Greetings Habs Addicts!
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The All-Star game generally marks what is considered to be the half-way point of the NHL season. As for that, it is time to take a look at the the Montreal Canadiens performance to-date.
Overall Record (29-13-3, 3rd in Atlantic; 4th in the East; 8th overall in the NHL)
The Habs are having another season that places them in the upper echelon of the NHL. Michel Therrien continues to ice a team that does not quit when down in a game, in fact the Habs have had a tendency this year to show up for the second and third periods of games while snoozing through the first periods. The Canadiens are second only to the Buffalo Sabres for least amount of first period goals. But the Canadiens are also amongst the league leaders in third-period goals as a team, illustrating a team that does not quit and gets better as the game progresses. It seems if the Habs can come out of the first period tied or trailing by one, they likely leave with a victory. If they lead after the first, they are almost guaranteed a victory. They have also won seven games in overtime or shootout. Even when they fall behind, they do not quit. Stealing point in games they have no business being in has turned into a trend. Carey Price has been the saving grace to the team this year and should be a front-runner for the Vezina Trophy at the end of the year, if not the Hart Trophy as well. No player has meant more to their team than Price means to the Canadiens.
Statistically, the Canadiens have been good but not as good as their record illustrates. Offensively, the Canadiens average 2.6 goals per game, which is 21st in the NHL. On the power-play, they have been operating at a 17% clip which is also good for 21st in the NHL. They have been inept with the man advantage for most of the season, Of the 23 goals the team has scored with the man-advantage, seven of them have come in the last four games. This may be a sign that things are picking up, in which case the Canadiens can be a force in the second half of the season. They need the power play to step up as its hard to continue winning when one-third of your victories come in one-goal games (11 in 29 wins).
Defensively the Habs have been solid. Michel Therrien has iced a defensively responsible team and the bulk of the credit goes to Carey Price. The Canadiens rank 4th overall in the NHL allowing only 2.4 goals per game. They also kill penalties among the best in the league, operating at an 84.9% clip which is 5th best in the NHL. Solid defensive play has kept the Canadiens in games they had no business being in this year. They have allowed some high shot totals on Price, who thrives with the high workload. They need the offense to catch up because Chris Kreider illustrated to us what happens when Price cannot carry the workload. Dustin Tokarski has been a decent backup, but he cannot take the reigns and run with them.
Forwards
Good - Max Pacioretty leads the team with 21 goals and 38 points in 45 games played. Patches has been consistent this year and entered the break coming off a six-game goal scoring streak ... Tomas Plekanec has been consistent this year with 13 goals and 32 points in 45 games anchoring the second line. Plekanec has had a revolving door of line-mates, but has continued to be the teams best two-way player ... Alex Galchenyuk has been coming into his own and has 12 goals and 31 points in 45 games this year. Chucky has finally moved to the centre spot on the top line where he exploded for his first-career hat-trick in December before being moved back to left wing in recent games ... Dale Weise has carved his niche in Montreal as a feisty spark plug with some skills. Fan favorite Weise has seen power-play time, top line time and has six goals and 16 points in 42 games played and has exceeded expectations of him coming into the season.
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Average - Brendan Gallagher has continued his pesky ways and is continually driving to the net and providing screens on the power play. Gallagher has 11 goals and 25 points in 45 games, on pace for another 20 goal, 45-50 point season. Typical Gallagher ... David Desharnais struggled early on this year and lost his spot on the top line. Since being separated from Pacioretty, Davey found his niche on the third line as a winger and started shooting more. For the season he has 7 goals and 24 points in 45 games ... Jiri Sekac represented the Canadiens at the All-Star game skills competition as a rookie, but spent a stretch of games as a healthy scratch and has seven goals and 15 points in 38 games. Sekac has tremendous skills and has been one of the best players on the ice a few times. Developing consistency will be the key to his development as the season goes forward ... Brandon Prust is Brandon Prust. Chippy, scrappy and fighting as always, Prust has three goals, 11 points and leads the team with 83 penalty minutes. No one is taking liberties on the Habs young players with Prust in the line-up. For a player who has an injury history due to his playing style, Prust has appeared in all 45 games this season.
Poor - P.A. Parenteau was an off-season acquisition that was expected to provide secondary scoring. While his Corsi stats are solid, he has not found the score sheet at all and has a measly six goals and 15 points in 40 games while dealing with concussion-like symptoms. Parenteau was expected to provide 50-60 points of offense and that has not happened. He is in position to improve in the second half ... Manny Malhotra was brought in to win faceoffs and kill penalties. That he does well. At even strength, he has one assist and is a -8 in 42 games played. That he does not do well ... Lars Eller continues to frustrate fans and coaches alike with his inconsistent play. With a second line skill-set and tons of potential, Eller is backing up his big contract with eight goals and 15 points in 40 games played ... Michael Bournival has had a season lost to injury, but has two goals and one assist in 15 games . He should improve over the second half ... Hamilton Bulldogs' call-ups Sven Andrighetto, Eric Tangradi, Drayson Bowman, and Christian Thomas have combined for two goals and three total points in a combined 25 games played with the big club this season, mostly in fourth-line roles. All three points belong to Andrighetto.
Defence
Good - P.K. Subban is playing at a high level as usual. He has really come on as of late with the recent rebirth of the power play. For the year, Subban has 11 goals and 31 points in 45 games, leading the team with 25:21 in average ice time and is a +7 as well. Subban has seen more time on the penalty kill this year and continues to electrify the crowds with his stick skills ... Andrei Markov continues to defy the clock and has been our most consistent defenseman on a game-to-game basis. Markov has lost a step, but makes up for it with sound positioning and continues to quarterback the power play. Markov has five goals and 26 points in 45 games, 14 of those points coming on the power-play. Markov should have his ice time monitored going forward, as he is averaging over 24 minutes per game, which has worn him down the past two seasons.
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Bad - Alexei Emelin has one goal and 11 points in 43 games and is a +3. On paper, he looks solid. He continues to hit hard, but not the same bone-crushing hits we've seen in the past. He has been tentative since returning from his knee injury last year and is often out of position, turning the puck over or looking lost. Emelin has been paired up with another disappointment in Tom Gilbert, who has two goals and seven points in 42 games played. Brought in to be a puck-moving, right handed shot on the power-play, Gilbert has been mediocre at best at the two skills he was expected to possess ... Mike Weaver provides leadership and depth to the blue line, blocking shots and killing penalties when he finds his way into the line-up. Age and playing style has caught up to Weaver this season, but he still has four assists in 27 games played ... Jarred Tinordi has appeared in nine games this season, with two assists and a -5 to show for it. He has spent the bulk of his season in Hamilton where he just returned after missing games due to a concussion. This season may be lost for Tinordi at the NHL level.
Goaltending
Good - Carey Price has continued his all-world play this season, compiling a 24-10-2 record with a 2.15 goals-against and a .929 save percentage. He has two shutouts as well. Without Price, the Canadiens are not a playoff team. Period ... Dustin Tokarski took the reigns from Peter Budaj during the playoffs last year and is the backup to Price this season. In 10 games played, Tokarski has a 5-3-1 record with a 2.50 goals-against and a .917 save percentage. If Price were to be injured, Tokarski can handle the load better than Budaj, but is better served as a more than capable backup. Combined, this goaltending tandem is one of the NHL's best.
The Habs return to action on Tuesday, as the Dallas Stars head into Montreal. The Canadiens also face the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals this week and look to continue their winning ways as the latter half of the NHL season commences.
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Nick Malofy is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.
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