And then it was eight.
Through some doubts about the quick start (wait until they play tougher opponents) to the inevitable law of averages catching up to them (they will lose, if not at home against Toronto then almost surely on the upcoming western road swing) not many are willing to flat out say the Montreal Canadiens are the best team in hockey. And unless they win the Stanley Cup in June they’d be accurate. But we’re eight months away from the Final. So in the meantime – in the here and now – it’s no stretch to say it. The Habs are the best team in hockey. And not just because, record-wise, they’re perfect.
Montreal assumed juggernaut status in Buffalo. Even as Chad Johnson did his best Hardy Astrom impression in goal (ask Don Cherry) for the Sabres (who was that talk show host who suggested an hour before puck drop that Montreal “should fill the net against Johnson”?), the Habs scored seven goals while barely playing half the game. Once they jumped into a 2-0 lead early in the second period they simply stopped competing. They tried taking shortcuts which included ill-advised long stretch passes from inside their own blue line. Buffalo pushed back, tied the game and controlled the play. Until defenseman Mike Weber inexplicably iced the puck. A former Sabre won the ensuing face off, went to the net and deflected a shot past Johnson to again give Montreal the lead. This time they kept their skates on the gas pedal to score seven goals in a game for the first time since April 4, 2014 in Ottawa.
The Habs have proven they can without their Vezina and Hart trophy winning goaltender. They’ve won without their special teams clicking. They won the only time they actually trailed in a game (Detroit). And in this one they proved they can win – and fill the net – with only nine forwards.
So who’s gonna stop them now?
THE GOOD
- Andrei Markov. Since I referenced “The Big 3” this week in conversation with Ray Ferraro (on the importance of NHL defensemen being big and mobile) let me suggest that this game by Markov looked a lot more like Serge Savard in his prime than Lyle Odelein. (Habs record for most points in a game by a defenseman is 6, set by Sheldon Souray over ten years ago. But the rugged, mostly stay-at-home Odelein enjoyed a five point night (all assists) in February of 1994 to tie the franchise record with Doug Harvey. Until Souray came along.) Markov controlled the puck with ease. His magical night included career point #500. He trails only Savard’s fellow Hall of Famers Guy Lapointe (572) and Larry Robinson (883).
- P.K. Subban. Set the tone with a perfect feed on a two on one to open the scoring in the first period. For the second game in a row a well placed Subban shot (less power, more accuracy) from inside the blue line led directly to a key goal by the same forward. The Habs top defense pair was due for a big offensive night. Subban is still due – for a goal.
- Tomas Plekanec – Brendan Gallagher – Max Pacioretty. Combined for three goals and seven points. Gallagher gave the Habs a 2-0 lead doing what he does best – by setting up at the net and whacking away at the puck until he hears a whistle. When was the last time the Habs featured five players (Pacioretty, Plekanec, Markov, Subban, Gallagher) among the Top 30 scorers? And in the sometimes dubious plus/minus category the league leaders 1 – 5 actually do tell the story to start the season: #1 Markov +14 #2 Subban +13 #3 Pacioretty +11 #4 Plekanec +10 #5 Gallagher +8.
- Dale Weise. Weiser. Weiseroo. Weis-o-rama. Wonderful pass from Subban on a two on one to open the scoring. Two goal game puts him well on his way to matching his career high 10 goal season a year ago. Meantime, in five games this season the guy the Habs traded to get Weise – Raphael Diaz – has a goal and an assist. He’s playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
- Torrey Mitchell – Brian Flynn – Devante Smith-Pelly. Important night for Mitchell and Flynn and they delivered in their return to Buffalo. Mitchell’s perfect deflection of a Subban shot gave him goals in back to back games and three for the season. He didn’t score his third goal of last season until November 22nd or game number 21. Mitchell also had a very good night in the face off circle (65%). Michel Therrien rewarded these guys with some power play time. But then they looked like a 4th line.
- Alexei Emelin. Perfectly timed solid, clean hit on Evander Kane into the boards early in the second period was vintage Larry Robinson. It had the Sabres winger chasing him down for the rest of the night. Once Emelin went lower on Ryan O’Reilly a little later the Sabres got the message. They stopped trying to carry the puck into the zone on Emelin’s side of the ice. The Habs number 74 also made a spectacular stick save on on Nick Foligno in front of an empty net after his goaltender was down and out of position.
- Mike Condon. Made some big saves early. Was swimming around a bit but got the job done. In two NHL starts Condon has stopped 54 of 57 shots (.944).
- Tom Gilbert. Career game #600.
- Power Play. Back to back goals late in the second period (Markov) and early in the third (Gallagher – a deflection from guess where?) and suddenly the Canadiens dormant power play is showing signs of statistical life at just under 20% (19.4 – middle of the NHL pack at 16).
- Jack Eichel. He didn’t score but he was scary good with the puck. And he made some very good skaters (Jeff Petry, Lars Eller, Nathan Beaulieu) look like pylons.
THE BAD
- Alex Galchenyuk – Alex Semin – Lars Eller. If you spent the entire night watching the Blue Jays lose to Kansas City and discovered that the Habs had scored seven goals I’m guessing you would have thought that this line had contributed in a big way, especially after Semin broke his goose egg three nights earlier against St. Louis. But Semin seemed disinterested. Don’t know if that apathy spread to his line mates but they didn’t look very good. They got hemmed inside their zone for good chunk of time after Semin gave the puck away early in the second period which eventually led to Buffalo’s first goal by Matt Moulson. To be fair, it was Galchenyuk who started the play that led to the game’s first goal. Following a Condon save, Galchenyuk, who had come back deep, wrestled the puck away from a Buffalo forward to get it to Tomas Fleischmann who sprung Subban free on that two on one with Weise. Right now this trio is being outplayed by the 4th line which has also accounted for the same number of goals scored (4). Which means one thing – they’re due.
THE UGLY
- Injuries. It’s difficult to believe how spectacularly healthy the Habs have been for over a full season. It looked like they had sustained at least a couple of significant injuries but all three skaters who were hurt (Brian Flynn, who was hit hard very early on by defenseman Rasto Ristolainen; Gallagher, who took a wild Subban slapper in the arm and Petry who ran into the shoulder of Cody Franson and looked groggy at the bench) returned to take regular shifts. (Although in Flynn’s case it wasn’t until he had missed most of the first period.) This might be a warning sign. It’s like…they’re due.
