I think the Leafs are going to win their second game in a row, and that they won't be blowing this lead! They are currently ahead 9-1 over Atlanta. Yes, that's correct...9-1!:eek::eek::eek:

WTF? Is Atlanta playing empty net hockey throughout? Blazing a new path in coaching?

Wait a minute: you "THINK"?

Truly a miracle, as the Leafs find it hard to win 1 game in a row.

I am not sure how they got so many goals! Pavelec is normally a good goaltender(he had a .936 save percentage and a 2.14 GAA going into tonight's game).

Judging from tonight's game, and the other games he's started in, I believe that James Reimer(the Toronto goalie) should be the #1 goalie for the time being. He is playing a lot better than Gustavsson(he's made 39 saves on 41 shots tonight), and should be rewarded for that.

Now that December is over, I wonder if Montreal's swoon is finally over and done with(they always seem to get it for some reason)? They got some more bad news with regards to their Blue Line. Here is the article from tsn.ca:

KNEE SURGERY TO SIDELINE HABS' GORGES FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON

The injury situation on the Montreal Canadiens blue line just went from bad to worse as general manager Pierre Gauthier has confirmed that Josh Gorges will need surgery to repair his injured knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

Gorges originally suffered the injury during a December loss to the New York Islanders. He was placed on Injured Reserve on New Year's Eve.

The 28-year old Gorges has been one of the Canadiens' unsung heroes this season and trails only fellow defenceman Roman Hamrlik in average ice time for the Habs this season with over 21 minutes a game. He has one goal and six assists in 36 games this season.

"Any time you lose a player it's a loss but in the case of Josh he's a strong leader and a great competitor," Gauthier said. "We knew this was coming, we knew after Dec. 26 when his knee locked on the ice on Long Island, and from that point on we knew we'd have to replace him."

Gorges loss is the latest hit to the Habs' defence corps. Andrei Markov is also sidelined for the rest of the year after undergoing knee surgery earlier in the season. Roman Hamrlik is also dealing with an undisclosed injury and will not be in the lineup Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

------------------

Hopefully Montreal can wake up, as they are currently in 8th place with only 3 points seperating them and Carolina(Carolina beat Florida 5-3 tonight)!:eek:

Gorges' absence is going to be felt and I fear that Montreal is going to continue their slide.

Montreal does seem to go into a swoon every season. This one is lasting longer than normal. I don't see them recovering their top spot any time soon if at all for the rest of the season.

Montreal's problem is what Calgary has done in the past(not sure if they still do this) as well as Vancouver(however, Vancouver learned from their mistakes and Luongo has had a lot more rest this season over previous ones and their record shows that). They overwork their goaltender to the point of fatigue. It this doesn't catch them in the regular season, then it almost certainly catches them in the playoffs. You would think Montreal would have learned this by now.

@NHL.com (4th Feb 2010)
 

The Ilya Kovalchuk trade occured on the 4th Feb 2010.

A second source, the NHL.com article "Kovalchuk traded to Devils" - 4th Feb 2010:

Leafs 9-3 Thrashers
 

:lol: - it must be! Leafs win 9-3 :eek:

James Reimer, ended with 41 saves on 44 shots.

Unfortunately, that thug from last season in the QMJHL, Patrice Cormier (Thrashers), did manage to score his first NHL goal late in the the 3rd period. :frown:

Thug is the perfect description for him, although I'm sure the original thugs of India wouldn't want him to be associated with them. I would have preferred to see him not picked up by any NHL team. He doesn't deserve the title of hockey player.

Preview of the greatest rivalry in the NHL
 

I wish I had tickets, but I'll have to watch the television tonight as Montreal visits Boston. This is the third game between these two rival teams this season, and the Habs have won both of the first two. In fact, the Canadiens have an impressive win streak going against Boston: four games and seven of the last eight since the beginning of last season.

The Bruins have a chance to reverse their recent slide and continue their fight for first place in the Northeast Division, where the other three teams seem to be on life support. Montreal enjoyed a comfortable lead early in the season, then December came and the Habs went 2-8-0 for a stretch. The Bruins flexed their bear claws. Now Montreal is on a points-gaining streak (2-0-1), and it's a one-point race again.

The city is abuzz. I was out last night, and there's more French than usual being spoken downtown and in the pubs. Canadiens fans are brave to wear their jerseys in the pubs. They get belligerent. Fights break out. The crowded subway cars that go to the Boston Garden, where hockey is played, are powderkegs in the hour leading up to the game.

All in fun, right?

The only thing bigger in local sports is when the Yankees are in town.

Devils 1-2 Flyers
 

A result that will make Jen happy on her journey home from the Wells Fargo Center.

:frown: 2-0 down after only 14:41 - Hedberg is replaced by Brodeur who saved all 19 shots he faced in his 44 minutes on the ice.

Attachment 186594 If only Brodeur had started the game... ;) :) :innocent:

Quite by accident (I'm sure), the CBC is showing the Montreal - Boston game tonight so I'll be watching the game along with you, smc, just from a different broadcaster. I have the advantage of being able to watch Don Cherry, though.

You had better get out the Jameson's, smc. You are going to need a good shot of it after tonight's game.

Winter Classics
 

Your question deserves an answer, jen.

I am not a fan of the classic games. When the NHL was formed all the teams were playing in indoor rinks. It?s very cold where hockey originated and so people were glad to be able to get out of the elements and be comfortable watching a hockey game. Where I live it?s even colder so I far prefer to sit inside and watch a game rather than be outside shivering and feeling miserable. My reply to those that say I can dress for the conditions is to say that you have no idea what you are saying until you experience temperatures of -35* C plus a strong wind blowing. I?ll watch a really terrible indoor game before I would ever consider watching an outdoor game.

As an added note, I did play organized hockey outside when I was a kid. I didn?t like those games. My friends and I also played road hockey when I was a kid and I didn?t mind those games as we could dress for the weather. We could also quit anytime we felt like.

Montreal - Boston
 

Well so far Montreal has proven tonight that they don't know how to control the puck. Boston is leading 2 - 0.

^ Final score Montreal 3 - Boston 2. Montreal came alive in the last five minutes of the game. It was an OT win and I still don't like OT in the regular season.

Horrible. Just horrible. I'm crushed.

I guess the playing outside is more in the spirt of the birth of the game

With the threw back jerseys are being a popular gimmick perhaps the winter classics should be three games between the orig six teams wearing threwback jerseys with there orig logos but then what about the Senators? i mean do you count them after all they were part of the first NHL teams so perhaps we can leave out the Bruins kidding just kidding i think i'll be hearing about that comment
There was no organized hockey leagues in my area as a kid so the only ice hockey i ever played was on a frozen lake with no coaching just a group of kids it was fun even if we didn't play by the rules

:yes: Flyersfan Jen

As bad as I feel being a fan of the Leafs, at least I can take solace in the fact that they aren't the worst team. I'm not saying this with any spite, dauls, just the truth.:eek:

I like your idea, jen. It would be nice to see the original jerseys. I also think that the Senators should be included in classic games as you're right that they are an original team. So the original six would have to be the original seven. It would make it harder to hold a three game series, but perhaps of the original seven the team with the fewest points could be dropped for that season's classics. shadows, might not like the idea though, as Toronto would never get to play. (j/k, shadows)

2011 NHL Heritage Classic (20th Feb. 2011)
 

ila, with all this talk of the Winter Classic, what about the 2011 NHL Heritage Classic next month, when your Canadiens visit Calgary to play the Flames?

The Heritage Classic should be popular with Habs fans, after all you have a perfect record at them, 1 for 1, a 4-3 win in Nov-2003 against the Oilers - but the temperatures of around -18 ?C (-0.5 ?F) [with wind chill -30 ?C (-22 ?F)] must have been tough on the fans.

I think that Montreal has an excellent chance of beating Calgary, provided that they play a full game like they did in the last 5 minutes of last night's game against Boston.

One thing about the weather in Calgary in Feb. is that it could be a beautiful warm day (around freezing) or it could be -30* C and a strong wind blowing. I'm betting on warmish weather.

I wouldn't have wanted to see that game in person. It was too :censored: cold.

I hate watching Premier League football matches in the winter, it's just too damn cold - but it never gets as low as -30 ?C (-22 ?F). In future I'll just grin and bear it. :innocent:

Devils 6-3 Lightning
 

If your team can't beat the Devils, your city doesn't deserve an NHL franchise.:lol:
But I suppose Tampa's 55pts this season say otherwise. :blush:

A come from behind win, in which the Devils scored five 3rd period goals and Brodeur bagged his first assist of the season. :) :yes:

I think they should have one winter classic game every Jan1 and the two teams that play has to be from the orig seven and the two teams that play are determined but points ie the top two in points play each other in a one game classic cup game with no shootouts another idea would be to play the game in an oldtime rink i'm sure the plans still exist for one of the old rinks

My idea is to celebrate the NHL'S past for one day have a true vintage classic game

:yes: Flyerfan Jen

Ouch. What was that?

*reaches over and pats around back*

How did that dagger get there?:eek:

:p:lol::p

I think the Leafs put it there. It's been their only team effort so far this season.:lol::lol:

I wouldn't have much of a back left if that were the case.:eek:;)

Good night for our teams!

1. Toronto beat San Jose 4-2. This was Ron Wilson's 600th victory. Originally they were planning on sending Reimer down soon, but if he continues to play like he is right now, how can they? He is solid in net, boasting a 4-1 record with a 1.92 GAA and .947 save percentage!

2. Boston beat Ottawa 6-0. Wow. Ottawa is in a tailspin now. Bergeron got a hat-trick, had his third goal awarded to Marchand, and then scored another goal to get his hat-trick back! This was Tim Thomas's 6th shutout of the season.

3. Montreal beat the Rangers 2-1. Montreal outshot the Rangers 38-26.

4. Philadelphia beat Buffalo 5-2. Hartnell had two goals and an assist in this one.

Here are some other scores that have some importance, but are not actively followed, or are important to the standings of our particular teams.

1. Vancouver beat the Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. My Leafs and daul's Devils are happy about this.

2. Carolina beat Calgary 6-5 in a shootout. Carolina is ahead of the Leafs in the standings, and I want the Leafs to gain as much ground as possible!

3. Florida beat Washington 4-3 in overtime. Florida and Toronto have the same amount of points, but are ahead due to them having a game in hand(and one more win).

4. Dallas beat Edmonton 3-2. I remember when Edmonton was playing well and had overtaken Calgary in the standings. That now seems like a distant memory with them being 1-7-2 in their last 10 games.

I just saw Ryan Kessler's incredible shoutout point against the Islanders last night, leading the Canucks to a 4-3 win. Putting aside our general hatred for the shootout (as expressed throughout this thread), you should all search for the video. His spin move is a work of art!

Only one game to report about from last night.

Pittsburgh beat Montreal 5-2. Pittsburgh outshot Montreal 36-22.

Shadows i found this on youtube and i thought of you i hope this cheers you up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r2jy4Fc16w

:yes: Flyersfan Jen

How about a 7-5 win by the Bruins over the Flyer?. Any way you slice it, and no matter who won, that many goals in a hockey game suggests something was wrong. I watched, though, and I couldn't tell what it was exactly (other than the obvious problem of goalies allowing pucks to make it into the net).

Sorry, Jen. It seemed like anyone's game up until almost the end.

#2,000: Devils 5-2 Lightning
 

Back to back wins over Tampa, means the Devils win streak hits season high of two. :eek:

A lose for Tampa is always a good thing
:yes: Flyersfan Jen

And a 5-2 Philly victory over Atlanta is a good thing for you as well.;)

Devils 2-3 Panthers (OT)
 

Damn overtime. :frown:

Devils 5-2 Islanders
 

3-0-1 (scoring 18 goals), the Devils' best run of the season. :eek:

If this keeps up you'll pass the Leafs!:no::(

Pathetic. Just pathetic. Toronto loses 7-0 to the Rangers. They better bring Reimer back up, and they better do it shortly.:rolleyes:

Devils 2-0 Penguins
 

2-0 up inside 10 minutes and that's the way it remained.:) - Pittsburgh clearly missed both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on Thursday.

Shutout #114 for Brodeur - and somehow, his 4th this season! :eek:


shadows, don't forget to praise them for their 5-2 win over the Ducks. ;)

It's weird. It's like there were two totally different teams playing for those two games.:eek:

I came home tonight to a game that was 3-1 Ducks with 8 minutes to go. Didn't get the 2 points, but I love the fight back from the Habs to get a point. Pacioretty could turn out to be a good player.

I still think we need a goalscorer. We are like 26th in the league and our top players have long stretches without a goal. Anyone up north hear any rumors?

That stupid turnover in the offensive zone that resulted in the third goal was pathetic. Toronto had ALL the momentum and then *plop*. The defense lays another egg.

And of course Ovechkin gets the hat-trick with an empty net goal, as he seems to like cherry-picking a lot of the time to get those.:rolleyes:

The Bruins looked like they were giving a hockey clinic in Colorado on Saturday. What a front line! 6-2 over the Avalance.

Devils 3-1 Flyers
 

Victory over the Flyers, two day after the Devils beat the Penguins. :eek: :)

We're 5-0-1 in the last six and Saturday's win marks the Devils first three-game winning streak since December 2009.

Devils 5-2 Panthers
 

Four straight wins!!! :eek: And we've finally scored our 100th goal this season. :)

Plus Ilya Kovalchuk, a goal and two assists! What the :censored: has Jacques Lemaire been saying to the team?

Yeah, but you're only two points behind the Islanders. Keep it up!:)

Who cares about the Islanders? I'm aiming high! :yes::eek::innocent: