Maybe it was about time the Habs lost one of these extra time games. Oh, I know what you’re thinking. Ottawa wins, they gain one of the points back that they lost over the weekend while the Habs always seem to struggle against a lesser opponent so here comes trouble in Game 74 against Carolina while the Senators will scratch and claw their way to at least a point at home against Pittsburgh which sets up the 3rd meeting in a week between the two teams and by the end of Saturday night the Senators could move back into a tie for first place in the Division.
Snap out of it.
(Full disclosure: I watched the game with a friend at the bar at Vago, the great Italian restaurant next to where we used to work on Greene Avenue. So I might have missed a key moment or two.)
All the Habs need right now is for their top line – whatever it looks like – to score goals.
THE GOOD
- Al Montoya. Best game of the year? Not much he could have done on the goals that beat him. Deserving of a lot more support. The Habs needed an older and more reliable back up to Carey Price this season and Montoya has certainly delivered. His overtime performance especially was the type that should have translated into a goal at the other end of the ice.
- Artturi Lehkonen. Jimmy Howard appeared to be headed to a shutout win before the strong release of Lehkonen caught him by surprise. Everything you want to know about this impressive rookie was on display for the late game tying goal – speed (through the neutral zone), smarts (using a defenseman as a partial screen) and finish (we’ve seen the strong release/snapper all year). It’s the kind of form that will result in perennial 20-25 goal seasons. Or more.
- Andrew Shaw. I thought the stage had been set for him to score another game winner. Definition of “low maintenance”.
- Jeff Petry & Alexei Emelin. Petry looked more like himself. Maybe it was a Detroit thing. His shots from the blue line are getting through to the net again. It’s been a real issue while he presses for his first goal since before Christmas. And for the second game in a row Emelin was steady.
- Steve Ott. Acquitted himself well against his former team. Dominated (mostly Henrik Zetterberg) on face offs (6/7 or 86%).
THE BAD
- Shea Weber & Jordie Benn. Two strong, veteran penalty killers allowed Justin Abdelkader – who the entire hockey world knows is going to set up in front of the opposition net – to take a couple of whacks at a loose puck following a strong Montoya pad save to give Detroit a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the game, following a Nathan Beaulieu interference penalty. (So they’re calling this again, huh? I hope it continues and doesn’t end until the Stanley Cup has been won. Because normally, this late in the season, they have already stopped blowing the whistle on these plays.) Considering how well Weber and Benn have played, it was kind of shocking to see them so far away from their own net while allowing Abdelkader all that room to pounce on the rebound and eventually bury it. Plus, Weber did not exactly distinguish himself on the game winning goal in overtime.
- Power Play. 0-3 in a one goal loss. Is it too simple to suggest that if opponents have succeeded in taking one major weapon away – Weber’s blast – then it should open up space for another trigger man? The Canadiens power play, which was as high as second in the NHL when it was rolling, has dipped below 20% and sits 12th in the NHL. But it’s been sinking for awhile. They’re running out of time to figure it out, even as the coaching staff spends more and more practice time attempting to do just that.
- Max Pacioretty & Alexander Radulov. It’s not all on their centreman. The best playmaker on the team is Radulov. They need to get him the puck.
- Claude Julien. Not impressed by his usage of players in OT. The Habs were hanging on for the shootout. Too much of Tomas Plekanec, Weber and Andrei Markov. Not enough of Paul Byron (one shift in 4 + minutes), Petry or Beaulieu (inexplicably did not get onto the ice). Ken Holland’s overtime is all about skating and skill. It’s a brand new game. As difficult as it is for coaches, in the moment, to break free of the mind set of the previous 60 minutes, you gotta let it all hang out with your best skaters and most skilled players. Julien miffed on this one. By the time he finally tapped his most skillful forward to head out on the ice, it was too late.
THE UGLY
- Alex Galchenyuk. Might have been his worst game of the year. But that is no reason not to send him out early on in OT when the extra point is up for grabs. Again – it’s a brand new game. And part of the game that Galchenyuk has excelled at. His coach should know this. The way that Anthony Mantha turned Galchenyuk inside out prior to his winning goal (aided as well by a passive Weber) assured many Habs faithful of a convenient scapegoat. There wasn’t much Julien could say after the game to sugar coat it, so it’ll be interesting to see if #27 gets yanked away from Pacioretty and Radulov again. Or, with another non-playoff team coming in next (along with a leaky blue line and usually mediocre goaltending), will they give the trio one more opportunity to create a spark or two? But either way, Galchenyuk has to be better. A lot better. Julien’s use of the word “trust” and commitment to strong play at both ends of the ice while discussing young players Lehkonen and Phillip Danault was telling. If Galchenyuk wants to move the spotlight away from the weakest part of his game, he needs to show off his considerable offensive prowess. Like, right now.
