Yep, the Habs lost another one in this 6-game trip. I hoped that they would come out better in this game because of the last win. Well, It didn't happen. Once again, they started the game unorganized. The first period seems to be the replay of the last 3-4 games except for the different opponents' jerseys. The unability to clear their zone, miscommunication between the players and confusion and some bad bounces have sunk the Habs once again.
In the first period, as the Canadiens were getting overworked in their zone by the Canucks, Halak was keeping the Habs in the game by making multiple saves. He was very solid and didn't give the Canucks any juicy rebounds. As the Habs kept losing their battles against the boards for the puck possession, they were giving Vancouver more and more scoring chances. One of them found the way to the back of the net. It was a puck that got deflected from Josh Gorges' stick and went over Jaro's shoulder. The Habs seems to be discouraged everytime they get scored on a bad bounce. As if they believe they were cursed somehow and that every error would turn into a goal. They then start to become very stressed out and make more errors or take penalties. The second goal was score right after a penalty was called to Andrei Markov. Fortunately, Saku Koivu scored from a nice pass by Kostopoulos to the slot to get the Habs back into the game. This was a crucial goal for the Habs. It allowed the players to get their focus back. If they were down 2 goals going into the dressing room, it would've been devastating mentally for them.
We could see the effects of Koivu's goal in the second period. Even though the Habs player haven't created much offense, I felt they played well defensively. Much better than the first period. The Caucks was controlling the puck in the Habs' zone, but they didn't get much real scoring chances. Halak was solid keeping the rebounds and the players kept the Canucks outside the slot. Everything went well, until a bad line change by the players which created a 2 on 1 chance and led to Henrik Sedin's goal. The Habs have done positive things in the second period but still got scored on. Nothing to help the confidence level.
In the third period, the Canucks scored a fourth goal and stopped working. They only wanted to conserve their lead and play defensive. The Canadiens finally decided to start playing hockey and went into the offensive zone for one of the rare times in the game. I love the way Pacioretty played, I thought he was our best player. D'agostini also got a few good scoring chances. Lapierre also did well. Andrei Kostitsyn gave away the puck a few times again, but was able to score the Habs second goal on a one-timer. He has such a wicked shot. If only he can use it more often and hit the net. With only 2:27 left to the game, it was too late and they Habs lost another one.
It was a very disappointing game for the Habs. Kovalev was invisible once again on the ice. We only saw Koivu and Kostopoulos exchanging the puck when their line was playing. The only time we saw him was when he got injured by the skates of Canucks player. I got scared for a while, if he was going to be out like Zednik did, we were going to have a huge problem trying to access the playoff. Carey Price was able to play a little bit last night in front of his familly and friends. I guess the fact that Carbo got critisized from the Vancouver media for not letting Carey goal made him change his mind. I thought Carey did well, he seems much more solid and confident then in the Oilers game. The Habs will have two days of rest before the next game against the hot Alexander Ovechenkin and the Washington Capitals.
We could see the effects of Koivu's goal in the second period. Even though the Habs player haven't created much offense, I felt they played well defensively. Much better than the first period. The Caucks was controlling the puck in the Habs' zone, but they didn't get much real scoring chances. Halak was solid keeping the rebounds and the players kept the Canucks outside the slot. Everything went well, until a bad line change by the players which created a 2 on 1 chance and led to Henrik Sedin's goal. The Habs have done positive things in the second period but still got scored on. Nothing to help the confidence level.
In the third period, the Canucks scored a fourth goal and stopped working. They only wanted to conserve their lead and play defensive. The Canadiens finally decided to start playing hockey and went into the offensive zone for one of the rare times in the game. I love the way Pacioretty played, I thought he was our best player. D'agostini also got a few good scoring chances. Lapierre also did well. Andrei Kostitsyn gave away the puck a few times again, but was able to score the Habs second goal on a one-timer. He has such a wicked shot. If only he can use it more often and hit the net. With only 2:27 left to the game, it was too late and they Habs lost another one.
It was a very disappointing game for the Habs. Kovalev was invisible once again on the ice. We only saw Koivu and Kostopoulos exchanging the puck when their line was playing. The only time we saw him was when he got injured by the skates of Canucks player. I got scared for a while, if he was going to be out like Zednik did, we were going to have a huge problem trying to access the playoff. Carey Price was able to play a little bit last night in front of his familly and friends. I guess the fact that Carbo got critisized from the Vancouver media for not letting Carey goal made him change his mind. I thought Carey did well, he seems much more solid and confident then in the Oilers game. The Habs will have two days of rest before the next game against the hot Alexander Ovechenkin and the Washington Capitals.
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