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CARBO

March 9, 2009, 6:07 PM ET [ Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Last time I saw Guy Carbonneau was last Wednesday night in the hallway adjacent to the Habs room in Buffalo. His RDS and French interviews had just concluded. His face was ashen and the look of bitter disappointment was written all over his face. His Habs had just folded in the final forty minutes after dominating the Sabres for the first twenty. "we outshot them 18-3 at one point in the first period.....," he said as he shook his head in disgust while he prepared for the barrage of questions from the English media.


Carbo was perplexed. He had every right to be. How could a team so talented and deep as his Habs have quit on him in the final forty-- a common refrain in this the 100th franchise in the history of Les Bleu, Blanc, at Rouge. Carbo rationalized that maybe his team were out of shape or tired. He had a short term prescription to all that ailed his team in the Buffalo beat down: he would bag-skate his listless bunch in Atlanta the next morning. Twenty eight minutes of Hell for the forty that his team had so routinely grown accustomed to coughing up this season. Seems a logical thing to do, right? Carey Price was shutout 2-0 by lowly Atlanta Friday night. Jaro Halak was pissed because he thought he'd be getting the cage vs. Kovalchuk. Carbo said as much Wednesday in Buffalo that Halak would be starting in the ATL. Why the change of heart? Why the flip flop? Why the line juggling?


Only Carbo knows why.


Seems fitting that Carbo would right his team's ship Dallas. He won a Cup for his Stars against some a team from the "716". Touchy subject.

Like a good cowboy, Carbo rides off in the sunset.

Personally, I think Carbo deserved a better fate. Nobody asked me. He'll be on a n NHL bench before too long. He's a Hall Of Famer and he's a damn good coach.

The Habs have more questions than answers right now. Can Bob Gainey fix them all better than Carbo could? Can Gainey get Carey Price's head straight?


As Sabre fans, you may be wondering "Why the Hell should I care about a Montreal coach being fired?" You might view this as a glimmer of hope that the Montreal malaise will continue on into late March and early April, hence, the Sabres might climb over the carnage on the upward ascent. Or, it may be the kick in the pants that the Canadiens need in order to get their 5th place squad posied for a late run in the Playoffs.


In the short term, do you think this move helps or hurts the Habs. Why?


****


Max Afinogenov's back/neck condition is improving. He'll be evaluated agin Tuesday to confirm if he'll play Tuesday night in Philly. 61 played with passion and purpose in the homes wins against Montreal and Phoenix. He was arguably Buffalo's best forward in the 5-1 win over the Habs. Ken Klee of the Coyotes had had enough of geting beat to loose pucks all night when he decided to plant 61 into the end boards in a most violent of collisions. I give Max a lot of credit for getting up and skating off under his own power after the hit. He missed a couple shifts in the game, however, returned in the third period to support his team.



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Look for Patrick Lalime in the Buffalo net in Philly. He'll face Marty Biron.


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