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Montreal Canadiens News

Montreal Canadiens defeat New York Islanders 4-2
February 10
Montreal Gazette
 
"Max Pacioretty picked up his first NHL hat trick to lead the offence and Carey Price made 31 saves as the Canadiens defeated the New York Islanders 4-2 at the Nassau Coliseum Thursday night. But the loudest cheers from the Canadiens' fans in attendance were reserved for Scott Gomez, who scored his first goal in more than a year. Standing still: The Canadiens' third consecutive victory allowed them to move into 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings with 53 points and a one-point edge over the Islanders. But the Canadiens made little progress in their pursuit of a playoff spot because the teams they're chasing either won or earned points. The one exception was Toronto, which lost to"
Islanders find way to lose another crucial game
February 10
New York Post
 
"There is no one saying that the Islanders don't have an abundance of problems, but there's just something about the way they find a way to lose important games that makes it seem like any upward mobility in the standings is more pipe dream than possibility. Last night at the Coliseum was a prime example, as the Islanders went toe-to-toe with the Canadiens, but because of a confluence of mistakes, misfortune and missed opportunities came away empty-handed, losing 4-2. "These are points that you can't let slip away," said coach Jack Capuano. "To make a push for the playoffs, you have to win your home games. The last few here, we've played decent but not good enough to win. That's the"
Montreal Canadiens: Max Pacioretty and Scott Gomez share the spotlight
February 10
Montreal Gazette
 
"As the media waited for the Canadiens' locker room to open after Thursday night's 4-2 win over the New York Islanders, Max Pacioretty stuck his head out and asked: "Did it count?" He was asking about his last-second shot into an empty-net and when he was assured that it had counted, he broke into a wide smile. "That's my first NHL hat trick and my first pro goal into an empty net," Pacioretty said. "I wasn't watching the clock, but my teammates were yelling at me and I knew I had to get the puck off fast." The puck was a true buzzer-beater, going into the net at 19:59."
Montreal Canadiens' Mathieu Darche earning every second of ice time
February 9
Montreal Gazette
 
"Not a week goes by without at least one email questioning Mathieu Darche's presence in the Canadiens' lineup. They ask: "Why was he on the ice in overtime?" Or "How come he gets so much ice time?" "Why did they use him on the power play?" Anyone who watched the Canadiens' last two games knows the answers to those questions. Darche played more than 20 minutes in each of those games and he was on the ice because he deserved to be."
Plekanec line shut down Malkin, Cunneyworth says
February 8
Montreal Gazette
 
"Tomas Plekanec scored the winning goal in the shootout, but that wasn't his most important contribution to the Canadiens' 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night. Plekanec and his linemates, Travis Moen and Mathieu Darche, were charged with checking the Evgeni Malkin line and they threw a blanket over the National Hockey League's scoring leader. "That was a difficult assignment for them, particularly for Moen who was coming back, but they did a good job and they created some chances of their own," said coach Randy Cunneyworth. "It hasn't been just one game for Tomas, he's played well the last couple of games," added Cunneyworth."
Canadiens prevail in lengthy shootout win over Penguins
February 8
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Strange things always seems to happen to the Penguins in Montreal, and Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss was no different. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury gave up a soft goal — something that rarely happens — star defenseman Kris Letang lost track of a forward on another goal, and Fleury actually permitted three goals in a shootout that lasted eight rounds. Of course, something else unusual also occurred. The Penguins were somewhat accepting of earning only one point against the Canadiens. "Obviously, it's a good point," said right wing James Neal, whose 28th goal of the season evened the contest with 12:28 remaining."
Long shot spoils Fleury's night / Canadiens 3, Penguins 2
February 8
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Used to be that a bad game would rattle Marc-Andre Fleury, causing him to follow it with one that wasn't much better. Not anymore, though. He proved that again Tuesday night, when he did just about everything possible to earn a victory for the Penguins against Montreal at the Bell Centre. He turned aside 28 of 30 shots in regulation, then five of eight in the shootout that decided the game."
Report: Sharks among frontrunners for Moen
February 6
CSN Bay Area
 
"Could Travis Moen be returning to the San Jose Sharks? According to a report in the Toronto Sun, the Sharks are among the frontrunners for the 29-year-old veteran left wing, who has nine goals and seven assists for 16 points with the Montreal Canadiens. Moen played 19 games for the Sharks in 2008-09, collecting three goals and two assists, when he was acquired from Anaheim along with Kent Huskins in exchange for Nick Bonino, Timo Pielmeier and a fourth round selection in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft on March 4. He was scoreless in six playoff games before leaving as a free agent that summer to sign with Montreal."
In the Habs' Room: Canadiens stand behind slumping Scott Gomez
February 6
Montreal Gazette
 
"When was the last time you heard the announcement of a Canadiens goal booed at the Bell Centre? It happened Sunday afternoon after Tomas Plekanec scored a power-play goal to complete the scoring in the Canadiens' 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The fans at the Bell Centre weren't unhappy with Plekanec; they were hoping that the goal would be awarded to Scott Gomez, who hasn't scored a goal since Feb. 5, 2011. The one-year anniversary of Gomez's last goal provided a subplot for a solid performance against the Jets and even Plekanec was hoping that Gomez would get the credit."
Canadiens' Carey Price shuts out Winnipeg Jets
February 6
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens took a 3-0 lead through two periods and then relied on Carey Price to make a series of acrobatic saves to preserve a 3-0 shutout win over the Winnipeg Jets Sunday afternoon at the Bell Centre. Price made 23 saves for his third shutout of the season, while Max Pacioretty, Alexei Emelin and Tomas Plekanec provided the goals. What's it mean: The Canadiens dropped into last place in the Eastern Conference Saturday after they lost 3-0 to Washington and Carolina beat Los Angeles 2-1. The win Sunday moved the Canadiens back into 14th place, but they're still 11 points behind eighth-place Toronto, and the Leafs have a game in hand."
Canadiens should start planning for next season, because this one is over
February 6
Montreal Gazette
 columnist Jack Todd
"When the Canadiens were busy tanking the early part of this miserable season, a francophone wit whose name we've forgotten suggested that it wasn't all that bad. "If you turn your newspaper upside down," he said, "they're in first place!" We're going to go out on a limb here and assume that you're reading this upside down. If you are, you already know that the once-glorious Montreal Canadiens are now the Sad Sacks of St. Antoine St. Even after Sunday's rather pointless 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets, the Canadiens have a record that would make a strong fan weep: they're 20-33 overall, with 10 wins in 28 games at the Bell Centre. They're tied for last in the Eastern Conference with 49"
Trade deadline gives Canadiens a chance to rebuild
February 6
Montreal Gazette
 columnist Red Fisher
"It's all in the math, but let me see if I have this right. The No. 14 Canadiens have 49 points in 53 games. And since a minimum of 93 likely will be needed to make the playoffs, what their 3-0 victory over Winnipeg on Sunday means is that they now need 44 more points in their remaining 29 games to reach that number. I would suggest that's too tall an order in a season that has been nothing less than a rocky ride and, at times, embarrassing. Here's a team that has won only 20 games. It must win at least that many in its next 29 and hope it can pick up four more points losing in overtime or the shootout. Get the picture? Dismal is one word that comes to mind. Bleak is another."
Peter Budaj frustrated by "unlucky break"
February 5
Montreal Gazette
 
"If you want to get a sense of the frustration that has overwhelmed this season, you only have to look at the goal Washington's Dennis Wideman scored Saturday. Wideman didn't get everything he wanted on a bouncing puck but the result was a high, fluttering shot that seemed to drop like a good curve ball just as it cleared Canadiens goaltender Peter Budaj. "He kind of like wedged it and it went over two guys," Budaj said. "I totally lost it in the air and it just dropped in. It was an unlucky break for us. It was kind of like a knuckle puck." Nobody seemed more surprised when the puck went in than Wideman. "It just went straight up," Wideman said. "You want to score goals, but when they go"
Joel Rechlicz won't play on Saturday after all
February 4
Montreal Gazette
 
"Rene Bourque could sleep soundly Friday night, secure in the knowledge that he wouldn't have to wake up and face Joel (The Wrecker) Rechlicz. The Washington Capitals recalled Rechlicz from the Hershey Bears earlier this week. Coach Dale Hunter said it was part of move to make the slumping Capitals tougher and when Rechlicz was flexing his jaw muscles Wednesday, he suggested that he would try his tough-guy act against Bourque when the Caps and the Canadiens clashed Saturday at the Bell Centre. You might recall that the Capitals weren't happy when Bourque, who was playing for the Calgary Flames at the time, elbowed Nicklas Backstrom in a game on Jan. 3. Backstrom is still on the sidelines"
Struggling Montreal Canadiens get a visit from sports psychologist
February 4
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens' disappointing season has not robbed Randy Cunneyworth of his sense of humour. Friday's practice in Brossard was preceded by a session with sports psychologist David Scott. It was pre-scheduled, not an emergency consultation, and the coach joked about his own therapeutic relationship with Scott. "I'm going to have him to dinner," Cunneyworth said, "and he's going to sleep over tonight." Lars Eller wouldn't reveal particulars of Scott's message to the players, beyond allowing the consultant said "some really good things we can take with us." "It's still fun to play hockey," Eller said, "and we're excited to play (Saturday)." The young centre said he and his teammates are"
Canadiens' Randy Cunneyworth slams officiating after latest loss
February 3
Montreal Gazette
 
"Canadiens head coach Randy Cunneyworth had no doubt why the Canadiens dropped a 5-3 decision to the New Jersey Devils Thursday night. It wasn't because Carey Price let in a soft goal in the first period. And it wasn't, as Josh Gorges suggested, because the Devils got the bounces and the Canadiens may have sat back after taking a 3-1 lead. And perish the thought that the Devils, who are sitting in a playoff spot a dozen points ahead of the Canadiens, may be a better team. No, said Cunneyworth, it was all about what he called "lopsided" officiating."
Painful win for Devils
February 3
New York Post
 
"The Devils' prize rookie draftee might miss tomorrow's visit to Philadelphia because of the crumpling hit P.K. Subban laid on him last night. The Canadiens think Adam Larsson should sit out anyway by suspension. The sight of Larsson stretched out on the ice was an example of vigilante retaliation, a team taking punishment into its own hands after refs missed alleged infractions. The Devils said Larsson suffered a "lower back bruise." There's also the possibility Patrik Elias might be reprimanded for his boarding penalty that knocked Mike Blunden out of the game."
Might be best to wait until next season for Andrei Markov
February 2
Montreal Gazette
 
"Random thoughts while wondering whether Andrei Markov will return to the lineup before the Canadiens are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention: Markov skated by himself Tuesday and Canadiens head coach Randy Cunneyworth described his 15-minute sojourn onto the ice in Brossard as "progress." That progress continued on Wednesday when Markov skated for 20 minutes. But the reality is that the Canadiens can't count on Markov returning this season and, if the team isn't still in contention when he's ready, it may be better for all concerned to delay his return until next season."
Montreal Canadiens didn't play with enough desperation
February 1
Montreal Gazette
 
"Where was the desperation? That's what goaltender Carey Price was asking Tuesday night after the Canadiens dropped a 3-1 decision to the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre. "I didn't think we were desperate enough in the second period," Price said after he turned in a 37-save performance. "We picked it up in the third period, but we have to do that more throughout the game.""
Buffalo Sabres leave Montreal with a good feeling
February 1
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Buffalo Sabres had probably heard the song in their dressing room 2½ hours earlier, rumbling from the Bell Centre's sound system to introduce the Canadiens to the crowd shortly before the opening faceoff. So now, nearing 10:30 on Tuesday night, they were hearing Good Feeling again, but the bass-heavy tune's bouncy lyrics now blared on their own stereo. The Sabres' 3-1 victory over the Canadiens was a battle of two bottom-feeding Eastern Conference clubs. Both almost assuredly will be cleaning out their lockers come early April, on the outside of the playoffs looking in."
Montreal Canadiens just didn't show up against Sabres
February 1
Montreal Gazette
 
"Give the Buffalo Sabres an A-plus at every position for their 3-1 victory on Tuesday. And while you're at it, you can also give the finger to the Canadiens, who now find themselves ranked No. 13 in the East. What they also managed to do with an empty performance, during which the Sabres outshot the Canadiens 40-28, was stay within eight points of the last playoff spot – but only because the Florida Panthers weren't part of the NHL schedule."
Vanek hurt as Buffalo defeats Montreal in its first game after the break
February 1
Buffalo News
 
"Even after winning consecutive games for the first time in 11 weeks, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff left Montreal shaking his head at Buffalo's bad luck. The Sabres used a 40-shot barrage to earn a 3-1 victory over Montreal, giving them back-to-back victories for the first time since Nov. 11. Thomas Vanek, though, wasn't around to celebrate. The Sabres' leading goal scorer suffered an upper-body injury in the first period Tuesday. He played a regular shift, including the final one of the frame, but didn't return for the second."
W's taking the heat off Cunneyworth
January 31
Buffalo News
 
"Throughout the hockey world, even in Quebec, there's really only one language. It has two letters, W and L. The language, of course, is wins and losses. If a coach wins, he's good. If he loses, he's not. Montreal's Randy Cunneyworth is finally winning. The NHL's most famous unilingual Anglophone has led the Canadiens to points in five of their last six games, a run he hopes to continue tonight when the Buffalo Sabres visit. It has, at least temporarily, quieted the calls for his head that began the moment he was hired as interim coach Dec. 17. "[It's settled down] for the time being," Montreal defenseman Josh Gorges said Monday. "Winning will keep it that way. That's the only recipe to"
Montreal Canadiens start crucial stretch of games in playoff push
January 31
Montreal Gazette
 
"How many ways can you say "one game at time"? The phrase showed up in several permutations and combinations after the Canadiens practiced in Brossard Monday afternoon. The bottom line is the party line: To engineer a stretch drive toward the playoffs, the team has to win. The Canadiens have to win often, and they have to hope some other Eastern Conference postseason aspirants lose … in regulation time. In the absence of injured captain Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges has become the chief purveyor of CHspeak and was the first one scrummed in the room after practice."
Back to the real NHL games
January 30
Ottawa Sun
 columnist Chris Stevenson
"The days at the beach, as tweeted by Capitals defenceman Mike Green from the Cayman Islands, are over. The neon tans from Las Vegas will now start to fade. The NHL's feel-good weekend here — a resounding success which revolved around the emotional outpouring between Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and Senators fans — now becomes a fond memory. Ahead is a 30-game sausage grinder that is the rest of the NHL season. "You need the break whether you're here or somewhere else doing something different. This is a part of the season the guys really look forward to, just to recharge the battery," said Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul. "When you get back from this break, you're re-energized and you"
Chara's stars beat hometown hero Alfredsson
January 30
Ottawa Sun
 
"On his big day, Daniel Alfredsson surrounded himself with Swedes. But it was a bunch of Slovak buddies, led by New York Rangers winger Marian Gaborik, who drove Team Chara to a 12-9 victory over Team Alfredsson in front of 20,510 in the 57th NHL all-star game Sunday at Scotiabank Place. While former Senators defenceman Zdeno Chara scored the third-period winner, it was Gaborik, voted the game MVP, who led his club to victory with a hat trick and four-point effort as Team Chara walked away with the bragging rights. "You could see the guys wanted to win," said Chara when asked if he gave his team any instructions with the score tied 6-6 going into the third period. "I didn't have to say a"
Habs must hang onto P.K. Subban
January 28
Montreal Gazette
 columnist Mike Boone
"Let's make it really simple for Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier as he pauses on his way to the Help Wanted ads to parse this advice column over his herbal tea and vegan muffins: Don't. Trade. P.K. Don't even think about. If another general manager makes inquiries about P.K. Subban's availability – as 29 GMs would, were the young defenceman on the market – hang up the phone and/or delete the email immediately. Wait, shouldn't the general manager of a struggling hockey team be open to any and all offers that may help his club? Indeed. But if history is an indicator, trading P.K. Subban would do for the Canadiens what the invention of pantyhose did for the balcony at the Bijoux."
Who will win? Breaking down All-Star teams
January 27
NHL.com
 
"The draft is over, the rosters set for the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game. We now know who will be wearing the white jerseys for Team Alfredsson and the blue jerseys to represent Team Chara. Now it's time to take a look at the rosters and break them down by position. Look for our prediction at the end. FORWARDS Datsyuk and Malkin on the same team is a scary proposition for the opposition. They may be the two most skilled players in the NHL right now. As Chara said, you can put them on the same line and they can be unstoppable, or you can put them on separate lines and they'll still be dominant and "make the line." Team Alfredsson has a lot of talent, but it doesn't have two"
Montreal Canadiens put on a clinic against Detroit Red Wings
January 26
Montreal Gazette
 
"The skinny: The Canadiens scored early, often as they grabbed a 4-0 lead in the first period and went on to crush the Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings 7-2 Wednesday night at the Bell Centre. David Desharnais led the Canadiens' offence with two goals and an assist. Rene Bourque, Max Pacioretty, Alexei Emelin, Tomas Plekanec and Erik Cole also scored for the Canadiens. Jiri Hudler scored twice in the third period to spoil Carey Price's shutout bid."
Montreal Canadiens Captain Brian Gionta recovering from surgery
January 26
Montreal Gazette
 
"Brian Gionta said he's making a satisfactory recovery from surgery to repair a torn but there was one indication Wednesday that he still has a way to go before he's back in the Canadiens' lineup. The Canadiens captain was pressed into service as the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence and the Canadiens handed out bursaries to 28 young hockey players. Gionta was in charge of handing out the $1,500 cheques and there was a short pause after the first presentation while Donald Beauchamp, the Canadiens' vice-president-communications, approached the stage and reminded the athletes that Gionta could not exert himself by putting too much effort into his congratulatory handshakes."
Montreal 7, Detroit 2: Canadiens make Red Wings look sick
January 26
Detroit Free Press
 
"Nicklas Lidstrom spent the game in his hotel room, sick with the flu. His Red Wings teammates looked ill, too -- but they were healthy enough to show up at Bell Centre. Despite cautions from their coach, the Wings, as coach Mike Babcock likes to put it, "got beat like a rented mule" Wednesday by the Canadiens, a struggling Eastern Conference opponent that looked like a Stanley Cup contender. They used four goals in the opening period to send the Wings into the All-Star break with a 7-2 defeat."
Canadiens chase Jimmy Howard, pile on Ty Conklin to bury Wings, 7-2
January 26
Detroit News
 
"This wasn't the way the Red Wings wanted to head into the All-Star break. It'll be a little more difficult to enjoy the time off this weekend after Wednesday's ugly 7-2 loss to the Canadiens. The loss ended the Red Wings seven-game winning streak. The Red Wings were missing the durable Nicklas Lidstrom (flu) — ending his consecutive games played streak at 213 — but it's hard to pin all the blame on that absence. Lidstrom took part in the morning skate but felt worse as the game neared."
McGill University alumnus Mike Babcock pays a visit to Montreal
January 25
Montreal Gazette
 
"Detroit Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock could have played it safe last summer as he sought two new assistant coaches. Babcock needed to replace seasoned veterans and friends in Paul MacLean, who was headed to Ottawa as the new bench boss of the Senators, and Brad McCrimmon, who left for Russia to head the Kontinental league's Lokomotiv squad then tragically would die in the September air crash that killed the entire team."
Montreal Canadiens coach blasts P.K. Subban
January 25
Montreal Gazette
 
"Canadiens assistant coach Randy Ladouceur made it clear that he wasn't happy with defenceman P.K. Subban's performance during Tuesday's practice in Brossard. "You've been out here for 40 minutes, wake the f*** up," bellowed Ladouceur. If the 22-year-old Subban took offence at the reprimand, he wasn't admitting it as he addressed a gaggle of reporters after the practice."
Canadiens last Red Wings foe before NHL All-Star break
January 25
Detroit Free Press
 
"The Red Wings play at Montreal tonight in the NHL's only game, which means every other club has started its All-Star break. The Wings are used to having a tough schedule, though, and at least the game is in a great city against an Original Six opponent. The Canadiens are having a rough season -- they have just 18 victories after 48 games -- but they are still the Habs, and any game at Bell Centre is loud and lively. "It's always a little bit more exciting to play them," Johan Franzen said Tuesday. "It's a hockey-crazy town, so there's usually something going on before the game -- they're usually honoring one of their old players. It's something special, with the atmosphere there.""
Red Wings expect passionate atmosphere in Montreal
January 25
Detroit News
 
"Jiri Hudler spent a portion of last summer in Montreal, getting in some conditioning work. That time gave Hudler an opportunity to see the passion Canadiens fans have for their team — and hockey. Even during the dog days of summer. "Everyone was talking hockey," Hudler said. "There's a lot of attention to hockey there. It's in the newspapers, on the television, pretty much everybody you meet there is a Canadiens fan.""
Diaz says 'I just closed my eyes and shot the puck'
January 23
Montreal Gazette
 
"From an offensive standpoint, it had been a frustrating night for Canadiens defenceman Raphael Diaz. It seemed that every time he teed up a shot there was a Toronto player in the shooting lane to block it. "I had a couple of shots, but every one was blocked. But this one, I just closed my eyes and shot the puck," Diaz said after his third-period shot from the point snapped a 1-1 tie and propelled the Canadiens to a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night in a crucial game for both teams. The difference on this shot was that while Diaz may have been stretching the truth a bit when he said he closed his eyes, Toronto goaltender Jonas Gustavsson didn't see the puck coming."
Canadiens' Subban fined for trip of Kunitz
January 23
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"The NHL fined Montreal defenseman PK Subban $2,500 for a "dangerous trip" of Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz during Friday's game at Consol Energy Center. Subban used his left foot to kick out Kunitz's skates from behind, causing him to fall feet-first into the boards behind Montreal's net. Kunitz was not injured. "The league reviewed the play, as they do all of them," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said, "and gave some discipline in the form of a fine. I think they saw a slewfoot.""
Carey Price makes 32 saves as Canadiens beat Maple Leafs
January 22
Montreal Gazette
 
"Carey Price made 32 saves to lead the Canadiens to a 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre. Raphael Diaz, who was a healthy scratch Friday in Pittsburgh, snapped a 1-1 tie when he scored his third goal of the season at 3:29 of the third period. He beat Jonas Gustavsson with a shot from the point. Lars Eller added an insurance goal at 11:25 when he beat Gustavsson with a shot from the side of the net. Eller did the heavy lifting on the play as he carried the puck behind the net, fighting off a check by Cody Franson. He managed a weak shot but Travis Moen, who was looking for a rebound, nudged the loose puck to him for a second shot."
Weary Habs take down Leafs
January 22
Toronto Sun
 
"Forget for a moment, if that's possible, that the Maple Leafs lost against their oldest rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, on Saturday night. It's the manner in which the Leafs lost that should have their legions of faithful fans gripping their sticks with sweaty anxiety. Locked in a playoff fight that will last until the end of the regular season in April — assuming, of course, the Leafs don't bow out of the race earlier — the Toronto players couldn't put together a 60-minute effort against the Canadiens, losing 3-1 at the Air Canada Centre. Canadiens goaltender Carey Price made 32 saves but could count on a finger or two the difficult ones. At a time when these games should be contested as"
Evgeni Malkin given "too much room," Cunneyworth says
January 21
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens learned that keeping Evgeni Malkin under wraps is a 60-minute job. "I thought we did a pretty job against him for most of the game but we gave him too much room on that goal," Canadiens coach Randy Cunneyworth said after Malkin provided the spark for the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-4 shootout win over the Canadiens Friday night at the Consol Energy Center. Malkin is the NHL's leading scorer but the Canadiens limited him to two harmless shots on goal through the first 57 minutes. The Penguins tried to set him up as the trigger man on their four power plays but the Canadiens blocked five of his shots and another three went wide of the mark. But Malkin scored at 17:17 of the third"
Evgeni Malkin scores winner as Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Canadiens
January 21
Montreal Gazette
 
"Evgeni Malkin scored the tying goal at 17:17 of the third period and beat goaltender Peter Budaj for the only goal in the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the third period to beat the Canadiens 5-4 Friday night at the Consol Energy Center. Dustin Jeffrey led the Pittsburgh offence with his first two goals of the season and an assist. Kris Letang scored the other Pittsburgh goal. Andrei Kostitsyn and Erik Cole each produced a goal and an assist. The other Montreal scorers were Max Pacioretty and Lars Eller. Quick starts: The Canadiens took advantage of early goals in each of the first two periods. Eller opened the scoring at the 34-second mark of the first"
Malkin rallies Penguins to shootout win vs. Canadiens
January 21
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"You couldn't blame the Penguins if they were tired of talking about Evgeni Malkin. Of having to grasp for superlatives to describe what they are seeing him do virtually every game. Of trying to explain how a guy can respond to challenges so often, and so brilliantly. Doesn't seem to be an issue with them, though. It certainly wasn't after their 5-4 shootout victory Friday night against Montreal at Consol Energy Center, when Malkin put the game into overtime by scoring with less than three minutes left in regulation, then was the only player on either team to score during the shootout. "You never get tired of it," forward Dustin Jeffrey said. "Because every night, it's something different.""
Sinking Habs shut out by Capitals
January 19
Montreal Gazette
 
"The Canadiens lost more ground in their bid for a playoff spot as they dropped a 3-0 decision to the Washington Capitals Wednesday night at the Bell Centre. The win moved the Capitals into seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 52 points. The Canadiens are 10 points behind Washington and eighth-place Pittsburgh, and each team holds a game in hand."
Canadiens Rene Bourque answers for his crime
January 19
Montreal Gazette
 
"Nine seconds into his first shift, 1:15 into the game Wednesday night, Canadiens forward Rene Bourque answered a bell that had been tolling for 15 days. There was no doubt - none - that Bourque was going to have to put up his dukes for having concussed Washington Capitals centreman Nicklas Backstrom on Jan. 3, back when Bourque was a member of the Calgary Flames."
Capitals' road troubles cured — for at least one night — against Canadiens
January 19
Washington Times
 
"It's funny what a little fresh, cold Canadian air can do to a Washington Capitals team that has struggled so mightily on the road this season. Several months' worth of woes and an embarrassing home loss to the New York Islanders a day earlier were erased for at least one night as they waxed the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 on Wednesday night at Bell Centre on the strength of Michal Neuvirth's dominance and some timely offense."
Matt Hendricks quickly settles score with Rene Bourque
January 19
Washington Post
 
"It didn't take long for the Capitals' Matt Hendricks to settle a score with Montreal's Rene Bourque. Just 1:15 into Wednesday's 3-0 victory at Bell Centre, the winger challenged Bourque and the two squared off. Bourque, of course, knocked Washington's leading scorer Nicklas Backstrom out of the lineup indefinitely with a vicious elbow to the head on Jan. 3. Hendricks said there was no discussion with Bourque on the ice before the fight, and added that the Habs winger seemed to know what was coming. "It's part of 'The Code,' part of the game," Hendricks said. "There are consequences for all actions. He was a great sport about it. He knows the game; I'm sure he wanted to get it out of the"
Michal Neuvirth stops 31 shots for Washington in 3-0 win over Montreal
January 19
Washington Post
 
"Mathieu Perreault had not suited up for a game in a week. Michal Neuvirth had not made a start in nearly three. But you wouldn't have known it by the way they played Wednesday night at Bell Centre. Perreault scored his first goal since October in the opening minutes, and Neuvirth made 31 saves to lift the Capitals to a 3-0 victory over the Canadiens, which came in spite of a season-low 16 shots on Montreal's net. Joining Perreault on the scoresheet were Marcus Johansson and Alex Ovechkin, whose second-period power-play tally was the Capitals' first in three games."
A week of lowlights for the Habs
January 17
Montreal Gazette
 
"It was the week when Alice in Wonderland met Dr. Strangelove. When it seemed we were watching a sketch from Saturday Night Live. When the emerging train wreck once known as the glorious Montreal Canadiens became the California Golden Seals. About the only thing we were missing was Charles O. Finley. And the only way it could have got stranger was if Pierre Gauthier went on Tout le monde en parle to confess that he always wanted to be a professional rassler. The lowlights, in case you missed them:"