HabsCast Hockey Blog

HabsCast 3 Stars of the Game

( 1 ) Daniel Alfreddson

( 2 ) Tomas Plekanec

( 3 ) Wade Redden

Close, but no cigar is a good way to describe tonight’s game. The Canadiens managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period only to give up a goal just ten seconds later. I thought the Canadiens played a solid game and deserved to win. There are more positives than negatives to be taken from this game. Carey Price had a great outing and held off the Senators as much as possible. It seems that laziness is what killed the Habs tonight.

Firstly, I just want to reiterate that Carey Price played fantastically tonight. He stopped 29 of the 33 shots he faced and made some really key saves. The one particular save that caught my eye was the post to post on Dany Heatley in the third period. The first goal he let in was not his fault and it was unfortunate that Brisebois took that penalty. I really don’t know how that puck got through. As for the winning goal, Tom Kostopolous should have cleared it but instead turned the puck over to Alfreddson who took a high wrist shot and Spezza was there for the rebound. The moral of the story: CLEAR THE PUCK!! Moreover, the Canadiens have a really hard time getting the puck out of their zone. They try to clear the puck down the middle, which causes turnovers. If they want to be successful in getting the puck out they must use the boards to their advantage. Throwing the puck up the middle can only cause bad things to happen, like goals or penalties. The third Ottawa goal, which was scored by Heatley on a breakaway, should had been a penalty because Heatley interfered with Brisebois. However, you can tell that Brisebois was no match for Heatley considering his age and talent. Price had no chance.

On the offensive side of things, the Canadiens fared better tonight, scoring three goals. This is a great improvement from the last couple of games.

Higgins – Koivu – Ryder

These guys keep bringing the heat onto the other team. Tonight was no different. Ryder scored the second goal for the Habs on the powerplay and it was well earned. These three guys always put pressure on the puck and it leads to excellent scoring opportunities. I don’t see this line staying together for too much longer because I see Higgins going to the second line as a center for Kovalev and Kostitsyn.

Kostitsyn – Grabovski – Kovalev

I like Kostitsyn and Kovalev but Grabovski didn’t really impress me tonight. He’s fast but too much all over the place. Kostitsyn had some great scoring opportunities but just couldn’t finish. Kovalev played ok tonight. He’s putting in a good effort but seems to quit on the play a lot. During the third period I was thinking where was Kovalev all game and just after that though he scored. Kovalev needs a guy who can pass the puck to him because he can’t do it himself. You saw him waiting for a pass from Brisebois and when he got it he finished.

Latendresse – Plekanec – Kostopolous

I might as well keep Plekanec out of this because he played pretty well considering the players he’s playing with. Latendresse got his first goal of the season tonight and all he had to do was throw the puck on net. Figure that one out. You put the puck on net, you score. Moreover, Latendresse’s job isn’t to make passes or deke around players. His job should be to stick his big bulky body in front of the net to get the rebounds. Case closed. This is what most power forwards do and the same should go for Latendresse. I saw him try to make fancy plays tonight and failing every time. He really needs to stick to the basics and follow through.

Begin – Smolinski – Dandenault

This line did what they had to do and did it well. Begin blocked a shot in the second period and limped off, however, he returned. Smolinski played a solid game and almost scored a goal. I like his style of play and he has a good physical presence, which showed tonight. Dandenault played a solid game as well and used his body well in corners. Definitely like him better as a forward.

Bottom line: The Candiens lost tonight because of their sloppy play in the defensive zone and this trend has been going on since day one. They need to utilize the boards better to clear the puck and tonight they didn’t do that. Price was left standing on his head a few times this game, especially when Foligno scored. If they use the boards more they’ll be more successful in their own zone.

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