A colleague of mine said during the second intermission of the Senators visit "This is the biggest one goal lead ever!" It's true. The score was 2-1 but it felt like 5-1. As the third period droned on, it was just so clear there was not going to be a tying goal. When the Habs rushed up the ice there was no rise in the building. Hope, like Elvis, had left.
Finally, when Alex Kovalev made the loss official with the 3-1 goal, the frustration in the building welled up.
As Kovalev's name was called on the P.A system, the fans started chanting his name. Only moments before they were booing everytime he touched the puck. Truth is they weren't cheering Kovalev. They were cheering a former time when there was a player who could electrify the building.
There was no electricity to be found in this one. The music kept getting louder to drown out the silence that greeted every whistle. Boos were the last memory the players had as they lumbered, heads down, into the corridor.
The Habs have now lost five straight. They have 15 goals in 7 games. Hal Gill is already getting scapegoated for this mess so far this season.
I'd like to tell you its growing pains and this team will come together. I won't insult you.
