1) Habs lose 3-2 in a game they should've won 2-1. Alex Burrows steamrolled Alexei Emelin with a blindside headshot, and the Canucks scored on the play for the game's opening goal.
That makes it two nights in a row with blatantly wrong calls on scoring plays.
This first one was downright embarrassing.
And last night, I can't think of any reason the two refs couldn't spot this, other than the fact that they too were admiring the incredibly terrible giveaway by Emelin into the middle of the ice...
Alright, so a hit probably wouldn't be reviewable, but on a play where a goal is scored off a suspension-worthy hit...
All scoring plays should be subject to review to ensure the right call is made. Whether it's a coach's challenge with consequence, or the war room takes it upon themselves to correct the oft-blind officials.
GET IT RIGHT!
There's too much at stake in an NHL season and too few goals scored to get scoring plays wrong. There's no excuse. It's a farce.
2) Jarred Tinordi finished at -2, but he played a very solid game. He was stuck on the Emelin giveaway with no chance at recovery.
Brad Richardson's shot through Tinordi's legs, over Price's glove was masterful. Absolutely gorgeous goal.
3) Eller-gate was fun, wasn't it?
He's a scratch. He's on after the morning skate. He's seen in the hallway having a chat with Bergevin.
Everyone freaks out.
"He's Therrien's whipping boy."... "Why him over the others who have been worse?"... "There's no equality in the coach's decisions."
No, wait a sec, he's playing.
It's so easy to assume things. And the outrage over the treatment of this particular player is understandable; his confidence being a known issue, the coach messing with it at every turn.
Arpon does a great job illustrating that Eller's job is one of the hardest ones on the team, and Bourque is right there with him.
But the coaches want more than Eller's no-show in Calgary. The GM wants more. They're holding him to a higher standard. They're holding the team to a higher standard, despite an 8-2 record coming into the game. And the threat of being scratched gets him and Bourque jumping in Vancouver. Both of them had a lot of juice last night.
Unfortunately for Eller, he was caught on the ice for two goals against last night. And his best chance at getting one back was swatted off the goal line by Dan Hamhuis.
Eller's not getting a lot of luck. And no, he doesn't always deserve the short end of the stick Therrien seems all too willing to extend. But coaches don't treat all their players equally. They're greatest measure of control is ice-time, and they can't pull the same stunts with some of their players as they would with others. Therrien knows who he can bully and scare, and he knows who those tactics fall flat with.
This is part of the game. The GM and coach probably good copped-bad copped Eller yesterday. The assumption is that the coach doesn't believe in him, and that the GM is disappointed. But the coach was defending him less than a week ago when it came to his skewed +/-, and the GM gave him a $14M, four-year extension ahead of this season.
They value Lars Eller. They want more. I'm sure he does too. He played like it last night.
4) Speaking of holding everyone to the same standard, the Eller-posse are quick to defend that his role makes it nearly impossible for him to shine. That his linemates are paltry and incapable of manufacturing any offense.
Dale Weise and Rene Bourque were each on the ice with other teammates for goals for yesterday. Weise picked up his third assist since Saturday's game against the Rangers. We know what Bourque did in the playoffs, and it's not as if he hasn't had chances to score.
There's not much to that. It's not to say they can produce so long as they're not with Eller. If anything, it emphasizes that their job alongside Eller is the hardest job outside of Carey Price's crease; taking on top level quality of competition, starting mostly in the defensive zone.
But I don't hear anyone screaming to defend Weise--who appears to be a better player than the one who was forced to sit out several of the team's first games; a better player than the one who was benched for Prust in Edmonton and Calgary.
As for Bourque, I'm not screaming to defend him, but neither is anyone in the fanbase who's shocked over the Eller treatment.
5) As for who's in and how they're being treated, let's talk about who's out.
How do you think Jiri Sekac feels right about now?
He's picks the Habs out of 12 teams (It's officially 12, by the way), plays a great preseason, gets six games under his belt before the coach decides to park him for five straight.
I'd say he's probably feeling pretty damn impatient.
Meanwhile, the team scored three goals on their three-game road trip. They scored one in two games headed into last night. They had back-to-backs, and the only change made was on the blueline.
Michel says it takes three goals to deserve to win a game. Forget about shuffling the deck, he threw the cards up in the air last night in that third period just to get two goals.
Maybe there's a better combination sitting in the pressbox. This team's about speed, isn't it?
6) Would the penalty kill take a dramatic hit if Travis Moen came out of the lineup? I've said it for a while now, Moen's done nothing to deserve coming out. But if the team can't use Michael Bournival right now, it's time to cut the cord and send him to Hamilton.
7) Either the coach is crazy, or the Canadiens are playing certain players they intend to move--and fast.
Moen, Bourque...Something's gotta give there.
And of course, there's going to be a lot of speculation about Eller.
In the meantime, it sure was fun watching Alex Galchenyuk at centre with Brendan Gallagher beside him.
By the way, Galchenyuk won 67% of his faceoffs, and also scored a goal.
8) That was a rare off-night for Tomas Plekanec, and right now P.A. Parenteau is mired in what you could call a slump, disregarding that shootout winner in Calgary.
9) Dale Weise was missing from the bench for quite some time last night. Turns out he was just another victim of a skate laceration, with him telling colleague Guillaume Lefrancois of La Presse that he could feel the blood running down his leg, thanking his stars that he wears a cut-resistant skate sock which likely limited the damage done.
Yesterday, I was interviewed by TVA Sports regarding
the Gladiator Sock.
10) Circling back on Burrows hit:
Was it late? check.
Was it blindside? check.
Was it direct contact with the head? check.
He's a first-time offender. It'll likely be less than five games, and considering Emelin returned to the game, it probably won't be more than 2. But he's getting suspended, this much has been confirmed.
And in light of that, let's say it again, get the call right, especially when the miss results in a goal!!
Lastly, Mitch Melnick of TSN 690 was on Twitter saying every other pro sports league admits when they get it so flagrantly wrong. We haven't heard a peep on that brutal Detroit non-goal, after Holtby tripped over the goal line.
Fat chance you'll hear a peep on the miss on Emelin...
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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