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Habs Fly, Rough Night for Flyers |
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First things first!
I read the TSN write up of the game, and curiously at the bottom of it I found the following:
"Carbonneau wasn't happy with the hit - which left Kovalev dazed but able to continue playing - mainly because it was directed at the head and came with less than five minutes to play in a game Montreal led 4-1 at the time.
But earlier in the game, Latendresse wasn't called when his stick clipped Smith in the face, drawing blood, on the follow-through of a shot."
It's rather apparent that these guys didn't read Bill Clement's column on hockeybuzz the other day entitled: Refs Are the Best. Ironic that this would come up so quickly after he wrote it, but Bill addresses why the call wasn't made:
"So I get Stephen (Walkom, director of officiating) on the phone and I ask him what the call is when a guy takes a shot and the follow through of his stick clips an opponent in the face. The answer is, there is no call. Only if a player swings wildly with no control, at a bouncing puck let’s say, and hits an opponent with his stick is it deemed to be a penalty. So…defenders beware."
Now that we're clear...What a game!!
Let's see:
Koivu scores, check!
Kovalev scores, check!
Komisarek, one of the three stars, and a huge part of the action with great defense, and a win in his fight against Hartnell, check!
Ryder hits the scoresheet (wasn't a goal, but oh well), check! By the way, Ryder played his best game of the year by far...why? Because he simplified his game. He shot more pucks, he put pucks in the corner, he was aggressive on the forecheck, and he made some great passes! Good for him.
Even better for Guillaume Latendresse who also simplified his game. Good things happen when you skate hard, and when you go to the net. The Guillaume who showed up last night would be wise to show up for the rest of the season. His competitive edge will be the only thing to afford him success in this league. If he backs off this intense type of play, the old Guillaume will resurface.
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Chalk Richards' late hit on Kovalev up to competing hard. He didn't intend to elbow him in the face, nor was it nearly as bad as Kovalev made it out to be. For the record, Richards was by far the best Flyer on the ice last night...check!
Was Briere booed last night?
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When these two teams meet it's an explosion of speed and intensity, which makes for some smash-mouth hockey. Whether you were on the losing or winning side, if you were watching this game, no doubt you were highly entertained.
Credit the Montreal Canadiens for coming out and just setting the tone from the opening shift with Smolinski, Dandy, and Kostitsyn (who clearly had a lot more battle in his game last night). The Habs may have beat Carolina 7-4 a couple of weeks ago, but their 5-2 victory over the Flyers last night was the best game they've played all year. If you’re the coach you have to be happy when your team executes the game plan with such accurate precision. The Canadiens played a rush type of game, and they kept their feet moving at full speed right from the beginning. Put the puck in deep, hammer the D, and get them on their heels. After the first half of the game, the Flyers were rendered exhausted. A full execution by game’s end, with a 41 shot effort, and a five goal night, with two at even strength, one short-handed, and two on the powerplay.
On a night where Cristobal Huet was a little less than sharp, his team was more than ready in front of him. The Flyers hit three posts in this game, and the goal Upshall scored at the end was a nice shot, but a gimme from Cristobal. That being said, it's nice to see the team win without one of the goalies turning in a stellar performance. Speaks to the depth of the team!
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-The Canadiens would have you believe they taped that French message that Koivu delivered before the game was recorded over 10 days ago, before this whole controversy was brought up by Guy Bertrand. Somehow I have trouble believing that, but it could be true? Either way, it was pretty hysterical. Good comeback from the Captain. First star of the game!
-Tom Kostopoulos. Shorty! What a heads-up play from a heads-up player! That's how you work a three on one, gorgeous use of the point-man, and a great one-timer. Kostopoulos certainly deserved that goal. He is one of three off-season pickups proving their value.
-Bryan Smolinski may not have scored, but he played his best game in a Habs uniform so far. His line, with Mathieu Dandenault and Andrei Kostitsyn did a great job on both ends of the ice. Was it just me, or was Bryan a lot faster against Philly, than he was against Atlanta?
-Roman Hamrlik, despite taking two phantom penalties on the night, was as forceful as you would want your defensemen to be. He was a physical beast, and he was dangerous on the rush all night. What an amazing addition to this team he has become. I theorized that two years spent in Calgary was exactly what he needed to stabilize his game, learning from youngsters like Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr. Well he confirmed it in an Rds interview a few days ago, saying that his time spent in Calgary changed the way he played D for the better.
-Yvon Pednault hit it right on the head, the refs were bad in this game, on both sides of the puck. It's not that they were bad for one team or the other, they were just plain bad. The penalty call on Briere was a joke.
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Next up: The Toronto Maple Leafs. Stay tuned...
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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