The Montreal Canadiens- a Fictional Story

[Big T]

February 22nd, 1983


Detroit Red Wings (27-35-6) at Montreal Canadiens (39-23-4)

Montreal has the Red Wings in town and would like to avenge a 6-4 loss earlier this season at home. Montreal remains in 3rd in the Atlantic, 6 points behind the Sabres and 2 points ahead of the Bruins, with 1 game in hand on Boston. RW John Herrod continues to have the hot hand for Montreal. Since arriving in Montreal in the trade with the Rangers, he has 8 goals, 6 assist for 14 points and a +10 rating in 12 games.

Detroit is 14th in the Eastern Conference with 60 points, 16 points behind the 8th seed Washington Capitals. The Red Wings are 4th in the NHL with a 87.8% PK rate. But they do struggle to score ranked 28th in the NHL with 2.40 goals per game.

C Aaron Swanson leads the team with 28 goals and 63 points in 68 games. The 27 year old offensive forward is a strong playmaker. In 212 career NHL games all with Detroit, the 2-time All-Star has 72 goals, 205 points, 218 PIMs and a +28 rating.

LW David Chabb is 2nd on the team with 58 points, including 23 goals in 68 games. The 28 year old two way forward is a strong physical player and an iron man. In 3 years he has not missed a game, has played 232 career NHL games all with Detroit. The 1982 Maurice Richard Trophy Winner has 83 goals, 187 points, 710 PIMs and a +7 rating.

RW Bill Holliday is 3rd on the Red Wings with 36 points, including 16 goals in 66 games. The 32 year old goal scorer is extremely durable and has good vision. In 201 NHL games, all with Detroit he has 58 goals, 114 points, 181 PIMs and a +0 rating.

Detroit will start G Troy Pichette, he has 21 wins in 51 starts with a .905 save %. Montreal starts G Mike Blackshear, he has 32 wins in 54 starts with a .901 save %.

Montreal gets an early PP goal, RD Yegor Berestnev gets his 8th goal of the year at 1:37 and its 1-0 Montreal. Montreal makes it 2-0 at 8:59 when LD Yegor Berestnev gets his 2nd of the game. Detroit has yet to get a shot on goal. It took nearly 14 minutes for the Red Wings to register a shot, shortly after that LW Jiri Bohm gets his 7th of the year to make it 3-0 at 15:08. Detroit does get on the board, C Aaron Swanson gets his 29th of the year at 17:25 and its 3-1 Montreal. The scoring doesn't end there, LW Lorenzo Bocci gets his 26th on the PP at 19:00 and its now 4-1 Montreal. That is the end of the night for G Troy Pichette.The shots end up 19 to 6 for Montreal in the 1st period.

In total contrast, the 2nd period was scoreless with Montreal out shooting the Red Wings 21 to 8.

Montreal makes it 5-1 at 7:41 of the 3rd period when LW Lorenzo Bocci gets his 2nd of the night, again on the PP. Montreal out shoots Detroit 24 to 7 in the 3rd period in a dominate game. Detroit goes 0 for 3 on the PP while Montreal goes 3 for 9.

Montreal LD Yegor Berestnev is the 1st star with 2 goals and 3 assists. The 28 year old now has 9 goals, 40 assists for 49 points in 61 games. In 184 career NHL games (Flames/Canadiens) he has 29 goals, 151 points, 95 PIMs and a +7 rating. Berestnev was traded to the Canadiens by Calgary on November 26th, 1980.

Montreal 5 Detroit 1

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Yegor Berestnev (PP)	8	John Herrod	Yevgeny Ronov
1st	MTL	Yegor Berestnev	9	Batsaikhany Vanoosten	Matej Ouhrabka
1st	MTL	Jiri Bohm	7	Yegor Berestnev
1st	DET	Aaron Swanson	29	Scott Gebson	Tim Lightner
1st	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci (PP)	26	John Herrod	Yegor Berestnev
2nd		No Scoring
3rd	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci (PP)	27	Yegor Berestnev	Chris Hughes

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
DET	Chris Meredith	45	1
DET	Troy Pichette	19	4
MTL	Mike Blackshear	21	1

Around the league...........


Nashville Predators RD Nathan Burke had a goal in a 2-0 win over the Blue Jackets. The 20 year old Burke now has 12 goals and 44 points in 67 games. In his 2nd year with Nashville, he has 23 goals, 71 points, 91 PIMs and a -3 rating. He was a 1st round, 17th overall pick of the Predators in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Edmonton Oilers LW Simon Massicotte extended his scoring streak to 12 games with a goal in a 5-4 loss to the Blackhawks. The 30 year old Massicotte now has 22 goals and 52 points in 70 games. On his 3rd NHL team (Capitals/Wild/Oilers) he has played in 210 NHL games, has 49 goals, 118 points, 144 PIMs and a +24 rating.

Florida Panthers RD Zak Swain had 2 goals and an assist in a 7-4 win over the Canucks. The 40 year old Swain has 18 goals and 47 points in 69 games. In 3 seasons with the Panthers, he has played in 198 games, has 41 goals, 139 points, 90 PIMs and +36 rating.

[Big T]

February 24th, 1983


Montreal Canadiens (40-23-4) at New York Rangers (28-32-7)

The Canadiens travel to play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The Habs are playing on back to back nights so they will call up G Richard Day to play tonight. The 20 year old Day has 29 wins in the AHL with a 2.38 GAA and .914 save %. In 8 games with Montreal this year he has 6 wins, a 1.50 GAA and .938% save %.

The Rangers currently have 63 points and sit in 12th spot in the East, 15 points out of the last playoff spot. The Rangers are pretty good on the PP this season, they rank 7th with a 18.8% success rate. The Rangers will give up a lot of shots, so far this season they are giving up 33 per game or ranked 25th in the NHL.

RW Dominik Juran leads the Rangers with 50 points and leads with 28 goals, in 67 games. The 31 year old goal scorer is a strong skater and has good stamina. In 2 seasons with the Rangers and 1 with the Kings, he has played in 226 career NHL games, has 91 goals, 177 points, 128 PIMs and a -14 rating. He was signed as a free agent by the Rangers after the 1980-81 season.

LW Jonathan Clark would actually be 3rd in points for the Rangers after John Herrod who is now a member of the Canadiens. The 25 year old Clark has 21 goals and 37 points in 45 games this year. The offensive forward is currently on the IR with a should injury and will not play. In 3 seasons with the Rangers, Clark has played in 209 career NHL games, has 66 goals, 147 points, 220 PIMs and a -11 rating.

RD Lance Turgeon is next with the Rangers at 37 points, he also has 6 goals in 61 games. The 31 year old offensive defenseman is a great playmaker with good on ice vision. In 3 seasons with the Rangers, he has played in 176 career NHL games, has 20 goals, 102 points, 66 PIMs and a -45 rating.

Montreal will start G Richard Day, he is looking for win number 7 on the season. The Rangers will start G Spencer Harvey, he has 4 wins in 12 starts with a .902 save %.

Montreal opens up a 1-0 lead at 6:33 when C Jiri Reichel scores a SH goal, his 4th of the season. Shortly after the goal, RD Matej Ouhrabka left the game with a shoulder injury. Montreal makes it 2-0 at 18:36 when C Dave Wright collects goal # 28 on the year. The period ends with Montreal out shooting New York 13 to 8.

C Jiri Reichel gets his 2nd of the game 47 seconds into the period to make it 3-0 Montreal. The Rangers do get on the board at 2:21 when LW Dallas Baker gets his 7th of the season to make it 3-1 Montreal. The period ends 3-1 for Montreal, The shots were just 6 to 5 in the period for Montreal.

Montreal goes up 4-1 at 12:18 of the 3rd period when C Dave Wright gets his 2nd goal of the night. LW Lorenzo Bocci adds his 28th of the year at 16:50 to make it a 5-1 lead while on the PP. Montreal out shot the Rangers 20 to 2 in the 3rd period. Montreal was 1 for 6 on the PP, while the Rangers were 0 for 6.

Montreal's LD Yegor Berestnev was the 1st star, he had 3 assists in 22:33 minutes of ice time. The 28 year old now has 9 goals and 52 points in 62 games. In 185 career NHL games he has 29 goals, 154 points, 95 PIMs and a +10 rating.

Montreal 5 New York 1

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Jiri Reichel (SH)	4	Yegor Berestnev
1st	MTL	Dave Wright	28	Jiri Bohm
2nd	MTL	Jiri Reichel	5	Tom Gaskell	Jim Rutgers
2nd	NYR	Dallas Baker	7
3rd	MTL	Dave Wright	29	Yegor Berestnev	Matej Ouhrabka
3rd	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci (PP)	28	John Herrod	Yegor Berestnev

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
1st	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	10	Misconduct
2nd	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	5	Fighting
2nd	NYR	Patrik Strouhal	5	Fighting

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Richard Day	15	1
NYR	Spencer Harvey	39	5

Around the league.........


Montreal Canadiens RD Matej Ouhrabka will miss up to 2 weeks with a bruised collarbone. The 24 year old has 5 goals and 26 points in 64 games with Montreal this season. The Canadiens have place him on the IR. The Canadiens have recalled LD Martin Beran from the St John's IceCaps of the AHL. The 19 year old Beran has 7 goals and 33 points in 48 AHL games.

Boston Bruins RD Gerald Rowe had 2 goals in a 3-0 win over the Devils. The 32 year old Rowe now has 20 goals and 51 points in 69 games this season. Rowe has played in 233 career NHL games, he has 46 goals, 161 points, 225 PIMs and a +87 rating.

Nashville Predators C Jeremy Longboat had 3 goals and 2 assists in a 8-3 win over the Blackhawks. The 25 year old Longboat now has 42 goals and 84 points in 68 games. In 3 seasons with Nashville, he has played in 232 career NHL games, has 101 goals, 221 points, 230 PIMs and a +34 rating.

[Big T]

February 25th, 1983


Montreal Canadiens (41-23-4) at Carolina Hurricanes (45-20-4)

The Habs will play the top team in the East tonight, the Hurricanes at the PNC Arena. Montreal has played Carolina just once this year and lost 2-1. Montreal holds down the 3rd seed in the Atlantic, 4 points behind Buffalo and 2 points ahead of Boston. Montreal still has a game in hand on Boston. Currently the last Wild Card Spot is held by Washington with 80 points. Montreal LD Ashton Miller has been quiet the last few games, the 20 year old has no points in his last 5 games and is an even player during the stretch. So far in 15 games this year with Montreal he has 1 goals and 6 points with a + 6 rating.

Carolina leads the Eastern Conference with 94 points, 1 better then the Florida Panthers. Carolina can fill up the net. They are 3rd in the NHL with 3.12 goals per game. An area of weakness for the Hurricanes is that they are in the middle of the pack, giving up 30 shots a game.

RW Patrick Connor leads the Hurricanes with 35 goals and is 1st on the team with 66 points in 56 games. The 28 year old power forward is a strong goal scorer and is very strong physically. The 1981 Maurice Richard Trophy Winner had 43 goals that season. In 211 career NHL games, he has 110 goals, 218 points, 388 PIMs and a +58 rating.

LW Gerald Walker is 2nd on the team with 61 points including 29 goals in 69 games. The 32 year old goal scorer is a very strong skater and very durable. The 3-time All-Star has played in 219 career NHL games, has 84 goals, 199 points, 209 PIMs and a +43 rating.

RW Joe Durocher is 3rd on the team with 51 points including 21 goals in 69 games. The 21 year old from Calgary, Ab is a two way forward with strong skating skills and stamina. In his 2nd season as a Hurricane, he has 151 career NHL games, has 38 goals, 93 points, 87 PIMs and a +19 rating. Durocher was the Hurricanes 205th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Montreal starts G Mike Blackshear, he has 33 wins in 55 starts with a .902 save %. Carolina goes with G Tom Peyton, he has 37 wins in 56 starts and a .913 save %.

Carolina gets one early, RW Patrick Connor gets his 36th of the year at 3:06 to make it 1-0. Carolina goes up 2-0 at 18:24 when RW Jan Raida gets his 14th of the year. Montreal actually out shot Carolina 12 to 8 in the 1st period.

Montreal continued to control the play in the 2nd period. Finally the Canadiens break through on G Tom Peyton, LW Lorenzo Bocci gets his 29th of the year at 19:50 of the 2nd period to make it a 2-1 game. Montreal out shot Carolina 12 to 4 in the period.

Carolina extends the lead to 3-1 at 4:07 of the 3rd period when C Brett Kantola gets his 2nd of the year. Montreal does get back within 1 at 7:17 of the 3rd when C Chris Hughes gets his 26th of the season on the PP. It is now 3-2 Carolina. Montreal puts pressure on the Hurricanes net throughout the period, but cannot get the 3rd goal. Montreal out shot Carolina 16 to 6 in the 3rd. Montreal was 1 for 2 on the PP while Carolina was 0 for 2.

Carolina's RW Jan Raida was named the 1st star, he had 1 goal and an assist. The 21 year old now has 14 goals and 29 points in 67 games. In his 2nd year with Carolina, he has played in 140 career NHL games, has 31 goals, 70 points, 64 PIMs and a +9 rating. He was the Hurricanes 175th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Carolina 3 Montreal 2

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	CAR	Patrick Connor	36	Gerald Walker	Dale Evans
1st	CAR	Jan Raida	14	Tomas Drlik	Ken Vecchione
2nd	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	29	Chris Hughes
3rd	CAR	Brett Kantola	2	Ken Vecchione	Jan Raida
3rd	MTL	Chris Hughes (PP)	27	John Herrod	Yegor Berestnev

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Mike Blackshear	18	3
CAR	Tom Peyton	40	2

Around the league.................


The Detroit Red Wings have signed C Aaron Swanson to a 2 year $10.5 M extension. The 27 year old Swanson has 29 goals and 64 points in 70 games this year. In 214 career NHL games, Swanson has 73 goals, 206 points, 218 PIMs and a +30 rating.

Edmonton Oilers LW Simon Massicotte had his points streak snapped as 12 games. The 30 year old Massicotte has 22 goals and 52 points in 71 games. In 3 seasons in the NHL, he has 49 goals, 118 points, 144 PIMs and a +23 rating in 211 career NHL games.

Pittsburgh Penguins C Michael McDaniel had a goal and 2 assists in a 4-0 win over the Maple Leafs. The 30 year old McDaniel now has 27 goals and 69 points in 71 games with the Penguins and Stars this season. In 208 career NHL games, he has 75 goals, 191 points, 197 PIMs and a +30 rating.

Edmonton Oilers C Lawrence Diamond had 2 goals in a 3-2 win over the Blues. The 35 year old Diamond now has 42 goals and 75 points in 71 games. In 225 career NHL games all with the Oilers he has 92 goals, 213 points, 208 PIMs and a +60 rating.

[Big T]

February 27th, 1983


Ottawa Senators (26-38-5) at Montreal Canadiens (41-24-4)

The Habs will face the Senators at the Bell Center tonight. Montreal has won the last two meetings this year 3-2 at home and 5-3 in Ottawa. Montreal still holds down 3rd in the Atlantic tied with Bruins but with a game in hand. Washington holds the last Wild Card Spot with 81 points, so Montreal does have a 5-point cushion on a playoff spot. LD Yegor Berestnev is putting up some points lately, He has points in 11 of his last 13 games including 3 goals and 17 assists. The 28 year old now has 9 goals and 44 points in 63 games.

Ottawa are last in the Eastern Conference with 57 points, 24 points behind the Capitals for the last Wild Card spot, with 13 games remaining they are all but eliminated from the playoffs. A strength the Sens have is they are ranked 12th of the PK with a 85.2% success rate. The Sens don't take many shots, they rank 29th with only 25 shots per game.

Ottawa will start G Casey Hertling between the pipes, he has 5 wins in 15 starts with a .901 save %. Montreal starts G Mike Blackshear, he has 33 wins in 56 starts and a .901 save %.

Montreal gets on the board at 11:05 when LD Clint Arrington gets his 5th of the year to make it 1-0. Montreal out shoots Ottawa 14 to 5 in the 1st period.

The Senators make it 1-1 at 9:32 on the PP when LW Marcus Fitzgerald gets his 4th of the year. Montreal out shot the Senators 11 to 9 in the 2nd, but the score remains 1-1.

There was no scoring in the 3rd period. Montreal out shot the Senators 14 to 5. The Sens are 1 for 4 on the PP, Montreal is 0 for 5 so far. Off to overtime we go.

Montreal wins the game in overtime as RW Al Ladd gets his 23rd of the year at 2:03. It was the only shot of overtime.

Montreal's C Chris Hughes was named the 1st star. The 33 year old now has 26 goals and 70 points in 70 games for Montreal. Hughes is a 2-time Frank J Selke Trophy winner, a 1981 Art Ross Trophy winner and 3-time All-Star that has played in 234 career NHL games. He has 85 goals, 238 points, 116 PIMs and a +70 rating.

Montreal 2 Ottawa 1 O/T

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Clint Arrington	5	Chris Hughes	Lorenzo Bocci
2nd	OTT	Marcus Fitzgerald (PP)	4	Wade Pouden	Greg Mortlock
3rd		No Scoring
O/T	MTL	Al Ladd	23	Lorenzo Bocci	Chris Hughes

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
OTT	Casey Hertling	40	2
MTL	Mike Blackshear	19	1

Around the league...................

Montreal Canadiens C Chris Hughes was named the NHL Player of the Month. The 33 year old has 26 goals and 70 points with a +25 rating.

New Jersey Devils G Jeremy Hollowell was named the NHL Goalie of the Month. The 19 year old Hollowell has 24 wins, a 2.72 GAA, a .916 save % and 7 SO's in 56 games. In his second season in the NHL, he has played in 108 games, all with New Jersey, he has a 46-50-10 record with 2.65 GAA, a .917 save % and 12 SO's. Hollowell was the 1st round, 1st overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft by the Devils.

[Big T]

March 1st, 1983 NHL Standings and Leaders

Play-off Race
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Florida Panthers	71	42	20	9	93	65
Buffalo Sabres	69	43	20	6	92	47
Montreal Canadiens	70	42	24	4	88	44
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	71	46	21	4	96	46
Pittsburgh Penguins	69	42	26	1	85	28
New York Islanders	70	39	25	6	84	10
Wild Card Race	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
x-Boston Bruins	71	42	25	4	88	45
x-Washington Capitals	69	40	26	3	83	31
Tampa Bay Lightning	68	35	28	5	75	2
Columbus Blue Jackets	72	32	31	9	73	-1
New Jersey Devils	72	32	35	6	70	-18
Philadelphia Flyers	70	29	33	8	66	-12
New York Rangers	70	28	34	8	64	-38
Toronto Maple Leafs	70	29	38	3	61	-23
Detroit Red Wings	71	27	38	6	60	-57
Ottawa Senators	70	26	38	6	58	-48

NHL Leaders	Team	Goals
Lawrence Diamond	EDM	42
Jeremy Longboat	NSH	42
Patrick Connor	CAR	36
NHL Leaders	Team	Assists
Samuel Chabot	CBJ	51
David Panniers	EDM	49
Frank Christian	EDM	47
NHL Leaders	Team	Points
Jeremy Longboat	NSH	86
Lawrence Diamond	EDM	76
David Panniers	EDM	71
NHL Leaders	Team	+/-
Gerald Rowe	BOS	43
David Panniers	EDM	40
Lawrence Diamond	EDM	38
NHL Leaders	Team	PIMS
Nicolas-Charles Duchesneau	COL	238
Pascal Menard	LAK	230
Gordie Selkirk	SJS	223

Montreal Canadiens Leaders

Player	Goals
Dave Wright	29
Lorenzo Bocci	29
Chris Hughes	26
Player	Assists
Chris Hughes	44
Yegor Berestnev	44
Al Ladd	32
Player	Points
Chris Hughes	70
Al Ladd	54
Yegor Berestnev	53
Player	+/-
Yevgeny Ronov	25
Chris Hughes	25
Lorenzo Bocci	22
Player	PIMS
Dave Wright	113
Lorenzo Bocci	69
Ronnie Marvin	54

[Big T]

March 1st, 1983


Montreal Canadiens (42-24-4) at Buffalo Sabres (43-20-6)

Montreal faces the Sabres at KeyBank Center. Montreal has a 3-0-1 record against the Sabres this season. This will be a key game if the Canadiens have any aspirations in catching the 2nd place Sabres. Montreal trails Buffalo by 4 points. LW Lorenzo Bocci has held a hot hand lately. In his past 13 games, he has been held pointless 4 times, but has 8 goals and 15 points in those games. He has been a +10 player and now 29 goals and 49 points in 51 games this season.

The Sabres as previously mentioned hold down the 2nd seed in the Atlantic, a point behind Florida, but with 2 games in hand. The Sabres can score goals, they are ranked 2nd in the NHL with 3.17 goals per game. The only weakness they have, if it can be called that is they are ranked 14th in goals against per game at 2.57.

Montreal starts G Mike Blackshear, he has 34 wins in 57 games with a .901 save %. Buffalo starts G Aleksey Zhavronkov, he has 35 wins in 51 games and a .914 save %.

It took nearly 8 minutes for Buffalo to register their 1st shot as it was a close checking start to the game. Montreal does open the scoring at 19:07 of the 1st when RW Al Ladd scored his 23rd of the year on the PP to make it 1-0. Montreal out shot the Sabres 16 to 5 in the 1st.

Montreal goes up 2-0 at 11:37 of the 2nd when RW John Herrod gets his 22nd of the year. The 2nd period ends with the Habs up 2-0 and they out shot Buffalo 13 to 10 in the 2nd period.

Montreal continues to push the pace and grabs a 3-0 lead at 6:23 of the 3rd when C Dave Wright gets his 30th goal of the year on the PP. For Wright, his previous high was 25 goals last year and he had 17 in the 80-81 season. Buffalo does break up G Mike Blackshear's shut out bid, LW Anthoni Moreau scores his 19th of the year at 12:48 on the PP and it is 3-1 Montreal. Montreal recovers its 3 goals lead at 14:57 when LD Marc-Andre Berube gets his 3rd of the year. It is now 4-1 Montreal. The shots were 10 to 10 in the 3rd period, Montreal was 2 for 9 on the PP while Buffalo was 1 for 3.

Montreal's RW John Herrod was the 1st star with his goal and an assist. The 23 year old Herrod now has 22 goals and 65 points in 72 games. The 1983 All-Star has 52 goals, 184 points, 139 PIMs and a +3 rating in 236 career NHL games.

Montreal 4 Buffalo 1

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Al Ladd (PP)	24	Andrew Rickford	John Herrod
2nd	MTL	John Herrod	22	Ashton Miller	Chris Hughes
3rd	MTL	Dave Wright (PP)	30	Andrew Rickford	Lorenzo Bocci
3rd	BUF	Anthoni Moreau (PP)	19	Jim Bunting
3rd	MTL	Marc-Andre Berube	3	Chris Hughes	Andrew Rickford

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Mike Blackshear	25	1
BUF	Aleksey Zhavronkov	39	4

Around the league............


Nashville Predators C Jeremy Longboat had a goal and 2 assists in a 6-2 win over the Stars. The 25 year old now has 43 goals and 89 points in 71 games. The 2-time All-Star has played in 235 career NHL games, all with Nashville and has 102 goals, 226 points, 232 PIMs and a +37 rating.

Columbus Blue Jackets C Samuel Chabot had a goal in a 2-1 win over the Canucks. The 28 year old now has 20 goals and 71 points in 73 games. The 2-time All-Star has played in 231 career NHL games,all with Columbus, has 69 goals, 210 points, 126 PIMs and a +62 rating.

[Big T]

March 3rd, 1983


Montreal Canadiens (43-24-4) at Toronto Maple Leafs (29-39-3)

Montreal goes to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to face the fledgling Maple Leafs. Montreal comes into the game in 3rd in the Atlantic, 2 points behind the Sabres for 2nd and 2 points ahead of the Bruins for 4th.

Montreal will likely not resign LD Clint Arrington to an extension with the prominence of some of the young defenseman on the horizon. The 33 year old Arrington is in his last year of a deal that pays him $6.1 M per season. Montreal has had him in the press box a few times this season, he has played in 52 games had 5 goals and 13 points this season. Arrington had not missed a game in the past 2 seasons. In 216 career games, he has 20 goals, 63 points, 84 PIMs and a +17 rating.

Toronto find themselves 14th in the Eastern Conference with 61 points, 23 points out of a playoff spot with 11 games left. The Leafs are on the bottom half of all the stat categories, at best they are ranked 16th in the NHL by giving up 30 shots per game. The Leafs PK is ranked 29th with a 79.8 % success rate.

Montreal will start G Mike Blackshear, he has 35 wins in 58 games with a .902 save %. The Leafs start G Erik Pecinka, he has 23 wins in 55 games and a .905 save %.

Montreal gets a 1-0 lead at 14:02 of the 1st period when C Chris Hughes gets his 27th goal of the season while on a 4 on 4 situation. The period ends with Montreal out shooting Toronto 17 to 9.

Montreal goes up 2-0 when C Chris Hughes gets his 2nd of the night at 9:52 of the 2nd period. Montreal adds to its lead when LW Tom Gaskell gets his 6th of the year at 16:11 to make it 3-0. Thats how the period ends with Montreal out shooting Toronto 18 to 3 in the 2nd.

Montreal goes up 4-0 at 7:33 of the 3rd period when RW John Herrod gets his 23rd of the year. Montreal gets another and turns this into a rout as LW Lorenzo Bocci gets his 30th goal of the year at 8:11. Its the 1st time Bocci has reached 30 goals with his previous high being 26 in the 80-81 season. Montreal goes up 6-0 when LW Batsaikhany Vanoosten gets his 8th of the year at 9:41 of the 3rd. The Canadiens continue to fill the Leaf net, LW Jiri Bohm gets his 8th of the year at 17:00 of the 3rd to make it 7-0. That is it for G Pecinka. Montreal closes it out by out shooting the Leafs 13 to 9 in the 3rd. Montreal was 0 for 4 on the PP while Toronto was 0 for 2.

Montreal's RW John Herrod was the 1st star with a goal and 3 assists. The 23 year old now has 23 goals and 69 points in 73 games this year. In 237 career NHL games, he has 53 goals, 188 points, 139 PIMs and a +7 rating.

Montreal 7 Toronto 0

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Chris Hughes	28	John Herrod	Marc-Andre Berube
2nd	MTL	Chris Hughes	29	John Herrod
2nd	MTL	Tom Gaskell	6	Yegor Berestnev	Jim Rutgers
3rd	MTL	John Herrod	23	Chris Hughes	Lorenzo Bocci
3rd	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	30	John Herrod	Clint Arrington
3rd	MTL	Batsaikhany Vanoosten	8	Andrew Rickford	Ronnie Marvin
3rd	MTL	Jiri Bohm	8	Batsaikhany Vanoosten	Ashton Miller

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Mike Blackshear	21	0
TOR	Erik Pecinka	48	7
TOR	Cole Sexsmith	0	0

Around the league...........

Carolina Hurricanes LD Ken Vecchione had a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over the Stars. The 27 year old Vecchione now has 13 goals and 48 points in 73 games. In 237 career NHL games, all with Carolina he has 33 goals, 131 points, 308 PIMs and a -6 rating.

Minnesota Wild C Vincent Pflister had a goal in a 4-3 win over the Jets. The 21 year old Pfister now has 17 goals and 64 points in 69 games. The 1983 All-Star has played in 151 career NHL games over 2 seasons with the Wild, he has 31 goals, 110 points, 92 PIMs and a-1 rating in 151 games. Pfister was the Wild's 35th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

[Big T]

March 4th, 1983

Montreal Canadiens (44-24-4) at Detroit Red Wings (27-39-6)

With back to back games, the Canadiens will recall and dress G Richard Day. Day has 31 wins, a 2.40 GAA and .914 save % with 3 SO's in 51 AHL games this year. Montreal remain 3rd in the Atlantic, 2 points behind Buffalo and just 2 points ahead of the Bruins in 4th.

RD Marek Bartolcic is getting more and more icetime for the Canadiens this season. The 20 year old defensive defenseman now has 10 goals and 21 points in 52 games. Last season, his rookie season he played in 35 games for Montreal and averaged 15:57 in ice time, this season he is up to 18:01. Bartolcic was a late pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, he was the 203rd overall pick that season.

Detroit is 15th in the Eastern Conference, they have 60 points and are 25 points out of the final playoff spot with 10 games left. The Red Wings are a strong PK team, they kill penalties at a rate of 86.7 % which ranks them 4th in the NHL. The Red Wings have a tough time scoring, they are ranked 28th with 2.31 goals per game.

Montreal will start G Richard Day, he has 7 wins in 9 games with a .937 save %. Detroit starts G Troy Pichette, he has 21 wins in 55 games with a .904 save %.

Montreal completely dominated the period, but could not dominate G Troy Pichette. He made 26 saves and G Richard Day had to make only 7 in the 1st period, but no scoring.

Montreal does break through with a goal at 2:40 in the 2nd period, RW Al Ladd gets his 24th of the year to make it 1-0. The Red Wings tie it 1-1 at 10:33 of the 2nd period when RW Kent Hunt gets his 5th of the year. Detroit goes ahead 2-1 at 15:55 when LD Scott Gebson gets his 4th of the year. A much better period for Detroit as they out shot Montreal 13 to 7.

Montreal gets the game tied at 2-2 when RW John Herrod gets his 24th of the year on a 5 on 3 PP. Detroit gets the lead back at 13:24 of the 3rd when C Aaron Swanson gets his 30th of the year. With just under 2 minutes to play, LW Lorenzo Bocci left the game with a elbow injury. Detroit puts it away with an EN goal on the PP by LD Jeremy Rice with just 22 second left to make it 4-2. Montreal out shot Detroit 23 to 11 in the 3rd period, and were 1 for 5 on the PP. Detroit was 1 for 3 on the PP.

Detroit Red Wings C Aaron Swanson was the 1st star with a goal and an assist. The 27 year old Swanson now has 30 goals and 66 points in 73 games this season. The 2-time All-Star has played in 217 career NHL games, all with Detroit and has 74 goals, 208 points, 222 PIMs and a +32 rating.

Detroit 4 Montreal 2

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st		No Scoring
2nd	MTL	Al Ladd	25	Dave Wright
2nd	DET	Ken Hunt	5	Gary Boyle	Aaron Swanson
2nd	DET	Scott Gebson	4	Jeremy Rice	David Chab
3rd	MTL	John Herrod (PP)	24	Chris Hughes	Lorenzo Bocci
3rd	DET	Aaron Swanson	30	Gary Boyle	David Chab
3rd	DET	Jeremy Rice (PP) (EN)	7	David Chab	Scott Gebson

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
2nd	DET	David Chab	5	Fighting
2nd	MTL	Dave Wright	5	Fighting
3rd	MTL	Ronnie Marvin	10	Misconduct

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Richard Day	30	3
DET	Troy Pichette	56	2

Around the league..............

Montreal Canadiens will be without LW Lorenzo Bocci for 1-2 weeks with a sore elbow. The 29 year old has 30 goals and 53 points in 54 games this season. This is Bocci's 2nd stint on the IR this season.

Montreal has recalled C Donald Ley from the AHL IceCaps. The 30 year old has 4 goals and 7 points in 12 AHL games this season. He was picked up on waivers from the Florida Panthers where he had 1 goals and 2 points in 29 games.

Nashville Predators RD Nathan Burke had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Lightning. The 20 year old now has 13 goals and 49 points in 73 games. Burke is in his 2nd season in the NHL, he has played in 155 career games with the Predators, he has 24 goals, 76 points, 93 PIMs and a +19 rating.

Edmonton Oilers C Lawrence Diamond had a goal and 2 assists in a 3-2 win over the Penguins. The 35 year old Diamond now has 44 goals and 81 points in 74 games. The 2-time All-Star has played in 228 career NHL games, has 94 goals, 219 points, 212 PIMs and a +62 rating.

Calgary Flames LD Jim Brinker had 2 assists in a 4-3 win over the Coyotes. The 28 year old Brinker now has 10 goals and 47 points in 72 games this year. The 1983 All-Star has played in 129 career NHL games, all with Calgary. He was limited to 25 (80-81) and 32 (81-82) games due to injuries. He has 19 goals, 99 points, 108 PIMs and a +43 rating.

Anaheim Ducks C Nate Elgie will miss up to 2 months with fractured ribs. The 27 year old had 24 goals and 62 points in 65 games this year. The 1981 Calder Trophy Winner and 1981 All-Star is in his 3rd season with the Ducks. He has played in 200 career NHL games, has 71 goals, 184 points, 124 PIMs and a +27 rating.

[Big T]

March 8th, 1983

Edmonton Oilers (52-17-6) at Montreal Canadiens (44-25-4)

We are playing the top team in the NHL at the Bell Center tonight. In our only meeting of the season we lost 4-1 in Edmonton. Montreal remains 2 points out of 2nd behind Buffalo while we are tied with the Bruins for 3rd with 1 game in hand.

Montreal are excited to have rookie LD Martin Beran up from the AHL covering for injured defenseman Matej Ouhrabka. The 19 year old has played in 6 games since being called up and has 2 assist with 4 PIMs to show for it. The former Edmonton Oil King (WHL) played 48 games in the AHL for the IceCaps as well this season, he had 7 goals and 33 points with 61 PIMs. Beran was Montreal's 173rd overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

As mentioned, the Oilers lead the NHL with 110 points in 75 games. They have a 19 point lead on the 2nd place Predators. The Oilers can just flat out score, they lead the NHL with 3.55 goals per game. There only weakness if you can call it that is that they are ranked 11th with a 85.7% PK rate.

The Oilers will start G Saku Heikkinen, he has 27 wins in 42 games with a .913 save %. Montreal starts G Mike Blackshear, he has 36 wins in 59 games and a .904 save %.

Montreal takes a 1-0 on C Dave Wright's 31st goal of the year at 11:10 of the 1st period. The shots were even in the 1st period, 12 a piece. Edmonton was 0 for 2 on the PP while Montreal was 0 for 1.

Montreal goes up 2-0 at 12:38 when LD Yegor Berestnev gets his 10th of the year. Montreal quickly goes up 3-0 moments later as RW Ronnie Marvin gets his 3rd of the year at 13:15. Montreal out shot the Oilers 18 to 11 in the 2nd period. The Oilers are now 0 for 5 on the PP.

The Oilers get on the board early in the 3rd as C Lawrence Diamond gets his 45th of the year at 1:33. Its now 3-1 Montreal. That is the only scoring in the 3rd as Montreal hangs on to win. The Oilers out shot the Canadiens 7 to 1 in the 3rd period. Edmonton was 0 for 5 on the PP, Montreal was 0 for 4.

Montreal RW Ronnie Marvin was the 1st star, he had a goal and an assist. The 28 year old Marvin now has 3 goals and 15 points in 61 games. In 3 seasons with Montreal, he has played in 204 career NHL games, has 21 goals, 64 points, 175 PIMs and a +7 rating.

Montreal 3 Edmonton 1

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Dave Wright	31	Yevgeny Ronov	Jiri Bohm
2nd	MTL	Yegor Berestnev	10	Marek Bartolcic	Ronnie Marvin
2nd	MTL	Ronnie Marvin	3	Batsaikhany Vanoosten	Yegor Berestnev
3rd	EDM	Lawrence Diamond	45	Flint Myers	David Panniers

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
2nd	EDM	Josh Diez	5	Fighting
2nd	MTL	Ronnie Marvin	5	Fighting

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
EDM	Saku Heikkinen	31	3
MTL	Mike Blackshear	30	1

Around the league.................

Dallas Stars RW Domenico Giunti had 2 goals and an assist in a 6-5 win over the Bruins. The 27 year old Giunti now has 26 goals and 71 points in 75 games. The 1983 All-Star has played in 231 career NHL games, all with Dallas. He has 65 goals, 195 points, 236 PIMs and a +51 rating.

Minnesota Wild C Vincent Pfister had 2 goals in a 4-3 win over the Flyers. The 21 year old Pfister now has 19 goals and 67 points in 72 games. The 1983 All-Star is in his 2nd year in the NHL, he has played 154 career NHL games, all with the Wild. He has 33 goals, 113 points, 94 PIMs and a -1 rating. He was the Wild's 35th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

[Big T]

March 10th, 1983

Pittsburgh Penguins (43-29-1) at Montreal Canadiens (45-25-4)

We are facing the Penguins for the 3rd time this season, we beat them 4-0 at home and won 4-1 in Pittsburgh, so looking for our 3rd win. Montreal are currently in 3rd spot in the Atlantic, 2 points behind Buffalo and they have a game in hand. We remain 2 points ahead of Boston and we have a game in hand on them.

Tonight we highlight LD Yegor Berestnev. The 28 year old came over the Canadiens in a trade on November 26th, 1980 to bolster our offense from the back end. This season he has 10 goals and 46 assists for 56 points. For his career the strong playmaker has 191 career games of which 30 were with the Calgary Flames before the trade. He has 30 career NHL goals, 158 points, 97 PIMs and a +14 rating. Berestnev is 2nd amoung NHL defenseman for career points,

The Penguins are currently holding the 3rd seed in the Metropolitan Division with 87 points. The Penguins are ranked 3rd on the PK with a 87.1% success rate. A weakness, is the Penguins give up a lot of shots, they average 29 against a game which ranks the 18th in the NHL.

The Penguins will start G Ernie Stockwell, he has 5 wins in 9 games with a .910 save %. Montreal will start G Mike Blackshear, he has 37 wins in 60 games with a .905 save %.

Montreal opens up the scoring at 2:50 of the 1st when C Dave Wright gets his 32 goal of the year, it's 1-0 Montreal. Wright gets his 2nd of the night on the PP at 6:26 to make it 2-0 Montreal. Montreal continues to pour it on, C Jiri Reichel gets his 6th of the year at 17:43 on the PP to make it 3-0. The Pittsburgh PK is taking a beating. Montreal out shot Pittsburgh 20 to 5 in the 1st period.

Montreal goes up 4-0 at 15:26 of the 2nd period when C Chris Hughes gets his 29th of the year on another PP. LW Batsaikhany Vanoosten scores his 9th at 16:16 to make it 5-0. Montreal out shot Pittsburgh 13 to 5 in the 2nd period.

There was no scoring in the 3rd period as Pittsburgh out shot Montreal 12 to 11. Montreal was 3 for 8 on the PP while Pittsburgh was 0 for 2.

Montreal's C David Wright was named the 1st star with his 2 goals and an assist. The 27 year old Wright now has 33 goals, 56 points and 127 PIMs with a +8 rating this season in 75 games. For his career he has 77 goals and 157 points in 221 games.

Montreal 5 Pittsburgh 0

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Dave Wright	32	Ashton Miller	Yevgeny Ronov
1st	MTL	Dave Wright (PP)	33	Andrew Rickford	Martin Beran
1st	MTL	Jiri Reichel (PP)	6	Marc-Andre Berube	Al Ladd
2nd	MTL	Chris Hughes (PP)	30	Yegor Berestnev	Al Ladd
2nd	MTL	Batsaikhany Vanoosten	9	Martin Beran	Dave Wright
3rd		No Scoring

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
1st	PIT	Justin Smith	5	Illegal Check to the Head
2nd	PIT	Justin Smith	10	Misconduct

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
PIT	Ernie Stockwell	44	5
MTL	Mike Blackshear	22	0

Around the league.........

Carolina Hurricanes RW Patrick Connor had 2 assists in a 5-3 win over the Blues. The 28 year old now has 36 goals and 71 points in 62 games. The 1981 Maurice Richard Award Winner and 1981 All-Star has played in 217 career NHL games, he has 111 goals, 223 points, 398 PIMs and a +59 rating.

[Big T]

March 11th, 1983

Montreal Canadiens (46-25-4) at Washington Capitals (44-27-3)

The Canadiens play on back to back nights, tonight at the Verizon Center in Washington. Montreal has lost both the previous meetings with Washington, 6-4 at home and 3-2 in Washington. The Standings had a little change last night as Buffalo moved into 1st in the Atlantic with 98 points in 74 games, Florida is next with 98 points in 76 games, then Montreal with 96 points in 75 games and Boston with 92 points in 76 games. Montreal has a chance to move into a tie for 2nd tonight with a win. Florida is off tonight.

Montreal has moved up the standings lately due to the play of G Mike Blackshear. The 29 year old came to Montreal via a trade with the Minnesota Wild on January 23rd, 1981. This season in 62 games he has a 38-19-3 record with a 2.23 GAA, a .907 save % and 8 SO's. In 195 career games including 41 with the Wild, he has 98 wins, a 2.53 GAA, a .904 save % and 19 SO's. The 1983 All-Star was outstanding in the 1980-81 playoffs leading the Canadiens to a Stanley Cup win with his 16 wins and sparkling .934 save %.

The Capitals are currently 2nd in the Metropolitan Division with 91 points, 11 behind the leading Hurricanes. The Capitals will take a lot of shots, they are ranked 5th in the NHL with 34 shots per game. The are ranked 19th on the PK with a 83.6% kill rate.

Montreal will give G Mike Blackshear the night off and start G Jason Wells. Wells has 0 wins in 1 game, with a .902 save %. The Capitals go with G Dana Popelar, he has 17 wins in 23 games with a .912 save %.

Montreal gets the 1st goal of the game at 8:01 when the "on fire" C Dave Wright gets his 34th goal of the season. Washington ties it up at 10:28 when RW Peter Carrier gets his 9th of the year. Washington goes up 2-1 at 11:36 when RW Micheal Redenbach gets his 8th of the season on the PP. Its now 3-1 for the Capitals as RD Martin Hampl gets his 8th of the year at 12:36. The 1st period ends with Washington dominating out shooting Montreal 16 to 4.

Washington goes up 4-1 at 9:42 when C Xavier Morissette gets his 16th of the season. Washington goes up 5-1 at 13:06 when RW Donald Miles gets his 12th goal. The rout continues as its a shooting gallery, RD Marshall Lawson gets his 16th of the year at 14:13 and its now 6-1. Montreal's 1st line is a -3. The shots in the 2nd are 24 to 7 for Washington.

Washington's C Don Struble gets his 22nd of the year at 1:39 and it is now 7-1 for the Capitals. Montreal's LW Jiri Bohm gets his 9th of the year at 7:52 to make it 7-2. The Caps make it 8-2 at 16:31 of the 3rd when LW Ed Holman gets his 18th of the season. C Xavier Morissette gets his 2nd of the night at 18:34 on PP to make it 9-2. Washington out shot Montreal 14 to 6 in the 3rd. Montreal was 0 for 3 on the PP, Washington was 2 for 4.

Washington's RD Marshall Lawson was the 1st star, he had a goal and 2 assists. The 33 year old Lawson has 16 goals, 54 points with 14 PIMs and a +6 rating in 75 games. In 203 career NHL games including 98 with the Flyers, he has 30 goals and 107 career points.

Washington 9 Montreal 2

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Dave Wright	34	Yevgeny Ronov	Andrew Rickford
1st	WAS	Peter Carrier	9	Martin Hampl	Derek Goulet
1st	WAS	Michael Redenbach (PP)	11	Marshall Lawson	Don Struble
1st	WAS	Martin Hampl	8	Donald Miles	Mike Stubbs
2nd	WAS	Xavier Morissette	16	Alejandro Villalobos	Martin Hampl
2nd	WAS	Donald Miles	12	Mike Stubbs	Keith Sutton
2nd	WAS	Marshall Lawson	16	Sebastian Sloan	Brenden Clarke
3rd	WAS	Donald Struble	22	Marshall Lawson	Brenden Clarke
3rd	MTL	Jiri Bohm	9	John Herrod	Tom Gaskell
3rd	WAS	Ed Holman	18	Keith Sutton	Bill Jefferson
3rd	WAS	Xavier Morissette (PP)	17	Alejandro Villalobos

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
1st	WAS	Peter Carrier	5	Fighting
1st	MTL	Dave Wright	5	Fighting

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Jason Wells	54	9
WAS	Dana Popelar	17	2

Around the league.................

Edmonton Oilers LD Frank Christian has signed a 3 year, $24.0 M extension today. The 32 year old has 16 goals and 66 points in 74 games. The 1981 Norris Trophy Winner and 2-time All-Star has played 228 career NHL games, he has 46 goals, 185 points, 170 PIMs and a +66 rating. Christian is the NHL career leader in points as a defenseman.

Minnesota Wild C Vincent Pfister had 2 goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Stars. The 21 year old now has 21 goals and 70 points in 73 games this season. The 1983 All-Star is in his 2nd season in the NHL after graduating from the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL. In 155 career NHL games he has 35 goals, 116 points, 94 PIMs and a + 1 rating. Pfister was the Wild's 2nd round, 35th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

[Big T]

March 13th, 1983

Toronto Maple Leafs (31-41-4) at Montreal Canadiens (46-26-4)

Play-off Race
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Buffalo Sabres	75	46	22	7	99	50
Florida Panthers	76	44	22	10	98	64
Montreal Canadiens	76	46	26	4	96	52
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	76	49	23	4	102	45
Washington Capitals	75	45	27	3	93	47
Pittsburgh Penguins	75	44	30	1	89	18
Wild Card Race	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
x-Boston Bruins	77	44	29	4	92	44
x New York Islanders	76	41	28	7	89	5
Tampa Bay Lightning	75	38	31	6	82	-2
Columbus Blue Jackets	76	35	32	9	79	3

Montreal is home to face the Leafs. Montreal has won the previous 2 meetings 4-2 and 7-0. Montreal is fighting for 2nd place in the Atlantic while trying to hold off the Bruins from getting the into the 3rd spot.

Montreal's 2nd line LW Jiri Bohm is having a nice rookie season for Montreal. The 20 year old Czeck has 9 goals and 20 assists for 29 points in 56 games. The former Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) forward was the Canadiens 143rd overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. This is his 1st year of professional hockey, he played 18 games with the AHL St John's IceCaps before getting promoted to the NHL. He had 21 points in 18 games with St John's.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are fighting for the 1st pick overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. Only the Coyotes (59) and Senators (64) have less points then Toronto's 66 this season. The Leafs struggle in all areas but especially in the PK where they are ranked 29th with a 79.4% kill rate. The Leafs also struggle to score, ranked 26th at 2.41 goals per game.

Toronto will start G Erik Pecinka, he has 25 wins in 60 games with a .903 save %. Montreal goes with G Mike Blackshear, he has 38 wins in 61 games with a .907 save %.

Montreal gets the early lead at 3:11 when RW Yevgeny Ronov gets his 13th of the year. Toronto ties it up at 10:53 of the 1st when RD Norris Walker gets his 10th on the PP. Montreal out shoots Toronto 12 to 4 but it is tied 1-1.

Montreal goes up 2-1 on a very early goal in the 2nd. RD Marek Bartolcic gets his 11th of the season at just 0:18. Toronto is taking advantage of its limited chances and ties the score 2-2 at 1:35 of the 2nd on just their 6th shot. LW Alexandr Nemeshayev gets his 5th of the year. Toronto goes up 3-2 on the PP as LW Duane D'Angle gets his 14th of the season at 8:34. Toronto goes up 4-2 at 11:15 of the 2nd when C Martin Venc gets his 13th of the year on the PP. Toronto has 4 goals on just 10 shots. Montreal closes the gap to 4-3 at 13:41 of the 2nd when RW John Herrod gets his 25th of the year. Toronto keeps scoring, this time on a 4 on 4 LW Jac Picman gets his 11th at 15:08 to make it 5-3. That is it for Blackshear, he allowed 5 goals on just 13 shots. The period ends with Montreal out shooting Toronto 11 to 10 but the Leafs are 3 for 6 on the PP.

Toronto goes up 6-3 at 5:08 of the 3rd when LW Duane D'Angle gets his 2nd of the game. Leafs are now up 7-3 at 11:13 when LD Jakub Mirga gets his 6th of the year. That is now 16 goals given up in 5 and half periods by Montreal. Toronto adds a little more insult to the Canadiens embarassment, LW Aleksandr Nemeshayev gets his 2nd of the night at 18:55 to make it 8-3. Toronto out shoots Montreal 8 to 5 in the 3rd while going 3 for 7 on the PP on the night. Montreal was 0 for 3.

Toronto's RD Norris Walker was named the 1st star with 1 goal and 2 assist. The 39 year old now has 10 goals and 42 points in 75 games. The 1981 All-Star has played in 238 career NHL games and has 30 goals, 130 points, 78 PIMs and a +36 rating.

Toronto 8 Montreal 3

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Yevgeny Ronov	13	Jiri Bohm	Ashton Miller
1st	TOR	Norris Walker	10	Martin Venc
2nd	MTL	Marek Bartolcic	11	Marc-Andre Berube	Dave Wright
2nd	TOR	Aleksandr Nemeshayev	5	Tomas Moravec	Milan Hauptman
2nd	TOR	Duane D'Angle (PP)	14	Tyler Garratt	Jeremy Larocque
2nd	TOR	Martin Venc (PP)	13	Shaone Fehr	Norris Walker
2nd	MTL	John Herrod	25	Al Ladd	Chris Hughes
2nd	TOR	Jan Picman	11	Norris Walker
3rd	TOR	Duane D'Angle	15	Kelly Paddock	Jeremy Larocque
3rd	TOR	Jakub Mirga	6	Aleksandr Nemeshayev	Tyler Garratt
3rd	TOR	Aleksandr Nemeshayev	6	Tomas Moravec	Tyler Garratt

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
2nd	MTL	Jiri Reichel	10	Misconduct
3rd	MTL	Al Ladd	5	Fighting
3rd	TOR	Jimmy Krueger	5	Fighting

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
TOR	Erik Pecinka	28	3
MTL	Mike Blackshear	13	5
MTL	Jason Wells	9	3

Around the league...........

Montreal Canadiens RD Matej Ouhrabka was cleared to play and removed from the IR today. The 24 year old Ouhrabka has 5 goals and 21 assists for 26 points with 18 PIMs and a +7 rating in 64 games this year. Ouhrabka has not played since February 24th when he injured his collar bone. Over his career in 216 NHL games he has 27 goals and 105 points.

The Canadiens have sent LD Martin Beran to St John's of the AHL. The 19 year old had 4 assists and 4 PIMs with a +1 rating in 8 games with the Canadiens.

[Big T]

March 15th, 1983

Montreal Canadiens (46-27-4) at Tampa Bay Lightning (39-31-6)

With just 5 games left on the schedule, Montreal must find their game and hopefully take a shot at 2nd place in the Atlantic and home ice in the 1st round.

Play-off Race
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Florida Panthers	78	45	23	10	100	65
Buffalo Sabres	76	36	23	7	99	48
Montreal Canadiens	77	46	27	4	96	47
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	77	49	24	4	102	43
Washington Capitals	76	46	27	3	95	49
New York Islanders	77	42	38	7	91	9
Wild Card Race	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
x-Boston Bruins	77	44	29	4	92	44
x-Pittsburgh Penguins	76	44	31	1	89	16
Tampa Bay Lightning	76	39	31	6	84	0
Columbus Blue Jackets	77	36	32	9	81	6

The last couple losses have put Montreal in tough to catch the 2nd seed in the Atlantic.

Tonights highlighted Hab is LD Marc-Andre Berube. The 33 year old just renewed for another 3 years with Montreal. This season he has played in 66 games, has 3 goals and 17 assists for 20 points, with 36 PIMs and a +11 rating. Primarily a defensive defenseman, over the past 3 seasons he has played in 202 games, has 12 goals and 62 points. Berube is usually plays the role of a stay at home defenseman.

Montreal has an opportunity to put a knife in the Lightning's playoff hopes. Tampa is 5 points out of the final Wild Card spot with 6 games left.

Montreal will start G Mike Blackshear, he has 38 wins in 62 games with a .904 save %. Tampa Bay starts G Evan Girard, he has 17 wins in 32 games with a .903 save %.

Montreal's C Jiri Reichel left the game early, with about 2 minutes in he left with a upper body injury. It did not look good as he left. Montreal does get on the board first, LW Batsaikhany Vanoosten gets his 10th of the year at 9:42 to make it 1-0. Tampa ties it up at 13:03 when RD Ben Stewart collects goal number 19 of the year. It is now 1-1. Montreal gets one back quickly, LW Al Ladd gets his 25th of the year at 13:59 to make it 2-1 Montreal. The period ends with Montreal out shooting Tampa Bay 14 to 5.

Tampa Bay scores early in the 2nd to tie it 2-2. C Yann Boulanger gets his 29th of the season at 1:31. Tampa has 2 goals on just 6 shots. Montreal grabs a 3-2 lead at 12:33 when C Melvin Swiney gets his 8th goal of the season. Montreal out shot Tampa Bay 12 to 4 in the 2nd period.

Montreal goes up 4-2 at 14:55 of the 3rd period when LW Al Ladd gets his 2nd of the game. Montreal gets back on the winning track with a 4-2 win. The Canadiens out shoot the Lightning 10 to 5 in the 3rd period. Montreal was 0 for 6 on the PP while Tampa was 0 for 2.

Montreal's Batsaikhany Vanoosten was the 1st star with a goal and an assist. The 29 year old now has 10 goals and 28 points with 28 PIMs and a +2 rating in 76 games. In 240 career NHL games with Montreal he has 35 goals, 116 points, 84 PIMs and a +19 rating.

Montreal 4 Tampa Bay 2

PER TEAM GOAL # ASSIST ASSIST
1st MTL Batsaikhany Vanoosten 10 Ronnie Marvin Marc-Andre Berube
1st TBY Ben Stewart 19 Mark Wiebe Doug Harrison
1st MTL Al Ladd 26 Yevgeny Ronov Jiri Bohm
2nd TBY Yann Boulanger 29 Brett Smith Gene Schuler
2nd MTL Melvin Swiney 8 Batsaikhany Vanoosten Matej Ouhrabka
3rd MTL Al Ladd 27 John Herrod Chris Hughes

MAJOR's
PER TEAM PLAYER MIN PENALTY
3rd MTL Dave Wright 5 Fighting
3rd TBY Ben Stewart 5 Fighting
3rd TBY Gene Schuler 10 Misconduct

TEAM GOALIE SA GA
MTL Mike Blackshear 14 2
TBY Evan Girard 36 4


Around the league...............

Pittsburgh Penguins G Sawyer Derkson has signed a 6 year, $67.2 M extension today. The 29 year now has 39 wins, 2.45 GAA and a .915 save % with 6 SO's in 67 games this season. In 201 career NHL games he has a 106-83-10 record with 2.51 GAA, a .914 save % and 15 SO's.

Montreal Canadiens C Jiri Reichel will miss the remainder of the season with a partially torn labrum. The 19 year old is expected to be out for 4 months. In 36 games this season, he had 6 goals and 10 assists for 16 points with 22 PIMs and a +8 rating. Reichel is a two-way forward that was used in a counter attacking role. In his 1st season in professional hockey he played with the IceCaps of the AHL as well this year and had 16 points in 17 games. After finishing his OHL career with the Sudbury Wolves, he was drafted by the Canadiens in the 2nd round, 44th overall pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

Montreal Canadiens have recalled LW Dave Lyon from the AHL St John's IceCaps. The 20 year old had 15 goals and 38 points in 38 games for St John's. Earlier this season Lyon played 22 games with Montreal and had 2 goals and an assist. In his 2nd season of professional hockey, Lyon has played in 63 NHL games including 41 with the Wild. He has 4 goals and 9 points in his NHL career. Montreal acquired Lyon as a free agent. The Wild originally drafted him 95th overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

Carolina Hurricanes G Tom Peyton made 26 saves in a 3-0 win over the Bruins. The 27 year old now has 42 wins with a 2.51 GAA, a .914 save % and 3 SO's in 64 games this season. The 1981 All-Star is in his 2nd NHL season, has played in 95 games, has a 53-31-8 record with a 2.55 GAA, a .913 save % and 7 SO's.

Detroit Red Wings C Aaron Swanson had a goal in a 2-1 win over the Sabres. The 27 year old Swanson now has 34 goals and 74 points in 79 games. The 2-time All-Star has 78 career NHL goals, 216 points, 224 PIMs and a +37 rating in 223 NHL games.

Chicago Blackhawks C Willie Dziemianko had 2 goals in a 2-1 win over the Penguins. The 19 year old rookie now has 33 goals and 69 points with 64 PIMs in 77 games. While with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL, he was selected 19th overall by the Chicago in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

[Big T]

March 17th, 1983

Florida Panthers (45-23-10) at Montreal Canadiens (47-27-4)

The Canadiens play a critical game that could impact where the finish the season when they face the Panthers at the Bell Center. Florida leads the season series 2 games to 1 so far with the last game at Bell Center won 2-1 by Montreal.

Play-off Race
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Florida Panthers	78	45	23	10	100	65
Buffalo Sabres	77	46	24	7	99	47
Montreal Canadiens	78	47	27	4	98	49
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	78	50	24	4	104	46
Washington Capitals	77	46	28	3	95	46
New York Islanders	78	43	28	7	93	10
Wild Card Race	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
x-Boston Bruins	79	44	31	4	92	40
x-Pittsburgh Penguins	77	44	32	1	89	10
Tampa Bay Lightning	77	39	32	6	84	-2
Columbus Blue Jackets	77	36	32	9	81	6

A Montreal win could make the Atlantic very interesting.

Veteran C Tom Gaskell plays the role of a offensive forward on the 4th line for Montreal. The 31 year old is a perimeter shooter that has played all 78 games for Montreal this year. He has 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points with 14 PIMs and a -4 rating. Gaskell came over to the Canadiens as a free agent after 2 seasons with the Canucks. In 234 career NHL games, he has 21 goals, 95 points, 80 PIMs and a -7 rating.

The Panthers could end up anywhere between 1st and 3rd in the Atlantic this season. Today's game will have a huge say in where they finish. The Panthers are leading the league in goals against, they average only 2.13 goals against per game. An area to exploit on the Panthers is their PK, they rank 25th in the NHL at 82.4 %.

Florida will start G Rob Wolf, he has 31 wins in 58 games this year with a .919 save %. Montreal starts G Mike Blackshear, he has 39 wins in 63 games with a .904 save %.

Montreal scores 1st, RW Yevgeny Ronov gets his 14th of the season at 11:56 to make it 1-0 Montreal. The shots ended just 8 to 3 in favour of the Panthers in the 1st.

Florida ties it up 1-1 at 8:33 of the 2nd when C Kelvin Spencer gets his 6th of the season on the PP. Montreal goes up 2-1 on RW Yevgeny Ronov's 2nd of the game at 13:30 of the 2nd. The 2nd period ends with Montreal out shooting Florida 7 to 4 in a tight checking affair.

The Florida Panthers get a SH goal at 7:40 of the 3rd period to tie the game 2-2. RW Dan Kruss gets his 23rd of the season. RW Dan Kruss gets his 2nd of the game at 11:37 to take a 3-2 lead on Montreal. The Canadiens could not get the tieing goal and lost 3-2. Florida out shot Montreal 10 to 6 in the 3rd. Florida was 1 for 3 on the PP while Montreal was 0 for 4.

Florida's RW Dan Kruss was the 1st star with 2 goals. The 19 year old rookie now has 24 goals and 44 points in 79 games. The former Mississauga Steelhead forward had 55 goals and 109 points in 81 career OHL games. Kruss was a 1st round, 22nd overall pick of the Panthers in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

Florida 3 Montreal 2

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Yevgeny Ronov	14	Matej Ouhrabka	Jiri Bohm
2nd	FLO	Kelvin Spencer (PP)	27	Stephen Latonas
2nd	MTL	Yevgeny Ronov	15	Dave Wright	Jiri Bohm
3rd	FLO	Dan Kruss (SH)	23	Zak Swain
3rd	FLO	Dan Kruss	24	Luke Tuin	Keith Capassisit

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
3rd	MTL	Dave Wright	5	Fighting
3rd	FLO	Jon Mathers	5	Fighting

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
FLO	Rob Wolf	16	2
MTL	Mike Blackshear	22	3

Around the league..........

St Louis Blues G Antonio Rios made 31 saves in a 6-0 win over the Jets. The 29 year old Rios now has 35 wins, with a 2.24 GAA and .912 save % with 5 SO's in 62 games. The 1982 Vezina Trophy Winner and 1982 All-Star has played in 190 games, has a 97-75-18 career NHL record with 2.51 GAA, a .915 save % and 17 SO's.

Montreal Canadiens got some good news on the injury front, LW Lorenzo Bocci has been cleared to play. The 29 year old has 30 goals with 23 assists for 53 points in 54 games this year. The 1982 All-Star has played in 198 career NHL games, has 81 goals, 158 points, 332 PIMs and a +63 rating.

The Canadiens demoted C Donald Ley to the AHL. The 30 year old had played in 3 games with Montreal and was pointless. Ley has played 181 career NHL games and had 15 goals and 36 points.

Nashville Predators C Jeremy Longboat had 2 goals and an assist in a 5-0 win over the Wild. The 25 year old Longboat now has 48 goals and 100 points in 79 games. The 2-time All-Star has played in 243 NHL games, has 107 career NHL goals, 237 points, 246 PIMs and a +41 rating.

Pittsburgh Penguins C Michael McDaniel had a goal and 5 assists in a 6-3 win over the Flyers. The 30 year old now has 30 goals and 81 points in 82 games. He was traded to the Penguins on February 1st, 1983 from the Stars. In 219 career NHL games, he has 78 goals, 203 points, 205 PIMs and a +31 rating.

Nashville Predators C Jeremy Longboat had a goal in a 3-2 win over the Stars. The 25 year old Longboat now has 49 goals with 52 assists for 101 points with a +38 rating in 80 games.

Anaheim Ducks G Coy Crane made 31 saves in a 3-0 win over the Sharks. The 29 year old now has 29 wins with a 2.54 GAA, a .921 save % and 5 SO's in 58 games this year. Crane has played in 177 NHL games including 4 with the Penguins before getting traded to the Ducks. He has a 77-73-25 career record with a 2.76 GAA, a .913 save % and 13 SO's.

[Big T]

March 21st, 1983

Montreal Canadiens (47-28-4) at Carolina Hurricanes (51-25-4)

The Canaadiens finish the season on the road starting at the PNC Arena to face the Hurricanes. Montreal is running out of race track to catch the Panthers and Sabres to move up to grab a home ice advantage series.

Play-off Race
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Buffalo Sabres	80	48	25	7	103	52
Florida Panthers	80	46	24	10	102	63
Montreal Canadiens	79	47	28	4	98	48
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	80	51	25	4	106	45
Washington Capitals	80	48	29	3	99	50
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	47	32	1	95	20
Wild Card Race	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
x-Boston Bruins	80	45	31	4	94	41
x-New York Islanders	80	43	29	8	94	9

The 8 Eastern Playoff Spots have been clinched, now its just a matter of who faces who and where.

Montreal made a trade with the Rangers to improve the top 6 on the forwards and get a player that could help block shots and play a two way game. RW John Herrod fit the bill, on January 25th, 1983 Montreal sent 19 year old Petr Svesta to the Rangers for Herrod. Svesta was the Canadiens 117th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft and some expected big things from him, so the price was not cheap. All Herrod has done since coming to Montreal 25 games ago is score 12 goals, assist on 16 others for 28 points. Most impressive is his +14 rating in those games. So for the full season including 55 games with New York, he has 25 goals and 73 points.

The Hurricanes hold the top spot in the East with 106 points and have a good chance of holding that spot. The Hurricanes are ranked 5th on the PP with a 19.5% success rate. The one weakness they do have is the are ranked 15th in the NHL giving up 30 shots per game.

Montreal will start G Mike Blackshear, he has 39 wins in 64 games with a .903 save %. Carolina starts G Tom Peyton, he has 42 wins in 65 games with a .914 save %.

Montreal scores early, LW Tom Gaskell gets his 7th of the season at 1:12 to make it 1-0. Welcome back LW Lorenzo Bocci, he makes it 2-0 at 6:23 with his 31st goal of the year. Carolina makes it 2-1 at 8:51 when LW Olivier Jette gets his 12th of the year. The Hurricanes tie it 2-2 at 12:50 when RD Marvin Mullin gets his 3rd of the season. The period ends with Montreal out shooting the Hurricanes 16 to 12.

The Canes go up 3-2 early in the 2nd when RD Ed McEwan gets his 11th of the year at 1:33. Montreal ties the score 3-3 at 10:13 when RW John Herrod gets his 26th on the PP. Montreal out shot the Hurricanes 12 to 7 in the 2nd period.

The Hurricanes gets a late goal at 18:57 to take a 4-3 lead when LD Radek Macicek gets his 9th of the year. Montreal cannot get the tieing goal. Carolina out shot Montreal 17 to 7 in the 3rd period. Montreal was 1 for 2 on the PP while Carolina was 0 for 3.

Carolina's LD Radek Macicek was the 1st star with his 1 goal, +3 rating, 7 shots in 21:54 in icetime. The 28 year old now has 9 goals and 25 points in 78 games, 56 with the Avalanche before being traded. In 230 career NHL games, he has 26 goals, 101 points, 106 PIMs and a -10 rating.

Carolina 4 Montreal 3

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Tom Gaskell	7	Rob Lynch	Andrew Rickford
1st	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	31	Chris Hughes	John Herrod
1st	CAR	Olivier Jette	12	Matthew Moore	Jan Raida
1st	CAR	Marvin Mullin	3	Olivier Jette	Matthew Moore
2nd	CAR	Ed McEwan	11	Jan Raida
2nd	MTL	John Herrod (PP)	26	Lorenzo Bocci	Yevgeny Ronov
3rd	CAR	Radek Macicek	9	Julien Lalonde

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Mike Blackshear	36	4
CAR	Tom Peyton	35	3

Around the league................

Florida Panthers C Luke Tuin had 1 goal in a 4-2 win over the Flyers. The 20 year old Tuin now has 30 goals and 71 points in 81 games. The 1983 All-Star is in his 2 year in the NHL since graduating from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL. Tuin was the Panthers 102nd over all pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. In 140 career NHL games, he has 48 goals, 127 points, 92 PIMs and a +50 rating.

[Big T]

March 22nd, 1983

Montreal Canadiens (47-29-4) at Toronto Maple Leafs (34-42-4)

With the loss to the Hurricanes, the best Montreal can finish is 3rd in the Atlantic. Montreal needs to gain some momentum to go into the playoffs and some revenge for a 8-3 loss a few games back to the Leafs.

Play-off Race
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Florida Panthers	81	47	24	10	104	65
Buffalo Sabres	80	48	25	7	103	52
Montreal Canadiens	80	47	29	4	98	47
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	81	52	25	4	108	46
Washington Capitals	80	48	29	3	99	50
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	47	32	1	95	20
Wild Card Race	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
x-Boston Bruins	80	45	31	4	94	41
x-New York Islanders	80	43	29	8	94	9

Any points in the final 2 games for Montreal will clinch the 3rd seed in the Atlantic.

The Canadiens have been led by C Chris Hughes the past 3 seasons. The 33 year old is a great two way forward that can put up the points. The 2-time Frank J Selke Trophy Winner has 29 goals and 80 points this season, he had 29 goals in 1980-81 and 30 goals in 1981-82. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 1980-81 when he had 99 points. In 244 career NHL games, he has 88 goals, 248 points, 120 PIMs and a +73 rating. Hughes leads the NHL with 248 career points and 160 career assists.

The Leafs continue on their journey for the 1st overall pick, they are currently 14th in the East with 72 points, they are currently on pace for the 4th overall pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. The Leafs rank 14th on the PP with a 16.5% success rate. The Leafs are ranked 29th on the PK with a kill rate of 79.9%.

Montreal will start G Mike Blackshear on back to back nights, he has 39 wins in 65 games with a .903 save %. Toronto goes with Cole Sexsmith, he has 7 wins in 18 games and a .925 save %.

Montreal scores 1st, they get a goal by LW Lorenzo Bocci, his 32nd of the year at 14:01 of the 1st. Montreal out shot the Leafs 9 to 6 in the 1st period.

Montreal grabs a 2-0 lead at 7:18 when RW John Herrod gets his 27th of the season on the PP. Montreal goes up 3-0 at 19:52 of the 2nd period when RD Matej Ouhrabka gets his 6th of the season. Montreal out shot the Leafs 17 to 5 in the period.

The Leafs makes it 3-1 at 5:51 when RD Jaroslav Rakosnik gets his 4th of the year. Montreal goes up 4-1 when C Dave Wright gets his 35th goal of the year at 9:22. The shots are 7 to 6 in favour of Montreal in the 3rd. Montreal is 1 for 7 on the PP while Toronto is 0 for 6.

Montreal's RD Matej Ouhrabka is the 1st star with a goal, +2 rating, 2 hits and 23:48 in ice time. The 24 year old now has 6 goals and 29 points in 68 games. In 220 NHL games, he has 28 career goals, 108 points, 102 PIMs and a +15 rating.

Montreal 4 Toronto 1

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	32	Chris Hughes	John Herrod
2nd	MTL	John Herrod (PP)	27	Chris Hughes	Yegor Berestnev
2nd	MTL	Matej Ouhrabka	6	Dave Lyon
3rd	TOR	Jaroslav Rakosnik	4	Jakub Mirga	Jan Picman
3rd	MTL	Dave Wright	35	Al Ladd	Jiri Bohm

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
3rd	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	5	Fighting
3rd	TOR	Jimmy Krueger	5	Fighting

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Mike Blackshear	17	1
TOR	Cole Sexsmith	33	4

Around the league..................

Tampa Bay Lightning RD Ben Stewart had a goal in a 3-2 win over the Bruins. The 30 year old Stewart has 20 goals and 53 points in 81 games. The 2-time All-Star now has played in 245 career NHL games, he has 43 goals, 125 points, 353 PIMs and a -14 rating.

[Big T]

March 24th, 1983

Montreal Canadiens (48-29-4) at Detroit Red Wings (33-42-6)

Montreal finishes out the season at Joe Louis Arena and face the Red Wings. Not really much of stake for either of these teams as the Canadiens have secured their playoff spot and Detroit is thinking next year.

Play-off Race
Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Buffalo Sabres	81	48	25	8	104	51
Florida Panthers	81	47	24	10	104	65
Montreal Canadiens	81	48	29	4	100	50
Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	81	52	25	4	108	46
Washington Capitals	81	49	29	3	101	51
Pittsburgh Penguins	81	48	32	1	97	21
Wild Card Race	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
x-New York Islanders	81	44	29	8	96	10
x-Boston Bruins	81	45	32	4	94	40

Montreal RW Al Ladd was acquired by the Canadiens in a trade with the Blackhawks for 20 year old Chris Wharram. Wharram was the Canadiens 53rd overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Wharram is still young but with a great upside, he has 24 points in 70 games this season. The 30 year old Ladd now has 26 goals and 62 points in 81 games this year. The 2-time All-Star had 32 goals in 1980-81 and had 24 goals in 1981-82. In 234 career NHL games he has 82 goals, 213 points, 116 PIMs and a +45 rating.

Detroit is 13th in the Eastern Conference with 72 points, they are currently on pace for the 5th overall pick in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. The Red Wings are ranked 5th on the PK with a 86.5 % kill rate. The Red Wings just cannot score goals, they are ranked 29th with 2.38 goals per game.

Montreal goes with G Mike Blackshear, he has 40 wins in 66 games and a .903 save %. Detroit goes with G Troy Pichette, he has 25 wins in 62 games and a .906 save %.

Detroit opens the scoring at 5:41 when C Aaron Swanson gets his 36 goal of the year while SH. Montreal gets that right back on the PP as C Chris Hughes gets to 30 goals for the 2nd time in his career at 6:27. Montreal goes up 2-1 at 16:58 when RD Andrew Rickford gets his 5th of the year. Montreal out shot the Red Wings 11 to 9 in the 1st.

Detroit makes it 2-2 at 14:13 of the 2nd period when C Russ Paliotta gets his 2nd of the year. Detroit out shoots Montreal 11 to 6 in the 2nd period.

Montreal gets a quick goal to start the 3rd and make it 3-2. RW Al Ladd gets his 27th of the season at 0:38. Montreal goes up 4-2 at 9:41 when C Ronnie Marvin gets his 4th of the season. Montreal out shot the Red Wings 14 to 7 in the 3rd. Montreal was 1 for 5 on the PP while the Red Wings were 0 for 5.

Montreal's RW Al Ladd was the 1st star with his goal and 2 assists. The 30 year old Ladd now has 27 goals and 65 points in 82 games.

Montreal 4 Detroit 2

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st	DET	Aaron Swanson (SH)	36	Jeremy Rice
1st	MTL	Chris Hughes (PP)	31	Al Ladd	Yevgeny Ronov
1st	MTL	Andrew Rickford	5	Al Ladd	Jiri Bohm
2nd	DET	Russ Paliotta	2	Petr Ulrich
3rd	MTL	Al Ladd	28	Andrew Rickford	Jiri Bohm
3rd	MTL	Ronnie Marvin	4	Batsaikhany Vanoosten	Yevgeny Ronov

MAJOR's
PER	TEAM	PLAYER	MIN	PENALTY
1st	MTL	Lorenzo Bocci	10	Misconduct

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Mike Blackshear	27	2
DET	Troy Pichette	31	4

Around the league........

Pittsburgh Penguins C Michael McDaniel had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes. The 30 year old McDaniel now has 31 goals and 84 points in 85 games. McDaniel played 60 games this season with the Stars before being traded to Pittsburgh. The 3-time All-Star has played in 222 career NHL games, has 79 goals, 206 points, 207 PIMs and a +32 rating.

Los Angeles Kings RW Daniel McKeogh had 3 goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Sharks. The 21 year old now has 41 goals and 81 points in 82 games. The 1983 All-Star is in his 2nd year of the NHL after finishing junior with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. He was the Kings 1st round, 14th overall pick in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. In 147 career NHL games, he has 67 goals, 126 points, 130 PIMs and a +3 rating .

The Minnesota Wild have extended LW Dennis Bigham to a 3 year, $3.9 M extension. The 19 year old Bigham has 29 goals and 68 points in his rookie season of 82 games. The former Saginaw Spirit had 134 points in 130 OHL games. Bigham was the Wild's 1st round, 1st overall pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

[Big T]

March 28th, 1983 NHL Final Standings and Leaders.

Atlantic	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Florida Panthers	82	48	24	10	106	69
Buffalo Sabres	82	48	26	8	104	49
Montreal Canadiens	82	49	29	4	102	52
Boston Bruins	82	45	33	4	94	36
Tampa Bay Lightning	82	43	33	6	92	3
Toronto Maple Leafs	82	34	44	4	72	-30
Detroit Red Wings	82	33	43	6	72	-50
Ottawa Senators	82	32	44	6	70	-50

Metropolitan	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Carolina Hurricanes	82	52	25	5	109	46
Washington Capitals	82	49	30	3	101	49
Pittsburgh Penquins	82	49	32	1	99	22
New York Islanders	82	45	29	8	98	11
Columbus Blue Jackets	82	39	34	9	87	5
New Jersey Devils	82	36	38	8	80	-22
Philadelphia Flyers	82	34	38	10	78	-13
New York Rangers	82	30	42	10	70	-58

Pacific	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Edmonton Oilers	82	56	20	6	118	94
Calgary Flames	82	44	34	4	92	12
Anaheim Ducks	82	40	34	8	88	1
Vancouver Canucks	82	34	38	10	78	-33
Los Angeles Kings	82	34	39	9	77	-42
San Jose Sharks	82	35	42	5	75	-45
Arizona Coyotes	82	29	46	7	65	-57

Central	GP	W	L	OT	PTS	DIFF
Nashville Predators	82	48	25	9	105	72
Dallas Stars	82	47	29	6	100	50
St Louis Blues	82	43	31	8	94	24
Minnesota Wild	82	42	34	6	90	-6
Winnipeg Jets	82	39	36	7	85	-18
Chicago Blackhawks	82	37	37	8	82	5
Colorado Avalanche	82	36	41	5	77	-45

Forwards	Team	Goals	Assists	Points	PIMs	+/-
Longboat, Jeremy	NSH	49	54	103	78	38
Diamond, Lawrence	EDM	48	38	86	125	41
McDaniel, Michael	PIT	31	53	84	44	20
Hughes, Chris	MTL	30	53	83	28	27
McKeogh, Daniel	LAK	41	40	81	102	0
Swanson, Aaron	DET	36	41	77	104	17
Giunti, Domenico	DAL	28	49	77	88	31
Herrod, John	MTL	27	50	77	51	-3
Panniers, David	EDM	25	52	77	46	41
Pfister, Vincent	MIN	21	56	77	50	11
Chabot, Samuel	CBJ	21	55	76	34	18
Connor, Patrick	CAR	36	36	72	132	21
Tuin, Luke	FLA	30	42	72	52	40
Chab, David	DET	25	47	72	237	10
Johnson, Yanni	VAN	42	28	70	50	-12
Dziemianko, Willie	CHI	33	37	70	78	15
Yaremovich, Ben	SJS	24	46	70	85	-4
Peterson, Peter	CBJ	36	39	69	50	17
Boulanger, Yann	TBL	30	39	69	74	17
Chambers, Travis	PIT	24	45	69	38	23

Defensman	Team	Goals	Assists	Points	PIMs	+/-
Christian, Frank	EDM	17	53	70	71	41
Rowe, Gerald	BOS	21	37	58	42	41
Berestnev, Yegor	MTL	10	48	58	31	8
Lawson, Marshall	WAS	17	40	57	14	10
Gallagher, Daniel	ANA	12	45	57	38	0
Ferenc, Tomas	LAK	15	41	56	57	3
Brinker, Jim	CAL	12	43	55	72	22
Swain, Zak	FLA	21	33	54	44	30
Stewart, Ben	TBL	20	34	54	179	5
Jalbert, Gabriel	BUF	18	36	54	24	31

Goalies	Team	Wins	GAA	SO's	SV%
Peyton, Tom	CAR	43	2.53	3	0.914
Derkson, Sawyer	PIT	42	2.41	7	0.916
Blackshear, Mike	MTL	41	2.30	8	0.904
Zhavronkov, Aleksey	BUF	38	2.30	5	0.915
Rios, Antonio	STL	36	2.24	5	0.912
Neal, Chris	CBJ	33	2.28	8	0.924
Wolf, Rob	FLA	33	2.12	7	0.919
Amies, Craig	DAL	32	2.41	4	0.917
Shults, Curt	VAN	31	2.84	3	0.915
Crane, Coy	ANA	30	2.56	5	0.921

[Big T]

March 28th, 1983 Montreal Canadien Final Stats

Forwards	Age	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	PIMs	+/-
Hughes, Chris	33	82	30	53	83	38	27
Herrod, John	24	83	27	50	77	51	-3
Ladd, Al	30	82	27	38	65	39	1
Wright, Dave	27	82	35	25	60	146	10
Bocci, Lorenzo	29	57	32	24	56	86	26
Ronov, Yevgeny	21	78	15	27	42	28	26
Bohm, Jiri	20	62	9	27	36	31	18
Vanoosten, Batsaikhany	29	80	10	19	29	30	-1
Gaskell, Tom	31	82	7	12	19	14	-2
Marvin, Ronnie	28	69	4	13	17	79	2
Reichel, Jiri	19	36	6	10	16	22	8
Swiney, Melvin	34	61	8	4	12	12	-1
Mikulecky, Daniel	26	40	2	6	8	10	6
Rutgers, Jim	28	38	1	7	8	10	4
Lynch, Rob	28	60	1	4	5	8	-9
Lyon, Dave	20	24	2	2	4	2	1
Ley, Donald	30	32	1	1	2	4	3
Amadio, Matthew	35	10	1	0	1	8	0
Dufour, Deric	29	20	0	1	1	10	-1
Clements, Harman	28	3	0	0	0	0	-2
Lancaster, Josh	20	6	0	0	0	4	-1

Defenseman	Age	GP	Goals	Assists	Points	PIMs	+/-
Berestnev, Yegor	28	76	10	48	58	31	8
Ouhrabka, Matej	24	69	6	23	29	20	7
Bartolcic, Marek	20	62	11	12	23	35	15
Rickford, Andrew	20	57	5	17	22	26	13
Berube, Marc-Andre	33	69	3	18	21	38	15
Sulc, Martin	29	55	5	15	20	20	15
Arrington, Clint	33	57	5	9	14	10	11
Miller, Ashton	20	29	1	9	10	2	7
Beran, Martin	19	8	0	4	4	4	1
Vallee, Nathan	28	10	0	2	2	6	-3

Goalies	Age	Wins	Losses	T/OL	SO	GAA	SV%
Blackshear, Mike	29	41	22	3	8	2.30	0.904
Day, Richard	20	7	3	0	2	1.60	0.932
Burris, Steve	31	1	3	0	0	3.50	0.898
Wells, Jason	29	0	1	1	0	5.50	0.851

[Big T]

March 30th, 1983

Montreal Canadiens (49-29-4) at Buffalo Sabres (48-26-8)

The Canadiens will start a Best of 7 Quarter Final Series against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Montreal finished just 2 points behind the Sabres but should take some confidence into the series as they were 4-0-1 in five games with Buffalo.

Tonight we profile RW Rob Lynch. The 28 year old signed as a free agent with the Canadiens on July 4th, 1981 after a season with the Blackhawks. Primarily being used as a 4th line RW, he had 1 goal and 5 points in 60 games this season. His role has diminished this season as he has only played 8:47 on average compared to 12:55 last year. In 207 career NHL games, he has 15 goals, 39 points, 42 PIMs and a -29 rating. He had 1 assist in 6 career playoff games with Chicago.

Montreal will start G Mike Blackshear, while Buffalo will start Aleksey Zhavronkov.

There was no scoring in the 1st period, Buffalo out shot Montreal 16 to 5.

Buffalo gets the 1st goal of the series when RD Robert Fraser scores at 2:00 of the 2nd period while SH. Montreal gets it back at 3:02 when LD Andrew Rickford gets his 1st of the playotts and it is 1-1. The Sabres get a 2nd SH goal at 3:46 when LW Wilfred Caldwell gets his 1st of the playoffs. Buffalo goes up 3-1 at 19:27 when C Colin Gagne scores on a 5 on 3 PP. Montreal out shot Buffalo 16 to 11 in the 2nd period.

Buffalo goes up 4-1 at 12:53 of the 3rd period when RD Gabriel Jalbert gets his 1st of the playoffs on another 5 on 3 PP. The Sabres continue to put pucks past G Mike Blackshear, this time its RW Jim Bunting scoring at 15:11 and a 5-1 Buffalo lead. Montreal out shot Buffalo 9 to 7 in the 3rd, Montreal was 0 for 6 on the PP while Buffalo was 2 for 10.

Buffalo's RW Wilfred Caldwell was the games 1st star, he had a goal. The 28 year old now has 6 goals and 17 points in 20 career NHL playoff games. The Sabres lead the Canadiens in series 1-0.

Buffalo 5 Montreal 1

PER	TEAM	GOAL	#	ASSIST	ASSIST
1st		No Scoring
2nd	BUF	Robert Fraser (SH)	1	Adrian Gore
2nd	MTL	Andrew Rickford	1	Dave Wright	Al Ladd
2nd	BUF	Wilfred Caldwell (SH)	1	Stephen West
2nd	BUF	Colin Gagne (PP)	1	Samuel Marcoux	Gabriel Jalbert
3rd	BUF	Gabriel Jalbert (PP)	1	Colin Gagne	Jim Bunting
3rd	BUF	Jim Bunting	1	Anthoni Moreau	Samuel Marcoux

TEAM	GOALIE	SA	GA
MTL	Mike Blackshear	34	5
BUF	Aleksey Zhavronkov	30	1

Around the league................

Carolina Hurricanes G Tom Peyton made 30 saves in a 3-0 win over the Bruins. The 27 year old got his 1st NHL playoff win. The Hurricanes lead the series 1-0.

Washington 3 Pittsburgh 2 The Capitals lead series 1-0.

Florida 3 Islanders 2 The Panthers lead series 1-0.

Winnipeg 3 Edmonton 2 (O/T) The Jets lead series 1-0.

Anaheim 3 Calgary 2 The Ducks lead the series 1-0.

Nashville 7 Minnesota 3 The Predators lead the series 1-0.

St Louis 3 Dallas 1 The Blues lead the series 1-0.