Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres

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 (1-2-1) host Buffalo Sabres (3-1-0)

Tuesday, October 19, 2011

Game Five (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.

click here to expand post (it looks prettier)

 

 

Rugged Vincent Damphousse, former Canadiens captain, is at the big desk with Alain Crete and Benoit Brunet.

Ryan Miller, at 223 wins is nearing the team’s leader, Dominik Hasek, who was on the winning side 234 times as a Sabre.  There is no comparison, however.  Hasek is one of the best of all time, a nine.  Miller is one of the best of his generation, a low eight and sometimes better.  At one time, Miller could have been considered the best in the game.  And he may be yet again.

The Buffalo Sabres might be the best team in the NHL Eastern Conference coming into this game.  Their 3.50 goals per game is tied for first in the league while their goals-against is a respectable 2.25.  Their five-on-five for and against numbers are third overall at 2.00.  In the league.

Montreal Alouettes’ Anthony Calvillo is being honoured for becoming the CFL’s all-time leading passer.  Long standing ovation.  He seems touched.  He hobbled out gingerly to the carpet on the ice surface.  Hobbled is a bit strong.

Miller and Carey Price are the goalies.

First Period

Miller sees a quick entry halt at his goal-line.  Referee waves, no goal.  Faceoff.  To the blue.  Across.  Shot is smothered low.  Miller drops low again.  Mask down.  Price is shown, the pink swath on the front of his mask.

False start to Miller’s right.

Second line.  Darche, Engqvist and

Don Van Massenhoven and Dan O’Halloran are the refs.  Snepts mustache for the former.

Long puck.  Icing.  Sabre ice.

Emelin is low but he leaves for Gorges.  Subban with him.

Stoppage.  Price might be a bit like Marino; Marino always performed better when a star quarterback was on deck.  Miller is, though underrated by fans and media, is highly respected amongst his peers.  Price is no exception and a win against the Sabre goalie may count for a bit more.

Ville Leino, the former Flyer skates down the right.  Long diagonal pass results in an offside entry.  Brad Boyes and Marc-Andre Gragnani are on for Buffalo.

Pacioretty line for Montreal. Right side.  Puck bounds to the slot off a Sabre, unexpectedly and Pacioretty swipes at it backhanded. The odd, slow-velocity shot makes some trouble for Miller who covers it up.

We resume.

Sabres swirl and search.  Right side entry.  Montreal’s Hal Gill jams on entry Kaleta but the pass is away.  Whistle.

Kaleta shows mild annoyance towards Subban.

Plekanec.  Right side.   To the net.  Sudden.  Brakes and shoots.  Miller keeps it out.

Long Montreal puck.  Faceoff to Price’s right.

Sabres control.  Adroit advance.  Puck shovel.  Around the boards.  But out.

Boyes tries an entry on his own. Pitchforks the puck, but looking down to control it doesn’t’ find a teammate and has it taken from him.

No head shot.

Tyler Ennis in.  Leopold and Ehrhoff low.

Stoppage on a Montreal entry.

Ennis wears Afinogenov’s #63.

Fifteen left.

Kostitsyn.  Pacioretty.  Desharnais.  The new unit.  Perhaps the best unit in Saturday’s OT loss to the Avalanche.

Desharnais and Pacioretty played together with the Bulldogs, Montreal’s minor league affiliate and were a bit of smoke and fury together.  Martin, who likes his players to earn their starts, to earn their spots has waited a long time before allowing this pair to become a regular.

Darche and Weber discuss strategy after a whistle and the network takes a break.

Houde joshes with Marc Denis who is at ice level.  Ties, masks and safety.  Pucks can fly.

Delayed call against Montreal.  Almost undetectable booing.

Buffalo is a respected team.  And the penalty is legit.  This is one of the most experienced reffing pairs the NHL can offer, as well.

Holding.

Buffalo power.  Plekanec.

Myers and Leopold on the blue.  Gerbe, Stafford and Derek Roy on the first wave.  Roy sports the A for alternate.  Roy is an Ottawa, Ontario native.

Desharnais is on the left point.

His continued haranguing leads to a Moen, Desharnais exit.  Puck is left in the neutral zone and the pairings change.

Long Buffalo puck is an error and results in offside.

Replay shows Subban falling into Price’s pads.  But the puck went the right way.  Into the corner harmlessly.

Gionta and Roy.  Gionta pushes it away from Roy’s blade but it lands on Myers’ stick blade.

Sabres chase it in on the left side.  Price is out.  Baseballs it.  And it’s out.

Young Luke Adam is the second-leading point-getter on the Sabres this season with six in four games.  He wins the draw.   Tall, lanky player.  Listed at six-two.

Thirty seconds in the power-play.

Right side entry.  Montreal.  Offwing shot.  No.

Sabres can’t get back in.  Penalty expires.

Boyes is hit by Gill on entry.  Turnover on the horseshoe pass.  Doesn’t hurt Montreal.

Sabre ice.

Gomez.  Pacioretty.  Gionta.  Reunited.

Gill and Weber low.

Lobber.  Cole watches and follows it.

Crowd is subdued.  Waiting. Concerned.  It’s Mechant Mardi but the team is one and two.  And Carey Price himself admitted he let in three softies on Saturday.

Long season, though.  But.  The team is not guaranteed a playoff spot.  As in the old days.  Guarantee.  Yeah, I’ve been listening to sports radio again.  My metaphors are mush.

And so forth.

The Sabres are foot soldiers, expected to play within the system.  But it’s not stodgy; rather, it’s built on opportunism, speed and hard work.  They’re a skating team and each Buffalo shift leaves and finds shadows of its late nineties heyday.  They were similar but more loaded with talent.  Under the new ownership, the formula will continue and with Ruff still in charge, the Sabres are poised for a deep run in this season’s playoffs.  They were unlucky not to have had the same this spring.

Desharnais line.  Eight and a half.

Desharnais, Pacioretty and Kostitsyn are together again.  Kostitsyn is out of the action.  It’s Pacioretty and Desharnais who seize the initiative.  Kostitsyn’s imitative.  Where is it.

Gragnani is called following a Moen incursion into the crease.  Gomez was swing wide with the disc.

Montreal power.

Early puck is sent into Montreal ice.  Should the free icing be eliminated?  Short-handed teams are permitted to ice the puck when short-handed.  At even strength or in the power-play, teams are not permitted to send the puck past two lines and the end line (the definition of icing).

Under seven.

Three and three deep left.  Weber on the left point.  Across for Subban.  To the hash. They work it. Subban with a one-timer.  Deflects.  No.

Kept in.

Shot pass from the high circle goes up and out of play.  Pacioretty got his stick on it.

Pacioretty has been impressive in his return to the ice and may establish himself as a top forward in the division by December.  His play has been amongst the best of the Canadiens’ forwards.

Eller line.  Plekanec line, really.  Lobber.  Kostitsyn is with them this time.

Canadiens have to regroup.

Kostitsyn, renewed with Plekanec on ice with him, drives down the right.  Backhand is covered and the Belarusian falls into the end boards.  Rises quickly.

Four minutes.

Desharnais line.
Long puck for Pominville.  Puck is offside.

Desharnais line leaves.

Pace is workmanlike, Sabres push the action but the Canadiens respond and using good passing are able to create more space for themselves.

Montreal is similar to Buffalo.  Speed and opportunism work best for the Flying Frenchmen.

Luke Adam is from Newfoundland by the way.  Michael Ryder!  Is with Boston now.

Two and twenty.

Roy.  Falls over Desharnais.  Pass to Pacioretty.

Puck goes behind the end line.

Kostitsyn to Pacioretty. Houde loudens.  Pacioretty dribbles in.  Tries the deke.  Too slow for Miller.  But.  He falls and he has drawn a penalty.

One and fifty-three.

Montreal power.

Cole.  Gionta.  Gomez.  Subban.  Weber.

Early shot.  Bounces high.

Weber hesitates.

And now I remember what made Miller so good.  He’s always in the way.

One good save.  And one great-looking one.

Puck is out.

Lines change.

One minute.

Plekanec.  Desharnais. And Pacioretty.

Into the left side.

And out.  Pominville nearly sets up Vanek for the low slot knife.

Diaz fakes once.  And a second.  Then a pass.  Interesting.  I like those kinds of skills and vision.  But Diaz is knocked down moments later by Stafford.  Turnover does not result.

Period ends.  Montreal led on shots 14-3.

Diaz is a smaller defenceman and his strength is something I am not familiar with.  Bouillon was the strongest Hab at one time but also one of the team’s shortest players.  It didn’t matter.  Did it.

First Intermission
Alain 1, Benoit 0

Vincent is seated between Alain and Benoit and I wonder if I could keep the disdain out of my eyes if I were him.

Commercial.  Cars and their dealers.  So desperate to ruin the planet.  Don’t let them.

Yvon Pednault is shown in a newspaper ad.  La Presse?  Hmmm.

You’d think cars and their sellers were desperate.  Here’s another ad.

Just think of those hilarious cigarettes are healthy ads.  Or those tartan turf ads.  It was believed (or purported) once that artificial turf reduced injuries in football.

Ha!

It was once believed that Christ existed and that Conservatives ran the best economy.  And cars.  Cars?  Bah!

Five shots for Patches in the first period.  What if we all started calling him that?

And where’s Erik Cole?

Second Period
Buffalo 0, Vos Habs 0

Sabres come out smartly.  Three on three.  Pass to the low slot.  Nope.

Sabre ice.  Jeer begins.

Eller, Plekanec and Cole.

Eller emerges.  Cole leaves as it happens.  Puck goes up and out of play.

Kostitsyn finds Diaz.  Right side.  Closes.  Waits.  Holds it.  Miller falls.  More waiting.  Shot high.  Into the net.  His first NHL goal.

Miller’s arrogance was pierced.

Momentarily.

Montreal 1, Buffalo 0

Miller considers himself the leader of the Sabres.  I wonder what his teammates think of him.

Three minutes elapsed.

Eller, Plekanec and Cole.  Cole alone.  Can’t handle the puck, one knee lowering.  At the lip.  Puck skitters off.

Subban and Adam bump.  It’s only certain types that go after Subban.  Have you noticed?  Have you?

Oh, this predictable little world.

Maybe if you don’t pass, you won’t be allowed to play hockey.  We need more parents.

Sixteen.

Desharnais is bumped down by Roy.  Crowd boos.  NO call.

Gill and Diaz low.  Is Martin listening to the chattering classes?  Don’t you hate that term?  It’s used by white collar criminals.

Gionta’s stick breaks.  Ennis is blamed.  He’s got the hair of a Houston Aero.  Not the Howe kind.  Puffed out under his helmet.

Ninety seconds and the Habs are not able to set up.

Marc Denis says what I see; Pacioretty gets pucks on net every shift.  This one is along one-timer that I thought might be a forgotten puck.  But Pacioretty made it count.  Miller stopped it but the velocity allowed a large rebound.

Gionta, left side.  Wrister.  Tried for under the arm.  Miller closed the gap.

Faceoff to his right.

Habs win it.

Sudden open door.   Plekanec.  Can’t hit it.  And Miller falls onto it.  Fortunate.

Canadiens control off the draw.

Plekanec.  Right side.  Puck is lost but the Czech centre is all the way back.  And on the other end he is all the way.  And working.  Bumping.  Clearing.  Freeing.  Never stopping.  Like Koivu.  But younger.

Cole backhander.  Flipping puck in the air off Miller’s glove.  And a Subban carry-through.  One hand protecting.  The other on his stick.

Eleven and ten.

Sabres are losing some steam.  Canadiens aren’t.

Coverage is good.  And Buffalo can’t slow the puck down to control it deep,

McCormick.  Fires one to the low slot.  Finish isn’t there.

Sabres try and start something going.

By fighting.

Moen and McCormick.  Moen gets a good one in at the end.  Waste of time.  You think a fight can get you guys going?  Moen didn’t like how Emelin was treated following the play and punched Gaustad.  McCormick grabbed Moen.  And so on.

Gomez line.  Gionta bump-softs it down the middle boards.  Darche in the corner.  Poorly thought pass off a leg.

The big guns are mostly playing with little thought, poor precision.

It’s the young players taking the risks, making the plays.

It’s a young man’s game.  As Bill Parcells once said.

Canadiens’ 33.2 to 25.0 shots for and against ratio is bettered only by Detroit’s 39.0  to 25.0.

Under ten.

Montreal hits the 25-shot mark.

Three crisp passes and along Plekanec slapshot.   Miller holds onto it.

Sekera watches Pacioretty skate by him for a puck.  Canadiens are getting to the pucks first.  They make it look like a power-play.  Gill tees up.  Then the rebound is carouselled around by Desharnais.

But moments later the game tilts.  Leopold finishes a Sabre rush with a slot shot potter.

Off one leg.  Onto the stick for the Golden Valley native’s first of the season.

Buffalo 1, Montreal 1

Now Buffalo will pressure.

Long Adam shot.  Slapshot.  Simple save for Price.  Holds on.   Faceoff to his left.  Habs exit.

Sabres look young, outmanned and fatigued.  Some marked absence of desire.  The extra effort is missing.  Regehr pretends to reach for a puck at the end of s shift for example.

Did they play last night?   Nope.

Pearn is interviewed.  By Marc Denis down at ice level.  The old intrusive missives.   Press should not be there during games.  Pearn says that the team must stick to the game plan.  Looks upward at the score clock and says that the Canadiens have had the most chances.  And that they are playing well.

Four forty-one.

Two Sabre entries.  Emelin rushes back to cover one Sabre and then brakes to block a play by a third.  Good decision.  The other rush is plugged up.  Gionta got back to join three other Habs.

On the other end, Miller sees one escape a post.  It’s a modern shelling.  They’ve left him alone.  Kaleta is huffing and puffing on one entry.  And other Sabres are out of gas or position on two others.

Emelin checks Adam who assumed planting himself would be enough.  Emelin is much stronger than he looks and Adam’s face hits the glass hard.  He’s on the bench nodding and squinting.  Trainer helps dress the small wound.

Gomez takes one away at the point.  Buffalo coverage.  But the two on two is on.  Gomez to the net.  Moen tries to get it to him (or was that other way around?) … spray of snow. Puck stays out.

Thirty seconds.

Roy tries a cross-slot pass for a lurking Stafford.  Gorges gets his stick blade on it.  To the tape.  And rejected.

Faceoff.  Price.  Beaten.

Left shoulder.  Vanek.  Paused.  Turned a slapshot with full windup (alone in the opposite circle dot) into a half-wick shot over the left shoulder.

Buffalo 2, Montreal 1

Montreal led on shots 16-12.  And overall, 30-15.

Maybe it’s less than 75%.  Teams can outplay and lose in this league.  I used to think it was around 25 percent of the time that this happened.  But I wonder if that number is going to increase.  As parity tightens the competitors, more unfair outcomes will be the result.  Unfair?  How about inauthentic?

Second Intermission
Buffalo 2, Montreal 1

Tieless Tuesday.  Ce sont les Mechant Mardis.

Brunet spends thirty seconds and tells us nothing.

Does it again.  And again.

Get him off the air and maybe I’ll talk about something else, then.

Third Period
Buffalo 2, Montreal 1

It’s not a hockey game.  It’s a Canadiens game.

Hockey.  Bah.

Vanek.  Goes to the box.  Elbow to the face.  Of Subban.  Vanek bemoans his fate.  Wasn’t intentional.   Ruff shakes his head.

First clear.

Weber.  Passes to Pacioretty in traffic.

Another clear after a troubled entry.

Subban.  Long pas to Plekanec. Over the blue.  To the point for Pacioretty.

Kept in.

Lost at the circle dot. But the puck is kept in.

Shot.  Miller has lost it.

Where is it.  In the artificially cold air.  Lands in the low slot.  And Miller survives on reflex and flex.

Seventeen and a half.

Fifty.

Gomez, Gionta and Kostitsyn.  Diaz on the left point.

Price leaves the net.  To lay the puck.

Dang.

Thought it was another penalty.

Vanek is back.  Kostitsyn golfs a one-timer from the high circle.  Pings off and away.

Sixteen.

Eller and Palushaj.  Effort.  Risk and one long stick, one-armed finds Eller in front.  But Miller is the most professional of the professionals and no matter what’s happening in front of him, the stalwart from East Lansing is there.  Yes.  He’s from the same town as Magic.

Long Sabre puck.  Icing.

Randy Cunneyworth always looks ready to start a fight.  I wonder if he needs a yoga lesson.

Deep right.  Gaustad.  Against Plekanec.

Gaustad falls.  Darche is on his knees, too.  Puck to the point for Gorges.  And it’s out.  Subban carries.  Across.  Blast.  Save.  To the hash.  Broken skate.

Martin is using the F word.  Kaleta’s skate broke on a blocked shot.  Martin doesn’t like the stoppage as the Canadiens were pressuring.

Martin is a bit more expressive this season.

It’s hard to ignore a province.

Another stoppage.

Ehrhoff was with the Canucks last season.  He’s on the ice with Brad Boyes and Ville Leino.

Habs exit.  Miller plays it. Behind his net.  Looks one way.  Then the other.

Gill up for Gionta.  Looks to centre it.  Misses his target.

Boyes sends a puck long.  Icing when Emelin touches it.

Ehrhoff’s pass from the ensuing faceoff is a bit long.  Canadiens exit.

Kostitsyn on the left side.  Three men back.  Shoots.  Off a leg.

Kostitsyn just doesn’t wake up.

How much of Martin’s demeanour change is because of Kirk Muller’s absence?  And why.

Muller moved from an assistant coach position to head up the Admirals of the ECHL. Some felt that Muller was the brains behind the Canadiens’ bench.  They’d be wrong but there were certainly style differences.  I think having two, three personas behind the bench is good.  You reach more players (and psychiatrists).

Twelve and a half.

Pacioretty flips a puck semi-long for Cole and leaves the ice.

Eller.  Plekanec.  Moen.  The workers get to keep playing.

You want to stay on the same line, keep playing til the end of the game?  Work hard.  Martin will reward it.

Gionta fires from the muzzle.  Giveaway by Miller.  Miler is quick to correct.  Gionta is cross-checked into Miller as he swiped the viper at the net.  Vanek is called.

Montreal power.

Ten and fifty.

Diaz one-timer.  Glove.

Held.

Faceoff to his right.

Miller may be a belt man but he’s no showboat.  No need for him to hold the glove high.   IS that something he learned?  Or subdues?

Miller is going to close this one out if the team lets him.  Even if it doesn’t.

Here he stops Pacioretty from one foot.

Weber a blast.  Miller low.

Nine minutes.  Vanek is back.  Montreal is zero of five on the man advantage.

Moen tries to split two.  Puck is lifted.

Now Eller tries the same.  Loses the disc.  Mildly bumps Miller.

Seven and a half.

Sabres send the Habs back.

And again.

And a third time.

Price hasn’t been tested.  And Miller is hot.

It all adds up to a 3-1 finish.

Commercial.  Yet another ozone destroyer.

Faceoff to Price’s right.  Won by Plekanec, the team’s best faceoff man, and Subban sends a long fly-lob.  Sabres resume.

Six and twenty.

Roy.  Right side.  Slows.  Flips one to the slot.  Off a stick.

Gomez and Gionta circle and thrust sticks, lean into lanes but the puck stays on Sabre blades.

They enter Montreal ice.  And a whistle.

Miller montage.  Preceded by a disturbing anti-drug commercial.

Five and a half.  Montreal is at 41 shots tonight.  Forty against Colorado on Saturday.

Gaustad.  Wins it against Desharnais to Miller’s right.,

Into Montreal ice.  Sabres just want to keep the puck away. They don’t need to control.  And they haven’t been able to anyway.

Emelin advances.  Two Habs behind Miller now.  Two Sabres.  Puck is out, though.

Plekanec.

Over the red line.  Cole.  Loses the puck.

Four.

This is no way to get through a season.

Just surviving.  What about dominating?

Subban slid on the last sequence to block a centring pass.

Faceoff.  Sabres control.

Ehrhoff tries a slapshot from the high circle.  Price has it.  Welcome to the Eastern Conference.  He’s good.  You’ll see.

Three and twenty.

Defencemen have to pinch or advance.
Ennis escapes.  One step.  Good chance. Shot.  Price.  The left pad.

Gomez, Gionta and Pacioretty.

Diaz advances.  Desharnais.  They’re morphing.

Lines.

Another stoppage.

Two minutes as action resumes.

From the East.

Give us a reason.

Screams and shouts.  But the puck goes wide.  Price is out of his net.

Long shot.  Wide.  Of Montreal’s net.

Fifty-two.

Roy.  Keeps along his low boards.  Long shot.  Goal.  Buffalo.  Delayed call.  Against Montreal.

Crowd goes quiet.  On the bench, Lars Eller shakes his head slightly.

This is what the team needed.   A 1-3 start.  Well, they deserved it, then.

Where are the oldsters.

Eighteen seconds.

Ruff looks his old self.

Martin has to figure a few things out.  Too early for benchings.  But the ice time is always in flux.

Game ends.

Well met.

Final Score
Buffalo 3
Montreal 1

HDS Stars: Ryan Miller, Tomas Plekanec, Raphael Diaz
RDS Stars: Missed it.  My ice time should be reduced, too.

Habs outplayed the Sabres.  But their record reflects the team’s overall profile thus far.

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