When Husband and Wife disagree....

the source of such differences often coincide with the Washington Capitals facing the Montreal Canadiens. Last season was a great year for the husband (me!!!). We saw the Caps shutout the Habs 3-0 last year in the Verizon Center, and win 3 out of the 4 games played during the regular season. Last year, I took home the 'household' cup.

Fast forward to the 2009-10 NHL season, and we took in our second Capitals game of the season at the Verizon Center. Once again, it was the Caps and Habs, but this time I would suffer the humiliation of defeat, and hand bragging rights back to the Habs fan in the household. The Caps did not play to their potential. The Habs had little offense, but played great defensively and relied on the outstanding performance of goaltender Carey Price probably a little more than they should have. Both teams could have taken this game, but the Habs wanted it more and beat the home team by a score of 3-2.

With Jose Theodore taking time out for personal reasons, Hershey goaltender Michal Neuvirth would be given his first NHL start of the season. The game was also a first for Hershey defenseman John Carlson, who many believed should have stayed in DC right after training camp. Both call-ups had great performances (Neuvirth may have liked the second Habs goal back, but alas) and while neither could add a victory to their resume on this particular night, they both had a chance to shine at the highest level of pro hockey.

So for now, wifey has a 1-0 lead this season, but the Caps will be looking to tie that series when both teams square off this weekend at the Bell Center in Montreal.

An irrelevant side note: congratulations to the CFL's Montreal Alouettes for winning the Eastern Final, and having the opportunity to play once again in the Grey Cup this coming Sunday. Best wishes for Anthony Calvillo and the boys when they take on the Roughriders. Go Als.....

One Down, Three to Go

I watched the Habs for the first time in several weeks (between Caps and Bears games, it's been hard to get home to watch TV lately!) and they looked thoroughly solid and in control last night against the Bruins... I was pleased to see them playing so physically and checking Boston regularly and willingly; I think that's going to be crucial as they proceed through the playoffs. Now that Carey Price has worked through some playoff jitters, I think he'll be solid between the pipes. The Kostitsyns certainly didn't look nervous either! Hopefully the Habs can put together another game like this on Saturday night - they certainly didn't seem to have that playing-at-home hex on their back that they've had so often over the season.

(Oh, and Guy - love the tie!)

And About My Neglected Habs...

From reading this blog, you wouldn't know that the Habs have first place in my hockey heart, but the Capitals have just been so exciting, you know? At any rate, the Canadiens begin their playoff series with Boston tonight, and while I haven't seen anyone who expects Boston to win, I worry that they'll make it a tougher, more physical series than we're anticipating. I can see them coming out with that season sweep by the Habs functioning as a big chip on their shoulders and a major motivation to prove everyone wrong. The Habs also desperately need to keep a lid on Chara, which is one reason I hope Komisarek returns to the lineup quickly.

A lot has been said already about Price and his lack of NHL playoff experience. However, having seen him in a Calder Cup final game last year against Hershey, I think he'll be just fine, especially with the confidence he's had since becoming the #1 between the pipes.