Abby in Philly

TSN is reporting that David Aebischer will make his second consecutive start when the Canadiens face off against the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow night. After hearing mediocre reports out of the Habs' training camp, I was thoroughly impressed with the way Aebischer played in Saturday's shootout win over the Maple Leafs. He seemed confident and in control of his play, and did all he could to stymie a surprisingly ferocious Toronto attack. I'm sure part of the reason Aebischer is getting the start is that Cristobal Huet might have injured his left leg slightly in the Buffalo shootout, but Aebischer has certainly earned the start. Besides, coach Guy Carbonneau probably wants to keep both goalies on their toes by not guaranteeing them anything they don't deserve; Huet will have to keep up his play if he wants to play more than Aebischer.

As for the rest of the Canadiens, I thought they were good - but not great - in their first two games of the season. The Habs had some difficulty getting the puck out of their zone in the Toronto game, and it seemed like they were trying to do too much. Instead of making simple plays, they were looking for the perfect outlet pass or breakaway opportunity. I think this is the main problem that has dogged Alex Kovalev and Sergei Samsonov, and perhaps it would be smart to lower the level of sheer talent on the second line to avoid that perfect-play syndrome. Of course, that would have to come at the expense of the red-hot Higgins-Koivu-Ryder line, and who would want to do that!

Finally, kudos to whomever is responsible for the design of Aebischer's new mask. Just one more reason to like the guy...

Tomorrow's game at Philadelphia starts at 7:30 PM, and the Habs' next match after that is Saturday night against the divisional rival (and potential bottom-dwellers?) Ottawa Senators.