Ann 2Game 13 Review: Higgins Scores Hattrick, Price Earns Shutout In Montreal's 4-0 Win Over Senators
November 13th 2008 23:36
After their atrocious performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens held a hour-long reunion before team practice the next day to get everything out in the open, mostly using video to expose the players to their lack of discipline, of team cohesion, and lack of passion. The result was a near-perfect game on Tuesday where the Canadiens stayed focused for the whole 60 minutes, something they hadn't done yet this season.
Three of the Canadiens' four goals were scored by Christopher “can't score” Higgins including one shorthanded off of a superb lob pass by Saku Koivu. His second was the result of a superb pass by Sergei Kostitsyn who seems to have found his intensity after his confrontation with Grabovski on Saturday. The other goal was scored by Guillaume Latendresse right after a faceoff won by Robert Lang. At the other end, 21-year-old Carey Price stopped all of the 28 shots he saw while his defense helped out for the rest.
But more than Higgins' first career hattrick, more than Price's shutout, it was the Habs' team effort that was amazing on Tuesday. The forecheck was there, the backcheck was there, the neutral zone was clogged, and when the Sens got a chance because Price was out of position, the defense stood tall. Although he didn't get any points, Markov was the All-Star defenseman everyone knows and loves, not the guy who got beat by Grabovski (of all people) in the last game. Komisarek laid some good hits, Bouillon fought Ruutu for the latter's hit on Maxim Lapierre; everyone was pulling in the same direction. The return of Hamrlik did a lot of good to the blueline corps. Although the veteran isn't regarded as highly as Komisarek and Markov, he is the stabilizing force of the defense. Without him, the Canadiens are 0-4, it might be a coincidence but for a regular follower of the team, it's easy to see the difference when Hamrlik is there as opposed to when he isn't. Finally, the other unsung hero of the team, defenseman Josh Gorges, had another strong game picking up two assists during the night.
This game and the match against Toronto are probably one of the reasons why Habs fans are so bipolar. Everyone knows they can play, so when they don't, it just makes you sick to your stomach. Let's hope they'll keep it up tonight against the Boston Bruins.
My 3 Stars:
3.Josh Gorges
2.Carey Price
1.Christopher Higgins
Three of the Canadiens' four goals were scored by Christopher “can't score” Higgins including one shorthanded off of a superb lob pass by Saku Koivu. His second was the result of a superb pass by Sergei Kostitsyn who seems to have found his intensity after his confrontation with Grabovski on Saturday. The other goal was scored by Guillaume Latendresse right after a faceoff won by Robert Lang. At the other end, 21-year-old Carey Price stopped all of the 28 shots he saw while his defense helped out for the rest.
But more than Higgins' first career hattrick, more than Price's shutout, it was the Habs' team effort that was amazing on Tuesday. The forecheck was there, the backcheck was there, the neutral zone was clogged, and when the Sens got a chance because Price was out of position, the defense stood tall. Although he didn't get any points, Markov was the All-Star defenseman everyone knows and loves, not the guy who got beat by Grabovski (of all people) in the last game. Komisarek laid some good hits, Bouillon fought Ruutu for the latter's hit on Maxim Lapierre; everyone was pulling in the same direction. The return of Hamrlik did a lot of good to the blueline corps. Although the veteran isn't regarded as highly as Komisarek and Markov, he is the stabilizing force of the defense. Without him, the Canadiens are 0-4, it might be a coincidence but for a regular follower of the team, it's easy to see the difference when Hamrlik is there as opposed to when he isn't. Finally, the other unsung hero of the team, defenseman Josh Gorges, had another strong game picking up two assists during the night.
This game and the match against Toronto are probably one of the reasons why Habs fans are so bipolar. Everyone knows they can play, so when they don't, it just makes you sick to your stomach. Let's hope they'll keep it up tonight against the Boston Bruins.
My 3 Stars:
3.Josh Gorges
2.Carey Price
1.Christopher Higgins
| 54 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
