head coach: Alain Vigneault

roster: C - Saku Koivu, Marc Bureau, Darcy Tucker, Vincent Damphousse, Sebastien Bordeleau. LW - Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Benoit Brunet, Scott Thornton, Brian Savage. RW - Mark Recchi, Stephane Richer, Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure. D - Dave Manson, Vladimir Malakhov, Jassen Cullimore, Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois, Peter Popovic, David Wilkie, Craig Rivet, Brett Clark. G - Andy Moog, Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore.

injuries: Joceyln Thibault, g (bruised collarbone, day-to-day); Saku Koivu, c (ribs, 1 week); Valeri Bure, rw (bruised cheekbone, day-to-day).

transactions: Recalled Jose Theodore, g, from Fredericton (AHL).

standings:

Eastern Conference - Northeast Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Montreal     46  24  16   6    54  136  109  
Pittsburgh   45  23  14   8    54  125  104  
Boston       44  20  16   8    48  111  106  
Ottawa       46  19  20   7    45  111  111  
Carolina     46  17  23   6    40  116  129  
Buffalo      43  15  20   8    38  101  114  

game results:

12/27 at Pittsburgh W 1-0
12/29 at Colorado   T 1-1
12/31 at Calgary    W 3-2
01/02 at Edmonton   W 5-3
01/03 at Vancouver  W 4-2
01/07 Boston        L 2-1 OT
01/08 at Islanders  W 8-2
01/10 Rangers       PPD

team news:

by Michael Dell, Montreal Correspondent

Jacques Robert, our regular Montreal correspondent, was unable to file a report this issue, so I'm fillin' in. Which basically means this report will be weak as hell. Enjoy!

HABS IN FIRST
Thanks to an impressive 4-0-1 road trip after Christmas, the Habs have climbed back into a first-place tie with Pittsburgh. In fact, that road trip started out with a 1-0 shutout over the Arctic Birds at the Igloo. So take that!

INJURIES
Upon returning home from the successful trek, the Bruins were quick to put a hurtin' on the Habs. Not only did the Bruins beat Montreal 2-1 in overtime, the Bears also injured four Montreal regulars.

Jocelyn Thibault was forced out of action at 17:30 of the first period when Dimitri Khristich ripped him with a heavy slap shot. Thibault is day-to-day with a bruised collar bone. The Habs recalled young Jose Theodore to back up Andy Moog in Thibault's absence.

Shayne Corson got rubbed out by a slash to his left leg. Corson said his leg immediately went numb after getting whacked. But it wasn't real serious and he returned the next time out against the Islanders.

Valeri Bure suffered a bruised cheekbone when somebody, well, bruised his cheek. He's day-to-day.

The most serious injury was to the great Saku Koivu, who suffered strained rib cartilage. Koivu will sit out all this upcoming week, including the All-Star Game on Sunday. He was scheduled to represent the World Team in Vancouver.

MOOG MAD
Andy Moog vented some frustration last week towards the league about this season's hectic schedule. Because of the Olympics, the NHL schedule is more compressed than in the past. Teams are frequently playing back-to-back games and three times in four nights. Moog cited this as a reason why so many players are getting injured. He believes the schedule is just too rough. Having the All-Star Game out in Vancouver certainly won't help matters, either. Moog went on to say that he doesn't feel the fans are getting their money's worth because on most nights teams are too tired to play and simply put forth a subpar effort. Way to stick it to the man, Moog!

OH, THAT WACKY ICE
Because of that nutty ice storm that knocked the city of Montreal loopy, the Canadiens' January 10th home game against the New York Rangers was postponed. It has been rescheduled for March 12.

SHORT GAME RECAPS
Dec. 27, won at Pittsburgh, 1-0: Scott Thornton (3) scored the game's only goal in the second period and Moog made it stand up by stopping 19 shots. It was the second time this season that Moog had shut out the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

Dec. 29, tied at Colorado, 1-1: Ah, the Battle of Quebec... we hardly knew ye. The Canadiens earned a tie with their former Quebec City rivals when Mark Recchi (18) and Sandis Ozolinsh exchanged second-period goals. Thibault was in net and stopped 25 of 26.

Dec. 31, won at Calgary, 3-2: The Habs jumped out to a 2- 0 lead after one thanks to goals by Corson (14) and Darcy Tucker (1). The lead evaporated in the second, as the Flames bagged a pair to knot the game at 2-2 heading to the third. The game remained tied until 13:34 of the final stanza when Brian Savage (10) potted the game-winner. Moog stopped 28 shots to post the win.

Jan. 2, won at Edmonton, 5-3: Montreal won its first game of 1998 thanks to a four-goal third period. The Canadiens trailed 3-1 entering the final frame, but exploded for four unanswered goals to blow the game open. Koivu (9,10) accounted for a pair, while Damphousse added his second of the game (12), and Recchi (19) closed it out with an empty-netter. Thibault earned the win with 22 saves.

Jan. 3, won at Vancouver, 4-2: Vancouver took an early 2- 0 lead on goals by Jyrki Lumme and Dave Scatchard, but Montreal rebounded with another patented four-goal period in the second to skate away with the 4-2 win. Recchi (20,21) snagged a pair while Corson (15) and Damphousse (13) added one each. Moog was between the pipes and stopped 18 of 20 shots.

Jan. 7, lost to Boston, 2-1 in OT: The Canadiens returned home and were beaten by the Bruins, easily the most boring team in show business. Steve Heinze did the honors by scoring the game-winner 3:13 into overtime. The Bears outshot the Habs 30-18 for the game.

Jan. 8, won at Long Island, 8-2: After playing the Bruins at home the night before, the Canadiens didn't arrive in Long Island until shortly before game time. To make matters worse, they were playing without the likes of Thibault, Koivu, and Bure because of injuries. Um, all that might have mattered except for one thing... the Canadiens were playing the Islanders. The Habs pummeled the lowly fisherman, 8-2, thanks in large part to four goals from Brian Savage (11,12,13,14). It was Savage's first career four-goal game. Sebastien Bordeleau (3), Recchi (22), and Martin Rucinsky (12,13) added the other goals. Moog stopped 25 shots.

[ issues | web extra | stats | nhl archive | home | chat | mailing list | about us | search | comments ]

1998 © Copyright LCS Hockey All Rights Reserved