And that was a huge factor in being able to eventually win the game. I don’t have the stats for the face offs, but Montreal did win almost every face off down the stretch we were able to clear the zone off of draws (so Jaro didn’t have to play the puck), and between the four centers (plus Kovy and Higgins on a few) we were able to control the puck. The powerplay in overtime would have been drastically different had Philly won those draws. The guys never got deflated. they kept firing at the net, and eventually one found its way in. It was a great win for Montreal who desperately needed to continue grabbing two points. This team is not a playoff bubble team. When they play well they belong in the upper tier of NHL clubs.

Going forward my biggest concern is Carey Price. Don’t get me wrong, if Jaro keeps playing this way he is absolutely the starter. If we could get Carey playing the same way, this team could be deadly. Maybe the competitor in Carey needs to be pushed. We saw it last season at the deadline, so hopefully if Carey gets another chance he plays well. Tonight would be an interesting time to try.. If we win, then we all of a sudden have two confident goalies going toward the playoffs. If we lose, it will be the result that everyone expects and we continue next game with Jaro who doesn’t have to face San Jose. Just a thought, because Jaro definitely deserves to keep playing.

On to the deals… You really have to believe that Bob gainey is earning his paycheque these days. He is in a terrible position. If his club doesn’t win the Stanley Cup, everyone will think he has failed when in fact he has done nothing but make shrewd deals all year long. I for one do not doubt that whatever happens on the 4th, Montreal will be a better team going forward. Its all that has happened since Gainey took over.

Lang- Everyone in Habsland was calling for Gainey to land Sundin over the past summer. There wasn’t a day that went by where Montreal wasn’t linked to Sundin, and yet- at a critical point in the off season Gainey said “enough”, and went out and acquired Robert Lang. All Lang did was become the teams leading scoring forward during the time before his injury.

The Kids- Gainey has no issue calling up his draft picks and trade acquisitions to fill major holes in his roster. It is amazing how well the youth have responded. You look at a guy like Gregory Stewart who is now a fixture on the 4th line and wonder if there is no end to the well of talent in Hamilton? Sergei will be back with the team either for the payoffs this season or to start next year. At that point Gainey will potentially have 11 players under the age of 25 on a team that many believe to be a deep playoff threat. That is good news for the cap and great news for the future.

Mathieu Schneider. When Gainey snagged Schneider for a 2nd rounder (and a conditional 3rd to 5th), he said “We were looking for a defenceman who could contribute offensively. Mathieu, is an experienced player with a lot of offensive upside, will bring depth to our core group of defencemen and will be an asset on our power play.” It turns out Gainey may have an enchanted crystal ball. In the 5 games since coming to Montreal, Schneider has scored 5 points, is logging huge minutes and has brought leadership to a defense corps which had lost its way. The group is back and the book is in: Schneider was an amazing pickup.

Glen Metropolit- How funny many of the other message boards have been since noon yesterday when it was announced that Montreal had claimed Glen Metropolit off of waivers. A nation of complainers who call the team soft, and young and pine after the Flyers and Bruins of the league with gritty guys who can play both ways (should I mention that Metropolit’s last two teams are Boston and Philly?). Philadelphia waived Metropolit because they needed cap-space to add Briere back to the lineup. Their loss is our gain. You get what you see in Metropolit – he is a rugged, Canadian grinder with the ability to win face offs. He is a decent skater, and while many in Montreal were sad to see Begin leave the team, we found a guy in return who better suited our needs.

My point in all of this (other than killing a Saturday morning with no games on!) is to say this about the man who will no doubt be damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t on March 4th: He’s done a fantastic job. He has taken 2nd round picks (hello Grabovski and Huet) and turned them into Lang and Schneider. While Lang is currently hurt, if he had continued to play he was on pace for 25 goals and over 50 points. Schneider has almost singlehandedly transformed our bottom feeding powerplay to the league’s best (over his 5 games here). Metropolit gives the team much needed depth at the center position. All of this and Gainey has parted with NONE of the promising youth that this organization is now built upon. If anything he has a glut of young talent waiting to get to the NHL level at both forward and defense. With those prospects, Gainey has all kinds of ammunition to make a deadline deal, but if there is one thing that I’ve come to realize with Gainey – its that he will only make the deal if he thinks it makes his team stronger. It is the kind of responsible management ANY franchise would be lucky to have. Whatever he decides to do at the deadline – I will support it.