out how Montreal adjusted and what can be done.
I’m ready for the second intermission but now I realise that was it.
Montreal 5
Philadelphia 1
Philadelphia leads series 2-1. Next game is on Saturday, May 22 at Bell Central.
HDS Stars: Mike Cammalleri, Tom Pyatt, Maxim Lapierre
RDS Stars: Roman Hamrlik, Dominic Moore, Tom Pyatt
Surprisingly, CBC stays to show us the stars this time. And why can’t Bob Cole find it in his heart to say anything kind about the only Canadian team left in the playoffs. I thought the CBC was all over that kind of schmaltz maple vinegar.
Some twit was banging his pool cue into the ground next to me for most of the third period. He noticed me notice and did it even more. I make sure I don’t look at him again. But what a little passive aggressive stone in the teeth. Deserves a cartoon beating.
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