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Habs vs Wings

So this edition of the Habs has done something that hasn't been done since the 77/78 season, which is to win 6 of 7 to start a season. This torrid pace might not be sustainable for 82 games, but every point now is money in the bank when things get tight near the end of the season.

I'll be the first to admit I began to feel a little doubt during the 3rd period before Alex Galchenyuk dazzled us again with his work ethic and scoring touch. The game was a chess match until the 3rd, when the Habs finally opened up the floodgates and flipped the offensive switch out-shooting the Wings 15-3.

I'm doing my best to not harp too often on the officiating, and the game was smooth without too many calls (unless you count the 5 million offside calls..), but I think that actually hampers the Habs play-style. If you clog up the lanes and allow the d-men to bog down speedy wingers without calling interference on them, it eliminates the speed element which the Habs use to create offense. I also don't like the embellishment calls, I'm not saying that wasn't an embellishment by Patches, but either call the slash or the dive... I hate it when they call both. With the refs keeping their whistles in their pockets, I get that it might seem like it's the only way to draw a call, but it's a bad idea in the long run. They're keeping that list now, so there will be consequences later on in the season. Still, if not for that 4 on 4 play, I don't think the Habs would have tied the game. They needed space to skate, and that provided plenty of it.

Here are the player that I want to single out after tonight's game;

Carey Price - Solid in goal, and nothing means more to the Habs success this season than this guy playing this way. There will be more 1 goal games, and maximizing the points you get out of them will mean a playoff spot come June.

Alex Galchenyuk - He's finally getting some decent ice-time, and showing why the Habs took him 3rd overall. Him taking his game to another level is giving the Habs two real scoring lines.

Dale Weise - He played a bit over 13 minutes and brought energy to the game when the Habs looked a little flat. I'm still not certain I like him over Sekac in the lineup, but I would definitely put him over Moen.

One final note, who the hell came up with this ridiculous schedule??? The Habs start the season playing 3 games in 4 nights, then this week only play one game until Saturday, but then it's another 3 games in 4 nights. Are you telling me these dates couldn't have been arranged with a little more consistency? The bright side to all of this is that they got to practice the powerplay all week, and even though it didn't score tonight, it does look better than it did to open the season.

Sitting atop the Atlantic with a 6-1-0 record with 12 precious points in the bank, I can honestly say that this edition of the Habs has surprised even a fan like myself. If not for the blowout in Tampa, this team has found a way to win even though they almost always concede the first goal. Fix that, and this team could really catch fire!

Final score 2-1 Habs win in OT!

Thanks for reading, and as always please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

Cheers!
Jonathan
Filed Under:   ALL Habs   Montreal   Canadiens   Habs vs Wings   Habs  
October 23, 2014 1:34 PM ET | Delete
thanks for your blog
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