Goaltending controversy brewing in Montreal
As I type this (no, I’m not waiting for this Game 3 to end), Jaroslav Halak is playing goal for the Montreal Canadiens, and it would surprise me if he’s there to start Game 4 on Wednesday, but I think it may just be the right move.
Yes, Carey Price is the goaltender of the future of this team. Of course he is. However, he must be a pretty smart guy, right? Well that means he knows he isn’t playing well. He also knows that his team is going to be down 2-1 in the series, and while his team is struggling to beat Martin Biron, Price is certainly partially (mostly?) to blame in Games 2 and 3. Then, why not shake up things. The team is getting scoring chances, missing them mind you, but getting them and Philadelphia isn’t really. Yet, they are the ones scoring goals.
Now, those who say Price will come in will mention what he means for the future and what this does to his confidence. Fine. Those will also say that you dance with the one you brought to the dance. Fine. And I think that’s why Price will continue to play and be the starter in Game 4. However, Halak has proven to be able to play in this league. If he plays well the remainder of this game, he should get a second look. Also, think about how many games Price has played since last Christmas. He played every game as he led Canada to a Gold Medal at the World Junior Championships. He went back to his Junior team after the tournament. Then, he went to the AHL and led Hamilton to a Calder Cup Championship. This season, he played 41 games with Montreal and 10 games in the AHL with Hamilton. Then, he has played every game so far this postseason.
For a 20-year-old, that’s a bunch of hockey. Maybe an extra few days off will help his confidence, get his mind back to normal and allow him to regain his edge.
But, come Game 4, the Canadiens will probably keep going with Price. He will bounce back eventually - but Montreal has to be careful not to fall too far behind in this series, because then their only future may be next October.
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23 Responses to “Goaltending controversy brewing in Montreal”
April 28th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Halak should get the start. Price gets all the attention, but Jaro hasn’t been too shabby himself over the past couple of seasons. He was dominating the AHL last season before being called up for the Habs stretch run. Halak was very good for the most part in that pressure situation, and wasn’t in net when the team collapsed to a 7-6 final game loss that left them out of the playoffs. Despite having to take a back seat to Price this year, Halak went to the AHL and eventually dominated again, forcing the Habs to deal Cristobal Huet to open up a spot for him. His time is now.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:13 am
I think you got the score of that final game wrong, but, pettiness aside, true that! Halak is very underrated and overlooked. It’s not too late for Carbonneau to give Halak a chance. If they lose the next game, it may be a 3-1 deficit, but that is not totally insurmountable… go back to Price then.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
one again- three goal posts, two empty nets, one cross bar, one missed breakaway, one broken stick down 3-2 with two minutes remaining( Sergei in he slot wide open) Game one we got the breaks. Now we seem cursed, but chance has a way of turning. Outshooting a team 70-36 over two games and scoring four goals is freaky for the HIGHEST scoring team in the NHL. Tides will turn i’m confident of that,
I hope this one doesn’t offend the delicate sensibilities of Flyers fans.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
If Thoresen scored on his chance early in the 3rd, If Hatcher didn’t take a stupid penalty, If Kovalev scored… If, If, If…
The only reason the CanadiEns were able to get back in that game last night was more un-disciplined play by the Flyers.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I agree with El Jeffe (a Flyers fan? I must be losing it). You can’t play the would’ve, could’ve, should’ve game because there are too many factors in play here. For one chance missed by a Canadien, there was one missed by a Philly player. As for arguing that the only reason the Habs were able to get back in the game was because of the Flyers’ lack of discipline, I disagree. If Montreal’s power play was up to par, Philadelphia would have been paying the price long before the two goals went in. Suddenly, because of a five-minute major, you’re undisciplined? Montreal had the top-rated power play in the league (and, yes, Philadelphia was second), so you can’t take away from Montreal finally connecting with the man advantage. That’s like saying the only reason Philadelphia won was because they scored.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Excuses? Like John Steven’s after game one. Whining about officiating. El Jeffe are you kidding me. It’s not about excuses it’s about bounces. There is nothing about my comment that suggests that the we lost because of bad bounces but rather we lost because Philly capitalized on thier good bounces. Three goals on twelve shots. If your content with your teams performance your kidding yourself. It’s so easy to take the high and mighty road when you win a game like that, but if Philly had lost, oh boy the excuses would be pouring from Johnny boy’s mouth . Your confident and i don’t blame you, your team has a good goalie right now, our has a rookie that’s obviously rattled. But we have a back up you don’t.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Niittymaki’s a competent back-up, ain’t he? And the Flyers, I don’t think, were complaining after game one… they were pretty classy actually, at least in the media up here. They knew they got lucky in game seven against Washington on the Kapanen goal, so they wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on bad mouthing the officiating. As far as I could tell, they accepted the loss and moved on. The two wins prove that.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Are you a Flyers fan Ryan? If not you should be you fn Turncoat. All season you’ve been supporting the Habs and now all of a sudden a little controversy and you hop on the skin pole of a Flyer’s fan. What footage are you watching. Where are you watching it? All Stevens did after game one was whine about bad breaks. Are you even serious with your last bullshit comment or are you trying to piss me off. Because your doing well on both accounts. Ryan, a Habs fan, dare i say committed habs fan all season, now i speak the truth about a team that’s been nothing but lucky and you take some half ass stand for Philly, defending even thier shmuck of a coach who has the audacity to criticize Kosto for his punch on that pussy of a Philly defenceman, SUCKER PUNCH, are you fn kidding me, Downey on Blake, Downey on Mc Ammond, Jones potentially ending a talented young players career, if concussions have toaught us anything. Give me a break Ryan, you defend this horseshit. Burn your Habs jersey, buy a Biron Jersey and the two of you can both come on down and kiss my ass. Keep watching your watered down, filtered news broadcasts typical to us markets, where John Stevens is edited and cut to look like a saint. I can understand ass headed comments from absolute morons like El Jackass but i’ve read your blog and actually thought you had an iota of intelligence. Nittymaki a competent backup. Do you even watch hockey Ryan. Are you really a nine year girl posing as a hockey fan to lure young boys into your chat rooms. Piss off turncoat.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Jeff van den engh,
You sound like the kind of guy who didn’t get enough hugs from daddy and mommy. They probably were just disappointed in you because you weren’t good enough to make the pee-wee hockey team.
I love the passion you are showing. I would be just as upset as you if my favorite hockey team just lost to a team that finished dead last only a year earlier.
It’s frustrating, I know, but nothing you, I or anyone else will say is going to change a damn thing. Try to relax and enjoy the playoffs. After all the habs haven’t been that good in recent years, they should consider themselves lucky to be where they are.
Call your mom and dad! Tell them you love em anyways!
April 29th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Wow… where to begin… just because I can see a Flyers fan’s point of view doesn’t make me any less of a Habs fan. I’m a Montrealer born and bred and I do take offense to your insinuations. I have a Habs jersey, a Steve Begin one. He is my favourite player because he leaves it all on the ice. I would never trade it in for a Flyers’ uni because, well, for one, of their Broad-Street-Bully history. Yes, they’ve had their share of run-ins with suspensions this year, and, yes, they’ve all been deserved, and yes, I do hate Steve Downie for his antics, but, all the same, I like taking a neutral point of view to the playoffs because being blinded by your favourite team does me little good as a writer and a fan. I can accept that Martin Biron stole these past two games, but I can also admit that the Habs got lucky in game one. Just as easily as the Habs could be leading 2-1, the Flyers could be leading 3-0. You call me a turncoat because I can admit that? I want the Habs to win, but if they don’t it’s not the end of the world. I don’t know you personally, and, so, I’ll abstain from attacking your person. I hope you’ll do me the same courtesy from here on out…. and, yes, Niittymaki is a competent back-up. Just look at his stats.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
El Jeffe you sound like the kind of guy that i’d like to
have a beer with. These blogs have never been this fun. Usually i’m the only one writting and have been all season. Now we’re getting somewhere. As for trying to psycho-analyse me El Jeffe that’s below you. Don’t read too deeply into my anger its mostly for show and to keep you Flyers fans on your toes. My father is probably just like your father only smarter and better looking. Just kidding. Actually i did make the pee-wee hockey team, since you’ve showed such iterrest in my hockey career, i made bantam, midget and junior as well and a tryout with the Sherbrook Canadiens so come on down and we’ll skate a few laps together so i can wallpaper you into a corner. Ah no, Male Rage again, that’s my male rage acting up, the words ring out, worse than mommy made the bad boy cry, worse than kissed the girls and made them cry– sorry El Jeffe, please don’t sink your brilliant insights any further into me, my poor male rage, i don’t think can bare it. But at least you have the balls to respond.
And let me remind you who started the personal attack–What was that clever word play again, jeff van den stupid, that one stung man, wow, i mean an all over kind of burn, the way you took my name and used it to insult me, phew, it took days to wrap my head around that clever jab, fresh man, cutting edge.
Truely indicative of the kind of well-read, incisive wit and humor inborn in the Philly fan. I am on the edge of my seat, the very edge, awaiting your next comment.
I’ll be honest here El jeffe i’m a little nervous, a little twisted up inside over what your inexhaustable mind, your unplumbed bag of dirty epitets and searing revelation will come up with next. Will it be another shot a mommy and daddy, or another van den (fill in the blank) kind of quip, or a knock knock joke perhaps, here i’ll get you started: Knock, Knock. I’m intoxicated by the anticipation, giddy with it, a little woozy still from your last knock out jab, but on my feet Jeffe, on my feet.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Ryan to you i appologize. I was waaaaay out of line. Your a smart writter and good analyst. I love your blog and Jared’s. I just love dangling bananas in front of these monkeys and watching them dance and dance. Just wait for my entry when the Habs win the series.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:59 am
jeff,
Or should I call you bill shakespeare.
remember this gem?
“El Jeffe your low brow, slow witted comments give substance to the idea that Flyer’s fans are the dirty ashtrays of the hockey world. You don’t even the mental cpacity to admity that the Flyer’s are a lunch bucket team.”
Poetry. Sheer Poetry.
Good point, but you were trailing off at the end there…
April 30th, 2008 at 6:42 am
No problem, man. Not the first time I’ve been mistaken for a Torontonian or something to that effect… as of, believe it or not, the Habs’ home-and-home sweep of the Flyers a few months ago, the blog became solely Jared’s and I think he’s done an awesome job updating it regularly. Props to him… I wish I had the time to keep writing.
For the record, I picked the Habs to win this series in six and I do think they are by far the better team.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Guys, I admire your passion, no doubt about that but please keep the personal attacks out. I don’t mind disagreement, but let people have their opinions and don’t attack them for it.
If you want to attack somebody, attack me. I’m a man, I’m 40. (Extra credit to those who get that reference… I’m not actually 40.)
As for the comments going around… here goes: The people complaining after Game 1 were mostly the Philadelphia media, not the team. They were leading Stephens, Richards, etc… into saying it was not a goal/not a penalty/whatever. I don’t think they ever came out and stated it wasn’t. The day after, Richards actually admitted it was a penalty unprovoked.
Is Philadelphia lucky? You can make the argument, for sure. However, you can win the Stanley Cup on luck and you still don’t have to give it back. Philadelphia is capitalizing on every gaffe Montreal makes, especially Price’s subpar goaltending in Games 2 and 3.
Am I frustrated as a Canadiens fan? Absolutely. This is a team that scored the first goal in all but 1 game against Boston (and even then tied it up fairly quickly and lose 2-1 in OT) but is now falling behind 2-0 every game to Philadelphia. Sure, they came back in the first game but they have to start converting their chances early on in the game in order to win this series. The way Martin Biron is going to get “rattled” is to score a quick one. Let him question his confidence from the start of the game instead of letting it build through two periods. The way Carey Price’s confidence will build is knowing that he doesn’t risk losing the game by allowing 1 goal.
A quick start in terms of scoring is imperative for Montreal in Game 4. If they don’t, they’ll probably lose the game. But then again, the first goal does not a win make, so then Lady Luck comes into play…
Enjoy the game tonight, and please don’t attack each other personally. Disagree - I know you all will, but limit the personal attacks. This will be the last warning.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:04 am
No Problem, Jared. It is getting a bit out of hand.
Can’t wait until 7:00 !!
Let’s go Flyers!
April 30th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Go Habbies!
April 30th, 2008 at 9:31 am
JVDE - Any time you want on the show just let me know!
April 30th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Roses are red
El Jeffe has the blues
THe habs will win
The Flyers will lose
Dr. Phil. IS THAT YOU REAL HAIR?
April 30th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Peace!
April 30th, 2008 at 10:18 am
The Cup is silver
The Habs? Black and Blue
While I’m watching the Flyers in the next round….
I’ll be thinking of you!
Peace!
April 30th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I call truce, dammit… and Dr. Phil! How could you say such things????! You should be ashamed… I mean you didn’t not get a psychology degree just to taunt Habs fans, did you?
April 30th, 2008 at 10:39 am
I apologize.
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