Back at it.

So I am back writing for you fine people,and I have a lot to cover since we blanked the Sens 3-0.
SOOOOO
Canadiens beat the Coyotes 3-2, Andrei Kostitsyn is looking like a talented chippy Belarussian and not a smelly, fat and lazy Belarussian. Gionta and Gomez do not score.
Canadiens beat the Islanders 5-3, Kostitsyn is still great, so is Pleks. Gionta and Gomez do not score.
Canadiens beat the Islanders 3-1, Alex Auld plays his first game and is great, AK an TP are still sick, Gionta and Gomez do not score.
AAAND FINALLY Canadiens lose to the Panthers 3-1, Markov comes back, Powerplay still stinks, Price gets outplayed by Vokoun, and of course...
Gionta and Gomez do not score.
So what conclusions can we draw from these games?
A) There is cautious optimism, actually, regular optimism in Montreal as the Habs are starting to come together and it is always nice when you start the season 7-3-1 and are first in your division.
B) Andrei Kostitsyn is back, Tomas Plekanec never left, and PK Subban is quietly leading all Rookie Defenders in points. Yay
C) Our second line is not clicking, Gionta and Gomez are playing with such offensive dynamos like Mathieu Darche and Travis Moen, while an offensively talented player like Lars Eller waits on the fourth line playing only ten minutes a game with one point so far this season. Definitely not a yay.

So I trust Jacques Martin, he's been in the league a long time and has paid dividends already here in Montreal, but this second line fiasco is something I cannot understand. They don't want Eller to develop in Hamilton because they believe he has NHL talent, but then do not give him enough ice time in the big leagues to develop into a top six forward. There are already rumblings from journalists like Bob "Big Head" MacKenzie who stated that Eller is looking like he will never be more than a third liner, I'm sure his opinion would not be the same if Eller had been playing with talented guys like Gomez and Gionta, or G-Love and Gio as they are known to their friends... True story about the G-Love thing.
The Canadiens play Columbus on Tuesday, they are a beatable team, the Canadiens have been playing well to anyone who says that the Habs should not be considered contenders because of the ease of their schedule should then also dismiss the beloved Toronto Maple Leafs who are "a great team" led by Phil Kessel "Hart Trophy Nominee" according to the wildly insightful Mike Brophy.
To Canadiens fans, ignore the haters, keep supporting the squad, and this will be a good year.
Peace
E

Entertaining Game. Habs top Jackets 5-3.

The first game of the A.G. era (After Gui!) era started off with a win, Carey Price made some show stopping saves, Tommy Boy Plekanec continues to rack up nthe points, and Sergei Kostitsyn a.k.a The Scarecrow (If he only had brain...) made a genereally triumphant return to the Bell Centre, playing hard nosed and setting up Maxim Lapierre's insurance marker in the third period.

Is it just me, or did that shot kind of represent Mad Max firing all of his frustration and futility plus a little bit of his buddy Gui's topless magazine spread into the net? I dunno if that's too deep for some Hab fans, but I think it sounds good.

We are now one game above five hundred for the first time in god knows how long.

Woohoo! We're #10! We're #10!

The Canadiens now get to take on the top two teams in conference as they head to steel town tonight and then head back home to host the Caps on Saturday. Washington will be looking for revenge after dropping a tight one last Friday.

Aha, dropping a tight one.

Poo.

You readers are slow lucky that you are reading the blog from one of Montreal's true sport intelligentsia.

Peace,

E

Start of a new era???

No.

Probably not.

But a win would be nice.

Some game notes close to puck drop, J.T. Wyman has been called up to the big club and will play in the suspended Georges Laraque's place on the fourth line tonight along with Kyle Chipcura and the newly called up Sergei Tit'syn.

Game on!