Game 55: Lightening vs. Habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs and Lightening after 2nd period: Trouble for Habs is their declining CF (just over 42% in the period), and zone starts have been pretty horrible as a whole. Habs will need to gain more neutral and offensive zone faceoffs in this 3rd period if they hope to hang on to this lead.

- Ugh. Flynn and more critical, Beaulieu will not return tonight because of injury. I'm not 100% on this, but I believe they were injured off the same shot by Stamkos.

- Plekanec. Somebody get out an extinguisher, because this man is on fire. Made Bishop look bad luring him way out of the net. Habs take a momentous 4-1 lead.

- Habs more or less all over Tampa in their zone. Not sure if the Lightening have thrown in the towel, but if they don't get their act in gear quickly, they might as well.

- Not sure what Scrivens was doing, but he wanders way out of his net off a rebound, leaving his cage completely wide open. Hedman with a goal as pretty much as easy as they'll come, and it's 4-2.

- Uh-oh. Tampa finding some mo' here. Habs on their heels in their zone, being very sloppy with the puck, and containing rebounds.

- 7 minutes left, fantastic shift by the Eller line, Habs coming very close to regaining their 3 goal lead. Habs must continue to play aggressively if they want to close this game out.

- Signing off at this point as a work meeting beckons me, but if the Habs do hold on, Montreal is taking bigger steps towards getting themselves back into playoff consideration. A lot can happen in a week, but then again, who saw coming Plekanec catching fire and Scrivens playing outstanding net minding?


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Lightening after one period. Habs CF (5v5) was a not-very-good 45.9%.

- Of note in that first period, Eller CF (5v5) was 100.%, but he had the least amount of ice time among forwards, while Flynn at 6:01, had the second most. Don't ask me for answers, I have none.

- Great start. Another blind attempt to clear the zone by shooting the pucks up the boards results in (predictably) another turnover, and a soft little wrist shot by Filppula somehow finds the back of the net. Game tied.

- Not sure what's going on. Habs line combinations are scattered all over the place. Andrighetto with Pacioretty, Smith-Pelly with Eller. Impossible to keep track.

- The suddenly red-hot Tomas Plekanec strikes again, picking up the rebound off a point shot and beating Bishop with a backhander. Bishop has long been inclined to give up juicy rebounds - tonight appears to be little different. 2-1 Habs.

- Bishop is big, but he's hurting himself by not being able to contain the puck. Habs getting some great close in looks off bouncing pucks around the Tampa net tonight.

- HABS GET A POWERPLAY. That actually just happened.

- HABS POWERPLAY IN COMPLETE DISARRAY. But you knew that would happen.

- Beaulieu sacrificing his body, and quite possibly an entire leg, to block a Stamkos bullet. Credit to the kid after getting screwed over by his coach this weekend, he's demonstrated some fortitude tonight.

- Habs not doing a particularly good job breaking from their zone, pucks from the defense have been widely off the mark, although Habs forwards haven't really been doing a very good job finding open spaces up ice. The line blender might have something to do with that, as forwards try to figure out their new line mates. Deployment issues, folks.

- Andrighetto given lots of powerplay time, and suddenly, the Habs look great with the man advantage. Bishop giving up tons of rebounds, but his big body manages to keep the puck out. Still, Habs powerplay looking 5 times better the second time around, Andrighetto definitely a big part of that.

- Huge. Huge. Subban with some incredible work carrying the puck, then feeding to the front of the net, the puck hitting Smith-Pelly's skate and into the net. Good goal, and Habs take a 3-1 lead into the break.

- Habs were inconsistent in the period, but seemed to get things in order late in the period, first a very good late powerplay, and then continuing pressure giving Habs a two goal lead. This team seems to be finding some of its mojo again. Hard to pinpoint where or who it's coming from, but it seems to be coming.



FIRST PERIOD:

- Woah, Beaulieu, taking it out on Paquette with the fists.

- Desharnais with an absolutely horrendous puck giveaway right in front of Scrivens. It's a good thing he's more defensively responsible than Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller.

- Pleakanec generates a turnover in his own zone, and feed Gallagher who takes it one end to the other and beats Bishop with a beauty of a snap shot. Habs take early 1-0 lead.

- Bizarre turn of events. Plekanec with a snap shot that beats Bishop, and as far as we can tell, entered the goal since the official pointed to indicate a goal was scored, but play continues for another 4 minutes before ending with a penalty on the Habs. But did Plekanec score??

- Plekanec's shot hit one post, crossed to the other side, and hit the other. That pretty much sums up Montreal's puck luck since early December. Meanwhile, the defensively responsible Emelin gets nabbed for a clunky hook. Defensively irresponsible Lars Eller might see some ice time on the PK.

- Habs actually generating some decent breakouts from their own zone tonight. But that Tampa defense, with Garrison's absence, not quite as nimble.

- Another bad penalty, this time by Smith-Pelly. More useless and hurtful ice time for the Habs almost completely useless 4th line.

- Habs enjoy again a first period lead, although they need to be more disciplined from taking stupid penalties. But that's a deployment issue - with Therrien insisting night after night putting out guys like Emelin and Smith-Pelly (while there are far better options at hand). Anyway, Scrivens looks good again tonight, lending even more suspicion that he might actually be in a groove.


GAME NOTES:

- So Jeff Petry is out tonight with an unspecified lower body injury. In his place, as absurd as it seems, will be Nathan Beaulieu, whom, for whatever dizzying reason possible, has fallen out of the Habs top six defensive starters.

- Ben Scrivens is in net, which should surprise absolutely nobody given how well he played over the weekend. Ben Bishop, Tampa's number one starter, will be backstopping the Lightening.

- Tampa has enjoyed much success of late in the Bell Centre. They're 5-0 over the past 5 on Montreal's turf.

- Lots of buzz surrounding the Lightening today, specifically soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Steven Stamkos, in light of the trade earlier today between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, in which the Leafs managed to unload Dion Phaneuf's contract on Ottawa, thereby clearing all the decks for Toronto to make an aggressive bid for Stamkos' services this summer.

- And speaking of Ottawa, the Lightening were more or less manhandled by the Senators last night 5-1, which may be good news for the Habs if Tampa is entering a slump, or bad news for the Habs if Tampa wishes to take out their frustrations from losing against a pretty bad hockey team.

- Normally we'd speculation about Habs strategy before the game, but with things going as they have been the past three months, we're no longer sure the Canadiens really have much of anything resembling a strategy on any given night. Regardless, the Habs would be wise, with the luxury of last change, to send out their most capable players to shadow 2nd line right winger Nikita Kucherov and, of course, 1st line Stamkos. That means, no Desharnais line, no 4th line time against either player, if it can be avoided.

- Injuries, well ... except for the Petry LBI, Tampa will be without the services of Jason Garrison, which hurts them a bit. The Lightening's defence won't be quite as agile around their net tonight as per usual, so a little window of opportunity at hand for the Habs.

- The Bolts lines tonight? They are:

- Palat/Namestnikov/Stamkos
- Kilorn/Johnson/Kucherov
- Brown/Filppula/Callahan
- Paquette/Boyel/Marchessault

- Puck drops at 7:40 EST.

Game Forty: Bolt's vs. Habs

THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs with 40% possession through 40 minutes. On pace for sub 20 SOG night. It's classic Therrien hockey and we're getting our clocks totally cleaned.

- Could easily see this game finishing 7-1 in favour of Tampa. Again. 

- Faint glimpse of life. Gallagher with a nice tip pass at the Tampa blue line to spring Paxioretty in alone, who beats Bishop high, and it's 4-2.

- Absolutely atrocious crosschecking penalty on Pacioretty, who was doing nothing other than sturdying himself after being hauled down. Bad, bad officiating. 

- Tyler Johnson is going to be a big reason why Tampa will compete for a championship in the next year or two, if everything goes according to plan.

- Tampa pretty sloppy in their zone this period. Very lucky their lead isn't down to one goal.

- While Tampa has visibly regressed this period, the Habs seem intent on frittering it all away. Can't gain any kind of puck possession in the Tampa zone, and their neutral zone transition game is in shambles. Lightening can fumble their way to victory. They will.

- Tampa pretty much set the puck up a tee for Habs final powerplay, and even with a 6-on-4, couldn't deliver. It's beyond abysmal. 

- All good things must come to and end, and tonight the Habs luck which has helped them rise to the top of their Division, ran out - hard. This team cannot continue to be out possessed and out played night after night and expect to still compete for a top playoff seed. Also, the powerplay is a total mess. This team continues to play the wrong kind of hockey, and eventually, ultimately, they're going to lose a lot of gems very quickly.

SECOND PERIOD: 

- Poor puck control off a routine shit gifts JT Brown his first of the season. Very un-Pricelike goal.

- Galchenyuk line only one for Habs so far to sustain some offensive pressure against Tampa's offence. Very lucklaster game by the Canadiens so far.

- Dale Weiss with a semi-breakaway off the wing, manages to release a shot six feet wide from 15 feet out. That's not easy to do.

- Subban with a dumb, dumb slash of Connoly. Dumb even by Subban's standards. 

- And Tyler Johnson makes Subban and the Habs pay for that brain cramp slash. 2-1. Therrien is fuming behind the bench. P.K. best keep his distance.

- Habs firmly on track for a sub 20 SOG night. Odds of winning with such output? Almost nil.

- Tampa playing a classic road game. Close checking, patient, basically suffocating their opponent into submission. Makes for a dull game, but two points are two points.

- Gonchar needs to play smarter. He's too old and lost too many steps to be so casual with his pinches. Tampa ought now be up 3-1 if not for Price. 

- Connoly. Off the wing. Absolutely nobody there to defend. Gilbert couldn't scramble over in time after making a bad turnover at centre ice. Not sure where Emelin was. Sleeping on the bench? It's 3-1.

- As we noted in the preview, this Tampa team can score quickly and mercilessly. Why Therrien had Gilbert and Emelin out on the PK, however, is a total baffling mystery. 4-1.

- Welp, that was pretty much a disaster of a period. Habs winning streak will end at 6. 

FIRST PERIOD:

- Andrei Markov. One shot, two posts. I'm wondering if this powerplay is as cursed as it is bad.

- Don't think the officials target Subban? Check out his first penalty of the evening.

- Referee assistance aside, Tampa not helping their own cause early. Clunky and disorganized start.

- Second powerplay truly dismal. Habs can't gain the zone, Tampa actually had more pressure. It's as though nobody has even noticed there's a tire fire. 

- Dale Weiss finally scores again. Foot at the right place, right time. Still doesn't excuse the fact this 4th liner continues to get 3rd line playing time. 

- Checking is tight, very tight. Game has very little flow or sustained pressure by either team. Not exactly entertaining hockey.

- A period to forget, both teams struggled to organize anything resembling sustained pressure. Defenses played well, Habs D kept most shots to long distances and blocked much of the rest. Beaulieu and Markov looked solid. Was expecting much more of a jump by this Tampa line, but saw very little - in particular the Johnson line.

GAMEDAY GAME PREVIEW:

Well, how long can this continue? How many wins in a row can this underperforming Habs team pile up? Tonight, they'll be gunning for their 7th straight, which unless my memory is totally shot, will be the longest club winning streak in 11 years.

So much of this is smoke and mirrors. The Habs have a sub-50% Corsi possession mark, which makes them totally unlike every other NHL team in the League's top 15 in points. And here they are - 2nd overall. It's ... well ... Carey Price. The Habs have a team SV% of .934 which is kind of crazy fantastic, but almost certainly unsustainable. They also have managed to post an usually high shooting percentage, better than 9%. Add them up, and the Canadiens have the second highest PDO in the NHL, 102.4. Only the Nashville Predators are higher.

Can the Habs keep floating on air just one more game? It would be nice. A win tonight would move the Canadiens two points clear of the Bolts, with two games in hand to boot (or for that matter, 7 points clear of 3rd place Detroit and a whopping 11 points ahead of Toronto).

It won't be easy. Recall, the Habs were already taken to shed earlier in the season when they were manhandled by Tampa 7-1. The Lightening are, unquestionably one of the Conference's best teams, bolstered by an exceptionally good season to date by their top line that doesn't have Steven Stamkos. I'm referring to the Tyler Johnson line, who along with Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, have combined to become of the most dangerous scoring sets in the League. This team has the ability to score, very quickly, and relentlessly.

Over in Habsland, the Canadiens continue to be led by the usual suspects (Galchenyuk line), but have been receiving some much needed extra support by their 4th line, in particular Michael Bournival, who's had an exceptionally good streak of games of late. Meanwhile, the Habs defense, coming off one of their better performances of the season Saturday night against the Pens, seems to be settling in nicely with Nathan Beaulieu and Sergei Gonchar solidifying their position as the team's 2nd unit in command.

And then, of course, there's Carey Price. At what point does he start to enter the conversation for the Hart? He's been borderline incredible for most of the season - really, since Sochi, don't ya think? He'll be going up against Ben Bishop, he who probably might have helped Tampa give the Habs a run for their money during the last playoffs, but was knocked out due to injury. He's healthy now, and he'll start tonight.

Home! Back home at last! Will it be for 7 in a row??

Puck drops at 6:40 EST.

Michel Therrien on Tampa: "When I say it's a rivalry, we're not in the same division so it's tough to say." … Wait, what ?
— Marc Antoine Godin (@MAGodin) January 6, 2015

Sigh. Yeah. We kinda figured. Maybe Michel thinks Tampa is Carolina? Who knows? He collects his paycheck, sends his lines out, doesn't fix the powerplay, and hopes Carey Price does all the hard work. Coaching is difficult!!

Anyway .. time for:

News 'n' Notes:

- Bryan Allen cleared waivers today. He's in Hamilton. THANK GOD.

- Randy Carlyle was fired this morning. If you just found out, welcome back from the moon. Now let the Leafs fans fantasize about hiring Mike Babcock (hint: it's not going to happen).

- F.A. Parenteau is still hurt. Which means he won't play tonight. Which means another night where he doesn't score a goal. But we're used to that.

- Tampa got some bad news today, defenseman Radko Gudas will be out at least a month following knee surgery.

Hey, showdown for first place in the Atlantic tonight. We're involved!!

More in a bit.