SB Nation - Craig Rivet

Sabres 4 Canadiens 3: Sabres Win Streak Reaches Four

David Oleksy — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:36:57 -0000

More photos » by Paul Chiasson - AP

5 days ago: Buffalo Sabres' Patrick Kaleta scores a short-handed goal past Montreal Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 14, 2009 in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Paul Chiasson)

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This was one of the more entertaining hockey games I have watched all season and with the full slate of games on Center Ice, that is saying a lot. Both teams battled from the opening whistle until the final whistle, even if they had no idea the game was over (more on this later). It was a back and forth game that had power play goals, shorthanded goals, a fight to start the second period and of course for Sabres fans...it was a 4-3 victory.

The Sabres were prepared to see a different Canadiens team than they seen on December 3 at the HSBC Arena. There was no way the Habs would be embarrassed a second time by the Sabres. The Sabres weathered the storm and actually controlled play at times, especially with the fourth line.

It was the Habs that earned the early lead however. A ridiculous penalty call to Craig Rivet gave the Habs a power play and they converted quickly to take the 1-0 lead. Maxim LaPierre was pushing Miller into the net with the puck under him and the refs singled Rivet out in the middle the ensuing skirmish.

The score remained scoreless beyond the half way point of the game and I'm sure that many unbelieving Sabres fans were yelling at their TV sets because of the Sabres lack of offense. Those people quickly became believers after the Sabres scored twice before the end of the second period to take a 2-1 lead. The Sabres second goal was another shorthanded goal by Patrick Kaleta, he now has two shorthanded goals and three total goals in the last two games.

Montreal tied the game early in the third period with another power play goal on another undeserving penalty. The Sabres were called for too many men on the ice, a call that prompted the Versus broadcast to call a home job. The teams traded goals before the Sabres eventually ended up with a two man advantage and Clarke MacArthur buried his 10th of the season. The Sabres had a late scare after Toni Lydman went to the box for high sticking with exactly two minutes left on the game clock. They survived the two minute power play because of an amazing save by Ryan Miller on Mike Cammalleri with 19 seconds left.

Game Notes

Once again the fourth line was outstanding. They controlled play and really forced the Canadiens back on their heals in their own end.
When did Patrick Kaleta become a goal scorer? He works hard so it is not surprising when he chips in a goal or two but he currently has six goals and his last two were shorthanded goals that are usually reserved for pure offensive players. On Saturday he roofed one over Henrik Lundqvist and tonight he beat Jaroslav Halak with a nice move and a backhander.
Ryan Miller was relatively quiet tonight, until mattered the most. Miller allowed three goals on the night and finished with 21 saves with his best coming in the final 19 seconds of the game. With the Habs on the power play, Cammalleri had a wonderful opportunity but Miller slid across the crease and robbed him blind. When was the last time Miller played a game that didn't have at least one memorable save?
It was an eventful game for the officiating crew. Maybe it is because of my blue and gold colored glasses but it was very one-sided as well. The Habs first goal came after Craig Rivet was singled out of a scrum after the whistle. The scrum occurred because Canadiens forward LaPierre was pushing Miller into the net while the puck was underneath him. The second call was a too many men on the Sabres that should have never been called. The call was so bad the Versus broadcaster said "that was a home barn call". They eventually got one right when the call never started near the end of the game and they ruled the game was over.
The officials make the calls but until the last two games it didn't matter. The Sabres penalty killing had been outstanding but they allowed two power play goals in the last two games. Both goals came because of defensive breakdowns from the Sabres. They need to get back to playing dominate penalty killing to continue winning.

Up Next

Next Game

Buffalo Sabres
@ Ottawa Senators

Wednesday, Dec 16, 2009, 7:30 PM EST
Scotiabank Place

Complete Coverage >

Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens @ Buffalo Sabres

Rafal Ladysz — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:44:08 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

21 days ago: Buffalo Sabres left winger Thomas Vanek, of Austria, celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009. Buffalo scored five goals in the third period to defeat Carolina 5-1. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

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Revenge is on the agenda tonight as the Buffalo Sabres look to win their fourth straight match and avenge a season opening overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Despite registering more than double the amount of shots as the Habs, 35-17, Montreal ~~earned~~ stole two points in the first meeting. Since then, it's been role reversals with the Sabres sitting one point out of the Division lead with three games in hand on the Boston Bruins and the Canadiens only five points ahead of the bottomed Toronto Maple Leafs.

Montreal has alternated wins and losses for the most part this season failing to reach any consistency. Defeat today spells four in a row in that category. In Buffalo's case, it's a fourth straight successful outing they seek in a stretch where they have connected superb offense (12 goals) with stellar goaltending/defense (three goals allowed). It'll be Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak backstopping their respective squads.

Five thoughts on each team below.

You name it, Ryan Miller's on top or close by. In reference to save percentage, goals against average and shutouts, the 29-year-old is setting the bar leading all netminders. His 15 wins are bested by Evgeni Nabokov and and Marc-Andre Fleury. Matt Stajan and Ron Wilson applauded his efforts in Monday's 3-0 result in Toronto.
As I said, Halak is in and he's actually won both career starts when facing Buffalo but was beaten six times in the process. Montreal's hopes rely heavily on him for the sake of a decent result because of injuries and the fact that the Sabres have their A-game going.
Henrik Tallinder notched his first goal in over a year three days ago creating a 2-0 lead and taking the life out of Toronto. Ready for another frightening fact? The last time the Swede scored twice in as many contests was May of 2006 during the playoffs. Go get em Henrik.
Mike Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec have been the noticeable offensive producers. Besides them, nobody has 14 points although Brian Gionta likely would were he not hurt. They'll have to make their chances count because Buffalo usually out-shoots Montreal and Miller is seeing everything.
Jason Pominville, Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht are riding two-game point streaks. While they aren't large streaks by any means, it seems like a new person is stepping up daily to shoulder the load. Who will it be tonight?
Former Sabre blue-liner Jaroslav Spacek has struggled with nine points on the year. I guess someone forgot to tell Bob Gainey that last season's 45 points came in a contract year.
Energetic forward Tim Kennedy is still looking for that first goal at HSBC Arena. The local 23-year-old beat Martin Brodeur for goal No.1 and the other came in Toronto. With each coming against a historic goaltender or franchise, it would be worthy of breaking that funk through Montreal.
Good news for Andrei Markov who is expected to now return at some point in January rather than February. While it won't affect the outcome of this match, the sooner the Canadiens can activate their most valuable performer, the better.
Craig Rivet may return to the line-up tonight after missing two games confirming that he's healed up. The final decision will be on Lindy Ruff whether to allow him right in or wait given how well the defense has played recently.
I still can't believe Montreal pursued Scott Gomez and his ridiculous contract. This guy has 11 points to reward Gainey for $8 million dollars worth of salary. Chalk another stupid choice up to the general manager.

Four of the last seven battles have gone to overtime so expect a tight match-up if history is any indication. By the way, Toronto shutout Montreal 3-0 the day after Buffalo did the same to the Maple Leafs. Is it our turn to be closed down completely or am I just superstitious?

Sunday links -- Matt Cooke to be suspended? Gonchar and Pens at odds? Bill Guerin's effort too low?

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:50:44 -0000

Check out 2:35 of the youtube. "It's f-in hat night", the new "it's the f-in Catalina wine mixer"? [Three Rivers Blog]

TSN insider Bob McKenzie says that the league may review Matt Cooke's hit on Artem Anisimov last night for possible suspension or fine. [Twitter account]

Empty Netters takes a hard line on Cooke and says he deserves suspended. Given that the hit was away from the play, targeted the head and the offender's last name is Cooke, I have to agree that discipline could and probably should be on the way. [Empty Netters]

The Confluence takes a look at the fine line Cooke walks, and occasionally crosses. [Kuklas Korner]

Stats and details on the Penguins success in the first 25 game segment of the season. [Tribune Review]

The same clown from Ottawa who said the Penguins were preparing to trade Evgeni Malkin (two weeks before they re-signed him) says that the Penguins and Sergei Gonchar aren't agreeing on extension figures. [Ottawa Sun]

I'm guessing the odds you see an article on Puck Prospectus this week about Sidney Crosby hurting the Penguins is pretty low. [Puck Prospectus]

Faceoff Factor calls out Bill Guerin's effort. I don't see it, Guerin's got six points (3g, 3a) in the last eight games, including that last second buzzer beater. 39 year old players don't play like they're 19 or 29, gotta save a little in the tank for the long haul. [Faceoff Factor]

Craig Rivet and Max Talbot frienemy Dan Carcillo had quite the series of fights. [Puck Daddy]

Crosby v. Ovechkin was the fourth biggest hockey story of the decade. JP asked on his site if it'd be higher or lower next decade. I'm going to push and say it'll be about the 4th biggest story next decade too. The three bigger stories? NHL player involvement in the 2014 Olympics, the next CBA negotiations and the Penguins dynastic 11 straight Stanley Cups. [Puck Daddy]

Former Penguins prospect Angelo Esposito tore the same ACL again. Hard not to feel bad for someone who's career has seemingly peaked at age 15 or 16. [Bird Watchers Anonymous]

As a little aside, who would have guessed that Pascal Dupuis would have the more goals so far this season than everyone involved in that trade....Combined. The scoreboard (with NHL goals in parenthesis) is Pascal Dupuis (7) to everyone else (5). Marian Hossa (2) Colby Armstrong (3), Erik Christensen (0), Esposito (0) and a first round pick that was Daultan Leveille (0). Now that Hossa is back, figured I had to use that stat now.

Chicago's cap crunch might make defenseman Cam Barker the odd man out. Hear that, Mr. Shero? [Faceoff.com]

Sabres 4 Flyers 2: Sabres Halt Skid in Black Friday Matinee

David Oleksy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:50:43 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

23 days ago: Buffalo Sabres' Craig Rivet, left, and Philadelphia Flyers' Daniel Carcillo fight in the second period of an NHL hockey game, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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The Sabres recent struggles have brought out the skeptics and rightfully so. They did their best to quiet those critics with a hard fought 4-2 victory in Philadelphia this afternoon. The goal heading into the game was to earn two points at any cost and the Sabres paid dearly. Patrick Kaleta was sent to the locker room early in the first period after his hit on Jared Ross drew a five minute major and a game misconduct. Paul Gaustad left the game in the second period with an apparent hip injury and Craig Rivet left in the third with a leg injury.

The biggest reason for the Sabres recent skid was a lack of offense. It wasn't always pretty but they found some offense this afternoon. Tim Connolly led the way with a pair of goals and four points total to give him six goals and 21 points on the season. Connolly scored the final two goals of the game, the first on a lazer from inside the blueline that beat Emery over his shoulder, the second on a flop shot that went over the top of Emery and into the net.

Despite the Sabres victory and the four goals scored, this wasn't the most entertaining hockey game. If you were a fan of the style of hockey before the lockout, you were a fan of this game. Every once in awhile I see a game like this where the clutching and grabbing sneaks back in but they mostly happen in the Western Conference. Everything that was right with the game against the Calgary Flames a couple of weeks ago, was wrong with this game.

Both teams were allowed to hold up forecheckers on almost every rush up the ice. It took the Sabres a period and a half to figure out there would be no calls and they were able to match the Flyers style of play. The energy level of both teams appeared to be very good but the speed of the game was altered slightly.

Stafford a Beast

Tim Connolly will get all the glory because of his four points but Stafford was the man that made it happen today. He put the Sabres on the board with the games first goal on determination alone. Staff drove hard to the net from the left wing and he switched from backhand to forehand to beat Emery. Stafford was also the reason for the Sabres fourth goal. He battled hard along the wall and eventually fed the pass out front to Connolly for the goal.

Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword Blade

Above is the line that Rick Jeanneret used during the broadcast today.

Patrick Kaleta was crunched into the boards by Alex Ovechkin on Wednesday night. Ovechkin earned a five minute major and a game misconduct for the hit. Today it was Patrick Kaleta that hit Jared Ross into the boards and earned himself a five minute major and a game misconduct.

After watching the hit by Ovechkin, I thought it was the wrong call by the refs and I feel the same way about this hit. Ross turned his back at the last minute because he seen Kaleta coming at him. It's unfortunate that Ross was injured but he needs to responsible for his actions and not turn his back.

Take a look at the video and judge the play for yourself. Ross clearly passes the puck and turns his back on Kaleta who is charging in for the hit.

Bad Day for the Stripes

I already mentioned the absurd amount of clutching and grabbing that was allowed in this game. That wasn't nearly the worst ting the officials did in this game. The worst call of the game may have been the call that took a goal off the board for the Flyers. Toni Lydman clearly pushed Mike Richards over the top of Ryan Miller and the referee blew the whistle. The Flyers put the puck in the net with Richards inside of it but the referee ruled the whistle had blown.

It's impossible to remember all the bad calls but I'll try my best. Mike Richards hit Tyler Myers in the side of the head with his stick while trying to brace himself for a hit. The referee called a two minute minor for roughing but could have easily called more on such a dangerous play.

Possibly the most comical moment of the game was when Andreas Nodl hit Tim Kennedy with a high stick. The whistle blew and Nodl went and sat in the box but after a discussion among the refrees they determined there was no penalty...nothing says guilty like volumtarily going to the box. To make matters worse, they called Toni Lydman for a very questionable slash just minutes later.

Physical Game Takes it's Toll

It was definitely another physical game between the Sabres and Flyers. There were two seperate altercations between Craig Rivet ad Dan Carcillo and there were plenty of other scrums in the corners. It was nice to see the Sabres stand up to the big bad Flyers but some of the Sabres tough guys are now expected to miss some time.

Paul Gaustad ran hard into the boards after missing a check in the second period and he didn't come back. It was difficult to see what was wrong with Goose but it appeared to be a hip injury.

Sabres captain Craig Rivet will also be out of the lineup for quite some time. Rivet crashed akwardly into the boards behind the Sabres net and skated gingerly to the locker room. It looked like it was a left leg injury and it left Rivet in considerable pain on the ice. My best guess is a broken foot or an ankle injury.

Up Next

The Sabres return home to take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. The Canes allowed five goals in the third period in a 6-4 loss to Atlanta on Friday night. The Canes had a 4-1 lead in the third period.

Poll

Should Patrick Kaleta be suspended for his hit on Jared Ross?

Yes

19 votes

No

64 votes

83 votes | Poll has closed

Hobbled Flyers drop another to Sabres 4-2

Travis Hughes — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:27:05 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Buffalo Reaction]

Final - 11.27.2009	1	2	3	Total
Buffalo Sabres	1	1	2	4
Philadelphia Flyers	2	0	0	2

Complete Coverage >

It's become tradition to have a home game on Black Friday each season. But looking for relief from the crowds at the mall, fans have frequently found disappointment inside the halls of Wachovia Center, as the Flyers have lost on the day after Thanksgiving each year since 2006. Nothing changed today as the injury-riddled Flyers fell to the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. It's the second time in just under two weeks that the Sabres have come into Philadelphia and wrestled a win away from the home team.

After taking an early lead on a Drew Stafford first period goal, the orange and black fought back late in the period. Mike Richards tied the score at one late on a beautiful pass by James van Riemsdyk, and then with about 30 seconds left, a point shot from Braydon Coburn deflected off a Buffalo player and past goaltender Ryan Miller. The momentum was completely changed in the Flyers favor.

So, naturally, as the second period opened, Buffalo captain Craig Rivet decided to try to change that. He took on Dan Carcillo in a pretty evenly matched bout, but the Flyer tough guy was pretty heated afterward. It takes a lot to keep Carcillo down, so it was no surprise that the next time he and Rivet were united on the ice, a fight broke out. Carcillo beat him down this time, but a late strike by Rivet after the linesman had already jumped in ticked him off even more. He went off on the official for allowing it, a move that quickly earned him a 10 minute misconduct. He was asked to head to the dressing room for the remainder of the second period after jawing at Rivet from the penalty box.

Paul Gaustad tied the game in the second period, and it was the Tim Connolly show in the third as he added two goals to give the Sabres the victory.

Some more thoughts on this one...

Ian Laperriere is an absolute warrior. He took a Jason Pominville shot to the face in the second period and left the game to reportedly receive around 50 stitches in his upper lip. I've been hit with a puck in the lip and I needed eight stitches, and let me tell you -- that hurt. To return to the game after 50 stitches and a cut that looked like it completely severed his upper lip in two is unfathomable. But Lappy did it, taking three shifts in the third period with a cage on his helmet.
Jared Ross was slammed into the boards by Patrick Kaleta in the first period. He had already passed the puck away when Kaleta leaped and drilled his head into the boards. He didn't return, but neither did Kaleta. He was handed a boarding major and a game misconduct, and you can fully expect the NHL to come down on him for this one. The good news: Ross will travel with the team to Atlanta.
With Ross and Laperriere out and the Flyers bench slim at the forward position, Carcillo's 10 minute misconduct didn't help things. He was right in his argument to the official that led to the penalty, though, so it's hard to be too mad with him. I have a feeling Carcillo won't have a short memory about this one.
The power play laid an egg today, going 0 for 5 in 9:14 with the man advantage. Not allowed.
Mike Richards was an animal in the final few minutes. He had about six shots on goal with Ray Emery pulled from the Flyers net as the orange and black tried to tie the game. It was a futile effort, however, since Ryan Miller had an answer for everything the Flyers threw his way in the third.
Despite the loss, Philadelphia's fourth in five games, the same problems that plagued the Flyers during their West Coast road trip did not lead to the loss today. Instead, today was a lot more similar to the Flyers last loss to the Sabres in that they didn't get much luck and that they just couldn't finish their chances. Miller didn't help the equation, either.

After the jump, questions with answers and the comment of the day.

Questions With Answers

How much ice time does Riley Cote get today? Despite the Flyers short bench, Cote didn't see much ice, only played 5:38.
The Flyers are better than the Sabres at even-strength play, on the penalty kill, and the power play. Can they show that's true today? I thought the teams matched up pretty evenly at even strength, but the Flyers couldn't get anything going on the PP.
Do the Flyers show up today, or are they stuck between lazy off day and travel day? They certainly showed up. It just wasn't enough today. It happens.
Does Ray Emery rebound from a bad road trip with a strong game today? He allowed four goals on 25 shots, but he didn't have a terrible game. Then again, he needed to outduel Ryan Miller to win this one, and that didn't happen.

Comment Of The Day

My Goodness, HE IS MY F’ING HERO!

>> flyrsfrk05, on Lappy's return

Habs vs Former Habs at the Quarter Point

Robert L — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:24 -0000

I haven't taken a look at this since the 10 game mark (October 27), but it seems that the former Habs players are now gaining a slight edge on their current counterparts.

At the quarter season point, it is still too soon to draw much of a conclusion, especially considering how unstable the Canadiens' lineup is these days

Most of the players on both sides have kept up their early season pace going, with exceptions being Tanguay, Lang and Koivu, who have picked it up for the former Habs and Marc-Andre Bergeron, who now leads all Canadiens' D in scoring. Tailing off somewhat, are the Bruins' Michael Ryder and Steve Begin.

Most notable among these statistics may just be the save percentages - added to this list for the first time here. I chose to include them for obvious reasons, that being the Canadiens duos numbers as compared to the former netminders now tending goal for stronger clubs.

The Habs much maligned duo of Halak and Price take a beating a little too often, but as it appears here, they could just as well be the team's saving grace.

*Players below are ranking by points and not in comparison.

Jaroslav Halak 8-5-3-0 2.62-9.04 / Jose Theodore 13-5-3-4 3.24-8.83 (Capitals)

Carey Price 13-5-8-0 2.99-9.06 / Cristobal Huet 15-9-4-1 2.25-9.02 (Blackhawks)

Marc-Andre Bergeron 14-3-4-7 / 21-4-7-11 Mark Streit (Islanders)

Roman Hamrlik 20-4-2-6 / 19-0-8-8 Craig Rivet (Sabres)

Jaroslav Spacek 21-1-5-6 / 19-2-5-7 Francois Beauchemin (Maple Leafs)

Paul Mara 21-0-6-6 / 15-2-4-6 Ron Hainsey (Thrashers)

Josh Gorges 11-1-1-2 / 6-0-2-2 Sheldon Souray (Oilers)

Hal Gill 14-1-0-1 / 16-0-0-0 Mike Komisarek (Maple Leafs)

Totals - Defense　

Habs: Total GP: 101 / Goals: 10 /Assists: 18 / Points: 28

Former Habs: Total GP: 96 / Goals: 8 / Assists: 26 / Points: 34

Tomas Plekanec 21-4-15-19 / 20-6-10-16 Mike Ribeiro (Stars)

Mike Cammalleri 21-8-8-16 / 19-3-9-12 Mikhail Grabovski (Maple Leafs)

Brian Gionta 19-8-5-13 / 18-4-8-12 Alex Tanguay (Lightning)

Scott Gomez 21-2-9-11 / 20-5-6-11 Robert Lang (Coyotes)

Glen Metropolit 15-4-6-10 / 18-4-6-10 Alex Kovalev (Senators)

Travis Moen 21-4-3-7 / 20-2-7-9 Steve Begin (Bruins)

Andrei Kostitsyn 21-2-4-6 / 15-2-6-8 Saku Koivu (Ducks)

Maxim Lapierre 21-1-4-5 / 20-4-3-7 Michael Ryder (Bruins)

Max Pacioretty 21-2-2-4 / 20-2-5-7 Sergei Samsonov (Hurricanes)

Guillaume Latendresse 21-2-1-3 / 14-3-2-5 Arron Asham (Flyers)

Georges Laraque 8-0-1-1 / 20-2-3-5 Christopher Higgins (Rangers)

Matt D'Agostini 11-1-0-1 / 20-1-0-1 Tom Kostopoulos (Hurricanes)

Totals - Forwards　

Habs: Total GP: 221 / Goals: 38 /Assists: 58 / Points: 96

Former Habs: Total GP: 224 / Goals: 38 / Assists: 64 / Points: 102

Totals - Team

Habs: Total GP: 322 / Goals: 48 /Assists: 76 / Points: 124

Former Habs: Total GP: 320 / Goals: 46 / Assists: 90 / Points: 136

Incidentally, I'm not much of a video gamer when it comes to such things as NHL 2010 or EA Sports and stuff. (I used to joke that X-Box sounded like a former girlfriend!) A reader of this site has been looking into aligning the teams above against one another for a series of games. That sounded like an interesting offer, and I took him up on it. Once the results come forth, you'll read about it here.

Fighting: Just like Chess

Hawerchuk — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:15:19 -0000

by Chris Young - AP

2 months ago: Toronto Maple Leafs' Colton Orr, right, fights with Montreal Canadiens' Georges Laraque during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Toronto on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

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So how do we figure out who the best fighter in the NHL is? First, we need to know who won every fight that takes place in the league. Hockey-fights.com is an absolutely indispensable resource in this regard - its users vote on who won and lost every fight. But it's not enough - a heavyweight who fights only in his weight class might have a .500 record despite being one of the better fighters in the league.

As usual, chess has the answer we're looking for: the ELO rating system, which handicaps players based on their past performance. Using ELO, the loser of a bout between top-ranked fighters will be penalized far less than if he lost to an unknown or a poor fighter. Here are the rankings for serious fighters using all fights during the 2006-07 through 2008-09 season:

Player	Ft	In	Wt	Fights	W	L	T	GP	Fights/82
Georges Laraque	6	3	253	30	24	3	3	177	13.9
D.J. King	6	3	229	22	16	2	4	89	20.3
Derek Boogaard	6	8	257	29	21	6	2	133	17.9
Donald Brashear	6	3	234	37	23	9	5	220	13.8
Wade Belak	6	5	225	28	17	7	4	165	13.9
Milan Lucic	6	3	228	24	18	4	2	149	13.2
Aaron Downey	6	1	215	15	9	1	5	81	15.2
Raitis Ivanans	6	4	256	39	21	11	7	215	14.9
Colton Orr	6	3	222	52	31	16	5	209	20.4
Eric Godard	6	4	214	44	20	15	9	164	22.0

No matter how you slice the data, Laraque was going to be #1. His 24-3-3 record against no-one but tough guys is unmatched.

And what about the less-frequent fighters?

Player	Ft	In	Wt	Fights	W	L	T	GP	Fights/82
Zdeno Chara	6	9	255	7	5	0	2	237	2.4
Sheldon Souray	6	4	233	8	7	0	1	188	3.5
Gary Roberts	6	2	215	6	5	1	0	137	3.6
Kevin Bieksa	6	0	205	15	13	1	1	187	6.6
Craig Rivet	6	2	210	13	10	0	3	209	5.1

This group definitely includes some solid fighters who've made the highlight of the night with their fists. Just missing the top five were Robyn Regehr and Rick Rypien, who fight less often but have had good success against serious fighters.

And who have been the worst fighters in the league? Presumably, legitimately bad fighters will stay away from fights! But among those who do fight repeatedly, Corey Perry (0 wins in 7 fights), Greg Campbell (1-16), Brendan Witt (1-9), Alex Burrows (0-15) and Tom Kostopoulos (1-23) stand out as particularly poor. Those decisions come from Hockeyfights.com users - if you watch the fight videos yourself, your mileage may vary.

Who Now Becomes The Seventh Defenseman?

Zachary Zielonka — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

about 1 month ago: New Jersey Devils' Matt Halischuk (16) takes a shot between Buffalo Sabres' Craig Rivet (52) and goalie Ryan Miller (30) during the second period in an NHL hockey game at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

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I can imagine that the articles about Tyler Myers are starting to get old. Hence, why this one will be the last one. When Toni Lydman and Andrej Sekera come back from their injuries, the Sabres will face another conundrum on their defense. They will have seven defensemen and will have to sit one of them.

Must Plays

Tyler Myers

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Tyler Myers	9	2	3	5	8	2	0	0	0	0	10	20.0

This doesn't need to be said but we will anyways. The Sabres are keeping him up and therefore will be playing in most of the games this season. He is a rookie and he will hit a wall at some point this season. At that point, he should be a scratch so that he isn't burnt out at the end of the season and hopefully the playoffs. At this point in his career though, he should be playing. The Sabres are doing just that with him, he is averaging twenty minutes a game which is third on the team. He is seeing 2:43/game on the power play and 1:59/game shorthanded. He is a +8 which is second only to his linemate Henrik Tallinder and he is leading the defensemen in points.

Henrik Tallinder

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Henrik Tallinder	9	0	3	3	9	12	0	0	0	0	3	0.0

Many have derided Tallinder in the past two seasons as his play had really not lived up to the $2.65 million cap hit. Last year, Tallinder had twelve points and was -2 in 66 games. This year, Tallinder already has three assists and is a +9. His defensive game has been aided with Myers on the opposite side but he is playing to prove that he should live up to the contract he signed. It is also a contract year for Tallinder. Therefore, he is going to play out of his mind to try and earn the next big payday. Tallinder is playing well with Myers and should not come out of the lineup at this point

Craig Rivet

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Craig Rivet	9	0	4	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	14	0.0

Rivet is the captain and the lifeblood of the team. As long as he is wearing the C, he will be in the lineup. Rivet has had a quiet season thus far, which for a defenseman is not necessarily a bad thing. He is second on the team in time on ice/game at 21:39/game and has four assists on the season. Rivet has played with sophomore sensation Chris Butler this season and both have played a quiet shutdown type of game.

Chris Butler

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Chris Butler	9	0	4	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	14	0.0

As I said about Rivet, the same principle applies to Butler. Lost in the fray of all of the Tyler Myers coverage is the stellar play of Chris Butler this season. Butler leads the team in total time on ice and time on ice per game. He also leads the team in shorthanded time on ice and is second in powerplay time on ice. The coaching staff has placed faith in this kid's play and he is responding with four assists, three on the powerplay.

Steve Montador

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Steve Montador	9	0	3	3	1	10	0	0	0	0	15	0.0

Montador is not coming out of the lineup just due to the fact that he really has not played bad all season. He only has three assists on the season, but he wasn't acquired for his offensive prowess. He is teaching and playing a good game on the blueline and really is no doubt that he would come out of the lineup.

Questionables

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Toni Lydman	4	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	6	0.0

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Andrej Sekera	3	0	0	0	-1	2	0	0	0	0	3	0.0

This leaves two players left where one of them will have to sit. Toni Lydman has played four out of a possible nine games this season, he missed the first three due to a hand injury and the last two due to a groin injury. In those four games, Lydman is a +1 and has no points. Andrej Sekera has only played three games this season and has struggled slightly this season. While his play has not dropped off, it really does not bump another player out of the lineup and it won't bump Lydman to the press box just due to the fact that Lydman would be another veteran presence in the lineup.

Habs vs Former Habs - October 27

Robert L — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:15:37 -0000

The Canadiens players made some interesting gains on their former counterparts this past week. A pair of 5 goal games didn't hurt matters.

A pair of quick clarification notes for starters.

I've flipped Markov for Bergeron and Bouillon for Hainsey for no other reason than it is more interesting to follow players who are actually pointing. By mid-season or later, depending on Markov's return date, I might just list 7 defensemen per side.

Additionally, the players ranked side by side aren't neccessarily being compared to one another. There's been some confusion or misunderstanding about this. Players on both sides of the columns are ranked simply by points. If that happens to align one against another, you can draw your own conclusions on that note.

Now onto the interesting bits:

The biggest jumps on the Canadiens' players side were made by Cammalleri, the NHL's second star of the week, and Glen Metropolit, who returned from his rib injury and has posted consistently in three games played. Gionta, Gomez and Plekanec have had some multi-point games to shore up their totals as well. Among the depth players, there's a few added digits alongside the names of Moen, Lapierre, Pacioretty and D 'Agostini.

Among the former Habs, most have had a quiet week with just a point or two through three games. Perhaps the biggest surprise continues to be Steve Begin, who potted a couple of goals this past week, to add to his 4 assists. The same goes for Arron Asham, who's an anomaly on this list, as the sole player not cast off during the Gainey regime.

The six Canadiens defensemen have 7-11-18 totals through 11 games. The former Habs D comes in at 3-9-12 in roughly 9 games played on average.

Mara, Spacek and Bergeron have 3-9-12 on their own, while defensemen the Canadiens let go last season, Komisarek, Bouillon, Schneider and Dandenault are pointless.

On the surface, Canadiens forwards have 22-36-58 totals, while the former Hab forwards come in at 22-29-51. The former guys have played a few games less each, so it is still pretty much an even draw in that category.

Here's where it gets a bit more revealing:

Gomez - Gionta - Cammalleri: 11-14-25

Koivu - Tanguay - Kovalev: 4-5-9

A second tier of reel ins versus castoffs would look like this:

Moen and Metropolit: 4-7-11

Kostopoulos and Begin: 3-4-7

The removal of Lang (1-3-4) from the Canadiens center position seems to have helped Plekanec (2-8-10) return to a form shown two years ago.

Here's the rundown on all players:

Jaroslav Halak 5-4-1-0 2.28 / Jose Theodore 7-2-2-2 2.55 (Capitals)

Carey Price 6-2-4-0 3.36 / Cristobal Huet 8-4-2-1 2.49 (Blackhawks)

Paul Mara 11-0-5-5 / 10-1-3-4 Mark Streit (Islanders)

Roman Hamrlik 10-3-1-4 / 9-1-2-3 Francois Beauchemin (Maple Leafs)

Jaroslav Spacek 11-1-3-4 / 8-0-3-3 Craig Rivet (Sabres)

Marc-Andre Bergeron 4-2-1-3 / 8-1-1-2 Ron Hainsey (Thrashers)

Josh Gorges 11-1-1-2 / 3-0-0-0 Sheldon Souray (Oilers)

Hal Gill 11-0-0-0 / 9-0-0-0 Mike Komisarek (Maple Leafs)

Mike Cammalleri 11-5-7-12 / 11-3-6-9 Mike Ribeiro (Stars)

Tomas Plekanec 11-2-8-10 / 10-3-3-6 Michael Ryder (Bruins)

Scott Gomez 11-2-5-7 / 10-2-4-6 Steve Begin (Bruins)

Brian Gionta 11-4-2-6 / 9-2-3-5 Mikhail Grabovski (Maple Leafs)

Glen Metropolit 5-1-5-6 / 9-3-1-4 Alexei Kovalev (Senators)

Travis Moen 11-3-2-5 / 10-1-3-4 Robert Lang (Coyotes)

Andrei Kostitsyn 11-1-3-4 / 10-1-3-4 Sergei Samsonov (Hurricanes)

Maxim Lapierre 11-1-2-3 / 6-3-0-3 Arron Asham* (Flyers)

Max Pacioretty 11-1-1-2 / 10-1-2-3 Saku Koivu (Ducks)

Guillaume Latendresse 11-1-0-1 / 12-0-2-2 Christopher Higgins (Rangers)***

Georges Laraque 8-0-1-1 / 9-0-2-2 Alex Tanguay (Lightning)

Matt D'Agostini 9-1-0-1 / 10-1-0-1 Tom Kostopoulos (Hurricanes)

Habs Total GP: 179 / Goals: 29 /Assists: 47 / Points: 76

Former Habs Total GP: 160 / Goals: 25 / Assists: 38 / Points: 63

Week Three / After 7 games: F 112-15-26-41 / 117-15-31-46

Week Two / After 5 games: F 80-12-20-32 / 67-8-22-30

Week One / After 2 games: F 33-6-11-17 / 23-4-13-17

On the former Habs front, a player I always appreciated was Chris Higgins. A reader asked about him on Saturday, suggesting a parallel between him returning to Montreal and the similar storyline of Kovalev's return a week earlier. Sadly, Higgins storyline never quite materialized. He took an untimely penalty and found himself in John Tortorella's dog pound for the third period. Rangers' fans are seriously worried about him.

Habs Versus Former Habs - October 19

Robert L — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:50:56 -0000

Here's the week three breakdown of the Habs vs Former Habs stats.

There's not been much movement this week on account of the few games played in seven days. The biggest gains for Habs' players were 2 additional points for Pleks and Andrei.

On the former players sides, it was a good week for Ribeiro, Ryder and Kovalev.

Of the 36 players listed (with 2 injured) there are still five defensemen and one forward still looking for their first point.

14 players, including 7 Habs regulars, are still in search of their first goal.

Goalies

Carey Price 6-2-4-0 3.36 / Cristobal Huet 6-2-2-1 3.25 (Blackhawks)

Jaroslav Halak 1-0-1-0 3.58 / Jose Theodore 6-1-2-2 2.67 (Capitals)

Defensemen

Paul Mara 7-0-4-4 / 6-1-3-4 Mark Streit (Islanders)

Roman Hamrlik 6-2-1-3 / 7-1-2-3 Francois Beauchemin (Maple Leafs)

Josh Gorges 7-1-1-2 / 6-0-2-2 Craig Rivet (Sabres)

Jaroslav Spacek 7-0-2-2 / 7-0-0-0 Mike Komisarek (Maple Leafs)

Andrei Markov 1-0-0-0 / 3-0-0-0 Sheldon Souray (Oilers)