HabsCast Hockey Blog

HabsCast 3 Stars of the Game

( 1 ) Tomas Vokoun

( 2 ) Christopher Higgins

( 3 ) Saku Koivu

The Florida Panthers literally clawed their way back into this game, all thanks to the incredible goaltending of Tomas Vokoun. In a game where that Canadiens should have scored numerous goals, Vokoun held them to one. The Canadiens, like Saturday night’s game against the Hurricanes, came out flying, however, this time they kept the pressure on throughout the entire game. The Canadiens completely dominated the first and second periods and outshot the Panthers 37-25.

The Canadiens were also considerably well disciplined, only taking three minor penalties. Although they didn’t give up a goal on the powerplay, Komisarek didn’t come back into the zone fast enough after exiting the penalty box after serving time for his slash on Richard Zednik. Again, the Montreal Canadiens took a penalty at the wrong time of the game, which cost them the win.

Not enough can be said about the way the Canadiens played this game, for they really put in a solid effort. I really liked the puck movement and how they dictated the play. Even though they didn’t win tonight’s game, a lot can be taken from it. This is the way they should play night in and out. The best player tonight for the Canadiens was Chris Higgins by a mile. He played a great 2-way game and had some excellent scoring opportunities, especially on his breakaway in the third period. This kid never gives up on the puck and it showed tonight.

The Canadiens were surely lacking goals tonight but I don’t think it was their fault for the reason that they took a large amount of shots and had plenty of scoring opportunities. Chris Higgins and Andrei Kostitsyn both had 5 shots each while Andrei Markov and Michael Ryder had 4. As a matter of fact, every Canadiens skater, besides Kyle Chipchura, Mathieu Dandenault, Garth Murray, and Tom Kostopolous, had a shot on goal. The problem the Canadiens must address now is the team’s inability to finish their scoring opportunities.

Lastly, the Canadiens played a very physical game tonight and used their size to their advantage. The hits on both sides were fairly even, however, the Canadiens edged the Panthers in that department 23-21. The hits of the night were Allen’s hit on Kostopolous and Komisarek’s hit on Peltonen.

Overall, the Canadiens should have easily taken this game and would have if it wasn’t for Tomas Vokoun. He is the reason why the Panthers won tonight and their last 3 games. The other reason why the Canadiens lost was their inability to score and in order for them to be successful against teams like the Senators, they will need to be able to put pucks in the net rather than sit back on a one goal lead. The Canadiens will play their next game against the Senators on Thursday night at the Corel Centre and it’s very likely that Huet will get the start after another solid performance tonight.

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