MONTREAL - As wave after wave of reporters dropped by his dressing room stall, Mike Cammalleri was continually force fed the same theory.
All the while, he refused to bite.
The conference finals is no time for fanciness, the NHL's leading playoff marksman was told. It's crashin' and bangin' season. For the Habs to solve Michael Leighton after the consecutive goose eggs posted by the Flyers netminder, that first goal has to be a thing of ugly.
"How many times have I heard that today?" Cammalleri said, his eyes rolling, as yet another microphone was thrust in front of his face following the morning skate. "I don't concern myself with whether its going to be pretty or ugly. (But) you hear that phrase all the time. Guys say, oh let's get one, it's going to be an ugly one.
"I don't subscribe to that. I think the first one could be a pretty one just as much as it could be an ugly one. We'll take it pretty, we'll take it ugly. We just need goals.
"You count them all as one until they start making two pointers for going off the post and in."
When Cammalleri ended Leighton's shutout string at 172:55 before the midway mark of the first period, it was as good as a two pointer. A must-two pointer, in fact, as it led the way to a 5-1 victory that leaves Montreal alive and kicking in the Eastern Final battle with Philadelphia. And sure enough, Cammalleri's 13th of the post-season was as visually pleasing as Sandra Bernhard on a bad day.
First, he left his feet trying to knock Andreas Nodl's block off in the corner. Then he rushed to the front of the net and hacked Matt Carle. And then he waited for a wide point shot by P.K. Subban to bounce off the end glass before he scooped up the puck and bounced it in off a lunging Leighton.
The goal kept the energy level high at the Bell Centre, where the frantic faithful was once again busy trying to lift the roof. It gave the Habs momentum they carried throughout the evening, and hope to bring right back with them into Saturday afternoon's Game 4. And it proved that, if he really and truly wasn't buying it before, Cammalleri can be sold on a good solid theory.
STARTS AND STOPS:
How much longer can Dan Carcillo go without completely snapping? The guess here is he'll be ejected from Saturday's game well before it's over, and Maxim Lapierre will be the one that pushed his button ... Good thing for the Habs off-the-post-and-in isn't it a two-pointer, or Simon Gagne's goal with just under 12 minutes to go would have not only broke Jaroslav Halak's shutout but also brought the Flyers to within a pair ... Claude Giroux threw a yard sale in front of the Habs net when his gloves and stick hit the ice after something apparently hit him on or near the face. The Flyers winger was back with a vengeance on his next shift, hitting Andrei Kostitshyn and anything else that he could ... Even just by coming close to clipping Carcillo in the face wasn't smart on Scott Gomez' part, after the Flyers winger was already on his way to the penalty box. What's with Gomez and his sudden penchant for retaliatory penalties?
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM...:
During the game, big, bearded Scott Hartnell has all the appearance of a ferocious beast, with those long locks of his flying wildly out from under his helmet. But at the rink Thursday morning, with his hair tied neatly back in a nice tight bun? More like a tall kindergarten teacher badly in need of a shave ... New item on the souvenir stands outside the Bell Centre: a dark t-shirt featuring a big red stop sign with the word Halak on it. Kids were also handing out little mini Halak stop signs before the game. A few minutes later Habs dominated the first period, outshooting the Flyers 17-9, but the Habs goalie made about four big saves to have his team in front 2-0 at the intermission ... Who says Habs fans are so hockey knowledgeable? Sure, a group of them stopped and pointed as they recognized TSN's Darren Dreger outside the rink about an hour before game time. But only a few steps ahead of him Jacques Martin's brother Ronald walked alone in complete obscurity. I donšt care if they look nothing alike, he's the sibling of the Habs coach for crying out loud.
BETWEEN PERIODS:
Pernell Karl Subban has been relocated in the Habs dressing room. He now has the stall that was being used by Andrei Markov before the star defenceman suffered a season ending knee injury. Jacques Martin says there's no significance to the move while making all the facial expressions and gestures that tells you he thinks it's a ridiculous question. Says Subban: "I've been bouncing around, it doesn't matter to me. I don't care where they put me. I've just got to get ready to play a game. I'm not too worried about where I'm sitting." ... Subban, who turned in a strong game and had the fans chanting "P.K." after a second period rush that ended in a face-to-face with Chris Pronger, reacts bashfully when he is ask about the sudden popularity he has attained in Montreal. Just turned 21, he has played only two regular season games in the NHL, yet there's unconfirmed reports his No. 76 is the hottest selling Habs jersey this spring. "I guess that's a good thing. It's good for the organization, I guess," he said. "I'm not trying to get too far ahead of myself. Just trying to play. What an opportunity. Not too many 20 year olds, or 21-year olds, get the opportunity before they even play a full season to win a Stanley Cup. I have no control over what the fans do or media says. I just do what I can. I just go out there and play hockey, and try to have a smile on my face when I do it, and enjoy it." ... Brendan Bell, a 27-year-old former Maple Leafs third rounder who has also had NHL stops in Ottawa and Phoenix, is headed to Russia to play in the KHL next season. Bell will be a teammate of Jaromir Jagr's on Omsk Avangard ... A Hartnell-Roman Hamrlik fight seems about as fair as Mike Richards going after Jaroslav Spacek. Where's Georges Laraque when you need him?
LAST CHANGE:
When someone suggested to Cammalleri that playing Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia presented him the opportunity to perform before the loudest crowd he'd seen in a while, he objected. "I would say this crowd will be much more animated than the ones in Philadelphia," Cammalleri said. "It is comforting to come home and play in front of them." The Bell Centre patrons did not disappoint with their performance.
