MONTREAL (April 24, 2014) – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced today the signing of forward Connor Crisp to a three-year contract (2014-15 to 2016-17). The Club also announced the signing of free agent forward Daniel Carr to a two-year contract (2014-15 and 2015-16). In 67 games with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves in 2013-14, Crisp collected 55 points (28 goals, 27 assists). Eight...
MONTREAL - Here's a numerical look at the Canadiens-Lightning playoff series. 10 – Number of different Canadiens players who scored goals on Lightning netminders with Brendan Gallagher and Rene Bourque leading the way in that category with three goals apiece. 42 – Number of points registered by Canadiens players with Brendan Gallagher, Lars Eller and P.K. Subban torching the Lightning for five points...
MONTREAL – It’s been six years and a day since the Habs last won a playoff round at home. The moment had been a long time coming. Unwittingly, the Canadiens may have started a new playoff tradition by inviting Quebec diva Ginette Reno to perform the national anthem for a second straight home game. After spurring Rene Bourque to a goal 11 seconds into Game Three, Madame Reno’s magic touch manifested...
MONTREAL - Here's a numerical look at Game 4 between the Habs and the Lightning on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. 15 – Rene Bourque comes into Game 4 with a team-leading three goals in the first three matchups of the Montreal-Tampa Bay series. The left-winger’s 15 shots on goal at even strength lead the league through Tuesday. On Tuesday, Bourque added 7 more shots on net. 29:33 – Average time on...
Eastern Conference First Round Series : Game 4 Canadiens (3-0) vs. Lightning (0-3) Energized by a close win in front of the home crowd, the Habs will look to complete the series sweep on Tuesday at the Bell Centre A surprise offensive catalyst this postseason, Rene Bourque continued on his recent hot streak by corralling a P.K. Subban dump-in, breaking in alone, and snapping the puck under Anders Lindback’s...
1. Don’t get too excited, but…: Everyone knows that a best-of-seven series isn’t over after just three games. Still, some teams boast a far more powerful killer instinct than others when it comes to sending their opponents packing, and the Canadiens are certainly part of that group. In the 30 times the Habs have led a playoff series by a 3-0 count, they’ve put an end to the series in four games 21...
BROSSARD – Heading into Game 4 with a chance to sweep a postseason series for the first time since 1992-93, the Canadiens are maintaining their even keel, business-like approach to the opportunity awaiting them at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night. Sitting in the driver’s seat in their first round match-up against the Lighting where the Habs not only managed to steal home ice advantage from the Bolts...
MONTREAL – The Canadiens are in complete control of their opening-round playoff series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and it’s safe to say the Bell Centre faithful played a prominent role in lifting Michel Therrien’s troops to victory on Sunday night. After a rousing ovation from 21,273 rabid Habs fans eager to welcome their team home after winning two straight tilts in enemy territory, right-winger...
MONTREAL - Here's a numerical look at Game 3 between the Habs and the Lightning on Sunday night at the Bell Centre. 6 – Number of Canadiens players making their first postseason appearances on Bell Centre ice in a Canadiens uniform on Sunday night, including Daniel Briere, Michael Bournival, Thomas Vanek, Dale Weise, Alexei Emelin and Mike Weaver. 7 – Number of seconds Bob Gainey needed to score the...
PRESS RELEASE MONTREAL – The Montreal Canadiens announced Sunday night that goaltenders Devan Dubnyk and Dustin Tokarski, defensemen Nathan Beaulieu, Davis Drewiske and Greg Pateryn, as well as forwards Sven Andrighetto, Michael Blunden, Gabriel Dumont, Louis Leblanc and Christian Thomas have been recalled from the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs. All 10 players will arrive in Montreal on Monday, April 21....
LIGHTNING at CANADIENS (Montreal leads best-of-7 series, 2-0) TV: NBCSN, CBC, RDS, SUN Big story: Two big storylines coming into the series, the edge in Stanley Cup Playoff experience for the Montreal Canadiens and the absence of Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop, have played out over the first two games, which Montreal won in Tampa Bay to take command of the series. Lightning backup Anders...
BROSSARD – Hockey is a young man’s game, but the Habs’ superior experience has been a key to their success so far this spring. Recent studies conducted by hockey statisticians have concluded that NHL players hit their peak offensive years even sooner than one would previously have assumed. Considering the following: a typical forward in today’s National Hockey League is drafted at age 18, enters the...
Two tendencies: There are two ways to look at a playoff series when the Canadiens take a commanding 2-0 lead over a given opponent. The first 51 times the Habs came out on top in the first two games of a best-of-seven series, they went on to win that series 47 times. On the four occasions in which the Canadiens amassed those all-important victories on the road, however, the bleu-blanc-rouge saw their...
TAMPA - Here's a numerical look at Game 2 between the Habs and the Lightning on Friday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 32 – Number of playoff games played by Carey Price as a member of the Canadiens, taking over sole possession of the seventh spot all time in team history in that category ahead of George Hainsworth. 252 – Number of penalty minutes dished out to the Canadiens and Nordiques during...
TAMPA – The Canadiens landed in Tampa hoping for one win on road ice. Instead, they’re leaving with two. Coming off a wild 5-4 overtime win on Wednesday in Game 1, the Habs were expecting a tighter-checking, much lower-scoring outing in Game 2. Revisiting the gritty brand of hockey the two teams showcased in four regular season match-ups this year, it was no surprise to see the shot totals dip and...
Eastern Conference First Round Series: Game 2 Canadiens (1-0) vs. Lightning (0-1) On Good Friday, the Habs will try to extend their series lead against the Lightning in Tampa Bay. The opening game of the series had its share of gripping moments. In the end, the outcome was as good as it gets for the Canadiens' faithful. Dale Weise scored on a one-timer at 18:08 of the first overtime period to break...
TAMPA – In a special playoff edition of the notebook, P.K. talks PP efficiency, Michael Bournival discusses his postseason debut and playoff veteran Daniel Briere knows you don’t win the Cup after Game 1. TAKING THE POWER BACK: Having now gone 0-for-25 on the power play over the past nine games, including an 0-for-2 mark so far in the playoffs, the Canadiens once again split up into two groups to spend...
1 - Good Friday : While many people will be off work on Friday, the Canadiens will contest Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series against the Lightning. It will mark the sixth time in NHL history that the bleu-blanc-rouge will kick off the Easter break by hitting the ice for a playoff tilt. The Habs boast a stellar 3-0-2 record on Good Friday, with both of the aforementioned...
TAMPA – The Canadiens stole home ice advantage back from the Lightning in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night. Entering Game 1 as the “underdog” road team after finishing one point back of the Bolts with 100 points on the season, the Habs leaned heavily on their advantage in the experience department in their first win of the series. From responding to Tampa’s opening goal 19 seconds after it had happened...
TAMPA - Here's a numerical look at Game 1 between the Habs and the Lightning on Wednesday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 12 – Number of Lightning skaters suiting up for their first career NHL playoff games on Wednesday night, with only Michael Bournival and Alexei Emelin making their postseason debuts at the other end of the ice. 2 – Number of points registered by Emelin in his NHL playoff debut,...