Showing posts with label David Desharnais. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Desharnais. Show all posts

Monday, 30 January 2017

Game 51: Sabres vs. Habs


Montreal 5, Buffalo 2:

 FIRST PERIOD:

 - ICYDH, Jeff Petry is now on a diet of chicken soup, and won't play tonight. So Habs final final final defensive pairings are ... [drum roll]...

Weber/Emelin
Beaulieu/Pateryn
Markov/Nesterov

With Markov finally returning after spending a few weeks on the list, it's unlikely he'll see more than 10 minutes of ice time tonight, ergo the 3rd line placement.

- Habs dominate first 2 minutes, hard shots on Lehner, who may or may not have the Habs number this season (it seems as though he does).

- Crazy but true, Habs have the 2nd best powerplay in the NHL right now, and they're again using the flying V their first man advantage, which is all kinds of great.

- Flynn/Mitchell/Weber/Emelin first PK unit, looks pretty disorganized, as per usual. The PK box is disorganized, frequently not resembling anything like a square. Just one of some of the issues this unit has struggled with the season under the eye of assistant coach J.J. Daigneault (who oversaw the powerplay last year, which was 6th worst in the NHL).

- I know he's been out  for 2 months, but wowzers, David Desharnais looks .... not good. Early days, yes, yes, yes ... but his first 4 shifts, just a mess.

- Speaking of uh .. less-than-impressive-returns .. Greg Pateryn isn't having a period to remember, simply pushed aside while carrying the puck near his blue line results in a clear break on Price. That's clinical bad defence right there.

- Carrying the zone is apparently not part of each team's DNA tonight. We're watching hockey at its most inelegant.

- Yup, Robin Lehner has the Habs number this year. Only option left is to fire it through him, which is kind of how the Habs scored their lone goal when they faced him last week, isn't it?

- Blazing breakout by the Habs in their own zone, Radulov with another dazzlingly smart pass to Pacioretty perfectly positioned to fire a puck that's absolutely impossible for Rehner to stop, and the Habs take a 1-0 lead. Go figure, carrying the zone works, eh?

- We already knew on paper that the Habs are the better team, and howboutthat, they were the better team in the 1st period, which while slow and grinding, at least showcased the edge in depth and talent the Canadiens have over the Sabres. Buffalo had some chances on their one powerplay, otherwise, it was pretty much a cruise control period for Carey Price. Big relief in Pacioretty beating Lehner, who for a while there, looked like he wasn't going to give up a goal for the rest of time. Solid period for the Plekanec line, excellent period for the Danault line.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Yeah, good period for the Habbies, 61.5% CF at even strength.


- Radulov's celebration after Pacioretty's goal. Is there anyone in the League who does this better?

- Habs might be tempted to trade their future to land a big named defenseman at the trade deadline, but with players like Lehkonen in the fold, it's tempting for the Habs to just keep building off the great young talent they already have under wing. Would much rather be perpetually competitive than to give much of it away just for one shot.

- Danault line has been driving the Sabres batty tonight not only with their forecheck, but also the backcheck. It's kept Buffalo often pinned in their own zone for extended periods of time.

- Pacioretty scores again, and again it's Radulov with an absolutely incredible setup pass from behind the Buffalo net. I'm not going hyperbole here because I"m a Habs fan, but dammit, there's no other player in the NHL right now at setting up plays (and goal) than Alex Radulov.

- Recall as you might a couple of weeks ago I (and others I'm certain) were speculating about Carey Price's health. Well, his lateral movement tonight has been pretty darned fast - so I think it's safe to say that whatever was bothering Price to "struggle" through December and the first couple of weeks of January had nothing to do with his knees.

- Habs just pouring it on, the forecheck again producing a turnover in the Sabres zone, Andrighetto feeds Desharnais who wrists one against the grain to make it 3-0. Nice way to return for DD, I'm sure the coach is extree happy.

- Danault, Pacioretty and Radulov are playing on some kind of higher level right now, which means that Galchenyuk will almost certainly be working with new line mates come Thursday night. No way Therrien can split this line apart - not now, anyway.

- Radulov is playing out of his mind tonight. Just about every rush involving him resulting in high percentage scoring chance, the latest being the newly acquired Nesterov.

- More strong forechecking, yet another puck turned over by the Sabres in their own zone, Plekaenc to Markov to Byron, Lehner head on a swivel, it's 4-0.

- That's an outstanding period of hockey for the Habs, most of the play was contained in the Sabres zone, beyond that, perhaps more importantly, the Canadiens have simply dominated the neutral zone, snuffing out any semblance of a Sabres transition, and generating some pretty scoring attempts as a result of essentially owning more than one half of the ice. Just no contest tonight. Total domination.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Yeah, total domination. CF at 62%, Fenwick 61%, etc., etc.


- Dazzling. Just dazzling. Danault line plays keepaway with the puck in the Sabres zone, with the centre setting up Pacioretty for a hat trick slam dunker. Hey, I don't know if anyone has noticed, but at 24 goals, Max is just 4 behind Sid Crosby for the League goal-scoring lead.

- Both teams more or less going through the motions to kill the clock. Sabres know they got hammered, resigned now. Habs will be more than happy to just coast this one home.

- Well, that's a bummer. Kulikov with a hard high shot that deflects past Price to deny Carey the shutout, something he should have also had last week against the Flames.

- Gionta scores off the Habs lacklustre (as usual) PK. 5-2.

- Anyway, both teams still went through the motions, so not much more to talk about during the period. Price played very solid again (more good news for the Habs), the Danault line was fabulous, and yes, even Shea Weber was extra good tonight. Now, decisions, decisions. What to do with Alex Galchenyuk if he returns Thursday. Does Therrien dare break up the Danault line? (he'd be crazy to do so). Likely, Galchenyuk will be slotted on the "3rd" line with Shaw and Desharnais. Whether or not that'll be a waste of Galchenyuk's 1C talent - we'll have to wait and see how it all shakes down.
GAMEDAY HABS NEWS:

 Okay, so near as we can figure out at this point:

- Markov was "yeah maybe he'll play" yesterday, but looks good today.
- Pateryn was ruled out yesterday, but is good to play today.
- Petry was doing his thing yesterday, but is "yeah maybe he won't play" today.
- Nesterov is gonna play whether anyone likes it or not.
- David Desharnais is like "hey what about me, I'm gonna play!!" and we're all like "ugh ... right ... Desharnais is back."

More in a bit.


HABS NEWS 'N' NOTES:

How was your weekend? I certainly hope not a single minute was spent watching whatever little showcase sideshow the NHL had organized. Me? I spent it mostly outside enjoying the rarity of a January thaw.

Anyway, the world is all screwed up, in case you hadn't heard or observed, but we'll keep posting Habs news and blog about their games for as long as we're all still around. So what's up today?

- Walking wounded last week were skating wounded this morning, and are imminent return this week? Andrei Markov, Greg Pateryn and David Desharnais all participated in full practice this morning (Alex Galchenyuk did not), and with Zach Redmond put on waivers this morning, it's all but certain that Pateryn will be playing Tuesday night against Buffalo. Will Markov as well?

- I'm guessing Markov won't play tomorrow, meaning the Habs defence will look something like this:

Emelin/Weber
Beaulieu/Petry
Pateryn/Nesterov

If Pateryn can't go, expect Barberio to take a spot on the 3rd line. Nesterov is mortal lock start Tuesday night.

- Okay, so Desharnais is back? I guess the party's over. Here's the Habs likely lines tomorrow night.

Pacioretty/Danault/Radulov
Lehkonen/Plekanec/Byron
Andrighetto/Desharnais/Shaw
Carr/Mitchell/Flynn

More in a bit.

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Wednesday, 7 December 2016

Game 27: Devils vs. Habs

Montreal 5, New Jersey 2

 FIRST PERIOD:

 - Wow, Greg Pateryn sustained a broken ankle the *2nd* period of the Blues game, meaning he played the 3rd with a broken leg. Habs announce he's out for 8 weeks, and needless to say, out for tonight's game, which means for certain that Zach Redmond will make his debut.

- Danault is also in - so at least the Habs will be playing with something resembling a lineup.

- Lehkonen's game continues to round into form as this season progresses. He got off to a sluggish start and then the injury which took him out of the lineup for 9 games. That time off might have been a blessing in disguise, in part because it's given him a reset, and given that the Swedish League's season schedule pales in comparison to the rigours of an NHL season, that time off could pay off down the road into next year.

- Halfway through the period, not a bad start for the Habs - Mitchell line and in particular, Gallagher, look pretty energized. Brendan well overdue for a scoring outbreak - it looks like he's getting close.

- Welcome back, Nathan Beaulieu, who scores a wrister with a lot of traffic in front of Schneider. Devils think there's interference, but it looks like Lehkonen and Danault did a nice job screening him.

- Silly challenge by the Devils here claiming goaltender interference, which was very marginal at best, and now the Devils lose their timeout, which could be important later.

- Danault gets credit, which ends another scoring drought of another Habs player. So Brendan, its your turn next.

- Jersey scores, but Price definitely pushed into the net by Henrique. I don't think this will count.

- Maybe it will count. Puck was unquestionably going in before Price was bumped off his feet. It may still count after all.

- Yup, there it is. Determined that puck was going in, and the bump on Price had no affect on whether the puck was kept out. So tie game.

- Habs catch a break with Mitchell taking a shot where the rebound hits Lappin, and goes in. Very quickly Habs retake lead. So far the Mitchell/Danault make-do situation is working out. Early days, though.

- Woah, Carey Price just goes ballistic on Palmeri, who crashes the net. Kind of stuck his left leg into Price while falling, and Carey just plows him with the blocker.

- Well, that was an interesting period, taking nearly an hour to play. Habs had slight edge in play, Devils more or less played a decent road period. Danault and Mitchell filled in nicely up the middle, while Plekanec looked a little lost. Price going nuts is the highlight, though. Good on him for standing up for himself and his physical well-being.


SECOND PERIOD:

- First period corsi, Habs a slight SA edge (5v5) of 52.8%:


- We have a feisty game going on, the turning point being the Price scrummage. Maybe even the goal that was scored on him, where Price was pushed into the net. Anyway, lots of post-whistle fisticuffs.

- Both officials trying to gain control of the game by bringing the hammer down on everything, including a phantom tripping call against Redmond.

- Here's something very interesting just tweeted during the 1st intermission:

Kind of paints a different picture about the captains lack of production during the month, doesn't it?

- This might be Torrey Mitchell's best game so far this season. He's definitely embracing the new responsibilities.

- Lehkonen, who we praised in the 1st period, and also noted the Devils were foolish to blow their challenge on a marginal call, scores, with Schneider getting bumped a little. We warned ya Jersey, but you didn't listen.

- Devils forwards seem to be keying in on Price's blocker side - they've beat him there twice this period, but not the goalposts.

- Devante Smith-Pelly looks his usual disinterested and uninvolved. Doing a pretty good impersonation of his stint as a Hab last season, it would appear.

- Habs powerplay has gone south the past 10 days or so, and with Galchenyuk gone, the situation is unlikely to change anytime soon, plus Andrew Shaw on the first unit is killing the advantage.

- Andy Greene is just so good. Always seems to be where the puck is, or is headed, while defending his zone.

- Very solid 2nd period for the Habs, who are in control of a game that's largely calmed down quite a bit, credit to the officials for sending the message out, and the players listened. The reconstructed lineup are holding their own, with Mitchell, Lehkonen and Danault having a strong outing. Even Zach Redmond looks pretty decent in his debut.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Habs kind of dominate tonight, 62.0% SA CF (5v5) through 40 minutes, scoring chances also favouring Montreal 15-5:


- Pretty awful night for the Devils, especially defender Kyle Quincey who makes a very bad turnover right in front of his own net, Pacioretty beats Schneider between the pads, and it's 4-1.

- So I guess there was something to the pregame analysis of the Devils defence being not very good? Apart from Greene, there's a pretty steep decline on their blue line. This team is most definitely not competing for a playoff spot.

- Devils powerplay, Price kicks out a big rebound off a point shot, Henrique with a nifty backhand pass off the rebound on the tape of Taylor Hall, who  has 24 square feet of empty hockey net to choose from. 4-2.

- Ain't no better combo for the Habs right now than Radulov and Pacioretty. I mean, it's not even close. These to have the potential of being a premier offensive duo in the Eastern Conference. That's how good they've been together.

- Not much happening - after then Devils powerplay goal, game flow seized up considerably, as the Canadiens appear set on trying to suffocate the game clock. Devils really haven't provided much of a response so far.

- Habs are going to set a season mark for shots tonight, 44 registered so far with 5 minutes left in the 3rd. Possession stats are also pretty lopsided. 63% game total right now.

- It wasn't Gallagher, but he did most of the hard work winning the puck and feeding Torrey Mitchell, who makes it 5-2. Both he and Gallagher have been excellent tonight, especially in the Devils zone.

- Pretty easy win tonight for the Habs - registering season high 49 shots, the Devils looked beaten from the 2nd period forward, at the very least, disinterested. Always nice to have one of those routine victories here and there - gives the team the closest thing to having a night off while playing - with very good support by players who've been called on to elevate their game - including Mitchell and Danault. Carr and Gallagher also were strong tonight, Pacioretty is still finding the back of the net - so for the moment, even with all the bad injury news, spirits are a bit higher in Habsland.

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GAMEDAY PREVIEW: WHERE HAVE ALL THE CENTERS GONE?

 - Hey, remember how yesterday we put up a tweet from 91.9 Sport in Montreal, and the stellar reporting of George Laraque? Let's put that baby up one more time:

Mmm yeah, that's the stuff: EXCLUSIF!!!!! Well, quite literally a couple of hours after George delivered his EXCLUSIF!!!!!, the Habs quietly tweeted this:


EXCLUSIF!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, that's midling bad news for the Habs. Not good, but not terrible. Given that we heard some EXCLUSIF!!!!! reports that Galchenyuk could be out 3-4 months, 1-2 months ain't great, but it's survivable.

Maybe a little more problematic is Desharnais' status, the same as Galchenyuk, because while losing AK27 into January hurts, the Habs probably could have made do with existing assets, which included Desharnais providing top 6 duties. Now down two centers, matters get a little trickier for the Habs. They'll be leaning hard on Tomas Plekanec and ... well ... who else? Torrey Mitchell? Phillip Danault?

Oh wait, about Danault ...

Hmm, another forward that can also play center? Great. Well, I guess we could still dress 7 defensemen ... sorry, what's that?
Ahhh, well ... I give up. Now what?

The suddenly sick and injured Habs hobble back to home base tonight to host the New Jersey Devils. The Canadiens might actually literally find themselves unable to put together a full lineup tonight because with Desharnais injured, and Danault possibly out from sickness, and with the Habs demoting both Mark Barberio and Charles Hudon yesterday, there aren't enough players to go around, with perhaps both Greg Pateryn and Danault unable to play tonight. At the very least Sven Andrighetto was called up, but even his addition might still not be enough to ice a full lineup.

The Devils, meanwhile, enter the game masters of extra time this season. Of the 8 games just played, 6 have either gone to overtime. Which I suppose is one way of saying the Devils like to play it close. But then it's always been that way for New Jersey. Paltry offence, grinding defence. It never changes.

Or is their defence good? Maybe not. If you look through this fine post on the Devils blog site All About the Jersey, the once always-reliable blue line has been rather inconsistent this season. Specifically, the performance decline by the Devils' top defensive pairing of Andy Greene and Damon Severson, whose offensive numbers, once deemed pretty reliable, have taken a hit this season, which has in turn, added pressure on a somewhat thin offence (as per the Devils' tradition) to produce more than they're capable of.

Meanwhile, New Jersey's top defensive defenseman pairing of Beau Bennett and Kyle Quincey haven't been particular defensive the past while, with their SA numbers markedly increasing.

Which is to say, the Devils' defensive challenges right now might be just enough to give the Habs injury riddled offence a fighting chance tonight.

The question is, are the Montreal Canadiens capable of actually scoring enough to win with the likes of Plekanec and Andrew Shaw being at the controls?

We'll find out in a few hours, with the puck dropping at 7:40 EST.

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WEDNESDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

Well, we've got ourselves quite a mixed bag of Habs news today.

This is totally unverified, but troubling just to even think about:
Again, the source, which would appear to be the utterly unreliable Georges Laraque, ought be considered. The 3-4 month timeline, however, would align with a suspected torn ACL injury.


- David Desharnais - also out indefinitely? Last night Desharnais appeared to awkwardly hit is knee while awkwardly attempting to deliver an awkward bodycheck to the Blues' Jay Bouwmeester:


I've been critical about Desharnais' uncanny ability to shoot when he should pass, while passing when he should should - but bodychecking? Just, no, no, no. Desharnais is 5'9", 160 pounds, Bouwmeester is 6'4, 220 pounds. Who's going to win that collision?

Quite a road trip, eh? Habs come out of it down their 1 and 3C. Now what? Com'on Michel, just try Radulov up the middle. Just try, at least.

- Demotion news! Mark Barberio has been sent back to the rock, likely making way for the return of Nathan Beaulieu Thursday night. I mused last night the Habs might consider using Zach Redmond against the Devils, sitting Pateryn. Boy, did I get that one wrong.

- Carey Price was named Molson Cup winner for the month of November. The award, which is nothing other than a popularity contest dressed up as an ugly trophy, ought to have gone to the Habs actual MVP, Alex Radulov, but I digress.

- Habs made another demotion this afternoon, and it's Charles Hudon:

Hmm, shame that. That's a pretty fast recovery from what seemed to have been a bad injury sustained in practice. Instead of giving him more opportunity to establish himself, management has opted to send him back.

More in a bit.

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Thursday, 10 November 2016

Gane 14: Kings vs. Habs


FIRST PERIOD:

 - We talked earlier today about Peter Budaj being picked up in late October, and it's just been made official as of a few minutes ago - he will start against his old team tonight at the Bell Centre.

- Danault will get a start at centre, first attempt to demonstrate that he could fill Desharnais' shoes. First real indicator that Habs decision-makers are putting wheels into motion in preparation for post-Desharnais era in Montreal.

- Andrew Shaw on any kind of speciality unit - powerplay or penalty kill, must stop being a thing.

- Kings play the puck so nicely - excellent discipline. Apart from a few instances on the Habs opening powerplay, Canadiens have failed totally in being able to gain control of the puck in the Los Angeles zone.

- Andrighetto with a nice couple of shifts to open up this game - either he or Carr, we've said it before, we'll say it again, are frequently and inexcusably left out of the Habs lineup, to make way for marginal 4th liners like Brian Flynn. It makes little sense.

- It's been a pretty good 8 minutes to start the game for the Habs, all things considered. Radulov, as he's done so many times this year, spark plugs another scoring play, driving the net with the puck, Byron picking up the loose puck and driving it past Budaj. Canadiens with actual defined possession edge on Los Angeles. Very surprising!

- Budaj had a nice little shutout streak going until the Byron goal - just over 7 consecutive periods without surrendering a goal.

- Not sure if scoring all those goals on the Leafs exhausted the Kings, but they're definitely not as sprite tonight.

- 14 minutes into the 1st, Habs have only given up 5 shots, which considering they're the worst in the NHL for this, against the Kings, is pretty remarkable.

- The importance of winning O-zone face-offs, Mitchell with a snapper that Carr deftly deflects past Budaj, and holy moly, the Canadiens have a (deserved) 2-0 lead.

- Not much going well for the Kings in this period, including their powerplay which, at least in comparison to season's past, doesn't look nearly as dangerous.

- One of the strongest opening periods of hockey we've seen this Habs team play in a very long time. Not sure if the Kings are a little leg weary, but Habs did an excellent job gaining the zone as the period progressed, with their forward driving the net, a formula that factored directly into both of their goals. Not sure if this is sustainable over 60 minutes, but if I'm Michel Therrien, I'd tell the guys "what you did that period? Just keep doing that."


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs after 20 minutes, how good were they? Dominative: 66.7% CF (5v5). The Kings lead the NHL in this category. Not tonight. At least, not so far tonight.




- Sven Andrighetto had a fantastic first period, putting up a 100% CF (5v5). David Desharnais, who except for the first couple of games of the season, has been a total non-factor most nights, may be wondering what his future is in this city.

- Rare play misread by Price, and Kings register their first real scoring chance of this game, as Kopitar sweeps around Price and slides the puck along the goaline. Habs barely maintain their 2-0 lead:

- Just announced that Leonard Cohen has died. What a horrible year. 2017 can't come fast enough. As we learn that, we also learn that Danault is looking pretty good at centre, as he deposits a huge rebound surrendered by Budaj off a Petry point shot, to give the Habs a 3-0 lead.

- 32 of the game's 60 minutes have been played, Habs have given up 8 .. I repeat, just *8* shots. Incredible.

- Bell Centre PA just started playing "Everybody Knows" by Leonard Cohen. A poignant moment. This is a much a loss for the city of Montreal as it is the world of music and poetry.

- 3 minutes left in the 2nd, pace and tone of the game hasn't really been altered much - still mainly Habs controlled, very strong puck control in the Kings zone, doing an excellent job coming back to cover there line whenever the Kings attempt a transition, highlighted by superb efforts by the likes of Radulov, Andrighetto, Carr, Danualt, Markov and Weber. Really, it's been a collective success so far tonight.

- Another outstanding period of hockey by the Habs. Who wouldathunk? So much faster than the Kings, so much more energy, and so much more desire to drive the opposition goal. L.A. made to look like a sub-average team tonight, which they aren't. A's across the board for the Canadiens tonight.


THIRD PERIOD:

- Stats indicate another strong period for the Habs:



- Maybe the Kings are road weary. That could be the difference tonight. The weariest appears to be the Kopitar line, who've been badly outplayed both ends of the ice tonight.

- Dustin Brown, representing a clearly frustrated Kings team, with dirty CFB on Emelin behind Habs net. No penalty of course, because the NHL refuses to take these incredibly dangerous plays seriously.

- Carey Price must be pinching himself. This game is almost a night off, compared to numerous 40+ shot games he's had to face this season.

- Kings are playing very chippy now - partly I'm guessing because they're frustrated, partly because at this point, they might as well try and hurt somebody else. Pretty classless.

- Gallagher gets nailed 4 minutes for a high stick. It's not the first time he's been careless, it's an area he needs to improve upon because at minimum, it gives the Kings a slight hope of getting back into this game.

- One big problem for this Kings 4 minute powerplay. The freak of nature that is Carey Price.

- After some incredible acrobatics, Kings finally beat Price, and ruin the shutout. Pin that one on Gallagher.

- Hrm, Habs are definitely attempting to sit on this lead, which is asking for all kinds of trouble. Still 5 minutes left in the 3rd, which, with just a two goal lead, is oodles of time remaining.

- I'm not opposed to switching the lineup a bit (Desharnais is a pretty good example of addition via subtraction), but I'm not altogether convinced from what I've seen tonight that Joel Hanley has offered much that Greg Pateryn wasn't already bringing.

- Another careless high stick by the Habs, this time it's Markov, and it puts the Kings right back on the powerplay. Oy.

- Still not liking this Habs PK - Weber has been fine, but Emelin remains a pretty glaring weak spot, with the success percentages being inflated by Price. Much improvement to be had.

- Galchenyuk turns out the lights with an empty netter. Habs home record improves to 9-0-0, their best start in 63 years. Not too shabby. Apart from the final 10 minutes where the Canadiens got into some avoidable penalty trouble, as good a game as any Habs fan could have possibly hoped for. From start to nearly the finish, Montreal dominated a team that's routinely dominated their opponents all year long. Habs continue to muster their way though a tough part of the schedule, maintaining their winning ways. Excellent performances by Danault and Andrighetto tonight, which will only raise many questions about David Desharnais' future in Montreal. If there is no place for him because of attrition, then the Habs may have to consider moving him somewhere else sooner rather than later. Desharnais will likely get some more starts, but if he doesn't show any sign of improvement, his days with the Canadiens may indeed be numbered.



 HABS GAME PREVIEW: DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT THE KINGS ARE GETTING GOOD

Uh-oh. After a relatively slow start to the season, where they won just 4 of their first 10 games, the L.A. Kings are good again, and just in time to face a team whom they've pretty much owned the past 6 seasons.

The Kings, in fact, haven't lost in the Bell Centre since March 12, 2011. Actually since then, the Habs have only beaten L.A. once in six games.

Tonight, we've got a sneaking suspicious that needle might move to 1 in 7.

The Kings, who enter the Bell Centre this evening riding a 3 game winning streak, the latest being a 7-0 shellacking of the Leafs Tuesday night, continue to do what the Kings have done best for so many years under head coach Darryl Sutter - own the puck.

The Kings, to no one's surprise, lead the league in CF, a 56.5 percentage (5v5). They're a solid 7th in offensive zone faceoffs (more), a solid 9th in defensive zone faceoffs (fewer), 4th in shots taken, 5th best in shots allowed, and even with their goaltending situation totally up in the air following starting goaltender Johnathan Quick's injury opening night, putting him on indefinite injury reserve, the Kings have still made do with Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Budaj, whose NHL career this season rose from the ashes after the Kings made him an emergency signing in late October.

The Habs have been and are the quintessential anti-Kings team. Currently 24th in CF percentage (5v5), the Canadiens, contrary to their 11-1-1 record, haven't exactly overwhelmed this season. Ranked last place in offensive zone faceoffs, last place in defensive zone faceoffs, 9th in shots taken (okay, that one's not too bad), and 30th in shots allowed (okay, that's bad), it remains a miracle the Canadiens find themselves in such a lofty place in the standings. But for how long? Logic and physics continue to scream this team is still headed for a big-time correction in the win/loss column.

Against a Kings team that knows how to play hockey, that correction might very well start tonight in earnest.

Notable changes for tonight's game: WOAH to this - David Desharnais is a healthy scratch (!!), as is Greg Pateryn. Which means Joel Hanley and Sven Adrighetto, both recent callups, will get their opportunities to shine.

Puck drops tonight at 7:40 EST.


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Thursday, 24 March 2016

Game 75: Habs vs. Wings


FIRST PERIOD:

 - Uh, mad scramble in front of the Wings net, puck enters the net, and for reasons that are totally baffling, Plekanec is penalized for a cross check he never actually made. So ... no goal because Habs did ??

- Pacioretty blatantly hooked on a breakaway. the other official, Brad Watson, does not make the obvious call. So, yeah.

- Horrible officiating aside, Habs taking a very physical, grinding tact so far in the period. It's resulted in some terrible flow, but it has generated a few turnovers near the Wings blue line and in the neutral zone. Habs with lion's share of scoring chances so far, even if their puck possession is low.

- Even with the departure of Mike Babcock, Wings still play a very structured, disciplined game - even with a diminished roster. Real tribute to an organization that values the merits of smart coaching.

- Habs defence attempts to chip the puck up the boards, leads to turnover, leads to goal. For the 934,0348343.94@*&*@(!!&!*  time this year. 1-0 Wings.

- Habs with not a terrible period, but still totally unstructured and disorganized, when compared to their opponent. Shame they had an obvious goal taken away because of officiating incompetence, shame they gave away a goal because of continuing defensive incompetence.


SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Wings through 20 minutes, Canadiens SA CF (5v5) under 40%, which is pretty bad.


- Smith with blindside hit on Matteau at centre ice, and for reasons that are totally baffling, Matteau is  called for roughing? Incredible.

- Wings score 12 seconds apart, Scrivens is whatever on the 3rd goal. Detroit's second goal abysmal zone coverage by the Desharnais line (SHOCKING!). Game is now pretty much toast.

- Suffice to say the Hanley/Dietz pairing is having an extraordinary evening - extraordinary bad, that is. So many misplays, blown coverages. Both are doing themselves little favour for consideration next season.

- Therrien deploying Mike Brown ALL OVER THE PLACE. On the 1st line with Galchenyuk and Pacioretty, on the 3rd line with Lessio and McCarron, I have no idea what he's trying to do - but the scoreboard results speak for themselves.

- Wings now more or less setting up camp in the Habs zone at will. This game could really, really get ugly.

- Yeah, this game is ugly. So very, very ugly. Habs are getting destroyed this period, the 3rd and 4th lines are total catastrophes, about the only bright spot for the Habs is Max Pacioretty. Otherwise, it's just an embarrassment.

- Hoo boy, Scrivens. Makes a save off the Richard's original shot, and just sits on his pads, totally and utterly unaware he's given up the puck. Martha there for a very easy goal, the first of his NHL career. 4-0. So, so, so embarrassing.

- Yet another low for an organization that seemingly can never touch bottom. Detroit absolutely routing the Habs from just about every possible angle in the 2nd period, this is turning into another night of total shame for a team that probably couldn't compete for a playoff spot in the AHL. Difficult to describe how awful this Montreal Canadiens team is. Actually, it's impossible.


THIRD PERIOD:

- 2nd period stats. Read 'em and weep. Oh yeah - Desharnis' CF (5v5) tonight? 8.3%. Once again. Eight point three per cent.


- Plekanec, who hasn't scored in more than a month, is gifted a goal by Mrazek, who by all means, should be coasting to a shutout tonight. Oh well.

- Whoops. Mrazek muffs it up again, misplaying a very routine wrist shot from the point from Dietz, and Byron slides a big juicy rebound home to make it 4-2. Still a ton of time left, more than 15 minutes. So don't go away just yet.

- Habs more or less casting caution to the wind, just tossing everything forward on the forecheck. So far they've scored 2, the Wings 0 ... so ... hey?

- Um, wow? Pacioretty takes cross ice pass on a hop from Galchenyuk, and fires it at traffic in front of Mrazek, and somehow, it goes in. Oh wait ... the Wings are saying Mrazak was interfered with. Don't think they have much of a hope.

- Goal stands. It's 4-3. With an amazing 12 minutes still left to play in the period.

- I suppose Habs were due some kind of crazy run of goals all at once - heavens knows it hasn't happened in memory. If Detroit somehow manages to lose this game, it'll be totally devastating to their playoff hopes.

- Mike Brown out for the night, lower body injury. Add 'em to the list.

- Desharnais line is an offensive-challenged wasteland tonight. Best to just shove him in a sock drawer, and walk away.

- Therrien deploying Emelin with the net empty, in the final minute. Um kay.

- Habs come up a goal short, but we'll give 'em credit for at least making the game interesting. Nonetheless, little seems to have changed with this organization. Desharnais put back into the lineup, placed at centre, lays an egg of a game, and gets lots of ice time. Garbage in, garbage results out.
GAMEDAY NEWS 'N' NOTES:

8 to go. And then the off season, and hopes renewed that this organization can make some moves that will move the team in the right direction. 8 to go.

One of the moves yours truly was hoping might become reality, would be bold-ish ridding of David Desharnais, who is just finishing up year 2 of a foolish 4 year contract extension. The hope rested in the Canadiens brass buying out the remaining time on that Desharnais contract on June 30th - his injury last month a gift from the hockey gods, in that it gave the Habs an option to bubble wrap DD right through to the end of the season.

Whelp. This morning, we had his:
/facepalm.

And so DD, once again at centre, once again displacing other players who should be playing centre over to the wing, once again because the head coach once again insists on pushing square pegs into round holes, take on the Detroit Red Wings, in Michigan.

Who wins, who loses, we care not. Which is not what could be said about the Wings, who are fighting for their playoff qualifying lives, in danger of missing the dance for the first time in 27 years.

So Detroit will be coming out hard tonight. It could be another ugly game.

Puck drops at 7:40 EST. We'll be watching and blogging and bemoaning and wanting this whole season just to be done and over with as quickly as possible.
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Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Game 51: Habs vs. Flyers

THIRD PERIOD:

 - Habs and Flyers after 40 minutes. Habs possession % in that 2nd period was just under 30. Yeah. That's pretty bad.



 - Flyers have been doing a whole lotta embellishing tonight, perhaps sensing the officials are not good. It hasn't worked out so far.

- Habs powerplay just ... okay, I know this is spinning wheels because we've been going on about this for nearly half a season, but their powerplay is just so predictable. Permitter passing, then finally a pass to the line for a harmless shot because most everyone else is on the permitter passing the puck. WHY CAN'T THIS BE IDENTIFIED AND CORRECTED?!??

- Very quiet period for Condon, while underlines how this period has gone so far the first 10 minutes - mostly Habs, although the Flyers are doing a pretty good job protecting the area in front of Mason.

- Simmonds again. Left unmarked in the slot. Smith-Pelly not doing his job. Condon hung out to dry. Flyers take the lead. Here we go.

- Gudas with a horrible hip check right below Lessio's knee. Obvious clip. Horrible result, Lessio looks severely injured.

- Gudas gets 5 and a game for clipping. Habs with an enormous opportunity at hand, but they'll need their powerplay to deliver.

- Flyers in the first four minutes of the 5 minute Habs powerplay, get 2 scoring chances. Habs generate 0. Therrien sending out Smith-Pelly. Words ... I'm at a loss.

- Why is Therrien using 4th liners on this powerplay. Is he just trying to lose?

- Absolutely dismal 5 minute powerplay. Just a big fat zero there. How anybody remotely associated with overseeing this unit is still employed is beyond my ability to comprehend.

- They might as well have pulled Condon with that powerplay, because this team isn't capable of scoring with a one man advantage. Two men? Maybe. But one man? Nope.

- ANNNNNNNNNNND ... another loss. Crazy insane. This team can't win under Therrien. The same mistakes being made over and over and over and over and over again, with this coaching staff bewilderingly, expecting somehow to get a different result.

I'm about ready to pitch the towel in.
SECOND PERIOD:

- Habs and Flyers after 20 minutes: 




 - Well, that's definitely a positive sign - with Petry scoring off a very nice screen by Smith-Pelly. So a couple of defensemen who've been mired in droughts hit the sheet in less than a period. Game tied.

- Still don't see much in the positive way from the Habs 4th line, which has basically fallen off the map since Torrey Mitchell returned from injury.  Simply not providing the team with any momentum or energy, mainly because most of the action seems to end up in the defensive zone while they're on the ice. Opposing coaches (the smart ones anyway) are line matching this weak line to death.

- Flyers cleary out possessing Habs in this period, but not really generating very many scoring opportunities - no more than the outshot Habs, at the very least.

- Markov gets caught up ice as Giroux is sprung on a break, and Subban makes an incredible play hustling back to make a clean check to prevent not only a goal, but even a shot attempt. Brilliant.

- Officials seem to be unwilling to call violent stick penalties tonight, with many slashes and crosschecks going unpunished. The other soft stuff, though, the hooks and holds, they're right on it. Very inconsistently officiated game so far.

- Habs PK continues to be far too soft in the slot, the Flyers are getting the red carpet treatment right in front of Condon, who's been coming up big in this period.

- Ham-fisted period by the Habs, Flyers getting far too many opportunities, even 5v5. Habs do have a powerplay coming up, perhaps that will give Montreal some badly needed momentum.

- Beaulieu with a totally open net off a cross ice pass, and somehow, he shoots it right back into Mason's body. The play does, however, illustrate the folly playing point men off their off wing, as has been the Habs tendency for most of the season.

- Not a great period for the Habs, which is hard to figure out. They fight their way back into a tie, and should by all means, have plenty of confidence and momentum going forward. However, after the Petry goal, the Habs went into a shell, preferring not to press the Flyers further, but to instead "protect" the tie. So now this team has to scrape it out over 20 minutes for a win against another basement-dwelling opponent. Sigh.




FIRST PERIOD:

- A little late to the action tonight. Habs inserting recently acquired Lucas Lessio into the lineup tonight. He'll see 4th line action. Maybe it'll help what's been a pretty poor playing unit the past two months or so. Maybe  not. 

- Not a good start, with Beaulieu getting nabbed for a hold. Flyers outskating Habs early in this one.

- Really not good start, Simmonds allowed to go right to the front of the net uncheck, and has an easy tip in from a point shot. Gilbert playing really soft in his slot. 1-0 early Flyers. 

- Habs responding well to what ought to have been a deflating opening goal for the Flyers. Aggressive with the puck, getting decent puck control in the Philly zone, but still having difficulty generating high percentage scoring attempts.

- Habs need to stay out of the penalty box, not doing any favours to their momentum. Pacioretty with an unnecessary interference penalty.

- Hoo boy. Takes the Flyers 6 seconds to score off their second man advantage for their second powerplay goal. Looks like the puck might have gone off Markov, but once again, Philadelphia doing it right - sending forwards to the goal. Habs playing way too soft in their slot on the PK tonight, and already, it's killing them.

- Welcome back to the scoresheet Andrei Markov. Off the powerplay, shockingly enough. Habs seem to be engaging their defence a bit more aggressively with the man advantage (if you'd care to call that an adjustment). It's nice to see something done, although such a strategy does present inherent risks. 2-1 Flyers.

- Habs really taking it to the Flyers in this period, at lest the from the 5 minute mark forward. Galchanyuk looks especially good as usual, Flyers are getting slightly overwhelmed. 

- Welp, that was actually a pretty good period for the Habs - they may trail on the scoreboard, but they had a defined edge in play, possession and aggression. Which are all positive considering how fragile this team must be, and to play well even going down 2-0 in the 1st is a pretty good indicator.

Ottawa Citizen

HEY WE HAD A WEEK OFF. DID ANYTHING CHANGE? NO? OKAY, THEN.

Okay, I gotta admit, I enjoyed not looking at, not writing about, not even thinking about the Habs for a week. I mean, I really, really enjoyed it. It's amazing what 7 days away from the misery of losing and frustration from the managerial incompetence that is the Montreal Canadiens, can do for the soul.

Like any nice vacation away from reality, it must all come to and end. Alas, the Habs are back in action tonight, as they take on the Flyers from Philadelphia.

Perhaps I was being a tad hopeful, but a little distant part of me, that one little piece that still hasn't died a slow agonizing death from having to endure witnessing this season, hoped a tiny hope that this organization would use these days off to reflect, realize where things have been going so wrong, and make changes. Nothing extraordinary. The faithful such as myself have already written off the possibility that Michel Therrien would be removed before season's end. But apart from a badly needed coaching alteration, at least something to push this team in a positive direction.

So yesterday, as I began to remove myself from the warm, cozy, Habs-free cocoon, I read this:


LOLz. Yeah. That's how naive I was in hoping there'd be change. Did I really think the brain trust would make obvious adjustments, such as finally, mercifully, putting Alex Galchenyuk back at centre, and finally, mercifully, putting David Desharnais back at wing, and finally, mercifully, moving Andrighetto back on an actual scoring line?

Nope.

SO IT'S FULL STEAM AHEAD. NO CHANGES NEEDED. EVERYTHING IS JUST FINE. WE'VE WON 5 GAMES OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS BUT WE'RE ALL GOOD.

So tonight, this rudderless, scoring-disabled, deflated, disorganized hockey team will take on the pitiful Philadelphia Flyers, and there's no good reason to believe that given this insane franchise keeps doing the same wrong thing over and over again expecting a different result, that the results will be any different tonight. Which is to say, another L in the LOSS column.


Puck drops at 7:10 EST. We're hoping you'll joing us. Assuming you can stomach it.



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Monday, 21 December 2015

Game 35: Habs vs. Preds

THIRD PERIOD:

 - Habs and Preds through 40. I got nothing.


























- Emelin, with a pretty awful holding penalty, because he doesn't bother moving his feet on a non-threatening Preds rush. Lots of NHL coaches would roundly bench any defensmen of Emelin's caliber for that kind of play. But you know Therrien won't.

- Lars Eller with an own goal. I mean - you couldn't dream this stuff up. Tokarski, who I guess was wandering a little too much, gets yanked. Slams his stick going down the tunnel. That's pretty much it for tonight.

- So Tokarski finishes the night sub .800 SV%. Habs are really in tough for their backups. For the first time, I'm willing to admit some reconsideration for this team to look at goaltending options.

- Habs just standing around their zone. Literally. Just standing around. 4-0.

- Carr scores ... I think.

- Good lord, Galchenyuk bumped Rinne, although Weber did trip him into the goal. Nonetheless, the Habs are denied a goal, because it's the Habs. You can't make this stuff up.

- Galchenyuk scores. Even though he is, yet again, one of the least used Habs forwards tonight.

- Dale Weise misses an open net. And ..... we've checked all the mandatory boxes. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE DRIVE HOME SAFELY.

- Gods aren't satisfied. Subban finally delivers a goal scoring shot, puck entering the net, zipping past Rinnie. Makes the score 4-2. Oh wait. Dale Weise gets in the way.

- Another night, another game outplaying their opponent, another night outshooting their opponent, another night out chancing their opponent, another night where the goaltenders can't deliver, and the forwards can't finish. Habs are spiralling into a total abyss of defeat, with no end in sight.


SECOND PERIOD:

 - Habs and Preds through 20 minutes. It is the same old exasperating story:






























- A right spot, Jared Tinordi looked really solid - and was immediately rewarded by Therrien - he's amongst team leaders in ice time tonight.

- Habs powerplay, they go with just one defenseman, Subban. Desperate times. Especially putting Desharnais on the line.

- Predictably, the man advantage goes nowhere. Nearly surrenders a short handed goal because Desharnais should never, ever, ever, never be at the point.

- Problem for the Habs, even with all their possession advantages, and shot attempts, nothing really incredibly threatening has been generated against the Preds, save the 1st period shot by Desharnis that required a nifty save by Rinne. It's been a pretty routine game for him.

- Preds get a powerplay, and score. Because of course. Weber to Josi, who blasts a puck off the crossbar. Seems like if anyone wearing the CH, that puck stays out. But no .. nope ... it goes in. Habs giving Preds gunners at the line wayyyyy to much time and room to unload. That's why it's 2-0.

- Halfway through the game, Habs have a dozen scoring chances. No goals scored. Preds have generated 3 ... yes ... just 3 ... and have scored 2.

- Halfway though relegation, Habs have nearly 70% of the shooting attempts. Seventy. Per. Cent.

- We're done two periods. Just perplexed. Not a single Habs player with a negative Corsi. Not one. Habs with nearly five times as many scoring chances. Possession nearly 70%. I guess all of these advanced stats are totally meaningless unless and until somebody can put a puck into the opposing net. So far those who are expected and paid to deliver, Pacioretty, Eller, Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Subban, Markov, Fleischmann, Desharnais, are not delivering.



FIRST PERIOD:

- Here we go. This might be an ugly game. Pekka Rinne is on pace to start 60+ games this season. Maybe he'll be tired for the Habs tonight??

- Therrien putting Pacioretty out with Desharnais, because the obsession with 51 never seems to end.

- Excellent shifts so far by Galchenyuk - he's doing all that you're supposed to do, strong forecheck, taking pucks away, and unlike 51, taking shots on goal.

- Stop me if you've heard this before the last three weeks, but Habs start the game strong, heavily outshooting and out-possessing their opponent. Oh yeah - and not actually scoring.

- Well, uh .. there we go. Weber with a bomb that Tokarski may or may not have seen, and yup - we're right back where we left off. Habs dominate, and trailing on the scoreboard. For what it's worth, Desharnais line was out, and doing a rather poor job in their zone. No way Weber should have had that much time, and open ice to blast the puck at 100 mph.

- Habs still working out there, Galchenyuk with another good shift. Plekanec setting Fleischmann up nicely, but he can't bury the puck. Rewards simply aren't coming. Feels like they'll never arrive.

- Subban is working his tail off out there. You want to talk about leadership, you looking first and last at the guys visibly elevating their effort when the times get tough. There are others out there who are visibly not. That's where many of the problems are originating from.

- Wow, Desharnais took a shot on goal, and Rinne had to make a nice glove save to boot. Because, of course, nothing will go in for Montreal.

- No words. Habs with more than 60% possession, outshooting and outworking their opponent, and losing the game. Galchenyuk looks great, Subban too ... Desharnais ... the usual. Just getting so tired of this - so I'll let the captain repeat his words from 48 hours ago.






















I DON'T WANNA PANIC YET, BUT IT'S TIME TO GET CONCERNED:

Is it January yet? No?? Oh, god. Is the road trip from hell at least over with? There's 7 games remaining? Kill me.

I don't wanna say that Habs fans ought to start running naked through the streets in terror, but this team, which, if you can believe, got off to a 9-0 start, has won only 11 of the 25 games that followed that streak. In other words, if things continue to unravel at the current pace, the Canadiens can not only forget about finishing in 1st place, they might start to struggle just to make the post-season.

If that were to happen, the fellow pictured above would be out of a job. Guaranteed. The guy on the left. Yeah. That guy.

Actually, if there is any substance to the rumblings starting to build in Montreal, Michel Therrien's end might arrive even before the end of a season-turned-sour, because, in case you hadn't noticed, the Canadiens' offence is a disaster, and there doesn't appear to be any light of hope in sight.

That hope, of course, rests with the return of two incredibly key players, Carey Price, and Brendan Gallagher. Since Price's return to the injury list, the Habs' backups, Mike Condon and Dustin Tokarski, have struggled to find any semblance of consistency - in particular Condon, who rocketed out of the season's gates, and looked like a 1st stringer until the end of November, when his wheels fell off. Since that time, Condon has posted a SV% nowhere near .900, which on most nights, especially behind a team that's struggling to score even two goals a night, means certain repeated defeats.

The blame can't all lay at Condon's feet, of course. He hasn't received any sort of meaningful offensive support, and the Habs defence, which looked so well-adjusted through the first two months of the season, has become increasingly sloppy in their own zone, resulting in far too many defensive and neutral zone turnovers, which has generated high quality odd many rushes for opposing teams. If you leave your goaltender consistently out to dry, you're going to give up a lot of goals, and lose - a lot.

Which brings us back to Therrien. While many have praised his approach this season, which has emphasized puck possession and less of a reliance on a dump-and-chase offence, his response to the team's current deep slide hasn't endeared him with much confidence amongst his detractors, this writer included. Instead of simply continuing to play his strong cards, Therrien's approach seems more inclined towards conquering the Habs' demons via division. To put it another way, Therrien's reaction has mostly been one of panic - he's pressing every available button, and in some instances, making new ones, in futile attempts to get his team back on the winning track.

All this has meant a lineup that is changing each game, and lines, both offensive and defensive, that are different - not only at the start of each game, but during each period. It is extremely difficult for any team to find any mode of positive consistency if players don't know from one period to the next, who they're playing with.

Therrien's approach to getting certain players out of funk has also raised questions about his decision-making. In particular, the manner in how he's handling two forwards whose production has all but completely dried up - David Desharnais and Dale Weise. Therrien's philosophy, as far as anyone can tell, appears to be one of playing those who aren't contributing, even more than usual. Desharnais is a perfect example - at the start of the year, he was receiving about 11 minutes of ice time per night. Since his production has gone south, Therrien has increased his ice time from one of modesty, to that of exuberance - Desharnais is now averaging over 17 minutes a night, on most occasions, he is the most played forward on this roster.

For someone who can't score a lick, and continues to refuse to shoot the puck even when he's in dangerous scoring zones, that Therrien keeps going back for more and more of Desharnais' futility is mystifying.

So tonight, the Habs will visit the Nashville Predators, another top-flight NHL team, in offensive and defensive disarray. Who'll play tonight for the Habs? Not sure. Who'll play on which line? Who knows? How long will those players stay with their mates? Good question. Because right now, coach Therrien is panicking - he's doing everything short of strapping on his own pair of skates, to get his team playing good hockey.

Meanwhile, the players sulk with frustration:

That, from your capitan, is never a good sign.

Puck drops tonight at 8:10 EST. There's never a dull moment in Habsland.




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Saturday, 19 December 2015

Game 34: Habs vs. Stars

SECOND PERIOD:

 - Habs and Stars through 20 minutes. The pattern holds. The Canadiens the better team, but keep rolling snake eyes.











- Benn, it's 2-0. Emelin loses puck battle, Condon playing way too deep in his net. Habs may never win a game again. It sure feels that way.

- Sharp, deflects one in, bounces are going against the Habs both directions. That, and turning the puck over at your blue line is probably a bad idea against a team with an offence like Dallas. 3-0.

- The Sharp deflection was pretty nifty, and perhaps impossible to stop, but Condon is playing his position very, very deep. That's a sign of a goaltender fighting confidence.

- Dallas doesn't seek perfection when it come to goal scoring. They put the puck on the net. The Habs don't seem to be able/capable/wanting to just fire the damn puck. Net result - lots of wide shots, posts and crossbars hit, and Dale Weise constantly missing wide open nets.

- Therrien running the line blender full tilt. Hard to keep up with all the combinations happening out there tonight. We apparently have a stable 4th line, and everyone else drawn from the coach's hat.

- McCarron is a boulder in front of the net. If only he could have some shots coming is way that he could screen.

- Carr tucks in a rebound, on ... get ready for this ... the powerplay. Habs ... wat .. scored? Yes, they actually did. 3-1. Now ... if only they could get some production out of the guys expected to score ... we might have something.

- Laughable holding call on Beaulieu. Phantom call. Threatens to undo all their momentum.

- Possible big break? Goal waived off, goaltending interference called on Demers.

- Forget about it. Benn mauls Petry along the boards in a play that was blatantly interference, Seguin snaps a shot over Condon, who again, is too deep in his net. 4-1. Montreal can't have anything nice.

- McCarron called for a rough merely for bumping into someone along the boards. Words escape me tonight. Officiating has been absolutely horrible.

- Dallas, too many on the ice, not called. I'm giving up on this game. Officiating has been a disgrace.
- FIRST PERIOD:

- Nice little acknowledge by Dallas for Dickie Moore.

- As we noted in the pregame preview, the Stars aren't invulnerable. Their defence isn't particularly  good with puck movement, in particular out of their own zone. A good strong forechecking game by the Habs could reap some benefits (i.e., actually scoring a goal).

- Emelin can't stand still like a pylon at his blue line with the Stars mounting a rush.

- And we're off. Spezza easily gains the zone off a rush, does a nice little shot fake, and makes Condon look ... well ... not good. 1-0 early.

- So now the Habs are chasing the lead early, which is just about the last place you want to be when you're offensive starved to death. It's too early to take big chances, but that might be what's required so that this team can at least remember what it's like to score a goal.

- Habs don't seem very perturbed from surrounding the early goal. Strategy appear the same - maintaining possession. Their forecheck so far, though, isn't nearly as strong as I think it ought to be.

- They acknowledge Dickie Moore in Dallas ... Texas. Nothing in Toronto tonight, because Toronto and their big-league organization is, and will always be, terrible.

- Strong shifts by the Eller line so far, Lars really skating well, and doing an excellent job getting the puck towards the net, which is the intended strategy with McCarron in the lineup.

- Past half way mark, same old story. Habs are doing the right things, but not putting pucks in the net. Also, part of the same old story, players who haven't been producing any raw offence are continuing to get lion's share of shifts.

- Habs powerplay. Eventually this unit will score. Before the end of time. Tonight? Well, let's see who Therrien puts out there.

- Therrien puts out McCarron out first unit, with Plekanec and Pacioretty. Galchenyuk not part of the primary unit. Okay, then.

- Habs 2nd powerplay, Therrien repairing Markov with Subbban, and Andrei rings a snap shot off the crossbar. Sweet jesus, they'll never score again.

- And Weise misses a wide, wide, wide open net. Because, Dale Weise.
















GAME 34: HOO BOY, NOW IT REALLY GETS DIFFICULT

We knew looking at the schedule, even way back before the season began, that December would be a challenging month for the Montreal Canadiens. Now nearly 3 weeks into the month, and those original concerns have borne out, with the Habs winners of just 1 game.

Believe it or not, that one win came during the easy part of the schedule. Now things get tough. Really tough. The Habs play in Dallas tonight, the League's best team - to kick off an 8-game road trip, which will take Montreal through some of the toughest arenas in hockey, with stops in Nashville, Minnesota, Washington and Tampa Bay.

In fact, the Canadiens won't even see home ice again until the 2nd week of next year.

The big problem for the Habs, in case you haven't been following the past while, has been their offence. It is, to put it generously, anemic. Realistically, it's a disaster. Montreal has scored a meager 15 goals over their past 9 games during their slide, which unsurprisingly, coincided with the loss of Brendan Gallagher.

Compounding the Habs goal-producing woes, has been the manner in how the Canadiens have attempted to get out of their offensive funk. Specifically, the manner in how Montreal has been deploying their forwards. For the most part, and for reasons that are only known to him, Michel Therrien has scaled back ice times of players who have been point producers, while increasing ice times for those whose outputs have been near zero.

Let's bring forth, Exhibit "A", and it's a doozy:

I've been on Therrien's case the past couple of games about deployments - in particular the amount of time he's been giving David Desharnais, whose production has fallen off the face of the planet since November, while scaling back time to forwards that are actually generating goals. Forwards like, say, Alex Galchenyuk.

Therrien's penchant for Desharnais is mystifying. Surely, even he must see the bottom line? Surely even he must understand that giving a forward who's not clocking in at even half a measly point a game, with top line times, is counter-productive for a goal-starved team?

The rationale? I've no idea. Perhaps Therrien believes that putting Desharnais out for more than 17 minutes a night will help him "play through" his funk, but after a while, you have to call a spade a spade, and cut your losses. By stubbornly giving Desharnais so much time, its causing profuse bleeding to the Habs offensive wounds.

Whether or not Therrien will finally understand the error of his deployments, and change course, bears to be seen. In the meantime, the Habs have called up another young body from Newfoundland, and it's none other than Mike McCarron, the once highly-touted winger who brings plenty of size to the rink. With McCarron about to play his first NHL game, the Habs lineup tonight will look like this:

1: Pacioretty/Plekanec/Galchenyuk
2: Fleischmann/Desharnais/Weise
3: Byron/Eller/McCarron
4: Carr/Mitchell/Flynn

So (thankfully) Byron is mercifully pulled off the Habs "top" line (although given how Therrien deploys, who's the number one line is always up for debate), with McCarron slotted next to Lars Eller.

At this point, anything is worth a shot - but only if those who aren't producing are allocated an appropriate number of shifts.

In any case, the Habs will have their hands full tonight in Dallas. The Stars are bolstered with the League's top-rated offence, 5th rated powerplay, and 7th rated possession. If there is a weak spot to be found in the Stars armor, it's their defence - rated a mediocre 14th in the League, and an weak-ish penalty kill, rated just 20th.

Oh yeah speaking of which - the Habs powerplay. It's currently on a 0-23 streak. If there's a good time for it to emerge from hibernation, tonight would be a good night.

One other possible bright spot. The Habs PDO in December is just 94. This means the Canadiens are, offensively speaking, overdue big-time.

Puck drops tonight at 7:10 EST.




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Thursday, 10 December 2015

Game 30: Habs vs. Red Wings

THIRD PERIOD:

 - Habs and Wings through 40 minutes, the chart indicating that the 2nd was a pretty good bounce-back period for the Canadiens.


- Fleischmann with a bullet shot off another sloppy Wings turnover in their zone, and the Habs grab the lead. Fleischmann has easily been the Habs best forward tonight, so that goal is really deserved.

- Another strong game for Andrighetto, even though he's being played on the right line. Hudan has been mixing it up nicely, Carr also hasn't been invisible (unlike a couple of full-time, well paid forwards who shall go unnamed).

- Tokarski with a pretty desperate save off some soft Habs defensive coverage off Wings transition. Shall we say he's played well tonight? I shan't say so, for fear of hexing everything.

- Another soft, marginal call goes against the Habs, this time Fleischmann for a hook. Amazing how many times this has happened tonight.

- Wings powerplay comes up completely empty, in large part because of what appears to be some poor ice conditions, resulting in a lot of bouncing pucks. Detroit unable to even set up in the Habs zone.

- He'll almost certainly not stay, but Daniel Carr won't be forgotten, not the way he's worked and pursued the puck, especially tonight.

- Alexei Emelin with a very careless high stick, giving Wings a late game powerplay. Nathan Beaulieu, shall we be reminded, sits in the press box.

- And ... the Wings score. Yup. There ya go.

- And Therrien symbolically flips his bird, sending Emelin right back on the ice. Michel, you playing Emelin for the sake of scratching Beaulieu is your terrible decision-making.

- Pateryn with a horrid turnover right in front of Tokarski. Boom. 3-2 Detroit. How's your decisions working out tonight, coach?

- Truth be told, defence both ends of the rink has been pretty poor most of the night - that there's only been 5 goals produced speaks well for how both Mrazek and Tokarski have played tonight, the later really victimized by some really awful plays by defenders who were brought in as replacements because the team coach doesn't know how to utilize his assets.

- Though not quite as one-sided as last night, Habs lose another game they really probably should have won. This team is officially on a big dive now, continuing to struggle offensively. My finger is pointed right behind the bench at Therrien, who in response to Gallagher's injury, cause unnecessary chaos by putting together lines that didn't mix or match. Now the Habs are in total disarray. How long it will take to get them back on to a scoring track, is anyone's guess. But it won't be happening because of what Therrien has, or will be doing.


 SECOND PERIOD:

 - Habs and Wings through 20 minutes, Detroit as anticipated, the edge in play:



- Fleischmann and Andrighetto look to be the only Habs playing with any inspiration tonight. It's a pretty lethargic Habs group tonight.

- Habs second powerplay goes mostly nowhere, it's nothing like it was earlier in the season. Not sure if this is another casualty from the Gallagher injury, but it's certainly missing another gear, not nearly as intense as it once was.

- Habs sloppy defence finally burns them, as Helm, on his third (count 'em) breakaway of the night finally beats Tokarski. 1-0.

- Some question whether the Helm goal was onside - it certainly deserved a look, but for whatever reason, Therrien and the bench let that go past the board. Hmmm ....

- Andrighetto ties it up, but it's Charles Hudon, his first NHL game, that should have scored - his shot was going in, but Andrighetto slammed it home to grab credit. Am I the only one unimpressed by that?

- I take that back, replay shows Andrighetto, who was well positioned around the Wings crease (other Habs forwards would be wise to follow his example), backhanded the puck in. Otherwise, we'd still be 1-0. But .. assist to Hudon, which is nice.

- Heckova PK for the Habs, Brian Flynn makes a whole hot mess with a clunker of a backhand while alone in front of Mrazek, and seconds later, Plekanec fed nicely for a breakaway, although Plekanec on a breakaway is about as predictable a finish as you'll find in hockey (i.e. no goal scored).

- Habs seem to be finding some legs, but it's mostly youth inspired. Andrighetto, Hudon, and Fleischmann, while not young in age, has been looking young in spirit tonight. It would be nice if a few others would find some inspiration from the example they're setting.

- Refs seem to be going out of their way to not call obvious penalties committed by the Wings, but nail the Habs for marginal-stuff. Just observing inconsistencies.

- Plekanec on yet another breakaway ... and ... well .. you guess what happens.

- So much sloppy defence tonight, so many breakaways, mostly for the Habs, so many missed opportunities, mostly for the Habs. Feels like last night all over again.

- Better period for the Habs, I suppose. Detroit still doing a lot of risk-taking getting their defence involved in the rush, which has given the Habs a ridiculous number of breakaways this game, all of them stopped. That will be the difference maker tonight, if Montreal does end up losing this game - their inability to covert high percentage scoring chances, especially ones presented to them on silver platters.


 FIRST PERIOD:

- So Therrien decides to "promote" Dale Weise to the "first line", next to Pacioretty and Galchenyuk, which, of course, makes no sense.

- Huge game tonight for Dustin Tokarski. A career game, really. If he does well, he's back for consideration  as the Habs backup, with Condon flailing of late. If he bombs, it'll be a huge nail in his NHL future.

- First five minutes, Habs the more aggressive team, doing a good job gaining the Wings zone, but as per usual during their recent offensive drought, having a tough time generating quality shot attempts.

- Fleischmann booked for an exceptionally soft hook, his stick just brushing against his check. Refs have an itchy trigger finger early.

- Wings first powerplay comes up empty, they love to carry the puck in, but Habs did a good job covering the passing lanes, and preventing Detroit from really setting up for much of a threat.

- While Beaulieu looks down from the press box, Emelin makes two huge gaffes the first 9 minutes, giving the Wings one clear breakaway, and one clear two-on-one break. Habs fortune to still be even at zero.

- Habs first powerplay with some signs of life, but Therrien keeps putting out the wrong guys - this time it's Weise who's getting time he really shouldn't.

- Habs got off to a decent enough start, but seem to be slipping as the period progresses. Not sure if it's the back-to-back, what with Detroit just a 2 hour plane ride away. Still, Habs seem to slowly be losing the foot races and puck battles.

- This period isn't exactly a defensive clinic. Both teams guilty of some pretty horrid zone coverage, especially off transitions. Mrazek with a couple of nifty saves, Wings forwards having trouble hitting the net off close range shots.

- Wings defence isn't nearly as sloppy as the Habs is tonight, they've been caught because they're being very aggressive joining the play. A good, fast transition game could generate some badly needed goals for the Habs, if they are capable of exporting Detroit's risk-taking play.

- Detroit the better team, certainly more dangerous, faster, and more organized. Habs really shouldn't have exhaustion as an excuse - they played last night, but their schedule hasn't been particularly demanding the past couple of weeks. Montreal looks uninspired, which bodes poorly for the last two periods.



GAME 30: OH BOY. HERE WE GO AGAIN

Well, that came undone pretty fast, didn't it? The Habs lose three tough games, all of which they arguably should have won, if fancy stats are to be believed. The Canadiens have been dominant with puck possession the past while, last night's loss to the Bruins being a prime example, where even strength, the Habs outshone Boston by a 63-37% margin.

By hockey standards, that's a pretty dominant edge. But like the two other losses earlier in the week, the Habs were outdone by not seizing on their scoring opportunities, not producing on their once reinvigerated powerplay, and not getting timely goaltending by their average emergency netminders, all while the team waits patiently for the return of its best player, Carey Price.

Price is the paradox in this story - since he's been the main reason why the Habs have managed to ice a very competitive team the past two seasons. Price's remarkable performances have provided the exaggerated impression of a team better than the sum of its parts, not excluding its head coach, who has benefited fully by receiving a heafty contract extension and vote of confidence from the club's GM, Marc Bergevin.

A measure of credit should go to Therrien this season. Since he re-arrived back in Montreal, the Canadiens have been a team reguglarly out-chanced, out-shot, and out-possessed. Still, the club has been a winner, in large part because Price continuously made the big saves game in, game out, to seal and steal victories.

This season, the Habs have done a bit of a role reversal, with an increased emphasis on maintaining possession, and ditching the dump-and-chase system that was so heavily relied upon by Therrien up until this season. The effects of this change-in-philosophy were immediately apparent - the Canadiens became a more more efficient and dangerous team, helping them to rocket off to a 9-0 start.

But then, injuries sent in - the Habs streak of luck that had kept their roster pretty much injury-free the past three seasons, came lashing full reverse. Carey Price, the best player in the world, hurt something in his leg after stepping on a puck during warmups in Edmonton. The unfortunate, perhaps even freakish injury, thrust Mike Condon into the pressure-backed front burner. Condon, who had an incredible training camp, took away the backup role from Dustin Tokarski, and during the months of October and November, played like a first string netminder.

Alas, the hopes that the Canadiens had stumbled upon a hidden jewel have come undone the past month, as Condon's lofty performance level has more or less, come crashing back to earth. Not to say that Mike is playing poorly - he's still producing numbers approprirate for a backup goaltender. Condon, however, is not producing the performances this team had become dependant upon - he's not made the big saves late in the game, and in some instances, has let in soft, demoralizing goals. The Habs are a team so accostomed to Price's heroics, that it seems incapable of processing or responding to events where their netminder lets them down. Last night, again, is a prime example.

Therrien's response, predictably, has been irrational. For the past two weeks, it's become clear that this team has started to struggle offensively, in large part because David Desharnais, who had a tremendous first six weeks of the season, has fallen off the cliff. Instead of realizing that Desharnais is not (and will never be) a point producing machine, and playing him appropriately as the team's third line centre, Therrien responded by inserting Max Pacioretty on his wing, thereby breaking up the team's first line - a unit that was actually producing offence, in a bid to get Desharnais producing again.

Of course, this failed. Miserably. Why? Because Desharnais is not a goal scorer. For lack of a better word, as a second-third-whatever NHL centre, he doesen't shoot the puck. We're almost halfway through the regular season, and Desharnais, a (maddeding) staple on the Habs powerplay, has produced 6 shot attempts on the man advantage. Still, for some reason, Therrien thought Pacioretty would somehow motitivate Desharnais to behave more like a centre. The experiement lasted all of three games, before, thankfully, it was shelved last night.

Oh yes, about last night. Even though the Habs did all the right things, even though they again dominated their opponent, Therrien's response today was, predictably, irrational and unwise. This time, he's focused his vitorial on, remarkably, Nathan Beaulieu - who's easily been one of the Habs best players on defence the entire season. Why? Who knows - other than for some reason, Therrien seems to have developed the idea that Beaulieu is not "performing up to expectations", a ridiculous notion, if true, because Beaulieu, who night-in, night-out is amongst the club leaders in CF%, has far exceeded anyone's reasonable expectations, given his age and NHL experience.

So here we go again. Out goes someone who's actually playing well, in comes Greg Pateryn, and Alexei Emelin, who was directly responsible for the Bruins' gut-stabbing third goal last night, stay in the lineup.

Puck drops at 7:10, EST.



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