The Montreal Canadiens got back on the winning track yesterday with a 3-1 regulation victory in New Jersey against the Devils.
Montreal, who has been floundering of late and has yet to clinch a playoff spot, played a perfect road game in getting only their second win in the last six games.
For the Devils, the loss eliminated them from playoff contention marking the first time since 1996 they will miss the playoffs.
A Jacques Martin versus Jacques Lemaire coaching matchup is nothing to get excited about and the two coaches didn't disappoint! These are, afterall, two of the last remaining coaches who truly embrace the 90's-style neutral zone trap.
As such, it is a bit of a sleepy game but one that suited the Canadiens just fine.
Moreover, with Montreal struggling to find their game in recent weeks, it was perhaps just what the doctor ordered.
Both Martin Brodeur and Carey Price were spectacular for their respective teams, Brodeur having to make the bigger stops. Despite Brodeur's strong play, Montreal got two goals from Mathieu Darche and one from P.K. Subban—his 13th of the season tying him for 7th among NHL defenseman and first among rookie D—to secure the win.
The victory was a much needed bounce back for Price who had been pulled in his previous three road games.
In turning aside 20 of 21 shots he face, Price's earned his second overall 36th win of the season. This career high equals the most victories that Patrick Roy had in any one season over his entire career in Montreal.
We all know that the Devils will not be playing hockey past the end of the regular season. That being said, New Jersey has been one of the hottest teams in the league since early January going 26-8-3 in their last 37 games.
Last night, however, the Devils looked more like the Canadiens in recent weeks, which is to say not very good.
They were flat, had zero forecheck, looked slow and struggled to gain and keep the puck in the offensive zone. As such, the Habs were able to easily dominate play for most of the game, especially in the first.
The Devils managed a little push-back in the second, but otherwise struggled to produce much of a threat.
Watching last night's game was like watch the Canadiens play, over recent weeks, but from the other side. The Devils, similarly to Montreal, have a bunch of highly skilled offensive players who seem to be stifled by Jersey's defense-first mentality.
Players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Patrick Elias and Travis Zajac could likely do a lot more with an attacking system. But alas, they are left to toil through stifling defensive responsibilities instead of trying to score, much like Montreal.
The Devils, who will miss the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons, clearly have some soul searching to do. Will they continue to ride this dead neutral-zone trap horse or will they go in a new direction?
Only time will tell, but GM Lou Lamoriello doesn't seem like a man who is interested in change.
Mathieu Darche continues to impress
What can you say about Mathieu Darche?
This is a player who was an afterthought to most in the offseason, myself included. A player that had many wringing their hands when he was re-signed instead of Dominic Moore.
The thinking was that while Moore would have cost the Canadiens more dollars, he was a younger, faster, more skilled version of Darche. So while Darche's work ethic has always been beyond reproach, I think there were few who thought he would end up being as effective as he has been.
This season, Darche is putting his best statistical season by playing a simple and effective game. The result is that he's made himself indispensable to the Canadiens.
In recent weeks, with Darche and Max Pacioretty out of the lineup, the Habs have had a shortage of players willing to go to the net. But last night, Darche picked up that responsibility and ran with it.
On both of Darche's goals he used simplicity to get the Habs on the board by heading to the net, fighting for stick positioning with the defender and deflecting Brian Gionta's pass/shot past Brodeur.
Neither goal was flashy and but both were effective, back-to-basics type goals.
The Habs have been stuck trying to get the "perfect" goal far too often this season. So last night it was nice to see simplicity become the hallmark of victory.
Sometimes that's what you need in order to turn a bad streak around.
The hidden hand of Bob Gainey is still working magic
Much has been made of Bob Gainey's infrequent private discussions with certain players over the years.
The first such incident took place with former Hab, Alex Kovalev, when he was playing some abysmal hockey a few seasons ago. The now famous walk by the water in the Old Port of Montreal, had lasting effects on Kovalev and helped make him a more productive player for the Habs.
Last season, after being demoted to the Bulldogs and going AWOL, it was Sergei Kostitsyn's turn to get a personal one-on-one visit from Gainey. After the meeting, Kostitsyn returned to the Bulldogs and played some excellent hockey before ultimately being recalled to Montreal and subsequently traded.
This season, it was Scott Gomez's turn to receive special treatment from Silent Bob.
It was reported that three games ago, Gainey came out of the shadows to talk with the much maligned center. While the details of what was discussed have and will continue to remain a secret, the effects of the tête-a-tête are visible on the ice.
Since their discussion, Gomez has played his best hockey of the 2010-2011 NHL season. On the scoreboard, he has two assists and a plus-2 rating over the last three games but, more importantly, looks like he has come back to life.
He is finally skating, making plays and strong passes, looks good in the defensive zone and, for the first time this season, is making his wingers better.
The addition of Darche on his has been a boon too, since Darche does all of the dirty work needed for the trio to be effective.
With three games left in the season Gomez's resurgence could not be more timely. But let's just remember who should be credited for the turnaround.
If there was any doubt about Gainey's involvement in the team, I think it is now dispelled. The only question that remains now is whether or not Gomez will be traded. As witnessed with Kovalev and Kostitsyn, a private Gainey talk seems to be the kiss of death!
Standings and Next Game
The Canadiens earned two critical points in the standings last night and are sixth in the East with 91. Montreal's magic number to make the playoffs now sits at two, although that will likely change based on what teams behind them do.
Buffalo, 5-4 overtime losers to the Caps last night, are in seventh with 88 points with the Rangers closing out the top-eight with 87 points.
Both teams hold a game in hand on Montreal.
In ninth overall are the Carolina Hurricanes with 86 points and four games left. The highest point total they can get if they win all four games is 94. That being said, with games against the Sabres, Red Wings, Thrashers and Lightning remaining, it seems unlikely that they will get a clean sweep.
As such, Montreal could end up clinching a playoff spot on a Hurricanes loss over the course of the next week.
The Habs now travel back to Montreal for a two-day break before taking on Chicago on Tuesday. After that, they have a Thursday tilt in Ottawa before closing out the season in Toronto.
Will it take Montreal until the final game to clinch like it did last season? Somehow I don't think so, but in a week from now we'll know for sure.
--- 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/
The Montreal Canadiens faced off against the New Jersey Devils yesterday afternoon at the Bell Centre.
The Devils are a team that has tended to have the Canadiens number for the last decade or so and while Jersey is having their worst season in years, they have turned the corner lately going 8-1-2 in their previous 11 games. As such, the streaking Canadiens needed to be wary of their opponents, especially since Montreal was playing their second game in as many days.
Unfortunately, the Canadiens did not come ready to play, at least not for the first 10 minutes or so. As such, the Habs were always one step behind the play as the Devils employed an aggressive forecheck, putting constant pressure on the Canadiens defenders and taking away their time and space.
With the Devils squeezing the Canadiens and physically manhandling them, the Canadiens had several early turnovers leading to Devils' scoring chances.
Danius Zubrus opened the scoring for the Devils, jumping on a Hall Gill turnover on the door step where he slipped the puck between Carey Price's pads for a 1-0 lead. Jersey increased their lead to two when Ilya Kovalchuk deflected a Colin White shot from the point past Price 4:04 into the first.
But it was in the second period that the Devils really poured it on, outshooting Montreal 14-5 and going into the third with a 3-1 lead. Once again, were it not for Price's stellar play the outcome could have been much worse.
Despite sleeping through most of the game, the Canadiens came to life in the third as Jersey sat back in their defensive shell, but were ultimately unable to capitalize on their chances.
Kovalchuk would add his second of the game into an empty net and that was all she wrote. Montreal was ultimately not able to overcome New Jersey's early first and second period goals, delivering their first loss in four games.
The Habs top defensive duo were on the ice for both first period Devils' goals and on both plays their weak defensive zone coverage and turnovers led directly to the opposition's markers.
Credit has to go to the Devils, however, as their aggressive forecheck made Subban, Gill and Scott Gomez panic with the puck. While Gill ultimately turned the puck over it was Gomez's miscue that led to the goal.
Getting the puck behind the net, Gomez skated into the corner only to turn and send the puck behind the net rather than trying to clear it out of the zone. This meant that the puck went back into traffic and, as Gill tried to evade his checker, he instead turned it over to him.
I think the turnovers were more a result of the hard work by the Devils than lapses by the Canadiens but still, Montreal has to start stronger than that.
Gill and Subban settled down after the goals, playing key roles on the back end and racking up 19:27 and 24:48 of ice time respectively.
Unfortunately, they both finished the night at a minus-2 and that, ladies and gentleman, was the game right there.
2. Max Pacioretty looks like a man on a mission.
Pacioretty was again driving to the net with conviction, yesterday, and his presence in the Habs lineup continues to be a boon for Montreal.
In the first period, with the Devils mostly dominating play, Pacioretty grabbed the puck at the Jersey blueline, outskated the Devils' defender and cut to the front of the net. Brian Gionta was also driving to the net and Pacioretty's play drew the focus to him, leaving Gionta open. While there was no rebound for Gionta to put into the empty net, Pacioretty's play led to a Henrik Tallinder hooking penalty on Gionta, giving the Habs their first power play of the game.
And while the Canadiens were unable to score on the PP, the play shows why it is so important for players to go to the net. No player on the Canadiens roster has either the speed, skill or inclination to go to the net with as much conviction as Pacioretty does.
When Pacioretty was drafted by the Canadiens in 2007, head of amateur scouting, Trevor Timmins, said that he thought he had found a true power forward. That hardnosed, scoring player that all teams covet but who is extremely hard to draft or trade for.
Pacioretty is not yet putting up the numbers a la John Leclair, but so far he seems to be fitting the mold that Timmins had hoped for.
3. Carey Price once again gave his team a chance to win.
It is becoming a regular occurrence that the Canadiens don't necessarily have the best starts to games. Not all the time, but often enough that it is bothersome to Habs' fans.
Yesterday, as has been the case on many occasions this season, Price was the only player on the Canadiens that came to play in the first.
Despite letting in two first period goals—both the results of defensive zone turnovers from his teammates—Price stood tall, making several key saves while the Devils were completely outplaying the Habs in the first period.
Price's strong play continued in the second as the Habs were being outshot 14-5. Despite having put three past the Canadiens' netminder, Price was the only reason why Montreal still had a chance to get back in this one.
Actually, given the hermetic defensive system that the Devils play when leading, it was perhaps a long shot for Montreal to comeback in this one. That being said, without Price, this one could have been a blowout before the third period even started.
4. The Habs were outmuscled by the Devils.
For the first time since their 5-2 loss to the Flyers, size made a big difference.
From the start of the game, the Devils not only outworked the Habs but also outmuscled them.
Players like Danius Zubrus, Colin White, Jason Arnott and even Ilya Kovalchuk, hit and pushed around the Canadiens every chance they got. The aggressive Devils set the tone early in the match with their physical play, clearly putting a bit of a scare in the Habs players.
All of a sudden you started seeing the Canadiens go into the corners with their sticks rather than their shoulders, unwilling to take the hit to make the play.
It was this kind of soft play that caused Gomez to panic with the puck, throwing it behind the net to Subban and Gill, leading to the Devils' first goal.
As well as the Canadiens have been playing since the end of December, they still clearly need some thump in their lineup. Pacioretty's improved play is a good start but adding a player like Jason Arnott or even R.J. Umberger would go a long way towards helping the Habs in the physicality department.
5. The Devils are back.
With 42 points in the standings and 29 games left to play in the season it seems highly unlikely that the Devils will make the playoffs this season.
That being said, after an abysmal first half of the season that saw them fire their coach and re-hire Jacques Lemaire, they look like they have found their game again.
What we saw last night was the once again hermetically-defense Devils with a strong Martin Brodeur in the net—he left the game due to injury after the first period in favour of Johan Hedberg—surrounded by a strong defensive system.
New Jersey's success has always come from their system and, under former coach John MacLean, it seemed like they either got away from that system or stopped playing for their coach.
As much as it is painful for Habs' fans to see their team continuously lose to the Devils, I think having a strong New Jersey team is a good thing for the league.
These guys should be back on top of things next season.
Standings and Next Game
The loss moves Montreal's record to 30-19-5, with 65 points in the standings, still in sole possession of sixth overall in the East.
The standings stay unchanged for Montreal who missed an opportunity to tie the Bruins with 67 points in the standings. Montreal is three points behind the Capitals with an equal amount of games played, has a three point lead on the Rangers with one game in hand, and is seven points ahead of both Carolina and Atlanta, with the Canes holding one game in hand and the Thrashers having played one more than Montreal.
The Habs now have two days off before taking on the Bruins on Wednesday and the Islanders on Thursday. With the Bruins holding a two point lead on the Canadiens for tops in the Northeast, Wednesday's game is sure to have a playoff-like atmosphere.
New Sunday Shinny Podcast
In this week's Sunday Shinny Gary Whittaker, Nick Murdocco, Kamal Panesar and Amanda Stein discuss the following:
-review of the win against the Rangers
-discuss if a trade with Ottawa involved Kovalev, would you do it?
-preview game against the Devils
Click play below to listen in (listing time 40:55):
(Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images North America)
After losing the night before to the Edmonton Oilers in a horrific manner, the P.K. Subban-less Canadiens were in New Jersey to take on the Devils last night. Coach Martin, clearly unhappy with the play of his young defensive stud, benched Subban in favour of Yannick Weber.
While this was a bit of a shocking move for most fans, the Canadiens didn't seem to miss a beat. If they did think about it, his benching only served as motivation as they scored twice before the game was even two minutes old.
Brian Gionta potted the rebound on a Roman Hamrlik shot 11 seconds in and Lars Eller made it 2-0 at the 1:38 mark of the first. That was all she wrote for Johan Hedberg as the Devils pulled him in favour of Mike McKenna. Keep in mind that Jersey was already shorthanded in the net with perennial Hab-killer, Martin Brodeur, sidelined with an elbow injury.
The Devils were able to sparsely apply pressure at times during the game but, overall, were not really able to muster much offense. This is not really surprising when you consider that they are last in the league in goals for, with 46 in 25 games.
Aside from their offensive woes the Devils just looked like a flat, emotionless team. Most of the night they seemed as if they were just going through the motions, and while they did have a few decent scoring chances overall they really didn't put up much of a fight.
As has been the case since the beginning of the season, when they did have a chance to score, Price was there to shut the door.
Final score: Habs 5 - Devils 1
Habs' scorers: Brian Gionta (8), Lars Eller (2), Tom Pyatt (1), Scott Gomez (4), Benoit Pouliot (6),
Devils' scorers: Jason Arnott (9)
Three stars: 1. Lars Eller, 2. Brian Gionta, 3. Carey Price
Game Notes
1. Price continues to anchor this team.
Win, lose or draw, Carey Price continues to be the Habs' MVP. Last night's game against the Devils is one of the easier wins of his career to say the least, but the Devils still had several excellent scoring chances. And, in each case, Price was there to make the save.
There were moments in particular where sloppy play by the Canadiens would lead to a partial break or an odd man advantage for the Devils. Last year, Price would have let those shots in, deflating his team in the process and starting a downward spiral that would more often than not lead to a loss.
This year however, Price continues to make those key saves game in and game out, masking some of the flaws in the Canadiens' game in the process.
2. Lars Eller and Benoit Pouliot are starting to develop chemistry.
Eller scored his second goal of the season only 1:38 into the first period on a beautiful individual effort. While the goal was weak and Johan Hedberg would have stopped it if his skate was firmly against the post, it illustrates the incredible skill this kid has.
On the play, Eller picked up the puck in the neutral zone and turned on his after burners. He beat the Devils' defender with speed to the outside, then swooped behind the net for the wrap-around which he stuffed past the aforementioned Hedberg to make it 2-0.
Along with his linemates Benoit Pouliot and Mathieu Darche, the Habs third line is starting to develop some nice chemistry. Eller and Pouliot in particular look like they are starting to understand each other’s playing styles and, as such, are able to create more scoring chances. Given the offensive capabilities of both players, they form a duo that should be able to provide key secondary scoring for the Habs going forward.
Eller is gaining more and more confidence each game and looks like the prime candidate to tryout as the second line center, should the coaching staff decide to make a change.
As for Pouliot, he showed what an incredible shot he has when he fired one from the faceoff circle top shelf to make it 5-0 Montreal. The goal was Pouliot's sixth of the season and fifth on the road while averaging only 11:55 of ice time per game. Those are the kind of numbers that makes a coach smile from ear to ear.
While many are calling for Pouliot to be placed on the second line with Gomez and Cammalleri, I think he is better suited to the slightly more obscure role of third line winger. Without the added pressure and in absence of top defensive pairings to play against, Pouliot is able to produce on a regular basis. I am not so convinced that he has what it takes to do so in the top-six.
3. Weber played an excellent game.
Playing in place of fan favorite P.K. Subban, Weber looked good in a duo with defensive partner Alexandre Picard.
While we all know that Weber has a wicked shot from the point and is effective on the power play, what I was curious to see was how well he played on the defensive side of the puck at the NHL level.
Last night, Weber proved that he belongs in the NHL and in the process makes things a bit more complicated for GM Pierre Gauthier and Coach Martin. Despite his 5'11 frame, Weber was able to keep up with, compete against and shut down the opposition, including breaking up a 3-on-1 midway through the first period.
Now the Devils are hardly a juggernaut, but Weber showed that he has the skill to play defense in this league.
Oh, and if there was ever any doubts about his offensive abilities, Weber fired a howitzer at the net on a second period power play that lead to the Habs' fourth goal. With Mathieu Darche screening McKenna, Weber's bullet bounced off of the Devils' goalie right to Scott Gomez on the doorstep who put it into the empty net to make it 4-0. That point shot is something that Habs haven't had in their lineup since Marc-Andre Bergeron last season and, dare I say, it makes a big difference on the power play.
Weber finished the night with one assist, six shots on goal and 17:10 of ice time. The other thing he did is put the Canadiens defensive squad under the microscope.
With Weber playing so well, who will sit next game? You have to imagine that Coach Martin will not keep Subban out of the lineup for two straight games. Also, it is evident that Weber would increase the skill level of the Canadiens back end. So what does that coach do?
Given that Subban and Weber have similar games—with Subban having much more skill—don't overlook the possibility that Weber could be being showcased for a potential trade in the future.
4. Don't look now but Scott Gomez could be waking up.
With 17:40 minutes of ice time and one goal last night, Gomez now has goals in back-to-back games. His goal against the Oilers was fluky, but his marker against the Devils was anything but. Gomez was positioned where he needed to be, on the side of the net, and was in perfect position to put the rebound off of Weber's shot into the open net.
Both he and Cammalleri looked like they elevated their games last night. I don't know what happened behind closed doors, but it looked like the two players did some talking because they were much more cohesive last night.
Instead of playing keep away they were playing more of a pitch and catch style that seemed to compliment both Cammy's skill as a shooter and Gomez's skill as a playmaker.
Despite his improved performance, Gomez still found a way to be the only Canadiens' player to finish the night with a minus. He was the player who was supposed to be covering Jason Arnott when he cut in front of Price and scored the Devils' only goal of the game. In a 5-1 romp there is no question that this is a minor detail, but that was just not a good play by Gomez.
5. Roman Hamrlik is playing excellent hockey.
Often criticized by fans, Hamrlik currently looks every bit the defensive stalwart that helped the Canadiens survive through the Markov-less first half of last season. In addition, he has started to get into an offensive groove and has four points (1G, 3A) in his last two games.
With Markov likely out of the lineup long term, this is exactly the kind of offensive contribution that the Canadiens will need from Hamrlik. If he can keep it up and continue to make timely offensive pinches, Hamrlik will help even out the offense coming from the backend and make the Habs that much more competitive.
There is nothing quite like having two defensive duos that can score.
Standings and Next Game
In bouncing the Devils in Jersey, the Canadiens continue their win-one-lose-one ways. The win gives them 34 points in the standings and a 16-8-2 record.
The Habs have the day off before taking on the San Jose Sharks in a 2 pm matinee game at the Bell Centre on Saturday.
The big question right now is what is Jacques Martin going to do with his defense? Will Subban be back in the lineup? If so who sits? Weber looks ready for primetime so do you keep him in the lineup and sit Picard? Does he go with seven defenseman?
The plot thickens.
(Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images North America)
Hockey Inside/Out - Sunday argument-starter
