Canadiens' forward Rene Bourque, who was acquired last season in a trade with the Calgary Flames for Michael Cammalleri, has been the ire of many since his arrival in Montreal. Coming with a reputation of being short in the heart department, he did nothing to dissuade fans with his play last season.
Eric Cole, who during the NHL Lockout was quite outspoken about the labour dispute, spoke to Dave Stubbs of the Gazette, and explained how he had mixed emotions when he found out a deal was struck. From relief that it was over, to disgust that it took so long to figure out, Cole is definitely excited to hit the ice.
Habs and Hockey News and Notes:
- Most of the hockey world was stunned when Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment announced that Maple Leafs' General Manager Brian Burke was relieved of his duties and replaced by his second in command, former Vancouver Canucks GM Dave Nonis. Speculation is that MLSE President Tom Anselmi and the new members of the BCE/Rogers ownership group did not believe Burke and his arrogant demeanour were how they wanted to be represented. With Nonis taking over at the helm, it's expected that the team will continue with the same philosophy, as far as hockey operations are concerned.
Some have suggested that the rift between Burke and MLSE is rooted around the possible acquisition of Vancouver Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo. It's believed that MLSE Thinks that the recent moves made by Alex Anthopoulos and the Toronto Blue Jays have taken the attention away from the Leafs, when they should be front and Center in the Toronto sports scene, and trading for Luongo would change that.
- Speaking of Luongo, Enrico Ciccone, an analyst for TVA Sports, tweeted that the Philadelphia Flyers may be interested in getting Luongo. With their ill-advised long term signing of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, could the Flyers really afford to get Bobby Lou?
Now that the NHL and the NHLPA finally managed to conclude a deal and agree to a new collective bargaining agreement yesterday morning, NHL training camps are slated to open between Wednesday and Saturday all around the league after the Board of Governors meets on Tuesday to officially ratify the new agreement.
Will Galchenyuk crack the Habs’ line-up? (Terry Wilson/OHLImages)
The exact specifics of the season are still unknown, but Habs fans should expect a 48-game season that will begin on January 19th, 2013 at Air Canada Centre against their division arch-rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. New general managerMarc Bergevin will be hard pressed to put a competitive roster on the ice after the Canadiens finished last in the Eastern Conference last season.
Bergevin will have to start negotiating withrestricted free agentPK Subban in order to sign the über-talented and charismatic defender to a long-term contract in time for the beginning of the shortened season. Another important decision that Bergevin and his new head coach Michel Therrien will have to make is whether or not to keep the Habs’ third-overall selection of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal or send him back to his junior team, the Sarnia Sting.
Golden Gally
Overall, 2012 has been a successful year for the 18 year-old American. Galchenyuk played a key role in the United States’ gold medal victory over Sweden at the 2013 IIHF U-20 Championship, recording 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points in 7 contests, to go along with a +2 plus/minus differential during the tournament.
Prior to his participation to the World Juniors, Galchenyuk had recorded 61 points in 33 games (27 goals, 34 assists) while posting a solid +16 plus/minus differential with the Sarnia Sting. Now back with the Sting, the native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, could finish the season with more than 100 points should he remain in the OHL.
Impressed by his performance at the World Junior Championship and in the OHL, many Canadiens fans are asking for the organization to keep Galchenyuk in Montreal for the whole shortened season. While that sounds interesting and tempting to bring the youngster up to play with the big boys like Nail Yakupov with the Edmonton Oilers or Jonathan Huberdeau with the Florida Panthers, the Canadiens would be wise to leave Gally in the OHL for the remainder of the 2012-13 campaign.
Alex Galchenyuk is tearing it in the OHL (Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)
Still, look for the Canadiens to invite him to their one-week training camp to see what the young man can do against professional hockey players. The team currently has 13 forwards on a one-way contract, not including Louis Leblanc who played 42 games in the NHL last year and who is currently playing in the AHL for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Keeping Galchenyuk creates two problems for Michel Therrien and Marc Bergevin. First, the lack of playing time on the first two forward lines will be hard to come by. With the first-line of Erik Cole, David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty set in stone to begin the season, and a probable second line of Tomas Plekanec, Brian Gionta and Rene Bourque, Galchenyuk, who can play center or right wing, would find himself playing with Lars Eller and Travis Moen on the team’s checking line. Not exactly the best way to develop a top draft pick!
The other hurdle is his entry-level contract. Should he make the NHL after the brief training camp, Gally would earn a prorated $3,225,000 over the remainder the season and burn one year of his entry-level contract. With PK Subban still unsigned (and most likely commanding a salary around $5 million per year) and the organization already tight against the salary cap at $63,897,976 (of $70,200,000), it is safe to assume that the organization would be best suited if they return Galchenyuk to Sarnia to polish his skills and continue to dominate among his group age.
Finally, with the Canadiens most likely battling for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference and not being serious Stanley Cup contenders, Galchenyuk would greatly benefit from a full junior season after missing most of last campaign due to a major knee surgery, and graduate with the Canadiens next September instead.
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A long-time Joe Sakic fan, Fred, 34, is a freelance sports writer and translator. Fred earned a Bachelor of Translation in 2002 at Laval University in Quebec City. He also writes on the Montreal Canadiens for thehockeywriters.com and he is an associate editor and a baseball columnist on Dobberbaseball.com. He is also fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Before I start, I'd like to quickly introduce myself. My name is Amos, and I'm an addict.
I was born in a small Ontario town where I was first introduced to hockey by my father--an incredibly allegiant Leafs fan—with hopes for a future recruit. It didn't go as planned...
I'll be doing a regular column here at HabsAddict.com, and covering prospects and their development.
I'm very happy to be joining the Habs Addict family, and I feel privileged to be working with and writing for a group with such an incomparable passion for the CH!
So, without further ado, here's my first column...
--
Looking at players and line combinations for next season, would you break up the Montreal Canadiens' top line of Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Eric Cole?
The answer is usually a quick, resounding “NO,” and chief among reasons is that it’s unwise to dismantle the only line that produced offensively last season.
While I agree—after the train wreck of 2011-12 and the uncertainty it has created—that the mere idea is a frightening one, let me give you a few reasons why I think the benefits could be worth it.
What to do with Lars Eller?
It's been suggested before that Lars Eller on the wing, completing a second unit with Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta would be an ideal scenario if Eller were comfortable there.
Who doesn't want to see a budding player with his promise develop further alongside offensive-minded attackers?
Personally, I don't believe—when looking at a checking line—that Eller is the right guy for the job. Yes, he's technically the team's largest pivot and isn't necessarily shy of the physical game, but isn't he meant to be a top-six player?
The potential is there and he deserves a real shot at an offensively defined role.
But for me, the real problem with the winger idea came when Eller said that he "doesn't mind playing there," followed by "I'll play where I'm needed".
He's not a veteran, nor a rookie. He's at that stage where things can quickly go south if he's not utilized properly. You don't want Lars playing a position that he "doesn't mind". You want him at center where he's naturally at his best, whether he's adjusting to the wing or not.
So the question now involves Desharnais and, more importantly, Plekanec.
The Plekanec Problem
I am still a firm believer that Plekanec is a No. 1 center in this league and, though he's very good defensively, is a world-class playmaker. There is tantalizing point-production that has been evaporating from his game while he toils on an ever-shifting, uncertain second line.
Until the Habs trade him in a package for a superstar pivot, Plekanec needs to be centering the best possible linemates available, consistently.
In my mind, Cole and Pacioretty are pretty well inseparable and they are both lock-ins for the Habs' premier line. I think we are all mostly in agreement on that, and for now I wouldn't suggest splitting them apart.
Desharnais on the other hand is a slightly different case...
Where to put Desharnais
This is not to suggest that DD hasn't earned the spot he's in, and I'm not denying the chemistry that he has with Pacioretty and Cole. Looking back at the year though, I don't remember DD being as integral to that unit's success as Cole and Pacioretty were.
For all intents and purposes, the Habs are at square one this season. They're starting from the bottom of the barrel and there's a new coaching staff driving the boat.
Is there not time to generate some new chemistry, perhaps with Plekanec centering the Cole line, and Eller centering Gio and Bourque? It's been talked about, but Le Tricolore remain without a solid, fully-defined second unit, and now seems as good a time as any to try and fix that.
Barring the signing of a more capable left winger than Bourque—though he deserves a second chance—to round out the No. 2 line, these are pairings that are still worth a shot for the benefit of Eller and Plekanec going forward.
Do we project Desharnais to be more important to the future of the Habs than Eller? And after all, is such a sacred chemistry not powerful enough to rekindle itself if these propositions don't work out?
What would you do to remedy the still very real issue of only having one decent line going into 2012-13? Is DD just too small to center the checking line, or not good enough defensively? Would you rather see DD on the No. 2 unit at Eller's wing, or is Eller better suited for a third line defensive role? Where would you play Scott Gomez?
Lets hear your thoughts!
-- Amos is freelance writer and columnist who covers prospects for HabsAddict.com. He also covers the Habs for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
Many Habs addicts are upset this morning over the Canadiens' 5-3 loss to the Canes last night. But what did they expect? That the Habs would win every game from here till the end of the season?
There were a lot of positives in the match, namely the continued excellent performance of young guns like Lars Eller and David Desharnais.
P.K. Subban too seems to be playing better, simpler hockey and is a more effective player as a result.
Last night's loss was a game the Habs could have and probably should have won. But short-handed and power play goals by the Canes in the third, we're all the Canes would need to collect the two points.
Montreal is now stalled at seven points back of the eighth overall Leafs. Worse yet, the Canes are now only two points behind the Habs in the standings.
At the end of the day, you can't win 'em all. The problem is that to make the playoffs, Montreal needs to.
Game Notes
Crash-bang - You've got to love the way the Habs set a physical tone early in the game. In the first five minutes of play, Rene Bourque, Eric Cole, P.K. Subban and Alexei Emelin all threw thunderous body checks.
Emelin, in particular, got under the Canes' skin early with a low-bridge hit on Anthony Stewart.
But more than just the physicality, the Habs came out of the gates like race horses. Skating hard, driving to the net and showing the same determination that had won them their last four games.
Unfortunately, an early goal by the Canes took all the air out of their balloon and led to their defeat.
Why? - Jaroslav Spacek, who was playing his first game at the Bell Centre against his former team, was booed every time he touched the puck.
I don't get it.
Was it because he spewed his guts about the farcical situation that existed in Montreal when he was traded? Was it because he used to play for the Habs and now doesn't?
I get fans booing, say, Zdeno Chara who after almost murdering Max Pacioretty remains public enemy No. 1. But Spacek?
Say what you will about the aging veteran, but he gave the Habs some good years of service and was a good soldier. And he should be respected as such.
What a turn around! - If Lars Eller's performance under Randy Cunneyworth has been impressive, an almost equally impressive turn around has been from Mathieu Darche.
This is a guy who was one of, it not the, top unsung heroes for the Habs last season. This year? He's been largely invisible, has looked slow and, overall, like he doesn't belong in the league anymore.
That was until about five games ago. All of a sudden, Darche looks like the player he was last season, giving every ounce of his being on every shift and being rewarded for his hard work.
Darche finished the game with one assist, two shots on goal and 17:41 of icetime. That's fifth overall after Eric Cole, David Desharnais, Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec.
Not bad for a fourth line plugger.
Attitude - I think one of the biggest changes that Cunneyworth has brought to the Canadiens is a positive attitude. Moreover, this team doesn't quit like they used to.
The first five minute aside, Montreal was terrible against the Canes through the first half of the game. Giveaways, missed passes, poor defensive zone coverage. They actually looked a lot like the Leafs did on Saturday night.
Lost.
To be honest, if it wasn't for Carey Price, the Canes would probably have had a three or four goal lead early.
That aside, the Habs didn't throw in the towel, roaring back to score three second period goals in a six minute span to take the lead. This ability to come back and put the pedal to the metal, was entirely absent over the first 40 or so games of the season.
I think it's no real surprise too, considering the type of NHL player Cunneyworth himself was. For those who don't know, he wasn't the most skilled but was always the hardest working.
He never took a shift off and never quit. Ever. Despite the loss, it seems like his work ethic has finally rubbed off on his players.
Stat of the night - 21. That is the number of times this season the Habs have held the lead only to lose the game.
Ugly.
Question of the night - Will Ryan White slot into the lineup tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins? You'd have to think that yes, he will. But what about Ian Schultz?
Word is that he was called up as a precautionary measure because of injuries and likely won't play. But is there a better opponent for his than the rough and tumble Bruins?
UPDATE - Ian Schultz has been sent back down to Hamilton.
Up next - The Habs travel to Boston where they take on the division leading Bruins on Wednesday in Boston.
To say that Boston is a dominant team would be the understatement of the year. They are currently a league-leading plus-64 for their goals-for/against differential. They also sit in second overall in the East and fourth league-wide.
Montreal will certainly have their work cut out for them trying to prevent this loss from turning into a two-game skid.
--- Kamal is a freelance writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and featured columnist on PowerScoutHockey.com. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny segment of The Franchise weekend morning show, on TSN Radio 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 9 - 10 AM. Listen live at http://www.tsn.ca/montreal/
After a very slow start during which he only had one assist in seven games to go along with a-3 plus/minus rating, newly acquired Erik Cole has finally clicked with his new linemates diminutive center David Desharnais and power forward Max Pacioretty.
In the last eleven games, during which his ice-time climbed finally climbed over 15 minutes/game, Cole scored four goals and added four assists for eight points.
During that stretch, Pacioretty has scored six goals and added four assists for ten points with a +5 +/- ratio. As for Desharnais, he has two goals and six assists for eight points and a +2 +/- differential.
That new line combination, has allowed Jacques Martin to play Thomas Plekanec on a line with Brian Gionta and whichever winger was on fire lately. Travis Moen filled in admirably for a few games until Mike Cammalleri was reinserted in the line-up yesterday against the Hurricanes and took his spot on the Habs' second line.
When Cole faced his former teammates at the Bell Centre in a 4-0 domination of the Hurricanes, he didn't seem too disturbed as shown in the video below:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sENT9-kXpEo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube] Cole is mocking his former teammate Tuomo Ruutu who was sitting in the penalty box after a tripping call. He also reminded him that he signed a four-year, $18-million free agent deal in the summer with Montreal.
In the meantime, Cole's former teammate, Eric Staal, seems lost on the ice and he's having the worst season of his prolific career so far, scoring only four goals and four assists for eight points in 18 games.
But what's even more surprising is his league-leading minus-18 +/- differential, on pace for a disastrous minus-78 over 82 games. Staal, who had been playing with grinder Chad Larose and phenom Jeff Skinner for a while, was moved to the wing to play with two-way center Brandon Sutter and Larose; not the most talented players on Earth.
Cole's departure created a gaping hole on Carolina's top two lines, as they filled the hole by signing underachiever Alexei Ponikarovsky who has only four points in 19 games.
Staal has averaged 0.90 point/game during the six-plus seasons when he and Cole have been teammates.
Without Cole, Staal's production has dropped to 0.69 point/game. Quite a dip that the Hurricanes could have foreseen, but they decided to re-sign players like Chad Larose, Joni Pitkanen and Jussi Jokinen instead.
They also signed as a UFA, overrated defenseman Tomas Kaberle to a three-year deal. That deal is is already looking bad as Kaberle only has four assists this season with the slumping Canes.
As for Cole, he's gaining confidence each and every game and he looks like the power forward the Canadiens have been seeking to complement youngster Max Pacioretty. These two are the only two forwards with some grit and size in the Canadiens' top six (Desharnais, Gionta, Cammalleri and Plekanec are all under 6'0'' and 200 lb).
If the Oswego-native keeps playing with determination and spite, he might well approach or surpass last year's totals of 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points in 82 games—he's on pace for 41 points after his slow start.
Do you think Cole will play all season with Pacioretty and Desharnais? How many points will he put up?
--- Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.
The Montreal Canadiens kicked off their busy exhibition schedule—they play six games in seven nights—last night at the Bell Centre with a 6-3 regulation loss to the Dallas Stars.
It's the pre-season so, in a lot of ways, the final score is kind of irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is how the players look on the ice. How ready for the NHL speed the prospects are. Who looks good playing with whom and, overall, how quickly the players can shake off the rust to re-establish their game timing.
Last night was also the first glimpse many had of newcomers like Alexei Yemelin and Eric Cole, among others. While the Habs lost the game there were still several highlights and points of interest. What follows are the things that stood out, to me.
Game Notes
Brock Trotter - Trying another kick at the can in the NHL after spending last season in the KHL, Trotter looked good on the ice. He is quick, has some slick moves and even did a nice spin-o-rama in the first to evade his defender. It will be interesting to see him play with some of the veterans going forward.
Eric Cole - The Habs prized offseason acquisition wasted no time showing his team and fans why he was such a good pickup. Big and strong with a solid skating stride, Cole is constantly going to the net. Playing on a line with Michael Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec last night—a line that seems destined to start the season together—Cole's size was the perfect complement to his diminutive linemates.
Like Max Pacioretty playing with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta last year, Cole's presence opens up a ton of space for Plekanec and Cammalleri making both more effective. In addition, Cole has excellent finish as he showed when he took a pass from Plekanec and fired a shot past Dallas netminder, Andrew Raycroft, to put the Habs on the board at 5:36 of the second.
With Cole playing on the top line, Plekanec now has two legitimate scoring wingers for the first time since he played with Alex Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn in 2008.
Raphael Diaz - Another in a series of promising Swiss defenseman brought over by the Habs made his debut last night. It took a little while for him to get going but he did show great vision, slick passing and some smooth skating.
That being said, he was mostly quiet last night, except for on the power play where he looked really good and demonstrated his blistering shot from the point.
Diaz seems like a player who needs to adjust to the smaller ice surface of North America. Not only is the NHL game faster than the one he's been playing overseas, but the smaller ice means that players and plays come at you that much faster. This was only the first game of the exhibition season however, and he'll adjust.
It's early but I still think he should do that adjusting in the AHL.
I liked seeing Diaz and Yannick Weber on the point on the PP. Both have great vision, passing and solid shots. The duo kind of reminded me of P.K. Subban and James Wisniewski from last season, where both could fire howitzers at the net.
Andrei Kostitsyn - Kostitsyn—who scored on one heck of a hard wrister in the second—looked as good as I've ever seen him look. I don't know if it is the one-year contract, the fact that he seems destined for third line duties this year or perhaps even just getting his head screwed on straight, but he looked hungry and dangerous all night.
In essence, he played like the player that everyone hopes and feels he should be.
Now it's only one game and against an incomplete NHL lineup, but if he can keep up that kind of intensity and focus over the course of the season, he should have no problem scoring 20-plus goals for a fourth time in five seasons, possibly landing himself a new contract in the process.
Alexei Yemelin - For all the talk about Yemelin's meanness and physicality he showed last night that he is a multi-dimensional player who can not only play physical but who actually has some great hockey skills.
His excellent passing and great vision led to the Jeff Woywitka blast from 10 feet out, making it a one-goal game half way through the second.
Almost more important than his on-ice skill—which is considerable—he carries himself like a veteran and plays with brimming confidence. You can see his experience at work when he takes his time to make plays rather than rushing the pass, which often leads to scoring opportunities.
The perfect example was in the third period where Yemelin made a calm, cool pass to Michael Blunden in the high slot, under pressure. Blunden fumbled the pass but the play shows the kind of on-ice awareness and poise Yemelin has.
Oh, and he can still hit as he showed by going low on Thomas Vincor, sending him head over heels with about four minutes to play in the third period. The best part is that after the hit, Vincor went right back at Yemelin. Yemelin took the hit and just focused on the game rather than getting involved in any shenanigans. That ability to "walk away", so to speak, is the sign of a mature player.
Jarred Tinordi - My god is he big. I mean, really freaking big.
Tinordi skates very well for a big man and has excellent positioning. He still needs some seasoning, however, and you can see he has not yet fully adjusted to the speed of the NHL game. But he'll figure it out in time.
Tinordi will play in Junior again this year. He was cut from the World Junior Championships US squad last year but he should be able to secure a roster space this season. That experience at the WJCs should go a long towards making this kid a gamer.
Sweet spot: Jeff Woywitka scoring against his former team. That's got to be sweet and you could see how happy he was. Oh, and did anyone else notice how freaking big he is? Yowza! That and he has decent wheels, likes to hit and has a blistering shot. Looks like a good pickup for Montreal.
Throw down: Man can Ian Schultz throw a punch! He and Francis Wathier went toe-to-toe at 13:09 in the third in a pretty even bout. Both players are big and each landed solid shots as they were both surely trying to get their respective team management's attention.
Stat of the night: The Habs were absolutely obliterated in the faceoff circle winning only 14 out of 51 draws for a sad 27.45 percent success rate.
Up next: The Canadiens are back at it tonight when they welcome the Buffalo Sabres to the Bell Centre. Game time is 7:30 pm.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com and Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 9 - 10 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
Last night the Montreal Canadiens were in Carolina for their third game of seven on this end-of-year road trip that has so far proved to be fruitless.
The Canadiens were coming off of a loss in Dallas and back-to-back losses for only the third time this season, and were 1-5 in their previous six games. So, with the city of Montreal getting dangerously close to pushing the panic button, it was time for the Habs to turn things around.
Montreal started the game strong with their first two lines creating some nice scoring chances before the two minute mark of the game. Hal Gill set the tone when he played the role of brick wall, knocking Tuomo Ruutu to the ice early in the game.
The hit sent a message that the Canadiens came to play.
The Habs were much more active in the neutral zone and had a much smoother transition game than they have displayed over their last two contest. Moreover, it really looked like their day off—coach Martin gave them a day off rather than practicing them the day before—did wonders for the team. The rejuvenated squad used their speed to attack the Canes' zone creating several quality scoring opportunities in the process.
Despite their strong play, however, Montreal fell behind while on the power play when Roman Hamrlik whiffed on a defensive zone clearing attempt. Hamrlik's bothced clearing attempt set up an awkward rush for the Canes and Chad LaRose, left uncovered by Yannick Weber, put it past Price to make it 1-0.
Scott Gomez got that one back about three and a half minutes later when he took a Hamrlik pass, split the D and put the puck five-hole on Ward.
The back-and-forth game continued with the Canes taking the lead in the second despite the Habs dominating play. Hamrlik was again the culprit as he missed his assignment while his partner, Jaroslav Spacek, decided to go for the puck rather than the man. The result was that Eric Cole was able to get to the front of the net and shoot the puck past Price unmolested, to make it 2-1 Canes.
The turning point of the game, however, took place only nine seconds after Cole had put the Canes ahead. On the ensuing shift, Cole slammed Spacek into the boards from behind, earning himself a five minute major. On the power play, Andrei Kostitsyn scored his 10th of the season from the slot to tie it at two.
The Canadiens then took the lead 2:03 later, still on the power play, when Alexandre Picard fired a bullet past Ward to make it 3-2 Montreal.
Special teams were key as the Habs went 2-for-5 with the man-advantage and shut down all three Canes' PPs. With the Habs leading by one, they sat back in the third and allowed the Canes to blitz the Canadiens' zone. Carey Price was equal to the challenge, however, holding the fort for a well needed win.
Final score: Habs 3 - Canes 2
Habs' scorers: Scott Gomez (5), Andrei Kostitsyn (10), Alexandre Picard (3)
Canes' scorers: Chad LaRose (7), Eric Cole (7)
Three stars: 1. Scott Gomez, 2. Jaroslav Spacek, 3. Chad LaRose
Game Notes
1. Price again let in one soft goal.
Price is still playing good hockey but no longer seems to have that laser-point focus that he had only a month ago.
At the beginning of the season Price seemed almost impervious to distractions on the ice. Lately, however, he seems bothered and even occasionally reverts to looking at his defensemen after a goal gets past him, a behaviour that he tends to exhibit when he is not in top form.
Moreover, word from practice is that Price does not look as comfortable as he did a few weeks ago and maybe even seems a bit frustrated.
Now in Price's defense, the team has been playing horribly in front of him for the past few weeks and while he likely could have stopped the first Canes' marker last night, his defensemen made several critical mistakes that lead to the goal.
It's easy to blame the goalie for a soft goal but we have to remember that the goaltender is the last line of defense, not the first. This usually means that a lot of things had to go wrong in front of him before the puck got past him.
That aside, Price seemed to be fighting the puck through the first two periods.
There were a number of saves that he made where he looked behind him, unsure of where the puck was and that's how he tends to play when he is not 100 percent on his game.
As the Canadiens sat back on their heels in the third period, however, Price elevated his game, stopping a bunch of Canes' prime scoring chances and settling into a groove. If he can carry that momentum forward he will be well on his way towards rediscovering his early season form.
2. Andrei Kostitsyn seems to have gotten the message.
AK46 returned to the lineup last night after being a healthy scratch for one game and played some inspired hockey.
While he played well, scoring a beautiful tying goal, I think it's pretty clear that this is his last chance. The knock on Kostitsyn has always been about his work ethic and consistency. As skilled as he is, AK46 is a player who tends to go to sleep for long stretches and maybe that is just his nature; he is a streaky player.
It is clear that Jacques Martin is not a fan of this trend and in order for AK to reach his true potential, he has to find the consistency that has been lacking in his game since he broke into the league in 2003.
If he can't find that consistency this year, I think he will likely find himself on his way out of town.
Kostitsyn scored his first goal in 10 games last night—his 10th of the season—off of a beautiful feed from Plekanec on the power play. The goal illustrates just how strong Kostitsyn is as he fought off the Canes' defender from the slot to put the puck up over Cam Ward.
That goal also illustrates why Martin becomes frustrated with the young Belarusian, as he has such a high skill level that he should be producing on a more consistent basis.
That being said, I was not a fan of putting Kostitsyn in the press box because, like P.K. Subban—who was a healthy scratch last night—I think the team is better served with him in the lineup.
3. Tomas Plekanec played his best game in a week.
Plekanec is one of the players who looked yesterday like he really benefited from the day off that Martin gave his players. He looked fresh, rested and full of energy; the way he did at the beginning of the season.
As a result, his line was dangerous every time they were on the ice but their timing was a little off in the first period, resulting in a number of missed nets and botched scoring chances.
Once they found their rhythm, however, Plekanec's incredible speed and creativity with the puck was on display as he setup plays, almost at will, in the Canes' zone.
Plek's line was rewarded on the power play when Tomas found AK46 in front with a sweet pass, to make it a 2-2 game, with all three players getting in on the action.
Plekanec finished the night with one assist, five shots on net, 21:21 of ice-time, 4:25 on the power play, 1:55 on the PK and 50 percent in the faceoff circle.
Not a bad night's work!
4. Welcome back, Scott Gomez.
The much maligned Gomez seems to have finally gotten his game back on the rails. After going through a stretch where had had only three points (2G, 1A) in eleven games, Gomez sat out two games with a minor injury. Since returning from the injury and being united with Max Pacioretty and longtime linemate, Brian Gionta, Gomez has been on a tear.
He has 8 points (1G, 7A) in his past five games and scored his fifth of the season last night, while celebrating his 31st birthday.
More importantly, Gomez has that goofy grin back on his face when he's playing. He looks and acts more like the Scott Gomez who was the Canadiens' hottest player over the back half of last season.
With Gomez's line firing on all cylinders and the Plekanec line finding it's form again, we finally got to see the Canadiens playing with two scoring lines and that is the kind of balance they need if they want to stay at the top of their division.
5. Lars Eller is wasting away on the fourth line.
Eller is doing everything he can on the ice but paired with Tom Pyatt and Travis Moen, getting 7:55 of ice time and zero minutes on the PP, there is only so much he can do.
His talent as a setup guy is apparent but his lack of skilled linemates continues to be his Achilles Heel.
Eller didn't necessarily play poorly last night but he was pretty much invisible on the ice.
The first time he did anything of note was when he turned the puck over at the blueline in the third period, hemming the Canadiens into their own zone. Eller ended up getting the puck back and, in an attempt to relieve the pressure, accidentally shot it into the crowd and took a delay of game penalty.
With all of the problems with this team lately, that is certainly not the type of play that Jacques Martin wants to see from the young Dane. Hopefully, JM will not exact his wrath on Eller by benching him next game.
With Eller, Subban and Yannick Weber all getting varying degrees of the yo-yo treatment from Martin, it is no wonder that people grimace at that thought of him trying to develop young players.
Eller was playing his best hockey when he was paired with Benoit Pouliot—who was a healthy scratch last night—and Mathieu Darche. Why he is now playing on the fourth line is beyond me with two checkers is beyond me.
Standings and Next Game
The win moves the Habs' record to 20-13-2 with 42 points in the standings. It also allows them to maintain a two-point buffer over the Boston Bruins, who also won last night and who have two games in hand.
The Habs now have two days off to celebrate the holidays with their families before game four of this road trip against the Islanders on Sunday evening.
I want to wish you all a happy holiday season! Enjoy your weekend!
Good Morning HabsAddicts!!!
