A look at Nov. 6-12

Recap

The Canadiens had what can probably be described as their first so-so week of the season, although it certainly wasn't without a good start and some solid efforts on the ice. On Tuesday, the Cardiac Canadiens, as they've become known, engineered another impressive comeback, this time at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 3-2.

However, the Habs' fortunes changed somewhat when they played the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Thursday. After going down 2-0 in a lackluster first period, the Canadiens managed to tie the game despite a superior performance by former Montreal netminder Jocelyn Thibault (who, by the way, probably played a better game than he ever had as a Canadien). The Habs' comeback effort, though, was stopped short in dramatic fashion in the club's first-ever shootout. Sidney Crosby, who idolized the Canadiens growing up, and whose dad was drafted by them, scored a beautiful highlight-reel goal on José Theodore on the sixth and final shot of the frame to win it for his team.

Saturday, the Canadiens faced off against the Maple Leafs in a game that could only serve as a reminder of the misfortunes the team had suffered in the recent past: lots of effort (18-4 shot advantage in the first) and a bit of bad luck (Jason Allison's fluke tying goal off the back of Theodore). The Maple Leafs took advantage of a power play in overtime to take the game, although the Canadiens still left the week with 4 of a possible 6 points.

Tidbits:

• The Tampa Bay Lightning are a far cry from the superpower team they were just one season ago. Captain Dave Andreychuk is struggling and getting scratched, Martin St. Louis is nowhere near the level of play that won him the Hart Trophy, and goalies Sean Burke and John Grahame have been trouble with their injuries and spotty play.
  
• Can anyone honestly remember Jocelyn Thibault playing as well as he did in a Canadiens uniform? Sure, he had some fairly decent seasons with the Blackhawks following the Jeff Hackett trade, but it still surprised me that the one time the Canadiens should have had a must-win night against the tame Penguins, he turns in what could have been the performance of his career.
  
• Sheldon Souray, still reeling from his breakup with model-actress Angelica Bridges, has looked distracted and out of place. He needs to do a little soul-searching, but I'm confident he can bounce back and regain his form of last season.
  
• Kerry Fraser should never be allowed to officiate another Canadiens game following his blunder of a call in the 2002 playoffs which ended up costing Montreal their series against the Carolina Hurricanes. He continued to make some questionable calls in the Pittsburgh game which were not in line with the emphasis on the NHL's new rules.
  
• What in the name of Dickie Moore and Yvan Cournoyer was Bégin thinking when he missed a wide-open net that would have cushioned the Canadiens' lead in the third period of the Toronto game?? He almost made us forget his heroics in late October and his game-tying goal against the Leafs - almost...
  
• CBC = Coloured, Biased Commentating: The CBC's broadcast of the Montreal-Toronto game was spoken in an exceptionally pro-Leafs tone, which is a shame to Canadians and to the network's objectivity. As a publicly-funded corporation, the CBC has an obligation to represent all Canadians in its content. Hockey fans of all persuasions, not just Toronto fans, pay taxes which contribute to the CBC's budget. As such, Hockey Night in Canada should not lean towards the Maple Leafs. If Don Cherry, Bob Cole, and Harry Neale want to get all giddy about their boys in blue, the CBC can gladly broadcast them in the Toronto region, but it still has a duty to provide other Canadians with a chance to watch their teams. Besides, even Leafs fans would probably rather enjoy the firewagon hockey that the other Canadian teams - especially in Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa - are displaying; the Leafs are a team that belongs in the old NHL - they're old, overpriced, and not that exciting to watch.
  
• Monday update: Canadiens GM Bob Gainey announced that Alex Kovalev will be out for the next 3-4 weeks. The Russian star, second in team scoring with 19 points, will require surgery to fine-tune his knee that was injured several seasons ago. Habs fans can take solace in the fact that the surgery is happening early on in the season, and not closer to playoff time. Kovalev's absence is still likely to be quite the challenge for the Canadiens to overcome, and it will be interesting to see what Claude Julien does to compensate for his missing left wing.
  

Coming Up:

The Habs play host to Roberto Luongo and the Panthers on Tuesday (7:30 PM), then travel to the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey on Friday (7:30 PM), and return to the Bell Centre Saturday for Montreal's first look at Russian rookie star Alexander Ovechkin of the Capitals (7 PM, SRC).

Two Apples and a Rotten Pear:

Apple 1: Craig Rivet and Andrei Markov, for stellar defensive play and timely offensive contributions.
Apple 2: Alex Kovalev. Enough said.

Rotten Pear: Sheldon Souray, for not playing up to par. I like him, I really do; he's one of my favourite Habs, but he needs to step up his game.