Montreal Canadiens: A Tale of Two Teams

Just when you thought it was safe to get excited about the play of the Montreal Canadiens, an ugly beast reared its head. 

After going 7-1 since the Olympic break, the Canadiens have now lost two straight and sit only four points up on the ninth place Atlanta Thrashers, who also have a game in hand.

On the surface, you may think I am overreacting in my assessment of the team's play of late but it's the way they've lost that is most concerning to me. 

Coming off three full days of rest and having to play in another team's building can be a challenging task, but when that team is ranked second worst in the league, there really are no excuses.  Losing a much needed point to the Toronto Maple Leafs made it an even harder pill to swallow.

Sometimes you can take some good out of a loss but there is never good in losing to the Leafs.  The Canadiens were outworked, outchanced, and needed a late power play goal to even force the game to overtime.  After a six-game win streak, the Canadiens were nowhere to be found in this contest and were lucky to take home a point. 

You would think after an embarrassing display like that, coming home to face the slumping Ottawa Senators is just what the doctor ordered.  The news that Mike Cammalleri and Marc Andre Bergeron could be back in the lineup added to the excitement level.

Wrong...

Prior to the game, news of Cammalleri and Bergeron's absence from the lineup stung a little but didn't ruin the anticipation of possibly climbing into sole possession of fifth place in the East.

The actual game, however, was a dagger to the heart of Canadiens fans everywhere. There was a distinct lack of heart on the ice and although Brian Elliott played well, the Canadiens and their suddenly weak power play failed to show up in a game that meant so much for both teams.

For me, living in Ottawa, the games against the Senators are far more stressful than those against the Maple Leafs.  Even going to work the day after a loss to the Senators is something I can't easily describe...

It's not the die-hard fans like myself who are the problem, it's the fair weather fans who never watch a game, only know the star players, and don't understand what it means to be a true fan who get under my skin.

Look, I'm all for cheering on the local team and I don't believe you have to be paint-your-face crazy to enjoy a sport.  All I'm saying is, if you don't truly know what you are talking about, please don't talk trash only after your team wins...especially if you didn't even watch the game!

Sorry about that; sometimes it just feels better to get it off your chest.  Back to the topic at hand.

While the Canadiens had bought themselves some time for Cammalleri and Bergeron to heal, it's time to get them back into the lineup.  While the energy boost it brings will be welcome, a power play that is 3-for-17 in the last four games could use it even more.

Optimism is still running high in my mind but this inability to win in big situations is a cause for concern.  Hopefully it is a slight bump in the road and we can get back to our winning ways.  I can think of no better test than a match-up with Ryan Miller and the red hot Buffalo Sabres.

I would like to also say that I am proud to be a fan of the Montreal Canadiens and I was sickened to hear the sound of some fans booing the team towards the end of the game.  These few do not represent the bulk of the hardcore fans and they are certainly not to be considered true fans.  We may cringe and get disappointed from time to time but booing is never an option.

Now if you'll excuse me, I am all out of red face paint and Home Depot is about to open.