Interesting article on Hab's remaining games.
Mar 21, 2002 19:55:32 GMT -5
Post by Cranky on Mar 21, 2002 19:55:32 GMT -5
this time she got it right.
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www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/story/10167310747332.shtml?sport=hockey&association=nhl&STORY_OID=10167310747332
Trish Hamilton.
There's a lot of scoreboard watching going on in Montreal right now. Rabid fans are counting the remaining regular season games, wondering when they can start thinking "magic number".
No, the Expos aren't in a pennant race, it's the first week of spring and the Canadiens are hanging onto a playoff spot.
It's been four long years since the Habs have played a post-season game so this white-knuckle nail biting feeling isn't very familiar - but it's a sacrifice the fans are willing to take. Enjoy it, folks, it's going to be a ride!
Over the next couple of weeks, the Canadiens face a bunch of under-.500 teams. They play home and away games against those 2 powerhouse squads in Florida, 2 games against the depleted Penguins, a stop in Nashville and a tilt with Columbus. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn't it? Montreal is going to streak through the rest of the schedule so let's all buy our playoff tickets, eh?
Not so fast.
For some reason, games against weaker teams, especially those in the Southleast Division, give the Canadiens fits. Nothing is a given. The next few weeks will require a different kind of mental toughness from the players. If they think these games will be a spring break in Florida, they better think again.
Let me illustrate this with some numbers that make me uneasy:
December 17
Tampa Bay 4, Montreal 3. The Bolts had 31 shots on net to Montreal's 22.
November 17
Montreal 1, Florida 0 in overtime. Roberto Luongo was incredible all night long stopping 44 shots. Jose Theodore faced 23.
January 21
Florida 7, Montreal 5. Hackett was pulled after letting in 2 goals on 9 shots. Shots on goal were Florida 29, Montreal 39. A rare high score for the Habs on a night when Theodore was less than stellar.
November 8
Montreal 3, Nashville 1. Montreal only managed 13 shots to Nashville's 32. I guess they won so that's all that counts...
If the Canadiens need any incentive to make the most of these games against bottom-feeder clubs, they should look to the last week of the schedule, in fact the last 2 games of the season. On Friday April 12th they're in New Jersey, to play the 7th place Devils. On Saturday April 13th they're at home against Buffalo, yes, the 9th place Sabres. Montreal can't afford to blow the gimmes.
Like a Hurricane
Last week, the Canadiens played a home-and-home series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 'Canes are the only team in the Southleast that deserve attention. They've got a handful of snipers and man are they fast! In Saturday's game, Montreal escaped with a 3-2 win and came within seconds of winning the Monday night game in the south (1-1 tie, ugh!).
These 2 games reminded me of a playoff series in 1986 when the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina) played the Habs in the second round. It took a seventh game sudden death overtime to decide the winner when rookie Claude Lemieux scored the big goal for Montreal. After the game, the Whalers' general manager Emile Francis gave the quote of the year. He had watched Patrick Roy make stop after stop in furious goalmouth flurries and said that Roy "looks like a bowl of jello without the bowl."
That colourful phrase was re-emphasized when Montreal upset the Rangers in the conference final. There were a couple of times when Roy was peppered with shots up close, shots from afar, wrap-arounds. He stopped them all.
And that's what Jose Theodore looked like last week. The Hurricanes' shots came in bunches, usually on the powerplay, usually up close near the crease. And he stopped them all. I wonder if current GM Jim Rutherford remembers the quirky, wise words of Emile Francis?
About that Bure trade and the race to the finish
The good thing about Pavel Bure going to the Rangers is that Montreal doesn't have to face him when the Panthers come to town. The other good thing about Pavel Bure going to the Rangers is that Montreal doesn't play New York again in the regular season.
The Rangers play the Leafs and Flyers twice, the Bruins, the Sens and the Islanders once before the season ends. That's very good. The Sabres play the Flyers twice, the Leafs, the Blues, the Bruins, the Isles and the Sns once before the season ends. That's also very good. Montreal's only rival in the race to the finish is Montreal.
How they do in the upcoming games against the Southleast and the other lowly teams will be the difference. They cannot afford to beat themselves. So now we'll see if the Canadiens are playoff contenders or pretenders as we bite our fingers to the quick and watch our hair turn grey. It will be a ride!
<><><><><><><>
www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/story/10167310747332.shtml?sport=hockey&association=nhl&STORY_OID=10167310747332
Trish Hamilton.
There's a lot of scoreboard watching going on in Montreal right now. Rabid fans are counting the remaining regular season games, wondering when they can start thinking "magic number".
No, the Expos aren't in a pennant race, it's the first week of spring and the Canadiens are hanging onto a playoff spot.
It's been four long years since the Habs have played a post-season game so this white-knuckle nail biting feeling isn't very familiar - but it's a sacrifice the fans are willing to take. Enjoy it, folks, it's going to be a ride!
Over the next couple of weeks, the Canadiens face a bunch of under-.500 teams. They play home and away games against those 2 powerhouse squads in Florida, 2 games against the depleted Penguins, a stop in Nashville and a tilt with Columbus. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn't it? Montreal is going to streak through the rest of the schedule so let's all buy our playoff tickets, eh?
Not so fast.
For some reason, games against weaker teams, especially those in the Southleast Division, give the Canadiens fits. Nothing is a given. The next few weeks will require a different kind of mental toughness from the players. If they think these games will be a spring break in Florida, they better think again.
Let me illustrate this with some numbers that make me uneasy:
December 17
Tampa Bay 4, Montreal 3. The Bolts had 31 shots on net to Montreal's 22.
November 17
Montreal 1, Florida 0 in overtime. Roberto Luongo was incredible all night long stopping 44 shots. Jose Theodore faced 23.
January 21
Florida 7, Montreal 5. Hackett was pulled after letting in 2 goals on 9 shots. Shots on goal were Florida 29, Montreal 39. A rare high score for the Habs on a night when Theodore was less than stellar.
November 8
Montreal 3, Nashville 1. Montreal only managed 13 shots to Nashville's 32. I guess they won so that's all that counts...
If the Canadiens need any incentive to make the most of these games against bottom-feeder clubs, they should look to the last week of the schedule, in fact the last 2 games of the season. On Friday April 12th they're in New Jersey, to play the 7th place Devils. On Saturday April 13th they're at home against Buffalo, yes, the 9th place Sabres. Montreal can't afford to blow the gimmes.
Like a Hurricane
Last week, the Canadiens played a home-and-home series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 'Canes are the only team in the Southleast that deserve attention. They've got a handful of snipers and man are they fast! In Saturday's game, Montreal escaped with a 3-2 win and came within seconds of winning the Monday night game in the south (1-1 tie, ugh!).
These 2 games reminded me of a playoff series in 1986 when the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina) played the Habs in the second round. It took a seventh game sudden death overtime to decide the winner when rookie Claude Lemieux scored the big goal for Montreal. After the game, the Whalers' general manager Emile Francis gave the quote of the year. He had watched Patrick Roy make stop after stop in furious goalmouth flurries and said that Roy "looks like a bowl of jello without the bowl."
That colourful phrase was re-emphasized when Montreal upset the Rangers in the conference final. There were a couple of times when Roy was peppered with shots up close, shots from afar, wrap-arounds. He stopped them all.
And that's what Jose Theodore looked like last week. The Hurricanes' shots came in bunches, usually on the powerplay, usually up close near the crease. And he stopped them all. I wonder if current GM Jim Rutherford remembers the quirky, wise words of Emile Francis?
About that Bure trade and the race to the finish
The good thing about Pavel Bure going to the Rangers is that Montreal doesn't have to face him when the Panthers come to town. The other good thing about Pavel Bure going to the Rangers is that Montreal doesn't play New York again in the regular season.
The Rangers play the Leafs and Flyers twice, the Bruins, the Sens and the Islanders once before the season ends. That's very good. The Sabres play the Flyers twice, the Leafs, the Blues, the Bruins, the Isles and the Sns once before the season ends. That's also very good. Montreal's only rival in the race to the finish is Montreal.
How they do in the upcoming games against the Southleast and the other lowly teams will be the difference. They cannot afford to beat themselves. So now we'll see if the Canadiens are playoff contenders or pretenders as we bite our fingers to the quick and watch our hair turn grey. It will be a ride!