- Tim Thomas As he did many times last year, Tim Thomas, to paraphrase Jack Edwards, saved the Bruins' bacon last night. Thomas was spectacular, and looked as good as he had at any point last season. He made a number of stellar stops, including a post-to-post stoning of Erik Cole and a juggling save towards the end of the third period. Thomas now has back-to-back shutouts, and appears to be heating up. Good news for the B's.
- Cole looked strong I was one of the people scoffing when the Habs signed Erik Cole to a four-year deal worth $4.5 million per season over the summer. I thought it was a lot of money for a guy who wouldn't put up the numbers. However, aside from Tim Thomas, Cole was probably the best player on the ice last night. Cole was able to use his size and speed to beat the B's defense on more than one occasion, and had what was probably the best Montreal scoring chance of the night. If he can keep playing like that, then the Habs will certainly be getting their money's worth.
- Playoff feel Last night's game certainly had a lot of anxiety and a lot of edge-of-the-seat action. Though it's November, that game felt like it was being played in April or May. Maybe it was because the B's were on such a great streak, or maybe it was because they hadn't beaten the Habs yet this season. Or maybe it's just because it was in Montreal, and the atmosphere is good. Who knows. But whatever the reason was, it sure was fun to watch.
- A physical Russian? You don't say! The Habs may have a good one on their hands in Alexei Emelin, the 25-year-old rookie Russian defenseman. Emelin comes in at 6'2" and 223 pounds, and seems to love using his size. He threw a number of big hits last night, giving Montreal someone who isn't afraid to throw some hits back at the Bruins. His defense may need some work, but he does bring an element of physicality to the Montreal game.
The Bad
- How do you say "high horse" in French? My French studies in high school tell me that it's "haut cheval," but I could be wrong. Montreal fans are frequently deriding the B's and their fans for being bullies and goons, while they're bastions of class and integrity. This video says otherwise:
- I'm not sure who was fighting who, or if this was Hab fan on Hab fan violence. But it just goes to show that there are goons in every fanbase; Montreal is no different.
- Lucic and Krejci were awful It appears that Milan Lucic's hot streak has come to an end, and David Krejci is still lost in the woods. Lucic made what seemed like a dozen turnovers at the defensive blueline last night. It seemed like he turned the puck over every single time he tried to move it out of the zone. Krejci, on the other hand, seemed like he was trying too hard and being too fancy. On more than one occasion, he tried to make the slick play instead of the simple one; the resulting turnover led to a Montreal scoring chance. Both of them were pretty terrible last night, and need to step it up. Lucic should be ready on Wednesday because he knows he'll be engaged physically by the angry Sabres; let's hope Krejci follows suit.
- Bad Benny Poor Benoit Pouliot. Just a few games after he was embraced by the B's fanbase for scoring the game-winner against New Jersey, he was benched for the entire third period and will probably not play tomorrow. Benny giveth, Benny taketh away. Pouliot took two bad penalties last night: one was retaliatory and dumb, the other was just careless. All told, Pouliot had 8:07 TOI last night; he had 6:00 in penalties. Not a good ratio. Just when it seemed like he was starting to get going, he falls back on bad habits. He'd better snap out of it, and soon: with Jordan Caron in the press box, Pouliot will find himself out of a job before long if this keeps up.
What went right:
- A smart play by Andrew Ference led to the only goal of the night. With a delayed penalty on the Habs coming up, Ference was able to join the rush without fear of getting caught in an odd-man situation. After all, if one of the Habs touched the puck, the play would've been blown dead. Barring a wacky bounce on a drop pass going into the vacant net, there's really no risk. So Ference did the smart thing and jumped into the play. Rich Peverley found him with a great pass, and Ference didn't miss. It looks easy, but it was really a great heads up play by Ference, and a great example of ice awareness.
Attaboy: Tim Thomas and his wonderful mustache get the accolades.
Providence Shuttle: Sorry Benny. I'm your biggest supporter, but you really did a lot of damage to your Bruin cause last night.
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