The Montreal Canadiens are off to a good start this season, and they were off to a good start yesterday. Alex Tanguay and Saku Koivu scored 1st period goals to lead the Habs to an easy 4-1 over a flavorless Phoenix team. The Koivu-Tanguay-Latendresse line was the best on the ice scoring 3 goals and controlling the play in the offensive zone all night long.Guillaume Latendresse is the most improved Habs player, as he is much faster and confident with the puck than last year. He's taking good decisions with and without the puck. Using his big frame, he created many scoring chances for his linemates, which finished a combined +9 on the evening.
Andrei Markov is another player that raised his play a notch over last year. He's making good passes and his on-ice vision is remarkable. Markov now has 8 assists and a +7 rating over 5 games.
However, the big event of the game was the borderline head shot by Kurt Sauer on Andrei Kostitsyn in the 2nd period. “I don’t know if it was dirty, but they’re trying to erase blows to the head, and it was definitely a blow to the head,” Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau said.
The Canadiens will have forward Andrei Kostitsyn undergo some tests through the next couple of days for an update on his condition. Obviously, there was no call on the hit and the referees were brutal last night. No word on whether there will be a suspension or not.
The crowd immediately chanted Laraque, Laraque! looking for somewhat of a payback for Sauer's hit on #46. When Laraque got close to Sauer, who's 6'4'', 220 lb, the latter ran away like a quitter who did not want to account for his dirty hit.
But, later in the 2nd period, Sauer, accepted the invitation to dance from Tom Kostopoulos, (6'0'', 200 lbs) who was a no match for Kurt Sauer. Finally, Laraque found a dance partner in Todd Fedoruk who ran in Carey Price earlier in that period.
Wayne Gretzky proved once again he should have sticked to playing hockey, not coaching. Down 2-0 he asked his team to hit and play dirty in order to get back in the game, which led to the Kostitsyn incident. He also came back with Ilya Bryzgalov in goal after he had surrended 6 goals in 6-3 loss the night before in Ottawa. Bryzgalov has allowed 14 goals in the last 3 games.
Shane Doan, who is Price’s cousin, ruined the Montreal goalie’s shutout bid when he scored 10 minutes into the third. He was also the best player on the ice for the Coyotes. Youngsters Mikkel Boedker, Kyle Turris, Kevin Porter, Viktor Tikhonov and Peter Mueller seemed to be intimidated by the energetic crowd at Bell Centre as they were invisible.
The Coyotes will have to start winning on the road or they will miss the playoffs once again, and Gretzky's head could finally roll.
17 comments:
I was so glad to see Kostitsyn hurt after his cheapshot on Stajan
forsure.... what goes around comes around... and most of the time its worse... and sauer at least hit im clean, I have a pvr and played it over and over... IT WAS CLEAN.. admiring the pass will always get you with your pants down
How do you know Gretzky asked them to play dirty? Stick to presenting the facts.
nice to see a bunch of leaf fans on tsn and now here saying there glad and he desserve it WTF is your problems ??? your all saying he was a dirty player and now what goes around comes around ??? so he pushed stajan and stajan got right back up ... thats all your got on him ohh wait MCcabes hand last year ...srryyyyy your right hes one of the dirties players in the league and deserves to get is head smashed in the glass.
Bravo leaf fans Bravo, you truly are Canada's best hockey fans .
Maybe they should get rid of all hits just in case somebody gets hurt? Borderline headshot? Seriously? Take of your Hab glasses and look at that hit again.
I was at the game and saw it live. I say the hit is borderline, not illegal. The problem I have with Sauer is that he chickened on Laraque when Big George invited him, but accepted Kostopoulos' invitation. He's as yellow as Claude Lemieux. As for Leafsinottawa, that was a lame and useless comment... Were talking about Phoenix and Montreal, not about the Leafs and their crappy offense that can't score goals... Bring back Kyle Wellwood!
Anonymous (3rd one), what's your point? Kostitsyn has thrown two cheapshots on Leafs players and gotten away with it. When he gets smoked, we appreciate it.
And Fred you have to be one of the most immature bloggers on this site, why the hell would Sauer fight an elite heavyweight for a clean hit? Why should he even fight at all? Kostopolous got pounded and for good reason. You essentially said Gretzky is a goon coach, you're really intelligent! Nice lowblow on the Leafs. Being a Leafs fan has nothing to do with anything I said, and the Leafs goal scoring troubles have nothing to do with anything either. Have fun with Carey Price's glove hand and no reliable backup.
The problem on Andrei K hits on Stajan is that's a legal hits now the player turn back before the guy came to him, protect you and the hit gotta be legal. I'm a hockey fan and i like nice player like bergeron but in this case i think the guy turn is back again. Like for Stajan he know Andrei came and he turn is back so take the hit and don't cry. Last night hits you see the skate of the guys off the ice that an illegal hits the same kind of hits downie gives last year and he was suspended.
no Reliable backup?? What about Halak?? I'd take him over grandpa Joseph in a second!!
to leafsfaninottawa: you are an dumbass. how can you say your glad after seeing an boderline hit( skate off the ice plus forearm on the face).your right when you said that kostitsyn hit was dirty but what about dominic moore on komisarek?? cross check from behind !!! but anyway you didn't say it cause you are a f*cking blond leaf fan. oh by the way our backup goaltender is a lot better than your goalies. oh and what about that piece of shit of hollweg with 3 times suspention for hit from behind in about what 40 games!?!?!
forget my password but it's common sense here...typical moron leaf fans....like to see players get hurt.......worry about your own garbage team you limp wristed little losers......
you leaf fans are like a recipe...a little clusless..a little gutless..a little ignorant..a lot of no class and what do you have?.......a usless fan of a useless hockey team....
A) You'd be pretty dumb to take Halak over Joseph.
B) Comparing Downie to Sauer? LOL? Downie took a massive run at McCammond. Sauer stood up Kostitsyn.
C) I don't like Kostitsyn and I don't like everyone whining about the hit.
D) Komisarek actually hit Moore from behind into the boards before Moore jumped him from behind. Komisarek also has a history of hitting well after the whistle.
E) I am not blond. I have black, stereotypical Canadian hockey hair, if you must know.
F) You'd be stupid to take Halak over Toskala, Joseph or Pogge.
G) Hollweg's hit was as bad as Kostitsyn.
H) I do worry about my own team. I'm just sick of all the stupid complaining from Montreal fans.
I) Ignorant? No class? How can a fanbase that cheered for Colaiacovo being injured on the ice call another team's fanbase classless?
J) (Jesus this is getting long) I'm not ignorant at all. Anyone who acuses Wayne Gretzky of sending his team out to injure is ignorant.
The hit was perfectly clean. Sauer put his hand to his chest to put his shoulder into Kostitsyn, if you watch the goddamn replay, Kostitsyn cuts back and gets a forearm to the head and lands awkwardly. Stop complaining about it. Keep yer head up, Kostitsyn!
anyone who actually wishes to see someone injured is an idiot, plain and simple!!
the thing is, big pussy Sauer ran away like a chicken when Laraque came looking but was more than willing to fight someone 25 pounds lighter and 4 inches shorter......and some people have the nerve to say that Lapierre doesn't stick up for his antics on the ice.....Sauer is a huge pussy, he should be the Leafs, he'd be right at home with that type of play!!
The Leafs are far from a dirty team.
As for me being an idiot, well, no. That's not being idiotic, that's being sadistic, and I might've come off that way but I was just trying to get my point across.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Sauer did not have to fight anyone. Although I do respect that Sauer fought Kostopolous (not as much as if he had fought Laraque)
As for anyone calling me stupid, I didn't say that Gretzky told his team to hit and be dirty. So no real argument there.
To leafsfaninottawa:
A)Joseph is double Halak's age and Halak was the best AHL goalie the last 2 years..YOU would be stupid to take him over Joseph who will probably retire at the end of this season...
B)Its a good thing you worry about your team because they SUCK and need alot of people to worry about them!!
C) Have fun with the Leafs missing the playoffs AGAIN while i watch the habs compete for the Stanley cup..Oh ya i forgot, you probably don't remember what the Stanley cup is being a Toronto fan and all, well its a big silver trophy, excellent hockey teams win once in awhile LOL!!! 1967 1967
You're really original. The Leafs do not suck. They're better than you.
And we're talking skill-wise, Joseph is a better goaltender than Halak.
What happened to competing for the cup last year? Who says they'll compete for the cup? Who says Toronto won't be? It's still early, you ignorant clown.
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