Posts by Kevin Mio

The Rangers' Sean Avery has Canadiens' Brian Gionta in a headlock as Scott Gomez helps his teammate Tuesday night. Al Bello/Getty Images

Preview | Matchups | Tuesday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Basu's Playoff Checkup | Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Jaro Halak | Glen Metropolit | Jaro Spacek | Tomas Plekanec

• At a Glance: The Canadiens extended their winning streak to a season-high six games on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers. The Canadiens got goals from Glen Metropolit in the first period, his 16th, and Sergei Kostitsyn in the third period, his sixth of the season. Super pest Sean Avery scored for the Rangers in the second period, but that was only one of only 20 shots the Rangers had on Jaroslav Halak. The Canadiens dominated most of the game, including outshooting the Rangers 18-5 in the second period. Tomas Plekanec, who was a game-time decision, scored an empty-net goal to seal the win.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens killed off a power-play in the final minute of the game during which the Rangers enjoyed a 6-on-4 advantage after pulling Henrik Lundqvist. Plekanec scored his goal shorthanded with 36 seconds to play.

• What It Means: Montreal improves to 36-29-6 and 78 points, moving ahead of the Flyers for sixth spot in the Eastern Conference after the Flyers lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Predators. The Flyers have two games in hand, however. Montreal also opens up a seven-spoint lead on the Rangers, who remain in ninth place. The Canadiens are also only one point behind the Ottawa Senators for fifth place.

• What's Next: The Canadiens are in Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Saturday. They are then home to welcome the Senators to Montreal on Monday to start a busy week that also includes games against the Sabres, Panthers and Devils.

Ben Maxwell has been recalled from the Hamilton Bulldogs by the Canadiens on the eve of their game in New York and only hours after Tomas Plekanec left practice on Monday with an injury.

The Bruins' bench reels back after Canadiens' Travis Moen checked Boston defenceman Johnny Boychuk during the first period Saturday night. Dave Sidaway, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Saturday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Jaro Halak | Sergei Kostitsyn | Dominic Moore (talking at first about his alma mater, Harvard)

• At a Glance: For the first time this season, the Canadiens have won five straight games after defeating the Boston Bruins 3-2 Saturday night at the Bell Centre. Jaroslav Halak got the win, his 22nd of the season, making 21 saves on the night. The Canadiens got a pair of goals from Sergei Kostitsyn after Andrei Markov opened the scoring 6:02 into the first period with a power-play goal. Blake Wheeler scored early in the second period for the Bruins and Milan Lucic made it 3-2 with about eight minutes to play, making for a nail-biting finish.

• Key Moments: With a few minutes to play, Halak made an excellent save on Marco Sturm, robbing the Bruins forward of what look liked a sure goal and preserving the Montreal win.

• What It Means: Montreal improves to 35-29-6 for 76 points, still tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. The win also opens up a four-point gap between the Canadiens and Bruins, who hold down the eighth spot.

• What's Next: The Canadiens have a relatively light week coming up with a game Tuesday in New York against the Rangers and then to Toronto to take on the the Maple Leafs next Saturday.

The latest news on HIO mobile: Thanks for your valuable feedback on the mobile site. We are working to address your concerns and give you the choice between the full and mobile versions of the site on your mobile device. We hope to have a solution in place shortly. Thanks for your patience.

Hello everyone, in response to some comments and complaints about our new Habsinsideout mobile, I wanted to updated you on plans that should solve some complaints.

First off, the comment function will be coming, but only for next season. So stay tuned for that.

Also, given the popularity of the iPhone and iPhone apps, one is being planned for Habs Inside/Out in the near future.

Just like Habs Inside/Out, the mobile version is a work in progress, so do not hesitate to send us comments and suggestions as we continue to work and make it the best site for Habs information.

It’s been in the planning for months, but we are proud to officially launch a mobile version of Habsinsideout.com on Saturday.

It’s the same great website you have all come to love, but now you can take it with you wherever you go. Now you can get Mike Boone’s live game blog whether you are at home, in a bar or at the Bell Centre.

And you don’t have to wait to get home for the latest news from practice or updates on the status of your favourite players. Simply go to the Web browser on your smartphone and go to habsinsideout.com, and you will be automatically redirected to the new mobile version of the site.

Here’s what you’ll find:
· Mobile-optimized version of the main blog
· Schedules and real-time scores
· Player stats and rosters
· Mobile-optimized version of Mike Boone’s blog
· Photo gallery

Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak makes a save against the Lightning's Steven Stamkos Tuesday night. Christinne Muschi, Reuters

Preview | Matchups | Tuesday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Mathieu Darche | Jacques Martin | Jaro Spacek | Glen Metropolit | Scott Gomez

• At a Glance: Mathieu Darche has been a useful player for the Canadiens since being recalled from Hamilton and he continued to show why Tuesday night with a pair of goals in a 5-3 Montreal win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes on goals by Glen Metropolit and Scott Gomez, who finished the night with three points. Steven Stamkos made it 2-1 early in the second, but Benoit Pouliot quickly restored the two-goal lead and Darche scored the first of his two goals 7:33 into the second, chasing Antero Niittymaki from the Tampa Bay net. Matt Walker made it 4-2 midway through the second when his shot went off Travis Moen's stick and deflected passed Jaroslav Halak. Darche's second goal of the game, and his fifth of the season, came 3:26 into the third period, only moments after the end of a Canadiens power play. Martin St. Louis scored with 1:07 to play, but the Lightning could get no closer. Halak made 28 saves for the win, with Montreal going 1-for-2 on the power play while killing off three of four Tampa Bay man advantages. The Canadiens have won four of five games, and three straight, since returning from the Olympic break.

• Key Moments: Montreal killed off a Tampa Bay power play at the end of the second and start of the third before Darche gave the Canadiens a three-goal lead.

• What It Means: The Canadiens improve to 33-29-6 and 72 points, moving them two points ahead of the Boston Bruins, 4-3 losers in overtime to the Maple Leafs.

• What's Next: The Edmonton Oilers are in town on Thursday and the Bruins visit Saturday to wrap up a short three-game homestand for the Canadiens.

RDS is reporting that forward Michael Cammalleri and defenceman/forward Marc-André Bergeron skated before the rest of their teammates on Tuesday morning.

It's the second time Cammalleri has skated and he could return for a March 20 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

For Bergeron, he has been on skates five times, but the date for his return is unknown.

Cammalleri has been out since Jan. 30 and Bergeron since Feb. 4 with knee injuries.

The Gazette's monthly Hockey Inside/Out special section was printed on Tuesday. The section includes articles from Red Fisher, Pat Hickey, Dave Stubbs, Mike Boone and Kevin Mio. They includes a look at P.K. Subban, newest Hab Dominic Moore and an update on the health of legend Jean Béliveau.

Also, our latest downloadable drawing has been posted online. For March, it's Tomas Plekanec. Check it out on our Kids' Corner page.

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick can't stop shot by Canadiens' Dominic Moore during the second period Saturday night. Lori Shepler, Reuters

Gazette Preview | Matchups | Saturday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Benoit Pouliot | Jaro Halak | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Canadiens struck quickly in the first and third periods on Saturday night en route to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Brian Gionta scored his 19th of the season only 22 seconds into the game off a goal-mouth scramble. The Canadiens dominated most of the first period, but Anze Kopitar evened the score at 1-1 with less than two minutes to play with a nice move to beat Jaroslav Halak, who was making his first start since the Olympic break. Dominic Moore beat Kings goalie Jonathan Quick with a blistering slap shot 4:43 into the second period with Jaroslav Spacek in the penalty box. Then, only 36 seconds into the third period, Benoit Pouliot slid one under an outstretched Quick to give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead. Fredrik Modin make it 3-2 with about 13 minutes to play and the Kings pushed hard for the tying goal, dominating the third period until Tomas Plekanec scored an empty-net goal with just more than a minute to play.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens were able to kill off four straight Los Angeles power plays in the first two periods, and even scored a shorthanded goal thanks to Moore.

• What It Means: The Canadiens improve to 31-29-6 for 68 points and climb back into eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

• What's Next: Montreal is right back in action Sunday night against former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu and his Anaheim Ducks. The Canadiens are back home for three games after that starting Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and the Boston Bruins next Saturday.

In case you were wondering, former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu is doing just fine in Anaheim and enjoying playing under less pressure. However, he admits that playing against his former team on Sunday will be tough.

The Canadiens have recalled forward Ben Maxwell from the Hamilton Bulldogs. He will join the team in Los Angeles.

Maxim Lapierre has been suspended for four games by the NHL after a  hit from behind on Scott Nichol during the Canadiens' 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Sergei Kostitsyn has been dropped to the fourth line. Replacing him on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn is Tom Pyatt.

Sharks' Manny Malhotra battles with Canadiens' Josh Gorges and Carey Price for the puck Thursday night. Kim White, Reuters

Gazette Preview | Matchups | Thursday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Tomas Plekanec | Scott Gomez | Hal Gill | Carey Price | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Canadiens looked good against the Sharks on Thursday night for 52 minutes. Then it all came crashing down around them in a 3-2 loss. Montreal had a 2-1 lead heading into the third period thanks to goals by Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, with Patrick Marleau scoring for the Sharks early in the second to make it 1-1 for about a minute. But 12:32 into the third period, with the Sharks on the power play, Dany Heatley deflected a shot from the slot past Carey Price, who had a solid night in nets despite the loss. Moments later, Manny Malhotra scored the game-winner on a nice set up from Montreal native Torrey Mitchell. Price finished with 37 saves, while Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves for the win.

• Key Moments: Mere moments after Sergei Kostitsyn missed a chance to give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead, Malhotra scored with a one-timer from the slot to give the Sharks the lead with five minutes to play.

• What it means: Montreal's record drops to 30-29-6, dropping them into 10th place in the Eastern Conference, with two of the three teams ahead of them, the Bruins and Thrashers, holding three games in hand. The Rangers, now in ninth spot, also hold a game in hand on the Canadiens.

• What's Next: The Canadiens continue their California trip on Saturday in Los Angeles before facing former captain Saku Koivu on Sunday night in Anaheim.

Matt D'Agostini was already with his new teammates on Wednesday as his old teammates were on the way to San Jose. Find out what he had to say about being dealt as he spoke with stltoday.com.

Canadiens goaltender Carey Price makes a save against Bruins' Blake Wheeler in the first period Tuesday night. Brian Snyder, Reuters

Gazette Preview | Matchups | Tuesday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Carey Price | Glen Metropolit I and II | Mathieu Darche | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Canadiens got back to the business of earning a playoff berth on Tuesday night and downed the Boston Bruins 4-1 with Carey Price in nets. Montreal trailed for most of this game after Marco Sturm scored on the power play 12:11 into the opening period. After a mediocre first period, the Candiens played a better second period before turning it on in the third period. Glen Metropolit tied the game 1-1 2:40 into the third period, beating Tuukka Rask with a slap shot. Maxim Lapierre made it 2-1 five minutes later. Mathieu Darche, who assisted on the Metropolit goal, but the game away with a goal on a rebound from Metropolit with 2:30 to play. Benoit Pouliot capped off the scoring into an empty net at the 18:33 mark. Carey Price made 23 saves in what was a solid game after that first period goal. Rask faced 32 Montreal shots and fell apart in the third.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens killed off three Boston power plays after allowing that opening goal, allowing them the chance to get back into the game for the win.

• What It Means: The Canadiens improve to 30-28-6 and now have 66 points, one more than the Bruins. The Canadiens now hold seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Bruins have three games in hand.

• What's Next: The Canadiens fly to San Jose on Wednesday as the NHL trade deadline approaches at 3 p.m. Eastern. After that, the Canadiens play the Sharks on Thursday (10:30 p.m.), the Kings on Satirday (10 p.m.) and the Anaheim Ducks and Saku Koivu on Sunday (8 p.m.)

According to a report on Ruefrontenac.com, Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier and the agent for Tomas Plekanec, Rick Curran, held discussions during the Olympic break on Plekanec's future in Montreal.

Gauthier used the talks to find out what Plekanec, who leads the team in scoring, was hoping to get in his next contract.

"We talked during the Olympic break and decided to talk again after the NHL trade deadline," Curran said.

Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov returned to the ice with the Canadiens on Sunday as the team prepares to start a crucial road trip that could determine whether or not they make the playoffs. The only player still missing, other than the inured Michael Cammalleri and Marc-André Bergeron, was Jaroslav Halak, who was still in Vancouver on Sunday.

Our Pat Hickey was in Brossard on Sunday and spoke with Plekanec and Markov about their Olympic experience and being back with the Canadiens.

Injured forward Michael Cammalleri met with reporters in Brossard today to update his status as he continue to recover from a knee injury. Read Herb Zurkowsky's reports at montrealgazette.com.

The Habs annual blood drive runs all day today at Windsor Station. For more information on the event, visit this site.

From Herb Zurkowsky in Brossard:

The Canadiens are practising this morning at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard. But there are no new faces on the ice, as none of their Olympic-bound players have returned despite the elimination of their countries from the tournament.

Sergei Kostitsyn, who represented Belarus, is supposed to be on the ice Saturday, according to La Presse. Tomas Plekanec (Czech Republic) and Andrei Markov (Russia) will return to Montreal sometime this weekend, at which point they'll sit down with coach Jacques Martin and determine when they'll be expected to practise.

Herb Zurkowsky spoke to the Canadiens about Friday's Olympic semifinal and who they will be cheering for:

There are players in the Canadiens' dressing room with some mixed feelings prior to Canada's Olympic hockey showdown against Slovakia Friday evening.

Obviously, any Montreal players hailing from Canada will be rooting for their country – but that potentially means cheering against their teammate, goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who has helped propel his team to the semifinal showdown against Canada.

"A 1-0 win for Canada," said Matt D'Agostini. "They get 65 shots against him and Jaro's the first star in a perfect world." 

Those sentiments were echoed by others, their loyalties divided. They want to see Canada win, but also want Halak to play well.

"I want (Halak) to have a strong game and play well," defenceman Josh Gorges said. "But I'm Canadian. A 1-0 game would be nice and have him play well. But it's tough. I've got a lot of close friends on Canada."

Said fellow netminder Carey Price: "Actually, it's Canada against Slovakia. I've got to take Canada. I'm Canadian. But I hope he does well."

This from Herb Zurkowsky in Brossard:

The Canadiens are playing some five-on-five shinny at practice Thursday at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard.

With so many players still absent because of Olympic commitments, here are the lines they're using, from left to right:
Benoit Pouliot-Scott Gomez-Brian Gionta
Travis Moen-Dominic Moore-Maxim Lapierre
Mathieu Darche-Glen Metropolit-Matt D'Agostini
Andrei Kostitsyn, recovering from a knee injury, is the extra forward.

The defence tandems:
Hall Gill-Josh Gorges
Roman Hamrlik-Jaroslav Spacek
Paul Mara-Ryan O'Byrne

In an oversight on my part on Wednesday, I neglected to mention that this report was prepared by Herb Zurkowsky, who was at Brossard for the practice. My apologies. - KM

History will note Benoit Pouliot was the first Canadiens player to hit the ice – at 2:51 p.m., nine minutes ahead of schedule – as Montreal resumed its practice schedule Wednesday afternoon at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard following a 10-day Olympic holiday break.

Pouliot has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury.
Also practising with the team for the first time was winger Andrei Kostitsyn. He suffered a knee injury Dec. 31, at Florida, after being hit by the Panthers' Keith Ballard.

Mike Cammalleri, also recovering from a knee injury, isn't practising with the team.

Reader Dennis Kane sent in these photos he drew of the Canadiens when he was a kid - back in the 1950s!

According to Kane, he did them when he was in grade two at about 7 years old.

See what Kane, now in his 60s, produced as a child here.

As drawings continue to come in from kids, one thing is clear. The Canadiens goalies, Carey Price and Jarsoslav Halak, are the most popular pick for the drawings. Six of the last nine drawings we received are of one of the goalies.

And don't forget, you can download outlines for your kids to colour in.

I've decided not to pick a goalie to use as art for this posting to avoid any controversy.

The Gazette has introduced a new feature on its website called Kids' Corner. This website allows kids to send us drawings of their favourite players and we will feature them on the site.

As a bonus, some of the images sent it to us could also be published in our next Hockey Inside/Out section in early March. 

And you can also download PDFs of drawings done by Gazette graphic artist Kim Chute and colour them in. As of right now, we have downloads of Andrei Markov, Carey Price, Michael Cammalleri and Scott Gomez, with more to come.

Be sure to check it out and let your kids show their talents on our website.

Andrei Markov played 15:29 on Tuesday night in Russias 8-2 win over Latvia, collecting an assist, registering two shots on goal and was a plus-2 at the end of the night.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia face off tonight, pitting teammates Tomas Plekanec and Jaroslav Halak against each other, and Belarus, with Sergei Kostitsyn, takes on Finland with former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu.

Andrei Kostitsyn will not play for Belarus at the Vancouver Olympics after his name was scratched from the country's lineup on Monday. He is still recovering from a knee injury suffered on New Year's Eve.

Another injured Canadien, Andrei Markov, was skating with the Russian team on Sunday and is expected to play.

Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak is beaten by a shot from Flyers' Mike Richard during the first period Saturday night. Christinne Musch, Reuters

Preview | Matchups | Saturday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: P.K. Subban | Brian Gionta | Carey Price | Jaroslav Spacek | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: For the second straight game, the Flyers took a 3-0 lead on the Canadiens. But unlike Friday night, when they allowed the Canadiens to claw back, the Flyers kept on filling the net behind Jaroslav Halak en route to a 6-2 win. The Flyers scored three times in the first period on only nine shots, with Daniel Brière opening the scoring less than five minutes into the game. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter also scored before the first period was over. Brian Gionta scored on the power play for Montreal seven minutes into the second period, but Blair Betts scored a shorthanded goal for the Flyers a few minutes later and Brière added his second of the game with only six seconds to play in the second period. Scott Gomez scored on the power play six minutes into the third period, but the Canadiens could muster little else in the way of offence. Halak allowed five goals on 17 shots and was replaced by Carey Price in the third period, who stopped eight shots. He was beaten only by Brière on a penalty shot, completing his hat trick with a slick move and a backhand shot to the top shelf.

• Key Moments: A few minutes after the Canadiens scored in the second period, they were on another power play when Betts scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway after Roman Hamrlik mishandled the puck at the Flyers' blue line. That gave the Flyers a 4-1 lead and put the game out of reach.

• What It Means: The Canadiens dropped to 29-28-6 and remain at 64 points, three behind the Flyers in sixth place. With the Boston Bruins winning on Saturday, the Canadiens are now in eighth place, and both the Flyers and Bruins enjoy three games in hand on Montreal.

• What's Next: A few weeks off for the Olympic break before the next game on March 2 in Boston, by which time the Canadiens will hopefully have some of their injured players back in the lineup.

Canadiens' Dominic Moore tries to block a shot by Flyers Daniel Brière as Carey Price searches for the puck. Mike Stobe/Getty Images

Preview | Matchups | Friday's NHL schedule | Boone's Game Blog and About last night ... | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey's game story

AUDIO: Dominic Moore | Carey Price | Brian Gionta | P.K. Subban | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Canadiens started out well against the Philadelhphia Flyers on Friday night, but a late first-period goal and two quick goals in the second period led the Flyers to a 3-2 win. Scott Hartnell pushed a puck past Carey Price during a goal-mouth scramble with less than two minutes to play in the first period. Jeff Carter scored on a long-shot 1:17 into the second period on a long-shot Price should have stopped. Matt Carle scored two minutes later on a shot that appeared to go off the stick of Ryan O'Byrne and bounced past Price. At that point, it looked like the Canadiens were dead in the water, but they scored two fast goals of their own to start the third period. Glen Metropolit beat Michael Leighton when his shot went off a Flyers' skate in front of the net. Only 56 seconds later, Dominic Moore, acquired from the Panthers on Thursday night, banked a shot off Leighton's back and into the net to narrow the gap to 3-2.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens were able to kill off three successive Philadelphia power plays in the first half of the third period after Montreal had scored their two goals, giving the Canadiens hope of tying the game.

• What It Means: Montreal dropped to seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-27-6 record and 64 points, one behind the Flyers who have three games in hand.

• What's Next: The Canadiens and Flyers square off again on Saturday night before the NHL shuts down for a few weeks during the Olympics. The Canadiens are back in action on March 2 in Boston.