Halaks incredible night kept the habs in the game

Halak made a bunch of incredible saves, 53 giving Montreal a 4-1 victory in Game 6 at Bell Centre on Monday night.

Hockey Hall of Fame writer Red Fisher of the Montreal Gazette told CBCSports.ca it was one of the greatest goaltending performances he’s ever seen.

Better then:

• Patrick Roy, 44 saves, 13 in overtime, vs. New York Rangers, Game 1986.
• Roy, 40 saves vs. Los Angeles, Game 4, 1993 (the wink was directed at teammate John LeClair, not Tomas Sandstrom as often claimed).
• Jose Theodore, 32-save shutout vs. Boston, Game 7, 2004.

Break out the champagne, a monumental record was broken last night by an Olympic Gold winning goalie and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Curtis Joseph now has the second most defeats of any goalie in the NHL. He is tied with Gilles Meloche and just behind Lorne (Gump)Worsley.

To be sure, Joseph is not done yet. With the help of his horrible defense (here’s looking at you Stajan, Kaberle, and what the hell, will give credit to Mccabe too) Joseph is sure to break the record for ALL TIME MOST DEFEATS soon.

So why do you think Joseph broke this record? Is it cause the Leafs suck, or because Curtis Joseph sucks? Comments welcome.

Boston ruins the Habs 100th Anniversary

Koivu started the drive with a much needed goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 in the Bell Centre.

“It was just a big point for us and at this point you’ve got to have the emotions to get it done, and when it happens, when a team wins in overtime, it’s pretty big,” Koivu said after scoring off his own rebound during a scramble.

But last night the Canadiens lost ground in keeping their playoff hopes alive.  While Carey Price turned away shot after shot during the game, he couldn’t keep them all out in penalties.  Toni Lydman, with a grand total of three goals in 74 games, beat Price with a low shot between the legs, providing the visitors with a badly needed 4-3 victory before  booing Montreal fans in the Bell center.

“It’s a good move to come in and shoot, force the goalie into making a save,” Price said in a monotone. “When you try and deke, the more the odds are that you’ll lose the puck.”

If Montreal had showed grit, they would have been in 7th place and assured a playoff spot.  Now they are doomed to a Toronto Maple Leafs-like race for eighth.

“We let one slip away,” Higgins said, shrugging. “Absolutely, we sat back. No question. We didn’t make enough plays.”

The Canadiens’ five-game homestand concludes Tuesday, against Chicago.

It was an exciting week in Serie A. Inter placed one hand on the Scudetto by Besting Milan. Juventus tied 1-1 with Sampdoria to get 9 points away from top spot. Genoa and Fioretina tied 3-3, Roma was thumped 3-0 by Atalanta.

Here are our top 3 goals of the week:

Goal 1: Michele Fini – Cagliari v Lecce

The veteran midfielder breaks the deadlock by crashing home an unstoppable volley into the top corner.

Goal 2: Dejan Stankovic – Inter v Milan

The Serbian continues his excellent season with a fierce half volley into the bottom corner

Goal 3: Alexandre Pato – Inter v Milan

The Brazilian wonderkid halves the deficit by sidefooting home Marek Jankilovski’s cut-back, following a delightful through ball from Ronaldinho.
 

Sunday, Jason Blake and the Toronto Maple Leafs were on fire and Penguins continue to were the fuel. Toronto dominated the second period, scoring 4 goals in one period, bringing their two nothing deficity to a sweet 6-2 victory.

While the Penguins fought for their playoff spot, they played like a team that had already threw in the towel. The leafs were harder, faster and just plain old better. By the end of the third, the Penguins had all but given up.

“We played one of the best full 60 that we have in a long time,” said Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala.

Now the Leafs have a couple days to relax before they head to Buffalo to face the Sabres. If they can bring the same energy they had tonight to Buffalo, we may make the playoffs after all. Go leafs go!

Canadian Press -TORONTO — Fresh off their championship victory, members of Canada’s junior hockey team arrived at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Tuesday with gold medals around their necks and fans cheering their appearance.

A small throng of supporters was on hand to greet several members of the team, which won its fifth straight world junior title with a 5-1 win Monday night over Sweden at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

Tournament MVP John Tavares, who plays for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, said winning the championship on home ice before a crowd of 20,380 - a single-game record for the competition - made the victory that much sweeter.

“You couldn’t hear the whistles sometimes, it was so loud - it was rockin’,” said Tavares, who has been touted as the possible No. 1 pick in this June’s NHL entry draft.

“When you hear the final buzzer go off and we’d won gold, it felt like the roof was going to come off. It was an amazing experience - something I’ll never forget.”

Canada’s streak of five straight titles matches the tournament record set by the Canadians from 1993 to 1997.

Cody Hodgson, who scored twice against the Swedes and led the tournament with 16 points, said the team is confident it can make it six championships in a row.

“It doesn’t matter who’s here, I’m sure the guys will pull together,” said Hodgson, a member of the OHL’s Brampton Battalion. “Canada is such a great hockey nation that we should be able to get it done again.”

Eleven-year-old fan Blake Carey wore a Team Canada jersey that flowed down to his knees as he eagerly awaited the players’ arrival.

“I just thought it was amazing that they won five in a row,” he said.

With their championship caps worn backwards, the players shook hands with fans and signed autographs.

“The only way to top (this year) is to get to six in a row, and keep going from there,” said defenceman Alex Pietrangelo of the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs.

“I think every kid on our team this year has watched (the tournament) every single year, and I watched it last year knowing maybe this year I’ll get a chance.

“It was better than anything I’d imagined. And having a gold around your neck makes it that much better.”

Pietrangelo’s aunt Caroline was waiting with him with a sign in hand as he strolled through the arrivals gate with his medal on display.

“I think they just pulled together,” she said of the team. “You could see there was a real camaraderie between them, and I think that’s the difference between winning and losing, is how you interchange with each other.”

Head coach Pat Quinn said he hadn’t slept since the previous night except for a little shut-eye on his flight to Vancouver on Tuesday.

“But you don’t mind that after such a thrilling ride with those young men,” he said after arriving at the city’s airport. “They did a wonderful job under immense pressure.

“There’s nothing you can imagine that matches standing there watching your flag go up after winning a gold.”

Tavares said the team celebrated the victory with family members before gathering in their Ottawa hotel until the wee hours to hang out for the last time.

He reflected on hard-fought victories against the U.S. and Russia, but called the championship match the team’s best performance.

“We got better as the tournament went along - our confidence grew,” he said. “We believed in ourselves and that was key. Our confidence was high and we had the support of the country.”

Team Canada will be gunning for a record-breaking sixth consecutive gold medal at next year’s tournament in Saskatoon and Regina.

On Tuesday, the big swede told reporters he wasn’t sure when he would play his first game for the Canucks.  He has been skating and practicing for a week with his new teams.  He is leaving it up to the coaches to make the descision.

He has been sitting since December and commenting on the strange feeling,  “It’s a different feeling for sure. It’s nice to be back on the ice. I haven’t been in the locker room for nine months, and that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to get back on the ice, to continue my NHL career and play against the best players in the world,” Sundin said.

Mike Gillis headed the drive to sign Sundin for a contract that will pay him about $6 million US for the rest of this season.  But my question is this, if he doesn’t play until the end of the month, thats 6 million for less than half a season of play.  Sundin really got a good deal there.   What do you think?