Habs For Breakfast - The Biggest Of The Biggest Games Of The Year

The Canadiens are not standing quite on the edge yet, but the outcome of their season rests on tonight's outcome.

Can the Habs continue to outhit, outshoot, outchance, and outplay the Flyers and still lose?

Will the Flyers keep on complaining about officiating that's been kinder to them than they know?

Will Brière continue to whine about no one talking about what the Flyers are doing right?

Two things will answer these question in Game 4. For starters, it would be nice if the Canadiens scored the first goal for a change. Secondly, Carey Price will bounce back, because he's a character kid and is confident he can do better.

And yes, Price will play. Coach Carbonneau is being coy with the media, and perhaps Price as well, when he calls it a game time decision. Forget about it. Anyone who thinks Halak is about to play hasn't been watching hockey long enough to understand that it's just not done in this situations, for three reasons.

It throws the team into a panic mode.

Halak has played what, 4 games with the Canadiens this season? You want the players to feel confident out there, not concerned. The have faith in Price and he would be their choice, no doubt.

Again, from a coaches standpoint, the move isn't about shaking up a team that has done alot well except score. It is teams who lose or win together, and replacing the goalie would absolve the players and their recent mistakes.

It's not a different goalie who will help the team convert all those missed chances. Halak will not create better zone coverage and defensive conscience. All he would be doing is stopping that first puck.

Think about it?















Will It Be Price Or Halak? - Gazette

"The decision to start Carey Price in the Canadiens net tonight was not made yesterday. Or at least it was not announced. Coach Guy Carbonneau says we won't know until 7 p.m. whether Price or backup Jaroslav Halak will get the call to face Philadelphia in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semi-final, the Flyers leading the best-of-seven series 2-1." - Dave Stubbs

Hospital Visit Created Fan For Life - Gazette

"Win or lose tonight, nothing can dampen Robert Vanden Abeele's enthusiasm for the bleu-blanc-rouge. The retired customs officer has been a loyal Canadiens fan since 1955, when he turned 17 and Habs legend Maurice (Rocket) Richard paid a surprise visit to his bedside at St. Mary's Hospital - not once, but twice." - Alan Hustak
















Look For Price - Gazette

"Carbonneau has little choice as the Canadiens hope to avoid falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. While Price has not played well in the three games against the Flyers - he has a 3.79 goals-against average and an .853 save percentage - the Canadiens have to look at the big picture." - Pat Hickey

Flyers, fans not feeling love from refs, hockey world - Gazette

"There's nothing like a dose of paranoia - that feeling of us vs. them - to get folks jacked up for a hockey game. The feeling here in the City of Brotherly Love is that the hometown Flyers haven't been getting enough love from the officials in their Eastern Conference semi-final showdown against the Canadiens." Pat Hickey

"Penney's From Heaven" - Gazette

"Steve Penney has a better idea than most about the pressure Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is under these days.That's because Penney - like Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy - also once shouldered the hopes and dreams of hockey's most storied franchise as a hot rookie goalie in the Stanley Cup playoffs." - Mark Cardwell

















Price's Cinderella Story Takes An Unhappy Twist - Globe Sports

"I don't like talking about my feelings," he says when the grilling is over and the cameras and microphones have finally retreated. "Maybe it's just a guy thing." Carey Price smiles, but the smile is tired and slips away as fast as a Montreal Canadiens lead in recent playoff games. The thing is, everyone wants to know about his feelings." - Roy MacGregor

Was Brière Right? - Lions In Winter

"Our outrage at first must surely have been fueled by our fear that what Briere said may be true. But, at the same time, we all watch hockey and we know the Flyers don't have any Kostitsyns, any goaltending prospects and were for the most part the same team that managed the least regular season points in recent memory." - Topham

A Fly On The Wall - The H Does Not Stand For Habs

"A conversation between Guy Carbonneau and Bob Gainey today:
GC: (deep breath) Bob, I want to start Halak next game.
BG: (steeples fingers, regards Carbo intently) Hmmmm...I don't know about that Guy.
GC: Well, Bob, the kid is shaken. He's nervous when he plays the puck, he's missing long shots through the simplest of screens, his glove is slow and he's getting down on himself when he allows a goal. The team is expecting him to give up the lead every game, and it's hurting their confidence.
BG: Well, we've got a lot riding on Carey, and we don't want him to feel like he's failing." -J.T.

Price: "Je n'ai qu'à rebondir" - La Presse

"Carbonneau pourrait-il vraiment décider de faire appel à Jaroslav Halak, qui n'a reçu que deux tirs en troisième période lundi et qui n'a pas joué depuis le 29 mars dans une défaite de 4-2 encaissée à Toronto?" - François Gagnon

Des arbitres qui favorisent le CH? - La Presse

"Pendant que nous, par ici, on se demande ce qui se passe avec Jesus Price, à Philadelphie, eux, ils se posent une autre question, bien différente mais tout aussi douloureuse: les arbitres seraient-ils du bord du Canadien?" - Richard Labbé

Price n'est pas le seul à blâmer - RDS

"Le premier but de Scottie Upshall a été marqué quand il avait la vue voilée. Le deuxième, celui de Mike Richards, a dévié sur Mike Komisarek. Le troisième but des Flyers compté par R.J. Umberger est survenu à la suite de deux revirements. C'est sûr qu'il est là pour réparer les erreurs de ses joueurs mais ses coéquipiers n'ont pas bien joué devant lui en deuxième. Quand un gardien fait les arrêts clés alors que le tien ne les fait pas, les chances de gagner sont très minces." - Benoît Brunet























Price reste de marbre - Le Journal

"La faune médiatique l'attendait en grand nombre à son arrivée dans le vestiaire, elle qui n'avait pu le rencontrer à la suite de sa contre-performance de la veille sous l'ordre de Guy Carbonneau. Pour vous montrer à quel point c'était fou, disons que le jeune gardien n'aurait absolument aucune chance de voir la rondelle si les Flyers pouvaient placer autant de joueurs devant son filet." - Marc de Foy

"On doit aller chercher le premier but" - Le Journal

"Ne soyez pas étonnés si Patrice Brisebois effectue un retour au jeu ce soir pour le quatrième match de la série entre le Canadien et les Flyers. Le vétéran défenseur a rejoint les siens dans la Ville de l'amour fraternel, lui qui a raté les deux dernières rencontres en raison d'une blessure à une jambe. Brisebois s'est blessé durant une séance d'entraînement, samedi dernier." - Marc De Foy

"Personne ne parle en bien des Flyers": Daniel Brière - Le Journal

"Les Flyers ont de la difficulté à obtenir le mérite qui leur revient. Aucune équipe ne voulait affronter les Capitals en première ronde et ils ont réussi à les éliminer." - Pierre Durocher

More from Habs Inside Out, RDS, La Presse, and Le Journal

Oh yeah, and if you enjoyed the "Fly On The Wall" scenario by J.T., here's a look back on one that was posted here last summer.
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