With their 11:30 a.m. EST press conference yesterday, the True North Sports and Entertainment group, led my Mark Chipman, announced the return of an NHL franchise to the city of Winnipeg.
The jubilation and celebration has been off the charts in the city of Winnipeg since before the announcement, and was whipped to fever pitch yesterday following the press conference. But while Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was busy making a congratulatory statement and people across Canada were happy about the move, we have to remember that there is one huge loser in all of this: the city of Atlanta.
Hockey in the South
There is no question that hockey just didn't work in Atlanta. Let's face it, hockey is a tough sell in many southern markets at the best of times. In addition, Atlanta is a market that had already failed to retain an NHL franchise when they lost the Flames to Calgary in the 1980-81 season.
The problem for this iteration of the Atlanta franchise was that they were never able to achieve much on-ice success, and that trickled down to attendance and fan support.
In recent years, it wouldn't be surprising to find a mere 4000 or 5000 fans in the stands. But what do you expect from a team that made the playoffs only once since the 1999-2000 season?
Playoff success can help build a ground swell of fan support, turning the arms length observer into an ardent supporter. Unfortunately, Atlanta was a franchise that fell short far too often and, well, no one wants to support a perennial loser.
Mmm, there's a Leafs joke in there somewhere. But I digress...
Despite the 1999 decision to move an NHL franchise back to Atlanta being perhaps a fool-hearty one, today is still a sad day for the city.
Sure there wasn't much fan support for the Thrashers, but there was some.
Speaking as someone who knows what it's like for their city to lose a professional sports franchise, for those who cared in Atlanta the news of their departure is surely devastating.
Onward and upward
So now the city of Winnipeg gets a second kick at the can and while fans are rightfully focusing on the excitement of the team's return, the reality is that there are several pitfalls this franchise has to avoid.
With a population of just over 750,000 Winnipeg is now the smallest market in the NHL.
However, despite their small numbers the Winnipeg market is filled with passionate, dedicated hockey fans. This is a huge departure from Atlanta where hockey was one of the lowest attractions on most people's lists.
A hockey-passionate fan base is a great start but they have to show their support with their hard earned dollars and not just with their cheers.
At a 15,000-seat capacity, the MTS Center will, as Gary Bettman put it, have to be full every night for this to work. The numbers just don't add up otherwise.
So the real challenge here is not to sell out the building over the next few seasons, but to keep that attendance brimming for decades to come.
The on-ice product matters
The season ticket drive, which was the focus of True North's press conference, will get underway today at 1:00 p.m. The goal of the drive is to sell 13,000 season tickets packages by or before the 21st of June.
So, in essence, now is time for the fans to put their money where their mouths are.
To be completely honest I don't see them having any problem meeting their sales target. There is so much excitement and anticipation about the upcoming season that these tickets will be gone in an instant.
And with a three-year renewal commitment that comes along with these season ticket purchases, the MTS Center should be full for the next few seasons without any struggle.
The potential concern is after that point.
If there is one lesson learned from the Thrashers' failure, it is that the on-ice product matters. If the management group of the yet to be named Winnipeg team cannot put together a competitive product on the ice, they could end up having problems at the box office.
Problems at the box office would mean a dip in revenue and, with such little wiggle room, this franchise too could start having financial difficulties.
Management is key
So while Mark Chipman and co. are, by all accounts, an excellent ownership group, this team needs one heck of a General Manager to run the whole thing. Rick Dudley, the incumbent, has a good relationship with many in the True North group so he seems likely to keep his GM job.
That being said, they do have other possible candidates they could look at but my gut tells me they'll stick with Dudley. At least for now.
From a cap perspective, all indications are that the Winnipeg team will not be spending to the salary cap max, but rather somewhere between the floor and the ceiling. If we consider that the cap is due to rise to somewhere in the $60-million range next season, that could put Winnipeg's spending at around $40-50 million.
All of this, of course, is contingent on a full building and tons of merchandising sales.
So whoever ends up running this team will have less dollars to play with than many of their NHL counterparts, but will be required to produce, at a minimum, a perennial playoff team.
That's not impossible but definitely gives the GM a razor thin margin of error.
As such, drafting and scouting is going to become that much more important for this franchise. If they don't have the dollars to spend on their roster this team must do better than the other 29 in drafting and player development.
Selecting, cultivating and building success off the backs of young, inexpensive talent is going to be the key to Winnipeg's success. And, for anyone who looks at the draft record for most teams in this league, it's often a hit or miss prospect.
So nothing is guaranteed there.
Travel Schedule
The other huge issue, at least for next season, is that Winnipeg will take Atlanta's spot in the Southeast division. With division opponents like the Caps, Lightning, Canes and Panthers, this means the Winnipeg team will be traveling 10,000 more kilometers than any other team.
Yowza!
The league is going to play out next season like that and will look at realigning the divisions for the follow year. A probable realignment would have the Winnipeg team in a division with Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Minnesota. At the same time, there is a very real possibility that the Detroit Red Wings' wish of finally being placed back in the Eastern conference will come true.
Food for thought and perhaps a minor complication, but the extra travel miles will undoubtedly affect the players next season.
What of Quebec City?
Despite the potential problems the new Winnipeg franchise faces, this is a good day for hockey. The league has moved a team from a struggling, non-traditional market to one that embraces the sport and has a deep history with the league.
So does this open the door for other struggling franchises to perhaps relocate to Canada in the future?
Possibly.
But right now, there is no other city that has what is needed to get a deal done: an ownership group with deep pockets and a new NHL-ready arena.
So while many are hoping that the Phoenix Coyotes will be the next to move, perhaps to Quebec City, there is a lot of work that needs to be done before that can happen.
For all the passion in Quebec City they don't have an NHL-ready arena nor a government who wants to put money behind one. Until they do, a new NHL team will remain just out of reach.
But today is not a day to talk about Quebec, but rather to embrace the strengthening of the league. It's the survival of the fittest and, by cutting off a cancerous appendage, the NHL became a stronger league yesterday.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
199 minutes and one second after Tom Pyatt last put the Montreal Canadiens on the board, Roman Hamrlik broke the Habs' streak of futility.
Predictably, it wasn't one of those beautiful tape-to-tape passes that makes the end of night honour roll. Instead, it was a dirty, ugly goal with players crashing the crease and whacking at the puck until it went it.
So what's wrong with that?
During the Habs' three game losing streak—they were also shutout in their previous three games—it was pretty clear that they needed either a lucky bounce or an ugly goal to get the party started.
Well, last night they got both.
At 12:56 of the first period, Roman Hamrlik took a one-time feed from James Wisniewski and blasted it on net. The shot was stopped by Thrashers' goalie Ondrej Pavelec, but the rebound bounced around in the crease.
The loose rebound drew both Thrashers and Habs players to the blue paint and, with Pavelec on his back, Michael Cammalleri's shot actually went off the post. Fortunately for Montreal Hamrlik swooped around and knocked the rebound in, slaking the Habs considerable goal-thirst.
Mathieu Darche was next in line for Montreal, taking the puck from behind the Thrashers net out front and putting it past Pavelec only 11 seconds later.
After that, the Habs were in cruise control but still needed brilliance from Carey Price to pull out the win.
Andrei Kostitsyn, who played one of his best games of the season, closed the game out with an empty netter with 1:20 to play.
Final score: Habs 3 - Thrashers 1
Habs scorers: Roman Hamrlik (5), Mathieu Darche (10), Andrei Kostitsyn (20)
Thrashers scorers: Nik Antropov (14)
Three stars: 1. Carey Price, 2. Mathieu Darche, 3. Roman Hamrlik
Controversial Moment
With the Canadiens leading by two at the 8:35 point of the third period, Eric Boulton skated past Hal Gill, clipping him near the eye with his stick. Wincing with pain, Gill lost his man who was able to pass the puck over to Nik Antropov. Antropov buried it past Price, killing his bid for a ninth shutout of the season.
While I am not a fan of blaming the refs, since I understand it is a very difficult job, that was clearly a blown call. Not only should that have been a four-minute penalty—Hal Gill was bleeding—but the goal should have been disallowed.
In the end, Montreal pulled out the win so that blown call didn't change the outcome of the game.
Game Notes
How did Kostitsyn not get a star?
Have you noticed how no one seems to be complaining about Kostitsyn anymore? This change happened the day Jacques Martin decided to pair him with Lars Eller in the bottom-six.
In my estimation, Kostitsyn is a top-six player however his performance since being placed in the bottom-six has not only been some of his best hockey, but his most consistent.
Last night, AK46 continued on his same path of consistency, playing one of his best games of the season. Not only was he making things happen offensively, he continues to be solid defensively and throws his weigh around to good effect.
Kostitsyn finished the night with six body checks and was physically and mentally engage all game.
He currently leads all Canadiens with 131 hits and is third in scoring with 20 goals—behind Brian Gionta (26) and Tomas Plekanec (21). Not bad for a player that most were running out of town a few months ago.
Price is the Hart of this team
Yes, yes, the Canadiens played much better last night than they have in a week. Still, if it wasn't for Price's brilliance they would not have won the game. I know I sound like a broken record on this one, but night after night Price continues to show why there is no player in the league who is more valuable to his team.
And that's what the Hart trophy is all about.
The veterans finally showed up
Watching the game last night at the Black Lions pub with Gary Whittaker (Team 990) and Kyle Roussel (Cowhide and Rubber), we all noticed how active and awake the veterans looked.
Gary noted only a few shifts in how hungry Scott Gomez looked and how badly he seemed to want to score.
Well his fervor was contagious as line after line played with a determination not seen in these parts for weeks.
Every time I looked up, Cammalleri was around the net or in someone's face. Gomez too was involved in a little pushing and shoving. Hal Gill even got into the action with a bear hug on a Thrashers player during a post-whistle scrum.
From top to bottom, the vets looked angry last night and hungry for the two points. Unfortunately for the Habs, that is something that has been missing for too long on this team.
As I said in my look at the team's woes a few days ago, this losing streak has the ability to destroy the Habs. But, if they can get over and past it, the adversity might also bring the team together. And any newly-found cohesiveness can only make them a tighter group, helping to propel them to a strong post-season.
Now, one game does not a turnaround make, but it's a step in the right direction.
Standings and Next Game
The win not only snaps a three-game losing streak, but it gives the Habs two well needed points in the standings.
Montreal now moves into sole possession of sixth overall with 89 points and a 41-29-7 record. Ahead of the Habs are the suddenly resurgent Lightning, winners of two in a row, with 93 points. After Tampa are the Pens with 98 and the Bruins with 96.
Barring major collapses by those teams, it seems highly unlikely that Montreal can catch either before the end of the season.
Behind the Habs are the Rangers with 87 points, the Sabres with 84 points and the Hurricanes with 82 points, all with one game in hand.
Montreal is back at it tonight against the Hurricanes in Raleigh. The Canes absolutely need this win to stay alive in the playoff race. A Canadiens win would put one more nail in Carolina's playoff coffin.
Game time is 7:00 PM.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
The Montreal Canadiens and Atlanta Thrashers face off tonight at the Bell Centre, in their fourth and final match of the regular season.
Atlanta is a team struggling to keep themselves mathematically "alive" in the playoff race, whereas Montreal is just trying to get back on the rails.
The Habs are on a three-game losing streak, have won only three of their last nine games and have been shutout in their last three games. They looked to avoid tying the franchise record—being shutout four games in a row—tonight.
The last time the Habs were shutout in four straight was from February 14-26, 1928.
The Thrashers kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 shootout win over the Senators on Sunday. However, with 76 points and only seven games left, it seems highly unlikely they'll be playing hockey past the end of the regular season.
Atlanta holds a 2-1 season series edge over Montreal with the Habs winning the last battle, 3-1 at the beginning of March.
Standings
The Canadiens are in sixth overall in the East with 87 points and six games left to play. The Habs haven't done themselves any favors lately, losing all but three of their last nine.
Whereas they once had a nine-point lead on ninth overall in the East and a comfortable seven points on the Rangers, they are now tied with New York for points, two ahead of the Sabres for eighth place and seven ahead of Carolina for ninth.
The Habs can still catch the Lighting who are in fifth with 91 points and have been in a tailspin for a month.
Atlanta's playoff hopes are all but dead. Still, these are professional athletes; while they are only mathematically alive, they still want the win.
The Thrashers are 11th overall in the East with 76 points and seven games left. A win tonight would move them into a tie with the Leafs for 10th overall.
Goaltending
Carey Price, who has been the only Canadiens' player to show up for the last three games, will be getting his 67th start of the season. He will be looking for his first win in five starts.
With Chris Mason getting the last three starts for the Thrashers, he should get the call for Atlanta. The only X-factor in that decision is that Ondrej Pavelec started both Thrashers wins against Montreal this season.
Mason started the only game they lost.
Scoring and Special Teams
This is a pretty cut-and-dried situation with the Thrashers having a more potent offense than Montreal, but seriously lacking on the defensive side of the game.
Atlanta has the 18th best goal-for at 2.7 per game, the 11th overall power play at 18.7 percent, the 28th goals-against at 3.2 per game and the 29th penalty kill at 76.7 percent.
The Habs, on the other hand, struggle to score with the 23rd overall goals-for at 2.6 per game. Their recent goal-scoring drought has also dropped their PP to 10th overall at 18.8 percent. On the defensive side of the puck, Montreal is still relatively strong, with the ninth best goals-against at 2.5 per game and the ninth best PK at 83.8 percent.
Roster Changes and Injuries
The sole change for the Habs is that Mathieu Darche is expected to get a shot on the second line. As such, Montreal’s lines for tonight look like this:
Michael Cammalleri - Tomas Plekanec - Jeff Halpern
Mathieu Darche - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta
Travis Moen - Lars Eller - Andrei Kostitsyn
Benoit Pouliot- David Desharnais - Ryan White
The Habs continue to be without the services of Jaroslav Spacek, Andrei Markov, Alexandre Picard, Josh Gorges and Max Pacioretty.
The Thrashers are a relatively healthy bunch with only Jim Slater, Freddy Meyer and Patrice Cormier out of the lineup.
Key to Victory
If there was ever a game that should help Montreal break out of their goalless slump, it's tonight against the defensively suspect Thrashers.
Montreal needs to get their transition game going and attack the Thrashers with speed. If they do that, they should be able to draw penalties and create scoring opportunities.
For the much larger Thrashers, they need to lean on the Habs, chip the puck behind their D and engage a grinding cycle. If they are able to do that, as they have done twice this season, it will tire the smaller Canadiens and should lead to defensive breakdowns and scoring chances.
Game time is at 7:30 PM.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
In the two previous meetings between these squads, the Thrashers have come out with the "W" each time. However, when they last played, the Thrashers were one of the hotter teams in the league and still in playoff contention.
Atlanta has fallen off the map considerably since then and out of the playoff picture.
Leading up to the deadline, Thrashers GM Rick Dudley made several moves to try and bolster his floundering squad and give them enough kick to get over the playoff hump.
Well, at least last night, that plan didn't work out so well.
The Canadiens were the better team in the first period, despite being outshot 9-5, but were completely dominated by the Thrashers over the final 40 minutes. With the Habs once again getting themselves into lazy penalty problems, the Thrashers were able to seize and hold the momentum for long stretches despite being held off the scoresheet.
The Canadiens defenders did a good job of keeping most of the Atlanta shots to the outside, but the real story of the night was Carey Price.
Price stopped nine shots in the first, 16 in the second, 15 in the third and 40 for the night.
With the Canadiens back on their heels, Price held the fort and was only 5:46 away from getting his seventh shutout of the season when Brent Sopel made a brutal turnover resulting in the Thrashers lone goal of the game.
Sometimes a team loses games they should win and wins games that they should lose.
Last night's game was an example of the latter, as the Canadiens used opportunistic scoring, special teams and excellent goaltending to secure their 34th win of the season.
Final score: Habs 3 - Thrashers 1
Habs scorers: Max Pacioretty (12), James Wizniewski (7), Brian Gionta (23)
Thrashers scorers: Nik Antropov (11)
Three stars: 1. Carey Price, 2. Max Pacioretty, 3. Nik Antropov
Play of the night
With the Canadiens holding on to a one-goal lead, Thrashers goalie Chris Mason on the bench for the extra attacker and Atlanta pressing for the tying goal, the puck popped out to the neutral zone. Habs Captain Brian Gionta turned on the jets, beating his man to the puck and launching it into the empty net for the insurance marker with 46 seconds to play.
That was the best and most well deserved empty net goal I've ever seen!
Point of Interest
Taking two too-many-men-on-the-ice bench minors last night, the Habs earned the dubious distinction of having the most too-many-men-on-the-ice penalties in the league this season with 12.
Game Notes
1. Paul Mara brings some thump
Just under five minutes into the first period with the teams locked in a scoreless tie, Paul Mara took two strides from center ice and put his shoulder into the Thrashers defender at the Atlanta blueline.
Not only did his hit knock the Thrashers' player on his butt but it freed the puck, caused some chaos in the Atlanta zone and opened a seam.
Benoit Pouliot jumped on the loose puck, chipping it off the boards to David Desharnais who skated in for a partial break. Thrashers defender Mark Stuart had no choice but to swing his stick at Desharnais in an attempt to block his shot, taking a slashing penalty in the process.
While the Habs were unable to score on the PP, the play by Mara illustrates a major component that has been sorely missing from the Habs back end this season, and that is physicality.
While Mara is definitely a depth defender, he is a slow skater and plays far from a perfect game, but he does bring a physical edge that is in short supply in the Habs lineup.
So while Mara isn't going to see top minutes in the Habs lineup, he brings a boatload of experience, is good in the room and has the toughness to get the job done when the chips are down in the playoffs.
I was still surprised to see Yannick Weber scratched in favour of Mara, as I feel the Habs are a better team with Weber—who is a much more talented player. That being said, it is nice to know that Montreal has the option of inserting some additional grit against bigger, scrappier teams like the Thrashers.
2. PP change-up
The Canadiens power play—which experienced a spike when James Wizniewski was acquired but which has slumped some in recent weeks—has seen it's share of changes lately, in an attempt to wake it up.
Originally, Jacques Martin had the Wiz playing with P.K. Subban on the point for the first wave of the power play. In more recent games, however, the Habs have been using the Wiz with Roman Hamrlik and for the last two matches, the Wiz has been paired with Plekanec at the point.
Using a forward on the point is a move that many have been wanting to see for quite some time now and many teams in the league use a forward on the point for the PP. Until recently, the Habs coaching staff has for whatever reason been completely unwilling give it a try.
Last night, on the Habs second PP of the game, James Wizniewski scored the Habs' second goal of the game, his seventh of the season when he pinched down low to flip a backdoor rebound past Mason.
Was the goal the result of having Plekanec on the back end with him? Likely not.
So while the PP produced a goal with both players on the ice, the problem was that Plekanec seemed to struggle playing the point, twice turning the puck over and taking a penalty each time while trying to cover up his error.
I definitely liked what I saw from an offensive perspective but it is clear that Plekanec is either not comfortable playing the point or is just not used to it. As such, he either needs more practice time to get comfortable with the defensive responsibilities or the Habs need to go back to the triangle of doom: Subban, Wizniewski and Michael Cammalleri.
3. Price was in the zone
Yep, Price is the uncontested MVP of this team.
Having just been named the Canadiens player of the month for February, Price put on a clinic over the final 40 minutes of the game to earn the victory.
Now to his defense's credit, they did a pretty good job of boxing out the Thrashers forwards and clearing the front of the net meaning that most of the shots were from the outside with few second chances.
Still, Price was positionally excellent and made several spectacular saves from eight feet or less, to keep the Thrashers off the board with his teammates struggling to keep up.
The amazing thing to watch with Price, is how calm he is in the net and how effortless he makes many difficult saves seem.
Price finished the night with a sparkling .976 save percentage and was just under six minutes away from his seventh shutout of the year. More importantly, the win was Price's 29th of the season, a high water mark for his career.
As I said when the trade deadline was over, the roster is now set and the Habs will go as far as Price can carry them in the playoffs.
4. Max Pacioretty continues his ascension
After going through three games without a point, Pacioretty now has three points (2G, 1A) over the last three games. In addition, he is the hottest Hab over the last 13 games with 11 points (6G, 5A) over that span.
Patches got the party started for the Canadiens last night when he grabbed the puck at the point, took one step towards the Thrashers net and fired a bullet past Mason. The shot deflected off Evander Kane's stick that play but it validates the old adage that "you can't score if you don't shoot."
The goal was unassisted and like they said on L’Anti-chambre last night, that seems to be the only way to score when you're playing with Scott Gomez!
Pacioretty continued his excellent play throughout the rest of the game and seemed like the only Canadiens player who was actually skating. His speed and determination drew a second period hooking penalty by Tobias Enstrom when he split the Thrashers D and tried to charge to the net.
The play really illustrates what the term "power-forward" means and why it is such a critical piece to any team's success.
Skating at full stride with two Thrashers' defenders draped all over him, Pacioretty used his size and speed to fight them off, still managing to get a shot on net, albeit a weak one.
That is a play that no other player on the team, except for perhaps Andrei Kostitsyn, has the skill and strength to pull off and it seems like Patches is starting to play that way on a consistent basis.
Pacioretty's goal and assist put him 10th overall in team scoring with 22 points in 34 games. His 0.64 points per game (PPG) pace would put him on target for 53 total points over an 82 game season. His 12 goals put him in sixth overall on the team for goals scored and his 0.35 goals per game would put him on pace for 28.7 goals over an 82 game season.
Not bad for a rookie, eh?
5. The penalty kill was in full effect
The Canadiens were once again unable to stay out of the penalty box last night, and as has become the case on an ongoing basis, most of their penalties were of the lazy variety.
The Habs took seven penalties on the night: two for interference, one for hooking, one for tripping, two for too-many-men and one for delay of game.
With Montreal again incapable of staying out of the penalty box, the Thrashers had the pleasure of playing with a man-advantage five times. Well perhaps "pleasure" is not the right word considering the excellent job the Canadiens did on the PK, but the continuous parade to the box definitely helped Atlanta keep the momentum.
On the PK Montreal was constantly on top of the Atlanta players, quickly closing gaps and taking away their time and space to render their attack ineffective, create turnovers and otherwise shut down their PP.
The addition of Sopel on the back end is playing immediate dividends too—despite his horrible third period turnover—as he continues to block shots and shooting lanes to make the Habs PK that much more effective. In addition, he is helping to reduce the amount of ice that Roman Hamrlik is seeing, especially short handed, and that should keep him fresh for the playoffs.
With the post-season drawing near, the Canadiens need to make sure their special teams are working at full capacity and, shutting down five Thrashers' PKs while scoring a PP marker of their own is a good start.
Standings and Next Game
The win by the Habs kicks off the homestretch on the right foot and, more importantly, earns them two well needed points in the standings. The win is also timely considering that the Rangers lost 3-2 to the Sabres.
Montreal has now won three of their last four games and have 75 points in the standings, are sixth overall in the East, are three points behind the Caps, five points behind the Pens and six points behind the Bruins who have one game in hand.
Behind the Canadiens are the Rangers with 70 points and one more game played, the Hurricanes with 69 points and the Sabres with 67 points and two games in hand.
Montreal now travels to Florida where they take on the Panthers on Thursday and the Lightning on Saturday, before a huge Tuesday night tilt against the Bruins at the Bell Centre next week.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
Despite adding Brent Sopel, Paul Mara and James Wizniewski over the course of the season, Habs' GM Pierre Gauthier was unable to land that coveted scoring winger to slot in to his top-six.
As such, the roster remained unchanged on deadline day, save for the demotion of Ryan White to the Hamilton Bulldogs.
With the deadline behind them, the Canadiens take on the Atlanta Thrashers tonight in Atlanta, officially kicking off the home stretch.
Tonight's game is the third of four meetings between the teams this season. The Thrashers have won the first two contests.
Standings
Coming off a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 73 points and a 33-23-7 record. Despite the victory and winning two out of their last three games, the Habs have only three victories in their last 10 games (3-5-2). Fortunately for Montreal, most of the teams around them have also been struggling to string together wins, allowing the Canadiens to maintain a three-point cushion over the seventh place Rangers.
While the Habs have certainly not been tearing up the league lately, the Thrashers have been in a definite free fall.
Atlanta is coming off a 4-3 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs—a win that snapped a five-game losing streak. Despite the win, Atlanta has only two victories over their last 11 games (2-7-2) and has fallen out of playoff contention as a result.
The Thrashers are currently tied with the Leafs for 10th place in the East—four points out of a playoff spot—with 63 points and a 26-26-11 record.
Goaltending
With Carey Price missing the Canadiens game against the Canes due to illness, there is no official word yet on whether or not he will get the start tonight. If he will well enough, expect to see him in the net.
With Ondrej Pavelec still listed as day-to-day, look for Chris Mason—who has started the last two games and is coming off a victory—to get the call for Atlanta.
Special Teams and Scoring
The Thrashers have an acceptable offense, averaging 2.8 goals per game (13th overall) and the eighth overall power play at 19.7 percent efficiency. It is on the defensive side of the puck that Atlanta's game falls off the map.
They have the 26th best goals-against at 3.1 per game and the 28th penalty kill at 77.3 percent efficiency.
Montreal, on the other hand, scores an anemic 26th overall 2.6 goals per game. However, it has the 10th best goals-against at 2.6 per game, the ninth best PP at 19.4 percent and the 10th best PK at 83.3 percent.
As such, if Montreal can get the puck behind the Thrashers defenders and cycle with speed, they should be able to draw penalties for some good scoring chances against a weak Thrashers PK.
Roster Changes
Aside from the recent acquisition of Brent Sopel and demotion of Ryan White to the Bulldogs, the Habs lineup will basically be identical to the one that defeated the Canes on Saturday.
Brent Sopel, acquired last week by the Canadiens, will be facing his former team for the first time.
The Habs are still without long-term injured players Josh Gorges and Andrei Markov, while Jaroslav Spacek and Mathieu Darche continue to be on the injury reserve.
There is still no official prognosis on either player.
The Thrashers added and subtracted a bevy of players leading up to the deadline with the hope of turning around a fading season. Despite their changes, the Thrashers continue to be without the services of Jim Slater, Freddy Meyer, Ondrej Pavelec, Patrice Cormier and Alexander Burmistrov.
Game time is at 7:00 PM.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
Montreal Canadiens' GM Pierre Gauthier continued retooling his injury-depleted team today, trading prospect Ben Maxwell and a fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft to the Atlanta Thrashers for Brent Sopel and Nigel Dawes.
With Jaroslav Spacek on the sidelines with an undisclosed injury and rumours circulating that he could be done for the season, Sopel represents insurance on the back end.
Dawes, who is playing on his fifth NHL team in four years, will report to the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Cap Implications
Habsworld.net's Brian La Rose explained that:
"Sopel's acquisition eats up a little more than half of the Habs' remaining full season acquisition space, dropping it to a little below $1.85 million. However, with the uncertainly surrounding Spacek, that number could grow still. Sopel makes $2 million this season with a $2,333,333 cap hit, while Dawes makes $650,000 at the NHL level, and $105,000 in the minors. Due to that AHL salary, he doesn't require re-entry waivers."
Analysis
This is an excellent, if slightly expensive, insurance move by Pierre Gauthier who bolsters his back end with a playoff-hardened veteran in Brent Sopel.
With the logjam at center—Tomas Plekanec, Scott Gomez, David Desharnais, Lars Eller and Jeff Halpern—it was becoming more and more apparent that Maxwell had lost his shot at making the big club.
The emergence of Desharnais this season was the final nail in Maxwell's coffin.
While Dawes, who will report to the Bulldogs, is another smallish player (5'9"), he plays with a ton of grit. He will provide depth for the Habs if they need an NHL ready player to fill a spot in the bottom-six.
Back to Sopel, his acquisition means that the Canadiens now have nine defensemen on their NHL roster: Hal Gill, P.K. Subban, Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek, Yannick Weber, James Wizniewski, Alexandre Picard, Paul Mara and Brent Sopel.
Something's got to give.
If we assume that Spacek will be out for a while, if not the rest of the season, then that leaves eight defensemen. The Habs are sure to, at a minimum, waive Picard or send him down to the minors, but Jacques Martin is a coach who likes to roll six defenseman.
To me this either means a change in philosophy from the coach or another move by the GM, possibly for a top-six forward and possibly shipping Yannick Weber out of town.
Now before you blow your computer up at the Weber comment you have to remember that if Gauthier is going after a bona fide top-sixer, and that is a big if, Weber represents one of the Habs' best trading assets.
If I was a betting man, I'd say that Gauthier has one more move up his sleeve.
Overall, this is a good move for the Canadiens who bring in another Stanley Cup champion player with experience to play on the back end. The Habs just became more experienced and grittier and I, for one, am a fan of the move.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images North America)
MONTREAL CANADIENS ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN BRENT SOPEL AND FORWARD NIGEL DAWES FROM THE ATLANTA THRASHERS IN RETURN FOR BEN MAXWELL AND A 4TH ROUND PICK IN 2011
MONTREAL (February 24, 2011) – Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier announced today that the team acquired defenseman Brent Sopel and forward Nigel Dawes from the Atlanta Thrashers, in return for forward Ben Maxwell and a 4th round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Sopel will join the Canadiens tonight, while Dawes will report to the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs.
Sopel, 34, played in 59 of the Thrashers 61 games thus far this season, recording seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) while averaging 16:25 of time on ice. He totalled 40 shots on goal and 16 penalty minutes. Sopel currently ranks second on the team, first among defensemen with a +7 plus/minus differential, and ranks second on the club, 7th in the NHL with 130 blocked shots.
The 6’2 and 205 lbs defenseman, who won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, is in his 11th NHL season. Since he first joined the NHL back in 1998-99, Sopel amassed a total of 218 regular season points (44 goals, 174 assists) in 647 regular season games with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta. He has a career +33 plus/minus differential and totaled 309 penalty minutes. Sopel also played in 64 career playoff games, registering 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists). He played in all Blackhawks 22 playoff games in 2010 recording six points (1-5-6).
A native of Calgary, Sopel was a 6th round selection, 144th overall, by the Vancouver Canucks at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.
Dawes, 26, played in nine games with the Thrashers in 2010-11, his fourth NHL season. The 5’09” and 200 lbs forward recorded one assist while averaging 11:11 of time on ice. He is currently 4th in scoring with the AHL Chicago Wolves with 44 points in 47 games (27 goals, 17 assists). He leads the team, and ranks 3rd in the AHL in goals (27).
Born in Winnipeg, Dawes was a 5th round pick, 149th selection overall, by the New York Rangers in 2003. He played in a total of 208 career regular season games in the NHL with the Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes, Calgary Flames and Atlanta Thrashers. He registered 84 career points (39 goals, 45 assists) and 43 penalty minutes.
Selected in the 2nd round by the Canadiens, 49th overall in 2006, Ben Maxwell was held scoreless in 20 games with the Canadiens during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. This year with the Hamilton Bulldogs, he recorded 40 points in 47 games (11 goals, 29 assists) and 32 penalty minutes.
After a merciless seven-game road trip that saw the Montreal Canadiens win two out of seven, the Habs were back in the friendly climes of the Bell Centre yesterday afternoon to take on the Atlanta Thrashers.
Their longest road trip of the season behind them, the Habs hit the ice intent on stringing two victories together for the first time since the beginning of December.
Montreal used their speed to cause problems in the Thrashers end, blitzing goaltender Ondrej Pavelec for 16, 17 and 16 shots in the first, second and third periods respectively.
Pavelec was equal to the task, however, turning aside shot after shot, gobbling up rebounds and otherwise doing everything in his power to keep his team in the game.
The Thrashers got on the board first with Rich Peverley putting his ninth of the season past Price on a partial break with the play being setup by an ill-timed hit from P.K. Subban, who continues to have difficulty picking his spots.
Undaunted, the Canadiens took the play to the Thrashers using their speed to expose the offensively strong but defensively suspect Thrashers. Pavelec was up to the task, however, keeping the Habs at bay as his defensive squad bobbled the puck in front of him.
Despite the Canadiens outshooting the Thrashers 33-19 after two periods it was Atlanta who took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. Carey Price, who was fighting the puck all night, let in a few weak goals which meant that the Habs were constantly trying to tie things up rather than being able to look for the go-ahead goal.
The Canadiens power play, suddenly hopping like a cat on a hot tin roof, put two past Pavelec with newcomer James Wizniewski continuing to act as a catalyst. Brian Gionta tied it for the the Canadiens with five minutes left to play in the third, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Subban took an offensive zone hooking penalty and the Thrashers went to work on the PP with Dustin Byfuglien rifling his 16th of the season past Price for the win.
This was a game that the Habs likely deserved a better fate in as they out shot the Thrashers 50-28 on the night. Despite the loss, they played one of their best games in over two weeks and came back three times from one goal deficits.
That's got to count for something.
Final score: Thrashers 4 - Habs 3 (OT)
Habs' scorers: Tomas Plekanec (12), P.K. Subban (3), Brian Gionta (14)
Thrashers' scorers: Rich Peverley (9), Evander Kane (13), Andrew Ladd (13), Dustin Byfuglien (16)
Three stars: 1. Dustin Byfuglien, 2. Ondrej Pavelec, 3. Tomas Plekanec
Game Notes
1. Subban had another up and down game.
As much as I have not been a fan of benching Subban, let's face it, he does not seem to be learning from his mistakes. This doesn't mean that I think he should be benched again, just that he seems to be slow to change things up.
Atlanta took the lead six minutes into the game when Subban again went for a big but unnecessary hit. He connected with his target, Tobias Enstrom, who took the hit and made the pass to Peverley. With Subban out of position, Peverley had all the open ice in the world to skate in and put the puck five-hole past Price.
If there was better communication on the ice, Mathieu Darche would have gotten back in time to cover up for Subban's hit. But that didn't happen and the Thrashers player was able to skate, unmolested, to the net for the goal.
On the positive side of things, Subban scored his third goal of the season on the power play, when he fired a bullet past Pavelec with Max Pacioretty standing in front of the Thrashers goaltender. Whereas Subban seems to have made a habit of shooting the puck into defenders' shin pads or missing the net, this shot was perfect.
On net, one foot off the ice and with traffic in front of the goaltender.
P.K. also made a bunch of excellent defensive plays, none more important than stopping Nik Antropov from getting a clear breakaway with less than a minute to play in the second period.
If Subban can stick to playing like that and shooting on net rather than getting himself out of position, he will become a much more effective player for the Habs.
Unfortunately, Subban was at it again when he took a hooking penalty in overtime that led to the winning goal by Byfuglien.
Subban is young and rough around the edges. As such, it will take him some time to even out his game and these ups and downs are to be expected until he does.
2. I'd take David Desharnais over Lars Eller.
David Desharnais has been the hottest player in the AHL, winning the player of the week award for the last week of December. As such, the Canadiens decided to give him his shot with the big club in a make it or break it chance.
Desharnais took the third line center spot in favour of Lars Eller who was a healthy scratch. As I said last week, despite his best efforts, Lars Eller just hasn't been producing anything on the scoreboard. Desharnais, on the other hand, was the leading scorer in the AHL and seems supremely ready for prime time.
Centering Benoit Pouliot and Mathieu Darche, Desharnais brought that line back to life and they looked dangerous every time they were on the ice.
Checking in at 5'6" in height, Desharnais fearlessly went straight to the net every time he was in the offensive zone, which is a boon for the Canadiens who are in short supply of players willing to pay the price in front of the opposing goaltenders.
Desharnais, digging the puck out of the corners, fearlessly going to the front of the net and playing much bigger than his 5'6" frame, makes the Canadiens a better team. Now one game does not make a career but, right now, Desharnais looks much more NHL ready than Eller and I would not hesitate to send the latter down to Hamilton to get more seasoning.
Desharnais is solid with the puck and defensively responsible without it. This is exactly the type of player that Jacques Martin loves.
3. What a difference a defensive quarterback makes.
James Wizniewski isn't wasting any time making himself into a fan favorite in Montreal.
After getting two goals and an assists in the Habs' win over the Panthers on Friday, he continued to pad his point total yesterday against the Thrashers.
During a first period power play, with the Habs down by a goal, Wizniewski found a seam and whisked the puck up the ice hitting Plekanec in full stride at the offensive blueline. Plekanec used his considerable speed and skill to get past the two Thrashers' defenders and hold them off long enough to put the puck high over Pavelec, tying the game at one.
The goal illustrates the tremendous vision that Wizniewski possesses from the back end and harkens back to the days when Andrei Markov took a regular shift in a Habs' uniform.
The Wiz is able to make excellent passes into seams that are only open for a split second, just like Markov. In addition, his bullet of a shot, his toughness and grit mean that this is a player that brings a ton of assets to the table that the Habs have been sorely lacking.
Wizniewski now has five points (2G, 3A) in his three games played with the Canadiens. In addition, he has points on five of the last six goals scored by the Habs.
This is a player the Habs should re-sign before the off season.
4. Carey Price didn't do a lot to help his team out.
After being awarded the Molson Cup as the Canadiens' three star rankings leader for the month of December, Price went out and played a below average game.
Sure he made some nice saves but the first two goals he let in were weak at best.
On the first goal, Subban got himself out of position leaving a lot of open ice for Peverley to skate in on Price. That being said, Peverley's goal wasn't a brilliant move, he simply slipped the puck through Price's five-hole. It was a goal that would have been stopped if Price's stick had been firmly along the ice and it is a goal that he would surely like to have back.
If the first goal was weak, the second was horrendous.
With a scramble in front of Price and the play to his right, he was on his knees but did not have his skate hard against his right post. This allowed Evander Kane to sweep the puck into a minute space between Price's pad and the post, while lying on his back. It was a terrible goal that was setup by a bad turnover by Hal Gill, but Price has got to be better on plays like that.
As good as Price was in October and November and as much as the Canadiens would be out of playoff contention without his early season heroics, he continues to struggle since the beginning of December and is habitually letting in at least one weak goal per game.
With Price currently on pace to play 72 games this season the question of whether he is being played too much has to come into play. The alternative theory is that his numbers were simply unsustainable over the first two months of the season, and he is merely coming back down to Earth.
Whatever the reason, a .857 save percentage against the Thrashers is not going to get it done and the Canadiens need Price to be better over the back half of the season.
5. Without much fan fare, Scott Gomez is setting the world on fire.
After stinking it up for the first 20-plus games of the season and sitting out a few due to injury, Gomez has come back and is quietly making a significant offensive contribution for the Canadiens.
With his assist on Subban's tying goal yesterday, Gomez now has 12 points in his last 10 games (1G, 11A). In addition, Gomez has points in eight out of the last 10 games, getting shutout against the Caps and Islanders.
His 1.2 points per game pace is a far cry from the long point-less stretches he endured at the beginning of the season. His line, with Brian Gionta and Max Pacioretty, looks like a keeper and they seem to have great chemistry together.
Hopefully they can keep it up because as much as the Canadiens have been scoring on the power play lately, their 5-on-5 scoring has all but dried up.
Standings and Next Game
The overtime loss gives the Habs a much needed point in the standings and they now have 45 with a 21-16-3 record. The win gives the Thrashers a three-point buffer over the Canadiens but they have played two more games than Montreal.
The Habs sit tied in games played but two points behind the Rangers and one point behind the Bruins, who have three games in hand, for first overall in the Northeast Division.
Still behind the Habs in the standings are the Hurricanes who with 40 points in 37 games have five fewer points but three games in hand.
The Habs will now enjoy a well needed three days off before taking on the red hot Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday in Montreal. The Pens are a team that has been blazing up the NHL over the last 30 days so the Habs had better be ready.
