Jaroslav Halak has had a pattern of needing a lot of shots early to establish his best game, but he broke the pattern last night.
Allowing two goals early has been his undoing, but he shut the door the rest of the way in game four.
What a lot of quality shots he saved. The late breakaway save against Malkin is as good a save a goalie can make.
That shot was labelled one inch inside the post and Halak shot out the pad to save a near perfect shot.
Incredible statistic
Here's an incredible stat for you that Sean Farrell of AP caught: the Habs have counted three shots on goal in five of the last six second periods they've played.
Remarkably, they're 4 and 1 including the comeback game four win.
Heart and talent
The Habs achievement in this playoff shows, more than anything, that talent is great, heart is great.
Heart and talent combined make a champion.
I'm not of the mind that the Habs have enough talent for this endeavour, but no one beats them in heart.
And please don't accuse me of being a homer.
I haven't ever suggested any Habs team had a ton of heart before.
A couple players maybe, but never a team in my 10 years of covering them.
This group of guys stands apart.
Hal Gill
Hal Gill is an absolute heart-and-soul player.
CBC's Elliott Friedman had a line of questioning that he posed to many teammates of Gill, old and new, and the final synopsis was many call him the greatest teammate they ever had.
What more do you need to hear about a guy made for May than this?
Gill gets it. Gainey knew it.
Gainey was right
I get so much criticism for praising Gainey about all of his recent moves.
Is he flawless? No.
Was his best GMing ever of the Habs in the last 18 months? Not even an argument.
25 guys he got rid of: Ryder is the only one playing.
A remarkable achievement of assessing diminishing talent when he coached last year.
Sorry, you angry Gainey haters, but win after astounding win I get more right and you get more angry with me.
And even if they don't win another game, you can't take this away from them: a series win over the regular season's best and 2-2 against the champs is not to be believed.
Not pretty boys
They're not doing it pretty, but they're doing it within the confines of hockey: blocking shots, collapsing to protect the goalie, blocking out, diving for each inch, counter-attacking only seldomly, converting chances as slim as they are -- those things win games just like beautiful end-to-end rushes and skillful passing.
It all counts equally and the Habs are showing that hockey is about much more than beauty.
It is still very much about grit.
You can take examples all the way back to the '72 Summit Series.
I know we are all Canadian here, but don't tell me that the Soviets weren't the ones playing the beautiful game.
However, who won that on three games of heart? Canada.
It gets done with grit in this game, and the Pens have got some sandpaper of their own.
That's not a soft team, and that makes 2-2 even more stunning.
Player notes
Dominic Moore: fought for every inch.
Max Lapierre: one of the fastest wraparound moves in hockey. Not the first time we've seen it, if you've been paying attention.
Tom Pyatt: mistake-free hockey from a throw-in in the Higgins deal. He must be pinching himself considering where he started this season.
Josh Gorges: won't give up on a play. Just won't give up. Never seen a guy win so many battles on guts.
Roman Hamrlik: faced the media a week ago and took a 10-minute round of brutal questioning for bad play. That's all you need to know. Stood in there. Admitted he can do more and then did it.
Darche: limited skills at this level. Got this far in a long and winding career on his tenacity. Might as well use it here too.
Gomez: reminds us all we evaluate way too much in November.
Gionta: reminds us all that a small player can win pucks, compete in front of the net, and be a reference point for every kid who didn't grow. A much harder dream sure, but a reality for any kid just the same.
Cammalleri: ditto on the size doesn't have to matter. Not the same puck winner as Gionta, but a sniper who celebrates like he isn't going to relish anything until he's got the only prize he wants.
Team not celebrating
That brings me to an insight that has surprised me at every win.
These guys are so grounded.
They beat the Caps and there is no celebration in the room after game seven.
You'd thought they lost. Nothing.
Game 4 is a come-from-behind third-period performance, and the club isn't exactly known for it, and you go in the room and it is almost subdued
Coach is calm motivator
And now the coach.
This has to be so satisfying for him. 0 and 4 in previous game sevens, and now he's got his game 7 win and some respect.
Martin is a tough guy to get to know.
He's even-tempered, not too emotional, but truth is, the team is a reflection of him.
It paid off Thursday night when they could have just gotten angry at inept officiating and unravelled.
Instead, the coach stayed calm, never lost it at the official, remained a leading example for his players to follow.
He then gave an inspiring speech Jacques-Martin-style.
Not for the Gipper this Jacques, but a logical speech.
He said after the second period "You guys, we just played two bad periods and we are down by only one. That's a positive thing."
It was a great motivator for a team that must have been low in morale.
Take a negative and spin it positively.
If you're in this game playing like that, then you have a shot.
Well done in Jacques-style.
The Canadiens meritocracy
Well done in every respect.
Even well done getting a malcontent off the ice and into the gym in Sergei Kostitsyn.
It was the only message you could send to a hard-working lot.
Meritocracy is the only way. Work hard and get rewarded.
Let your mates down and suffer the consequences.
Look at Carey Price: growing up more as a backup than a starter, working hard, sweating it out, biding his time quietly, never complaining, never being a distraction.
You may not have considered this, but Price is having a great playoff -- not as a goalie, but as a man.
They may not win another game, but they've won the city already, and I will admit to you this group, unlike any other when it never even crossed my mind to utter the thought, has won my admiration.
Not for what God gave them, but for what they made of themselves.
