I haven't written in awhile, life has a way of holding back my words, chalk it up to bed case of writer's block, and the demands of raising a couple of kids. Anyway, yes, this is a hockey blog, not a diary entry, so lets get down to it.
The Habs are off to a blazing start, after last night's 2-1 victory over the Wild the Habs are sitting pretty with a 7-1-1 record, not too shabby. What pleases me the most about the Hab's fast start is that I believe they have yet to play their best hockey. Last year's top line of Kovalev, Plekanek, and Kostitsyn has yet to show the magic that it had the last year, and the powerplay, which was the bread and butter of the Habs last year, is a shell of its former self.
What then explains this fast early start? First and formost, I think the Habs are scoring goals outside of their top line, Saku and Tanguay seem to be a great fit, the third line (although it hasn't yet jelled with the return of Higgins) is always a threat, and the pluggers, although not putting up big numbers, have enough jam and energy to change the pace of any game. Secondly Carey Price is living up to expectations, this kid time and again comes up with big saves at key moments. He has a bit of a bad habit of over-handling the puck, but I believe that in time, he could have comparable puck-handling skills to a Marty Broduer, or at the very least a Marty Turco. And finally, I am impressed with the Habs defence this year, sure I would love nothing less than to see Brisebois sit in the press box and not as the Habs sixth defenceman every other night, but as a unit they have played some solid hockey. Huge props to Markov, who seems to have gone from an all-star defenceman to a Norris Trophy candidate.
Enough about the Habs for a bit, I'd like now to talk a little about the NHL in general. I haven't watched all that many games, and the games I have watched have really only been those inwhich the Habs were playing... but damn is it just me or are the refs really over officiating? Yes, its early in the season, the zebras have their marching orders from the league to call anything and everything, but damn, talk about ruining the flow of a game. Take lastnight's Habs-Wild game for example, the wild were rewarded 3 almost back to back 5-3 advantages... yes most of the calls were legit, but the refs have to swallow their whistles every now and then, just for the sake of the game. The idea that more powerplays will lead to more goals is a myth. Sure if each team has 5 powerplay chances a game, there is a chance that each team, if their units are functioning well will score a couple of goals each, but the Wild had 10 chances against the Habs lastnight and failed to score a goal at all. The special teams guys are a select group, if you have your 10 best guys on the ice for 15 minutes a period, they are going to wear out, it defeats the purpose. Give me an end to end 2-1, hardly any penalties called barn burner any day.
Thats all I have got... oh ya, Go Habs Go!!!
