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Montreal Canadiens Blogger •
The uncertainty regarding how a newly assembled cast of Canadiens players would fare over 82-games of hockey in a market that commands perfection, let alone success, was palpable at the beginning of the season. After losing Andrei Markov in the first game against Toronto, uncertainty was quickly replaced by major doubt.
Through ten games they may not be perfect, but they are starting to exhibit the traits that will enable them to be successful on their quest to join the playoff picture. And the keyword, echoing throughout the press, the blogs, the radio shows, and the streets of Montreal is: CHaracter.
Like the character on display in their 5-4 win over the Rangers on Saturday. They could’ve been down and out in the first period, allowing the Rangers to score three unanswered after opening up a lead on a fantastic play by Brian Gionta, finished by Mike Cammalleri. They could’ve folded after they fought hard to bring the game back within a goal, only to have the margin widened by Marian Gaborik, who made Roman Hamrlik look foolish, before undressing Jaroslav Halak with a perfect deke.
Instead the Canadiens pressed on. They worked hard to draw a pair of penalties. Marc-Andre Bergeron did exactly what Habs fans were hoping for when they saw the team had drawn a 5-on-3 advantage, in blasting a cannon past Lundqvist to narrow the gap. Cammalleri got his second “right place, right time” goal of the night shortly after.
At 4-4, the Canadiens locked it down defensively against the highest scoring team in the league, and continued their brilliance in the extra frame, winning their 4th OT-contest in as many attempts. A bonus was seeing Mike Cammalleri complete the trick with another beauty—top shelf. CHaracter…
***********
The experts warned not to read too far into the first ten games of the season, though we’ve obviously reached our first opportunity to evaluate the team.
It’s fitting that they would bring their record to 5W, 5L, because we’ve now gone from major doubt emanating from Markov’s injury, back to uncertainty. Maybe the next ten games will help reinforce some positive belief that this team could very well stay in the playoff picture until Markov returns.
The powerplay is 19th in the league, operating at 17% efficiency. The penalty kill is is 18th, at 78.4% efficiency. Both seem to be steadily improving.
The most impressive part of their game has been their puck-possession style. They rank 10th in the league in faceoff %, They’ve outshot their opponents in 7 out of 10 games, and won 2 of the 3 in which they were outshot. They’ve limited the scoring opportunities against, and finally began capitalizing on the many they’ve created.
***********
Something to watch out for:
-With Markov down, the onus has been on Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek to eat up major minutes on the blueline. Hamrlik(24:54) and Spacek(24:47) rank 18th and 19th in the league in average time on-ice, respectively. Players near their age, who rank ahead of them, are Pronger and Neidermayer. Everyone else on the list is a relatively young thoroughbred. The players directly behind them in the category include Lidstrom, Gonchar (injured), Ohlund, and Timmonen. All four of those players are in the same age-range as Hamrlik and Spacek are, but we can all agree they are also among the best defensemen in the league, and they are all very used to playing top-minutes.
Last season, the Canadiens leading ice-time getter was Andrei Markov at 24:37 on average…ranked 20th in the league. Spacek (22:17) and Hamrlik(21:54) were 44th and 46th, respectively.
The return of Ryan O’Byrne couldn’t come sooner, as Jacques Martin will undoubtedly need to spread out the minutes more on his blueline, in order to avoid burning Hamrlik and Spacek out.
One guy who can handle more responsibility is Josh Gorges, who’s playing a little more than 21 minutes/game so far.
***************
The Jaroslav Halak/Carey Price debate continues to rage. I was surprised Martin went back to Halak for the Rangers, even though the start was well-deserved. I didn’t think he would sit Carey for 3-straight in a 6-game homestand. Now I’m convinced that he won’t have him sit 4-straight, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Halak were in against the Isles tonight. We’ll know pretty soon.
As far as I’m concerned, tonight’s game against the Isles is the perfect opportunity to get Price on the winning path as well. And the Canadiens are going to need two hot goalies if they’re going to overcome/survive the loss of Markov. But we’ll find out if it really is “win and you’re in”, or if Halak was being rewarded for what the coach felt was better play than what he was receiving from Price. Even if Halak wasn’t to blame for the four goals that went past him on Saturday, they could’ve easily sealed his fate as the backup in the following game if the Canadiens had lost.
*************
Big week—Big Test. Isles tonight, away for Pittsburgh and Chicago, Wednesday and Friday, respectively, and back home for the Leafs on Saturday. Time to see how far their momentum can carry them.
Through ten games they may not be perfect, but they are starting to exhibit the traits that will enable them to be successful on their quest to join the playoff picture. And the keyword, echoing throughout the press, the blogs, the radio shows, and the streets of Montreal is: CHaracter.
Like the character on display in their 5-4 win over the Rangers on Saturday. They could’ve been down and out in the first period, allowing the Rangers to score three unanswered after opening up a lead on a fantastic play by Brian Gionta, finished by Mike Cammalleri. They could’ve folded after they fought hard to bring the game back within a goal, only to have the margin widened by Marian Gaborik, who made Roman Hamrlik look foolish, before undressing Jaroslav Halak with a perfect deke.
Instead the Canadiens pressed on. They worked hard to draw a pair of penalties. Marc-Andre Bergeron did exactly what Habs fans were hoping for when they saw the team had drawn a 5-on-3 advantage, in blasting a cannon past Lundqvist to narrow the gap. Cammalleri got his second “right place, right time” goal of the night shortly after.
At 4-4, the Canadiens locked it down defensively against the highest scoring team in the league, and continued their brilliance in the extra frame, winning their 4th OT-contest in as many attempts. A bonus was seeing Mike Cammalleri complete the trick with another beauty—top shelf. CHaracter…
***********
The experts warned not to read too far into the first ten games of the season, though we’ve obviously reached our first opportunity to evaluate the team.
It’s fitting that they would bring their record to 5W, 5L, because we’ve now gone from major doubt emanating from Markov’s injury, back to uncertainty. Maybe the next ten games will help reinforce some positive belief that this team could very well stay in the playoff picture until Markov returns.
The powerplay is 19th in the league, operating at 17% efficiency. The penalty kill is is 18th, at 78.4% efficiency. Both seem to be steadily improving.
The most impressive part of their game has been their puck-possession style. They rank 10th in the league in faceoff %, They’ve outshot their opponents in 7 out of 10 games, and won 2 of the 3 in which they were outshot. They’ve limited the scoring opportunities against, and finally began capitalizing on the many they’ve created.
***********
Something to watch out for:
-With Markov down, the onus has been on Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek to eat up major minutes on the blueline. Hamrlik(24:54) and Spacek(24:47) rank 18th and 19th in the league in average time on-ice, respectively. Players near their age, who rank ahead of them, are Pronger and Neidermayer. Everyone else on the list is a relatively young thoroughbred. The players directly behind them in the category include Lidstrom, Gonchar (injured), Ohlund, and Timmonen. All four of those players are in the same age-range as Hamrlik and Spacek are, but we can all agree they are also among the best defensemen in the league, and they are all very used to playing top-minutes.
Last season, the Canadiens leading ice-time getter was Andrei Markov at 24:37 on average…ranked 20th in the league. Spacek (22:17) and Hamrlik(21:54) were 44th and 46th, respectively.
The return of Ryan O’Byrne couldn’t come sooner, as Jacques Martin will undoubtedly need to spread out the minutes more on his blueline, in order to avoid burning Hamrlik and Spacek out.
One guy who can handle more responsibility is Josh Gorges, who’s playing a little more than 21 minutes/game so far.
***************
The Jaroslav Halak/Carey Price debate continues to rage. I was surprised Martin went back to Halak for the Rangers, even though the start was well-deserved. I didn’t think he would sit Carey for 3-straight in a 6-game homestand. Now I’m convinced that he won’t have him sit 4-straight, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Halak were in against the Isles tonight. We’ll know pretty soon.
As far as I’m concerned, tonight’s game against the Isles is the perfect opportunity to get Price on the winning path as well. And the Canadiens are going to need two hot goalies if they’re going to overcome/survive the loss of Markov. But we’ll find out if it really is “win and you’re in”, or if Halak was being rewarded for what the coach felt was better play than what he was receiving from Price. Even if Halak wasn’t to blame for the four goals that went past him on Saturday, they could’ve easily sealed his fate as the backup in the following game if the Canadiens had lost.
*************
Big week—Big Test. Isles tonight, away for Pittsburgh and Chicago, Wednesday and Friday, respectively, and back home for the Leafs on Saturday. Time to see how far their momentum can carry them.
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