Seven games, seven things I know for sure

 

I use this for score goals

This is the kind of Sunday you stay in and cuddle and read the New York Times. Or get groceries and write hockey bits:

 

• Spezzaless, Kubaless Senators with a shoddy, shoddy D and I’m still terrified every time Daniel Alfredsson is on the ice. Not so much Kovalev these days.
• Lars Eller will be worth the wait, but that wait might be a while. Right now it’s a 50-50 toss-up between having him tear it up in the AHL or bounce around from line to line in the NHL. Both options have their pros and cons, but maybe he’s learned all he’s going to learn in the AHL already. If the Canadiens can afford to slowly integrate him into the core group, is it so bad that he’s up with the big club? It’s a good thing the internet is not the Canadiens GM.
• Sometime shortly after the last time I thought Benoit Pouliot was a fucking lazyass, he started working. He did what Andrei Kostitsyn started doing in the preseason which was get all intense and crazy on the ice. And like Andrei, he finally scored a goal. Who knew doing other things right could do that? Remains to be seen whether he can score in bunches like Andrei now.
• Re: that other thing – It’s not the contract year. It’s the wakeup call and the elimination of a major distraction.
• Having a center with a sixth sense helps, too. It’s incredible to watch Plekanec work with his linemates. So good it makes me want to cry. He set Andrei up with a blind pass on that first goal against the Senators. Cry, yo.
• I’m sick of hearing PK Subban described as high-risk, high reward. What he is is a hockey player with incredible incredible raw talent who is young, new, unruly, young, new, excitable, young, new, undisciplined, young, and new. And also young and new.
• So, like, in your stupid faces, Price-haters. IN YOUR STUPID FACES.