|
Habs, And Fans, Embarrassed By Loss To Oilers... |
|
|
|
|
|
The wheels on the bus appear to have had their lug nuts loosened and are on the verge of falling off again as the Montreal Canadiens were taken to the woodshed by the lowly Edmonton Oilers.
Montreal had their worst night in a couple weeks and were noticeably dominated in many aspects of the game. They were out shot 40-24 and they lost 60% of their face offs. Instead of working on bouncing back after a goal they doubled down on their bad habit by allowing 2 goals in 1:13 at the start of the 2nd and 2 more goals in 30 seconds at the beginning of the 3rd.
I don’t know if they had their work Christmas party the night before but it sure looked like they did.
Price was early season Price in this one and everyone was lazy. I love Gallagher but back to back penalties at the start of the 3rd led to the second “Score 1 Goal, Get The 2nd One Free!” of the game and effectively killed the Canadiens game. It was on life support with the plug barely seated in the electrical outlet, but still.
Carey Price allowed 4 goals on 14 shots (.714 SP%, 10.91 GAA) before being pulled for Niemi early in the 2nd. Niemi actually put in a strong game despite allowing those two 3rd period goals. He stopped 24 of 26 shots for a .923 SP% on the night, but it was wasted efforts as the Canadiens effectively gave up after the 4th goal against and Price was pulled.
The first and third lines were burned in this one while the fourth line featuring rookie call ups provided most of the spark for the night. The top lines did provide more shots but they also let the game get out of hand with sloppy, disjointed play.
It must have been a frustrating night for the coaching staff. On one hand you want to hang this one on Price who was not prepared for the game. Those things happen and it would be something you could say “Trash the tape, lets move on”. However, this wasn’t just a one off with Price. It’s become a trend this season. But, you can’t let your best players not wearing a mask off the hook for this either. The team quit at home in front of their fans.
That is not acceptable.
This game was one I was ready to turn off and I felt I was ready to “Take a break” from my love affair with the team. It’s not you Montreal, it’s me…. But it’s really you.
To lose like this to a struggling team like the Oilers is especially depressing. The Oilers are a team that was 3rd last in the NHL and 5 points up on the Coyotes and Sabres for last in the NHL. A team that has a lot of bloated, struggling contracts, no true #1 D man (I like Klefbom, but he’s still working towards being that guy), and a coach that has had the line blender on overdrive trying to find ways to get his team going.
Just embarrassing….
The lone bright spot is the play of D Carr who extended his point streak to 5 games (2G 5A) since his call up. It’s too bad for Carr that the team is playing so poorly during what is clearly best time of his professional career, but hopefully his work ethic and desire begins to rub off on his teammates. Carr and Gallagher (aside from his brain cramps late last night) are a couple guys everyone on the team can take a few cues from.
The Habs have the next 4 days off and to be honest, I may take a little break from the team as well during the next few days. After the brutal start this team started to show what they were made of only to appear to start to rest on their laurels the last 3 games after Price came back in dominant fashion. Well, now Price is still adjusting and the team isn’t compensating for the fact that he could have a couple nights like this. Weber is clearly playing hurt and possibly Drouin too (and he’s also trying to get body weight back after a rough flu virus). The Captain is struggling hard to do what he is there to do: Score.
Those are the teams leaders, aside from Gallagher of course. Without them willing, or able, to lead the way this team is going to struggle.
This weak Atlantic Division has the chance to be a blessing and a curse for the Habs this season. A blessing in that despite struggles, the playoffs are still within reach and a definite possibility. A curse in that with the playoffs in reach due to the poor division, the Habs may not identify what course of action the should be taking with regards to trades and player movement early enough to maximize return value and draft pick potential.
….Ugh….
The Canadiens next game is Thursday against Nico Hischier and the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are currently 6 points up on Montreal with 2 games in hand while the Habs allowing things to get out of hand again. We will see what kind of team shows up on Thursday, a bunch of quitters or a bunch of guys with some pride left in their work. I say if the quitters show up, it’s time to put up the “For Sale” sign and start overplaying assets you want to sell. We will see what happens Thursday night.
Go Habs Go!
COLLECT THE BEST! COLLECT UPPER DECK!
2017-18 UPPER DECK BLACK DIAMOND IS OUT THERE IN THE WILD! CHECK IT OUT AT YOUR LOCAL HOBBY STORE! #COLLECTTHEBEST
Don't forget to check out Upper Deck products at your local hobby shops and online! This seasons Black Diamond is now available with the possibility of finding actual diamonds embedded in the cards! It’s a high end product for serious collectors so if you’re a big collector, or a new one, make sure you stop by your local shop and see if you can get yourself a box (or case).
Follow Upper Deck and Upper Deck Hockey on Twitter for breaking info and cool giveaways like this. They asked on Monday to submit your favorite memorabilia embedded card for a chance to win a Upper Deck #Mailday where you could receive a box from Upper Deck loaded with packs, swag, box, auto, who knows! Be sure to check them out!
Here’s a first look at the upcoming 17 18 UD Ice product!
Follow me on Twitter @BrandonSmillie where I mostly stick to hockey stuff.
If you have interest in advertising in this space message me through the HockeyBuzz PM system or through Twitter.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»