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Desharnais scores crucial shootout goal |
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It was far from pretty, but the Canadiens got the job done in Columbus with a 3-2 shootout win, and it was David Desharnais, by some stroke of miracle, delivering the death blow--much to the delight of his coach and his teammates.
You couldn't say it was the kind of game that might inspire some confidence for Montreal's diminutive centre--he who's struggled so mightily, a second relegation to the pressbox coincided with Montreal's Mayor piping in via Twitter to have him sent to the minors. Desharnais spent a fair portion of the night in his own end, and struggled quite a bit with the puck on his stick. But when it came down to a pressure situation, the image of seeing the puck cross the finish line for a goal that won't count in his personal stats, has to have some kind of positive effect for him. Most importantly, his goal does a lot for the Canadiens' team-stats, affording them the extra point in a game that could've easily gone the other way.
For his part, Peter Budaj was outstanding, stopping 25 shots before handling all three Columbus shooters.
Alex Galchenyuk awoke the Canadiens with an outstanding individual effort, with less than eight seconds remaining in a less than stellar first period for the team.
Down 2-1 in the second, the Canadiens drew even on the powerplay, with Markov and Briere pushing the envelope, and Lars Eller cleaning up.
After Galchenyuk literally bobbled his shootout attempt, Desharnais made a deft move to beat Curtis McElhinny, sweeping his stick over the puck with a fake, burying five-hole for the win. Eller didn't have to shoot.
Brandon Prust returned to the lineup, unexpectedly. Brendan Gallagher missed the game with flu-like symptoms, and the Canadiens went to bed with visions of Alexei Emelin on their blueline. The Russian rearguard makes his long awaited return to action tonight against the Rangers.
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1) Went on a bit of a Twitter rant suggestion things will inevitably unblock for Max Pacioretty. But they certainly won't with the way he played last night. I know some people might suggest that's the way he's been playing all year--and the argument certainly has merit when you look at the statistics--but I think he was particularly lost through two periods of the game. Of the eight shots he recorded on net, one of them was threatening; a backhand sweep as he cut to the middle of the slot, and the puck trickled to Rene Bourque, who missed what may have been the easiest goal of his career.
2) Speaking of Bourque, left wing is enough of a struggle for him. He looks downright confused at right wing.
3) With Emelin returning, I'd be surprised if it were Bouillon sitting instead of Douglas Murray. I suppose you could make a strong case for either one of them. Bouillon is a -10 in 20 games, and Murray is a -5 in nine games, and Bouillon plays nearly double the amount that Murray does.
The question becomes, which one of them will look better with Emelin tonight? And if it's not Emelin, which one of them will look better with Diaz or Gorges?
Seems obvious to me that Bouillon would be the logical choice to keep in the lineup, but as time goes by, there will be a rotation established.
4) And yes, over time, Emelin will move up the depth chart. For now, there's no reason for Michel Therrien to overtax him. It's going to take him time to adjust out there, and he needs to be sheltered from heavy matchups and demanding ice-time.
But don't be surprised if he comes in and makes an impact immediately. It's not as if he'll throw a no-hitter out there. And he's going to help the Canadiens spend less time in their own end.
5) It's the Rangers, and they have been brutal against the Canadiens for a couple of years now. It'll probably be Cam Talbot in net--he's on a hot-streak, and so are the Rangers, who have won six of their last eight.
In the meantime, Carey Price is back in nets, he who was sensational in his last game at the Bell Centre.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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