There you go Habs fans, the "easy" game on this three-game road trip is out of the way! Wasn't that fun? Wasn't that easy?
No, it wasn't.
With the Montreal Canadiens and the Edmonton Oilers facing off at Rexall Place last night, the Habs had a chance to kick off their Western road trip with a win against the worst team in the league.
Instead, Montreal allowed the enthusiastic Oilers to skate at will in their zone, getting several quality scoring chances from the high slot in the first period alone.
The Oilers got the party stared when Ales Hemsky waltzed through the Canadiens' porous defensive coverage and wired a wrister top shelf past Price. After the goal, Edmonton completely dominated the rest of the period as the tired looking Habs struggled to keep up.
As has been the case far too often this season, Price was left to his own devices and had to make four or five huge saves to keep it a one goal game.
Montreal came back to life in the second, dominating play, outshooting the Oilers 17-8 and tying it up at one on Jeff Halpern's ninth of the season. Despite his horrible rebound control, Edmonton goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin made the difference in the second, and the Habs were simply unable to capitalize on their chances.
Unfortunately for the Habs, down to only five defenseman, the wheels completely fell off the cart in the third.
Price, who had been solid all game, let in two weak goals in a 15-second span, giving the Oilers a 3-1 lead. While P.K. Subban's ill-timed pinch and Andrei Kostitsyn's lackadaisical defensive coverage allowed the Oilers' players to score, both were shots that Price should have had.
Ales Hemsky sealed the deal with his second of the night into the empty net to sweep the season series against Montreal.
Final score: Oilers 4 - Habs 1
Habs' scorers: Jeff Halpern (9)
Oilers' scorers: Ales Hemsky (11, 12), Jordan Eberle (13), Ryan Jones (13)
Three stars: 1. Nikolai Khabibulin, 2. Ryan Jones, 3. Jordan Eberle
Game Notes
1. Give 'em a break!
With the injury bug raping and pillaging the Canadiens defensive ranks this season, GM Pierre Gauthier acquired Paul Mara from the Anaheim Ducks yesterday. It was a depth move needed to shore up the Habs blueline with Jaroslav Spacek joining the walking wounded this week.
While Mara was scheduled to play last night, his equipment didn't show up in time, meaning that he ended up being a healthy scratch.
If that wasn't enough, James Wizniewski blocked a shot with his face early in the game, fell to the ice in a pool of blood and was sent straight to the hospital.
This meant that the Habs, who already looked tired, were left with only five defenseman, three of whom were rookies.
To a man, the Canadiens defenseman did double duty clocking in with ridiculous amounts of ice time as follows:
P.K. Subban, 29:29, Roman Hamrlik, 27:36, Alexandre Picard, 23:23, Yannick Weber, 27:38, Brandon Nash, 8:30, James Wizniewski, 3:24.
Considering that the Wiz was gone after the first period and the Nash was nailed to the bench during the second, that left four Canadiens' defenders to do the job of six. That is too much to ask of any defensive squad and you could see that players like Subban and Hamrlik were completely gassed by the third.
The defensive corps fatigue was a huge factor in this loss, as the defense and the team in front of it, completely collapsed in the third period.
2. Andrei Kostitsyn came to play.
Well, at least in the first period he did.
He had a few plays in the first where he took the puck to the net with conviction, something he hasn't done in months.
AK actually had the Habs best scoring chance of the first when he took on two Oilers defenders, undressed them with a great fake, cut to the net, beat the goaltender but had the puck poke-checked away by Khabibulin.
As the Team 990's Conor McKenna pointed out on Twitter last night, that is Kostitsyn's career in a nutshell.
You've got to feel for the guy who surely knows that his time is very likely up with the Habs.
With Pierre Gauthier scouting the Sharks/Capitals game last night and assistant GM, Larry Carriere, scouting the Predators last few games, you know the Habs are looking to make a move. And whatever they decide to do, you would have to think that Kostitsyn is almost a lock to be moved out of town within the next week or so.
This is a fact that he is undoubtedly aware of.
3. Benoit Pouliot looks like a different player.
RDS analyst, Denis Gauthier, hit the nail on the head when he said that Pouliot seems like he plays up or down to the level of his linemates.
Since being paired with David Desharnais and Ryan White, Pouliot has become a different player. Moreover, Desharnais—who made Dustin Boyd look like a 50-goal scorer in the AHL—continues to spur Pouliot to greater heights.
Desharnais skill, vision and grit, paired with Ryan White's energy, determination and nose for the net are lifting Pouliot to another level. As such, he is perhaps starting to look more like the fourth overall draft pick that he is.
Playing big, hitting, shooting and always going to the net, Pouliot looks like he might be starting to live up to the projections.
Jacques Martin shuffled his lines a bit in the second, pairing Pouliot with Halpern and Lars Eller and it bore immediate fruit. Pouliot, who until recently hasn't been known to crash the crease, charged the blue paint on a Lars Eller goal-mouth shot, knocking the defenseman out of the way and leading to a scramble.
This allowed Halpern to get the rebound up and over a fallen Khabibulin, knotting the game at one.
We sometimes forget that Pouliot, who far too often plays small, is actually 6'3" and 195 lbs. Lately, he has actually been using his size and if he continues to do so he will be a very effective player for the Habs.
4. Lars Eller played his best game in a Habs uniform.
I'm not sure where it suddenly came from, but Lars Eller was a beast last night.
For most players, their play starts getting better and better, game and game, before they have some kind of breakout. With Eller, it was exactly the opposite as he has basically been invisible the last few weeks on a sputtering line with Gomez and Kostitsyn.
Last night, however, with Coach Martin mixing up the lines in the second period, Eller found himself on the wing with Halpern and Pouliot and the combination was dynamite.
On one of their first shifts together they scored the Habs first goal with Eller driving to the net, Pouliot knocking the defenseman out of the way and all three players jamming at the puck around Khabibulin.
The result was Halpern's ninth of the season and an assist for Eller, in a sequence where the Pouliot was being double shifted.
If Eller can keep that kind of gusto up it will go a long way towards helping revive the dead Gomez line. Or, if Martin decides to mix up his lines, Eller's play will be a boon wherever he plays.
5. Scott Gomez finally showed up!
For the first time in months, Scott Gomez played like a bonafide second line center.
He was skating, making great passes, using his speed and shifty play to setup scoring chances and make things happen in the offensive zone.
It's no coincidence that in the same game that Gomez showed up, his linemate, Andrei Kostitsyn, also played his best game in months.
Gomez played so well that he was rewarded by Martin, by being reunited with his long time linemate Brian Gionta—Pouliot was the third man on that line. They only had a few shifts together but they looked really good. Perhaps the wise old coach will keep them together for a stretch.
The biggest problem for Gomez is that despite his strong play, he still somehow managed to finish the night as a minus-2. In case you’re counting, that gives him a team and career low minus-18 for the season.
This horrendous stat gives him the seventh worst plus/minus in the league, at minus-18, placing him 824th out of 838 players in the league.
Ouch.
For a guy who was raised in the New Jersey system and who is a career plus player, something has gone seriously off the rails for Mr. Gomez this season.
Standings and Next Game
After a three-game winning streak to start the month of February, the Habs have now gone 1-3-2 in their last six. The loss keeps them stalled in sixth overall in the East with the Rangers closing on them and the Bruins trying to pull away.
Ahead of the Habs are the Bruins with 71 points and one game in hand, and the Caps with 70 points and the same number of games played.
Behind the Canadiens are the usual suspects but their lead over them is starting to evaporate. In seventh are the Rangers with 66 points, Carolina in eighth with 62 and one game in hand, Buffalo in ninth with 60 points and three games in hand and the Thrashers with 60 points.
Things don't get any easier for Montreal who have two days off before the Heritage Classic in Calgary on Sunday. At 7-1-2 in their last ten games, the Flames are one of the hottest teams in the league.
The only good news is that it is looking like both Hal Gill and Michael Cammalleri should be in the lineup on Sunday.
And not a moment too soon!
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
The trade was announced around 1:00 AM Eastern, so it took a few hours for the Twitterverse to light up.
Lost in the excitement—or disappointment as it were—of this relatively minor trade was the fact that the Canadiens play their first of three games on a critical road trip out West tonight.
Their first landing spot is Edmonton, where the cellar dweller Oilers await the Habs.
Montreal has not fared well out west in the last few years and with the Heritage Classic on Sunday in Calgary, the Habs will have their work cut out to focus on the task at hand.
Standings
With the Washington Capitals winning a wild one against the Ducks yesterday, they moved one point ahead of the Canadiens in the standings, pushing them back into sixth in the East.
With 69 points in the standings, however, a win by the Canadiens tonight would move them back into fifth, one point ahead of the Caps with 71 points.
The Bruins with 69 points—currently in first place in the Northeast division in virtue of their one game in hand—play the Isles tonight and a loss by the B's, coupled by a Habs win, would send the Canadiens into first place in the Northeast and third in the division.
Umm, ya, the playoff picture is complicated and changes by the day.
As for the Oilers, well, with 25 games to play and 42 points in the standings, they are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff race. Edmonton has only two wins in their last eight games and is a team that the Habs absolutely must beat.
That being said, the Habs have not fared well in Edmonton in recent years, losing three straight and seven out of the last eight games at Rexall Place.
Goaltending
Carey Price will be making his league-leading 52nd start of the season after coming off of a 3-2, 10-round shootout loss to the Sabres on Tuesday.
For the Oilers, the goaltending picture is murkier but Nikolai Khabibulin, who earned the Oil's first home win in a month against the Stars on Tuesday, should get the start.
If not, look for Devan Dubnyk, who made 36 saves for the win the last time these two teams faced off, to get the call.
Special Teams and Scoring
Just like their point totals, there is a huge mismatch in the special teams department.
Despite their recent struggles with the man-advantage, Montreal boasts the ninth overall power play at 19.1 percent and the sixth overall penalty kill at 84.6 percent.
Contrast that with the Oilers 30th ranked PP at 12.0 percent and 30th ranks PK at 75.4 percent, and you can see how the Habs should be able to easily control this facet of the game.
Neither team has a very potent offense, with the Habs holding the 25th spot at 2.6 goals per game to the Oilers’ 28th 2.5. But it's in the goals-against department that the Canadiens hold a clear advantage with a seventh overall 2.5 per game to the Oilers 29th 3.3.
Good thing for the Oilers that hockey games are played on the ice and not on paper, because this game looks like a total mismatch in every statistical department.
The young guns have been getting it done for the Habs lately, with David Desharnais producing seven points in his last seven games and Max Pacioretty with five points in his last four.
For the Oilers, it is Jordan Eberle who is bringing the heat with seven points in his last seven games.
Roster Changes
New trade acquisition, Paul Mara, is expected to join the Canadiens in Edmonton tonight and should slot into the lineup with no word yet on who his playing partner will be.
"Team Clinic" is still in full effect for the Habs who will be without the services of Hal Gill and Spacek, to go along with longer term injuries to Andrei Markov, Josh Gorges and Michael Cammalleri.
Both Cammalleri and Gill accompanied the team on the trip, meaning that they should be back in the lineup soon with the former targeting a return for the Heritage Classic on Sunday.
For the Oil, they continue to be without the services of Ryan Whitney and Gilbert Brule, but are otherwise healthy.
Game time is 9:00 PM Eastern.
--- Kamal is a freelance Habs writer, Senior Writer/Editor-in-Chief of HabsAddict.com, Montreal Canadiens Blogger on Hockeybuzz.com and Habs writer on TheFranchise.ca. Kamal is also a weekly contributor to the Sunday Shinny on The Team 990 (AM 990) every Sunday from 8 - 9 AM. Listen live at http://www.team990.com/
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
With the Oilers and Canadiens each having won their previous game, one of them was going to walk away from last night's tilt with a mini winning streak. Unfortunately for the Montreal Canadiens, they take the "L"—but still earn one point for the overtime loss—and continue to have difficulty stringing together consecutive wins.
The Habs were the more aggressive team in the first period but, as has become almost customary, they got themselves into penalty trouble taking two before the 10 minute mark and giving the Oilers five PPs on the night.
The penalties kept killing the Habs' momentum, but when the teams were at even strength it was like a shooting gallery. The Habs top two lines took advantage of an overly aggressive, young Oilers squad to create a ton of first period scoring chances. While there is no question the Oilers have talent, they lack experience and tend to force plays, getting out of position as a result. As such, the Habs did a good job of exposing a weak Oilers back end through the first 30 minutes.
Two first period power play goals sent the teams to the dressing rooms locked at one, and the Habs continued to dominate in the second, scoring two quick goals to take a 3-1 lead. It was at that point that Oilers' coach, Tom Renney, wisely called a timeout to calm and rally his troops. And it worked.
After the timeout, the Oilers seemed to be rejuvenated, tilting the ice towards the Habs zone for the rest of the game as a result. The Canadiens suddenly looked slow and tired, producing a ton of turnovers, bad passes and poor defensive coverage as the speedy Oilers blitzed the offensive zone.
Down by one goal in the third, the Oilers tied it up on a shorthanded 2-on-1 break that was setup by an ill-advised dive by P.K. Subban. Subban, trying to recover for a Michael Cammalleri turnover, threw his body at the puck in a desperation move that was completely unnecessary. With a one goal lead and less than eight minutes to play, there was no reason for him to try such a low percentage play.
The Habs had another costly turnover in overtime that gave Dustin Penner a clear break and the winning goal.
While the Canadiens completely disappeared after their second goal in a collapse every bit as bad as the one they suffered against the Flyers, you have to give credit to the young Oilers squad.
Ultimately, Tom Renney's decision to call a timeout was a brilliant move because it got his players focused on the game and playing the way they needed in order to win.
Final score: Oilers 4 - Habs 3 (OT)
Habs' scorers: Scott Gomez (3), Mathieu Darche (4), Roman Hamrlik (2)
Oilers' scorers: Kurtis Foster (3), Ales Hemsky (7), Sam Gagner (7), Dustin Penner (8)
Three stars: 1. Dustin Penner, 2. Mathieu Darche, 3. Roman Hamrlik
Footnote:
-Jaroslav Spacek was playing in his 800th career game in 11 years in the NHL.
-Carey Price was awarded the Molson Cup as the Canadiens player with the highest three star ranking, for the month of November.
-With a goal and an assist, Roman Hamrlik hit the 600 point mark for his career.
Comical Moment of the Night
Andrei Kostitsyn took a wicked Subban slapshot off of his ankle during the second period and fell like a ton of bricks to the ice. He was so debilitated that he had to crawl to the bench. That wasn't the funny part, however.
Linemate Tomas Plekanec, in an attempt to help Kostitsyn to the bench quicker, actually pushed and rolled the Belarusian along the ice, in a move akin to something out of the Three Stooges.
Game Notes
1. Price was on top of his game.
The Oilers are a team that has a whole slew of explosive offensive players in their forward ranks; Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi, Dustin Penner and Sam Gagner, just to name a few. The problem for the Oil is more on the defensive side of the puck where their backend could be described as thin, at best.
There were several times last night where the young Oilers squad had excellent scoring chances but Price was there to shut the door each time. Well, at least until his teammates stopped playing in front of him.
It was almost like as the scoring chances got better and better for Edmonton, Price stepped up his game in response, even putting a little twist on his glove saves for flair.
Yes, Price is a goaltender who feels good in his skin and is absolutely dominating the league right now. He is the main reason why the Habs PK—which killed off four of five penalties last night—is second in the league at 90.1 percent.
Price is also the reason why the Habs are the second stingiest team in the league having allowed only 51 goals against in 25 games—the Bruins are in first having allowed 47 goals but have played two fewer games. Despite the loss, the Habs still have not let in more than three goals in regulation and that begins and ends with Carey Price.
2. Tomas Plekanec's line was flying last night.
Plekanec, Brian Gionta and Andrei Kostitsyn came out of the starting gate like they had been shot out of a cannon. They were all over the Oilers' defensive zone and had several scoring chances before the game was five minutes old.
Kostitsyn in particular, was playing to the height of his considerable talent last night. Using his huge frame, he was throwing hits and powering to the net with the puck on his stick. That is a skill that is unique to Kostitsyn, in the Canadiens lineup, due to his strength, size and ability to dangle the puck at speed. When he uses his size to his advantage, Kostitsyn is like a human wrecking ball and becomes a force to be reckoned with.
If he can make a habit of playing that way every night, this guy will become a 30-plus goal scorer in no time.
3. There Habs were turnover machines.
And I don't mean the Pillsbury kind.
The Canadiens, in general, tend to turn the puck over a lot but because of Price's exceptional play so far this season, most do not end up in the back of the net. Last night, however, Price was not able to make the saves to cover up for his teammates on two occasions, and the result was a loss.
The two most costly turnovers were both caused by Michael Cammalleri and Subban. On the third period tying goal by the Oilers, Cammalleri turned the puck over on the power play from just inside the Oilers blueline. The turnover was compounded when Subban decided to slide at the puck in an effort to keep it in the Oilers zone. The two defending Oilers players jumped over Subban and came out with a 2-on-1 with Spacek as the sole defender. You have to give credit where credit is due because Sam Gagner's shot found a hole over Price's shoulder just a little bigger than the puck itself.
That being said, Subban should have had the presence of mind to know that up by one goal on the power play, with less than seven minutes to play in the game is not the right time to be taking chances like that.
Subban made another error in overtime when he passed the puck to Cammalleri with the Oilers player only a few feet away. Subban then headed to the bench rather than waiting to see what happened with the play. Cammalleri, likely seeing the oncoming Oilers play in his periphery, bobbled the puck sending Penner in all alone on Price. While Subban turned and went after Penner he was already too far behind to be able to catch him.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Cammalleri took a few strides to catch Penner but then simply stopped skating and let him have an unmolested break. I'm not sure what he was thinking but that is simply unacceptable, especially from a veteran.
4. Scott Gomez finally scored but...
Gomez potted the first goal of the game when he threw the puck out front on the power play, and it went off of Ray Whitney's stick and in. It wasn't pretty, but he'll take it!
Despite his goal, however, Gomez still didn't and isn't playing well. The unfortunate side effect of his malaise is that he is taking winger Michael Cammalleri down the drain with him. Cammalleri looked frustrated and like he was trying to do far too much on the ice. Moreover, he looks like he is trying to do it all by himself and, as a result, ends up being less effective.
While he did have two assists last night, Cammalleri's poor decision making and turnovers led directly to the tying and winning goals by the Oilers.
Cammalleri is a goal scorer and, as they pointed out on RDS last night, plays best when he does not have the puck. He needs to give the puck to his setup man then position himself for the shot. Last year, when Cammalleri was ripping it up, he was doing exactly that with Plekanec. Right now, he is unfortunately saddled with Gomez and is trying to make things happen by himself as a result.
This is not the type of game that Cammy should be playing and, until he has another center, I fear his confidence will continue to slip and he will continue to flounder.
How much longer can the coaching staff keep Gomez on the second line when he is clearly the biggest problem in the Habs' top-six? Yes, the biggest problem. I think at this point, Gomez's ineffectiveness has eclipsed the Habs need for a second line winger.
5. It's time for a shakeup.
With news from RDS that the Canadiens have placed Andrei Markov on list of injured players, it seems just a matter of time before he goes on the Long Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) and the remainder of his $5.75 million salary comes off of the cap.
As such, the time is ripe for the Canadiens to shake things up.
While the Habs are playing decent hockey and are doing well in the standings, now is the time to make a move and not when/if the team starts slumping. The first thing that needs to happen, before looking outside of the organization, is the coaching staff has to change things up within their current roster.
Gomez should no longer be playing on the second line and, with the emergence of and excellent play from Lars Eller over the last five games, he seems like the best candidate to fill that spot.
Down in Hamilton, Max Pacioretty continues to dominate the AHL having just been named November's player of the month. Pacioretty followed up the award by scoring another two goals in last night's game, and now has 27 points including 13 goals in 25 games. While I am reticent about bringing him up now and like the idea of him continuing to dominate in the AHL, he seems like the best suited player to take Moen's spot on the second line.
Despite their outward support for Gomez, you know that both GM Pierre Gauthier and Coach Martin have serious concerns about his play. They have to know that there is no way the Canadiens can be successful, long term, with a player as ineffective as Gomez in their top-six and they must be looking at alternatives.
Until they decide to change things up, however, it looks like Gomez will continue to keep getting as much rope as he needs. And that, to me, is a crying shame.
Standings and Next Game
The Canadiens picked up one point for the overtime loss and now have 32 in the standings—four points ahead of Boston with 28 and two games in hand.
The Canadiens have no time to dwell on this loss that should have been a win, as they are right back at it tonight against the New Jersey Devils in Jersey.
Yannick Weber will be making a return to the lineup tonight but we don't yet know who will be sitting in the place. There is also no word yet on whether he will be playing D or as a fourth line forward.
Johan Hedberg gets the start for the Devils with no official word yet on the Habs starter. The puck drops at around 7:05 pm.
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
The Montreal Canadiens, fresh off of a three-day hiatus, awake this morning rested and ready to take on the upstart Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre.
As we have transitioned form November to December, Carey Price is the player whose name is on everyone's lips. Not only for his spectacular play so far this season—1.95 GAA, .935 save percentage and 14 wins in 22 games—but also for capturing the Molson Cup as the Habs player with the best three stars standing, for the November segment of the season.
As if that wasn't enough, Price has 145,726 votes on the All-Star ballot as of this morning, second only to Sidney Crosby's 218,791. Keep in mind, however, that all of Price's votes are write-ins since his name isn't even on the All-Star ballot!
No more Mr. Nice Guy indeed. Or perhaps I should say no more Mr. Dirt-Stache, since the end of November also brings the end of Movember, which in turn brings an end to all of the scraggly facial hair around the league.
Price will make his 23rd start of the season tonight against the Oilers, but the big question is whether Scott Gomez will finally decide to join the party.
The Habs' $7.3 million center has been blasted by fans and media alike for his lack of production and, more importantly, his lack of focus on the ice. With only seven points over 25 games, Gomez is on pace to put up only 24 this season—a low water mark for his career.
Despite some obvious holes in the team, look for Jacques Martin to keep the same lineup together that defeated the Sabres 3-1 on Saturday.
On the back end, there is still no official prognosis on Andrei Markov's injured knee. Suffice it to say, however, that it is looking more and more like he will be gone long term and potentially for the entire season.
The word is that further assessment needs to be done in order to properly determine the extent of his injury and the duration of his absence. But, with his contract expiring at the end of the season I think it is more likely that Markov is look for a doctor, any doctor, who will tell him that he is alright to play.
It's an unfortunate situation for one of the truly good people in the NHL.
The Oilers, in contrast to the Canadiens, are a team that is near the bottom of the league and look like they are a few years away from being able to contend for a playoff spot.
But with a young, skilled nucleus of Jordan Eberle, Gilbert Brule, Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi, Sam Gagner and Dustin Penner, this is a team who can do damage to you on any given night. As such, the Habs would be wise not to take this game lightly and, given the character of the club, I would be surprised if they did.
The Oilers are coming off a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators and will be eager to keep the party going. The Habs are not in a dissimilar boat, having a win-one-lose-one record over the last six games. That being said, their 31 points in the standings have them in the first place in the Northeast division, despite their struggle to find consistency of late.
Martin Gerber is likely to get his second consecutive start for the Oilers unless Nikolai Khabibulin is ready to return from a groin injury.
The puck drops at around 7:05 pm.
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images North America)
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