Well, the “not so” secret has been confirmed for tonight. Sergei Kostitsyn, Guillaume Latendresse and Ryan O’Byrne will sit out tonight as healthy scratches. I’m glad to see Tanguay back in the lineup, as well as Laraque. I guess we’ll have to wait and see about the young guys. It is concerning to me, however, that much of the touted future of the organization is watching from the press box. If ever there was a game that could spark new offensive life it would be vs Atlanta, so I hope those guys take the hint and get back into form.

Seeing how that gainey and carbo are buddies i think carbo will be here for a long long time.

Carbo is doing almost exactly what Bowman did a few years ago and Bowman was the most successful coach in the NHL, I would suggest that we all get behind him rather than the opposite. I think benching the kids now is the best thing to do. It sends a message to them that if they want to play they need to start to play Carbo’s system. As for Kovalev, I wondered if he would have another good year or not, to me all this talent just goes to waste night after night. He just does not seem to want to commit to Carbo’s game. I said it last spring and I will say it again, if the right player became available I would include Kovalev in a trade to get him. For example, Kovalchuk could be had for the right package. I am afraid that a trade is needed before too long and Tampa could also be interested based on how they are playing.

If anyone understands what is happening to this team it is Carbo. He has been through it before as a player and he knows how a very good coach (Bowman) handled this situation. So let the man do his job, it would appear to me that his methods are starting to work.

Also congrats to Saku Koivu with two assists tonight tied Mats Naslund (!) for 11th place on the all-time points list in Montreal franchise history (612).

We keep eking out these games, but tell me, are any of you truley happy with this? Cudos to Carbs for benching Lanten. and Sergi…they both need it badly…Sergi needs to find his game and his head again, and Laten. can stay out…big lummox brings nothing to the game that we need.
Kovy still not looking like he’s interested in hockey right now…Tanguay playing like a scared little girl….Pleks is trying but I think it’s eveident he needs Kovy.
Good points last night….I like Lang (or anyone who’s gonna throw pucks at the net) on the PP blueline…seems like he’s the only one willing to shoot, so keep him there. Kostitsyn wants to play better and win…3 pts and 2 the night before….atta boy Andrei. And thank you Guy, finally got Higgins the hell away from Koivu, as soon as you did, 2 pts from our captain…..just wanna say also guys, remember the 8-1-1 start? And remember how Koivu and Tanguay were tearing it up in this stretch? All before Higgy came back and got injected onto this line like a smartly placed computer virus…just saying.
All in all, still not a good win. When the last placed team in the league comes back from a 3rd period 3 goal deficet, its not good…without Price right now, most of these slim victories would have went the other way.
Still need a wheelman on the PP desparately…letting Streit goes still sickens me. But guys, Brisbois is NOT it.
And I like that big George was in the lineup…but I think he needs to add another element to his game…crushing bodies on the boards. Boogard has played somewhat the same role in Min as George plays here, but now he’s added hitting…HARD… into his game…makes it hard for Lemaire to bench him now. Adds another facet to the game that other teams will be weary about…everytime you touch the puck along the boards, wondering if 250lbs of meat will be slamming into you….causes mistakes and turnovers…come on George, wanna see you in every game.

Good insight, and thanks for the feedback. And I guess we’ll find out soon enough whether or not Carbonneau knows how to turn this team around as the season is moving along quickly, or so it seems.

As to the idea that the Habs are turning the corner, I’m not sure I agree that they’re in the process of doing so just yet. I, for one, witnessed a number of incidents in last night’s game which left me wanting to curse at the television. The chronically dismal powerplay, the persisting reluctance to shoot the puck when given a grand opportunity to do so, the blown 3-0 lead in the third and the subsequent 1-goal victory against a subpar team that followed, etc. But perhaps my newly created ‘inner pessimist is simply getting the best of me’ right now and I’m looking for negatives. Perhaps not. Either way, my Habs glass is still in need of a refill. Watching and waiting…

On a more general note, NHL hockey has quite evidently become a full blown metrosexual sport and it sickens me. It’s getting (or has gotten to) the point where the players will soon lose their pads and replace them with little velcro flags which opposing players can pull off in place of a good, solid check, which is often grounds for penalization these days. Whatever happened to this sport? And (a great deal of) its fans for that matter? I recall talking to some Sharks fans friends during the Oilers’ run two years ago and they were persisting on the idea that the Oilers were a dirty team which took dirty shots and made dirty plays at every opportunity. Meanwhile, the play that they were referring to was clearly ‘hockey’ in its purest sense as far as I wa concerned. Honestly, did the NHL need to be shaped into an absurd form of wholesome family entertainment in order to be successful? Of course it did. And if things continue as they are, it will eventually become populated by figure skaters who couldn’t quite pull off a quadruple jump as well as their colleagues. (No offense to figure skaters, but this is hockey.)

Definitely a meltdown last night, but at least it was entertaining to watch. I can tell you I don’t miss the days when a 3-0 lead going into the 3rd meant turning off the TV and finding something else to do. It is tougher when it is your team blowing the lead, but I bet everyone here was on the edge of their seat.

It was nice to see Kostitsyn get it going. If he can get rockin’ and Kovalev and Koivu get back to form the Habs should be able to get back to the top of the Eastern conference where they belong.

Certainly we can find lots of examples to suggest the Habs have underachieved to this point in the season, but I definitely need to remind everyone that with 24 games played the Canadiens trail Boston by 4 points for the division lead, and the Rangers by 6 (with 4 GAMES in hand) for the Conference lead. If this is the worst case scenario I have to admit I don’t mind it at all.

I think we need to be careful in assessing last season’s success. Many games last year were ugly wins. There were few times when the team “dominated” the competition comfortably (and the same could be said about any team in the league). While I would be very pleased if Montreal had had the type of November that Boston has had, the team is still in incredible shape, with all kinds of time to work out the kinks. In the meantime, they need to keep grinding out wins and points to slowly build their game for the end of the season. 2 points every night needs to be the goal, and as long as they get the points, it really doesn’t matter how convincing the victory is. I’m really looking forward to tonight’s game with the Rangers. Gotta love the Original 6 match ups.

It is exactly those bright spots that are helping us turn the corner on this bad stretch of games. No one is saying that we did not have some bad parts of our game that need to be improved on but Like Mats Naslund said, we have to look at the positive part of the game that we played. The bright spots as Habs 4 Life pointed out. Joseph, the glass is half full not half empty.

Wow, the first-ahem fourth line played fantastic tonight! A great and convincing win against the conference leaders to keep a successful home-stand rolling. I’ll say it- the offense is definitely back, Markov, Andrei Kostitsyn are on fire and how much does Montreal love Matt D’Agostini right now? The kid looked amazing out there, and I’ll readily admit that I was a doubter when they called him up. Latendresse and Sergei had better work on their game in practice because it may be a while before they see games thanks to #36. Key of the night: Montreal has been sooooo good at moving the puck from their own end the past few games. So much so that you actually take notice of other team’s fore-checks because they so rarely happen. Great work in the neutral zone and great first passes created countless chances thanks to speed. I’m really noticing that what was disjointed passing early in the year has turned into a fantastic transition game for the Habs. Next up, the Devils on Saturday.

I could not watch the game but I listened to it on the radio. I would say overall they played a good game from the commentary I heard. Every team is going to have some lapes in a game, so I would suggest that just because NY scores a goal does not mean they are playing any differently in the second half of the game as they did in the first half. Sometimes you have to give the other team credit for good play too. Bottom line another win, a strong game and the lessons being sent are working. Carbo’s plan is working, to the nay sayings, give him some credit.

ESPN highlights: “Maxim Laperierre finding Steve Bejohn.” Cooky.

P.S Guys….this is why I like coming to this site, you guys all watch and disect each game the way I do. We can be unhappy over a win and happy over a loss depending on how our boys played. You all have a great deal of hockey knowledge and its a pleasure sharing thought and comments with you all. Keep it up. :o)

Whhoooohoooo! that’s what I’m talking about. Great speed and determination out there, nothing pretty, (except that begin play) just hammer the puck on net and finish checks. And as good as that game was, just imagine if we had all our lines firing.

Great win. Latendresse might as well send his resume to Tim Hortons.

So what’s gonna become of Kovalev….any ideas anyone?
5,6 games with no goals is a slump….15 or 16 is dead in the water..thats 20% of the season.
3 options, the way I see it…..1) just let him stay there, taking up a spot, and keep concentrating on the rest of the team…2) maybe, if anyone is interested, would Gainey use him as trade bait? or 3) if you’re gonna keep trying to get him to come around, give him back Andrei…get Higgins away from him…Koivu looks renewed and seems to be flourishing since Higgins left the line..throw him up in the box with Latendresse…any other ideas ?

But kudos the rest of the boys…they seem to be rallying around the stagnet Kovalev and doin it themselves. 2 years ago the whole team died with Kovy…seems like this year they took the reins and said”we’ll be playing, scoring, and winning without ya Kovy, when you’re ready, why don’t ya join us”…so thumbs up for the recent benchings by Guy, thums up to D’Agostni…if this guy gets sent back down, Habs mngmt are retarded…and thums up to Price who’s winning games for us and keeping us in the ones where we dont wanna skate. Kovy buddy, better get goin soon, cuz as much as Hab-nation loves ya, the monster can also turn on you just as quick. Let’s go Habs !!!

Kovalev is a tough call, I agree that he’s best when he’s got some speed with him so why not throw him with Kostitsyn, and Plex it’s not like he could be doing worse. Last year he did so well is because I think he saw himself as a leader for the younger guys on the bench and his line, but now he doesn’t seem to have that leadership quality this year which hurts his hustle and drive. I think it’s too early to talk about trading him, I think he needs to sit for a while to get his bearings.

I’m sorry, I just can’t defend Higgins anymore, the guy looks completely lost out there, if he’s not falling down, he’s losing the puck. I’d love to see chippchura (spelling??) take his place.

I think for the most part that Kovy is just playing lazy. He’s not skating MOST of the time, and since the rest of the team started skating and working hard this last 3 games or so, it REALLY stands out that Kovy is not.
The guy can stick handle in a phone booth, but is anyone noticing what I have been…..he gets the puck, maneuvers inside the blue line, and then just glides….he slows down dramatically and yet still tries to stick handle around opposing players. If he just kept skating hard while making all those moves, he’d get more chances, be harder to control. Really all he’s doing by slowing to a glide is letting the opposition get back and play defense. Now instead of dealing with maybe 2 guys, the whole team is back there. Keep skating Kovy…go hard…remember the 2 beauts against Bos(I think) in the playoffs last year… Kovy was skating full stride on them both.

Very true Joseph. Confidence is a very funny and apparently fleeting thing. The other day when Kovalev had the puck on the side board with the goalie pulled, and threw it at the net, I can remember thinking immediately: “finally.” I wonder how things might have turned out in the days since if that puck hadn’t gone in off of Lang’s stick. Its all conjecture at this point, but your example of Boston is a good one considering at first they were winning all of their games by close margins and recently have been blowing teams out. When you have skill, and also have the confidence that you will score and win, you have a very scary combo at the NHL level. I would never admit that Savard, Lucic and Kessel have more cobined skill than our top forwards, but they keep winning and we keep scratching our heads. I’m excited for tomorrow (its kinda pathetic since its only been two days off) hopefully we can pull out another win to keep the consecutive points run going.

Kovalev has the skill and talent to play well, we all know that, and he’s putting up points, unfortunately those points are assists. Not that that’s bad, but he’s supposed to be the goal scorer not the playmaker, he needs to play with more confidence as you guys said and the rest will follow.

A solid game tonight by the home team. A good break in the first and solid goaltending by Jaroslav Halak allowed the Habs weather Calgary’s early attack. From that point on Montreal had great speed and solid neutral zone play which allowed them to take advantage of the Cowtown defenders. A perfect example of this was Matt D’Agostini’s goal. The kid is playing some extremely confident hockey these days which is great to see. Kovy had two assists tonight, and while the gods are still ignoring his prayers (see Markov’s goal), he is doing the kind of work that will soon bringhi out of his slump. Looks like both Latendresse and O’Byrne will see some ice time unless the injuries to Dandenault and Higgins turn out to be bumps or bruises. 2 points in the bank.

Hey guys, great comments as usual. Kovy is getting by on size talent, and desire [yes, I believe he is trying as hard as he can] alone right now. His timing and luck are awful. Did you see him double clutch on that great Markov pass last night. Last year, that’s buried. I saw the pre-game skate, Kovy brushes against Tanguay and Kovy almost falls! It’s a long season, and I think a matter of time before AK27 returns to form.
I said it at the start of the year, Higgins is a third or fourth liner on this team; but an awfully important player. He is fast, defensively sound, a big body who actually hits, a very smart offensive player, good at the cycle. A guy who will shine in the playoffs, even if he doesn’t score.
Matt D is like Higgins with hands. I think Valentenkov would have been called up if he hadn’t bolted. If Carbo has no confidence in O’Byrne, who will get the call? Whomever it is, I hope he performs well enough to sit Breeze when Komi gets back. As long as Dandy is back healthy by March, this can only be good long term for the team. Even last year it was the proven NHLers in the pressbox that was one of our team strengths.
It seems Andrei has added hitting to his game, I thought he played amazingly last night. Koivu, Lang, Hamrlik, MD, Halak - all had big games.
Go, Habs, GO!

P.S. just remember John Leclair, that’s who Lats reminds me of. I’ve said it before, I just wish he’d been down in Hamilton the past 3 yrs. Then he’d be one of the hungry, talented players we’d be able to call up.

Habknot I agree with you about Lats, I only wish we would have sent him down to Hamilton before he had his 8 games in so he did not have to go through waivers. I just will not give up on a big man at that young of age a la LeClaire. Anyone who does is just being foolish. Higgins to be should be traded for a good defenseman. There were a number of teams wanting him last year and I am sure he would fit into their plans again this year. I believe that Kovy will come out of his slump eventually, right now we do not seem to need his scoring and he is setting up plays so that is a positive. One thing I disagree though is someone mentioned about his leadership last year in the playoffs. It seems to be that is want we lacked from him last year and is the reason we lost in the playoffs. Kovy, disappeared against Philly when we needed him the most. He does not like the heavy going.

Ummmmmm guys….please dont compare lats to leclair. First off leclair was a better skater and used his size to his advantage, he also drove to the net which we have yet to see from lats. Although lats MAY be a full time NHL player some day, there is no way in hell he will ever be a leclair. Other than his size i do not see how lats could remind anyone of leclair. So do you honestly think if we lost lats through waivers or trade he would magicly score 50 goals??? Dont kid yourselves boys. Leclair you say???? I think not

OK, PS and H4L, you may not like the comparison, and we have to wait FOUR more years to know for sure, but I still say the comparison sticks. Big, mobile, soft hands, slow developer in the NHL. JL was 25 yrs old when he was traded and broke through. Actually, Lats is way ahead of Leclair on the development scale, comparing age wise. JL still had two years to finish at college when he was Lats age! Lats was the fastest canadien in the pre-season drills, like a lot of big men [Beliveau, Thornton] they just don’t seem to be trying hard.
I’m not saying he will have the career that Leclair had, but whichever team has Lats from the age of 24-32 will be very lucky. I hope it is the Habs.

I agree about Dandenault, that was inspiring. I hope its a clean break and heals well. Even in the pressbox, Dandy is handy!

Second youngest on the team and he is in his third season with little if any improvement. What was all this i was hearing about him working on his skating in the summer? After 3 years it looks like his game has taken a step back instead of forward. Is sitting in the pressbox going to improve his skill? Here is something to chew on guys…Lats made this team before A. kostitsyn did…Lats made this team before S. kostitsyn did…Lats made this team before d’agostini did and all 3 have passed him on the depth chart and i am sure pacioretty will pass him too. I do feel sorry for lats because he should have been sent back down to junior where he belonged. Management is to blame for lats lack of development. Dont get me wrong i do wish the best for him and i do hope he pans out but its not looking good at this point. You just dont wait around 5 or 6 years in HOPES of a player to break out. I would love to see if some of you would give price that much time if he struggles. I think kenney said it best when he said…. You gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold em.

Well said donnie

I have to agree with HabKnot when it comes to Lats. You simply cannot say he will not be another John Leclair at this stage of his career. We all agree he should have been in the minor and at 18 he would have been better back in Junior to build his confidence. Not sure what the management staff were thinking at the time? As I said earlier in the year I hoped they send him down before he plays 8 games, No I do not want to loose him at this point to waivers. He has shown he can play well but he just does not play well all the time. Maturity is a big thing, just look at Larry Robinson as another example of a slow starter drafted in 200’s and spend a few years in the minors.

That would obviously include management, the thing I do not understand is why with all the other prospects down in Hamilton did they put themselves in a corner with Lats and not send him down this fall before he had played 8 games. I have to agree that Management has mishandled this Guy and maybe it was because he was French??? Not sure, to me he will be a great player some day but how do you develop when you are either sitting ont the bench or cannot be sent ot the minors?

All I know is since Lats has moved from the roster, The team has been playing pretty damn good. I don’t think it matters who’s fault it is at this point, I’m just looking at the numbers and they aren’t looking too good for him. We’re not a rebuilding team that has the time (3 years and counting) to wait and see if this kid pans out. We’re a cup contender now.

Say what you want, but that was inexcusable. I was watching this game and witnessed a plethora of Habs give up on the puck/play time and time again. When you’e got a number of players making the same mistake(s), you’ve got a coaching problem. And this is the Tampa Bay Lightning for crying out loud. I don’t care if St. Louis and Lecavalier get up for Montreal. So what. This is a team that they have to beat. Two points lost to an undeniably crappy team. Inexcusable.

As to Kovalev, he can’t score. I’m not sure why, but it simply isn’t in the cards right now. Perhaps he needs a visit from the Love Guru.

My expectations have lowered for this, the centennial, season.

A very frustrating game to watch for sure. I keep expecting to see a PP goal, or a goal by Kovalev and I am astounded game in and out to watch the futility. They learned nothing from the first goal by Brisebois. (Get the puck on the net for rebounds). When you think about the games Montreal has won, it usually works out to- 1st goal: garbage or rebound goal scored by someone who grabs a lose puck with the goalie out of position and sneaks one in. 2nd goal: A good pass with a goalie moving with a great shot. 3rd and all subsequent goals: 3-7 passes with 3 missed chances at shots waiting for the perfect play that presents itself 1 out of 15 tries.

Unfortunately in Montreal losses, its the 3rd goal they’re trying to score first. Last night was a perfect example of how good and terrible their powerplay is. They passed on so many high percentage opportunities only to cough the puck up after 40 seconds of controlled passing. Lang is the worst for this. Kovalev apparently is legally bound to beating three defenders before he makes a move.

Finally, I want to highlight two keys to this game that had nothing to do with the Habs play. 1. Lecavalier and St Louis wanted this one BAD. Their season has been utter failure to this point. You could see the emotion that the two of them had for this game. And while the Habs surely could have responded and played with the same intensity that won their past few games, it is often hard to play an opponent that is so bad that they leave EVERYTHING on the ice for 2 points in an 82 game schedule. For those two this was more than one game, it was to end a 9 game losing streak before it got to 10. It was to respond to Barry Melrose who wished that they lose all their remaining games after he was fired. In the end, I think it mattered more to Tampa and so they took it. Not an excuse for the Canadiens, but a reality.

2. Carbo laid an enormous egg on this one. I fully agree that the 4th line has worked the hardest of anyone since the troubles in Montreal began.. That being said Begin, Lapierre and Kostopoulos are not going to get you back into a game when you’re down 2 goals. His refusal to play anyone other than the 4th line against the Lecavalier trio meant that Tampa could virtually bench its worst players in order to keep Montreal’s 4th line on the ice. Any coach in the league will take that trade if you allow them, regardless of how admirable their work ethic is. And if there is one thing I can guarantee its that you won’t break a slump by not playing slumping players.

One good thing, Lats, Lapierre and the two kids played great games tonight. Lats even make some very good body checks, here is hoping that the benching helped. Kovy is just snake bitten, he seems to be working hard but the puck just will not bouncing his way.

The Tampa Bay game was just a game where al