Carey Price is just on a whole other level – Ken Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s Blues – even without four regulars – showed why they had won five in a row prior to this match up. Big, strong, in-your-face with the skill to match. On most nights Vladimir Tarasenko and Alex Steen might have combined to score four goals. Instead they were a combined -6. It’s the Price effect.
Anybody still think it’s “delusional” to expect the Habs goaltender to play as well as he did a season ago?
THE GOOD
- Carey Price. Tarasenko, Steen, David Backes, Jaden Schwartz…they’re not used to this. When Backes was asked on Monday about facing the unbeaten Habs he said “No one’s found the kryptonite to put them away”. He was talking about them but you know he meant him.
- Max Pacioretty. This was Pacioretty in full beast mode. He started the play that led to the opening goal of the game late in a first period in which Price was largely responsible for keeping scoreless. Pacioretty kept the puck in along the boards, then went to the net where the puck found his leg to deflect past Jake Allen with 93 seconds left. Game changer. What was most impressive to me about Pacioretty’s performance – in addition to another seven shots on goal – was his willingness to initiate contact. The Habs knew they’d be bounced around a bit physically. They don’t have many players with the combination of size and skill to play that way. But the captain did his part.
- Brendan Gallagher. What a treat. Unless you’re an opposing goaltender or defenseman. Was I alone in thinking about the Habs winger while watching Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins lead the way in Game Three of the ALCS?
- Alex Semin. Like Pacioretty, it was Semin himself who started the play that led to his own goal by heading to the boards to keep the puck in the offensive zone. His line mates eventually found him in the high slot where he unleashed that heavy snap shot to handcuff a screened Allen. Through five games Semin had five shots on goal. In the last two games he has six shots on goal. The message is getting through. When goal scorers snap out of a slump they normally do so in bunches. Let’s see what happens this weekend. Missed at least a shift after he took a Ryan Reaves glove to his eye during a scrum that followed a Tom Gilbert tripping penalty.
- Jeff Petry & Alexei Emelin. In terms of ice time these guys were actually the number one defense pair for the Habs. Petry led the way at 24:53.
- P.K. Subban & Andrei Markov. Following a busy night against the Red Wings, Markov’s minutes against the heavier Blues was a more manageable 22:25.
- Torrey Mitchell – Brian Flynn – Devante Smith-Pelly. Habs 4th line was a topic of conversation for Hitchcock before and after the game. Mitchell’s goal iced it after he won the draw to Smith-Pelly who got it back to the blue line where Subban smartly sent a low wrist shot through a couple of bodies to the net. Mitchell pounced on a juicy rebound to finish as easy a goal as he’ll score this season. The assist was Smith-Pelly’s first point of the season. Somebody should start a pool to guess when Paul Byron finally makes his Habs debut.
- Lars Eller. These match ups are always special for Eller who played his usual strong game at both ends of the ice.
- Tomas Plekanec. It was his shot that defected in off Pacioretty’s leg to open the scoring. Difficult to believe with Pacioretty at five goals that it was Plekanec’s first assist of the season.
- Tomas Fleischmann. Clearly doesn’t possess the breakaway foot speed he once had but makes up for it with really smart puck management skills.
- Nathan Beaulieu. “He’s not a heavyweight but he’s not afraid of anybody” is how Price described Beaulieu who took on Steve Ott after the Blues pest was sent out to stir things up after Montreal had grabbed a 2-0 lead. Beaulieu rained punches down on Ott while a former member of both teams cheered from the broadcast booth. It was Montreal’s first fighting major of the season.
- Pierre Gervais. Happy Birthday to Habs longtime equipment manager (54).
THE BAD
- Following encouraging signs against the Rangers and Red Wings The Habs slipped back into some bad habits when they went on the power play late in the second period. It looked terrible. They weren’t much better during a Dimitrij Jaskin high sticking penalty late in the third, at least until Michel Therrien paired up Petry and Subban on the points.
THE UGLY
- Steve Ott. Thirty seconds with Sergio Momesso. Okay, 20. Actually 10 seconds might do it. Or just one punch.
