Comme s’il y avait trop de francophones dans l’équipe, Guillaume Latendresse sera laissé de côté ce soir face aux Predators à Nashville.

Vraiment le Canadien de Montréal ou si vous préférez les Montreal Canadiens forme toute une organisation pour le québécois de souche.

Pas étonnant qu’ils ne gagnent plus de coupe Stanley, ils ne le méritent tout simplement pas.

Un vent de changement doit souffler sur cette organisation et c’est en mettant en place Serge Savard comme président de l’équipe que ça doit commencer.

Latendresse produit peu dans la colonne de pointage mais il est un des joueurs qui déploient le plus d’énergie sur la glace.  Ce soir on le laisse dans les estrades.  À la place Kyle “slower than a turtle” Chipchura sera de l’alignement.

Quand est-ce que les québécois vont se réveiller et cesser d’encourager cette gang d’anti-francophones que réprensente l’édition actuelle du Canadien de Montréal.

Andrei Kostitsyn qui ne fait pas grand chose depuis le début de la saison est rétrogradé pour le match de ce soir contre les Islanders (encore !) sur le quatrième trio avec Kyle Chipchura et Gregory Stewart.

C’est Jaroslav Halak qui sera devant le filet ce soir, un quatrième départ consécutif et il le mérite.

Si vous voulez mon avis, c’est le temps d’échanger Carey Price et ça presse.

• Josh Gorges is a +3 while his defence partner, Hall Gill is a -4. Speaks volumes for both players, dunnit?
• Max Pacioretty was able to find the back of the net. His first goal since January, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise because it was probably his first shot on goal since then
• Andrei Kostitsyn wasn’t totally useless
• Guillaume Latendresse perfectly suited the role of  a 4th liner…because he looked like a borderline AHLer. Now don’t get me wrong, I have really high hopes for Gui, and the bigger players in the league need a long, long time to adapt to the speed of the game…but he’s taken a step backwards
• the LOZ could have added 3 more goals easily. They remind me of the smurf line from the Doug Gilmour days, only with a lot more grit and finish
• Johnny Tavares would not be my ideal player to build around. He’s got talent coming out his arsehole, but he showed in junior that he doesn’t have the desire to utilize all his talents to become the best (why he never went to the Swedish Elite League to face tougher competition at 17, I’ll never know)
• Halak was solid when he needed to be (with the exception of the 3rd period mindfart) which was essentially every 5 minutes or so. Tough to stay focused in that situation
• I’d be willing to bet Price was jinxing Halak just so he’d be able to get on the ice and away from McGuire last night.
• MA Bergeron is everything I thought he would be, at both ends of the ice. He really does look like a forward trying to play defence
• Paul Mara was very, very effective. Must be the beard.
• Say what you will about Kyle Chipchura’s truculence, his speed makes me cringe. I just don’t see him as a full-time NHLer anymore

Current Hab fan status: ecstatic. They actually won in regulation!

Roman is excited about the win, as well as Halloween.

• Josh Gorges is a +3 while his defence partner, Hall Gill is a -4. Speaks volumes for both players, dunnit?
• Max Pacioretty was able to find the back of the net. His first goal since January, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise because it was probably his first shot on goal since then
• Andrei Kostitsyn wasn’t totally useless
• Guillaume Latendresse perfectly suited the role of  a 4th liner…because he looked like a borderline AHLer. Now don’t get me wrong, I have really high hopes for Gui, and the bigger players in the league need a long, long time to adapt to the speed of the game…but he’s taken a step backwards
• the LOZ could have added 3 more goals easily. They remind me of the smurf line from the Doug Gilmour days, only with a lot more grit and finish
• Johnny Tavares would not be my ideal player to build around. He’s got talent coming out his arsehole, but he showed in junior that he doesn’t have the desire to utilize all his talents to become the best (why he never went to the Swedish Elite League to face tougher competition at 17, I’ll never know)
• Halak was solid when he needed to be (with the exception of the 3rd period mindfart) which was essentially every 5 minutes or so. Tough to stay focused in that situation
• I’d be willing to bet Price was jinxing Halak just so he’d be able to get on the ice and away from McGuire last night.
• MA Bergeron is everything I thought he would be, at both ends of the ice. He really does look like a forward trying to play defence
• Paul Mara was very, very effective. Must be the beard.
• Say what you will about Kyle Chipchura’s truculence, his speed makes me cringe. I just don’t see him as a full-time NHLer anymore

Current Hab fan status: ecstatic. They actually won in regulation!

Roman is excited about the win, as well as Halloween.

Montreal Canadiens
(2-0-0)

Calgary Flames
(2-0-0)

Game Time: 7:00pm MST
Location: Pengrowth Saddledome (Calgary, AB)
Coverage: RDS; Rogers Sportsnet West (TV), Fan960 (Radio)

Recent News:

Calgary has opened their regular season quick out of the gate. With two wins in their first two games against division rivals, the Flames couldn’t have asked for a better start. While they got away with murder on Saturday night against the Oilers with a 4-3 victory thanks to Nikolai Khabibulin’s bumbling wandering, the Flames still looked strong. The Flames special teams have been a key factor in their first two victories, with the powerplay cruising along at a 66.7% clip. The penalty kill has also gotten the job done and currently stands at 75%.

Montreal has also started their regular season with two wins in two games, albeit in much more dramatic fashion than the Flames. Thus far, the Canadiens have squeaked out two overtime victories against their rival Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Buffalo Sabres. A huge blow that the team recently experienced was the loss of all-star defenseman Andrei Markov. Markov was injured in the Canadiens first game. He is expected to be out for 4-6 months with lacerated tendons. To fill Markov’s spot, the Canadiens recently recalled young Yannick Weber from Hamilton of the American Hockey League.

Apart from this being the two teams’ first meeting of the year, this will be their 100th all-time meeting.

Last Season:

Last season Montreal and Calgary split their season series, with each team getting one win apiece. Montreal was victorious in December 2008 with a 4-1 victory, while the Flames triumphed 6-2 in February 2009.

Key Players:

Calgary- The man to watch right now is Miikka Kiprusoff. So far this season he has squashed his history of slow starts. Apart from two wins, Kiprusoff is also currently sporting a 0.921 save percentage. He has been peppered so far this season, already having faced 76 shots over those first two victories. If the Flames are to continue this early season success, Kiprusoff will have to continue his stellar play.

On the offensive side of the things, the player to watch for Calgary is Rene Bourque. Last season, he managed to rack up 40 points on the strength of 21 goals, in only 58 games. Bourque has continued his strong play with the start of this season. Notching a goal and three points in his first two games, Bourque is the Flames current scoring leader. He has once again shown a strong two-way game, and has also been seeing ice-time during all different points in the game.

Montreal- In similar fashion to Calgary, the Canadiens can attribute much of their early season success to the play of their netminder. After finishing last season with only 23 wins, and a 0.905 save percentage, Carey Price is proving his doubters wrong so far in 2009-10. In two victories, Price is rocking an impressive 0.951 save percentage alongside a 1.89 goals against average. With 81 shots faced so far, Price has been a busy man, but has been up to the task.

Mike Cammalleri will be the Canadiens skater to keep an eye on tonight. After putting up an impressive 39 goals with the Flames last season, Cammalleri headed out east and has been a strong presence on Montreal’s top unit. This will be his first game against his former team. Travis Moen will also be a player worth watching. Usually known for his grit over his scoring touch, Moen is currently leading the Canadiens with two goals in two games. While also employing his reckless physical game, Moen has been a force to be reckoned with so far this season. Expect to see him buzzing in the Flames end and causing nothing but havoc and chaos for the Flames defenders.

Injuries:

..

Calgary- Cory Sarich (bruised foot) and Brian McGrattan (shoulder) are day-to-day.

Montreal- Andrei Markov (lacerated tendons), Ryan O’Byrne (knee), Kyle Chipchura (shoulder), Olivier Fortier (shoulder), Alex Henry (fractured hand) are all on injured reserve. Glen Metropolit is questionable for tonite’s game (sore ribs).

Probable Lines:

Calgary-

Moss – Jokinen – Iginla
Dawes – Langkow – Bourque
Glencross – Conroy – Boyd
Sjostrom – Nystrom – Prust

Bouwmeester – Regehr
Phaneuf – Giordano
Pardy – Sarich

Kiprusoff
McElhinney

Montreal-

Gomez – Cammalleri – Gionta
Pacioretty – Plekanec – A. Kostitsyn
Latendresse – Lapierre – Moen
Stewart – Chipchura – Laraque

Hamrlik – Spacek
Gill – Mara
Gorges – Weber

Price
Halak

Pouir le Canadien de Montréal, il reste 10,45 millions pour Latendresse, D’Agostini, Plekanec, Chipchura et Stewart.

On peut facilement croire que
Guillaume Latendresse obtiendra 2 millions.
Tomas Plekanec obtiendra 2,25 millions.
Kyle Chipchura 1,25 millions.
Matt D’Agostini 1 million.
Gregory Stewart 0,75 million.

Il resterait donc par la suite que 3,2 millions, de quoi embaucher un gardien auxilaire ou un bon plombier.

La machine à rumeurs a encore tourné; vérité ou mensonge? Peu importe, elles existent et peuvent nous faire rêver. En effet, selon certaines rumeurs, l’organisation du Canadien de Montréal ferait une grosse annonce dans les prochaines heures concernant la venue d’un joueur ou des; on ne sait jamais. Rappelons que ce soir, soit le 30 juin 2009 à 12 h 59 de la nuit, sera l’heure limite avant l’ouverture des agents libres.

Le nom de Vincent Lecavalier, capitaine du Lightning de Tampa Bay, revient de plus en plus. Des discussions ont eu lieu et il est clair qu’il doit être le dossier prioritaire dont parle Bob Gainey depuis plusieurs jours. Le directeur général doit à tout prix réussir un coup, car si celui-ci ne vient pas, il pourrait perdre beaucoup plus. Notons qu’à partir de cette date, Lecavalier aura une clause de non-échange et c’est lui qui aura le gros bout du bâton. Selon de bonnes sources, Saku Koivu irait rejoindre son compatriote Teemu Selanne à Anaheim et un vent de rumeurs parle du non-retour d’Alex Tanguay dans l’uniforme du bleu blanc-rouge, cause de l’attente de Gainey. Enfin, Komisarek aurait reçu une offre de 5 ans à 4M$ par année, ce qu’il devrait refuser selon moi; il peut trouver plus ailleurs si l’argent et son argument #1 *. Alex Kovalev aurait aussi reçu une offre, mais à court terme dans son cas; bien hâte de voir la suite.

Les attaquants Chris Higgins, Tomas Plekanec, Guillaume Latendresse, Matt D’ Agostini, Gregory Stewart et Kyle Chipchura ont tous reçu des offres qualificatives de la part de la direction du Canadien dont le boni serait de 10% de plus que leur salaire de la dernière saison. À mon avis, Stewart et Chipchura vont accepter sans hésitation, pour les autres, reste à voir; mais un minimum de 1 ou 2 joueurs devraient refuser.

Revenons donc à Vincent Lecavalier; s’il est acquis du Tricolore, je crois que le principal intéressé sera déçu de partir de son équipe, mais sera satisfait de sa nouvelle destination. Rappelez-vous des mots qu’il avait employés lors d’une entrevue avec le quotidien La Presse en janvier dernier lorsque les rumeurs faisaient rage:

«J’aime la ville de Montréal, je ne l’ai jamais caché. Je viens de là. Ma famille est là. Mes chums aussi. J’ai grandi avec le Canadien. Je sais qu’il y a beaucoup de rumeurs présentement… Ce sont des rumeurs. Les rumeurs, ajoute-t-il, ça fait partie du hockey. J’en ai entendu tout au long de ma carrière… J’aime jouer à Tampa. Je suis un gars loyal.»

Voilà un joueur que je respecte pour sa franchise, mais aussi pour sa loyauté. Je crois que Lecavalier à Montréal serait un gros cadeau pour les partisans. Enfin une vedette de talent québécoise avec le Canadien de Montréal! Cependant, le prix à donner sera cher. Bob Gainey ne pourra pas satisfaire tous les partisans en faisant LA transaction où le DG échange de bons éléments. Il faut donner de la viande au Lightning si l’on veut leur Capitaine.

Le plan B de Bob Gainey? Les frères Sedins; un duo extraordinaire qui produit beaucoup et nous pourrions nous permettre d’avoir leur salaire de 6-7M$ sur notre masse.

Enfin, peut-être somme-nous dans le champ et que cette fameuse annonce est seulement celle de la signature d’un joueur comme Komisarek ou Kovalev. Les suppositions et les rumeurs il y en a beaucoup, mais les vérités ne découlent pas toujours de ceux-ci. Il ne reste qu’à attendre!

*Le défenseur Mike Komisarek a décidé de tester le marché des joueurs autonomes et ne signera pas avec le Canadien avant le premier juillet, mais il ne ferme pas la porte à un retour.

Par Simon Duranceau-Cloutier

L’arrivée de Glen Metropolit avec le Canadien de Montréal coûte le poste à Kyle Chipchura qui a été cédé ce matin aux Bulldogs d’Hamilton.

À mon avis Chipchura aurait un grand avantage à prendre des cours de power skating cet été.

Let me take you back to the off-season, at a time when it became clear that Mats Sundin didn’t want to have anything to do with the Montreal Canadiens, and before GM Bob Gainey went out acquired Plan B, in Robert Lang.

Once it became pretty clear that Sundin had very little interest in Montreal’s overtures, Gainey was asked who he felt could step in and help fill the void at centre.  

His answer:  Kyle Chipchura.

However, that was until Gainey went out and signed Lang as a free agent, effectively squeezing Chipchura out of the Plan B picture. Unfortunately for Lang, his season came to an end at 8:33 of the third period in the game against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 1st, after the 38-year old suffered an Achilles tendon injury.  At the time, Lang was leading the team with 18 goals and had distinguished himself rather nicely as a big, productive, if somewhat slow-flooted, force at front.

That was until 8:33 of the third period against the Boston Bruins on Feb. 1.

Exit Robert Lang.  Re-enter Kyle Chipchura, the original Plan B, called up today from the Hamilton Bulldogs, and expected to join the team in Denver in time for tonight’s game against the Avalanche.

Chipchura, a 1st-round 2004 draft pick, has had a number of cups of coffee with the Canadiens this season, most recently as a call-up  in December when veterans like Saku Koivu and Chris Higgins were dropping like flies.  He spent eight games with the big team before being sent back down to Hamilton; eclipsed on the prospects depth-chart by the likes of fellow-Bulldogs Max Pacioretty and Matt D’Agostini, who are still with the big team.

Chipchura returns to the Habs after  scoring 13 goals and adding 13 assists in 33 games with the Bulldogs this season, good for a plus-18 rating. Obviously this time, he’s  hoping to stick.  His best opportunity to make a full-time impression came last season, when he spent most of the first half of the campaign with the Canadiens, before being sent back down to the American Hockey League: the clock ticking on his long-term prospects as a bona-fide big-league talent, within this organization.

Now he’s back.

Chipchura will never be confused with Robert Lang.  He’ll never be nearly the offensive talent that Lang has been throughout his career.  But Chipchura has the potential to be a solid, two-way contributor at the N.H.L. level.  Although it’s unfortunate that this latest opportunity comes at the expense of Robert Lang’s season-ending injury, it’s an opportunity, nonetheless.  

One door closes, another one opens.

Personally, I’m rooting for the personable young man from Westlock, Alberta, who would love nothing more than to celebrate his 23rd birthday, just six days from now, on Feb. 19, as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

Y’a tellement de joueurs avec la lettre K dans leurs noms ou leurs prénoms avec le Canadien de Montréal que c’est l’équipe de marketing du Canadien aurait décidé de renommé l’équipe le Kanadien de Montréal.  Ainsi on ne parlera plus du CH mais du KH.

Évidemment c’est une blague.

Mais regarder la liste des joueurs s’étant aligné pour le Canadien cette saison.  La majorité ont un K dans leur nom ou leur prénom.

Kyle Chipchura
Jaroslav Halak
Roman Hamrlik
Saku Koivu
Mike Komisarek
Andrei Kostystin
Sergei Kostystin
Tom Kostopoulos
Alexei Kovalev
Andrei Markov
Tomas Plekanec

Sur les 30 joueurs s’étant aligné avec le Canadien cette saison 11 avait un K dans leur nom.

Y’a trop de K dans cette équipe là

Upper body, lower body.

Upper body, lower body.

Unfortunately, it’s been an all-too-familiar refrain for the Montreal Canadiens of late. And the latest member of the Habs to be singing that painful tune is Alex Tanguay who is out with an upper body injury after going down early in Tuesday’s win over Tampa: specifically, a dislocated left shoulder that will keep him out of action for at least six weeks.

Six weeks.

Tanguay joins line mates Saku Koivu and Chris Higgins on the shelf, and the news on Tanguay comes after the Canadiens sent forward Ben Maxwell (not surprisingly) and defenceman Ryan O’Byrne (he needs to play somewhere) down to Hamilton. Which, if you do the math, leaves the Canadiens will a number of holes in their roster. Especially with further word today that goalie Carey Price is again being bothered by a lower-body discomfort that kept him out of action recently, and will keep him out of tomorrow’s game in New Jersey against the Devils.

So.

Today the Canadiens called up Max Pacioretty, Kyle Chipchura, goalie Marc Denis, AND defenceman Yannick Weber, which will please legions of Habs’ fans, to no end, on a number of fronts.

We’ve come to know what to expect from Chipchura on an NHL level. Chipchura was with this team for much of the first half of last season before being down to the Bulldogs. He’s not a speed burner, but he brings a solid two-way effort to the rink at centre, although his lack of skills at the face-off circle did him in last season. This season he showed very little in training camp and during the pre-season, which is why he has spent the year in Hamilton. He likely would have been tabbed for a recall when Maxwell was called up,  but  Chipchura was  nursing a groin injury at the time.

Denis is up only as a short-term backup to Jaroslav Halak. Price is not expected to be on the sidelines for long.

Which brings us back to two of Montreal’s most intriguing prospects: Pacioretty and Weber.

Both performed splendidly in pre-season, with Pacioretty clearly knocking on the door to an NHL career after moving from the U.S. university ranks to a career as a pro. And Weber, doing his best to make Habs fans forget about Mark Streit, has progressed nicely in Hamilton after a junior career with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.

Pacioretty started slowly in Hamilton, but has been playing his best hockey as a member of the Bulldogs of late, as witnessed by his performance in Hamilton’s 4-0 win over the Toronto Marlies Tuesday night. Pacioretty scored his 5th of the season in that one, in what was his strongest showing as a member of the Bulldogs. Chipchura, who has also been playing splendid hockey of late, notched his 10th of the season in that one.

We know what Weber brings to the rink. He’s a smooth-skating defenceman with a terrific shot. But his defensive skills remain suspect. But with O’Bryne now in Hamilton, a move that had to be made in order to give the struggling blue-liner regular playing time, Weber will get his chance to impress the Montreal brass. His last chance to impress Montreal brass, in Montreal, came at the Bell Centre Nov. 30, which he scored a pair of goals in a game against the Binghamton Senators. He will no doubt see action, at least on the power play, during this call-up.

Of immediate concern, however, is the fact that the Canadiens have not been able to escape the injury bug this season, which was not the case last season, when they were a consistantly healthy bunch. Because with the giddiness that comes with the team’s recent winning ways, and lofty expectations when it comes to players like Chipchura, Pachioretty and Weber, comes the harsh reality that with a steady stream of Habs making their way to sick bay throughout this season,  the Montreal Canadiens are quickly turning into the Hamilton Bulldogs.

It’s not every day that your number one line is sitting in the press box.

But that could indeed be the case when the Canadiens return to action Friday in New Jersey after closing out the 2008 calendar year with three victories in four nights; win number three coming last night in Tampa thanks to a 2-1 shootout decision over the Bolts.

The fact that the Lightning have jerseys with the gawd-awful nickname BOLTS plastered on the front is a conversation for another day.

By the time this one was over, Alex Tanguay had shaved, showered and was making his way to the team bus with his left arm in a sling.  Three shifts into his game, Tanguay was taken into the boards, hard, by Evgeny Artyukhin and gingerly made his way to the locker room,  never to be seen again.  His night over, after just 1:43 of ice time.  The injury forced Guy Carbonneau to shorten his bench on a night when the Canadiens were clearly somewhat wobbly-legged as a result of three games in four nights.

However, both goaltender Carey Price and forward Guillaume Latendresse gave the Canadiens a chance to come away with at least one point against the BOLTS.  Price slammed the door after surrendering a first-period goal to Vinnie Prospal.  After the two teams skated through a scoreless second period, the recently rejuvenated Latendresse notched his fifth of the season when he poked a backhander past Mike Smith through a pile of bodies, just :46 into period number three.

Truth be told, the Canadiens were the better team over the final 25 minutes of this hockey game.  Robert Lang had a chance to win it in regulation on a breakaway at the 14-minute mark of the third, but failed to convert.  And with five seconds showing on the clock, Andrei Kostitsyn rattled one off the post. Then, in O.T., Maxim Lapierre was robbed by Smith, with the BOLTS’ goaltender down and out in his crease: nothing but air for Lapierre to shoot at.

He missed.

However, Lapierre didn’t miss in the shootout.  After Alex Kovalev opened the round of shots with a goal, Lapierre beat Smith to give Montreal a 2-1 advantage, setting the stage for Lecavalier vs. Price.  And Price won that battle, giving the Canadiens another two points and a 2-1 victory.

While Price celebrated in the crease with a pose that looked like a cross between an archer and Hulk Hogan, Alex Tanguay didn’t look like a man who was going to do much celebrating as he made his way to the team bus, grim faced, sporting that sling on his left arm.  Tanguay has struggled of late after opening the season in explosive fashion playing on a line with Latendresse, and then Chris Higgins, along with Saku Koivu.  The goals were coming in bunches for the former Calgary Flame.  Not any more. Just exactly how long Tanguay is lost to this club remains to be seen.  But, for now, at least, he joins his former linemates Koivu (lower body) and Higgins (upper body) in sick bay.  And perhaps in the press box for Friday’s game in New Jersey, pending the results of an MRI.

In the meantime, the question is:  who will the Canadiens call up from Hamilton if Tanguay remains out of action? The two obvious candidates would be Kyle Chipchura and Max Pacioretty.  Interesting to see that both of those two young men are playing their best hockey of the season down on the farm, as whitnessed by their performance in last night’s 4-0 win over the Toronto Marlies at Copps Colliseum in Hamilton.  Chipchura notched his 10th of the season while  Pacioretty, who is finally beginning to feel comfortable with his move from the university ranks to the American Hockey League,  scored his fifth in his best performance of the season.

My suggestion?  If the Canadiens need to make a personel move as a result of the injury to Tanguay, they should call up both Chipchura and Pacioretty, and send Ben Maxwell back down to Hamilton.  Maxwell is clearly not ready for prime time.  Chipchura would replace Maxwell at centre, and Pacioretty would replace Tanguay at wing. IF Tanguay needs to be replaced at wing.

We’ll know more after Tanguay’s New Years’ date with an MRI machine.

Center Kyle Chipchura and Left Wing Max Pacioretty have been recalled from the Hamilton Bulldogs. Chipchura has 9 goals and 11 assists in 23 games for the Bulldogs. Pacioretty has 3 goals and 17 assists in 29 games.

Meanwhile, Goaltender Loic Lacasse has been reassigned from the Hamilton Bulldogs to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. In 3 starts for the Bullgogs, Lacasse has a 1-1-1 record with a 4.13 GAA and a .885 save percentage.

In other team news, Saku Koivu did not make the trip to Pittsburgh and Andrei Kostitsyn skated with the team in practice but no word on whether or not he will be in the lineup for tomorrow’s game against the Penguins. It also seems Georges Laraque will be put on Injured Reserve with a groin injury. However, he did fly with the team to Pittsburgh.

Links:

Kyle Chipchura’s Montreal Canadiens Player Page
Kyle Chipchura’s Hockey DB Stats
Max Pacioretty’s Montreal Canadiens Player Page
Max Pacioretty’s Hockey DB Stats
Loic Lacasse’s Montreal Canadiens Player Page
Loic Lacasse’s Hockey DB Stats

It says here that you’re not going to win too many hockey games when you can only score one goal.

For the second straight game, the Montreal Canadiens could score but one goal. And for the second straight game, that goal scorer was Patrice Brisebois, who might not be Sheldon Souray or Mark Streit. But at least he put the puck in the net, which is more than can be said for any of his teammates over the last 120 minutes of hockey.

The Habs made Simeon Varlamov look like Jacques Plante as the rookie goaltender stopped 32 shots in his very first NHL game. Jaroslav Halak made his third straight start for the Canadiens as a result of the flu bug that has bitten Carey Price, and a lower-body injury that Price is currently dealing with.

Marc Denis, called up from the Bulldogs, was the backup.

Nicklas Backstrom and Michael Nylander, with the winner with less than three minutes to play, were the only Capitals able to beat Halak on this night. But then again, you’re not going to win too many hockey games . . . (…fill in the blanks).

Montreal head coach Guy Carbonneau was clearly fit to be tied when this one was over, as a result of the season-long lesson in futility that has been delivered by this team’s power play unit: 0 for 8 last night; 6 for 77 in their last 17 games. Alex Kovalev, without a goal since November 1st, stretching 19 games, didn’t feel The Coach was sending a message when he put fourth-liners Steve Begin, Tom Kostopoulos, and Maxim Lapierre on the ice for a couple of power play shifts in the second period, after the Habs blew a four-minute man advantage situation.

Carbo begs to differ. He WAS sending a message.

“Right now our power play is non-existent,” lamented Carbo when this one was over.

With Saku Koivu out for at least two weeks (before he’s re-evaluated) with a lower-body injury (likely a foot or ankle) Ben Maxwell made his NHL regular-season debut after being called up from the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs and played on a line with Matt D’Agostini (who has looked impressive in a Montreal uniform in the handful of games he’s played since joining the Big Team) and Andrei Kostitsyn. Maxwell looked like a deer caught in the headlights in the first period, but managed to settle himself down and generate a couple of scoring opportunities in his 12:28 of ice time.

“I’ve got to be a little stronger, a little faster and a little smarter out there,” said Maxwell. “Tonight I felt like I was running around a little too much.”

The clock would appear to be ticking on Maxwell’s stint with the Habs. The prevailing theory is that if Koivu is out for any length of time, Maxwell will be sent back to the Bulldogs and Kyle Chipchura will get the call to join the Big Team. A groin injury prevented Chipchura from re-joining the Habs this time ’round.

And, with Koivu out, Kovalev found himself wearing the Captain’s “C.”  Going into the game, Carbonneau was asked if he hoped if the “C” on Kovalev’s jersey might inspire the enigmatic number 27.

“I hope not,” Carbo responded at the time, adding, “I don’t believe you need a letter to get going.”

Well, as it turned out, the letter didn’t “get Kovalev going.”  Then again, over the last 120 minutes of hockey, no one else on this team has been able to get anything going, either, on the score sheet at least, other than Brisebois.

Yes, the effort was there for the most part, at least after a listless opening period.  But the results weren’t.

So, what began as a very promising seven-game home stand closed with a thud with back-to-back losses to the Tampa Bay Lightening and Washington Capitals. The injury-riddled Canadiens hit the road tomorrow as they prepare to meet the ‘Caines Tuesday night.