Windy scores.

9-2 blowout.

The Pittsburgh Penguins destroyed the New York Islanders last night. Now... it is the Islanders, but nine goals is still very impressive.

Both Pascal Dupuis and Petr Sykora had a hatrick. Sidney Crosby managed four assists. Quietly after a slow start, Crosby is now on par for well over a 125 point season.

5-1 blownlead.

After two periods last night the Carolina Hurricanes thought that they had it tied up in a nice neat bow. That's until the Philadelphia Flyers scored four... countem, four unanswered goals in the third period. Two of which were from Scott Hartnell to complete his hat trick. Can I point out that Hartnell had 6 goals all season?

Just to rub salt in the wounds... Philadelphia won in a shootout. yuck.

Steve Downie

You know what's funny. I had this section already here earlier today. I was going to talk about Steve Downie and his cheap play. What's funny is Tampa Bay must agree? They sent Downie packing to the minors today.

I must say, I was first at bat when Jack Johnson laid him out with a juicy elbow near the end of the Canada - USA game at the World Juniors in Vancouver. But the more I think of it -- the more I think that it's probable that Downie verbally provoked him.

Last night Downie was running goaltenders and taking cheap shots during the Canadiens game last night. It's a wonder someone didn't pummel him. Which is something PJ Stock brought up after the game, nobody on Montreal seems to be coming to bat for their teammates. Laraque can't do it all.

Tampa.

Staying on the topic of Tampa. This might be a bit of bad timing since they finally did win a game last night (after a 9 game losing streak.) But is it fair to say that this team did way too much all at the same time. Back on August 30 I did a post titled, Tampa is going to be Ridiculous. .... Ridiculously bad is probably what it should've said.

At the end of last season they lost veteran player Brad Richards who had been with them since they drafted him. Richards and Vincent Lecavalier played together since they were 14. All through Notre Dame. Rimouski L'Oceanic, and then Tampa Bay Lightening. You can't just take a guy like Richards out of your lineup and go on like nothing happened. And Ryan Malone, won't fill the void.

Barry Melrose? That worked out well.

They brought in so many players who definitely charactar guys, but they were thrown into the mix together with a coach who was sent packing so it's pretty hard for chemistry to form. I mean, geez, they might as well have signed Sean Avery and Ray Emery.

Is Theo Fluery available?

No lead is safe.

Last night I was chatting online with a friend about the upcoming Canadiens game. The main concern was about Alexei Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec... and they're lack of doing anything this year. I personally blame the fact that Kovalev cut off his magical mullet.

We'll get back to that. First onto the game.

Quickly after my conversation about how I was worried about Kovalev, he scored 2 minutes into the game.

Annnnd then Mark Streit came back to haunt the Canadiens with a bullet from the point that deflected off of a Canadiens player and into the top corner. Oh Mark, we used to be friends... but something's changed. (Oh... it's the jersey. Right.)

Suddenly nearing the end of the second period and it's 4-1 Islanders. What the shhh... *click*

that was the sound of me changing the channel to the Pittsburgh game.

So the Penguins were playing the lowly Blues. The Penguins appeared to have quite a lot of jump in their step. But, whatever happened to Sidney Crosby did not look so good. He was expected to possibly miss last nights game due to an "undisclosed injury" but he took to the ice anyways. It looks like he has back spasms or something like that. Several times I saw him skate to the bench and I figured he wasn't going to come back on. Yet somehow he managed to get 2 assists.

This game started an hour later than the Montreal game so I was actually watching the first period of the game. Satan scored late in the first to make it 1-0 Penguins.

Ok. Ok. I feel bad... back to the Canadiens sinking ship, er, game.

*click*

Start of the Third period and the Canadiens are down 4-1. Oh boy. Smelling a comeback? It's the Islanders... it could be done.

The Canadiens actually do look very good in the third period. They're dominating the play, and buzzing around the Islanders net.

And then our dead man skating emerges. Tomas Plekanec scores two goals in two minutes. At this point, i've spilled chips all over the floor and i'm standing in front of the television clutching my last Propeller Pumpkin beer. The Islanders have already called their timeout after Plekanec scored his first goal, so that obviously worked really well.


Another four minutes and another goal. Chris Higgins puts one behind Yann Danis at 14:06 of the third period to tie the game 4-4.

You've got to be kidding me.

A little more than a minute later at 15:19, Kovelev returns from the dead. I mean sure he scored back in the first period. But midway through the game he took a high stick from noone other than former teammate Mark Streit. So he's got this bleeding gash on his cheek. This is just plain hilarious.

I kinda feel bad for Bill Guerin. He looks really depressed. I suppose I would be too, if I played on the Islanders.


The moral of this story. The Canadiens only have to play one period.



The other stuff.

The goalies are dropping like flies. Rick DiPietro is out 4-6 weeks because of knee surgery. And Martin Brodeur left the game last night with an elbow injury. Broduer was probably cursed since Hockey Night in Canada did a feature peice on him and how he's destined to break Patrick Roy's record.

The Toronto Maple Leafs scored five, COUNTEM, five third period goals to win 5-2 over the New York Rangers.

And Ottawa cannot seem to find it. They are sitting 12th in the standings after a shootout loss last night to the Tampa Bay Lightening. Good God, Tampa Bay??

And lastly i'd like to point out this craziness that is called weather in Halifax. Snow one day, 14 degrees the next:

Welcome to the 100th season, Montreal.

Jean Beliveau

Ooooh, they blew the 3-0 lead on purpose so that they could have a dramatic shootout victory at their first home game of their 100th season. I get it.

Canadiens legends Elmer Lach, 90, and Emile Bouchard, 88, two of the oldest surviving Canadiens alumni dropped the puck on the Canadiens season at the Bell Centre. They were joined by ten other Canadiens Hall of Famers: Jean Beliveau, Dickie Moore, Henri Richard, Yvan Cournoyer, Guy Lafleur, Bob Gainey, Guy Lapointe, Steve Shutt, Larry Robinson and Dick Duff. It's one of the truly nice things about Original Six teams like Montreal, they have this immense history and their former players are more than willing to come back and share.

Emile "Butch" Bouchard (#16) greets Elmer Lach (3)

The Canadiens built up a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period, with goals by Saku Koivu, Alexei Kovalev and Maxim Lapierre. But it slowly began to unravel, and silly old me thought that the Canadiens were going to blow it completely and lose. But all they wanted to do was have a thrilling finish. Ya gotta spot the other team some goals for fun, right? I mean really, what's the fun in destroying a team 6-1? (editors note: actually it's really fun, especially when it's Toronto on the wrong end of that score) Boston's David Krejci scored the first goal in the second period to get it rolling for Boston.

Carey Price had a bit of a bad bounce when he wandered behind the net. It was also extremely poor timing — there was 48 seconds remaining. As Price came to get the puck it took a strange bounce, hit the back of the net, squirted out front, and landed on the stick of Marc Savard. Price dove back at the net in a futile effort to make himself look like he tried. Savard also had the Bruins second goal of the night.



Price redeemed himself by stopping Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel and former teammate Michael Ryder in the shootout. And Alex Tanguay helped save the day by scoring the only goal for the Canadiens. Quebec boy does good.

Montreal has nine points of a possible ten this season. Boston continues its road to being not very good.

Alex Tanguay after scoring the shootout winner

Where do I start?

Guys I'm so rusty. I didn't realize how rusty I was. There are too many games to deal with!!!

Two of my favourite people. (Ron MacLean and Peter Mansbridge.)

Destruction.

Ok, starting with the Montreal-Toronto game. Montreal dominated, (understatement), the final was 6-1. There was one point when the game was close, I think it was the first five minutes of the game. Toronto had a couple good chances but Jaroslav Halak shut them down.

I was perplexed about Carbonneau's decision to start Halák instead of Price (mostly because it would've been a guaranteed win, and I have Price in my pool). But I figured they probably wanted to rest price after playing last night where the game went the full legnth to the shootout and Price handled 36 shots. A friend also pointed out that Montreal needs to "showcase their trade bait."

False Hopes.

I haven't spoken to any Leafs fans yet tonight. Most of them are huddled in their dark basements quietly sobbing, i'm sure. Anyway, judging by the reaction that is usually garnered by the result of the first game of the season, I can't help but think that Toronto fans were excited after the big win against Detroit. Oh well.

Tanguay.

Gave all proof in the world that the difference between a good player and a bad player can be the playing style of the team they're on. Tanguay looks like he's been playing in Montreal for five years — he fit right in. 4 points (a goal and three assists) says it all.

Cherry.

Geez Don. I was on your side when you called Sean Avery a jerk. But i'm not on your side with this one. Cherry complained after the game that Montreal had their "top powerplay line on the ice with a couple minutes left and the game was out of hand". Well Don, it's the beginning of the season and Carbonneau is going to take the in-game practice for the line when he can. Second, if you don't want to play against the top power play line. Stop taking penalties.

Palin.
The Alaska legislative panel released their report into Sarah Palin's abuse of power allegations yesterday. So in classic Palin style, she did something hockey mom related to brush it off. Sooooo she dropped the puck at the Philadelphia Flyers home opener accompanied by the winner of some ridiculous "ultimate hockey mom" contest. On top of it all they gave out lipstick to the hockey moms in attendance.

Oh there was something else I was suppose to mention... umm... what was it... Oh yes, Flyers owner Ed Snider gave donations to the Republican campaign. That's good. Using your NHL team as a political pawn.

Kippers self-destruction.

Calgary was leading 3-1. At home. Home opener. Lost 5-4 in overtime. Todd Bertuzzi was a disaster on skates, hitting from behind and elbowing in the head... I think the fans in Calgary probably wished they were in Toronto. (now that's really sad.)

Brent Burns is a monster

quick updates from work.



Brent Burns has scored twice against Russia in the Gold Medal game to put Canada in the lead 3-1 at the end of the third period. TSN.ca was so excited that they mis-spelled Burn's name:

"Defenceman Brunt Burns scored his second goal of the game and third of the tournament on a 5-on-3 powerplay to give Canada a 3-1 lead in the first period. Russia immediately called a timeout following the goal."

Chris Kunitz has the other goal for Canada. Alexander Semin has the lone goal for Russia.

*update* Period 2, Russia scored on the powerplay, i have no idea who scored, although i'm sure ovechkin has something to do with it.

*update* Dany Heatley scored to make it 4-2 Canada!! The camera cut to Prime Minister Stephen Harper who was in attendance with his son. Apparently the PM is an avid hockey fan who is actually currently writing a book about hockey.

*update* Russia has brought it to within one with a goal by Tereshchenko(Stephen Harper looks worried) halfway through the third period.

*update* TIE GAME. 5 minutes to go. (Stephen Harper was right to be worried.)

*update* regulation ended with a 4-4 tie. Overtime in IIHF rules are a 20 minute overtime period of 4 on 4. And then if nothing is decided, a shootout. Seriously??? A shootout. ridiculous.

Also, it's now 1-0 Pittsburgh over the Flyers after an early Ryan Malone goal (assisted by Sidney Crosby and Marion Hossa)


*update* It's over. Canada loses. Kovalchuk scored both the tying and winning goal. Gold to Russia and Silver to Canada.
Russia scored on a powerplay... one of the most brutal penalties of life. I hate the delay of game for shooting it over the glass. I will rant about this later.