That was Improbable

Going into this game, I was only hoping the result wouldn't resemble the recent 'Battle of Ontario' results. (Ya know, for it to be a "battle," don't there have to be two sides? Wouldn't "Beating" of Ontario be more appropriate? That way you can keep the BoO acronym.) Zednik was planning on being in the bathroom all night with the flu. Koivu re-re-tweaked his groin. #1 goalie (in theory) Jose Theodore was out with a bruised knee. Perhaps most ominously, #2 centre Tomas Plekanec (Sorry Ribs) is expected to be out with a knee injury for awhile pending an MRI. I was more concerned that the Sens might go headhunting for Ryder than the possibility of getting a point or two in the standings.

The first half of the game seemed to justify my concerns (except the one about Sens running at Ryder). Ottawa was up 3-0 and appeared to be walking away with it. Then the Habs noticed that Ray Emery (3-0 vs. Montreal) was on the bench and Hasek was in net. Realizing they had a chance, they put away three to send the game to OT.

In overtime, I was half expecting Julien to pull the goalie and go for the win. After all, what chance did the Habs have in a Hasek vs. Huet shootout??

So that's why Dagenais is still here: Said the Dominator, "I don't know who scored on the first penalty shot." I don't know either, but he was wearing Pierre Dagenais' sweater.

So that's what has been wrong with the Habs: Kovalev was in on all three goals (1g, 2a) and scored the clincher in the shootout.

To be fair, Ottawa was not without injury trouble of their own. Havlat and Bochenski are both out for awhile, Phillips did not play last night, and Spezza only played one period. Nevertheless, it is a confidence boost to be only the 7th team to come out of a match with the Sens with two points.

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The Columbus Bluejackets have recalled Andy Delmore. He should be subject to re-entry waivers. Grab him, Bob. I'm no Delmore fan and I don't see him helping the team, but I am spiteful.