Pick-Your-For-Real-Worthy-Panther All-Star Update

TLB will begin running the All-Star vote totals for our trio of deserving Panthers on a regular basis, or at least when I remember to do it.

David Booth: 236 (311,220 behind leader Alex Kovalev)

Keith Ballard: 404 (346,241 behind leader Andrei Markov)

Craig Anderson: 138 (337,254 behind leader Carey Price)

Yes, the three leaders are all members of the Montreal Canadiens. Yes, a number of the votes cast were done so by R2D2. A joke? Indeed...but so is the All-Star game itself.

C'mon Cat fanatics...let's pad these numbers. Click on the link to the right!

AccuScore Prediction: Bolts over Cats, 2.5 to 2.2

I'll spare everyone the details and simply let fly that AccuScore's simulation states the Lightning will score more goals than the Panthers. No one outside of the Ice Palace or whatever it's called this week will see it, thanks to Versus and their "exclusive" game of the week. Ooooh...can't wait to forgo my local hockey team's divisional game and suffer through Montreal at Carolina. At least I know who to root for.

Only in the NHL: The Shat to "Sing" Anthems in Montreal? Make it So...

Didn't have this one on the brain when I awoke today: The Montreal Canadiens are being petitioned to allow Kirk himself to pull anthem duty at a game to be determined later this season in "honor" of the Habs' 100th year. To give you an idea of the scope of what is being proposed, the picture above details The Shat's efforts to protect himself from music critics - and the general populace - hurling eggs, tomatoes, and onions his way following his previous album. The sordid "Lucy in the sky with Diamonds" affair is well chronicled around the web. Google it...you won't be sorry. Actually, you will. Much like the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Exercise your rights. If you sign only a single petition this decade, MAKE THIS THE ONE.

Greg at Puck Daddy and the bunch at Four Habs Fans sum it all up admirably.

For the record, I'm counting the hours until the new film opens. Once a Trekkie, always a Trekkie.

On the Glass - Monday: Another SO, Rochester Gets Fat

Four losses in a row? Big deal. The real season is that much closer. JM and PeDe made their cuts, ultimately sending 23 (at last count) to the Amerks, Everblades, or their junior clubs following the game in MTL. Actually, did anyone go to Estero? Now that the Cats have sole affilition with Rochester, I'm curious what kind of use we'll get out of the 'Blades, beyond a home for Tyler Plante.

On to the locals.

Nathan Horton got his first goal of the preseason, according to the Sun-Sentinel. But later in the shootout, Nate went for the humor.

"I didn't shoot where I wanted to because I didn't want to show (Price) where I was going during the season,"

A funny guy. Steve Gorten also reveals in his blog the players sent down last night.

The Miami Herald catches coach DeBoer, who agrees that it's time to go home.

"It was good to see these guys in game action. But I think everyone is ready to get home, sleep in their own bed and get some real work done at practice.''

I've got a question, or perhaps more a condemnation: Why in the name of Brian Skrudland does this team continue to use Peltonen in the shootout???

Carey Price: Postgame Comments

You bring your expansion club into my house... MY HOUSE. What do you expect, Mr. Jacques Martin? Hmmm? You want some sort of easy night for your boys? A quick blast and scoot back down south for a week off? Like Confederate loyalists? After a paltry 6 straight nights of games? Me thinks I got it covered. Throw me your Hortons. Your Peltonens(!). Your Froliks. I will conquer them all with room to spare. You and your MSM compadres may argue the logic in trading away a talent like Cristobal...but I am the man now. I'm no Jim Carey, no Brent Johnson. Remember 1986? I don't. WHY CAN'T I WEAR 33? Everyone has us picked for Eastern Conference dominance. Kovy's getting grey up top? So what. Hamrlik played his first home game at Expo Hall? Chew on it. My backup is...wait...who IS my backup? Does not matter: I don't need no stinking backup. I'll play 82 games...plus 16...cuz that's all it will take. Come back next year, Mr. Martin. Just try to pull off your six games in six nights lunacy again. Did you seriously expect to walk away victorious? I will slam the door on your Matthias. Your Frolik. Your Horton. Your, um, Stewart. Yeah...that guy! At least next time. You take your prospect-strewn club back to Coral Springs. Make a team out of those kids. Enjoy the pizza and dogs at IncredibleICE. Good luck...I'll be here to prevent it! Haaa...ponder it: Here I sit, on top of the world, as goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens, and you, YOU, send your "team" back to South Florida - where I will go for pedicures between Cups - and they will scrimmage. And they will practice. And they will question their allegiance. And sustain the usual contraction talk.

And I'll be here, ruling over Mt. Stanley. More grapes, bitches!

The only thing in the way, JM, is their coach. And dammit, Mr. Maaartin, if you didn't grab a good one. Even I, starting goaltender for the Habs, if you weren't already aware, knows what this Pete guy is capable of. So I say to you now, JM, let him run his club, on the ice, the way it's supposed to be run. You're no threat to me, so this is a courtesy call. Stay out of it. I AM the Habs and no one needs to send my boys on crazy 14,000 mile treks to the wilderness. Or Edmonton. You may have your beaches, and Publix, and flip-flops to work, but I rule. And until you follow my lead, with apologies to his holiness Bob Gainey, you will falter. To paraphrase, "Let Your People Go...to Pete". On a similar subject, who's on your 3-Star list for this trip? Anthony Stewart (2 goals, and no chance of making the club), Ville Peltonen (for being in the shootout beyond all logic), and the Panther Laundry Guys (if I were on the team charter, this one's a no-brainer). Yikes.

No matter. I play in the center of the hockey universe. That town to the west of us be damned. I can shop for Youpi underoos - with a generous discount - at the same spot where Claude Lemieux shot high to the glove side of Mike Liut at 5:55 of overtime in game seven of the 1986 quarterfinals. And with a bit of name-dropping, I'll get an extra 5% off of that. There's this girl, you see, with a Russ Courtnall sweater...

So nice try tonight, Panthers of Florida. Looking forward to the next visit. Feel free to continue using Montreal as a stepping-stone for your juniors, as was the case tonight. Just don't tell anyone. You and me, JM. Making me look good. Tell you what, just to keep it fair, I'll let one slip for your boys in the Conference Final.

Game Day! Live Blog Options: Cats at Habs

In the absence of another live video feed, at least so far, TLB will be hanging out at On Frozen Pond for all the goods from GR, and listening to the Montreal radio feed courtesy of CJAD (the Big Jad).

Anyone finds a few other choices I'll be happy to post them, and pay 'em a visit.

Never thought I'd say this, but here we are for game six on day six. Better be a heck of an upside to such an unorthodox bunch of travel plans.

Looks to be another roll of the rookie dice tonight, as many of the big guns are sitting; see GR's link above for the roster.

On that note, I'm not concerned with the absence - due to powdered-over "injuries" - of the McCabes, Allens, etc. It still really is early.

On another track, today is the anniversary of the host nation's Canada Cup victory over the Soviets. Read a bit about it, and what time has done to some of the major players. A virtual Independence Day for Canadians, the Cup tournament's seminal moment - Paul Henderson's series winning goal - is timeless.

First Period: Stewart scores unassisted. 1-0 Cats.

Second Period: Horton scores - on the PP! - to take a 2-0 lead.

Second Period: (my apologies...been on the horn with my bro in DC, talking Caps, Cats and Thrash...don't ask) Montreal scores twice to end the period knotted at 2.

On to the third...

Third Period: No new action to report. Cats going on the PP with 5:41 remaining.

And on to Overtime!

It's all Price so far. Shots: 38-32, Cats.

OT is OVer...the skills competition commences...

Gotta hand this game to Carey Price, Habs goalie, so far. Been on time the whole way.

Away we go: Horts shoots first...and gets robbed. 0-0.

Habs miss, TVo with the save. Didn't hear the name. Sorry. 0-0.

Frolik misses. 0-0.

Kostitsyn misses. 0-0.

Price stops someone...couldn't hear that name either. 0-0.

Kovy shoots, scores, wins it. Final, 3-2 comeback victory for the Habs.

3 stars:

3: ??? (unintelligible)

2: Horton (big boos)

1: Kostitsyn (cheers, but where's the love for Price?)

BRING. ON. THE. CUTS. Let's see the big team. Wanna bet there will be a hellacious amount of power play drills this week at IncredibleICE?

TLB unsolicited opinion:

A spirited affair, with a bit of hope supplied by the likes of Frolik and Matthias. Anyone else catch the duo on the same line late in the contest?

Vokoun supplied what we expect, keeping the Cats in the game. Carey Price was the difference here, and a BIG difference. You know those games where One Guy simply takes over? This was his night. The Habs are in good hands for the near future.

We've seen (er, heard) a lot of hockey in the past six nights. Been a lot of fun, but after four straight losses, even the most ardent Cats fan is ready for a break.

Wow, for a serious - The Serious? - hockey town, I'm not too impressed by the phone calls during the post-game program on CJED. "I'm really glad they won." "Makes me feel good." "They were down by two and came back to win." "Wellah, icing appen when de puck come down, bang, before de udder guy..."

DeBoer's got some serious work to do, at least regarding the club the way it's currently constituted. Of course, it's gonna look a whole lot different in twelve hours.

Most pleased a good number of the kids have had a chance to play in the bigs, but the good stuff is yet to come. No one is predicting doom; who remembers the preseason stats?

A week off for us. Sweet.