Top Left Header
Header
NHL
Arrow Anaheim Ducks Arizona Coyotes Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Calgary Flames Carolina Hurricanes Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks Tampa Bay Ligthning Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitas Winnipeg Jets
(Logo Source: NHL.com)
OHL
Arrow
WHL
Arrow
COLUMNISTS
Arrow
Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Grand Theft Goalie - Price lifts Habs over Flames
By Mitch Melnick
TSN 690 and MitchMelnick.com

Grand Theft Goalie - Price lifts Habs over Flames
Grand Theft Goalie. And the Montreal Canadiens get two points in Calgary for the first time since Doug Gilmour scored the winning goal against his former team in 2002. Or, as Ray Ferraro pointed out, when Brendan Gallagher was 10 years old.
PHOTO CREDIT - MontrealGazette.com

Montreal - October 29, 2014 - Grand Theft Goalie.

And the Habs get two points in Calgary for the first time since Doug Gilmour scored the winning goal against his former team in 2002. Or, as Ray Ferraro pointed out, when Brendan Gallagher was 10 years old.

THE GOOD

•Carey Price. Ridiculous. Other than a perfect shot under the crossbar by Norris trophy hopeful Mark Giordano, Price was unbeatable. He made it seem like shots were reaching him in slow motion. By late in the third period Calgary forwards were so baffled they started missing the net on chances from in close. It's been a rapid climb to a .923 save percentage. And he's a perfect 7 for 7 in the shootout.

•PK Unit. Price was the big factor but the Habs killed off seven Calgary penalties including a five on three. They went 13 for 13 in Alberta. Mike Weaver again led the way as he played nearly 9:00 on the kill. And yes Travis Moen has also helped a unit that is now 4th overall in NHL at 88.4%.

•Rene Bourque. This looked like the night the former Flame would finally score his first goal of the season. Dale Weise sent him in on a breakaway in the first period but Jonas Hiller made an excellent glove save. Bourque did most of the work on the Habs' only goal.

•Brendan Gallagher. The only member of his line that looked like himself.

•Andrei Markov. Played a game high 30:14 no small feat in the second game of a back to back especially for a 35 year old defenseman. Those were hard minutes. All that time spent in rehab on his knees apparently helped Markov develop a physical edge that had been lacking prior to last spring's playoffs. He no longer hesitates in delivering a well placed face wash or cross check on bigger forwards in front of the net after a whistle.

•Alexei Emelin. Solid night - except for the penalties. Even as his partner uncharacteristically struggled with the puck.

•Tom Gilbert. First goal as a Hab was rather meaningful.

•Brandon Prust. 100th game as a Hab back where it all started for him in 2006-07. Worked hard. Spent some time at centre in the third period as the Habs third line centreman was benched.

•P.A. Parenteau. Second game winning shootout goal made up for missed opportunities and a bad cross checking penalty on Dennis Wideman in frontof Hiller with just five minutes to play.

•4 on 4 in OT. Habs pressed hard for the win over the final 45 seconds. No coincidence the four players on the ice were Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk, Markov and P.K. Subban.

•Johnny Gaudreau. Sure is fun to watch. Can he keep his motor running (a la Gallagher) all season at just over 150 pounds?

THE BAD

•Lars Eller. Weak play in the neutral zone led to a lost puck battle and the Giordano goal. As the parade of players to the penalty box put more stress on an over worked penalty kill unit, Eller took a selfish roughing minor with four minutes left in the second period. And that was the last time he saw the ice. His final numbers for the night - 0 shots on goal. 0 shots at the net. 0 hits. 25% on face offs. Total ice time - 5:46. Can't pin this performance on his line mates.

•Penalties. I realize the best teams in the NHL reside in the Western Conference. But to seemingly be a step behind Calgary is at least a little troublesome.

THE UGLY

•Jarred Tinordi on Matt Stajan. Looked bad. Also looked unintentional. Was waiting for Tinordi to lay a big hit on either Joe Colborne or Curtis Glencross, both of whom spent too much time jostling Carey Price. But Colborne was done after just eight minutes of ice time.

This is a game where Tinordi can make a difference with a big hit. #waitforit @HunterZThompson — Matthew Jacobson (@matjacobson) October 29, 2014

•Power Play. Zero for the road this season. And if you go back to the tail end of last year (Thanks to RDS) the power play is 0-35 on the road. Makes you long for the good old days of Scott Gomez and Marc Andre Bergeron.

@seanrcampbell @mckennaconor @HunterZThompson #HabsOn690 I don't recall seeing Eller at all in third period. — Stephen Trottier (@STrotts) October 29, 2014

@STrotts @mckennaconor @HunterZThompson Been their best player in the 3rd — SeansteR Campbell (@seanrcampbell) October 29, 2014

Follow Me on TwitterMitch Melnick is the host of Melnick in the Afternoon on TSN 690 - Montreal's Sports Authority. Mitch also has his own website at MitchMelnick.com where you can find his blog, music links, upcoming events, neat photos and more. Listen Live to Melnick - weekdays from 3:00 - 7:00 pm. If you have questions or wish to contact Mitch, you can email him at mitch.melnick@bellmedia.ca


Title

Title
SHORT SHIFT - Nifty Fifty for Maggio
Lasalle Vipers complete a 5-game winning streak with an epic win over the Leamington Flyers
PHOTO CREDIT:
LasalleVipers.com
Will Ice Hockey Compete with the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
PHOTO CREDIT:
Pixabay.com
The most watched Spitfire games of all time
PHOTO CREDIT:
HometownHockey.ca

Title



Title - Story Count
3,472 Stories & Growing Daily...

To date HometownHockey.ca has posted a total of 3,472 hockey stories!

Be sure to check out our Columnists archives or, why not Contribute a Story yourself!

HometownHockey.ca offers a very generous revenue sharing opportunity for our Columnists. If you are interested in learning more details about writing for us, please send us an EMAIL.
PucksTrending Story
SHORT SHIFT - Nifty Fifty for Maggio



Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow HometownHockey on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS






Footer