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Montreal Canadiens Blogger •
Alive again! And apparently so are the Canadiens after their brief coma in Pittsburgh had them in critical condition against the Hawks. A revival was in the making on Saturday, before the ghosts, goblins, nurses, A-list celebrities, and other shady characters at the Bell Centre felt it imperative to serenade the men in white costumes-- blue ‘Maple Leafs’ adorned. Barbershop horror nearly frightened them into a relapse...and inhale...exhale...”What did I miss?”...”What did we miss?”
I missed writing about this stuff for almost a week. They missed two opportunities to define themselves as a team that can beat teams in the upper echelon of the National Hockey League. And it wasn’t the first opportunity they blew in that regard.
The trip through Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver was pardoned given the circumstances of beginning anew as a team, without their best player.
This second missed opportunity wasn’t as forgivable. While we can’t read too deeply into any single win or loss, these two games helped cement the fact that the Canadiens have thus far been brutal on the road.
But at home...
The game against the Leafs was a heated divisional game, where a lot of mistakes were made on both sides, and it just so happens the Canadiens made two less in the shootout.
A win is a win.
This is the hockey we’ve seen from them so far. With the exception of two blowouts, the losses have looked scarcely different from the wins.
The Canadiens have shown they can beat teams at the bottom of the barrel. They’ve shown they can beat teams that are their equal. They haven’t shown that they can beat a top opponent, and certainly not one on the road.
We have no problem saying that Chicago and Pittsburgh are Stanley Cup contenders, in early November of a season that ends in April. And though it’s too soon to judge the Canadiens, I think we can safely assume they aren’t a contender, nor are they a bottom-team. The question is: Are they closer to being a contender, or are they closer to being a bottom team?
Either way, they have to be happy to remain near the playoff picture despite Andrei Markov’s absence. Not to mention Ryan O’Byrne...and now Hal Gill.
Like him or not, on a defense where the minutes absolutely need to be spread beyond Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill’s loss hurts. Having three of your top 6 defensemen on the shelf hurts.
They have no choice but to move on. Mathieu Carle gets a chance to do what Yannick Weber could not earlier in October. Is he ready for the bright lights of NHL hockey? We’ll see how he fares tonight against a Kovalchuk-less Thrashers team.
Last time they were here, goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was sensational. He was sensational against the Senators on Saturday as well.
*******
I wasn’t at practice yesterday, but I took in the same audio as you all did. Even if he were speaking in Russian, no translation would have been necessary to clarify the frustration in Andrei Kostitsyn’s voice. He stopped short of saying he was being treated unfairly, mostly because he thought they were asking him if he was healthy. Will it snap him out his funk? Maybe...
This is what’s tough about playing for a match-up coach. Certain players really do need to see a regular shift. Andrei Kostitsyn’s play hasn’t merited the responsibility placed on a top line player, and his diminished role will be a difficult one to find his game in.
People were highly disappointed in Lapierre and Latendresse through the first ten games, but note that their best play was seen in a roll-four-lines environment, last season. It’s no coincidence that Lapierre’s chance to see ice-time with Tomas Plekanec has helped him tremendously. As for Latendresse, he also managed to play his best game of the season against the Leafs on Saturday, where he saw more regular ice-time. These adjustments are difficult to make for young players, because at every other level, they were the top ice-time getters of their teams.
Chemistry, and integration of new players...it’s all a work in progress. Getting used to the coach is going to take some time.
All that considered, a 7-7 record gives them a chance at a fresh start without nearly as many unknowns in November. They know their powerplay and penalty kill need to improve. They know they’ve got to sustain a stronger effort on the road. They know they need to bury their chances at home. They know they have an opportunity to forge a winning identity from this neutral position. They know that if they slip now, there’s still time climb back up later.
************
Home for Atlanta, away for Boston, back home for Tampa. What better opportunity to get things started right?
If Halak is in the net once again, how long before we can officially call him the starting goalie?
Even if it is win and you’re in.
Enjoy the game tonight...
It’s good to be back!
I missed writing about this stuff for almost a week. They missed two opportunities to define themselves as a team that can beat teams in the upper echelon of the National Hockey League. And it wasn’t the first opportunity they blew in that regard.
The trip through Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver was pardoned given the circumstances of beginning anew as a team, without their best player.
This second missed opportunity wasn’t as forgivable. While we can’t read too deeply into any single win or loss, these two games helped cement the fact that the Canadiens have thus far been brutal on the road.
But at home...
The game against the Leafs was a heated divisional game, where a lot of mistakes were made on both sides, and it just so happens the Canadiens made two less in the shootout.
A win is a win.
This is the hockey we’ve seen from them so far. With the exception of two blowouts, the losses have looked scarcely different from the wins.
The Canadiens have shown they can beat teams at the bottom of the barrel. They’ve shown they can beat teams that are their equal. They haven’t shown that they can beat a top opponent, and certainly not one on the road.
We have no problem saying that Chicago and Pittsburgh are Stanley Cup contenders, in early November of a season that ends in April. And though it’s too soon to judge the Canadiens, I think we can safely assume they aren’t a contender, nor are they a bottom-team. The question is: Are they closer to being a contender, or are they closer to being a bottom team?
Either way, they have to be happy to remain near the playoff picture despite Andrei Markov’s absence. Not to mention Ryan O’Byrne...and now Hal Gill.
Like him or not, on a defense where the minutes absolutely need to be spread beyond Roman Hamrlik and Jaroslav Spacek, Hal Gill’s loss hurts. Having three of your top 6 defensemen on the shelf hurts.
They have no choice but to move on. Mathieu Carle gets a chance to do what Yannick Weber could not earlier in October. Is he ready for the bright lights of NHL hockey? We’ll see how he fares tonight against a Kovalchuk-less Thrashers team.
Last time they were here, goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was sensational. He was sensational against the Senators on Saturday as well.
*******
I wasn’t at practice yesterday, but I took in the same audio as you all did. Even if he were speaking in Russian, no translation would have been necessary to clarify the frustration in Andrei Kostitsyn’s voice. He stopped short of saying he was being treated unfairly, mostly because he thought they were asking him if he was healthy. Will it snap him out his funk? Maybe...
This is what’s tough about playing for a match-up coach. Certain players really do need to see a regular shift. Andrei Kostitsyn’s play hasn’t merited the responsibility placed on a top line player, and his diminished role will be a difficult one to find his game in.
People were highly disappointed in Lapierre and Latendresse through the first ten games, but note that their best play was seen in a roll-four-lines environment, last season. It’s no coincidence that Lapierre’s chance to see ice-time with Tomas Plekanec has helped him tremendously. As for Latendresse, he also managed to play his best game of the season against the Leafs on Saturday, where he saw more regular ice-time. These adjustments are difficult to make for young players, because at every other level, they were the top ice-time getters of their teams.
Chemistry, and integration of new players...it’s all a work in progress. Getting used to the coach is going to take some time.
All that considered, a 7-7 record gives them a chance at a fresh start without nearly as many unknowns in November. They know their powerplay and penalty kill need to improve. They know they’ve got to sustain a stronger effort on the road. They know they need to bury their chances at home. They know they have an opportunity to forge a winning identity from this neutral position. They know that if they slip now, there’s still time climb back up later.
************
Home for Atlanta, away for Boston, back home for Tampa. What better opportunity to get things started right?
If Halak is in the net once again, how long before we can officially call him the starting goalie?
Even if it is win and you’re in.
Enjoy the game tonight...
It’s good to be back!
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