Montreal Canadiens

Wow, was that the Habs from the playoffs or from the regular season?

While I know that yesterday's Game Four 3-0 loss by the Habs was a playoff game, it sure looked like the Jekyll and Hyde team that I remember from the regular season.

As has been the case all series long, the Habs came out of the gate determined to win. Their speed was engaged, they were forechecking and taking the play to the Flyers. The problem, for the Habs, is that they didn't score during the first ten minutes.

With their backs against the wall one more time, the Philadelphia Flyers shut out the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals and now lead the series 3-1. The Flyers are one game away from punching their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.

It is the third time in the playoffs the Canadiens are on the edge of elimination. In round one against the Washington Capitals the Habs came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. In the second round, they won two games in a row to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins after being down 3-2.

Montreal 0 Philadelphia 3 (Bell Centre) Flyers lead the series 3-1.

"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat." —F. Scott Fitzgerald


Peter Laviolette is a smart coach. On the off day on Friday, Laviolette tasked his players to pass along organizational messages to the media. Philadelphia complained about being shortchanged by the officiating in Game Three, particularly Josh Gorges's elbow to the mouth of Claude Giroux.

As the clock wound down in the third period, the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec was dead silent, just the way the Philadelphia Flyers envisioned.

There was a complete turnaround from the third game, to the fourth since the Flyers found a way to become even healthier with the return of both Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere. The change in personnel made all the difference.

Chicago is almost guaranteed to make it to the Stanley Cup final.  I say almost because we’ve seen a team come back from a 3-0 series deficit already during the playoffs.

If the Sharks don’t figure out a way to turn up their game going into Sunday and fight with tooth and nail, they are out.  That would place one half of the equation into place as the Blackhawks take their spot in the ultimate hockey round. 

There is nothing like home, sweet home.

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 in game three of the Eastern Conference Final. The Flyers now lead the series 2-1 going into game four, Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre.

Montreal’s offensive drought against goalie Michael Leighton came to an end while Jaroslav Halak bounced back after a shaky performance in the first two games.

I have two words for you: utter domination.

That is what last night's game amounted to. In an interesting turn of fate, the Montreal Canadiens turned the script on its head and gave the Flyers a little taste of their own medicine.

Things didn't start off well, however, as the Canadiens again took an early penalty—Ryan O'Byrne for delay of game 27 seconds in. The difference last night, was that the Habs came to play.

After killing off the Flyers power play the Habs put the pedal to the metal and did not let off until the final buzzer.

The Montreal Canadiens are a team this year not burdened with a huge number of talented hockey players. These are the five talents that les habitants will build around going forward into the 2010-11. It's a good group to start with.

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Montreal 5 Philadelphia 1 (Bell Centre) Flyers lead the series 2-1.

"The Great Oz has spoken. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain...the..Great...er...Oz has spoken." — from The Wizard of Oz


You really have to feel for Gary Bettman and his pals in the NHL offices. They are staying up late in the editing room trying to manufacture a hero.

They’re baaaaaack.

If anyone believed the Canadiens would just roll over for the Flyers after two shutout games, they were sadly mistaken.  The Habs looked more alive at home than they have since the beginning of the series.  Even Halak, who some were afraid had run out of gas, looked to be nearly back to the goalie we saw in the first two rounds.