Kovalev vs. Sens

What a night for Alex Kovalev. 1 goal, 2 assists, shootout winner, 700th career point, 300th career goal. And he's been out for 5 weeks recovering from knee surgery. A friend who was at the game told me the ovations just kept coming for Kovalev, and deservedly so. Montreal fans haven't had this much to cheer for since Saku Koivu made his courageous return from cancer treatment to clinch the Habs a playoff berth in 2002. Both players - Kovalev and Koivu - are exceptionally talented individuals, and as much as people don't want to say it, are the main reasons the Canadiens put wins on the board. It's a bit of a shame that other players weren't/aren't able to contribute the way they do (although honourable mentions can go to Michael Ryder, Steve Bégin, Andrei Markov and Craig Rivet), but at least we can enjoy the dazzling performances these two players put on on a regular basis.

Kudos again to Cristobal Huet for another well-played game. He kept the Canadiens in contention the entire night, and can't really be faulted for the goals he let in considering the sloppy play in front of him for most of the first two periods.