The Fifth Liners

Playoffs are here!!!! What a crazy six months it's been in the NHL, Boston and LA failed to make the playoffs and we gathered in Columbus to watch two teams of all-stars go to battle in the most offensive neon jerseys seen in recent years. On a positive note, Washington delivered a superb Winter Classic, Jamie Benn finished top of the points table and the Vancouver Canucks BEAT teams from warm places, IN warm places to make the playoffs; but that's for another post. Let's look at the East! 1. Montreal Canadiens Vs 4. Ottawa Senators The Habs have been dominant all season, finishing the regular season with a 50-22-10 record, thanks in no small part to a squad depth that any team would be enviable of. Having megastar netminder Carey Price guarding the net is the reason I think Montreal will take this series in four games. This takes nothing away from the good work the Sens have done this season, 99 points is very respectable, but the squad can't match the fire...

Previously we debated their James Neal being fined for diving would deter other NHL players from doing the same? Well yesterday Montreal Canadiens defenseman, P.K Subban has been fined $3000 US from the league after being caught diving for the third time! The fine itself probably amounts to little more than the change in Subbans back pocket, but it does raise some serious questions about the Leagues disciplinary procedures. The incident itself occurred on March 12 after the Habs 5-2 to Ottawa. What strikes me as bizarre in this whole situation is firstly, why on earth would Subban- one of the leagues most feat blue liners be falling to earth freely? And also why the league hasn't sent a harder message that this won't be tolerated? Subban has been a master at winning penalty calls for Montreal in the last few seasons, but he seems to also equally skilled at giving them away. This whole affair is going to nothing for the love/hate image that fans outside Quebec hold for him....

In Ottawa Senators win over the Montreal Canadiens last night, rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond made a big impression in his debut, making over 42 saves to secure a 4-2 win for the Sens. But more than anything, it was his cool Hamburglar helmet design that made him stand out, try finding a cooler display this year!

This week Vancouver Canucks winger Alex Burrows received a three game ban for this hit on Montreal Canadiens winger Alexei Emelin  But it appears that after the Canucks 3-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place last night (thanks Derek Dorrsett!) it seems that Oilers captain Andrew Ference will be hearing the phone ringing from the League quite soon in the coming days after his frankly awful hit on Canucks player Zack Kassian ! See below... Now when you consider that Burrows got a three game ban for his offense, should the league be tougher on Ference who is a previous offender? Burrows' hit was admittedly a careless one as he went in late and this type of extremely hard contact could have resulted in some serious damage to Emelin. Receiving a three game suspension though seemed slightly rash by league standards as we have seen more serious hits only receiving a one game ban. But Ference however, had been scrapping with Kassian all through the match and his inte...

The Montreal Canadiens 3-1 win over the New York Rangers tonight at the Bell Centre was very impressive one and aided by the excellent saves of Carey Price in net, they continue to prove they are worth a shot at the cup this year! But it was this excellent play between Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty in the first period that caught everyone's attention. You are unlikely to see a better example of passing play between teammates this season.

There will be no player wearing the 'C' emblem next year at the Bell Centre as today it was announced that for the first time since 2009-10, the Montreal Canadiens will opt to have no official Captain on the ice and will instead go with four alternate captains instead. Andrei Markov , Max Pacioretty , Tomas Plekanec and P.K Subban have been chosen to fill the various leadership roles next season. Ever since former captain Brian Gionta opted to join the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent, the Habs franchise has been slow to appoint a successor, Subban appeared to be the main candidate, but it appears that he will not be the ruler on ice just yet. But what is the effect of selecting four different leaders? Well it does means that the Habs have a new flux of leadership on ice which could create better harmony on ice which will be needed after the problems that Subban's contract negotiation caused. However, with no out and out figure to guide them, it could cause issues wit...

Today it was announced that one of the bravest and more inspiring figures of the NHL has called it a day. Finnish player, Saku Koivu has retired after 18 seasons at the highest level which included stints with the Montreal Canadiens (where he served as the first European captain) and more recently with the Anaheim Ducks . Selected 21st overall at the 1993 Entry Draft, Koivu has amassed a record of 1,124 regular-season games and appeared in over 80 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He has clocked up over 255 goals and had 832 points in the regular season alone, and has a playoff record of 18 goals and 59 points. Also he is a four time Winter Olympic Medalist with Finland, racking up three bronze medals at Lillehammer in 1994, Nagano in 1998  and Vancouver 2010 along with a silver medal in Turin 2006! But it was his courageous fight against Burkitt's Lymphoma back in 2002 that made him such an admired figure because only four months after being diagnosed, Koivu was back on the ice fo...

It may have taken arbitration, but PK Subban and the Montreal Canadiens have finally agreed terms and the blueliner will be sporting that Habs jersey for another eight years.  Yay. It's fair to say that reaction has been mixed, Subban's $9 million per season cap hit makes him the third most expensive skater in the league, that's the equivalent of just over nine entry level contracts, two Niklas Kronwalls or one ticket in the nosebleeds at the Air Canada Centre. Alex's Edit  After reading about the sizeable settlement that the Habs were forced to pay for their star blueliner, I have to admit I am slightly bothered with how easily they rolled over for Subban! Being an Olympic gold medallist would have meant that he would have been in high demand come the end of next season and through this it was only a matter of finding a team desperate enough to pay what he wants. Subban does make a different in Montreal and without him the Canadiens would most likely sink, bu...

Things between P.K Subban and the Montreal Canadiens are beginning to look slightly difficult currently after a meeting over his contract on Friday morning. Both sides have been unable to agree a deal which means the process has been forwarded to Arbitration to be decided. A restricted free agent, Subban allegedly wants a new deal worth $8.5 Million whereas the Habs are only willing to go as high as $5.25 million. It does beg the question of whether PK should be demanding this kind of money so early in his career? Yes he has been one of the rocks in the Montreal defense and was a key figure during their run to the Eastern Conference final last year- but surely this doesn't give him the right make these sort of demands now? Problem for the Habs is that losing this guy will be a thought not worth considering since it would severely reduce the quality gap at the blue line. After a rocky 21 year gap of winning trophies, Subban represents the closest shot they have had to returning ...

"Everyone in Hockey is asking just what went wrong with Boston's season? What exactly was the factor that made their series go wrong, was it poor planning or were Montreal just too much for them?" Good Question, let's have a look. The Boston Bruins always looked good to advance through the playoffs, especially after being drawn against Detroit in the first round. Wracked with injury and inexperience, the depleted  Detroit Red Wings did well to get a playoff spot and certainly poured heart and soul into the series, but ultimately the Bruins were always going to win. There's two main reasons why things fell apart against the Montreal Canadiens , the first is that the series wasn't managed properly. On the ice the Bruins showed a complacency up front. During the regular season Boston scored 3.15 goals per game, in the playoffs this fell to 2.5. Like in the regular season, Jarome Iginla has been most prolific, having netted five times, while  David Krejci...

This season's Stanley Cup playoffs have been one of the best and most unpredictable of years gone by, the Boston Bruins; almost everyone's favourite for the cup have been dumped out by the Habs. The Rangers, riding high under the stewardship of Alain Vigneault have put out the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last night also saw another sting in the tail, as the LA Kings put an end to an impressive Anaheim Ducks with a 6-2 win at the Honda Center! We've now arrived at the conference finals. During the regular season you never would have predicted these line ups. But who will triumph here? Western Conference Chicago Blackhawks v LA Kings The Blackhawks have done well to salvage some pride after an indifferent regular season and players such as Jonathan Toews, Marion Hossa and Brent Seabrook have impressed during this time. I have no doubts they will fight to the bitter end to bring the cup by to Illinois for a second year running. They are not as dominant as last season, but th...

What time is it? Midnight. Whatever, no sleep until June! It's the playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens made the trip to sunny Tampa Bay to take on the Lighting in the opening game of the 13/14 playoffs. This is what happened: First Period Some playoff games are careful, guarded affairs. Some are out-and-out battles, this was definitely the latter. The Lightning took home-ice advantage by finishing the regular season one point better than the Habs. Former Red Wing Valtteri Filppula won the opening faceoff for the Bolts against Tomas Plekanec and the first period was played with the energy Lord Stanley's Cup commands. The opening 10 minutes gave plenty of shots and plenty of hits from both teams, pure end to end stuff. Both teams threatened to find net but Tampa were the first team to score. With just less than 10 minutes left on the clock in the first, Nikita Kucherov scored the first goal of the playoffs. J.T. Brown provided the assist. Montreal were not to be ...

Eastern Conference  Detroit Red Wings  v Boston Bruins   This is one of the more difficult series to predict because both teams are of equal quality. The Red Wings hold a 3-1 regular season record against the Bruins, but it has been Boston who tops the Eastern conference and they have been showing this season just why they are contenders. I predict this one to be a tight one, but based on form alone, I have to give this one to the Bruins, sorry Mike! Prediction: Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning v Montreal Canadiens Tampa Bay have been the one of this years real surprise packages, finishing 4th in the Eastern conference despite star Steven Stamkos being injured for a long period and currently holds a 3-1 record against Montreal. But the Canadiens are not a team that should be ruled out (unless Subban goes to the box) and I still think they could spring a surprise here. But overall, I think Tampa has just enough quality to see this one through. Prediction: Tam...

Mike's question for this week focuses on a defenseman who is currently the talk of the league, " PK Subban has great skills, but he's also guaranteed to see the inside of the penalty box. Is Subban a liability? Or will he become the franchise player he can?" Damn good question as always mike, let's go to work! Subban is currently the hot sensation of the Montreal Canadiens and since being drafted in 2007, he has become one of the key elements of this side and last season he was awarded the James Norris Trophy as the leagues best defenseman! This is season his impressive streak has continued and currently he sits on top of the Montreal points scorers list with 33 points which for a D-Man is mighty impressive and currently this ranks him as the 6th high scoring defensive player in the league. Following his selection for the Canadian Olympic Team for Sochi 2014, he certainly has the the flair and presence that has earned him his shot and thus far he is set to be...

In the Washington Capitals dominant 5-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center last night, we were privileged to see a moment of special Alexander Ovechkin magic! In the second period, the Caps took control and Ovechkin's goal to put them 2-0 was an act rarely accomplished by many- after 1.46 played, the Russian juggled the puck on his stick, before scoring past Price to put Washington 1-0 up! That's the reason why this man has won three Hart Trophies! Check out the video below to view:

This season's playoffs will be the first to be played under the new divisional structure. It's never too early to make playoff predictions. Of course I've no doubt that the teams below will change, especially with the wildcards. It'll be interesting to take a look at this post-season and see how it compares.  If you think I'm wrong, please comment below! Conference Quarter Finals Boston Bruins Vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction - Boston . The Bruins have won more games than the Leafs and will definitely be seeing the postseason. The Leafs have three teams three points behind so that wildcard spot is by no means safe.  Tampa Bay Lightning Vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction - Tampa Bay . The Bolts and the Habs are much more closely matched in season performance so far. While Carey Price is one of the best goalies in the league, offensive issues are letting the Habs down. Pittsburgh Penguins Vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction - Pittsburgh...

The Philadelphia Flyers recovery story took another impressive step forward as after their 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens they increased their home winning streak to 10 games! But incredibly this now lifts the Flyers up to 5th place in the Eastern Conference! In Pennsylvania the gloom seems to be lifting and thanks to the goals of Sean Couturier, Zac Rinaldo and Michael Raffl, the sun may be shining again in the city of brotherly live! Buffalo Sabres take note, this is how you turn a season around- Good luck Tim Murray, who today was appointed the new GM of the franchise. You have one hell of a task ahead!

Tonight's Eastern Conference match up saw Alain Vigneault's New York Rangers make the trip to Montreal to take on the Canadiens at the Bell Center. Cam Talbot took net duties for the Rangers but it was the Habs' Carey Price who saw most of the action in the first period, fending off 15 shots while Talbot was only needed seven times. Both goalies were called into action early in the second period. With the Habs down a man due to Diaz's delay of game penalty, the Rangers upped the ante and Zuccarello forced Price to make a great stretch save. Gionta then made a shorthanded run but was denied by an instinctive glove save by Talbot. Price was beaten though when at the end of a Rangers 5 on 3 powerplay; Ryan Callahan was able to power a slap shot to give the visitors the lead. The New York Rangers have taken a while to adapt to Alain Vigneault's new leadership style. Couple this with starting the seaon on an extended road trip due to the MSG's refurbishment and i...

It's been over a week since Montreal Canadiens' George Parros was stretchered from the ice  in the Habs' opener against the Maple Leafs. Although there's no date for Parros' return, he's said to be almost free of symptoms and recovering well. Full story here . Hat-tip to the Montreal Gazette for the full story.

Scary times for the Montreal Canadiens . George Parros and Carlton Orr have shared a rivalry going back a few years, and last night was no different. Parros and Orr clashed throughout the game, but things came to a dramatic end for the American. During a fight early in the third period between Parros and Orr, Parros took a tumble over Orr and hit the ice head first, lying unconscious. Orr immediately jumped up and signaled to the bench that something was wrong. Parros was stretchered off and was said to be responsive later in the dressing room. It's unfortunate that these things happen and will no doubt provide fuel for the skeptics opposed to fighting. Although this was an unlucky fall, and by no means was Orr at fault, it still puts a shadow over our beloved game.