Wilde Horses

- Pacioretty setting a new single-season record for goals and right now playing the best hockey of his career. Those two goals make 35 on the season, passing his previous best of 33. What offensive chemistry the line has, proving there is enough puck for a right winger too. All four goals from the one line.

- Vanek looking so at home in this uniform. This is what a true sniper looks like. The guy simply has it figured out. All of the nuances to scoring, he gets. It is just beautiful to watch and I hope some of the Habs who don't understand it, even Galchenyuk, are watching how Vanek gets open, how he creates room for himself, how he slides into soft zones. So much of what Vanek does is subtle. Watch him and you'll notice all the little moves that create opportunity. It's a sight to see. People have to keep remembering that only the Habs can sign him for eight years. I feel like I am talking to a brick wall on this one. No one seems to get how big this eighth year guaranteed money cookie is for the Habs and Vanek. $7-8 million extra at age 37 when he has to know there's no guarantee for Vanek that he is worth anything anymore at that age. Great deal for Vanek to get an eighth year of guaranteed money now and a great calculated gamble for the Habs.

- Price is so comfortable with his game that every shot looks like it is from a pee wee, unless it truly is spectacular like Boyes' shot and does beat him. He makes glove saves from slappers like Fleischmann's in the first look routine. That was actually a labelled slapshot from inside the face-off dots but Price made it look like a child shooting. You just watch him and you have no thought he could let in a bad one. I said, to much laughter before the Olympics, that Price was the best goalie in the world. More people are talking about it now. He's going to be a Vezina nominee I think. Hard to believe though that all three nominees can come from the Atlantic. We'll see.

- Briere is looking good these days. He's shifty and skating well. Seems to have found the good graces of the coach too, finally.

- As a collective, the Habs had a two-goal lead for much of the game but is there anyone out there who ever thought that lead was in danger? The Panthers created so little and it appeared they never had any faith that they could create anything. Just minutes ticking off a clock for everyone involved at 3-1. That's how you feel when you watch the Blues with a two-goal lead - like nothing is going to happen.

Wilde Goats

- They've won eight of nine games. I don't feel like trying to find a goat.

Wilde Cards

- The orchestrated fight is so ridiculous. There's no real antipathy between players. Instead we hear of a union among fighters. A code, they say, exists. We’re supporting each other, they all say. An understanding of what they do and what has to be done, I keep getting told, all for a grand purpose. So what's the purpose of Parros and Barch having a little chat before the puck is dropped. What do they say I wonder? "Hey let's get this out of the way, shall we." I am not a big fight fan but at least I can get it a bit when it comes out of real anger and emotion and perhaps stops someone from swinging a stick and is a deterrent for worse behaviour, but what Barch and Parros did had no emotion at all. It had no purpose. All we learned from it is that we are all petrified that a very good and nice man, Parros, is going to get concussed or worse. I can barely watch. I know he is going to fall every time and I just pray he doesn't fall on his face. Is this what hockey fight fans want? Let's see how Montreal's fighters are doing shall we? Moen against Miller in Boston and down with a concussion. Parros with Orr -- concussion. Parros again on Long Island and concussion again. Bourque against Orr a long time ago and that concussion is still changing the way he plays even now. So what's the score line? A bunch of concussions.

- How happy must Weaver be with a CH on his chest instead of the cat he was wearing last month. A very solid move from the Habs GM. He is a believer of defenceman depth. Bergevin called D-men the first soldier to go down the other day on TSN 690.