Who says there's no place in the game for physicality? Montreal, apparently.
Tonight brings about a long awaited hockey game pitting a current St. Louis Blue against his former Montreal teammates. For the first time since the trade, the Canadiens will visit St. Louis to see their old buddy, Matt D'Agostini. Oh, and some goalie they decided to pawn off on the Blues.
When I saw this game on the schedule when it first came out, I thought this might be the last straw in showing Montreal that they were wrong in trading Halak as the Blues marched towards a playoff spot. Shows you what the fuck I know. Trading a playoff hero: Honestly, who does that? As it turns out, that damned Pierre Gauthier was right to not give up on Carey Price. Smokey McFornicate is tied for the league lead in wins, top 10 in GAA, top 10 in save percentage among starters, and has not been ran the fuck over by Cam in quite some time (ASSAULT! BATTERY!). Gold star for him.
But that certainly doesn't mean that the Blues are lacking in the goaltending department for the long (or even short) term. With Jaro able to return from a hand injury last night, this long awaited contest can take place as it should: Price vs. Halak, even though they won't be the ones shooting at each other. The potential for personal troubles (family illness, breakup with the lady) with Jaroslav are enough to give me a moment of pause before thinking he's all the way back to 100%, but you'd have to figure he's got one hell of a support group with his teammates. Consider that he can talk with one of the elder statesmen, like Barret Jackman, if he wants actual advice. On the other hand, Osh can probably take him over to the East Side and get him laid, also. It's the best of both worlds! JARO WATER!
Even though this matchup looks nothing like I thought it would at the beginning of the season, I'm still gonna get up for this one. If nothing else, just thank the Hockey Gods that the Blues aren't playing the damn Blue Jackets again.
And welcome back, Lars. I still miss you and the fact that I can't make a bunch of Heavyweights references since you've been traded.
Behold the GDT, comment frequently or Stewart might go cold. For the visiting Habs fans, comment like it'll get Chara some jail time.