Budaj vs Tangradi Trade Analysis

Today, we learned Habs GM Marc Bergevin finally made a choice about which goaltender is going to be Carey Price's backup for the upcoming season, and it seems Dustin Tokarski has won the second goaltending spot in Montreal. The Canadiens confirmed they have traded goaltender Peter Budaj and prospect Patrick Holland to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for journeyman Eric Tangradi. Here's my point of view on that situation.

Budaj definitely had a pretty good year last season as a backup goaltender (10-8-3, with a 2.51 goal against average and a 0.909 efficiency) and always kept a professional attitude, whatever happened. The perfect teammate, the Slovakian goalie never seemed affected by the possibility of Tokarski getting his spot as the second goaltender of the Canadiens. The reason behind the trade must be the inability of Budaj to perform under pressure. Sure, as a backup, he could definitely step up his game when asked for it, but on long trips, he always cracked up after playing two or three straight games. He could always deliver one or two good performances, but he failed to show up when he had to start many games in a row.

More than that, he had chances to show what he could do during the playoffs, but he has never been able to prove he deserved to be in the net at that crucial time of the year (7 games started, 0-2 with an awful GAA of 5.13 and a terrible 0.843 save percentage). In fact, in the only game he started last playoffs, he allowed three goals on eight shots, not to mention the year before against Ottawa, he allowed seven goals on 31 shots. With Winnipeg, he will come in the room as a veteran who has some experience, and he will be able to help their young players grow up just like Gionta will do in Buffalo. 

As for Tokarski, many people told me they were expecting Bergevin to send him down to Hamilton for another year, but what you must keep in mind is that if Tokarski had been cut, he would have had to go on waivers for 24 hours, then another team could have claimed him, and then, the Habs would have lost him for nothing and it is pretty certain a team would have claimed the young keeper. He had a pretty decent season with Hamilton last year considering their very young team (20-16-3 with a 2.38 average and 0.919 efficiency) and showed promising things when he was called up to replace Carey Price against the New York Rangers last spring (2-3 with a 2.60 average and a 0.916 save percentage). Not only that, but he has been one of the Canadiens' top players during this last playoffs run. Bergevin always said he wanted to bring as many young players as he could in the big league since he want the Habs to be competitive for a long time, so he did not have any other choice than to promote Tokarski as Price's backup and trade Peter Budaj.

We also learned today that Peter Budaj had asked to be traded after last season since he was not happy about the way the organization treated him. Still, he didn't go publicly as he is a pure professional. 

Instead of losing Budaj for nothing by placing him on the waiver wire, Montreal's general manager decided to trade him for forward Eric Tangradi. As a trade, I think it is a good fit for both teams. Former Winnipeg Jets forward Tangradi in on the last year of a two-year contract worth $1.35M. His cap hit counts for 675,000$, compared to Budaj's salary of $1.4M for the upcoming season, so Habs save $725,000 in salary. Patrick Holland is not included in these maths because he is mostly going to play in AHL. However, if by any chance he would be playing in the NHL, his salary would be a $640,000 cap hit. Financially speaking, Bergevin made a pretty good move there. Also, Budaj really couldn't bring anything else to the Habs, as though Tangradi can bring a physical presence as well as being a 4th liner and bench warmer if needed. Don't expect him to score 30 goals, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Therrien dress him against bigger opponents such as Boston or Philadelphia.

All in all, I think it is a pretty good trade. Only time will tell if Tokarski will be able to live up to his status of #2 goaltender. One thing is certain though. Our future is pretty bright in goal, with Price, Tokarski and the promising Zachary Fucale.

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Monday Musings: How Sweep It Was

Greetings Habs Addicts!

Tremendous week for Montreal hockey this past seven days. The Habs played four games this past week and won all four of them. Over their past ten games, the Canadiens record is 8-2. On Fire! En feu! En fuego! However you say it, they are HOT!

Photo Credit: AWinningHabit.com

The week began with back-to-back games against the Boston Bruins in Boston on Monday and then home Tuesday for a game against the lowly Buffalo Sabres. The Bruins were in the midst of an NHL best 12-game winning streak while the Sabres remained the worst team in the league. Needless to say, it caused quite a stir in the media when Michel Therrien announced that Peter Budaj would be getting the start against Boston, with Carey Price playing against the Sabres. Conventional wisdom would point to this as Therrien basically conceding the game to Boston in an attempt to ensure the two-points against Buffalo. Budaj has a stellar career record against Boston going 5-2-0 with a 2.36 goals-against average and .919 save percentage to go along with one shutout. Budaj has also been awful since the Habs returned from the Olympic break, even conceded a start to AHL goalie Dustin Tokarski against the Sabres the week prior when Carey Price was unable to play. Price is no slouch against Boston either for his career posting a 17-8-3 record with a 2.50 goals-against and the same .919 save percentage. Price is also your all-world, Olympic-gold-medal winning goaltender and you are facing the best team in the NHL and arguably your biggest rival. 'Therrien Logic' at its finest. Whether it was a gut-call or a carefully thought-out plan, it worked. Budaj stymied Boston and the Habs played one of their best defensive games of the season as Montreal pulled off a 2-1 shoot-out victory. The next night in Buffalo, Price stopped all 24-shots he faced in a fairly dominant but closely scored 2-0 Canadiens win. Michel Therrien's goal-tending gamble paid off and the Habs won both ends of the back-to-back set.

This past Thursday the Habs headed off to Detroit for a match-up against the playoff-bubble Red Wings. Detroit has been hit hard by the injury bug and was rostering a large contingent from their AHL team. Even with no Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in the line-up, the Wings gave the Canadiens quite a test. Tomas Plekanec had two goals in the first period, each set up by P.K. Subban and David Desharnais potted one in the second before the Wings came back and made a game out of it in the third period. Down 3-1, the Wings came back to tie the game after some very sloppy defensive play by the Habs and notably Subban, who finished a -1 even with two even-strength assists in the game. Max Pacioretty and Thomas Vanek each scored in the period and the Habs held on for a 5-4 win at Joe Louis Arena.

From there, Montreal flew out to Florida for a Saturday night match-up against the Florida Panthers. The Habs had not played well against the Panthers this season, but the top-line of Thomas Vanek, David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty continued to roll along. Pacioretty scored two goals - his first two ever in 16 career games against the Panthers - and added an assist while Desharnais and Vanek each contributed a goal and a helper as the Canadiens easily fended off the hapless Panthers in a 4-1 victory to sweep the weeks' slate of games.

Last week my musings centered around the coaching job of Michel Therrien this season. It was very critical regarding some of his personnel choices and offensive strategy choices. This week started off with one of his most questionable decisions of all working out in the Habs favour. His decision to re-insert Douglas Murray to the line-up over Jarred Tinordi against both the Maple Leafs the Saturday prior and against the Bruins proved to be the correct call, as Murray played a very physical game against two very physical teams. Mike Weaver has been playing phenomenal hockey since he was acquired at the deadline for a lowly fifth-round draft pick. Weaver has been filling the role of Josh Gorges while Gorges recovers from a hand injury and has clearly surprised both the fans and the media with his physical style and gritty nature on the ice. While #TherrienLogic continues to baffle fans and critics alike, one is finding it hard to argue the results that Michel Therrien has been getting from his squad.

The Habs sit third in the Eastern Conference with a similar winning percentage as last season. But instead of the collapse we saw this time last season, they are playing some of their best hockey at the right time. Adding Thomas Vanek to the line-up has given the Habs the bonafide top-line sniper they have been missing in years past. Vanek and Pacioretty have combined to become a solid 1-2 punch up front. P.K Subban and Andrei Markov are two of the leagues top-15 defensemen in both points and minutes played. Carey Price is providing Vezina-calibre goal-tending on a nightly basis and Marc Bergevin has provided Therrien with overall depth that he missed last year. A deep playoff run is expected and another first-round elimination could potentially cost Therrien his job.

If there is one thing that Therrien has going for him is that he seems to have his team behind him. It's hard to know what goes on behind closed doors and the Montreal market is notorious for gossip and rumours. Many a player and coach have not survived the circus and the pressure that comes with being a Canadien. If you believe everything you read, you'd assume that Subban and Therrien are butting heads on a daily basis. You'd assume that Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk are regressing. You'd believe that the players are tuning out the coaches game plan and winning despite Therrien. Beneath the surface, there may be some truth to all of this. But teams that quit on their coaches do not show the intensity and passion that the Habs have shown all season long. The comeback against Ottawa. The Toronto game. The Detroit game. The Habs have not quit and have come back to win late in the game quite often this year. 24-CH shows us some of the behind-the-scenes, but not all of it. No one knows for sure what is truly said between periods or behind closed doors. But this team plays hard for Therrien and that has not changed throughout the year. The only problem is a lack of consistency. If seems they are either streaking or slumping hard. But you cannot argue the standings and they hockey they are playing right now. Even if he's done it while making seriously questionable decisions. If a grade had to be attached for the job he's done behind the bench this season, one cannot overlook the overall results. But the questionable decisions continue despite the wins being posted. As such, a B- would be appropriate.

This week the Habs remain in Florida for a pivotal match-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. The Lightning sit two points behind Montreal with one game in hand in the standings. The three previous games between these two teams have all been decided by 2-1 scores with advantage going to Tampa Bay. After this game the Habs head out to Ottawa for a Friday night game against the Senators, followed by a Saturday night home game against the Detroit Red Wings. A lighter schedule in terms of volume, but certainly not in terms of importance.



Three Questions From My Musings

A) Are the Habs getting hot too soon or can they carry this momentum over to the playoffs?

B) Should Therrien be relieved of his duties if the Habs fail to get past the first round?

C) Who do you feel the Habs will face in the first round of the playoffs?

 ---
Nick M. 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.


Past Monday Musings 

• Are We Winning Despite #TherrienLogic
• Vanek Arrives But Habs Stink on West Coast Trip
• Peter Budaj Shines as Habs Return From Sochi
• ... On Tuesday; Sochi Recap
• #FreeSubban & Sochi Highlights 
• The Dale Weise vs Rafael Diaz Edition

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Monday Musings: Are We Winning Despite #TherrienLogic?

Greetings Habs Addicts!

After the previous weekend saw Montreal come back from a 4-1 deficit with under five minutes remaining in the game to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-4 and saw Dustin Tokarski receive a surprise start in Buffalo only to shut-out the Sabres 2-0, you just knew the Habs had some momentum starting after a dreadful losing streak. They needed it as the week started off with Patrick Roy making his grand return to Montreal behind the bench of the Colorado Avalanche. It was very fitting that St. Patrick's return occurred the day after St. Patrick's Day.

Last time Roy was in Montreal he was still coaching the Quebec Remparts and the Canadiens were sending his #33 jersey to the rafters of the Bell Centre. This time around, he's an NHL head coach. And quite an NHL head coach, as his young team in Colorado has been flying high all season long and Roy is certainly in the running for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. The sold-out crowd gave Roy a rousing ovation during the national anthems; however, Thomas Vanek decided to steal the spotlight from him in grand fashion. Not only did Vanek score his first goal as a member of the Habs, he added two more to complete the hat-trick in a 6-3 Canadiens win. Rookie sensation Nathan MacKinnon put on a show in the first period, scoring a beautiful goal to open the scoring but it wasn't enough. Montreal's fourth-line combo of Travis Moen, Brandon Prust and Dale Weise played a very strong offensive game to match their physical game. All three scored goals but Prust left he game briefly with an upper-body injury before returning. It has since been announced that his injury is regular season ending.

Photo Credit: Boston.com

As the season goes, we knew Montreal was due for a let down after this winning run. It occurred this past Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Jackets came into the game playing solid hockey, having a 6-3-1 record over their previous ten games. The Habs played a very undisciplined game, taking eight minor penalties and Michel Therrien abandoned the puck-possession game that led to the comeback against Ottawa and dominated the games against Buffalo and Colorado. Instead he returned to his dump-and-chase mantra that has failed to yield results this season. The game plan failed as the bigger Columbus team dominated in the hit department 36-17 and in the shot department 40-27. Columbus routinely won the corner battles but because of some big saves by Carey Price the Habs remained in the game until a horrible late turnover by Jarred Tinordi led to a Ryan Johansen goal with three minutes remaining. The Habs couldn't score the equalizer and the Blue Jackets stole a critical two-points with a 3-2 victory over Montreal. Tinordi's gaffe cost them the game, but to the youngster's credit he faced the media after the game to address his mistake.

The week came to a close with a trip up Highway 401 to face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to the game, it was announced that Rene Bourque would return to the lineup in place of Ryan White and Jarred Tinordi would be spending the game in the press-box, being replaced by Douglas Murray. Michel Therrien had an opportunity to show Tinordi some faith after last games mistake, but instead chose to let him think about it in the press box. The Maple Leafs came into the game having lost their previous four games and were on the verge of a collapse, but the first period saw both teams come out flying. Montreal got early goals from Max Pacioretty - ending a seven game goal-less drought - and a rejuvenated Rene Bourque along with a late goal by Brian Gionta. Toronto countered with goals by Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak. Both teams took a nap in the second period with nary a goal nor penalty to be found. In the third period, a hooking penalty to Tomas Plekanec led a Nazem Kadri power-play goal but Plekanec made good late in the game, scoring as a penalty to James Van Riemsdyk expired. This stood up as the game-winning goal in a 4-3 Canadiens win.

My musings center around only one thing this week: The coaching job of Michel Therrien.

Therrien had an opportunity keep the momentum going against Columbus but opted to try and play a dump-and-chase game against a bigger, more physical Blue Jackets team. With a team built around speed and skill, Montreal should be employing a puck-possession game. Especially after acquiring a skilled sniper in Vanek. Needless to say, it did not work out again. Carey Price kept it close until Tinordi's giveaway late cost them. Therrien had an opportunity to show faith in Tinordi by keeping him in the lineup against Toronto. Tinordi had played extremely well in the Blue Jackets game prior to his gaffe. Instead, he found himself on the outside looking in as veteran sieve Douglas Murray returned to the lineup. Great confidence booster, Michel. Therrien has also paired up veteran Francis Bouillon with P.K. Subban. The strategy work as Bouillon scored the overtime winner against Ottawa. After being a healthy-scratch for much of the season, Bouillon played the second-most minutes against Toronto, ahead of Andrei Markov. Bouillon has had multiple turnovers in each of the last three games.

For a coach who was supposedly brought in to aid the development of the young players on a developing team, there has been little development being seen. Lars Eller is -17 on the season, Alex Galchenyuk is -12. Both of these players find themselves jumping around with different linemates on a routine basis and have not produced any consistent offense. P.K. Subban has seen himself benched after costly turnovers in a couple of games and Jarred Tinordi has found himself in the press box after one such mistake. Bouillon and Murray have been awful for much of the season yet Therrien seems to look the other way whenever they make similar defensive mistakes. Habs fans cringe whenever Murray has the puck. Nothing positive ever comes out of this situation as Murray has simply 2 assists in 48 games played. To his credit, Murray has been solid at killing penalties, but should not see the ice at even-strength. Instead, Therrien has given him upwards of 17-20 minutes of ice time per game.

The Habs are a smaller, skilled squad. Last season when the team started off strong, Therrien employed a puck-possession game. The skilled players carried the puck into the offensive zone and cycled it around, using their speed to create scoring chances. At some point last year - around the time of the late-season collapse - Therrien changed his strategy to that of a grinding dump-and-chase team. The smallest team in terms of size and weight in the NHL is now expected to dump the puck into the corners and win battles against larger defensemen? How in the world do you consider this to be a smart strategy? The results were evident in the playoff-loss to the Senators and early this season. Whenever Montreal matches up against bigger, stronger teams such as the beasts of the Western Conference (Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim) his game-plan is often exposed as it was on this recent road trip. The smallish Habs can play a skill game as well as anyone, but Therrien often tries to fight fire with fire with bruising teams. With all due respect to David Desharnais, he will never win corner battles against Ryan Getzlaf or Joe Thornton or Dustin Brown. Not for lack of effort, he's simply just not physically built for it.

The Canadiens overall record of 39-26-7 has more to do with the elite goaltending the club has received from Carey Price. Without a doubt he has been the team's most-valuable player. When Price went down with an injury after the Sochi Olympics, Therrien saw his line-up and game plans exposed when they received average-at-best goaltending from Peter Budaj. In game line-matching has been poor and the team always fails to make adjustments between periods. Montreal is often outplayed and over-matched in the second period of games, a consistent trend dating back to last season. It almost seems like this team is coming back to win games despite their head coach and not because of their head coach. A quick peek on Twitter under the #TherrienLogic will serve to illustrate many of the observations made here as well as countless others made past games. Marc Bergevin traded for Thomas Vanek because he believes the team has the ability to go somewhere in the playoffs. Therrien should find himself on the hot-seat if they fail to get past the first-round of the playoffs again. Deservedly so.

The Canadiens finish the month of March with a marquee match-up tonight against the Boston Bruins in Boston. The Bruins come into the game having won 12-straight games. Needless to say, a win here would be huge. Montreal follows that up with a home game Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres before heading to Detroit to face-off against the Red Wings on Thursday. The weekend sees Montreal landing in sunny Florida to face the Panthers on Saturday. Needless to say, three of these games are very win-able. Detroit is rostering most of their AHL lineup due to injuries and both Buffalo and Florida are among the bottom feeders of the NHL. Going 3-1 this coming week should be the worst-case scenario, but knowing our Habs this year, 1-3 is a distinct possibility.

Guess who is in net for the Habs tonight? Peter Budaj...

Three Questions From My Musings

A) Should Michel Therrien be on the hot-seat for his coaching job this season?

B) Has Therrien done anything to aid the development of our younger players?

C) Will the Habs end the Bruins' current winning streak?

 ---
Nick M. 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.


Past Monday Musings 

• Vanek Arrives But Habs Stink on West Coast Trip
• Peter Budaj Shines as Habs Return From Sochi
• ... On Tuesday; Sochi Recap
• #FreeSubban & Sochi Highlights 
• The Dale Weise vs Rafael Diaz Edition
• The Mighty Brendan Gallagher

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens vs Senators (Game #68)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (35-25-7) are home to host the Senators (28-25-12) Saturday night at the Bell Centre. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS and CBC.

This is the fourth of five matches between the Habs and Sens this season and the last one in Montreal. The last two games between these team have gone to overtime. The Canadiens earned their first win in the season series the last time these teams met, PK Subban scored the OT winner. Tomas Plekanec scored a pair in the 5-4 win, he has just one goal in 19 games since.

What to Watch:

It looks like Michel Therrien will have new line combinations in place for Saturday night. If the lines from Friday's practice hold, Brendan Gallagher will be reunited with Alex Galchenyuk and the struggling Lars Eller, while Thomas Vanek will play alongside Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais. Vanek earned his first point as a Hab in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Bruins, an assist on Desharnais' goal.

After missing much of last season with injury, Erik Karlsson is again the Senators most potent threat with 17 goals and 58 points. Karlsson leads all defensemen in points this season, with 7 more than Duncan Keith in second. Jason Spezza has 6 points in his last two games, which brings him up to 53 points in 60 games played this season.

What's at Stake:

The Canadiens are looking to put an end to their three game losing streak and keep pace with the Maple Leafs and Lightning in the race for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs are three points ahead of the Habs with one more game played, and the Bolts hold a game in hand on the Canadiens and are tied with them in the standings.

Who's Out:

Carey Price (lower body) has yet to play a game since winning Gold in Sochi, but he could be set for a return this weekend, either Saturday against the Sens or Sunday against the Sabres. Josh Gorges (hand) and Michael Bournival (concussion) are still out, though Bournival has been cleared for contact and could be close to a return.

The Senators are missing starting goalie Craig Anderson (shoulder) while Cody Ceci (head) is questionable.

What Else:

The Canadiens are playing their 13th set of back-to-back games this weekend, they head to Buffalo after Saturday's game to face the Sabres on Sunday. Of the 15 games left this season, the Habs will play 8 of them in back-to-back situations. November was the team's busiest month for back-to-back scenarios, they played 4 sets of games on Friday and Saturday night, ending with a modest 4-3-1 record in those situations.

The Question Mark:

We want to hear from you, how satisfied are you with Peter Budaj's performance in Price's absence?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Sharks (Game #66)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (35-23-7) wrap up their West Coast road trip Saturday night against the Sharks (40-17-7) in San Jose. The game starts at 10:00 pm and airs on RDS and CBC.

This is the second and final meeting between the Habs and Sharks. San Jose earned a 2-0 shutout win at the Bell Centre in October. Logan Couture scored both goals for the Sharks and Patrick Marleau picked up a pair of assists. Anti Niemi made 22 saves, while Carey Price made 35 in the losing effort.

What to Watch:

Thomas Vanek has played one game as a Hab and has yet to earn his first point with the team. He joined the Canadiens Thursday after a long night of travel and with no scheduled practice, the first chance he got to skate with his new teammates was during the game against the Coyotes. Vanek lined up with Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta and is expected to stay with those linemates on Saturday.

Joe Pavelski is having a career year in his eighth season as a Shark. Pavelski has already reached a new career high in goals with 32 on the season, and after adding 3 assist against the Penguins Thursday, he's just 4 points shy of his career high, 66. Joe Thornton meanwhile is second in the league in assists with 52. Jumbo Joe has a goal and 4 assists in 5 games since the Olympic break ended.

What's at Stake:

The Canadiens are holding down third spot in the East but they've also played more games than any team in the Conference besides the Islanders. The Leafs and Lightning are hot on the Habs' heels while the Flyers, Red Wings and Rangers aren't very far behind either.

Who's Out:

The Canadiens will be in tough against one of the league's best offenses, they're still missing Carey Price (lower body) and Josh Gorges (hand). Brandon Prust (upper body) and Michael Bournival (concussion) are also out.

The Sharks are without star rookie Tomas Hertl (knee), while Brad Stuart (upper body) has been out since the Olympics and may also miss Saturday's game.

What Else:
With 16 starts and 19 games played this season, Peter Budaj has seen the most action this year since he split starting goalie duties with Craig Anderson in Colorado during the 2010-11 season. While his won/loss ratio isn't as impressive as the 8-1-1 record he posted last season, Budaj has still maintained a respectable .911 save percentage and 2.35 GAA.
The Question Mark:
After Saturday's game the Canadiens will have finished up their toughest stretch stretch of the season and return home with just 16 games left to play. What we want to know from you is: in what place will the Habs will finish the season?
Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.
Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Ducks (Game #64)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (34-22-7) are in Anaheim Wednesday night to take on the Ducks (43-14-5), the NHL's top team at the moment. The game starts at 10:00 and can be seen on RDS and TSN-Habs.

This is the second and final meeting between the Habs and Ducks this season. The Canadiens earned an impressive 4-1 win over the Ducks in October. Tomas Plekanec picked up a goal and two assists in that match while Carey Price posted 31 saves to earn the win.

What to Watch:

With trade season already heating up prior to the 3:00 Wednesday deadline, keep an eye on Marc Bergevin to see if he has plans to bring in any new assets, or perhaps move one of his own. The Canadiens already acquired Mike Weaver from the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, and they picked up Dale Weise in exchange for Raphael Diaz before the Olympic break. The big question surrounding the Habs is whether or not they will move in or out a big piece, or is Marc Bergevin content for the most part with the make-up of his team.

The Ducks have made somewhat of a splash already as the deadline approaches, moving out Viktor Fasth and two-time Stanley Cup winner Dustin Penner, while bringing in veteran defenseman Stephane Robidas. It remains to be seen whether or not Bob Murray has another move left to make, but already the Ducks have been one of the more active teams this trade season.

What's at Stake:

The Habs are in the midst of a 4-game West Coast road trip, possibly their most challenging week of the season. Making matters worse, they played the LA Kings Monday without Carey Price and may not have him ready for Wednesday. The Canadiens are still holding on to third place in the East but with less than 20 games to play, every point is important.

Who's Out:

Aside from Price (lower body), the Habs are also missing Brandon Prust (upper body) and Michael  Bournival (concussion).

The Ducks are missing Sheldon Souray (wrist), who has not played a game this season. New addition, Stephane Robidas (leg) is out as well, but Mathieu Perrault (upper body) may be ready to return to action.

What Else:

Tuesday was a busy day in the NHL with 10 deals being made in advance of Wednesday's deadline. The surprise deal of the day came when the Panthers announced they had acquired Roberto Luongo from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jacob Markstrom and Shawn Matthias. The Panthers also picked up Forward Steven Anthony as part of the exchange.

The Question Mark:

We want to hear from you, how would you grade Marc Bergevin's performance at the trade deadline?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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Monday Musings: Peter Budaj Shines As Habs Return From Sochi

Greetings Habs Addicts!

Photo Credit: TheChronicleHerald.ca

The NHL returned to action this week after the Sochi Olympic break came to a close.  The Habs had three extremely tight match-ups on the docket with tilts at home to Detroit, on the road in Pittsburgh and then back home for a Hockey Night in Canada rivalry game with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tough stretch indeed. In his first practice back from Sochi, goaltender Carey Price suffered a 'lower-body injury' that left him on the sidelines for the week and backup Peter Budaj took the reigns for the three games.  Budaj served admirably as the Habs took 5 of a possible 6 points for the week.  The Habs played a very sluggish game against Detroit to open the week.  The Habs barely registered any shots on goal through the first two periods and barely resembled an NHL squad until Brian Gionta flipped a backhander past Jimmy Howard to tie the game with just 29 seconds remaining in the game to force overtime.  In overtime, Gustav Nyquist scored with 28 seconds remaining in the extra frame as the Habs subsequently lost 2-1 to the Detroit Red Wings.  The next day was a spirited back-and-forth battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins, as both teams decided to play extremely sloppy special teams and put defense on the back-burner. This game ended up going to a shootout, where David Desharnais potted the only goal as the Habs ended up winning 6-5.  Daniel Briere had 2 goals and 1 assist to pace the Habs scoring attack. PK Subban was benched for the overtime period after a costly gaffe on a power-play led to a short-handed goal for the Penguins.  The Habs went home for the weekend to face the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game did not disappoint, as for the third time in three games the Habs went to overtime. In overtime, PK Subban found a streaking Daniel Briere and rifled a pass down the ice. Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier raced out to the faceoff dot to smother the puck before Briere got there, resulting in a delay of game penalty.  Max Pacioretty capitalized with the game winner - his 8th game winning goal of the season - and second goal of the game to secure a 4-3 win.

That's the recap of the week. Now onto my musings.

- P.K. Subban had an interesting return to NHL hockey this week after representing Canada at the Olympics.  In his first game against Team Canada coach Mike Babcock's Red Wings, Subban played solid if unspectacular and was on the ice for Brian Gionta's game-tying goal. In overtime, Subban had a huge rush and a couple of scoring chances, displaying his tremendous skating ability and stick-handling and even managed to draw a hooking call on Tomas Tatar. Unfortunately, Subban was also called for diving on the play, which negated a potential Montreal power-play. After leaving the penalty box, Subban was on the ice for the game winning goal against. Not exactly how he wanted to show Babcock his lack of playing time in Sochi was a bad coaching decision. 

The following game in Pittsburgh, Subban was again not at his best, finishing with no points and a -2 rating.  A brutal giveaway early in the third period led to a short-handed goal against by Brandon Sutter, which gave Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead.  Subban rarely saw the ice after that point before coming out on a late power-play and helped set up the game-tying goal by Daniel Briere.  Subban did not see the ice in overtime as Montreal won in the shootout.  Subban had a much better game against the Maple Leafs, as he scored the game-tying goal to force overtime - his first goal in 13 games and helped set up the game-winning goal by Max Pacioretty in overtime when his stick broke, sending the puck to Andrei Markov who's beautiful behind the back pass ended up on Patches' stick.  A little lucky, yes, but you need to be lucky to be good and good to be lucky.

- Michel Therrien benched Subban late in the third against Pittsburgh. This isn't the first time he's benched Subban this year but it certainly drew the ire of fans on Twitter and on the Montreal Hockey Talk post-game show.  Subban's brutal give-away came after trying to do too much on a power-play and led directly to a goal. Andrei Markov had a brutal give-away on the power-play against the Maple Leafs' that led to a short-handed goal as well. Markov was not benched afterwards.  This also drew some ire of fans on Twitter.  There's a big difference, folks. Subban has made this mistake before and likely will make this mistake again. Markov rarely makes glaring mistakes such as this and deserves benefit of the doubt. There is no double standard here. Subban needs to learn from his mistakes and reign in his risk-reward style of play slightly, especially late in close games.  As he matures and gains more experience at the NHL level, he will learn to pick his spots better and learn when to go all-out and when to take the safe approach. Once he does this, the sky is the limit for what Subban can accomplish. Sometimes you need to ride the pine after a gaffe and think about what you've done.  However, moves such as this will not improve Therrien's status with the fans. Especially when you're replacing him in the lineup with Douglas Murray. A recent Hockey Inside/Out poll determined that only 39% of the fans approve of Michel Therrien's work as head coach. He may not be losing his locker room or losing games, but he's certainly losing the support of the fans.  However, all that matters is whether or not Marc Bergevin is happy and so far its hard to say he's not.

- Carey Price left the ice after facing one shot on a power-play drill in his first practice back from the Olympics. Michel Therrien told the press that Price suffered a 'lower-body injury' while participating at the Olympics for Team Canada and would be out at least the first two games. Price has since been placed on Injured Reserve having missed all three games, and will miss tonight's game against the Los Angeles Kings.  He should return at some point over the western road trip, but only when he's at 100% health.

I find it very hard to believe that Carey Price suffered this injury at the Olympics. He was not hindered in any of his starts, including the nail-biting 1-0 win over Team USA nor the Gold-Medal winning 3-0 shutout over Sweden. If Price did suffer an injury in Sochi, why was he even on the ice during the practice.  If he tweaked something during a drill, just come out and say so. With the media at practice, you're not fooling anyone. If anything, you're making yourself and your training staff look bad by allowing him to practice when he's injured. Either way, Peter Budaj stepped up in the first-three games post-break and while he wasn't the brick wall in goal that Price is, the offense always seems to rally around him and put goals on the board. You don't need to win by 5, just need to score one more than the opposition. Budaj has been solid at doing just enough to secure some points.  Obviously, the Habs need Price back healthy down the stretch but Budaj has proven to be a very capable goaltender when called upon. 

Coming up this week, the Habs head out west for a 4-game warm-weather road trip.  First stop is in Los Angeles for a Monday night game against the Kings. Then Wednesday and Thursday sees back-to-back games against Saku Koivu and the Anaheim Ducks, immediately followed with the Pheonix Coyotes. The week ends with a Saturday matchup against the powerhouse San Jose Sharks.  In the middle of it all is the NHL trade deadline, which is on Wednesday.  While I personally do not see anything more than depth moves, rumours persist that Andrei Markov may be moved.  Markov has made it known he wishes to remain in Montreal, so I see it far more likely that he signs an extension. But this is the NHL and anything is possible. Markov would be the top blueliner available if Marc Bergevin chooses to go that route. It will be an interesting two days to say the least.

Until next week, Habs Addicts!

Three Questions From My Musings:

A) Will P.K. Subban learn from his mistakes or continue to get benched at key times?

B) If Carey Price misses an extended period of time, can Peter Budaj hold up as the starter?

C) Will Andrei Markov be dealt at the trade deadline or will he sign an extension?


---
Nick M. is a transplanted Montrealer, currently living in evil LeafLand. He is a contributor here at HabsAddict.com and give him a follow, as he can often be found rambling on Twitter.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens vs Maple Leafs (Game #62)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (33-21-7) play host to the rival Maple Leafs (32-22-7) Saturday night at the Bell Centre. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS and CBC.

This is the fourth of five meetings between the Habs and Leafs, they'll meet again for the final time this season in three weeks at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The Leafs have picked up 2 wins in the 3 games so far, including a 5-3 victory in Toronto the last time these teams met. The Canadiens battled back from 1-0 and 3-1 deficits, but a late goal by James Van Riemsdyk eventually put the Leafs ahead for good.

What to Watch:

Peter Budaj will start his third consecutive game Saturday night as Carey Price recovers from a mysterious lower body injury. Budaj had a shaky start in Pittsburgh on Thursday but ended up one of the heroes as he stopped Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal in the shootout. Daniel Briere picked up goals number 10 and 11 on the season against the Penguins. He also added an assist in the 6-5 shootout win, bringing him up to 21 points on the season.

The Leafs dropped a 5-4 OT decision to the Islanders in their first game back after the Olympics. They were stung for 2 shorthanded goals and a late third period game tying marker against the lowly Isles. James Van Riemsdyk had 3 assists in the losing effort and fellow American Olympian, Phil Kessel, picked up a goal and an assist.

What's at Stake:

The Habs go into Saturday's game with a 2 point lead in the standings over the Maple Leafs with about a quarter of the season left to play. The Canadiens haven't played the best hockey since the Olympic break ended bur have still managed to pick up 3 of a possible 4 points. They have 9 points in their last 5 games and will want to keep that streak going against their longtime rivals.

Who's Out:

The Canadiens are still missing Carey Price (lower body) although he is expected to travel with the team next week for their West Coast road trip. Ryan White (illness) missed Thursday's game in Pittsburgh and practice on Friday. Brandon Prust (upper body), Michael Bournival (concussion) and Davis Drewiske (shoulder) are also out.

The Leafs are missing Dave Bolland (ankle).

What Else:

The Montrealhockeytalk.com Pregame Show will be broadcast live from Brutopia Brew Pub Saturday at 6 pm, following a special  edition of Murphy's Hockey Law starting at 4 pm also live from Brutopia. Guests on Murphy's Hockey Law will include Eric Engels from Hockeybuzz, Kevin Mcgran from the Toronto Star, Mike Zeisberger from the Toronto Sun, and Shane Murphy who will be in the house to perform an acoustic set.

The Question Mark:

We want to hear from you, do you think PK Subban has been treated fairly by Michel Therrien this season and are you satisfied with his development?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Penguins (Game #61)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (32-21-6) are in Pittsburgh to face the Penguins (40-15-3) Thursday night, fresh off a 2-1 OT loss to the Red Wings. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS and TSN-Habs.

This is the third and final game between the Habs and Penguins this season. The Habs took the first game 3-2 at the Bell Centre, but dropped the last meeting 5-1. Carey Price was pulled from that match midway through the second after allowing 5 goals on 21 shots. Jussi Jokinen had a pair of goals and Evgenin Malkin had a goal and an assist, bringing him up to 4 points in 2 games against the Canadiens this season.

What to Watch:

The Habs only managed two shots on goal in the second period of Wednesday's game, finishing the night with 20 in close to 65 minutes of play. Brian Gionta tallied 6 shots and scored the team's only goal in Montreal's first game back after the Olympics. Peter Budaj had 28 saves in 30 shots and kept his team in the game for 59 minutes until Gionta managed to draw the Habs even.

This will be Pittsburgh's first game since the Olympics ended, they haven't played since February 7. Like the Canadiens, the Penguins have a pair of gold medalists returning from Sochi in Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz, both of whom scored in the Gold Medal game versus Sweden. And like the Red Wings, the Pens have an Olympic coach behind their bench; Dan Bylsma led Team USA during this year's Winter Games.

What's at Stake:

A win Thursday against the Conference leading Pens would help the Habs stay a step ahead of the Leafs, but, with Carey Price staying behind as the team traveled to Pittsburgh, the Canadiens will be in tough against one of the most potent offensive teams in the league. The good news is, Peter Budaj had a solid outing against the Wings on Wednesday. The bad news? He'll be playing on less than 24 hours rest if he starts in Pittsburgh.

Who's Out:

The Habs are missing Carey Price (lower body), Michael Bournival (concussion) and Brandon Prust (upper body). Prust has been placed on injured reserve for the time being.

The Penguins are missing Beau Bennett (wrist), Chris Conner (wrist) and goalie Tomas Vokoun (hip). Taylor Pyatt (lower body) and Joe Vitale (upper body) were injured prior to the Olympics but could return for Thursday's game.

What Else:

Dale Weise played in his fourth game as a Hab on Wednesday, and although he played the least minutes so far since joining the team, he still made an impact on the game with 5 hits. Weise's arrival coincided with the return of Ryan White from injury and the pair seemed to have formed an instant chemistry. Since the duo have been put together, the Canadiens are 3-0-1 and have allowed just 5 goals. White had 2 goals and an assist in the two games leading up to the break, which included his first career game winning goal.

The Question Mark:

Habs GM Marc Bergevin has already pulled the trigger on one deal for the Canadiens, sending Raphael Diaz to Vancouver for Dale Weise. What we want to know from you is, how many more deals do you expect Bergevin to make between now and the deadline and what is the team's biggest need?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment or send us a tweet by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

Be sure to tune into the Montreal Hockey Talk Pregame Show an hour before the puck drop and the Post Game Show 5 minutes after the final siren. Join the live conversation by using the #MTLHockey hashtag on Twitter.

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Montreal Canadiens Three Stars of the Week - Jan 27 - Feb 2, 2014

After dropping 4 straight games, and 5 of their last 6, the Canadiens got back on track in their 4 games last week, going 2-1-1. Carey Price stole the show on Tuesday, making 36 saves in Montreal's 3-0 win over the Hurricanes. Peter Budaj was up to task in Boston on Thursday, he put in a 34 save performance, backstopping the Habs to a 4-1 victory. The offense cooled off on the weekend when the Canadiens played a pair of matinees against the Lightning and Jets, they dropped both games 2-1, but earned a loser point for taking the Bolts to overtime.

Here's a look at the standout performers from last week.

First Star: Carey Price

Carey Price had a 5-game stretch of allowing 4 goals or more heading into last week's action, but recovered well enough to allow 4 goals total in the 3 games he played. Price started the week off with a shut out against the Hurricanes and then played a pair of weekend games less than 24 hours apart against the Bolts and the Jets, making 34 saves on Saturday and 33 on Sunday. Price only allowed one regulation goal against the Lightning, a redirected pass that PK Subban pushed towards the net. On Sunday, Price probably would have liked to get back the second goal he allowed against Winnipeg, which Michael Frolik buried after Price mishandled the puck along the goal line. Price finished the week with a 1-1-1 record and a .963 save percentage.

Second Star: Brendan Gallagher

Brendan Gallagher was his usual pesky self throughout last week, battling for space in front of the crease and frustrated goalies wherever he went. The Canadiens' spark plug picked up a goal and 3 assist in 4 games, and was the game's First Star Thursday in Boston, and the Second Star against the Hurricanes on Tuesday. He was the most visible Habs player on Sunday against the Jets, despite not finding the scoresheet, and was a regular target of defenseman Mark Stuart, who has an extra 5 inches and 35 pounds on Gallagher.

Third Star: Brian Gionta

Montreal's captain ended the week on a 3-game point streak, with 2 goals and an assist in his last 3 matches. Gionta set up Daniel Briere for the tying goal against the Lightning on Saturday, forcing overtime and earning the Habs at least one point. He was the only Canadien to find the back of the net against Al Montoya and the Jets on Sunday. Gionta also deflected a Tomas Plekanec shot for a power play goal against the Bruins on Thursday.

Honorable Mention: Peter Budaj

The Habs' back up goalie played just one game last week, but he got the job done against the division leading Bruins, stopping 35 of the 36 shots he's faced. The win helped Budaj bring his GAA under 2.00, he's now at 1.97 in that department to go along with a .926 save percentage, both those numbers have him on pace for career bests.

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Pregame Preview: Canadiens at Hurricanes (Game #41)

 
Match Up:

The Canadiens (23-14-3) will finish up 2013 in Carolina with a match against the Hurricanes (14-16-9) on New Year's Eve. The game is set to start at 7:00 and airs on RDS.

This is the first of three games between the Habs and Canes. Last season the Habs swept all three games against the Hurricanes, earning 3-0, 4-2 and 4-1 victories. Carey Price earned two of the wins, but it was Peter Budaj that collected the shut out victory.

What to Watch:

Montreal's offense was held to just one goal yet again Sunday night against the Panthers. It was the seventh time in their past 9 games the Canadiens scored one goal or fewer, but even so, the team has managed to win 4 of those matches.

After a disappointing season last year, Jeff Skinner has gotten himself back on track and leads the Hurricanes in goals, despite missing 11 games already this season. With 14 goals and 24 points in 28 games, Skinner has already matched his point production from last season.

What's at Stake:

The Canadiens will want to end the calendar year on a high note. A struggling Hurricanes team should provide them with every opportunity to earn a victory, Carolina has just one win in their last 9 games.

Who's Out:

George Parros hasn't seen action since suffering a concussion earlier in the month, although he has been skating with the team. Davis Drewiske (shoulder) is out long term.

The Hurricanes are without Jiri Tlusty (appendix) and Jay Harrison (concussion).

What Else:

The Canadiens had themselves a pretty satisfying 2013, going 52-28-8 up to now. Carey Price has been one of the biggest reasons for Montreal's success, he's stopped 1948 pucks already in 2013, giving up just 160 goals for a .924 save percentage.

The Question Mark:

What do you expect to see from the Habs in the coming year?

Let us know what you think, leave a comment below or send us a message on Twitter using the #MTLHockey hashtag.

There is no Pregame or Post Game Show tonight, join us again Thursday when the Canadiens play the Dallas Stars for the Best Damn Uncensored Habs Coverage around.

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Habs/Rangers Post Game October 28th, 2013

Budaj makes one of his 27 saves on the evening

It was the home opener for the Rangers. The Canadiens scored twice and were able to shut down the Rangers offense that has been flat all season.

The tone of the game was set early on. The Rangers came out and pressured the Habs- it looked like the Rangers would be off to an early 1-0 lead but the puck rang the post and went wide. This was the best opportunity for the Rangers all night.

Despite being on the road for the first time in some time, the Habs fans would have hoped they'd be eager to get back on the ice after their last outing.

The Canadiens had difficulty getting the puck out of the zone in the first half of the game, an issue that was costly for them when they played the Sharks. The Rangers tried to get as many shots on net as they could but the Habs challenged their efforts. They finished the night with 28 blocked shots.

A shocking aspect of the game was how the Canadiens chose to hold their game to a similar style that they did against San Jose. They played a trap game, given the Rangers pedigree thus far, this strategy could've been avoided on this night in the interest of the fans.The Rangers have had trouble scoring five on five goals this season. Surprising since Coach Vignault's used to boasting a very potent offense in his past years coaching the Canucks. The talent is not the same but to be 28th in the league should raise a few eyebrows. Add to that they are 29th in goals against, with their defense and usually solid goaltending, it explains why they've been struggling.

That being stated, the Canadiens should have been the ones generating the pressure.

Special teams played a big role for the Canadiens; they killed off the five penalties against and scored an absolutely beautiful power-play goal by Tomas Plekanec with the help of Bournival. Bournival has clearly established himself on the team and it will be interesting to see what happens when Pacioretty returns to the lineup.

Price had the night off as they play back at home tomorrow night. He has traditionally not performed at his best at MSG. The shut-out for Budaj was warranted given all 27 shots against.

Douglas Murray made his Canadiens debut. He made an impact by delivering a big hit and offered some stability on the PK. Playing on the third pairing with Francis Bouillon; maybe on the back-end of their careers they aren't being asked to log in big minutes. They're role players and offer the NHL experience and stability that the rookies may need.

The Canadiens play the Dallas Stars Tuesday night. Both teams are playing their second game in back to back days. Given that the Canadiens did seem to play with less jump in their step tonight, they will still have gas in the tank to play for the home crowd.

(photo: courtesy Toronto Sun)

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Habs/Oilers Post Game October 10th 2013

The second game in their Alberta back-to-back had the Canadiens face off against the high octane offense in Edmonton. Backup goaltender Peter Budaj got the start and back stopped his team to a 4-1 victory.

Coach Therrien has decided to use these early games to experiment with the lines. The goal? To distribute the scoring rather than have the EGG line as the only one scoring goals.

The breakdown:
Pacioretty, Eller, Briere,
Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Gallagher.
Bourque, Desharnais, Gionta
Prust, Bournival, Moen.

Markov, Subban

Gorges, Diaz

Beaulieu, Bouillon 

As is usually the case, change does not always produce immediate returns. The first period had its share of awkward sequences. It's fair to question the coaches decision to "crack the egg". Perhaps just shuffling the other 3 lines should be explored before making the decision to mix up every line. This way at least there is the security that one line has proven chemistry should the game-plan fail to produce dividends. By the end of the game however, the end did justify the means.

It would be in the second period that the Canadiens, despite allowing the opening goal on the power play, began to outplay the Oilers. The game was centered more in the Edmonton zone, the Habs scored twice and generated the more prominent scoring chances. They held off the Oilers attack from creating any serious threats limiting their chances to the outside and getting in the way of shots from dangerous angles. 

Goals from Gallagher and Prust, despite less than spectacular finishes, all stemmed from hard work and a touch of craftsmanship from those who recorded the assists. The Prust goal in particular showcased the efforts of Bournival, who seemed incredibly comfortable in his second appearance. His name wont appear on the scoresheet but his tenacity to keep the puck in the Oiler zone is the reason for the goal.

In the third the Oilers came out with desperation but the Habs weathered the storm. Each line seemed to play with a boost of energy. The play of the 4th line was most certainly a catalyst in this effort. They were constantly banging the Oilers around and leaving them breathless coming to the bench, giving the whole team the extra motivation to keep up the pace.

Increasing the lead would be Galchenyuk who received a beautifully timed saucer pass from Gallagher and put it past Dubnyk. The Oilers did everything they could to make a last ditch effort. Trailing 3-1 with just over 4 minutes left, they attempted a very unorthodox decision by pulling the goalie. Although it did generate some heat in the Habs zone, this was met with the equal vigor. In the end, it would be Briere that recorded his first point as a Canadien when he assisted on the Pacioretty empty-netter. 

A nice surprise was the play of newcomer Nathan Beaulieu. In his limited ice time he made a lot of plays that take confidence to execute and did not seem to be out of place in his role filling in for Jared Tinordi.

P.K. Subban lead the team in TOI , logging in just over 25 minutes. No surprise, when he plays more, the team finds a way to win, that is certain.

Montreal desperately needed to win this game especially coming off of the effort from the night before. They visit Vancouver Saturday before stopping in Winnipeg on their way back to the Bell Center.

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Price vs. Budaj, Prust Is A Warrior, Halak Has The Blues And More...

Good Morning Addicts!

Would the Canadiens have made it past the first round with
Peter Budaj as their starter?

I have to say, I haven't been looking forward to putting up today's news and links as it's the first time I am doing so since the Ottawa Senators sent the Habs packing last Thursday night.

The Montreal Canadiens enjoyed a surprisingly successful season finishing second in the Eastern conference after ending up in the basement at the end of the 2011-12 campaign. It's this amazing turnaround that had Montreal fans hoping and expecting the Canadiens to make a deep playoff run.

Instead the Habs lost defenseman Alexei Emelin in the final stretch of the season and things ent downhill from there. It's pretty typical for any fanbase to blame injuries on their team's early exit and so I am not trying to sing that song. The fact of the matter however is that with Emelin out, followed by captain Brian Gionta, Lars Eller, Brandon Prust and Ryan White the Habs were put to the test. A test which they ultimately failed.

As if those injuries weren't enough, goaltender Carey Price injured himself at the end of game four causing him to sit for game five as the Senators handed the Habs a 6-1 beating for the second time in the playoffs ultimately ending the Canadiens playoff run.

It wouldn't be Montreal without a debate over whether or not it was our goalie's fault. Its funny how so many people forget how good Price was to help the team win the Northeast division. Instead they remember his less than impressive overall performance in the final ten games of the season and first round of the playoffs.

I understand that in the big picture it's the playoffs that count, it just get's tiring to always have Price be bashed for the team's failure. The injuries did not help.

So before putting all the blame on Price and making ridiculous claims such as "Peter Budaj would've got us to the second round", take a look at Coach K's perspective on the goaltending debate in Montreal.

Habs And Hockey News

- It's no secret that the Habs need to get tougher to find success in the future, but this article by Dave Stubbs shows that acquiring Brandon Prust last year was a giant step in the right direction.

 - Speaking of goaltendending controversies, it seems former Montreal Saviour Jaroslav Halak may be on his way out of St. Louis.

- Shawn Reznik of TheHockeyWriters.com takes a look at Justin Bailey in his 2013 NHL Draft Prospect Profile.


(Photo by Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)

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Putting Price vs. Budaj Debate To Rest

For weeks, on this very site, some "Anonymous" reader has left comments in an attempt to discredit Carey Price and anoint Peter Budaj as the Canadiens' playoff savior.

Instead of deleting or blocking this reader, who we really do appreciate, we at HabsAddict.com decided to fight back, in an attempt to finally put this unfair notion to rest.

When looking at Carey Price's numbers in the playoffs between 2008 and today, his won/lost record leaves much to be desired (9-17), which gives him a 0.346 winning percentage. That being said, the Montreal Canadiens have played 46 games in the playoffs since Price's arrival in Montreal. The Habs have an 18-28 record and a 0.391 winning percentage.

Detractors may look at those statistics and say, "So what? Halak took us further in the playoffs!"

On the surface they may be right, but in 19 playoff games that Price didn't play in 2009-2010, when Jaroslav Halak backstopped the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference finals, the Habs went 9-9-1, giving them a .526 winning percentage.

When you look more in-depth, "Les Glorieux"  scored 46 goals in the 2009-2010 playoff run, while allowing 51 against, giving them a -5 goal differential. Halak's GAA was 2.55 with a goal differential of -1 in 1013 minutes of action.

Bear in mind, Price appeared in 4 games, allowing 2 goals on 23 shots in relief of Halak on April 19th versus the Washington Capitals, 4 on 36 shots in his only start of the playoffs on April 21st, 0 goals on 3 shots against the Pittsburgh Penguins and 2 on 11 shots on May 16th versus the Philadelphia Flyers, again in relief of Halak.

How many did the Habs score while Price was in goal that playoff season? A measly 4 goals in 135 minutes (a -4 goal differential).

Carey Price has allowed a total of 82 goals in 1696 playoff minutes, giving him a .905 save percentage and a career 2.90 Goals Against Average. The Canadiens managed to score a meager 68, giving Price a career goal differential of -14.

Some will look at these numbers and still believe Carey Price isn't the answer to a deep playoff run. Let us add some more stats, just to justify where we are going.

In 2008, Price had a record of 5-6, having beaten the Boston Bruins in a tough, seven game first round series, while allowing 30 goals in 648 minutes. The Canadiens scored 33 goals that playoff year, giving Price a +3 goal differential, a 2.78 GAA and .902 save percentage.

If you do the math, from 2009 to today, Price has allowed 52 goals in 1036 minutes of action, while getting 38 goals in support from his teammates. So, in 23 more minutes than Halak's magical run, Price has received 13 goals less in support, while allowing only 6 more goals that Jaro Halak.

Meanwhile, Peter Budaj has appeared in only 5 playoff games in his career, allowing 4 goals on 71 shots, giving him a .887 save percentage and a 4.00 GAA.

All this to say that Carey Price certainly has average numbers in his playoff journey so far.While some try to discredit him as an athlete and an individual, others like Marc-Andre Fleury and Antti Niemi, both Stanley Cup Champions, have similar career numbers. The difference between the three goalies is that Fleury and Niemi played with some pretty incredible teams in front of them.

Carey Price has played for six season during a decade of Habs' futility. As the future becomes clearer while the Canadiens continue to rebuild their franchise to its former glory, so will the value of a talent like Price. Just think, if Price can have numbers like Fleury and Niemi with sub-par teams supporting him, imagine what his numbers may look like in a few seasons?

The statisics used in this articles were found with the following resources:
NHL.com
hockey-reference.com

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Peter Budaj Deserves a Contract Extension

Greetings Habs Addicts!

Photo: Courtesy of Canoe.ca

What a great week of hockey for the Montreal Canadiens!

On Tuesday, the Habs hung around all game long with the now 15-straight wins and counting Pittsburgh Penguins, losing a close one 1-0.  Pittsburgh had scored at least 2 goals in each game prior to this match-up and are averaging 3.5 goals-per-game.  They have also since shutout the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Islanders. So losing 1-0 is nothing to be ashamed of.  More impressively, the Habs flew into Boston the next day and came back from allowing four goals in the 2nd period to tie the game 5-5 with 8 seconds left. And I'm sure we all saw the highlights.  Brendan Gallagher won it for us in the shootout.  A 6-5 victory of our greatest rival. Then we capped it off by shutting out the New York Rangers 3-0 for the second time this year, completing the sweep of the season series.  

The 2012/13 season has been set up with the Habs working as a team.  Aside from P.K. Subban, who is playing like a Norris Trophy winner, this years Canadiens are winning as a team.  They are a team that is built on depth and are not top-heavy in elite talent like the Pittsburgh Penguins. Each game seems to have a different player or line combination stepping up to contribute. Lars Eller, Brandon Prust, Brendan Gallagher, Brian Gionta and Michael Ryder have all had great individual performances leading to wins this year.  The comeback win against Boston was Peter Budaj's time to shine. 

Budaj has played well this year, going 5-1-1 in his 7 games (6 starts).  His defining moment (in my eyes, seeing as how it was my first Habs game in Montreal in 3 years) was his 3-0 shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes back on February 18.  His second defining moment came a few days ago, in relief of Carey Price in the Boston game.  After Price allowed 4 goals in the second period (not all his fault, Montreal was out-shot 17-5 in the period), Michel Therrien turned to Budaj for the third period. Budaj did not disappoint, stopping 14/15 shots he faced in the third period and overtime, as well as all 6 shots he faced in the shootout and earning the win.  

Budaj is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.  His contract is modest at $1.2 million.  The Montreal Gazette's Dave Stubbs wrote an article about how comfortable Budaj is in a backup role. He also indicated Budaj is the player Marc Bergevin should think about extending next.  I would have to agree with Stubbs in that regard. Since signing with Montreal prior to last season, Budaj has been solid in relief of workhorse starter Price.  In 2011/12, Budaj has a 5-7-5 record with a 2.55 Goals Against Average (GAA) and .913 save percentage (SV/PCT) in 17 games, all starts.  Solid numbers for a backup.  This year on top of his 5-1-1 record, his 2.47 GAA and .906 SV/PCT are very respectable numbers.  

If the Habs wish to upgrade the position they can look at other options after the season through free agency.  At a quick glance, the crop of free agents available this year (as of this posting) will either cost a lot more money than they are worth in a backup role (Mike Smith, Ray Emery) or are closer to the age of 40 than they are to 30 (Evgeni Nabokov, Nikolai Khabibulin, Mathieu Garon, Jose Theodore). If they wish to look towards the farm system for the answer, Dustin Tokarski has been extremely solid since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Cedric Desjardins. However, the Canadiens do lack solid NHL ready talent. Tokarski has potential to be a solid NHL goaltender.  Robert Mayer is a prospect, one who I personally view as nothing more than a career AHL player who provides organizational depth. Carey Price is the present and future workhorse in goal.  Budaj is an established NHL veteran and a capable starter is called upon. At $1.2 million and on a team with salary cap space to spare, there is no reason why an extension to a player who is certainly proving his worth this season is unreasonable.  
 
What do you think:  Should the Habs extend Budaj or should they pursue other options? 

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