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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Game
Season 2016-2017

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY GAME 28 Montreal 10 Colorado 1

Mitch
Season 2016-2017The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Game
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It was the 1500th game of Jarome Iginla’s Hall of Fame career. But who’s going to remember?
In the meantime, in what might turn out to be a game by game update, here are some key numbers of Habs centres in two games without Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais: 5 goals, 7 assists, +12, 64% on face offs.
That’s what you call stepping up.
THE GOOD

  • Max Pacioretty. First 4 goal game of his career. First 4 goal game by a Hab since Lars Eller (who might not hit 4 goals by Christmas while playing for the Caps). Suddenly, Pacioretty has taken over the team lead in points, moved into the top 20 in NHL scoring and is one goal shy of moving into the top 10 in goals. Here comes that 30 + goal season. Again. Eight shots on goal, or half the total that Colorado had.

  • Tomas Plekanec. It’s the eighth 4 point game of Plekanec’s career, but the first time he’s had 4 assists in one game. Won virtually every puck battle along the boards. I think he likes his new line mates.
  • 10 goal outburst. I was spoiled. I saw the Habs of the late 60s and 70s hit double figures in a game several times (Or so it seemed. The memory plays tricks on you as you get older. Perhaps some of those games were merely 8-0 or 9-1 wins). Most notably at the Forum on February 15, 1975 when Yvan Cournoyer scored 5 goals in a 12-3 Montreal win over Chicago. And when one of my all-time favourite players – Pete Mahovlich – was traded by the Habs to the Penguins early in the 1977-78 season for Pierre Larouche the day before the Habs hosted Pittsburgh at the Forum. Larouche scored a hat trick for his new team as they destroyed Pete and the Penguins 11-2. Scoring 10 (including six in the first period-five of them in a span of just 6:45) effectively washes out the embarrassing 10-0 loss  November 4th in Columbus.  Only the Rangers (100) and Penguins (97) have scored more goals than the Habs. And Montreal’s goal differential of + 29 trails only the Rangers (+30) and those Blue Jackets (+31).
  • Alexander Radulov. Pierre Mcguire suggested this week that Radulov deserves some consideration for MVP through the first third of the season. That might be laughed off outside of Montreal but you really do have to watch him play every night to fully appreciate what he’s brought and what he means to his team.
  • Phillip Danault-Andrew Shaw-Artturi Lehkonen. By the time Lehkonen scored from in close after tremendous work behind the net by Danault to make it 3-0 after just 7:12, the Habs were outshooting Colorado 10-1. Calvin Pickard’s night in goal ended (for the time being). But the Habs were just getting started. Back to back two assist games for Shaw.
  • Torrey Mitchell-Brendan Gallagher-Paul Byron. Another Byron breakaway, another goal. That’s 9 in 28 games. He scored 11 goals last season in 62 games. Difficult to believe that on a night when his team scored in double figures, Gallagher’s goalless drought reached six games or just one in his last 23 games. But he’s close. And Mitchell is enjoying, for now, his new found offensive freedom.
  • Brian Flynn-Sven Andrighetto-Daniel Carr. First two goal game of Flynn’s NHL career. Carr followed up a decent effort against New Jersey with an even better one while Andrighetto, virtually invisible against the Devils, magically reappeared with Michael McCarron’s considerable shadow looming from the press box.
  • Michel Therrien. As he has stated following the last four games Therrien is clearly very proud of his team and the way they keep working. Nice touch to send Flynn out late in the game with Radulov and Pacioretty in an effort to get him a hat trick.
  • Andrei Markov and Jeff Petry. Another multiple point night for Markov and suddenly he’s up to number three in scoring among defensemen, behind only Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns. Petry’s strong play of late paid off in an unlikely power play goal with .01 left on the clock at the end of the second period. Semyon Varlamov must have thought a seven goal deficit was safe when Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog took a roughing penalty on Shaw (who also drew an elbowing call on Joe Colborne early in the period. Shaw is second in the NHL in penalty minutes but he seems to draw more than his share of calls) at 19:56. Shaw’s face off win to Markov to Petry and a slapper that seemed to catch Varlamov napping was enough to send Pickard back in goal to start the third.
  • Nathan Beaulieu and Zach Redmond. A third pairing that can skate like this is not only impressive but allows Therrien and J.J. Daigneault to ease the burden on the top 4. Beaulieu led the Habs in ice time at 22:34 while Redmond picked up two assists against his former team that could clearly use his help on the blue line.
  • Shea Weber and Alexei Emelin. I think we got everybody in. Oh wait…
  • Carey Price. League leading 16th win of the season. His long standing Saturday Night Fever act continues as he’s now 7-0, 1.42, .951 this season on HNIC.

THE BAD

  • No shutout.
  • Calvin Pickard and Semyon Varlamov.

  • It’s coming. Habs fans have every right to feel good & giddy following the last two home games. But there are losses coming. And more injuries ahead. Because from December 28th in Florida to February 12th in Boston, the Canadiens will play 24 games (15 on the road) in 47 days, before earning a week off. Apologies for the reality check.

THE UGLY

  • My instinct was to go with the Emelin hit on Colborne in the dying moments of a blow out win. It was not a penalty. I didn’t see a referees’ arm in the air after he flipped Colborne like a Sunday morning pancake. And clearly if it’s a one goal hockey game there is no call. But if Colorado’s own coach didn’t have an issue with the hit (“It’s a hockey play” said Jared Bednar after the game. “(Emelin) is a physical guy. It’s a hit. It’s something you’ve got to deal with in the game (even at 10-1)” – then why should anybody else? (Having said that, it could get ugly when Habs visit Colorado on February 7th.)

  • So let’s go with Rene Bourque instead. In 13:42 he had zero shots on goal. Zero shot attempts. Zero hits. And was -4.