It should have been the most satisfying victory of the season. Just hours after their General Manager was rewarded with a lengthy contract extension, the Canadiens extended their regular season mastery over the Rangers in a “men against boys” kind of way. But – no make it BUT – the goaltender who makes his net all but invisible to the Rangers (and only slightly bigger to the rest of the NHL) is hurt – again. And unless or until he can reel off win after win, week after week, month after month until Father’s Day, there will be an ominous cloud hanging over what is shaping up to be a magical ride through 2016. And the GM might have a lot more work to do than he had originally planned.
THE GOOD
- Tomas Plekanec-Devante Smith-Pelly-Max Pacioretty. No Brendan Gallagher, no problem. Smith-Pelly showed why he was able to score five goals in seven playoff games with Anaheim two seasons ago. Plekanec and Pacioretty aren’t quite Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry but you get the idea. Playing with highly skilled line mates makes Smith-Pelly’s assignment in the offensive zone a little easier – go to the net and keep your stick on the ice. The Habs #1 trio (3 goals, 7 points, +9) dominated the Rangers top line of Derek Brassard-Mats Zuccarello-Rick Nash (one power play goal, – 9).
- Alex Galchenyuk-Sven Andrighetto-Lars Eller. Galchenyuk has arrived. No surprise to me (see previous blog) but it does make you wonder what people were watching (hello there Vinny Damphousse) when they called for his move back to the wing. Andrighetto’s speed and finishing ability adds a much needed ingredient. Now we’ll see if he has the staying power. He’s not going anywhere, even when Torrey Mitchell returns from his injury.
- P.K. Subban & Andrei Markov. One of their best games of the season. You don’t take their puck handling skills for granted, do you?
- Jeff Petry & Nathan Beaulieu. Is there a more mobile defense pair in the NHL right now? Beaulieu skated around MSG like he owned it. He’s going to start piling up points real soon.
- Tom Gilbert & Alexei Emelin. Emelin returned from an injury on the road against one of the best teams in the league and he didn’t miss a beat. Neither did Gilbert with a new partner and a return to his natural right side. When Michel Therrien, asked about Emelin’s imminent return, said Greg Pateryn has proven he’s a top six NHL defenseman, he wasn’t just pumping Pateryn’s tires. I have a feeling the coach was in a Black Friday kind of mood.
- Marc Bergevin. Who signs their GM to an in-season six year contract extension? Geoff Molson does because he’s smart enough to know that Bergevin is the man. There’s not much not to like about Bergevin, other than perhaps a dearth of media appearances and a veil of secrecy that would make even Lou Lamoriello slightly envious. So he’s no Kevin Malone. (The former Expos GM had a daily radio show with me. He once announced – as he promised he would – a trade via this route. Jeff Shaw to the White Sox for Jose DeLeon was a Malone Report scoop. Beat writers weren’t amused. But I sure was.) But in every other respect Bergevin is perfect for Montreal. He continues to exhibit the blue collar work ethic of the Pointe St. Charles neighbourhood he grew up in (even as his shirt collars grow whiter by the day). He works the phones like a smitten teenager. He’s aggressive but remains patient enough to see the big picture. The merry prankster reputation as a 20 year NHL vet hasn’t left as witnessed by the perpetual twinkle in his eye. He looks cool. He is, in fact, the anti-Gauthier. And, most important of all – he gets results. From Stephen Waite to Dale Weise. From Rick Dudley to Jeff Petry. Smith-Pelly. Torrey Mitchell. Tomas Fleischmann. Paul Byron. Cap-friendly contracts for Price, Markov, Petry, Gallagher, Plekanec and, dare I say, Desharnais. Mistakes? He whiffed on veteran scoring wingers Patrick Sharp, Justin Williams and TJ Oshie but not without swinging hard. Zack Kassian and Alex Semin haven’t helped. But with the Habs sitting at the top of the NHL, nor have they hurt. Even the Emelin contract – as bad as it looked a year ago – now seems more palatable with two years left and a host of teams desperate for veteran defense help. The upgrade in talent at the AHL level is almost stunning. He has his coach and his staff – augmented by the universally well respected Craig Ramsay – in place. It’s all building to the moment Bergevin decides to make his boldest move yet, while trying to maintain the undeniable chemistry that exists on his team. It’s a balancing act that would make the Flying Wallendas proud. Geoff Molson just rewarded Bergevin not only for a job well done but for what happens next.
THE BAD
- Well…um. Let’s see…The Habs did have an issue on face offs (37%). And Alex Semin got hurt after just 5:22 of ice time. Here comes the Bud Holloway era.
- Russian ref Evgeny Romasko worked the game with vet Tom Kowal. Nothing wrong with Romasko – who worked his first NHL game last March – but does Donald Trump know about this?
THE UGLY
- Carey Price. Watching Price sprawling on his stomach in pain after his right knee/leg/hip/hamstring/all of the above gave out on him in the second period was a Habs fans’ worst nightmare. Forget his dominance over the Rangers (8-1 – 0.46 – .984) over the last four seasons (actually it’s difficult to forget if you stop to think about the 2013-14 Stanley Cup Final) this is cause for major concern. Mike Condon might be able to handle a short term load but the Canadiens cannot hope to advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a playoff untested rookie (spare me the Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy examples). We’ll know soon enough if Price’s injury requires not just more rest but surgery. Hate to be an alarmist but how many more times do the Habs need to see Price flexing his right leg after stretching out to make a save or, after planting himself while reaching to his left for a high shot, before deciding to address it? Is this a chronic condition or yet another example of a leader who refuses to sit until the level of pain forces him to? While we ponder these questions, Bergevin has to, at the very least, begin to think about adding some experienced, playoff tested goaltending depth. There is one guy in the NHL who springs to mind. A guy who’s career hasn’t panned out as expected, largely because he’s played behind a succession of bad teams. He was a playoff untested 22 year old rookie in 2006. But then he carried his team to an improbable Stanley Cup win while winning the Conn Smythe trophy in the process. He’s a potential unrestricted free agent and the Carolina Hurricanes are trying to move him. At this point I’d be very surprised if Bergevin hasn’t at least asked about Cam Ward.
