Ann 2Game 32 Review: Kovalev Leads Canadiens To OT Win Over Sabres (Highlights Video Included)
December 22nd 2008 17:34
When Andrej Sekera gave the Buffalo Sabres the lead for the third time of the night with a powerplay goal halfway through the third period, many critics were ready to make Kovalev the Canadiens' scapegoat in case Montreal lost the game. Indeed, the two penalties he picked up during the game both led to powerplay goals which gave the Sabres first a 2-1 lead then a 3-2 lead. But like in the playoffs series against Boston where he got a selfish penalty that put his team in trouble, the talented Russian winger came through once again, setting up Sergei Kostitsyn for the equalizer before adding the winning goal in overtime.
Like I previously mentioned, the Sabres took the lead three times Saturday night, forcing the Habs to play catch-up hockey for most of the game. They opened the score halfway through the first period when Derek Roy used defenseman Patrice Brisebois as a screen to beat Jaroslav Halak with a precise shot to the top corner. Montreal responded with a powerplay goal early in the second period when Sergei Kostitsyn's shot deflected off a defenseman's stick to beat Ryan Miller also in the top corner. Unfortunately, the Canadiens weren't able to keep their momentum even though Buffalo gave them two more powerplay opportunities. A holding penalty by Kovalev returned the game in Buffalo's favor as Clarke MacArthur scored his team's second right when Kovalev was getting out of the box. Still, the Canadiens wouldn't give up. Again, they equalized the mark early in the third period via Alex Tanguay who deflected Roman Hamrlik's shot from the point while Georges Laraque created traffic in front of Miller. Ten minutes later, Buffalo found themselves with a 4-on-3 powerplay as both Mike Komisarek and Johen Hecht were penalized before Kovalev returned to the penalty box for the second time after a foolish offensive-zone penalty. Consequently, the visitors scored again via Sekera. Instead of demoralizing the Canadiens, the Sabres' goal only spurred them on, particularly Kovalev. Indeed two minutes after Sekera, the Artist battled with two players along the boards and came up with the puck. He quickly sent it to the younger Kostitsyn waiting at left of Miller's net who promptly put the puck in the back of the net.
The final five minutes were fiercely contested by both teams though Buffalo players, who had played the night before, were starting to get exhausted by the Canadiens' aggressive forecheck and speed. Thankfully, they had a stellar goaltender in Miller who stopped every one of the Habs' desperate attacks before the end of regulation time.
Unfortunately, going into overtime meant that the tired players could easily make mistakes if pressed enough. That's exactly what happened in the first minute of extra-time as Sekera picked up a tripping penalty. The Habs couldn't score on that powerplay but four minutes later, they regained the man advantage when Jochen Hecht was punished for holding. This time around, the home team wasn't about to miss their chance. After sending his regular first-wave unit on Sekera's penalty, Guy Carbonneau adjusted the set-up by sending Andrei Markov, Kovalev, Robert Lang, and Matt D'Agostini. With this unit, the Habs had two left-handed shooters and two right-handed ones where before they had no right-handed players. This gave more options to the four players on the ice as they could easily attack the net from all sides. After some passes between the perimeter players (Kovalev, Markov, D'Agostini) – Lang was parked in front of Miller – Kovalev skated towards the net and picked up his favorite spot of the net where Miller had left a tiny opening. Without any warning, he fired off his wrist shot, giving a satisfying win to the Canadiens' fans.
In the end, the Habs' physical play gave them the edge over the Sabres as the visiting became more and more tired as the game went on. One sequence in particular comes to mind when thinking about the Canadiens' forecheck. In one crazy shift in the second period, fan favorite Steve Begin became a human pinball as he hit everything in his way while being in the offensive zone. The result was three hits for the number 22, and weary Buffalo players who slowly relinquished control to the Canadiens.
My 3 Stars:
3. Ryan Miller (Honorable mention to Steve Begin)
2. Sergei Kostitsyn
1. Alex Kovalev
Like I previously mentioned, the Sabres took the lead three times Saturday night, forcing the Habs to play catch-up hockey for most of the game. They opened the score halfway through the first period when Derek Roy used defenseman Patrice Brisebois as a screen to beat Jaroslav Halak with a precise shot to the top corner. Montreal responded with a powerplay goal early in the second period when Sergei Kostitsyn's shot deflected off a defenseman's stick to beat Ryan Miller also in the top corner. Unfortunately, the Canadiens weren't able to keep their momentum even though Buffalo gave them two more powerplay opportunities. A holding penalty by Kovalev returned the game in Buffalo's favor as Clarke MacArthur scored his team's second right when Kovalev was getting out of the box. Still, the Canadiens wouldn't give up. Again, they equalized the mark early in the third period via Alex Tanguay who deflected Roman Hamrlik's shot from the point while Georges Laraque created traffic in front of Miller. Ten minutes later, Buffalo found themselves with a 4-on-3 powerplay as both Mike Komisarek and Johen Hecht were penalized before Kovalev returned to the penalty box for the second time after a foolish offensive-zone penalty. Consequently, the visitors scored again via Sekera. Instead of demoralizing the Canadiens, the Sabres' goal only spurred them on, particularly Kovalev. Indeed two minutes after Sekera, the Artist battled with two players along the boards and came up with the puck. He quickly sent it to the younger Kostitsyn waiting at left of Miller's net who promptly put the puck in the back of the net.
The final five minutes were fiercely contested by both teams though Buffalo players, who had played the night before, were starting to get exhausted by the Canadiens' aggressive forecheck and speed. Thankfully, they had a stellar goaltender in Miller who stopped every one of the Habs' desperate attacks before the end of regulation time.
Unfortunately, going into overtime meant that the tired players could easily make mistakes if pressed enough. That's exactly what happened in the first minute of extra-time as Sekera picked up a tripping penalty. The Habs couldn't score on that powerplay but four minutes later, they regained the man advantage when Jochen Hecht was punished for holding. This time around, the home team wasn't about to miss their chance. After sending his regular first-wave unit on Sekera's penalty, Guy Carbonneau adjusted the set-up by sending Andrei Markov, Kovalev, Robert Lang, and Matt D'Agostini. With this unit, the Habs had two left-handed shooters and two right-handed ones where before they had no right-handed players. This gave more options to the four players on the ice as they could easily attack the net from all sides. After some passes between the perimeter players (Kovalev, Markov, D'Agostini) – Lang was parked in front of Miller – Kovalev skated towards the net and picked up his favorite spot of the net where Miller had left a tiny opening. Without any warning, he fired off his wrist shot, giving a satisfying win to the Canadiens' fans.
In the end, the Habs' physical play gave them the edge over the Sabres as the visiting became more and more tired as the game went on. One sequence in particular comes to mind when thinking about the Canadiens' forecheck. In one crazy shift in the second period, fan favorite Steve Begin became a human pinball as he hit everything in his way while being in the offensive zone. The result was three hits for the number 22, and weary Buffalo players who slowly relinquished control to the Canadiens.
My 3 Stars:
3. Ryan Miller (Honorable mention to Steve Begin)
2. Sergei Kostitsyn
1. Alex Kovalev
| 51 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
