Atlanta (5-4-1) at Montreal (7-7-0)

  • Game info: 7:30 pm EST Tue Nov 3, 2009
  • TV: RDS

By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA, STATS Senior Writer Nov 2, 2:17 pm EST

Preview | Box Score | Recap | Highlights

The Montreal Canadiens have thrived in games that have lasted past regulation this season. They’ve rarely needed to put in that type of extra effort to handle the Atlanta Thrashers at home.

Winners of five straight at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens look to continue their success there against the Thrashers on Tuesday night.

Montreal (7-7-0) is undefeated at home since losing its first two, winning its last contest at the Bell Centre 5-4 against Toronto in a shootout Saturday.

Four of the Canadiens’ wins at home and six overall have been in overtime or a shootout.

“Our fans like OT and shootouts I guess,” said winger Michael Cammalleri(notes), who joined Scott Gomez(notes) to score for Montreal in the shootout versus the Maple Leafs.

The Canadiens beat the Thrashers (5-4-1) in a shootout in the teams’ last contest, 2-1 at the Bell Centre on Oct. 20.

Four of the teams’ 19 meetings at Montreal have lasted past regulation. The Canadiens are 2-0-2 in those matchups, 7-0-2 at home versus the Thrashers since the start of 2005 and 14-3-2 against them there all-time.

Montreal scored a total of 16 goals in three straight regulation home wins against Atlanta entering this season.

The Canadiens broke out of a scoring slump in their last contest. They had scored a combined three goals in two straight losses before getting scores from Glen Metropolit(notes), Guillaume Latendresse(notes), Hal Gill(notes) and Roman Hamrlik(notes) against Toronto.

Metropolit has eight points (two goals, six assists) in eight games after posting 17 in 76 last season.

Defensively, though, Montreal has been struggling, surrendering 13 goals in its last three.

Jaroslav Halak(notes) started two of those games, including the matchup against Toronto. He improved to 5-0-0 at home despite allowing four goals in the final two periods of regulation.

Halak is 5-2-0 with a 2.85 goals-against average, splitting time with Carey Price(notes) (2-5-0, 3.44 GAA). Coach Jacques Martin has yet to announce a starter for this contest.

“Ask any goalie and they’ll tell you they just want to play,” Halak said. “No matter who plays on Tuesday, we just have to get as many wins and points as we can right now. I’m not too worried about.”

Atlanta got an outstanding effort Saturday from Ondrej Pavelec(notes), who stopped 50 shots in a 5-1 win at Ottawa.

Pavelec has made the most of Kari Lehtonen’s(notes) absence due to back surgery, going 4-3-1 with a 2.60 GAA. Pavelec, 22, had played in 19 NHL games entering this season and was hardly expecting to be the Thrashers’ No. 1 goalie.

He made 34 saves in regulation before surrendering shootout goals to Gomez and Brian Gionta(notes) in the last matchup with Montreal. It was his first appearance against the Canadiens.

Pavelec’s strong play versus the Senators was the main reason the Thrashers were able to snap a four-game losing streak. Atlanta also found a way to finally get off to a strong start offensively, leading 2-0 after two periods.

Opponents scored the first goal in seven of the Thrashers’ previous nine games.

Updated Nov 2, 2:17 pm EST
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Team Comparison

Team G W L OTL Pts Standings GF GA Road/Home
Atlanta 20 10 7 3 23 3rd, Southeast 71 61 6-2-1 Road
Montreal 24 12 11 1 25 4th, Northeast 62 69 7-5-1 Home

Notes

RW Colby Armstrong was honored as the 2009 Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy Winner. ... LW Ilya Kovalchuk was named the 2009 Thrashers Most Valuable Player. He scored his 43rd goal of the season Saturday. ... Winning the season series 4-1-1, the Thrashers improved to 27-19-10 against Tampa Bay, including 17-6-5 at Philips Arena. ... C Todd White recorded his 51st assist while LW Slava Kozlov had his 50th.

Apr 11, 10:17 pm EDT

Last game: 4-1 loss vs. Boston, April 22 Series: Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal, 4-0 Montreal completed its 100th season with eight straight losses, including its last four regular-season games. ... LW Alex Tanguay was unable to play for Montreal. A game-time decision, he missed his second straight game because of an upper body injury. ... G Carey Price made 26 saves Wednesday. He started all four games, though he was pulled in Game Two after allowing five goals through the first two periods. ... The Canadiens were 0-for-2 on the power play.

Apr 23, 12:08 am EDT
NHL

23 Comments

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  1. Blue Blood
    23. Posted by Blue Blood Tue Nov 10 7:36pm EST

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    Blahh Blahhh Blahh I hear you talking but the words mean nothing...............Cu@tbag 69
  2. cathypare65
    22. Posted by cathypare65 Thu Nov 5 7:25pm EST

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    Big Papa , i don't diagree with everything you say, because as i've stated earlier Gainey traded Riberio (for a 2nd rd. pick at a time when he could have had at least a 1st rd. pick for Koivu) plus some other gaffs i'm sure we could mention, including the distasteful discharge of Carbonneau! But all the moves he made this summer except the questionable addition of Gomez at his salary were positive. The injuries to our most valuable player Markov and then O Byne are unavoidable circumstances and no one's fault. Now Big Papa may i ask you,are you a Habs fan ? And are you looking for realistic solutions that could help the Habs or are you a detractor hoping this glorious franchise does not return to former greatness?
  3. big papa
    21. Posted by big papa Thu Nov 5 11:55am EST

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    TO get bob gainey fired the fans will have to boycott a few games than the molson brothers will have too take action
  4. big papa
    20. Posted by big papa Thu Nov 5 9:04am EST

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    I would like to know if bob gainey is god of hockey and why does he make so many mistakes
  5. Cathy P
    19. Posted by Cathy P Thu Nov 5 8:23am EST

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    Fat Assman ,talk about boaring (get it hogman) can't you ever come up with something new! Now why don't you go back to your hogtown sty ,and suckle while you cry at one of your mates eight breasts!Or won't she let you?
  6. da fat man
    18. Posted by da fat man Wed Nov 4 9:38pm EST

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    @Cathy P(usslicker)...To quote Adam Sandler again, in response at your pathetic attempts at humor, he'd say "Whoopity Do!" Sorry, Rosie and Ellen are the ONLY dykes I know of that have some sense of humor. You fall more into the Chastity Bono, pathetic/pitiful , disgusting line of bull dykes.
  7. Shawnaldo
    17. Posted by Shawnaldo Wed Nov 4 6:34pm EST

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    Carey Price... yeah he's a real star!!!
    LMFAO!!!
    He's a ruined goalie... I'd say trade him, but who would want him
  8. cathypare65
    16. Posted by cathypare65 Wed Nov 4 3:59pm EST

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    And Adam Sandler would also say,the Fat Assman is a "Laff Delusiona in Drag" ,a big blue puptent! And you "Laff Abomination @ post 12,you retard, theHabs won their 14th cup in the 60's, the Laffs will be a hamilton team before they ever win a cup again, Hee! Hee!
  9. da fat man
    15. Posted by da fat man Wed Nov 4 11:34am EST

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    As Adam Sandler would say...."The Price is WRONG, B I T C H!". Sorry, love that line........
  10. Rob
    14. Posted by Rob Wed Nov 4 10:06am EST

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    Great game, even if it was in French.
  11. big papa
    13. Posted by big papa Wed Nov 4 8:37am EST

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    now gainey should shut his pie hole price stinks trade the bum and fire gainey
  12. 88
    12. Posted by 88 Wed Nov 4 4:55am EST

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    The Scabs are a very very mediocre hockey team. Face it Montreal. Six of your seven wins have been in OT. That won't continue. I don't see any reason for optimism in Montreal especially with Markov out.
    I see many reasons for optimism in Toronto. We'll win our 14th Cup long before Montreal does. And yes of course I loathe the Canadiens. You people in Montreal despise everything about Toronto. Not just the Leafs but our city, our people, our money, the fact that we are economically the strongest city in Canada by far. Montreal is a dying decaying decrepit little town. Could not save the Expos. Threw away the Als and Concordes but they came back and now they are trendy. For now.
    Pathetic city. Pathetic fans. Boo that American anthem. Sing na na na hey hey hey goodbye at Habs games with a one goal lead. Look where that got you against Toronto on Sat. nite? We shut you up pretty good then didn't we? How to motivate the other team? Just keep doing that Montreal. You stay classy.
  13. Lu
    11. Posted by Lu Wed Nov 4 1:41am EST

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    A goalie is only as good as the D in front of him... - this year they have all been very very mediocre. Last year Georges was solid but this year he looks out of place. Hal Gill is a pylon, and obviously was playing injured. Spacek...he's no Markov. Hamrlik has his moments, he's probably the most solid defense-man.

    Who's left? Carle was very so-so in his first game, i saw 3 outlet passes in a row that missed Habs players.

    Bergeron is good on the PP, but his usage by Martin shows what a huge defensive liability he is, and why no team picks this guy up.

    It's sad, but when your top D prospects are O'Byrne, Weber and PK Subban, you know something is wrong as far as tight defense goes! Hopefully Markov comes back soon...
  14. Peyton
    10. Posted by Peyton Wed Nov 4 1:32am EST

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    This loss can't be blamed on Price. The D looks like a bunch of pylons out there. MAB, do you do D at all? The offence isn't the problem, the G isn't the problem, it's the D. It's really obvious how much they miss Markov, especially on the dismal PP.
    1st goal, bad deflection. 2nd, where is the coverage in front of the net? 3rd, Carle (1st NHL game) takes a penalty, goal on the PP to an open man backdoor. 4th, where was the man covering Armstrong?
    It's unfair to put the blame on Price game after game when the players in front of him play that poorly. The fans of the Habs will be lucky if Price doesn't get fed up with the BS and move on to play somewhere else where he isn't blamed for every loss.
    And HabsHater...maybe you should focus more on your 1 win Leafs than on the Habs...just a thought. Cause I think your leafs just lost to the Lightning...with Kessel. Guess you better plan that parade route. You really shouldn't throw around the word mediocre when favourite team is the Leafs.
  15. gin-gin
    9. Posted by gin-gin Wed Nov 4 12:46am EST

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    Habhater, your name says it all moron, cant find anything POSITIVE to name yourself? - what @#$%y team do you root for? You a Laffs fan? The Habs may not be the team they once were, but we love them and we could not give a flying f** what idiots like Habhater thinks..... we might not have won in a while, but we will make it to the 25th Stanley Cup before any other team does GO HABS GO!!!
  16. 88
    8. Posted by 88 Wed Nov 4 12:17am EST

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    Lechster. Didn't you know that Bob Gainey and Carey Price are man friends? Carey is Bob's best boy. Look at the draft and look at the money and time invested in Scary compared to Halak. Outrageous! Another of the many many reasons why Boob Gainey has to go.
  17. Austino
    7. Posted by Austino Tue Nov 3 11:32pm EST

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    Wooh Go Thrashers!
  18. <i>lechster</i>
    6. Posted by lechster Tue Nov 3 11:22pm EST

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    If they want to make the playoffs they have to play Halak until he drops, at least he is a winner.

    Halak 5W - 2L Price 2W - 6L.
  19. MB
    5. Posted by MB Tue Nov 3 11:19pm EST

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    Very nice game! Advantage of getting first goal! Offense played really nice!! Very well played game by Pavelec! However there are some problems in the defensive zone that need to be fixed. WTF! was Schubert doing?? IDK wat he did but it lead to an easy goal for Canadiens. In trying to make a brakeout pass Peverley made a huge mistake putting it in the defensive zone, but other than that he played well. Bottomline we need a better breakline, period.
  20. <i>lechster</i>
    4. Posted by lechster Tue Nov 3 11:17pm EST

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    Carey Price another sieve-like performance. He hasn't recovered from his atrocious playoffs and end-of-season performance. Gainey annointed him too early and now he has broken down. Another reason to replace Gainey.
  21. 88
    3. Posted by 88 Tue Nov 3 10:25pm EST

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    The real Canadiens. A losing team. A mediocre team at best. Could not even beat the Thrashers without Kovalchuk. Nice.
  22. Drunk
    2. Posted by Drunk Tue Nov 3 4:31pm EST

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    Report: Price in net tonight
  23. mercury_galaxy20
    1. Posted by mercury_galaxy20 Mon Nov 2 5:39pm EST

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    Canadians need constancy,in the goal.Something both Price,and second dont offer.
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