A look back at Game 1

Heck of a game, alright... Better not get too over-confident, seeing as how that almost blew up in our faces in the last round... http://habsbros.blogspot.com/

Wow. We have a bunch of posters here that sound extremely overconfident. I hope the players are not in the same mindset. We just squeeked by the Bruins, getting outplayed in at least 3, maybe 4 games. Our PP has gone completely disfunctional and is now the worst of the playoff teams. Our top lines are not scoring consistently. We are getting outskated and outhustled by much slower teams. We came within 60 seconds and a lucky break with a PP of dropping the first game against a team that must have been running on an empty tank due to playing what, 3 games in 4 nights? And here we have people posting which team they would like the Habs to play in the conference final. Sorry, I don't want to piss in anybody's cornflakes here, but everything is not going great in hockey land for the Habs. I am happy that we disposed of the Bruins and are now a game up on the Flyers, of course. But the team is going to have to pick it up at least a couple of notches to make it out of the conference final, not to mention going up against a team in the final that will likely be much tougher to beat than anything we face in the east. What I am saying is that I am worried about our team, not blubbering over with confidence and enthusiasm because we have gotten a few breaks and made it this far. And I am surprised that so many are apparently euphoric over the play of the team. Well, enjoy it. I hope we go all the way. But I don't think we will unless we change a few things. Just my humble opinion. I hope I am wrong.

What are they smoking in Philly???? Refs stole the game from you??? This is so laughable coming from so called journalists who can write their resumes on the back of matchbooks. You were beaten Philly. The actual score was 3-1. Take back Kovy's "questionable" goal and the two goals they "scored"??? and look........Pathetic whining.

Wow guys if you havent already, check out the article posted above "• Ed Moran, Philadelphia Daily News: Questionable calls spoil solid effort by Flyers in loss to Canadiens" , its just embarrasing, talk about excuses, the funny part is that they think the refs stole that game from them. The article itself is pretty laughable, and the comments are pretty rude

I know there were only two games last night, but it's still good to see that Kovalev and Kostopoulos were the 2nd and 3rd stars per NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?page=ThreeStarsPage&service=page

Observation : I found it funny for the first 15 minutes of the 1st period that we hardly seen Kovy or his name mentioned. I think he must have been checking out his armpits for odour as Saku and Higgy were flying around and carrying the puck doing there thing that Kovy wasn't a part of and i thought of Ryder,Sergie,Lats etc. who have already experienced that loneliness. That is something that's hard to explain but when those two talents (Saku&Higgy) are put together it always happens. So knowing this, and knowing the top two lines will remain the same for Saturday that it wouldn't be a bad idea, sooner better than later, to go back to the orginal lines if this happens again cuz Kovy's really important in this series as always. Just a thought. Go Habs Go.

Love this from Marcus Hayes: "If Daniel Briere, the playoffs' top scorer, truly was not affected by the continual booing - treasonously, he chose to sign with the Flyers over the Canadiens - then why was he so cleanly declawed last night?"

After travelling through other team's blogs and witnessing how ridiculous and ignorant they all are on it (well some seem pretty knowledgable)I'd have to say this website, is by far probably the most incisive and analytical website out there...On all the other blogs, all you hear is petty insults that seem like there spewing from a twelve year old kid's mouth, which surprisingly, wouldn't be surprising afterall...I joined this website midway through the season and am on it alot, not so much on weekends(I'm 22, I still love going out), unless I have a chance to, but the majority of my workday is spent reading and typing on this website and am very grateful that this website exists... Thank you all of H I/O Staff!! "11 'Till 25" "If I wanted to hear from an ***, I would fart..."

We escaped with a victory last night while being outplayed by Philly. What happened to our skating in the 3rd as the whole team looked flat?. Can't blame it on the 7 game series because our opponent did the same but were much fresher. The bottom line though is that we won by coming twice from behind which is always great. Brisebois, even though had a good series against Boston, I'd like to see O'Byrne in his spot tomorrow. Not only did he deflect the first Philly goal but he also screened Price on the second, what's up with that? I love the changes to the top 2 lines as they create more chances especially on the PP. Hoping for a better effort tomorrow. The line of Begin, Smolinski & Kostopoulos was simply amazing.

Nice to read of TK wanting to scan the channels for a replay of his goal. It's the reason we love guys like Begin and TK- they're regular guys, playing their hearts out. Of course, someone should tell him the Habs have a video guy. But it's more fun to picture him getting home, flopping down on the sofa with his probably beautiful wife, and flipping to sportscentre or RDS.

hey hopefully they can play a much better game tomorrow night and i think it might help if they replace breezer with obyrne for some more speed and physicality it seems like breezer is having a problem sustaining the level of play he started the playoffs with they can take turns alternating evey game or so. also to put ryder back in for dandy on max's line which seems like the only line struggling out there for starters we dont really need 2 shut down lines besides for which ryder has really improved on his defensive prowess and he adds a wicked shot to that line

i think this year's playoff run is reminding me of the run in 1993 i mean we have everything going right for us,we don't play well should lose games and don't (i.e) last night so the end result of our great run this year will to a trip the stanley cup final and utimately we will be crowned stanley cup champions for 2008 and boy i can't wait! ...........last night i went to bed enjoying my last few days of my vacation made all the more enjoyable because our boys won.anyways i had a dream that we won the stanley cup and all i could see in my dream was the cup getting passed from kovalev to higgins,to price and to komisarek so....let's hope that my dream comes true!

for you 'tetes a claques' fans.... http://nt.net/sleroux/tac/player.cgi?101_gars_de_boston_2.flv

the habs looked like the sleepy bunch in the first.but we play better desperation hockey and the rest is history.price looked a lil shakey at times.koveys the man.the koz's are an awesome line.this team has the desire and the drive for 25 goes on. go habs go!!!!

as usual bob cole was brutal last night. could only manage to listen to him for the first ten minutes. why does cbc continue to shove the voice of the leafs down our throats? i think we can all agree that it is time to put ryder in for dandy. dandy hasn't done anything. the talk show with so called experts (110%) think lats should get back into the lineup. i am also getting tired of leaf fans talking about how hard of a time the habs are having with the "two weakest" playoff teams. i swear all leaf fans get a pamphlet in the mail entitled "things to say to your habs friends". At first all leaf fans would say "four straight" before the playoffs started. and for the record, i can't stand when sports writers used the term "questionable call". What they are saying is that they think it was a bad call. i seem to remember watching philly knock over huet and scoring a big goal against washington. that was a questionable non-call.

I gotta tell ya - reading the articles coming out of Philly...what a bunch of WHINERS! Unbelievable. There were MANY calls that went their way. MANY. But to write articles based solely to cry that if it weren't for the one sided officiating, that the Flyers would have come out the winners. Whatever. Them's the breaks boys. ........... "To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high." The Drive for 25 is ALIVE!!

You gotta love all the crap being raised about the "kneeing" penalty. Maybe it wasn't kneeing, but then for sure it was tripping. If it was a clean shoulder hit (as I've been hearing alot of Philly fans saying), Kovalev should've been knocked backwards onto his *** rather than forwards onto his face .... simple physics. Anyway, the Flyers had their fair share of calls that went their way, and Karma's a bitch!!! Last night WAS a strange game, but I am looking forward to the rest of the series. GO HABS GO!!!!!

Does anyone know where Mikhail Grabovski is?

All's I can say is... you gotta be good to be lucky.

Last night. Tom The Bomb! Snap, Krackle, and Bop! Glory hallelujah! The Habs winning was great and all, but I’m still a bit puzzled by other, unrelated events yesterday; even though he probably wouldn’t win it, why isn’t Sean “The Windshield Wiper” Avery a finalist for the Lady Byng? Martin “Thank The High Heavens I’ve Spent Virtually All Of My Overrated Career Playing On The Same Line As Vinny” St-Louis? Gimme a break. I watched the All-Star Skills Competition, folks, and his penalty shots were an affront to good taste. Lady Byng, the most coveted chick in pro sports, would have been ashamed. Martin St-Louis. Didn’t he win the Hart? Didn’t Bernie “Thank The High Heavens I Play On The Same Line As Wayne Gretzky” Nicholls play on the same line as Wayne Gretzky? No, wait, I’m thinking Rob “Thank The High Heavens I Play On The Same Line As Mario Lemieux” Brown who, if I remember correctly, played on the same line as Mario Lemieux. Avery invented a penalty. If that ain’t sportsmanlike, I don’t know what is. But, I digress. Thank the high heavens Marty “My Left Arm Must Have Been Paralyzed In An Accident” Biron is, it turns out, a lousy playoff goaltender. Can’t handle the pressure, nor the puck. I called him half-decent the other day; what I meant to say is he’s half-crap. Yeah, Tim “Seizure” Thomas should probably hook up with The Philly Sieve in some Cirque de Soleil juggling act, but at least Timbit can catch a puck. I think the key to the glove hand is to move it up and down, Marts, depending on where the puck is headed. Just standing there won’t do it. Kostitsyn’s shot was about as fast as LaPrincesse’s best effort, Mars Bar. The Effin’-Liars didn’t deserve to win last night’s game any more than the Habs did. What I can, however, say is The Sieve heard the sweet bing of two goal posts saving his skin in the first period; this not to be confused with the sweet Byng, given being nominated for the Byng is like being nominated as the Special Ops guy who thinks wearing camouflage is unfair. I am thankful he sucked and hope he continues to suck. The Ulcatcho Cuke wasn’t at his best last night, but that’s the point; Price can be better. I’m not certain Be-Wrong can. We also had some three breakaways, one that even transformed into a Andrei “Don’t Touch My Hair, Guimauve, Or There’ll Be A Smackdown” Kostitsyn penalty shot and one of The Sieve’s only two decent stops of the night. RDS replayed the last Habs playoff penalty shot from some 20 years ago featuring Mats…Nasloooooooooooooond! Still hard to believe Mats was the last Hab to pop 100. Unlike Avery, Mats did win the Lady Byng. The NHL would eventually strip Mats of the trophy for returning to the league in 1994-95 to play for the Broonzes. I think Billy Smith was in nets for that one. I keep hearing how if Smith, or fellow mental case, Ron “Yes, I Was Wagging My Tongue After Going After Chelios…Don’t Ask Me Why, Ok?” Hextall was in nets when Avery pulled that back-to-the-play, stick-taunting crap, that things would have been different. Yes. They would have been different; i.e., either Smith or Hextall would have been suspended for a few games after axing the jerk and their respective teams would have suffered for it. How about I AM Kovalev, last night? Pippen and Jordan couldn’t have done it any nicer on his first one, the second marker reminiscent of his tying goal in that sweetfest against the Rangers, minus the post-goal change-my-diaper move. How about Crazyboy, last night? He gets absolutely pasted by a guy twice his size, gets up, and plays like nothing happened. He put Lazarus himself to shame. How about Kaptain Krunch last night? He went 17-for-24. I think Brie also went 17-for-24, getting tossed from the faceoff circle, that is. I’ll say it again: · The Habs are a superior hockey team back to front. · The Habs learned a lesson in the first round, and were reminded of it during some stretches last night. Habs in 5. Oh, and before I forget, it’s way too little and far too late, so, go f*** yourself, Don. JD

Was Habs KO Win Over Flyers A Ghostly Voodoo Thing? http://wwwrealitycheckeyesontheprize.blogspot.com/2008/04/was-habs-ko-wi...

What's with all this whining about "dubious calls" in Philly? A knee is a knee is a knee, and Kovy's goal was not, from where I was sitting, above his shoulders. The Philly journalists seem to think the puck has to be touched below the crossbar to be valid, but I'm pretty darn sure it's the player's shoulders. This coming from a team that only advanced to Round 2 by pummeling Huet with bodies and smacking him out of his net. 1. www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat 2. Josh Gorges on Montreal's attack: "They're comin', they're comin' and they keep comin'. Just line after line, wave after wave..."

Did we used to have Michael Leighton? I feel like he was part of the Aebischer trade but I can't remember. Anyway, he made 98 saves last night! I wish I could have seen the highlights of that performance.

I personally love how all the Philly articles talk about the Canadiens luck - and yet no mention of the lucky Brisebois goal. Journalism frustrates me. And I just graduated from the Concordia Journalism program.

Can't believe the article "Forget Philly, These Fans are a Crass of Their Own" I can understand how others would criticize Montreal for the rioting that occurred after the win against Boston. Or for the fact that Richards had beer spilled on him during the game. Both events were classless and below our dignity as true fans. What's really funny is John Stevens talking about Washington fans littering the ice after that poorly officiated Game 7 saying those actions "...disrespecting the game. Disrespecting the players." Funny. How would he define the hit of Steve Downie on Dean McAmmond. Or the goonery of players like Boulerice, Cote and Jones during the season? Clean hits are one thing but dirty/dangerous ones another altogether. I can't stand hypocrisy. Get off your soapbox Stevens.

I never understood why penalty killers and centers on crucial face offs don't have wood sticks made up for use in those situations. After all do you really need the flex for the harder shot in those situations?? Barely. I would rather have a stick that I could trust in those situations. The tank is full, now let's map the route for the drive to 25!!

I find it funny that Biron said he thought it was a high stick right away but when you look at the replay you can clearly see that Biron was looking the opposite direction from where Kovy was, he is such a BSer.. Lucky win for us and quite sloppy defensively in our zone. We are giving them WAY too much room to maneuver in our zone with the puck and get shots from the high slot..NOT GOOD!

This is totally off topic... I am looking for a huge favour from a fellow fan that will be attending the upcoming home game. It is regarding the flags and shirts that are given away at the Bell Centre if you apply for a Credit Card. If you may be willing to help, please contact me directly. Thanks in advance!!! ______________________________________________________________________ Have always been a Habs fan...will always be a Habs fan. I was born on the bandwagon and will die on the bandwagon...there is no on and off.

We didn't play badly at all. Two of their three goals were incredibly flukey - one was a bad Breezer deflection into his own net, and the other was bad bounce off a Philly foot. I realize that luck's part of the game, but you take those out and we win 3-1 in regulation, and everyone's talking about how we dominated all game long. 1. www.flickeringpictures.com - not a hockey site, but still kinda neat 2. Josh Gorges on Montreal's attack: "They're comin', they're comin' and they keep comin'. Just line after line, wave after wave..."

A little FYI on Knuble: "Mike Knuble was not on the ice yesterday when the Flyers took their morning skate. Apparently there is no change in the condition of his hamstring tear, and his availability for this series is in doubt. Meanwhile, Jarsolav Modry, listed as a healthy scratch, will not be available for the next two games because he will be returning to the Czech Republic to attend the funeral of his father, Jarsolav Sr., who died last week of cancer." And my sincere best thoughts for the Modry family at this time. I know from past posts that I am not the only HIO member that has lost a family member to cancer. [comment edit below] Cheers to Saku, and best thoughts for the entire Sousa family as well: "Maria Sousa, 76, will finally get to see a National Hockey League game in person Saturday - and the Canadiens fan will come from Toronto to do it." Link is up above the fold...

Great game, let's play better tomorrow and take a 2-0 lead!

Man, how many times have we done that, played mediocre throughout the game and come back to win it...Buffalo, NYR, Philly last nite, anymore??? I cant remember "11 'Till 25" "If I wanted to hear from an ***, I would fart..."

We played horrible and still won, I love this team.