Well, my boys missed an opportunity to put some distance between them and those Pesky Penguins! ARGH!
Although I will have to admit I am torn. Les Habitants still are near and dear to my heart, this stems from my late Grandfather's love for, in his opinion, the only "real" hockey team in the game. He used to say he had two favorite teams, #1 the Montreal Canadiens and #2 ANY team that beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. Naturally my Grandmother is a Leafs fan. Made for some interesting Saturday night TV.
So I am not entirely upset Montreal took over top spot, but I am discouraged about the Devils squandering an opportunity to give themselves some breathing room atop the Atlantic division. It was a solid performance from the Devils with respect to their ability to create chances to score. However, they were exceptional sloppy in their own end. Three of the four goals were scored with cross ice passing rendering any goaltender irrelevant. One of those goals was a product of a terrible line change. It seemed like no one knew who was to be going on the ice or they weren't paying attention. Naturally an odd man rush was created.
Now I have give full credit to Mr. Carey Price! Man this kid is outstanding. Cristobal who? I recall when this kid played at the World Juniors, he was something special. He moves about the crease effortlessly. It almost appears as though he is not trying, but that is a product of his unwaivering confidence and his bullet proof emotional control. This kid will be become the real deal and will raise the bar. What I find very interesting is his ability to raise his level of play when in a big game. Back in November Price lost his first outing facing Martin Brodeur (4-0), then in the past couple of weeks he has faced Brodeur two more times. Now Brodeur is arguably one the best goalies all time to strap on the pads and play some shinny, and Price has been rock solid in both of the last two outings; saving 69 of 70 shots on goal to gain the Ws. Many have crumbled under that very same pressure of standing 200 feet away from a hockey icon who will most probably finish his career holding almost all the notable records a goalie can hold. Now two games doesn't set Price's path in stone of being a superstar, but two games starts the ball rolling of consistent performance under pressure. And when it comes to being one of the best at anything, specifically goal keeping, it is measured by consistency. It isn't necessary to be ranked #1 in every possible stat, but if you are consistently vying for #1 you are consistently giving your hockey team a chance to win. Carey Price is an incredible budding young super star and now the first rookie goalie for Montreal, since Ken Dryden, to post over 65 saves in his first two career shutouts. I think the Habs are on the verge of watching another young unproven rookie netminder go on a career defining playoff run. Could Carey Price be the next, Patrick Roy or Ken Dryden...say tuned and see.
So keep your eyes on the Devils and Habs, they may meet in the Eastern Conference final. And that my friends will be one hell of a series to watch!
My Two Cents
Jamie
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