Now that the NHL roster freeze has been lifted, will Habs GM Marc Bergevin continue to improve his roster prior to the trade deadline? The team currently sits third in the Atlantic division with a record of 22-11-2 for 46 points, only two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning with two games in hand.
Montreal currently has a surplus of defensemen, with veterans Mike Weaver and Bryan Allen being on the outside looking in following the emergence of youngster Nathan Beaulieu. It would make sense for Bergevin to trade a rearguard to get some scoring punch in the team's top nine ahead of the playoffs.
One player who is reportedly on the trade market is Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O'Reilly, who has two years remaining to his contract at $6 million/year. The Avs are looking for an established defenseman in return.
O'Reilly being offered around the league for a good D-man. Florida and Winnipeg. Pondering, Toronto and Montreal too
— Adrian Dater (@adater) December 28, 2014
In 35 games, O'Reilly, the 23-year-old forward has 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points to go along with a -11 rating on a very disappointing Colorado squad. O'Reilly, who can both play wing and center, had a much better campaign in 2013-14, potting 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points in 80 games.
A solid two-way forward who is known for his discipline and respect on the ice only collected 14 penalty minutes over the past three seasons (144 games). He would certainly help the Canadiens in that area as the team is known to take too many penalties.
The Avalanche and the Canadiens have been trade partners in the past when the teams swapped two problems before the season with Daniel Briere going to Colorado and P-A Parenteau coming to Montreal.
Who would you give to the Avs in order to land Ryan O'Reilly via trade? Lars Eller? Alexei Emelin? Jarred Tinordi? Sven Adrighetto?
With both teams being near the cap maximum, the deal would need to work financially.
As training camp progresses forward - how about that Jiri Sekac!? It is time to take a look at the upcoming schedule and mark some key dates on the calendar. Last season was a special season for the Canadiens, advancing as far as the Eastern Conference Final before bowing out to the New York Rangers, who promptly bowed out to the powerhouse Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup final. Looking ahead at the 2014/15 season, here are some entertaining games to look forward to throughout the season:
Photo Credit: HockeyInsideOut.com
Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday October 8, 2014
The season opens on the road against the Maple Leafs in Toronto. Although the Leafs have been afterthoughts come playoff time seemingly every non-strike shortened year for the past decade, they tend to start strong every season and have a very physical style that gives the Canadiens trouble. Last year this same season opening match-up led to the downfall of George Parros, as he suffered a horrible concussion while scrapping with Colton Orr. The Leafs did not improve much this off-season, choosing to bring back former role players in Matt Frattin and Leo Komorov. A win here always starts the season off right.
Boston Bruins @ Canadiens Thursday, October 16, 2014
After starting the season out with four games on the road, the Canadiens return to the Bell Centre welcoming their bitter rival the Boston Bruins for the home opener. Fresh off last season's heated playoff series, the Bruins will be looking to avenge the playoff loss and ruin what is always an incredible atmosphere for opening night. The Bruins were strapped by the salary cap this off-season and did not make any significant improvements while watching Jarome Iginla take his 30 goals to Colorado. As always, this will be a tough game after a truly captivating opening ceremony.
Colorado Avalanche @ Canadiens Saturday October 18, 2014
Fresh off the emotions from the home opener, the fans get a couple of days to recover before they welcome back Patrick Roy and his Colorado Avalanche squad. Last year, St. Patrick's homecoming as a head coach was quashed by a hat-trick performance from Thomas Vanek in a 6-3 Canadiens win. Vanek is in Minnesota now, but an off-season trade between the two clubs saw Daniel Briere head west and P.A. Parenteau arrive in Montreal. Expect both to show up and do their best to exact revenge against their former clubs.
New York Rangers @ Canadiens Saturday October 25, 2014
Prior to a three-game western Canada road trip, the rematch of the Eastern Finals happens in Montreal, but this time with Carey Price in goal instead of Dustin Tokarski. The Canadiens dominated the regular season match-ups the past two seasons before the Rangers stepped up in the wake of Martin St. Louis' mother passing away and man-handled the Canadiens throughout the series en route to a 4-2 series win. Revenge will be on the Canadiens' mind and Chris Kreider should keep his head up as fans and players remember how he took out Price early on in the series. Expect Kreider to receive the Zdeno Chara treatment from the sold out Bell Centre crowd.
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Canadiens Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins make their first appearance of the season in Montreal. Sid grew up as a Habs fan and anytime these two teams match up, defense seems to be put by the wayside and a shootout ensues. While this game will not have much bearing on the standings, there always seems to be an entertainment factor involved with these high scoring affairs.
Buffalo Sabres @ Canadiens Saturday, November 29, 2014
On the back end of a home-and-home series, former captain Brian Gionta and defenceman Josh Gorges make their return to the Bell Centre. While this is the third match-up of the season between the two teams, it will be the first time those two players get to face their former mates in the town they used to call home. Expect emotions to be high, especially for Gorges who never wanted to leave the city to begin with. While the Sabres are expected to be a bad team and the Canadiens should win easily (knock on wood), a big ovation should be expected for both players prior to the start of the game.
Los Angeles Kings @ Canadiens Friday, December 12, 2014
While this match-up will not truly affect the standings, there is something to be said about seeing how you match up against the team that won it all the year prior. The Kings are a powerhouse of an organization and locked up deadline acquisition Marian Gaborik to a seven year extension this off-season. Last year, the Canadiens lost both games played including an embarrassing 6-0 drubbing in Montreal. Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty, Jon Quick and company are looking to repeat this season. This will be a true test to see where the Habs rank this season.
Washington Capitals @ Canadiens Saturday, January 31, 2015 @ 1:00 PM Arizona Coyotes @ Canadiens Sunday, February 1, 2015 @ 1:00 PM
The annual Superbowl weekend tradition of matinee games. This year Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals come to town on Saturday while the Arizona (formerly Pheonix) Coyotes make their lone appearance in Montreal on Superbowl Sunday. Always a fun weekend of sports in Montreal.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Canadiens Saturday February 14, 2015
There will be no love on Valentine's Day between these two teams or their respective fans as the Maple Leafs make their first appearance of the season in Montreal. Throngs of fans will make the trek up Highway 401 from Toronto to create one of the most energetic atmosphere's in sports. The crowds are always split for this match-up and Hockey Night in Canada viewers will hear a "Go (garbled gibberish) GO!" chant throughout the game as both sides try to out-do the other cheering on their favorite teams. Where these two teams sit in the standings will also add to the excitement as we are entering the second half of the season and the games begin to have more meaning, especially division match-ups such as this one.
Canadiens @ San Jose Sharks, Canadiens @ Anaheim Ducks, Canadiens @ Los Angeles Kings & Canadiens @ Arizona Coyotes Monday, March 2 - Saturday March 7, 2015
Easily the toughest week on the calendar for the Canadiens this season as they make the annual West Coast road trip. Four games against three of the NHL's best teams in six days is extremely tough. Last year, Dustin Tokarski filled in admirably for the injured Carey Price, making 39 saves in his first start as the Canadiens beat the Ducks 4-3 in a shootout in what proved to be Saku Koivu's last game against the Habs as the former captain retired this off season. That was the only win on the road trip as they lost 2-1 to Los Angeles, 5-2 to the Coyotes and 4-0 to the Sharks. Safe to say the Canadiens want to have a little more fun in the sun this time around.
Canadiens @ Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday, April 11, 2015
The season comes full circle as the Habs round out the regular season with one final match-up in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. This will be the fifth and final regular season match-up against the teams and in years past, it has had some significant bearing in the standings. Expect it to be one more barn burner before the playoffs begin. As great as this match-up always is, its even more special when it has meaning. There is nothing like knocking the other team out of playoff contention on the last day of the season. If all goes well, it will be Montreal eliminating Toronto and not vice versa.
There you have it, Habs addicts, some great match-ups to look forward to. While every game is always entertaining, some are just a little more special than others. Be sure to listen to the Pre-Game and Post-Gameshows on MontrealHockeyTalk.com and participate in the Tweet Chat using the Hashtag #MtlHockey.Corey Collard, Rob Elbaz, Steve Hindle, Nick Murdocco and Coach K bring some of the most interactive and uncensored analysis of each and every game. If you haven't listened before, make this the season you tune in. You will not be disappointed!
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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.
Amid all the Josh Gorges rumours yesterday, Marc Bergevin did complete a trade. But it did not involve Gorges afterall. Bergevin shipped Daniel Briere to the Colorado Avalanche for P.A. Parenteau and a 5th round draft pick in 2015 in an exchange of Quebec natives who lost the trust of their respective head coaches this past season.
Parenteau was rumoured to be coming to Montreal at various points during the regular season. One rumour had Rene Bourque being offered. Another rumour had the Avalanche requesting prospect Sven Andrighetti to be included with Bourque for Parenteau. In the end, Briere moves west and the Habs get a bonus draft pick in return. Truth be told, I'm sure Bergevin would have traded Briere just for the 5th rounder alone. The 37-year-old Danny Briere has one year at $4 million left on his deal; the 31-year-old Parenteau has two years at $4 million left on his. So the Canadiens absorb an extra year of contract for a proven top-six winger who is six years younger and likely to slot in on the RW side.
Photo Credit: Canadiens.com
While the 6'0" Parenteau is not a physical player, he is a bigger player than the 5'7" Briere. Size is size. The pass-first Parenteau has a style of game similar to former Avalanche and Canadiens forward Alex Tanguay. Tanguay only played one season in Montreal, where he had 16 goals and 41 points in 50 games while suffering from various ailments. While it is too early to speculate where Parenteau fits in the line-up, it is hard to see him fitting on a line with David Desharnais and as both players have pass-first tendencies although he might mesh well with the sniper Max Pacioretty.
Briere never earned the trust of Michel Therrien and spent most of the season juggling between the bottom lines and most centered the 4th line. His 13 goals and 25 points in 69 games represented his worst statistical output since his 1999-00 rookie year and his average time on the ice of 12:46 was the lowest it was since 2000/01 with Phoenix. Briere might not be a top-6 forward any more at this point of his career, but Colorado is willing to gamble that he has something left in the tank. Briere can still contribute on the power-play.
Photo Credit: Sportsnet.ca
Parenteau briefly talked to Montreal as a free-agent prior to signing a four-year/$16-million deal with Colorado two years ago. The Boucherville, Quebec native had a 20-goal season in 2010-11 and a breakout 67-point season in 2011-12 while playing with John Tavares on the New York Islanders. His first year in Colorado saw him put up 18 goals and 43 points in a lockout-shortened 48-game season. Last season he struggled with Patrick Roy at the helm and has acknowledged there was some friction between the two. In 55 games, Parenteau had 14 goals and 33 points. Last season was also the first time in his career that he missed games due to injury as he suffered a torn MCL. He is expected to be completely healthy in time for training camp.
Parenteau has friends on the Canadiens in Dale Weise, Brandon Prust and Desharnais so he will see some familiar faces when he arrives at training camp.
Notes: The Canadiens career of Ryan White has ended, unless he signs a minor-league deal as the Canadiens declined to offer him a contract and he is set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent. White failed to crack the line-up consistently and was subsequently replaced in the Therrien circle of trust by his good friend Dale Weise. Minor leaguers Peter Delmas and Robert Czarnik were also non-tendered.
Marc Bergevin did extend qualifying offers to forwards Lars Eller and Joonas Nattinen and defenceman P.K. Subban, thus retaining their rights. While Eller and Subban are expected to sign long-term extensions, qualifying them was necessary in retaining their rights and as such, this is hardly considered news.
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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.
The
Canadiens (37-25-7) welcome Patrick Roy to the Bell Centre for the
first time as coach of the Avalanche (44-19-5) Tuesday night. The game
is set to start at 7:30 and airs on RDS and TSN-Habs.
This is the
last of two meetings between the Habs and Avs this season, and the only
one in Montreal. Colorado won the first game 4-1 on the strength of
three unanswered third period goals, including PA Parenteau's empty
netter. Nathan MacKinnon, Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog each
scored for the Avalanche, while Habs youngsters Brendan Gallagher and
Alex Galchenyuk and PK Subban combined for Montreal's lone goal.
What to Watch:
Michel
Therrien changed around his lineup again for Sunday's game again the
Sabres, putting Brian Gionta alongside Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk
while Daniel Briere and Brendan Gallagher played on a line with Tomas
Plekanec. Thomas Vanek had 6 shots against his former club on Sunday but
is still looking for his first goal as a Hab.
While Matt Duchene
leads the Avalanche with 64 points in 65 games, even more impressive may
be the fact the the offensive duo of Landeskog and 18-year old
MacKinnon are each a plus 19 this season, sharing the team lead in that
department. With 52 points, MacKinnon leads all rookies in scoring. The
Avs already have 5 players to hit the 20 goal mark this season, Duchene,
Landeskog, MacKinnon are all there along with Ryan O'Reilly and Paul
Stastny.
What's at Stake:
The Canadiens and
the Avalanche are both fighting for home playoff races but the return
of Patrick Roy to Montreal as coach of the Avalanche will take center
stage. Roy has his team just a point ahead of Chicago in the race for
second place in the Central and home ice advantage in the playoffs. The
Canadiens are in a three-way fight with the Leafs and the Bolts for
second in their division and home ice in the first round.
Who's Out:
Michael
Bournival has been cleared to play but will be doing so in Hamilton, he
was sent to the Bulldogs on a conditioning stint following his
concussion. Josh Gorges (hand) is still out until at least the start of
April.
The Avs are without PA Parenteau (knee) and Alex Tanguay (hip) while Paul Stastny is day-to-day with an upper body injury.
What Else:
Patrick
Roy returns to Montreal, bringing together the only two teams he ever
played for, winning a combined 4 Stanley Cups, a pair with each of his
teams and the last two in their history. As impressive as his on ice
performances were, he's off to a strong start in his second NHL career.
The Avs are already up to 93 points with over a dozen games left on the
season, on pace for their best regular season record since the 2000-01,
the year of their last Cup win.
The Question Mark:
Something
a little special for the Question Mark today, send your answers to
@MTLHockeytalk on Twitter with the hashtag #MTLHockey:
Draw the most unfair comparison you can of Carey Price to Patrick Roy.
Tune
in to the Pregame Show at 6:30 on montrealhockeytalk.com where we'll
get to your answers. And be sure to tune in after the game to the
Montreal Hockey Talk Post Game Show.
According to Louis Jean of TVA Sports, Habs GM Marc Bergevin has turned down a trade that would have sent Avalanche forward Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau to the Canadiens in exchange for forward Rene Bourque.
Parenteau, 30, is slated to receive $4M/year for the next three seasons while Bourque, 32, is under contract through the 2015-16 season at an affordable cap hit of $3.33M.
Parenteau has 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 41 games this season whereas Bourque has a mere 7 goals and a single helper for 8 points in 39 games with Montreal.
At the moment it is still unclear if other elements were involved in the deal, but it is also reported that the Canadiens would retain part of Bourque's salary and would send a low draft pick in the trade.
While Avalanche beat write Adrian Dater indicated that this rumor is untrue, NHL insiders Renaud Lavoie and Bob MacKenzie confirmed that Parenteau is on the trade market right now.
To add fuel to the fire, PAP is a healthy scratch tonight for the Avalanche.
While reports are contradictory, it is highly doubtful Marc Bergevin would reject a one for one trade that would allow him to get rid of the unproductive Bourque for a top-six forward that would definitely help the Habs' sputtering offense.
Stay tuned as there might be more developments on that rumor du jour in the upcoming hours or days.
Follow me on Twitter @FredPoulin98 to get more updates and news on the Habs.
Paolo Mingarelli dives into the next conference out West, the Central, home of the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.
The Central division, as it stands, could be the host of the Western Conference Final. The Blackhawks and Blues are expected to make post-season appearances and will do so while making the seasons challenging for their division rivals. Much progress is being made by teams who have recently finished in the bottom tier of the NHL standings, of which 3 teams are located in the Central.
Conversely, the NBA's Sacramento Kings were deemed as having the worst. As for the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche's set is considered the least appealing.
As for Canadian teams, the Edmonton Oilers were ranked 104th out of 121. Not exactly stellar. Personally, I wish they would bring back this logo.
What do you think? Which NHL teams have the prettiest and ugliest uni's?
Hockey and Habs news
- Our Amos Legault takes an insightful and humorous look at some of the NHL's old rules for goaltenders. Honestly, some of the rules seem pretty silly under today's standards.
With the trade deadline upon us, rumors are swirling all over the Internet, and especially on Twitter, as fake insiders try to get the attention of hockey fans by spreading false information. I will try to dissect some of the hottest rumors around and tell you which players are most likely available.
Thursday the first major traded happened when the Columbus Blue Jackets traded disgruntled center Jeff Carter to the goal-starved Los Angeles Kings in exchange for blue liner Jack Johnson and a 1st round draft pick in 2012 or 2013.
You can find part 1 here and part 2 here. Below you will find part 3 of 3.
Philadelphia Flyers
In the thick of the playoff race and with Chris Pronger out for the year, the Philadelphia Flyers have already acquired two defensemen in Pavel Kubina from Tampa Bay and Nicklas Grossman from Dallas.
The Flyers are tight against the cap and could be willing to sacrifice winger Jakub Voracek and his $2,250,000 salary in order to land the impact player they need to contend for the Cup. Voracek will be a restricted free agent at season’s end and the Flyers will have problems keeping him. While their main issue is in goal, Ilya Bryzgalov and his hefty contract are not going anywhere, and the team will most likely keep Sergei Bobrovsky as an insurance policy.
Phoenix Coyotes
The league-owned Phoenix Coyotes have caught fire lately going 9-0-1 in their last ten games and, as a result, the team now leads the Pacific Division with 73 points. The Coyotes have already made their big trade, acquiring two-way pivot Antoine Vermette from Columbus for two draft picks. Don't expect another major move because of their budget restrictions, but the acquisition of a depth player is not out of the equation. Veterans UFAs such as Shane Doan, Daymond Langkow, Ray Whitney, Taylor Pyatt, Michal Rozsival and Adrian Aucoin should finish the season in the desert.
David Jones will certainly draw interest if the Avalanche decides to trade him.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Thanks to Evgeni Malkin‘s great play and Kris Letang‘s return from his concussion, it is safe to say the Pittsburgh Penguins will be buyers at the deadline as GM Ray Shero has always been very active in the weeks leading to the trade freeze. With Sidney Crosby‘s return this season less than certain, one would think the Penguins would look to add a quality forward to its already potent offense, but right now the team is looking to add a back-up goalie to replace under-performing veteran Brent Johnson.
Names like Curtis Sanford and Chris Mason have been mentioned. Also, if David Jones is moved by the Colorado Avalanche, look for the Penguins to push hard to obtain his services.
San Jose Sharks
After acquiring two-way forward Dominic Moore from the Lightning, the San Jose Sharks are looking to bolster their blue line as they need a steady defensive rearguard such as Bryan Allen or Johnny Oduya to improve their dismal penalty kill (77.5% efficiency). Jim Vandermeer and Colin White have been major disappointments and the team has lost confidence in them. The club could also be looking for another top-nine forward to replace Martin Havlat, who has been battling injuries all season.
St. Louis Blues
After signing goalie Brian Elliott to a two-year contract extension, it is clear the St Louis Blues did not see Ben Bishop in their soup and have just traded him to the Ottawa Senators for a 2nd round draft pick in 2013. With the return of Andy McDonald, the Blues received the offensive boost they were looking and should be pretty quiet at the deadline.
However, they could dangle unproductive RFA Chris Stewart for defensive help as the team would like to add a left-handed shooting defender to its already stellar defensive group, especially with Kris Russell suffering from concussion-like symptoms.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Eight points out of a playoff spot, the Tampa Bay Lightning will obviously be sellers at the deadline, especially since their goalies have been less-than spectacular and their defensive corps has been ravaged by injuries to key players like Mattias Ohlund and Victor Hedman.
Steve Yzerman knows that last season was a fluke and wants to be patient with his team. He has already traded forward Dominic Moore to the Sharks and defender Pavel Kubina to the Flyers for draft picks. He also traded super-pest Steve Downie to the Avalanche for rearguard Kyle Quincey, who he then immediately shipped to the Red Wings a first round pick in 2012.
Two-way forward Adam Hall is drawing a lot of interest and could be traded next, while blueliners Brett Clark and Matt Gilroy could find a taker looking for depth on the blue line. Ryan Malone is also on the market, but with four more years at $4,500,000 and a full no-movement clause until next season, he’s going nowhere.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rumors are swirling about the Toronto Maple Leafs and their talkative GM Brian Burke, who’s reportedly trying to add a big name to his forward group. Obviously, Burke is looking to add size and is interested in James Van Riemsdyk, Dustin Brown, Rick Nash, and even Ryan Malone to a lesser extent. The Leafs are willing to part ways with a defender such as Luke Schenn, Carl Gunnarsson or Cody Franson to acquire that big forward.
The team is also considering bringing a goalie like Evgeni Nabokov, Nikolai Khabibulin or Josh Harding into the mix as James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson have been inconsistent this season. UFA center Mikhail Grabovski presents an interesting case as he could become available if Burke decides to unload the shifty Grabovski who is rumored to be looking for a long term deal averaging around five million dollars per year.
Vancouver Canucks
Currently at the top of the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks are open for business and are looking to add an impact player up front after placing defender Keith Ballard on the LTIR and freeing $4.2 millions in cap space. The team is dangling RFA Mason Raymond and prospect Jordan Schroeder as trade baits in order to acquire a bigger fish like Dustin Brown or Steve Ott. The team could also add a depth defenseman as insurance.
Young goaltending stud Corey Schneider is not going anywhere.
Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals blueliners Jeff Schultz and Roman Hamrlik could be traded for offensive help as they have both been in Dale Hunter's doghouse recently. With all-star center Nicklas Backstrom still battling concussion symptoms, the team will certainly consider adding an offensive-minded pivot to play with Alexander Ovechkin as the team is currently counting on unproven youngsters Marcus Johansson and Mathieu Perreault to carry the offensive load at center.
Veteran UFA Mike Knuble could also be sent packing. The 39 year-old winger as been playing on the team's fourth line in the last few weeks.
Winnipeg Jets
With the Winnipeg Jets back in the thick of the playoffs race and fighting for the Southeast Division lead with the Capitals and the Panthers, the team will most likely keep defenseman Johnny Oduya, an impending UFA, instead of trading him for a high draft pick. However, the Jets could try to unload UFA Randy Jones and veteran goalie Chris Mason to teams looking for depth.
RFA Eric Fehr might also on his way out thanks to his poor play since his return from a shoulder injury. If the Jets decide to add a player, they will most likely look for depth players such as the Blue Jackets' Samuel Pahlsson or Habs' Mathieu Darche.
--- Follow Fred on Twitter for more updates on the trade deadline and the NHL in general.
With the Montreal Canadiens coming off a satisfying win over the Boston Bruins, they embarked on their longest road trip of the season this weekend. A grueling seven-city trip that would see them hit all four corners of North America.
Their first stop was last night in Colorado against the smoking-hot Avalanche, winners of five straight games. The Habs and Avs are two teams that don't play each other very often so the only real pre-game storyline was former Hab Ryan O'Byrne—who now plays for the Avs—facing his former teammates for the first time.
On the ice, the Canadiens employed their usual trapping road game strategy, shutting down the center of the ice, clogging the neutral zone and ensuring that there wasn't much pace to the game. Patiently waiting for their opportunities, the Habs opened the scoring when Michael Cammalleri blasted his 12th of the season past Craig Anderson on a nice give-and-go with Tomas Plekanec.
But the Avs tied it up with five seconds left to play in the first, spoiling what had up until that point been a perfect road game.
While the first period was a sleeper the game got more exciting in the second as the team traded goals and the pace quickened. The Avs, who are a fast, skilled-based team, seemed to get better as the game progressed, dominating play in the second period.
Coming back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, the Avs took the lead in the second frame by capitalizing on a weak clearing attempt from P.K. Subban, while they were outshooting the Habs 15-8. Once again, if it was not for Carey Price, this game would have been over in the second.
Despite being down by a goal, the Canadiens threw everything but the kitchen sink at Avs' goalie Anderson, outshooting Colorado 14-5 in the third. Anderson was equal to the task, however, shutting the door for their sixth straight victory.
Final score: Avs 3 - Habs 2
Habs' scorers: Michael Cammalleri (12), Alexandre Picard (2)
Avs' scorers: Ryan Wilson (2), Kevin Porter (7), T.J. Gallardi (5)
Three stars: 1. Ryan O'Reilly, 2. Craig Anderson, 3. Michael Cammalleri
Game Notes
1. Cammalleri is in his rightful place alongside Plekanec.
For a second game in a row, Michael Cammalleri scored the first goal of the game and it is apparent how comfortable he is playing with Plekanec.
Plekanec is the perfect setup man for Cammalleri, who is able to find the prime scoring spot, post himself there and wait for the pass. Plek then saucers him a sweet feed and Cammalleri is ready to deliver a patented one-knee-Cammalleri-special.
When Cammalleri is able to position himself for the shot he tends to play his best hockey, as opposed to when he was trying to carry the play by himself during his stint on Scott Gomez's line.
After starting the season slowly, Cammalleri now leads all Habs with 12 goals for the season and has eight points (5G, 3A) in the last seven games.
Cammalleri is currently on pace to score 30 goals and 32 assists.
2. The Habs let in another late period goal.
Aside from a goal late in the period, the Habs played a perfect road game in the first frame. They gave the Avs little to shoot at, shut down the neutral zone and overall stifled any flow to the game. The result was a boring but effective period for the road team.
Jacques Martin hockey is not always exciting but it is often successful.
The problem, as has become a regular occurrence, is that the Habs got themselves in trouble with bad turnovers and it cost them the game.
There is a big difference between going into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead after having shut down the opposition, or going into the break tied at one after letting the opposition tie the game with five seconds to play.
The six most important minutes of any game are the first and last minute of each period, as goals scored for or against during those minutes tend to do the biggest job of creating or destroying momentum.
Since losing 3-0 to the Nashville Predators on November 18, 2010, the Habs have a 7-8 record and have struggled to find consistency. It is also during this stretch that their egregious giveaways, poor decision making and late or early period goals against have been sinking the ship.
The Canadiens need to get back to taking care of the small details on the ice if they want to push past the .500 barrier for the first time since mid-November.
3. Price continues to be as steady as a metronome.
Making key saves at key times, Carey Price continues to keep his team in each game with heart stopping saves to cover up for his teammates' ugly turnovers and giveaways.
As good as Price has been this season—and he has been spectacular—he has let in one weak goal in each of the last three games. Last night, it was on Kevin Porter's tying goal. It was a backhander that slide under Price and is a goal that he would surely like to have back.
While it is nothing major to worry about I wonder if this is perhaps a sign of fatigue kicking in.
Price has played all but three games this season and is currently on pace to play 75. While Price is young and in excellent shape, if you look at the last few playoff seasons, history tells us that playing goaltenders too much in the regular season doesn't tend to produce good results come April.
Players like Miikka Kiprusoff and Martin Brodeur who average in excess of 70 games per season, don't have very much to show for it come playoff time over the last few seasons. As such, I think the Habs would be wise to try and aim to play Price in no more than 65 games this season, giving Auld a good 15-20 starts rather than the seven he is on pace for. That would allow Price to be rested, sharp and ready come playoff time.
Given his age, however, Price might be ready for the playoffs regardless of how many games he plays this season.
But why take a chance?
4. Scott Gomez continues to look like he has found his game.
Since coming back from injury, Gomez has five assists over three games, a revival that coincided with the arrival of Max Pacioretty on his line.
Gomez seems to have come back from his injury absence with his head screwed on straight and is making better decisions on the ice as a result. That being said, you can't discount how much of a difference Pacioretty makes on that line.
Using his size, speed and skill to create room for his linemates, MaxPac has been the offensive catalyst on the second line.
While Gomez has played better and seems to be on the right track, it would be nice to see him shoot the puck a little more often. Nine times out of ten he passes the puck, even when there isn't a good passing option, and that is making him a little too predictable.
Last night he was actually shooting more than usual and it resulted in the Habs' second goal of the game. Regardless of his shot total, however, he is having success again and that is a good thing for the Montreal Canadiens.
5. The turnovers have got to stop.
The Habs do a great job of collapsing down-low around Carey Price, and Price is proving that he has was it takes to be en elite goaltender in this league, but does that mean that they have to make it harder for him by turning the puck over so much?
As of this morning, the Montreal Canadiens are second in the league with 910 giveaways so far this season. The only team with more giveaways than the Habs is the Oilers, with 1055, and they 26th in league standings.
The first Avs goal last night was scored on a power play. Previous to the PP, Andrei Kostitsyn made a brutal turnover at the Habs blueline, leaving his defense vulnerable. Jaroslav Spacek hooked the Avs' player in an attempt to stop him from getting a clear scoring chance, resulting in the penalty.
The second Avs' goal was scored after a weak clearing attempt by Subban ended up on the Colorado player's stick and in the back of the net.
The Canadiens have made an unfortunate habit of terrible unforced-errors and have been doing so all season long. The only reason the Habs have been able to get away with such sloppy play is because of Carey Price. His phenomenal play has hidden a lot of the blemishes of this team and has made them look better than they really are.
I shudder to think where they would be right now without Price's excellent play.
Standings and Next Game
The Habs missed a golden opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the Boston Bruins last night. The loss drops the Habs' record to 19-12-2 with 40 points in the standings and the Bruins have 38 points and two games in hand.
Montreal now travels to Dallas for game two of this seven game road trip, to take on the Stars on Tuesday evening. The Habs will be trying to avoid losing two games in a row for the third time this season.
(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images North America)
Salary Cap
Ryan O'Byrne's cap hit is $941,667 according to Capgeek.com.
Speak with Brian LaRose of Habsworld.net he explained that:
"The cap savings that the Habs get from the trade is what is remaining of O'Byrne's contract, which is his full season cap hit less what has been spent ($941,667-$177,195) which is $764,472."
