Brodeur beats Habs

You can’t win them all.

The Canadiens played a pretty solid game but still couldn’t manage to beat the Devils and Martin Brodeur. Same old story.

That makes it the fifth consecutive loss to NJ. Brodeur always shines when returning to Montreal and last night was no different. However, after Montreal’s last two games it looked like they were maybe ready to break that streak.

Cristobal Huet seems to have found his confidence again after putting in another great performance.

The most concerning thing about this game is both Alex Kovalev and Christopher Higgins left periodically with injuries. Both seemed to be somewhere around the ankle or lower leg. It’s not yet known how serious they may be.

As well as the Canadiens are playing, remove those guys from the lineup and you can see how frail the team really is.

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12 Comments

#1 PACTUM SERVA says:
November 5, 2006 at 12:33 pm

I agree huet looking very good in the last 2 starts.I think abby might get the call next game though.Higgens ankle seemed to get jammed into the boards hopefully he will be ok.Kovalev looked to have shook it off in the third.Bonk really turning it on lately with another solid effort.Ryder being a little snake bitten as of late but i expect for him to break out of it real real soon.GO HABS GO

#2 bauld says:
November 5, 2006 at 1:09 pm

This was a good game by both teams. It was almost like a playoff game – great goaltending – very closely contested with the winner getting 1 more break.

The 1st goal, 4 on 4, for the Devils was the bad one. Samsonov was out of position on the left point and Ninimaa didn’t interecept the feed to Pandolfo. These lapses of coverage are ultimately what made the play look so pretty. Very few mistakes in the game, with unfortunately this being the one that beat them. Other than that, 1 “lucky bounce” goal netted by both teams. How about that breakaway save on Langenbrunner in the 3rd by Huet – wow!

Bonk was great last night – one of, if not the best 2 way player on the team. You could argue that he (along with Higgins) have been the best players for the Habs since last March.

I had a hard time following the lines last night. At 1 point Plekanec was back on the 2nd line with Begin playing with Bonk/Johnson. Don’t know if this was an actual change in lines, or just somebody being put on the ice for a faceoff. In either case, Begin on the 3rd line looked pretty good. I always feel somewhat sorry for the opposing players along the boards when I see the Begin missile coming in for the kill – what a pleasure to watch – hardnosed hockey at its best.

Definitely concerning when Kovalev and Higgins limped off the ice. I would think that if anything was seriously wrong with either of them, the trainer wouldn’t have let them back on the ice … fingers crossed.

Latendresse got a shot on goal last night I believe – I guess he’ll now be a shoe-in for the all-star game

#3 Habs#1 says:
November 5, 2006 at 1:12 pm

Wow, usually the angry one who complains is me. But this time I’m going to have to say that Montreal outplayed New Jersey, but I hate MARTIN BRODEUR. Why does he pick on the Habs? He’ll let in 6 goals to the Laffs but he holds the Canadiens to 1. Man does that suck. French Canadian goalies and playing well in front of their families.

Oh well.

This week we’ve got a struggling Oilers team on Tuesday(Though I’d be worried about them, I live in Edmonton and they’re pretty pissed and ready to go on tuesday because of the McGough call), then they rest up for the Saturday game against the Leafs.

Bring on the Leafs fans at this blog, we’ll see who’s got more skill at trashing the other’s team.

Let’s go Habs, dun, dun, dun,dun dun, Let’s go Habs! Yah!!!!!!!!

P.S. four game road trip starting on Saturday(Toronto, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Florida)

#4 Snake says:
November 5, 2006 at 3:10 pm

What a BOOORRRRIIINNNGGGG gameplan from teh Devils. I want Claude Julien to refund my money. They have they intention from teh start to go for a 1-0 victory. THen they got that weird 2nd goal and it was over. I feel sorry for NJ season ticket holders. How do they watch that style of play every game? BORING! NO wonder they cant sell out in the playoffs.

ANyways Brodeur stole the game! It will happen a few times. Im sure its not the last time we play that well and lose. Brodeur looks extra fat this year. I am shocked he can move around like he does, although there is alot of flopping these days from him. WHat was him throwing his stick in the air like he was shot? HE also faked DOwney running into him! DOwney never touched him. How embarrassing coming home and playing like a cheat. Oh well it’s his conscious. HE is soo big with his padding all he has to do is stand there and you would not be able to score. ONly when he moves will there be room to score. What a fatty but still a hab killer.

#5 smiler2729 says:
November 6, 2006 at 10:19 am

Looking back if somehow it were possible to draft him… would you rather have had Martin Brodeur as Habs goalie or Patrick Roy thru the ’90s? (Put aside that Roy got himself traded out of town in ’95)

#6 Habs Blog says:
November 6, 2006 at 10:25 am

Cmon, and give up drafting Turner Stevenson?

#7 Snake says:
November 6, 2006 at 11:35 am

Turner Stevenson, Brent Bilodeau, Brad Brown, Terry Ryan!!!

We drafted alot of bad western meat in the 90′s.

#8 smiler2729 says:
November 6, 2006 at 2:21 pm

Also drafted some useful NHLers: Craig Conroy… Arrom Asham… Francois Beauchemin… Ron Hainsey… Tomas Vokoun… Darcy Tucker…

#9 johnnyhab says:
November 6, 2006 at 2:56 pm

Higgins not playing when the oilers are in town and Guillaume is taking his spot on the #1 line

#10 ROFL1967 says:
November 6, 2006 at 3:36 pm

Latendresse on number 1 line? sure he can handle that?

#11 joshtm says:
November 6, 2006 at 7:54 pm

The Habs would have gone to overtime tied if it hadn’t been for Sheldon basically helping the Devils score by dumping one of the players into Huet. What is with Sheldon anyway, why does he hate the Habs so much that he becomes dr. jekyl and mr. hyde, he reverts to playing against his own team every now and then…..hmmm still makes me wonder if Sheldon wants to get traded so badly that he sacrifices the Habs…..

#12 bauld says:
November 7, 2006 at 2:11 pm

joshtm – it was rivet that sticked/fisted gionta in the side of the head … causing him to sprawl helplessly to the ice all over huet and the crease … minutes from death … only to jump up and celebrate with his teammatets after the puck crossed the goal line.

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Last Message 6 hours, 36 minutes ago

goalie : I can't type.... what a faux pas on my behalf...
goalie : I just realized what I said adn didn't say yesterday. What a fayx as on my behalf. Regarding coaching Randy Cunnyworth MUSDT stay as an assistant- he deserves at least that after the tremendous job he did in the latter part of this past season. I'd still mlike to have Robinson, Carbo adn Allard on the staff also.
Avatar37 : I agree Senet, my choice if we can't have Cunneyworth would be Crawford, Robinson on defense, Cunneyworth for offense, and Carbo as offense/faceoffs .
Senet1 : I think if I had my choice it would be Crawford and see if he could get Carbo and Robinson as assistants. That would be my idea coaching team.
goalie : I witnesed Marc Crawford MANY times when the Avs, etc. played against Oilers and let me tell you - he is constantly on the referees asses virtually game after game. He is the complete OPPOSITE of J. Martin. Crawford is calm on TSN but he is one excited coach behind the bench. A friend of mine who was an NHL linesman for 26 years said they dreaded Crawford he was so tough on the officials!
goalie : You know, I've bee thinking about the coaching situation. I'd be really excited if the Habs had Hartley as head coach and Carbo adn Robinson as his assistants. I also read it somewhere about a month ago that Toronto's goalie coach Allard (?) wants to relocate back to Montreal where he has his goaltending school/business. Add him to the mix and I'd say the Habs would be in great shape coaching wise.
Avatar37 : Well, from what I recall, Hartley didn't do all that well with the Thrashers. But, I don't know enough about him to judge one way or the other. Crawford I do know, and he always seemed to be a good, level headed coach to me.
Senet1 : even Pacioretty two years ago did not impress any of us. Younger players have to play and make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. If they sit in the press box they are learning nothing.
Senet1 : Of course if he have some good assistants like a Larry Robinson to teach the young defence and someone like Carbo to teach faceoffs etc. then your coach does not have to be as good at teaching. If Hartley fits the bill you get no argument from me. My only previous point is that if he is impatient with your younger players to the point that he does not play them, then we are right back where we were with Martin. Martin was a good coach too, but how he handled Emelin, PK and even Pacioretty two
goalie : I would like to see the Habs sign a coach who realizes that our team isn't tough enough (we need to get bigger and somewhat more nastier),the coach needs t be a great TEACHER and be a coach who can get the players to understand and buy into his system. Other than that I couldn't care what lingo he speaks. I wnat to see our team become a ligitimate contender fast!
HabsLoseAgain : Well we dont know if he is or is not a teaching coach. I woukd just hate to paint Hartley something that he is not. There will always be questions but if Hartley was hired as the habs new bench boss i for one would not be overly upset.
Senet1 : My thoughts are not that he is or is not a good coach but rather that when he won the cup he had an experience team of superstars on that team. Where as we have a group of young inexperienced players, is he a teaching coach or a tactical coach or both? I am not question whether he is a good coach, but my question therefore is he the coach for us at this point in the deveopment of our team?? Not sure we are all purely speculating at the moment?
Senet1 : Something happened to my first post. I will try again.
Senet1 : That is why I said I am not sure he is the coach for us at this time? Right now we are all speculating including yourself, because non of us know for sure?
HabsLoseAgain : Crawford also won a cup with Patrick Roy so would you say he is a good coach or did he just have great players and one of the best goaltenders of alltime?
HabsLoseAgain : Senrt so please give me some reasons why you think Hartley is not the coach the habs need right now. What is it that you do not like about him or his coaching style?
HabsLoseAgain : Well all great coaches had great players playing for them so i guess you you add a a pile of other coaches to that list including Bowan......
Senet1 : Hartley, was he a good coach or did he just have great players and one of the best altime goaltenders of all time. I am not sure that he is the type of coach that this organization needs right now. Unless of course we sign a ton of free agents.
Avatar37 : However, my feelings may completely be wrong, Hartley may turn out to be a good fit.
Avatar37 : I didn't say Hartley was unknown, I said we demoted a good coach in Cunneyworth and now have an unknown quantity because we don't have a coach. I don't have that great a feeling about Hartley, I'd be much more comfortable with Crawford.
HabsLoseAgain : In my opinion i think he might be a good fit in montreal. Oh and he also likes to have a tough team.
HabsLoseAgain : Also this year he coached the ZSC Lions to the swiss championship title.
HabsLoseAgain : lol the so called "unknown" won a cup in 2000-2001 with the colarado avalanch.
HabsLoseAgain : lol Bob Hartley is not an unknown lol.....sheesh.
Senet1 : I think he has until the trading deadline to show us that he deserves to be on this team. If he does not get back on track then he could be simply a 2nd round draft pick to whoever we can trade him to.
Avatar37 : Bourque reminds me of Pouliot, size, skill, and invisible. He needs to get back to playing a physical game and bang people around and maybe he'll start getting some of those garbage goals again. Need to get to the front of the net. I hope he can find his game again.
Avatar37 : We had a good coach in Randy Cunneyworth. Now we have an unknown, with Bob Hartley rumoured to be the front runner. I'd rather have Cunneyworth.
goalie : A player like Rene Bourwue has al the physical attributes of what would be a beter than average player. Hwever, he certainly didn't play that well especially after being in Montreal about three weeks. We NEED players like Rene to play hard AND produce points on a REGULAR BASIS in order for us to be competitive.
Senet1 : MONTREAL – Rene Bourque had a rocky start to his career as a Hab, but he’s planning on using the next four years to make up for it. After arriving in Montreal under less-than-ideal circumstances in January, Bourque spent the following 38 games hoping to find the spark he needed to rekindle his offensive production. Despite flanking Tomas Plekanec on the team’s second line to close out the season, the 30-year-old sniper suddenly found himself firing blanks in his new NHL home.
Senet1 : I think we have to be patient and not expect too much too soon. Let's get a strong management team in place, make a good choices in the draft get a good coach and then see what we need at the free agent market. I will not be too disapointed if we miss the playoffs again next year if it means a long term team success. We have the opportunity to make some major strides over the next two years at the draft table. Then we fill in the holes.
goalie : I certainly agree that we need to get some impact forwards who will sign for 5 years, not for a season then walk away. That's not going to help us.
goalie : I wouldn't trade PK for Ovetchkin no matter what. He is a coach's NIGHTMARE and a poor team player.
Senet1 : I believe he will as we graducally put better players around him and build this team.
Senet1 : Goalie I agree with Avatar. PK is the present and future of this teams defence. I would not even take Staal from Pittsburg unless I had him tied up in a long term contract of a Minimum of 5 years. Also once has to consider the salary difference. Pk is on the move up probably 3M plus for his next contract and then eventually 4-5M if he keeps on improving. He has moved his game up two gears since he came into the league 2 years ago. He now has to move to the next level and I believe he will as w
Avatar37 : pressure playing in Montreal, since he has problems with the expectations in Washington and Montreal isn't any easier. Then again, the media were very easy on Kovalev, so maybe it's a Russian thing? No idea. Anyway, yeah, it would have to be an established star that gives us an immediate drastic upgrade at forward, that's the only way I'd trade PK, because we'd be giving up a potential QB on our blueline for the next decade.