Author: Dose

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STM: “Go Habs Go” banned from buses because it’s in English

Montreal buses sometimes display messages on the front of the bus.

And during the playoffs, it’s normal to see the STM take advantage of the opportunity to send a rallying message by cheering on the Canadiens. It’s not uncommon.

But it’s not always easy to do.

In the past, the inscription “Go Habs Go” was seen on buses. It’s a message clearly associated with the Habs, since the slogan is that of the Montreal club.

But officially, it’s an English message. Even though the club was created for Francophones, the word go is English and habs refers to habitants, i.e. the people.

And obviously, promoting a slogan in English doesn’t fly.

The Office Québécoise de la Langue Française received a complaint about the language of the message and asked the STM to modify it. It now reads “Allez! Canadiens Allez!” on buses.

I’m the first to want to speak French well and to want to limit anglicisms, when possible. Protecting your language has to be done on a daily basis.

But even so, I don’t think the word “go” is the most problematic of all. Especially when used in such a slogan.

Of course, rules are rules. But when such regulations are enforced for a situation like this, it adds unnecessary fuel to the fire, in my opinion.

The places where it’s hard to get service in French in Montreal are a lot more problematic than the messages on the bus.

in a row

– Of note.

– Tyler Toffoli is 33.

– No fines or discipline coming for Capitals.

– Justin Carbonneau still linked to the Habs in a mock draft. [NYT]

– Good listening.

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The Patrik Laine experiment must come to an end

When Lane Hutson sits down at his kitchen island in the morning, he puts field hockey in his cereal.

The young defenseman never misses a practice, is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve, and is committed to the team’s success. At 21 years of age, Hutson has taken young Ivan Demidov under his wing, and he too puts field hockey on his toast .

Nick Suzuki is a serious and consistent captain. Cole Caufield has listened to Martin St-Louis and become more than a sniper. Brendan Gallagher would eat 15 cross-checks in the face per game to help his team win. Josh Anderson would throw down the gloves against a pro boxer to defend a young teammate. David Savard would probably block shots in shorts if he could.

You want to build a field hockey team and weave the fiber of a locker room around these guys.

Patrik Laine loves field hockey. He doesn’t even hide it, and to see him play like that in the playoffs speaks volumes.

And the talent that should normally compensate for attitude, 5-on-5 play and effort… just isn’t enough anymore.

Upon his return from injury, Laine excused his shortcomings by scoring goals. He scored 12 times in his first 18 games, before adding just 8 goals in the next 34 games. In his last 17 games, the Finn scored 3 power-play goals.

In fact, the Habs have spent approximately 4 minutes and 25 seconds per game with the man advantage, since December 3. Playing on the first wave, Laine is on the ice for just under 3 minutes per game.

When he scores regularly, his usefulness is obvious. When he loses confidence in his shot and the game seems to constantly die on his stick, a little less so. The Habs have scored just 5 goals on their last 42 power-play opportunities, by the way.

The #92 was so bad in the second period yesterday that Martin St-Louis benched him for the entire third period, and didn’t even send him into the fray at 6-on-5. And he’s the one with the best shot in Montreal, let’s face it …

Benchering a guy in the regular season is already something… But benchering your best natural scorer when you need a goal in the playoffs really says a lot about the situation… which becomes a DISTRACTION!

At 5-on-5, Laine is inconsistent, sluggish, slow and just doesn’t seem interested in playing real field hockey. He has flashes, and that’s normal, because the guy’s talented to begin with. What comes to the surface is a lack of effort, interest and love for the sport.

extension

The experiment must end, for Club de field hockey Canadien’s sake. The shadow of what Patrik Laine was in Winnipeg – a fast, talented, dangerous, committed player – is not positive for the Club, I don’t believe that for a second. Laine isn’t part of the future in Montreal, and if he isn’t, let’s give someone else a chance.

One year was enough.

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The Canadiens must win four of their next five games

The Canadiens are trailing 0-2 in their first-round series against the Capitals.

Are Martin St-Louis’ men getting washed out? No. The first game (3-2) went to overtime, and the second (3-1) was a tight affair right to the end – right down to the empty-net goal.

But going close is only good for petanque. Not field hockey!

So while the club is learning to play playoff field hockey and looking a little better as time goes on, the fact remains that, right now, the Habs are not in a good position.

If they want to win the series, they’ll have to win four of their next five games… if they win any, that is.

Of course, that’s the mathematical explanation. If the Capitals were to win two of their next five (potential) games, it would be the end of the road for the Habs.

But in concrete terms, it takes W’s for the Flannel. Does that mean more guys playing like Josh Anderson?

Samuel Montembeault has allowed five goals in the series and Logan Thompson has three. It’s a close one, but the offensive support will have to be there to win tomorrow night.

The good news? The CH will be at the Bell Centre, in front of its home crowd and with the final change. And as long as you haven’t lost at home in the playoffs, you can hope to pull through.

But the question on everyone’s mind right now is whether there will be a line-up change for that game. I’d be surprised to see Patrik Laine, Ivan Demidov, Joel Armia or David Savard miss the next game. And I’d be surprised to see Michael Pezzetta play.

If there’s ever a change, it will surely involve Emil Heineman or Jayden Struble, a defenseman who hasn’t helped Josh Anderson and the others offensively enough over the past two games.

Oliver Kapanen and (obviously) Arber Xhekaj are the most likely candidates to return to the game, if there is a change. But will it really happen? Who knows.

Whether it’s in an 11-7 or 12-6 formula, I’d make sure to bring the Sheriff home…

in a row

– Patience, says Chris Pronger.

– The CH don’t just want to learn lessons.

– Wow.

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Martin St-Louis has said it: he doesn’t think Patrik Laine could help him in the third

For all those who say the Habs can’t bring back Arber Xhekaj in a formula with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, Martin St-Louis gave us proof yesterday that it can be done, playing with fewer than 12 forwards in the playoffs.

And why? Because in his team’s 3-1 loss, he cut his bench in the third period.

Emil Heineman on the ice twice… Joel Armia once… Patrik Laine none at all… Clearly, the coach got his messages across yesterday.

The problem is, did the guys on the other end of the line get the message? Especially the 92…

But in any case, if some didn’t get the message during the game, Martin St-Louis made sure he made himself understood during his meeting with media representatives.

If a guy with that kind of scoring talent can’t help you, the rest of his game is crooked and not for laughs. And yesterday, the rest of his game was more than crooked…

Yes, Laine obviously has a sore knee, but that can’t be an excuse. And now that he’s done that, you have to wonder whether he’ll play tomorrow.

At the moment, there are two opposing camps concerning Laine. Not playing him in the third went down well with most, but not letting him dry out on the bench at six-to-five.

Some believe he could have taken Christian Dvorak’s or Brendan Gallagher’s place because of his talent.

But for others, seeing him left out until the end is a good message. And in the name of corporate culture, not sending him to the end is a strong message.

Émile Poirier, an old hand at the game, thinks he’d rather lose with Dvorak than send Laine out in those conditions. Nothing less.

But hey. Yesterday’s game wasn’t just about Patrik Laine. There were other players who, for better or worse, deserve to be talked about.

What can I take away from the game?

1. Nick Suzuki does a lot on the ice. But yesterday, credit must also go to Christian Dvorak’s line, which is enjoying a superb run so far.

The center scored the CH’s only goal with help from Josh Anderson (what a great playoff player: he loves to shuffle) and Brendan Gallagher. And it’s no coincidence: the boys deserved to open the scoring in the game.

2. You’re obviously allowed to punch people in the face in the playoffs.

For the past two games, the Capitals haven’t been shy about it. Brendan Gallagher took one in Game 1, as you know… and yesterday, Cole Caufield ate sherwood. And he wasn’t happy. #WithRaison

Referees may put their whistles away during the playoffs, but there are limits to what can/should be tolerated. Blows to the face like that can’t be tolerated.

If Xhekaj was there- ah pis let it go.

3. After the match, Juraj Slafkovsky met the media. Slaf didn’t play a perfect game, but I thought he was better than in the first game of the series

And what did Slaf say?

First of all, he looked destroyed, a little on the verge of tears. He thinks it’s a shame that the CH has to be “perfect” to win, and that as soon as one element isn’t present, the club can’t win.

And he knows he has to be better.

4. Yesterday, Jake Evans missed a wide-open goal. It was a bit reminiscent of Artturi Lehkonen back in the day… who, ironically, also missed a golden opportunity to score yesterday in Colorado.

If Evans scored, the story of the game would be different.

5. The third pair struggled yesterday. David Savard didn’t play the best game of his career, but to consider taking him off for the next game wouldn’t be a good idea in my eyes.

But Jayden Struble…

6. Samuel Montembeault was excellent once again yesterday. He gave away two goals quickly, but more often than not, he managed to close the door on his teammates.

Early in the game, when only the Capitals knew they had the right to shoot on goal, the Quebecer closed the door. He made saves that gave his team momentum.

overtime

If you put things in perspective, seeing the CH in the playoffs is unhoped-for. It’s great experience for what’s to come in the next few years for this young group.

But in the short term, the CH isn’t doing enough to win.

The good news for the club is that the series is moving to Montreal. Today, the CH will travel to Quebec and tomorrow, there will be a home game at the Bell Centre.

Will this have an effect? It depends on how many players get up.

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Series highlights: Tyler Seguin spoils Gabriel Landeskog’s return to Colorado

The Canadiens failed to beat the Capitals last night in Washington.

Martin St-Louis’ men now trail the series 2-0…

Note that there were also two other NHL games on Wednesday. Let’s find out what happened:

Gabriel Landeskog’s comeback spoiled

It had been 1,032 days since Gabriel Landeskog had played in an NHL game.

That’s a long time.

But the Avalanche captain was officially back in action last night, and the fans on hand gave him a warm welcome.

A great moment for the player, really:

Ah, and Landeskog didn’t waste any time getting the crowd screaming either.

In his very first appearance in the game, he decided to energize his teammates by giving a check to… his former teammate, Mikko Rantanen.

You can’t make it up:

The Avalanche really started the game the right way, and the lineup took advantage quickly too.

Valeri Nichushkin took advantage of his club’s momentum to open the scoring with a sublime goal :

In terms of goals, it was a quiet game.

The Avalanche had their chances, but Jake Oettinger was solid in front of his net. The same goes for the Stars and Blackwood…

But Blackwood isn’t perfect either, and the Stars found a way to tie the game.

The Stars’ captain, Jamie Benn, tied it:

After 60 minutes of play, the score was still tied 1-1.

Overtime was necessary and in overtime, it was a Stars veteran who stood up.

After Jamie Benn tied the game… here’s Tyler Seguin giving his club the win:

The Stars won the game 2-1 and now have a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Avalanche better get back on track… because if they lose the next game – which will be in Colorado – it could really start to get dangerous.

What’s going on with the Oilers?

The Oilers are truly despicable.

Last night, at least, they weren’t there to compete with the Kings.

It was already 3-0 in favor of Los Angeles about halfway through the game…

But the Oilers made a comeback. Leon Draisaitl scored late in the 2nd and Viktor Arvidsson did the same early in the 3rd.

It was 3-2 to the Kings at that point…

But that’s when it all fell apart for Stuart Skinner and the Oilers.

Adrian Kempe (twice) and Anze Kopitar scored three unanswered goals in the third frame and chased Skinner from the game :

The Kings eventually won the game by a score of 6-2. And the team’s fans had a blast at the end of the game.

Fans shouted “we want Skinner” as he left the game after allowing five goals on 25 shots.

Ah, the Oilers and their goalies… At least the series (2-0 Kings) is moving to Edmonton:

Extended

– Top scorers of the night :

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Four games tonight :

(Credit: Google)
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Roman Rotenberg would have had Ivan Demidov play him

Ahh, dear Roman Rotenberg…

Roman Rotenberg, SKA’s KHL coach, can be blamed for a lot of things. But in the playoffs, when he needed to see his club score goals, he played Ivan Demidov.

On average, the Russian played over 17 minutes per game in the Russian playoffs.

But of course, as you can see, it’s a different story in the NHL. After playing 11:57 on Monday, he got just 12:50 of playing time tonight in his team’s 3-1 loss.

Was he the particular target? Not necessarily.

After all, when you look at the guys’ playing time, it’s clear that Nick Suzuki’s trio and Christian Dvorak’s ate up most of the minutes on the ice.

There’s an imbalance in the forwards’ playing time that’s quite different from that of the Capitals, let’s say.

(Credit: NHL.com)

It’s all very well to talk about Patrik Laine (who doesn’t seem to mind the playoffs…) not jumping on the ice in the third, Emil Heineman getting two appearances in the third or Joel Armia getting one chance in the final period, but….

But Ivan Demidov could have played a bit more. It’s not the first time we’ve said that since his arrival in Montreal, anyway.

An easy example that comes to mind? Why, at the end of a six-on-five game, didn’t Laine Demidov take Laine’s place when the club was looking for a goal?

Why were Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher there?

As for the rest of the game, it’s understandable since the trio they form with Josh Anderson was indispensable. It seems that way when veterans set foot in the playoffs, doesn’t it?

But at the end of a game like that, when he’d played well beforehand? It’s hard to understand.

I know Demidov isn’t the club’s savior. But the club only had 12 shots on goal after 40 minutes (he finished with 26, six less than the Caps) and he needed to score.

A savior could have helped… if he’d been placed in conditions to help the club.

extension

Patrik Laine must have been banged up on the bench when he didn’t play in the third period. He must also have flipped when he saw that, at six against five, he didn’t get his chance to play.

But the man who doesn’t mind facing Alex Ovechkin was clearly not in his coach’s good graces.

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Capitals take 2-0 series lead

Game #2 of the series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals took place on Friday evening.

Many were hoping to see Arber Xhekaj inserted into the lineup, but they will be disappointed as the defensive pairings remained intact for the second duel between the two clubs.

However, Martin St-Louis made some changes to his trios and Ivan Demidov had two new trio mates.

The trios of Nick Suzuki and Christian Dvorak remained unchanged, but the young Russian sensation found himself alongside Jake Evans and Emil Heineman.

Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook played with Joel Armia.

Here are the complete line-ups for both teams:

I really like MSL’s trio changes involving Demidov.

Laine and Newhook weren’t ideal teammates for the Russian, especially Laine who, despite being an excellent maverick, is simply invisible and catastrophic on the ice.

With Evans, who is very responsible defensively, and Heineman, who has a very good shot, as well as being very physically involved, I saw a very interesting trio. The latter was hitting everything that moved on Monday. Heineman is also relatively reliable defensively.

The CH got off to a good start, setting the tone quickly, which they needed to do.

There were a few chances on both sides in the first twenty minutes, but it was relatively quiet, especially in the first half.

Josh Anderson was singled out, however, but for his robust play as he tackled his good friend Tom Wilson, resulting in a scuffle.

Anderson double-checked Wilson, who ended up on the ice.

Result: Anderson and Wilson in the penalty box, but the Tricolore found themselves short-handed, as Anderson had a double minor.

Fortunately for the Tricolore, no goals were scored on the sequence, as for the rest of the first period.

Overall, Martin St-Louis’s team played well, but struggled to get shots on net, registering just four short-handed shots as opposed to nine for the Caps.

Newhook almost gave his side the lead, but he split the air…

It didn’t take long to see a goal in the second period.

The Tricolore broke the ice thanks to Dvorak’s hard work in front of the net.

Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher were partners in crime on their trio’s goal.

Unfortunately for the Flanelle, Connor McMichael came on to tie the game.

And just a minute after that, Dylan Strome put the Capitals ahead.

On the Capitals’ second goal, Ryan Leonard picked up his first series point of his (very) young career.

Although the CH started the second period very well, two quick goals from their opponents seemed to have brought them down.

The club was no longer the same and stopped playing.

Not ideal in the playoffs…

After 40 minutes of play, the Capitals had the 2-1 lead in the game, but also the lead in shots on goal. In the second period alone, Washington fired 18 shots on net, as opposed to eight for the CH.

The third period saw Patrik Laine skip his turn at five-on-five, as Newhook joined Demidov and Evans.

This new trio had a great first appearance together.

And so it continued for Laine in the third, who was benched for the entire third period.

He’ll have plenty to think about, as he generates absolutely nothing apart from turnovers.

With just under two minutes to play, St-Louis pulled Montembeault in favor of a sixth player… and it was Gallagher who played the remainder of the game, along with Dvorak…

Why put Dvorak and Gallagher at the end of the game when the club absolutely needs a goal? I don’t really understand that one…

The Caps now lead the series 2-0.

The third game of the series takes place on Friday night, when the Tricolore make their Bell Centre debut.

Montreal will have to take advantage of its fans, who are the CH’s lethal weapon.

Will we see Arber Xhekaj in the lineup on Friday?

Extension

– Alexandre Carrier had another excellent game. He was very solid in his own zone and made some great passes. He kept it simple. He and Mike Matheson were the players St-Louis used most.

– Alex Newhook also had a very good game. Despite missing a golden chance in the second period, he was often in the game, especially in the third.

– Logan Thompson was smoldering throughout the game with several key saves. He repeatedly frustrated the CH players, especially in the final 20 minutes.

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TVA Sports: Stéphane Auger no longer works on CH games

For several years now, Stéphane Auger has been a frequent guest on TVA Sports. The former referee is, much like what we see in the U.S. during NFL games, the refereeing expert.

He’s there to explain the process behind certain refereeing decisions.

That said, we didn’t hear Auger intervene in the first two games of the CH-Capitals series… and there’s a reason.

In fact, according to colleague Maxime Truman, Auger no longer works on TVA Sports Canadien games.

He’s still with the broadcaster, since we can hear him at other games, but not the Tricolore’s.

From what we could hear, there were several people at TVA Sports wondering what the former referee added to the product. And obviously, that’s what led to this decision.

His job, which isn’t an easy one (he has to be able to quickly explain out-of-the-ordinary situations), hasn’t always gone down well with everyone. He tends to take the referees’ side the (vast) majority of the time… and not everyone is happy about that.

Even Larry Brooks criticized him (rather harshly) when the former referee did his rounds on TNT.

Auger is also involved with Hockey Québec. Is no longer being heard at CH games the first step towards a full-time transition for the organization? The question arises.

So don’t be fooled: it’s only natural that you won’t be hearing him at Tricolore games.

In bursts

– Really?

– That’s right.

– Very cool!

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“Patrick Roy’s only chance to stay is in a field hockey operations role”

Yesterday’s announcement of Lou Lamoriello’s departure was a game-changer for the Islanders. Naturally, when the person at the helm of field hockey operations loses his position, changes are to be expected… and Patrick Roy’s case is the talk of the town.

Roy hasn’t officially been fired, but he’ll have to go through the process to keep his job when new management arrives.

And new management often likes to appoint its own coach, says Dominique Ducharme.

Today on The Eye Test, Jimmy Murphy and Pierre McGuire chatted with Chris Botta, who has an in with the Islanders. And he doesn’t see Roy keeping his coaching job, but…

Patrick’s only chance of staying is in a field hockey operations role. – Chris Botta

What we seem to understand is that Botta doesn’t necessarily seem to be referring to the GM position, in which Roy enjoyed success at the junior level. He’s talking about a “significant” role in field hockey operations… and that makes sense, because you’d think Roy wouldn’t want anything to do with a more minor role.

He probably wants to keep his name circulating in league circles for a return to coaching… or a possible GM position.

What is clear, however, is that listening to Botta, we understand that Roy’s days as Islanders coach seem numbered. He explains that the Anthony Duclair case has left its mark on the Islanders, and this is likely to work against Roy when the time comes to name the head coach for next season.

Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks for Roy on Long Island.

In Brief

– Very cool!

– Great story.

– Happy listening!

– Sea Dogs win draft lottery.

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Ivan Demidov to play with Jake Evans and Emil Heineman tonight

Tonight, the Canadiens are in Washington for the second game of their first-round series. And while we knew that the 18 skaters would be the same as in Game 1, we didn’t know if that would translate into new lineups.

So, in warm-up, we kept an eye on everything… and noticed a change: Ivan Demidov took his reps with Jake Evans and Emil Heineman.

Joel Armia was with Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook.

More details to come…