Tag Archives: David Desharnais


 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

The bar has been set

Posted on by
Reply

So what really happened in the 2013 post-season for the Habs?

From Pacioretty, Plekanec and Price to Desharnais, Markov, Gorges and Ryder, the veterans on this team did not accomplish enough good things collectively in order to have a deep playoff run. Simple as that. No player bashing, no nailing to the cross. A lot of guys were hurt, or playing hurt and as much as they refuse to use that as an excuse, the fact is no team can sustain the losses and injuries that the Habs did to key players and hum along like nothing happened…except for the Senators. The Habs veterans were average-to-below average and that doesn’t get it done in playoff time.

Here’s what you really need to know:

  • Senators goaltending outplayed Habs goaltending, to the tune of a .950 save percentage for Ottawa versus .870 for Montreal.
  • Ottawa scored an average of four goals per game, while the Habs chimed in with less than half of that total, at 1.8.
  • The Senators scored 13 third period goals to the Canadiens’ grand total of zero.
  • The Canadiens centermen scored a grand total of zero goals.
  • The officials stymied the Habs at least once in a very costly way.

Game, series, and season…over.

What may come as a relief is that the Canadiens missing ingredients are painfully obvious and I think we can expect Marc Bergevin to remove some of the redundancies on the Habs current roster and fill the voids with what he, and the rest of us believe to be the missing pieces.

With the team set up with talented youth and a General Manager who seems to have a firm grasp on the realities of the league in 2013, there’s very little doubt that Marc Bergevin has a cogent plan to continue to remake his team. Even the most passive fan has been able to identify areas where the Habs need lots of help:

Size with toughness and scoring ability on the wings: The top nine forwards include the following names from the under-six foot clan: Plekanec, Desharnais, Gallagher, and Gionta. It’s hard to imagine the Habs charging in to 2013-14 with that many smaller bodies despite “how big they play”. 5’8” does not have the reach or power and dominance of 6’3”. To ignore this is to think yourself above the laws of physics, or that they don’t apply to the Habs. Dredge up any stat you like, but when everyone has long since come to the realization that small bodies wear out faster and more often than big bodies, the road map becomes clear. Even if the impact of physical dimensions of any given player is a point of debate, what the Canadiens do need both up front and on the back end is aggression and that typically that comes in larger packages. I’m not here to say that the Habs are criminally small and weak and fragile. While the Habs loss to the Senators is not specifically due solely to size, if you take a moment to scan the defense corps of the Habs division foes for next year, it isn’t a stretch to think that adding some beef and snarl up front is unreasonable. Of course, one-dimensional thugs need not apply, and Bergevin strongly hinted at this in his post-mortem press conference. Although we can be fairly sure that Michel Therrien would love to have one of those guys in his back pocket, it appears unlikely that Bergevin will waste a roster spot on a goon.

Universally respected as he rightfully is by his teammates, coaches, opponents, the media and fans, With Gionta’s contract going in to its final year, it’s not impossible that Bergevin could move the captain at some point once he has proven to be healthy and productive again. It would be an unpopular move to trade him but forward-thinking GMs do unpopular and bold things on the road to success. Fact is, they could use a right-handed, large body to compliment Pacioretty and Rene Bourque on the wings. Gionta may be an interesting acquisition to somebody out there who needs leadership, and scoring ability.

Clarity at Center: There’s a jigsaw puzzle down the middle. Tomas Plekanec is the Habs most complete forward, and until he can be adequately replaced on the fly, and not under an assumption or hope that Eller or Galchenyuk can replace him, there’s little sense in talking about trading him. That said, Plekanec is currently the Habs best centerman and would fetch the most return on the trade market. At 31 years old, he’s not getting any younger, and Bergevin appears to be in to moving “aging assets” before they’re worthless, but trading Plekanec now is premature, lest the Habs GM invoke the “unpopular, but bold” clause. Lars Eller was on the verge of breaking out in this shortened season. 2013-14 will be labeled as, and expected to be his full coming out party, but he is not yet ready to take on all of the duties currently held by Plekanec. We know Desharnais is both one dimensional, yet secure with his new deal, so the Habs will have to work around his, umm, shortcomings. Alex Galchenyuk remains the wild card. Drafted as the team’s future frachise #1 centerman, the 19-year-old spent nearly all of his rookie season on the wing, and with good reason. Though he led the team in +/-, that is the single most misleading stat in hockey. Rely on that number at your own peril. However, he cannot be counted on defensively just yet, especially when it comes to defensive zone faceoffs. Between his and Eller’s inability to take draws reliably, the Habs have much work to do, and until they get one, or both of them both up to speed, it makes Plekanec’s presence on the team a must.

Another top-four defenseman: This is a tricky one, but needs to be addressed. Andrei Markov’s play collapsed at even-strength in 2013; anyone with a pair of eyeballs could see this. He is no longer the team’s best defenseman, but is heavily relied upon nonetheless. He was very often caught behind the play after a bad pinch, and with ravaged knees, he no longer has the speed to recover, and once he gets back in to position, he is not physical enough to knock opposing forwards off the puck. Bergevin can get on his hands and knees and pray that Markov spends the summer strengthening his knee, and that Jarred Tinordi’s imminent arrival as a regular will be enough to save him from shopping for a pricey free agent, or trading assets to shore up the defense, but that’s a risky gamble. The blueline for next season is already crowded what with Subban, Gorges, Emelin (who may not be ready until November or later), Markov, Bouillon, and Diaz all but assured spots in the top seven (Weber and Drewiske won’t be back), which means that only one place remains for a kid like Tinordi. No upgrades have been made yet aside from the natural progression that young players demonstrate, and that’s no guarantee, either. For Habs fans who treat free agent frenzy like a free-for-all, this is sobering, disappointing news. If Bergevin decides to look outside the organization to make his defense better on the top two pairings, he’ll have a tough choice to make in terms of moving Markov or Gorges. Moving Bouillon is the easy call, but doesn’t create the hole needed to upgrade the top-four.

Iron in the bottom-six forwards: As a simple one-year band aid solution, Colby Armstrong won’t be back. Travis Moen disappointed many in 2013 on the heels of signing a four-year extension and may be moved as a result. But both players brought something to the table in terms of penalty killing and character. Bergevin will need to replace those traits, to the chagrin of the fancystat propeller heads.. Michel Therrien’s (and most fans, too) face turned unhealthy shades of greenish-purple when the Leafs and Sens (among others) took turns slapping the Habs silly in lopsided losses. In that respect it is the expectation of most fans that Bergevin fetch a player or two who can throw his fists. Therrien may be a changed man in front of the cameras and microphones, but I’d bet my last dime that he, too wishes he had at least one player with the ability to bust heads on a nightly basis. The rub is that players who can carry a regular shift (i.e. actually play hockey), yet acquit themselves well when the rough stuff starts don’t grow on trees, and Bergevin will need to decide how much this is truly a priority before investing time and energy in bringing in this sort of player.

The debate will rage all summer as to whether or not the real Canadiens were the team that streaked to a 26-9 record or the team that gave up 3.9 goals per game after clinching a playoff spot. That said, and whether it’s fair or not, expectations for the 2013-14 season are going to be sky-high for the Canadiens. Bergeron and friends will have no other mandate – both internally and externally from fans to build upon what was statistically speaking the best season from the bleu-blanc-rouge in 20 years. I hope you enjoyed drafting Galchenyuk at third overall last season because it will be the last time that they select that high based on merit for quite some time – at least that’s going to be the plan. Bergevin may not be able to make ALL of this changes required THIS summer, and no doubt this will piss off Habs fans who want it all right away. This year was like a honeymoon that ended with a nightmarish trip home. Fans will no longer be so willing to accept future first round exits if they are preceded by strong regular seasons, that much is plain and simple.

You Can Cry if you Want To

Posted on by

Regular season game #46

If you’re a results-oriented fan, then this game was just another in the recent string of games in which the Canadiens walked away empty-handed. If you’re a glass half-full kind of person, then you’ll say that the Habs took a positive step forward by not being blown out for a change by showing some fight in not imploding when they fell behind 3-0. The only real tangible bit of good news tonight is that the Bruins lost, meaning the Canadiens still have an outside shot at actually winning the division.

But back to the Habs, and that pesky issue of falling behind 3-0 early in the game. Most blamed the refs, but the refs don’t kill penalties. Nor do the Habs for that matter. They need to stop this habit of playing themselves out of games so early. It’s killing them.

The fact is that the Devils were 1-7-6 against the Northeast division this season, and were playing their first game since being eliminated from playoff contention. That didn’t stop them from bottling up the Canadiens and holding them to just 21 shots in a game that the Habs really needed to win. The Canadiens now face a tough road if they want to clinch home ice advantage in the first round; they will need to reel off three out of a possible four points against a desperate Jets team, and the Maple Leafs, who have slapped the Canadiens silly for the most part.

For whatever reason the Canadiens are a heavy-legged bunch, save for  some young players, and on that note, it’s time for Coach Michel Therrien to consistently give Lars Eller more ice time over the sputtering David Desharnais, who has done next to nothing since signing his big contract. Tonight, both Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller had more ice time than Desharnais, and we can only hope that it’s a trend that continues long in to the future. Staying on the ice time beat, somebody needs to explain to me why Andrei Markov was the Habs top minute man tonight, topping even P.K. Subban? Anyone? No? Ok, moving on.

To this point, I’ve been only mildly concerned about their recent slide. While the optics of the last six games are horrid, it is this game that truly has me concerned. After two days of practice, the Habs said all the right things and presented a united front that they were going to be a refocused and tighter group. If tonight’s effort was what they were talking about, then they can feel free to go back to the drawing board any time now.

During this slide, I’ve encouraged fans to remain patient and let the Coaching staff pull the team out of their first real slide of the year, and I’ll continue to do so. With that being said, I’ll no longer hold it against the fan who wants to hit the panic button, for they have been given no reason not to.

Follow me on twitter: @kyleroussel

 

Flying Low

Posted on by

Regular season game #36

Let’s all take a collective deep breath….and exhale.

With the Habs turning in one of their worst performances of the year just hours after the trade deadline elapsed, it would be easy to slide in to a panic attack and question Bergevin’s decision not to make any moves to shore up the team.

Settle down.

Every team lays an egg once in a while. No, that’s not to say that it’s acceptable, because getting six shots in the final 40 minutes certainly isn’t acceptable. The fact is the final score flatters the Habs, since they did somehow manage to score twice in the second period. If not for the sloppy netminding of Ilya Bryzgalov, this game would have been a laugher.

The real concern following tonight’s game is the status of Tomas Plekanec, who left the game with just over 12 minutes left in the second period with a lower body injury. I’m only going to loosely make the connection, but without Plekanec, the Habs managed less shots during his absence than Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds had for the entire game on his own. If Plekanec is out for any length of time, the Habs are in serious trouble, since Eller, Desharnais, Halpern and Galchenyuk cannot replicate what Plekanec brings to the team. You can disagree, but you’d be wrong.

The Habs are a resilient bunch, and losing has not been their thing this season. All bets are off if Plekanec is seriously hurt, but considering how more than one goal deflected off of Habs defensemen and behind Price in to the net, I expect a livelier effort from the Habs tomorrow against Winnipeg coupled with a little more puck luck.

So with nothing more to talk about, the only thing to consider is what the plan becomes if Plekanec IS seriously hurt. Well, for starters, Lars Eller will take on a bigger role, and will hopefully be better than he was tonight. Jeff Halpern will also take on more minutes, especially when it comes to defensive zone faceoffs. Other than that, Desharnais will have no choice but to put points on the board on a consistent basis, and Galchenyuk will have to contribute a bit more than he has.

Again, let’s not let one loss set us on the path of despair. Until poor play becomes a pattern, assume that the Habs will bounce back, as they always have this season. If they lose the Jets tomorrow, raise an eyebrow. If they lose to the Bruins on Saturday…ok…go ahead and riot.

Follow me on twitter: @kyleroussel

Everything Happened

Posted on by

Regular season game #33

I’m not going to lie to you: I don’t know where to start. When you look up the definition of a roller coaster game, whatever is currently in the hockey dictionary is going to be supplanted by this game. The Habs blew a 2-0 lead, then came back from a pair of third period two goal deficits, finally tying the game with just seconds to go in regulation.

To paraphrase Stefon: “This game had everything”.

Fans of both the Habs and Bruins experienced the full gamut of emotions that hockey has to deliver; everything from despair to exhilaration.

With the Habs having played just one night earlier in Pittsburgh, many wondered how much gas the Habs would have in the tank. The answer is plenty, though Therrien may want to check that  Markov and Emelin aren’t having their gas cut with water. Markov is still a key cog for this team,and did score the game-tying goal, but it’s clear that his mobility has been affected by knee surgeries galore.

It isn’t often that we see Carey Price get pulled, but when Budaj came out to start the third period it was less an indictment of his play as it was a message to the team to get the lead out and to try and change the momentum. Message received, and Budaj was spectacular in Price’s stead, shootout included, as he did not surrender a single goal.

Other laurels go out to P.K. Subban, who played over a half hour of hockey, had a goal and an assist and was a +3 . Brendan Gallagher was also a difference maker, as he scored the goal that gave the Habs renewed life, was in Rask’s kitchen on the game-tying goal, and scored the shootout winner. He continues to make a name for himself, and his buzz saw style has inserted him in to the conversation for rookie of the year. Plekanec quietly had three assists and continues to be the glue that holds the team’s top six together. Captain Brian Gionta also had a pair of assists to go with his three shots on goal. Michael Ryder, who hit nothing but post in Pittsburgh last night had fortune in his favour last night, scoring two more goals. He now has 13 points in 13 games since rejoining the Habs (Erik Cole is stuck on two goals, and is a minus 9 in 13 games with Dallas, and he continues to make Marc Bergevin look like a genius.

You’ve got to wonder what Therrien told his team during the second intermission, but once again it worked. He also had the good sense to not put the struggling David Desharnais out for the last minute powerplay. Desharnais, plucky chap that he is, is useless on the powerplay on the road.

All in all, it was a badly needed win, and goes to show that winning ugly trumps losing while playing well.

And yes, the Habs can run with the big dogs.

Follow me on twitter: @kyleroussel

When Facing an AHL Goalie…

Posted on by

Regular season game #30

The Islanders have long been a doormat, but in recent years they have been a thorn in the Canadiens’ side…at least that’s the popular belief. Once again, a quick glance at recent history says that the Habs are 5-3-3 against the Islanders since the 2010-11 season. Certainly not what I’d call “owning” a team, but a .591 win percentage hardly qualifies as something to whine too much about when perception is out of whack with reality.

After leaving a point on the table on Tuesday against Buffalo, it was important for Montreal to get the win against Long Island. In the early going, things looked iffy, as some sloppy play from both teams led to a 2-2 game. The ingredients were present for the Habs to let another one slip away, but once again, the third period came along to save their bacon.

That, and one Kevin Poulin. The Islanders backup looked about as confident and graceful in goal as Martin Short did in his short career as a synchronized swimmer. He looked like he was terrified at the sight of the puck all night long, as pucks bounced off him in every which direction. Scrambling to stay on his feet and in his crease, Poulin finally gave up the ghost in the third period; surrendering three goals on 10 shots. The lesson? Shoot the puck at jello-legged AHL goalies.

The usual suspects were stirring the drink for the Habs tonight. P.K. Subban, Brendan Gallagher, Max Pacioretty, and newcomer Gabriel Dumont. Just two nights after being publicly admonished by his coach, Subban simply scored another pair of goals, and now has 22 points in 24 games. The cost to resign him goes up by the day. Rookies Gallagher and Dumont were busy raising hell and keeping the Islanders off their game all night long. While Gallagher’s a permanent resident, Dumont looks poised to unseat one of Travis Moen or Colby Armstrong with his in-your-face style.

We would also be remiss not to mention David Desharnais’ 100th and 101st NHL points, as he assisted on Brian Gionta’s game winning goal early in the third period, and also assisted on Gallagher’s tally. It was also his first point since signing his contract extension two weeks ago. Interestingly, Desharnais was finally held accountable by Michel Therrien for recent lacklustre play, as he saw less than four minutes in both the second and third periods. Let us stow the talk that he’s ben getting a free pass for now, yes?

Michael Ryder’s opening tally represented his 10th point in 10 games since joining the Habs (Erik Cole, for his part, is still mired in his season-long funk at two goals in nine games since joining the Stars). Bergevin’s trade looks better and better, doesn’t it?

At 20-5-5, Montreal has twice as many wins as combined losses. With the season 5/8ths complete, nobody on the planet could have predicted this. The Canadiens have been on a season-long run that shows no sign of slowing down.

Follow me on twitter: @kyleroussel

Desharnais extended: when players are more than a collection of statistics

Posted on by

the following is another take on the Desharnais signing by J.F., otherwise known as Gimchihabster on twitter. Should you have any comments, feel free to leave a comment below, or to contact J.F. directly via twitter. Like all of us, he has a passion for Habs talk.

by @Gimchihabster

Early on Friday, Habs General Manager Marc Bergevin signed David Desharnais to a 4 year, 14 million dollar contract extension. This works out to a 3.5M cap hit. This unleashed a veritable flood of reaction on twitter and on the radio. This tends to happen in the snow globe that is the Montreal hockey market.

Let’s dismiss something right off the bat: this is not a language issue, thinking that it is grossly misunderstanding how Bergevin has worked thus far. With that out of the way, let’s move on to the contract itself.

The contract

David Desharnais is 26 years old. The 4 year contract will bring him to 30 years of age. The cap hit for a 50-60 point centre is more than reasonable. The term may be up for debate and I would have preferred a 3 year deal. Those thinking Desharnais could have been signed for less than 3M a year are dreaming. So in terms of cap hit and term, this is a contract that works for Desharnais and for the Habs. It does not handcuff the team or ruin their cap situation. Desharnais remains a movable asset if Bergevin chooses to move him down the road. A playmaking centre making 3.5M is not going to be impossible to trade.

Let us clear up another misconception, this deal has nothing to do with PK Subban. Desharnais is coming off his bridge deal. He was on the last year of a 2 year 1.7M deal. So the Habs did not commit to him sooner than they did or will to Subban. In fact, let’s leave Subban out of this for once!

The size obsession

Habs fans have developed over the years a nearly clinical obsession with making the team bigger. This has led many to complain about how small the Habs are; at how many small players they sign. This can indeed be an issue but size is not everything in the NHL. We can all name dozens of big players that had no physicality to their games or had no heart. What matters in the NHL and apparently for the Habs GM is heart and the compete level or if you will, players that play big, regardless of their size. This is where Desharnais comes up aces. This where he, compared to other small players, has overcome the size issue in some ways. Is Desharnais a top flight center? No but then again neither is he being paid like one. I think the current Habs GM will value heart, dedication, skill and compete level over other considerations. I think the coach also thinks this way. In such a light the Desharnais deal make sense. Brendan Gallagher is another smaller player who plays big, Brian Gionta is the same.

Beyond the stats

This brings us to the core of the issue: players are more than a collection of statistics. All too often we get blinded by numbers as if they sum up a hockey player, as if they can measure all that he brings to a team. Yet most of us realize that we can make statistics say whatever we wish to. There are numerous examples of this out there but before discussing a few let’s identify a two of those intangibles that may not show up on the tally of stats.

Heart: this is defined as effort, dedication and compete level. A player can have this and that can be hard to see if you us the stats-only lens.

Leadership: this is the impact of a player in the room and on the ice and again is hardly measurable in statistics.

These two elements are considered by GMs when signing or drafting players. They mix in with the list of numbers associated with a player. It is clear that Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien wish to build a tight knit team that will compete hard and work as unit. David Desharnais is that kind of player, despite his size. He competes every night. He also leads by example and this is important too.

Chemistry is also an important issue and in the case of Desharnais, it appears to be very important. Indeed, Desharnais came up with Max Pacioretty as they had performed well together with the Bulldogs. Pacioretty was signed to a 6 year extension and has said repeatedly since then that he owed a lot of this to Desharnais. He has said many times this year that he would do all he could to help Desharnais get a new contract. This is more than some lip service declaration made to the media to look good. Patches means it and I am pretty sure Bergevin and Therrien noticed this. It is also important when building a team concept.

Now concerning how stats do not show everything…..

Take a goaltender that lets in 2 goals on 20 shots. His save percentage would not be that great and if one were to stop at the stat line he could conclude this goaltender was sub-par. Now let’s say the two goals came on blistering one timers and that after this the goaltender was lights out for the duration and won in the shootout. That shows character and guts, neither of which can easily be shown by statistics. That was just one example, there are numerous others that could be cited I am sure.

The big picture

Where does this contract extension fit in the larger picture then? It provides the Habs with depth a centre, something they have not really had in years. I do mean quality depth at centre. It also provides flexibility to the team and gives it time to develop a player like Galchenyuk without rushing him. This is not the end of Eller or Plekanec in Montreal. Why should it be? Depth is what most teams crave and seek. Habs now finally have some at centre. Should Bergevin wish to trade a centre, Eller, Plekanec and Desharnais are all movable assets with reasonable contracts. Eller can play on the wing on occasion and one would assume Desharnais can be played there eventually. We apparently have a GM who is not afraid of making deals and of selling high. In that respect, no player is insulated from being traded if it will improve the team. This includes Plekanec, a player I have been a devoted fan of ever since he first laced them up for the Habs. For now, as Galchenyuk and Eller mature, the Habs will be able to continue to ice decent centers. This is just smart hockey management.

So in essence, this deal fits the new philosophy of the team, provides depth but not at the expense of flexibility. I would have preferred a 3 year deal but one cannot always get what he wants!

So it is time to exhale Habs fans and just enjoy this ride the bleu, blanc, rouge are on. Take pleasure in watching a hard working team that finally has some moxie, something David Desharnais is a part of.

Good Friday Comes Early for Desharnais

Posted on by

In the early hours on Friday morning, Darren Dreger tweeted that the Canadiens were set to extend their diminutive center to a contract extension. The Habs made the signing official just moments ago, and the results are:

 

The move has split Habs land between those who adore Desharnais, and those who think he’s not a good fit on the team. Count me in the latter group, but let’s be clear on one thing: just because I personally don’t see how Desharnais fits on a team that currently has Tomas Plekanec as their top center, Lars Eller on the rise, and Alex Galchenyuk as the heir apparent to the top center role in the near future doesn’t mean I despise David Desharnais, or even that I dislike him. I simply see him as a odd fit on a team that needs size at the center position. As an undersized kid playing sports, I can certainly root for Desharnais to defy odds and play with the big boys. When taking a larger, future-looking view of the Habs, however, I don’t see how anyone could make the case that he belongs over the other three aforementioned names. On a team that stresses two-way effectiveness from everyone, Desharnais doesn’t fit the bill.

So all that’s left to wonder is what Bergevin’s future intentions are. What does this mean for Tomas Plekanec and Lars Eller? Does Bergevin intend to trade either of them in order to keep Desharnais employed in Montreal as a top-3 center? With the trade deadline looming, we may soon have our answer. Desharnais is purely one-dimensional while Plekanec and Eller are both far more versatile, skilled and have a higher “hockey IQ”. And spare me the claptrap that Desharnais and Pacioretty have great chemistry together. Pacioretty is a terrific player on his own, and would those who legitimize the signing go on record as to say that Pacioretty would not fare as well as he does with either Plekanec, Eller or down the road, Galchenyuk as his centerman? If you’re one of those people, please go take your temperature immediately. Pacioretty may have been quoted many times saying the nicest, most complimentary things about Desharnais…what would you say about one of your best friends with a microphone in your face?

Bergevin has spent the better part of his brief tenure in Montreal quickly and efficiently revamping the team’s image, scrubbing away the tarnish from the Gainey/Gauthier/Martin regime and adding his own lustre. He’s been smart with his signings, and his one big trade has been a major win for the Habs. He’s instilled a sense of competence, relevance and excitement around the team, and with good reason. In this blogger’s view, Desharnais was signed for a year longer than I would have imagined he’d get, and for a half million dollars more than I would have given him at the top end.

I’m not going to let this one signing ruin my view of Bergevin’s work, but this is certainly a head-scratching move that leaves me riddled with fear for the future of Plekanec and Eller in Montreal. That said, the path Desharnais has taken to get to this point cannot be diminished or taken away from him. For a guy who was toiling in obscurity, this day is very much deserved for him. As we must do with Carey Price, let’s learn to separate concern for the team’s make-up from hate of Desharnais.

Just Like a Vacation

Posted on by

Regular season game #26

On the last game of a five-game road trip, a lesser focused team would have looked past a far weaker opponent and perhaps fallen in to the trap of taking them lightly. The 2013 Canadiens are not that team. Instead, they stormed in to Sunrise and proceeded to steamroll the Panthers, who barely put up a whimper. The Habs are a perfect 8-0 against Southeast Division teams, which is an clue to the Habs consistency and the weakness of the Division as a whole.

Nevertheless, this is the schedule that has been handed to the Habs, and their 17-5-4 record says that they are doing what they need to do to erase last year’s rotten memory.

No time was wasted in throwing dirt on the Panthers, as David Desharnais, who has  turned his season around after a terrifyingly awful start. Michael Ryder quickly followed (and added another later in the game, upping his total to 9 points in 7 games since being acquired). The second period has become synonymous with the Habs taking a nap, but in this period they turned up the heat on the Panthers, effectively ending the game before it was minutes old. Another player who had a slow start, Captain Brian Gionta, scored what proved to be the winning goal, and now quietly has 9 goals when it appeared that he had lost a step. Apparently it just takes a little longer for older legs to get going!

In what is looking like a coronation rather than a slow build, PK Subban was flat out sensational once again. Three assists, on the ice for four Montreal goals and no Panthers goals. With 18 points in 20 games since his return, he is chasing down the leaders faster than a cheetah runs down a sick baby gazelle. He’s now 3rd in league scoring among defensemen, with fewer games played, and an average TOI that ranks him 65th among NHL defensemen. Yeah, he’s been that good.

Tonight’s game was such a walk in the park that we hardly didn’t notice Brandon Prust’s absence. The truth is with a team barely capable of fighting back, he was not needed on this night. With a shoulder injury that will keep him out of action for 10-14 days, a break until Wednesday is exactly what the doctor ordered.

If there were any doubters left, the clock has struck midnight. Many realists, myself included, said that the Habs hot start was due to a home-friendly schedule. Well now they’ve played more road games than home games and have a better road record than home record, so the time has come to abandon all further reservations. This team is for real, and will play the remainder of the 2013 season with the mind set that they will chase hockey’s ultimate prize. What that means for the April 3rd trade deadline is anyone’s guess, but Bergevin’s work thus far has had a Midas Touch, so as long as he doesn’t mortgage the future, we’re good.

Follow me on twitter: @kyleroussel

Eaten Alive (ode to Mikhail Grabovski)

Posted on by

Regular season game #11

It can be hard to distinguish anger from panic, but tonight, it’s all anger. Or at least it should be. For the second time, the Habs failed to show up at home versus one of their arch-rivals. The last thing the players see on their way to the ice when they leave their dressing room is a big “NO Excuses” graphic above the door. If the moment wasn’t enough to bring focus, if the coach’s last minute words aren’t enough to motivate, then that slogan is the final reminder that the onus is on the player to rise to the occasion.

It’s inexplicable that the Canadiens would come out this flat. The Leafs are not a good enough team for the Habs to say they met a far superior opponent. It’s too soon to claim fatigue, and it’s far too soon to say that the coach’s message is falling on deaf ears.

It would be easy to deflect attention away from the mess that were the Habs tonight by pointing at referee Tim Peel’s circus act, or at the antics by some of Toronto’s players in the third period (the Habs weren’t boy scouts, either). The focus should be kept squarely on the play of the Habs, who deserved to get pounded in exchange for their hollow effort. From the opening goal where Markov and Emelin looked like Fred and Barney, to the sixth goal where the Habs resembled Easter Island statues, there is not one aspect of the game that the Canadiens can salvage anything positive from. The so-called first line was again, totally invisible. For the week, Desharnais, Cole and Pacioretty combined for 1 assist and 17 shots in 9 games while posting a -13. Desharnais was a miserable 36% on faceoffs for the week. Talk about not getting the job done.

Now that the bloom is off the rose and reality is setting in, we see what happens to the Habs when they don’t feast on powerplay success, can’t win faceoffs (Leafs centerman Tyler Bozak had a 19-for-23 performance- how’d that look on the Habs?) and have only five more even strength goals than they’ve surrendered through 11 games, it’s no wonder that the 6-2 start feels like a distant memory.

Go ahead and be angry about this game. Be angry about the no-show on the scoreboard. Be angry about how the Leafs bit and kneed their way through an embarrassing third period. Be angry about whatever you want to be angry at, but don’t touch the panic button.

This was inevitable.

The Habs were not, and are not the equivalent of a 6-2 team. They’re closing in on the .500 mark, which is where they likely figure to be after 48 games. It’s just they’ve chosen to take the most painful route to get there. If there is any good news, its that losses like this prompt galvanization, internal changes, or speed up the inevitable.

Salt for the wound: don’t expect any suspensions for bites or attempted kneeings.

Follow me on twitter: @kyleroussel

Their Own Worst Enemy

Posted on by

Regular season game #10

When news broke early today that Peter Budaj would be getting the start over Carey Price, Habs fans everywhere had to gird themselves. When they found out that Tim Peel was officiating, they dusted off the old “blame the refs” lament.

Two strikes against, and the puck hadn’t even dropped yet, right? Factor in the predictable old problems of lack of discipline on the road, inability to win faceoffs, and the continued malaise of the Desharnais-Cole-Pacioretty line, and you’ve got five ingredients to explain the loss. In these three things, the Canadiens are a triple dose of ‘Old Faithful’.

We can cast aside the imagined problems of goaltending and crappy, skewed refs and focus on the real issues of discipline, lack of production from the top line, and a team almost totally incompetent on faceoffs. Sure, we can cry foul on the tying goal, but these things tend to balance out over time (see the Senators disallowed goal last weekend). Yes, Budaj could have been a tad better, but Ryan Miller could have been better, too. The so-called first line of Desharnais, Cole and Pacioretty combined to go pointless, +/- -6, and a 4 lowly shots on goal. How much longer can Michel Therrien protect the one-dimensional centerman before having to pair the team’s two strongest wingers with someone like Lars Eller, who has responded very well since his stint on Therrien’s black list? The feisty Ryan White took an inexplicably stupid double minor that cost his team dearly. Up by two goals in the third period, White took the opportunity to “avenge” a clean hit levied by Steve Ott on Brian Gionta. First of all, nobody should have to answer for a clean hit, regardless of who gets hit, or who gives the hit. Second, White just escaped the Coach’s doghouse for not showing proper judgement. You can bet White is going to spent a lot more time in the cold, lonely doghouse from now on. Not good if you’re a fourth line player with a tenuous grasp on an NHL job on the best of days.

The Canadiens managed an important point, but it should have been two points. The reasons why it was just one point rest in the Canadiens room, and not in the vivid imaginations of a fanbase looking to lay blame elsewhere. The best part is, the problems are fixable. Stop with the penalties, practice faceoffs until nausea sets in, and have the stones to take replace Desharnais with somebody who isn’t pushed over by a light breeze.


 Powered by Max Banner Ads