Is it possible the 2011-2012 Montreal Canadiens have just gotten too fat? These third period meltdowns are beyond inexcusable. I hope somebody - Carey Price, perhaps after watching his back up get hung out to dry - tossed some sticks around in the dressing room before heading to the shower. Somebody needs to get angry. And at least a couple of guys need to be benched.

PHOTO CREDIT - MitchMelnick.com

Montreal - December 22, 2011 - Is it possible the 2011-2012 Montreal Canadiens have just gotten too fat? These third period meltdowns are beyond inexcusable. I hope somebody - Carey Price, perhaps after watching his back up get hung out to dry - tossed some sticks around in the dressing room before heading to the shower. Somebody needs to get angry. And at least a couple of guys need to be benched.

THE GOOD
-Peter Budaj. Made some great saves early. Gave his teammates a chance to win before they bailed on him.

- The power play. Produced the only Montreal goal. Andrei Kostitsyn scores his 10th. Is it possible the 2011-2012 Montreal Canadiens have just gotten too fat? These third period meltdowns are beyond inexcusable. I hope somebody - Carey Price, perhaps after watching his back up get hung out to dry - tossed some sticks around in the dressing room before heading to the shower. Somebody needs to get angry. And at least a couple of guys need to be benched.

THE BAD
-PK Subban. Maybe it's fatigue. Maybe it's a real sophomore slump (it happened to Tyler Myers who's still searching for his 'A' game in year number three). Maybe it's too much too soon. But whatever it is he needs a break. After the weak ass hot dog back pass shenanigans he pulled in Boston which led to the winning goal by David Krecji, the last thing he could afford was a repeat act. With the game still close at 2 - 1 he pulled almost the exact same move (without the mustard on the left leg lift) which led to the Viktor Stalberg back breaker. Subban cannot be rewarded with ice time for play(s) like this. I'd sit him down against the Jets and put Alexei Emelin back in the line up.

-Mike Cammalleri. Looked totally disinterested in his own end, unless he was going out of his way to show how useless the "passive resistance" approach can be.

- Chris Campoli. First game back in Chicago since putting the series winning puck on Alex Burrows stick last spring in overtime in game seven in Vancouver. Did his best fish out of water impression on Hawks second goal by Patrick Sharp, lying on his stomach while deflecting the puck past his own goaltender. With 20 seconds left on the game Campoli pinched in an effort to do what, exactly, make the loss 4 - 2 instead of 4 - 1? If Subban and Cammalleri can be dumped on for selfish play, with reason, then what the hell did Campoli pull at the end of the game? And this from an eight year veteran.

- Campoli - Kaberle defense pair. Who's bright idea is this? Power play, ok. But five on five is laughable.

THE UGLY
- If playing against the best is a measuring stick than the Habs know where they stand. They can play with anybody - for 40 minutes. For the second time in five days the Habs took on an opponent that had played the night before. And once again it was Montreal that looked like the tired team. Saturday night on home ice in Randy Cunneyworth's coaching debut Montreal was at least a step behind the swift Devils while New Jersey outscored them 2 - 0 to win 5 - 3. In Chicago, the Black Hawks, who had played an intense playoff - like game the night before in Pittsburgh, outshot Montreal 9 - 3 and outscored them 3 - 0. Maybe the Habs realize that Cunneyworth (more on his hiring following Montreal - Winnipeg game) likes to play the same system as Jacques Martin. Or maybe they've been brainwashed. They don't want to be, in the words of Cammalleri "back on their heels in the third. It's a hard habit to break". There you have it. Your Montreal Canadiens have become junkies.

- Montreal's top two lines combined for a -14 night with the top line of Plekanec - Cammalleri - Moen going -9.

THE UGLY (Part 2)
- See today's photo.