Digital Dividend » Francois Gendron

Montreal Canadiens Clinch Playoff Berth in Overtime

Francois Gendron — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:31:00 +0000

For the last regular season game of this 2010-2011 season at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks played a very disputed game with an ending that pleased the crowd.

The only goals scored during regulation came during the second period. Michael Cammalleri scored for Montreal and Patrick Kane for the Hawks.

The scoring opportunities came at both ends of the ice, but both goaltenders in this game made fantastic saves to keep the score tied. Carey Price was literally in the zone. He saved the game for Montreal late in the third period during a Hawks' man advantage. As the puck was about to float in the net, Price made a reflex left hand save while falling backwards.

At the end of regulation, the score was still tied at one apiece. P.K. Subban ended the contest during a man advantage with a solid one-timer on a brilliant pass from Andrei Kostitsyn.

Subban once again added another flashy goal celebration to his resume as he raced towards Carey Price and collided with him in mid air.

The extra point gained during the overtime insured the Canadiens a playoff spot. With only two games left to the regular season, a ton of pressure has dropped from the team's shoulders.

Every year, I can't wait for the playoffs to begin. The intensity of every game only gets greater and greater. We saw a good example of it yesterday, as both teams played in typical playoff fashion.

As for Carey Price, this 2010-2011 season will be remembered as one of his best in career. Yesterday, Price played his 71st game, breaking the single-season club record for a goalie. It was also his 37th win, the most by a Montreal goalie since Ken Dryden in 1977-78.

Congratulations to Montreal for clinching their berth and the best of luck for the rest of the way!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens’ P.K. Subban Puts a Lid on a Catastrophe

Francois Gendron — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:47:00 +0000

A potential catastrophe was brewing as the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Calgary Flames on Monday night at the Bell Centre.

The Canadiens took a 4-0 lead during the second period with goals from Lars Eller, Michael Cammalleri, Jeff Halpern and Andrei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn's goal chased Mikka Kiprusoff out of Calgary's net who was brilliantly replaced by Henrik Karlsson who held the fort from that point on.

The Flames started to compete a lot better after the goaltender change. Calgary reduced the score to 4-2 before the end of the second period with goals from Rene Bourque and Jarome Iginla.

Early in the third frame, Ales Kotalik and Alex Tanguay tied the game at four as they both scored on Alex Auld in only 1:19. P.K Subban made many defensive mistakes and was a factor in this Flames comeback.

Auld was replaced by Carey Price as both teams played a total of four goaltenders during that game.

The score settled until overtime, and P.K. Subban scored a brilliant goal on Henrik Karlsson with a prefect shot to the top shelf. Subban made another spectacular goal celebration, a signature that bothers quite a few around the league.

The Canadiens will travel and play the Buffalo Sabres tonight. Carey Price is expected to start this one. Montreal has already defeated the Sabres three times this season.

(Picture: P.K. Subban, Canadian Press.)

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens: In A Downward Spiral

Francois Gendron — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:31:00 +0000

After a very good start in the first two months of this 2010-2011 season, the Montreal Canadiens are experiencing a very difficult month of December.

The team went from fighting for the top spot in the Eastern conference to the eighth position in a matter of four weeks. The Canadiens are having problems defensively while their offensive weapons aren't producing to an acceptable level.

The team's general manager, Pierre Gauthier, has acquired defenseman James Wisniewski this week in an attempt to stabilize his defense. Interestingly, the price tag wasn't too high; a couple of draft picks.

The Canadiens lost once again yesterday. The Washington Capitals blanked the Habs by the score of 3-0. Despite playing fairly well, the team failed to finish around the opposing net on numerous occasions.

Montreal has won only once during the first five games of their seven-game road trip. The Habs will finish their trip in Florida to face the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers before heading back to Montreal.

A couple of wins could attenuate the tension in the locker room. There is always tension between the players during losing a streak and the Canadiens are right in the middle of one right now.

We already heard a couple of players complaining about some individuals this season.

We even saw some pushing and stick jousting between Tomas Plekanec and P.K. Subban a couple of days ago during a team practice. One more sign that the tension is slowly boiling over.

Let's see if the Canadiens can win a couple of games before this year 2010 is over.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Canadiens-Bruins: Montreal Snaps Three-Game Losing Streak

Francois Gendron — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 12:54:00 +0000

The Montreal Canadiens bounced back from their deceiving 3-5 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers with a solid performance at the Bell Centre yesterday.

The Canadiens played well enough to collect a 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins, a solid rival who was only two points behind Montreal in the standings before the game.

Michael Cammalleri opened the score early into the game when the referee awarded him a penalty shot. A first goal into these conditions for Cammalleri in career.

Still into the first period, Maxim Lapierre scored his fifth goal of the season when his shot went off the post before hitting goaltender Tim Thomas in the back to finally trickle into the net. Blake Wheeler pulled the Bruins within a goal but Max Pacioretty answered right back with his first goal of the season, making it 3-1 in favor of Montreal.

Boston refused to let go and during the second period, Marc Savard put one past goaltender Carey Price to make it a one goal game once again. But Brian Gionta added another goal for Montreal when he tipped Pacioretty's shot, beating Tim Thomas for a fourth time.

The Bruins did score once more, this time during the third frame, but it was too little, too late. The goal from Milan Lucic added some suspense but the Canadiens held on to win it by the score of 4-3.

It was a night of ''first timers'' for Michael Cammalleri. Aside from his successful penalty shot early into the game, he was involved in a fight with David Krejci during the second period.

P.K. Subban also made his presence felt in this game with a highlight reel of a body check on Brad Marchant. Marchant was skating hard towards the Canadiens territory when Subban checked him in an unusual way.

Montreal will play the next seven games on the road to finish 2010. An important sequence for the Habs who try to stay with the top teams in the conference. The Colorado Avalanche will be their next opponent Sunday.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens-Buffalo Sabres: 4th Line Halts Habs Losing Streak

Francois Gendron — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 04:03:00 +0000

The Montreal Canadiens edged the Buffalo Sabres yesterday by a single-goal margin, all thanks to the Habs fourth line.

The unbelievable performance from the members of the fourth line combined with a solid performance from goaltender Carey Price, as the club avoided suffering a third consecutive loss.

Buffalo opened the scoring during the first period when Mike Grier broke in front of the goalie and went around Price.

The Canadiens answered quickly to that first goal of the game. Jeff Halpern completed a great pass from Mathieu Darche behind the net. Halpern's shot left goaltender Patrick Lalime clueless.

The Sabres took the lead once again, this time halfway into the second period. Jordan Leopold pounced on a loose puck at the side of Price's net.

Montreal replied even quicker to that goal. Only 46 seconds later, Benoit Pouliot tied the game up at two when Mathieu Darche, again, fed Pouliot with a great pass in front of the net.

Then a few minutes later, Pouliot beat Lalime with a powerful slap shot from the top of the circles. With two goals including the game-winner, Benoit Pouliot—now a part of the fourth line—really shined for the first time of the season.

The welcomed output from the Pouliot-Darche-Halpern line prevents the team from sinking quickly in the standings for now. But the weak production from Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Michael Cammalleri will send the club into free-fall sooner or later, should those players fail to find a solution.

Will the Canadiens top players snap out of their slump in November? Or will the team sink gradually?

We will have a part of the answer when the Vancouver Canucks visit the Bell centre next Tuesday.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens: Andrei Kostitsyn Leads Habs To Victory

Francois Gendron — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:29:00 +0000

Yesterday at the Bell centre, the Montreal Canadiens edged the Phoenix Coyotes during the overtime period by the score of 3-2.

Andrei Kostitsyn pounced on a loose puck in front of the net to seal the deal.

Kyle Turris early in the second period and Derek Morris at the first minute mark of the third period managed to score on goaltender Carey Price. Morris' goal tied the game up at two apiece until the overtime period.

Carey Price was solid in net for Montreal, especially after the Coyotes tied the score. Price saved Montreal from falling behind on a couple of occasions with spectacular saves. The ''Carey Carey'' chants at the Bell centre extinguished the ''boo's'' and let's hope it's for good.

Halfway in the second period, Montreal scored two quick goals. Tomas Plekanec opened the score for the Habs while two minutes later, Michael Cammalleri ended Montreal's power play drought halfway into the second frame with a very precise wrist shot.

Andrei Kostitsyn was named the game's first star with his OT game-winning goal. AK has already five goals this season including two game-winners. He leads the team with eight points after eight games.

But beyond those good stats, we can now notice his implication into the play. Andrei makes better passes to his teammates, places himself in better position without the puck, keeps himself in motion all the time and goes towards the front of the net on many more occasions.

I have never doubted his talent and those eight games shows that Kostitsyn can play at a high level. Let's see if he keeps the pace and give the Canadiens a 70+ points season.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins Collide Tonight

Francois Gendron — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 11:53:00 +0000

After a 3-2 loss against Toronto on Thursday, the Montreal Canadiens will play for the first time in the new Pittsburgh Penguins' arena.

Pittsburgh really want to win this one. Christopher Letang even used the word ''revenge." The Canadiens eliminated the Penguins and closed down Mellon Arena in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring.

Many players in the Penguins' dressing room genuinely hate the Montreal Canadiens for that, and are seeking revenge starting with tonight's game.

On Montreal's side, Michael Cammalleri cannot wait to begin his season after serving his one-game suspension. Cammalleri had 13 goals in 19 playoff games last year and was a large reason for Montreal's postseason success.

This should be a good one.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens’ Michael Cammalleri Suspended

Francois Gendron — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:37:00 +0000

Montreal Canadiens' Michael Cammalleri was suspended for one game by the NHL and will miss the season opener Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada center.

Cammalleri received a game misconduct penalty during the second period of the game between the Canadiens and the New York Islanders last Saturday, when he brutally hit Nino Niederreiter behind the leg with his stick.

The one-game suspension is a fair penalty in my opinion, as Cammalleri clearly intended to hurt his rival. This is a first suspension in career for the Canadiens forward.

Cammalleri was an important part of the team during the latest playoffs, as he registered 13 goals and 19 points in 19 playoff games.

I hope that the NHL will start to increase the number and the duration of suspensions this season; the number of serious injuries are on the rise and a number of them are avoidable.

We saw too many free shots from behind in the last few years and it would be a shame to witness a serious or tragic event before the league reacts.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens Name Brian Gionta Team Captain

Francois Gendron — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:03:00 +0000

14 months after the departure of Saku Koivu, the Montreal Canadiens chose Brian Gionta to be their new team captain.

Gionta becomes the 28th captain in the club's history.

The choice of Gionta as team captain did not catch anyone by surprise; the subject was covered by the media a couple of days ago, as it was treated as a rumor at the time.

The whole process probably allowed the team to evaluate the fan reaction to the rumor.

The majority of the players interviewed yesterday seemed to be pleased with Gionta's nomination. At 31 years old, Gionta has the experience to bear the responsibility and represents solid leadership in the locker room.

When asked about his first impressions, Gionta said that he was honored to wear the ''C'' and is proud to be a part of the rich history of the team.

Defensemen Andrei Markov and Hal Gill will both wear the ''A'' and will assist Gionta. Both Markov and Gill were serious candidates to become team captain.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Montreal Canadiens Cut 18 Players From Camp

Francois Gendron — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:35:00 +0000

Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens made their first training camp cuts.

The club sent eighteen players; two of them (Louis Leblanc and Jared Tinordi) will go back with their respective junior squad while the sixteen others will join the Hamilton Bulldogs.

The Canadiens evaluated their young talent during the last week of camp and preseason matches and were ready to make their first cuts.

Some of the players removed from the camp will likely have a chance to play with the team later, should the team experience a string of injuries during the regular season.

Among those who were cut, we find the names of Louis Leblanc, Jared Tinordi, Alexander Avtsin, Andrew Conboy, and Aaron Palushaj.

Those players received good comments about their overall potential and fitness level.

We could see one or two of those players back with the club during the regular season.

Here are the names of the 18 cut players:

Goaltender:
Robert Mayer

Defensemens:
Kyle Klubertanz
Frédéric St-Denis
David Urquhart
Sébastien Bisaillon
Marc-Antoine Desnoyers
Brendon Nash
Neil Petruic
Jared Tinordi

Forwards:
Alexander Avtsin
Jimmy Bonneau
Andrew Conboy
Dany Massé
Ian Schultz
Aaron Palushaj
James T. Wyman
Olivier Fortier
Louis Leblanc

Another cut is scheduled later this week to once again reduce the roster.

A couple of players are still looking to begin the regular season with the club.

Among those we find: Lars Eller, David Desharnais, Ryan White, Ben Maxwell, Max Pacioretty, Gabriel Dumont, Yannick Weber, Alexandre Picard, and Mathieu Carle.

(Picture: Louis Leblanc, RDS.)

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com