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Habs on top of the Atlantic Division |
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The Canadiens are making it a Merry Christmas around Montreal, notching wins in eight of their last nine contests. Actually, given that the most recent present the Canadiens offered their fans by beating the Bruins was the eighth one, you might consider they're covering Chanukah too.
And if you're looking for anyone specific to thank, Max Pacioretty and Carey Price are names that immediately come to mind. Pacioretty scored his ninth goal in his last five home games, having been blanked in all four games the Canadiens have recently played on the road, and Price was sensational on the 33 shots he faced, only allowing one that was unpreventable.
After a listless and rhythm-less first period, the Canadiens began to assert themselves in the game, and it was palpable. After a few shifts of sustained pressure in the Boston end--for the first time of the night--Josh Gorges made his best Andrei Markov impersonation by firing a pass across the zone to Tomas Plekanec, who brilliantly out-waited Tuukka Rask, forcing the Finnish netminder to guess as to whether or not Plekanec would pass or shoot. Plekanec fired it short-side, without much of angle to put it there, for his 10th goal of the season.
Brandon Prust kept the energy up in picking a fight with respected pugilist Shawn Thornton, at the end of a very long shift, over which Prust was buried into boards from behind by Dougie Hamilton.
Moments later, Douglas Murray tied up the puck in the neutral zone, and Brendan Gallagher snuck into the Bruins end unmolested, finding Raphael Diaz, who was streaking in with great speed. Diaz made a great move only to be thwarted by Rask, and the puck bounced out to the high slot, where Pacioretty scooped it up and backhanded it at the net with significant velocity for the 2-1 lead.
The Habs hung on for dear life in the third period, and I don't think it was by choice. The Bruins had to be very disturbed by the way that second period went, and they did their part in the third. Price stepped in for his teammates--all of them short on the energy required to lock the lead down after six games in nine nights; against a team that had rested since Saturday.
The rest is history. Five consecutive games against Boston with the division on the line, and sure enough the Canadiens have won four straight dating back to last season. Consequently, here they are, back in a position that may have been unfathomable in the off-season.
Quite a way to get there....
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1) Not sure how long it lasts, with the Bruins owning two games in hand. The Canadiens have seen the majority of their Eastern Conference opponents, none of them really stand up to how good the Bruins are.
Even the Penguins, who are putting up a remarkable streak of their own (five straight wins, capped by a San Jose drubbing last night), are still susceptible to emotional breakdowns and frustration, and they don't exactly play the reliable, smart defense that Boston puts together on a nightly basis.
On this night, it was very tough to lose Johnny Boychuk to an unfortunate hit by Max Pacioretty.
Pacioretty said he felt like he was going to puke seeing how that unfolded.
Gregory Campbell went on the record to say that Pacioretty's hit came with no intent whatsoever. It was a pretty classy thing to say, and it seemed pretty clear on the play that he was going for a shoulder-to-shoulder hit.
I don't believe it'll draw the ire of Brendan Shanahan, but the hit itself became questionable as Boychuk turned, and if it's at all deemed Pacioretty had the chance to let up on the play, then it merits consideration. Boychuk appeared badly hurt, sprawled on all fours and unable to lift himself off the ice. Great news that he made it back to Boston with his teammates.
2) When Dougie Hamilton tossed Prust in, on a play that was much more flagrant than what Pacioretty did to Boychuk, he deserved, at the very least, to be sitting in the box for two minutes.
Didn't happen, and Prust was clearly pissed about it.
3) Had a great conversation with Danny Briere last night. I asked him if he knew the Canadiens were as good as they've shown at their peak this season. He said he had an idea, and out of the teams he was choosing from, certainly felt Montreal afforded him the best chance to win.
He said he'd be lying if he didn't mention that realizing his childhood dream to play for the Habs wasn't the biggest factor in his decision.
Briere notes that the Habs don't have any marquee talent up front, but that the depth and balance is almost unrivaled, also noting that what the team has between Markov, Subban and Price represents the superstar quotient every team needs.
"Does it remind you of the Buffalo team you left?" I asked Briere.
He admitted that it's very similar, with the difference being that the marquee talent quotient was reversed, having not had any standout defensemen, and of course, that season (2006), the Sabres were ravaged on the back end in the playoffs.
The question was a precursor to the important one: "Do you believe this team can win?"
"No doubt about it. Absolutely, I believe."
Briere also notes that he's very happy about the way he's been playing of late, calling it night and day in comparison to the way he started the season.
On a personal note, it's fabulous having an impromptu conversation with him. He's been around long enough to analyze the game with great perspective, and he's as honest, humble and nice of a guy as you'll meet.
4) Gotta be lucky to be good, and good to be lucky. Lucky to be good on the dominating wins of this streak, and good to be lucky in the last three games that all could've fallen in the loss column.
Is there any luck to what Price and Budaj are doing this season?
I don't think so.
5) Perfect example of how tired the Canadiens were last night: Lars Eller, on the ice with Moen and Prust to lock things down, making two drastic mental errors in the neutral zone that brought the Canadiens back into their end, and then coughing up two pucks to Bruins shooters in dangerous positions, instead of clearing the puck and risking icing.
6) Does Josh Gorges get enough credit?
No. Not at all.
In fact, visiting the comment thread on this blog, or branching out through social media, and Gorges has been berated more than his fair share at times this season.
Ironically, nobody in the press has felt compelled to ask a single question as to what he provides the team, and before last night, I couldn't recall a single occasion in which he was noticeable in any kind of way.
That's indicative of a defenseman of his caliber playing his role to a tee.
Allow me this bold statement: Markov and Subban weren't very good Wednesday and Thursday night.
Josh Gorges stepped up huge. Bonus that he set up Plekanec--beautifully, I might add--on the game-tying goal. He played a brilliant game against the Bruins.
Carey Price agrees, Gorges doesn't get enough credit around this city. He adds, he certainly gets it in the dressing room.
7) Believe it or not, Brendan Gallagher only has one goal in his last 12 games. And he hasn't changed a thing about the way he's played. And no, it's not a chemistry issue with Pacioretty and Desharnais, it's just that everything Gallagher's doing is helping the other two, and Pacioretty's burying them before Gallagher has a crack at a rebound. This kid will unblock--probably at the exact moment that the well dries up a bit for Pacioretty.
8) Is this the best stretch of hockey of Carey Price's career?
Probably.
Going back to his rookie season, when he won seven straight starts, at the end of the season, to help the Canadiens win the conference, I can't remember him playing better than this, and that includes brilliant stretches last year.
Price has been this good all year, not just over the last 12 games. Nine straight without allowing more than two goals, man! Puts a lot of emphasis on Michel Therrien's mantra: It takes three goals to win.
9) So... Will the Habs get shellacked by the Sabres on Saturday?
Does anyone get shellacked by the Sabres?
How long can they keep this unbeaten in regulation streak going?
The Habs will have to play differently than they have all week to continue on this path, and this might be the greatest challenge the coaching staff will face between now and Christmas.
A letdown against Buffalo puts extra pressure on the team against Los Angeles on Tuesday. And that should be a measuring-stick game.
I like this quote from Pacioretty, last night: "He won the game for us tonight, and I think it goes in the back of our minds that we owe him a better outing next time."--on Price.
10) The Habs have eight games to play before they get a major break in the schedule. Buffalo and LA at home, on the road against Philly and the Isles, home to the Coyotes and Panthers, and back out on the road to finish up against the Blues and Predators.
That's a lot of tough hockey between now and December 22nd. That seven day break between the 21st and 28th is going to be blissful for them.
And what a blessing for Max Pacioretty, expecting child on the 20th of December...
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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