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Habs Take Advatage of Hapless Sabres, Notes on Markov and Myers |
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It seemed as though the threat of losing to the NHL's worst team was just enough to keep the Canadiens afloat in this one.
The opening minutes of the hockey game didn't exactly go as planned, and Alex Galchenyuk's errant high-stick on Steve Ott put the Sabres on a dangerous four-minute powerplay. Surviving that situation got the Canadiens in the game, and after several shifts of sustained pressure in Buffalo's end, a brilliant end-to-end rush by Lars Eller was capped off by Andrei Markov, who fired a puck off Galchenyuk's shorts for the opening goal.
The one-goal lead was extended to two after David Desharnais tipped a perfect powerplay cannon from P.K. Subban in the second period; a puck put on the tee by Markov. It was a buffer that had the Canadiens rock back on their heels a little bit until Matt Moulson woke them up, depositing from the goal mouth, past a helpless Carey Price.
The Canadiens shut it down from there, and as Buffalo was seizing whatever momentum was there to be had for them, Tyler Ennis took a brutal interference penalty on Ryan White with less than three minutes remaining in the hockey game.
Andrei Markov picked up assist number 15 on Brendan Gallagher's ninth goal of the season (his first in six games). It was easily Gallagher's nicest goal of the season--a ripping snap one-timer over Ryan Miller's glove and into the shelf.
Miller kept the game close the whole way, and Price was once again brilliant when called upon. Michel Therrien made an indisputable statement on Price after the game: "He gives us a chance to win every night. He's been phenomenal this year and he deserves a lot of credit."
With that, the Canadiens have won their last four games, scoring 15 goals in the process and only allowing seven. Price and Peter Budaj have been stellar, with the former expected to rest up for Saturday's tilt with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the latter likely getting the nod for Black Friday's 5:00pm match up in Washington.
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1) Here's what Canadiens AGM Rick Dudley says about Andrei Markov: "He's been absolutely brilliant. One of the smartest D you'll ever see, he makes all the right plays."
This is what we've known about Markov since he joined the Canadiens.
Here's the thing. He had moments of brilliance last season, and for stretches of games, he was the best Canadien on the ice by a mile, but even then, it was inconceivable that he'd be playing as well as he's been playing this season.
His skating and his timing are back to where they were before his injuries, with the only question now being; can he sustain it?
A lot of fans have worried about the herculean minutes Markov's been given for a strong portion of the early part of this season. None of them are easy, and a majority of them are being spent against top competitors. If there's anything that balances that out, it is skating shifts with P.K. Subban. Nonetheless, there's no way of knowing whether or not Markov's quality of play will dip at some point. Add in three weeks of Olympic hockey in his native Russia, and this is going to be a taxing season for those soon to be 35-year old knees.
I can see that fans are already clamoring for Marc Bergevin to dip into the coffers and get Markov signed early, but the smart move for Bergevin is to wait in this case. Not to diminish Markov's value--believe me, there are 29 teams that would sign this guy for at least a couple of seasons, for big money too--but to be prudent in light of other contracts that need to get sorted out.
Make no mistake, Markov won't take a penny less than he's worth to stay in Montreal. If he offers the Canadiens any kind of discount, it'll be on the amount of years he's willing to sign for. A discount would be taking a max, two-year deal.
In reality, if the Habs want to keep Markov (and it's inconceivable that they don't), they're going to be looking at a three-year deal around the 18-million dollar range. It's the kind of deal that'll likely take the Russian rearguard to retirement. But given that two-year award of 10 million dollars to 39-year old Sergei Gonchar by the Dallas Stars, given inflation, given the fact that Markov's not shown any signs that he isn't at least worth the 5.75 million he's made for the last seven seasons, don't be dreaming of "hometown" discounts in this case.
All the more reason Bergevin must wait in this case...
2) After Tyler Myers plowed Gallagher into the boards, a little past the halfway point of the third period, he had a chance on the powerplay for the same kind of goal he ended up scoring later in the game. Instead of the snap release, he opted to try and one-time it with a slapshot and whiffed.
I'm sure many of you were thinking the same, but when I saw that, I was thinking he should've snapped it.
Good thing he got another chance.
3) One of the best plays of the game--a play I mentioned earlier this year that I'd like to see more players go to in these situations--Michael Bournival shooting off Ryan Miller's far-side pad on a 2-on-1. The rebound just hopped over Gallagher's stick, if not, would've been a sure goal.
4) Unsung hero of the last four games is Ryan White. There's nothing on the stat sheet that particularly jumps out at you. He's only +1 in those four games. On average, he's lost a little more than 50% of his draws in those four games, but he's hitting, he's putting the puck in the right place for his linemates, he's forcing turnovers, and he's leading a fourth line that's making the Canadiens that much harder to play against.
Travis Moen's been solid all season. Bournival is just speed up and down the ice. The grit between these two and White is apparent. It's wearing down important players on the opposition. It's giving the Canadiens the type of depth they need to open up more quality scoring chances.
We know George Parros will likely draw in against Toronto. Easy argument to make for that not being a good idea. That said, Parros has had a good opportunity to fully regain his health and his conditioning, and he's practiced the system much more. How he reacts is unpredictable, but whoever remains in the lineup between the three guys skating on the fourth line right now will be on top of their game.
And if it happens to be Bournival on the sidelines instead of White, well, that's not the end of the world.
5) Say what you will about Douglas Murray. I gather most of it will be insulting. I promise you his teammates appreciate what he does bring. Not because he got cut open by John Scott's monstrous reach, but because he didn't hesitate for a second after Scott took a swipe at Brian Gionta.
Murray doesn't hesitate to throw himself in front of pucks either. He doesn't hesitate to throw big hits like his did last night. And sometimes, when someone burns him easily with the speed he so lacks, he's able to recover.
You can't deny that Therrien used him pretty effectively last night, limiting his third period ice-time.
6) So much talk about Bergevin's want to add to the current picture. Can't help but wonder who the Canadiens become if they can get a sizeable forward with some scoring touch and a bruising upgrade on Murray/Bouillon on the back end.
I'm probably not the first to throw cold water on this fire, but the Habs aren't trading Max Pacioretty, even if Bergevin has to listen to what's being offered.
Considering the new TV deal, the plethora of outdoor games, and the guaranteed spike in hockey related revenue, the salary cap is pushing up big time over the next few years. This is the first year of a deal that pays 25-year old Pacioretty 4.5 million dollars per season. There are very few better value deals in the NHL.
7) By the way, Pacioretty and his wife Katia are expecting their first child around December 20th. Max says it's put everything in perspective and this whole waiting process has changed his life, and that's it's been among the most exciting things he's ever experienced.
Also, in case you were wondering, Pacioretty wasn't very happy with certain media members spinning his comments about the Canadiens blocking so many shots that it was indicative of them sitting back too much into some sort of criticism of the team's system.
He was simply saying that their system is much more based on puck possession and generating offense--like they have over the last four games.
8) How does Alexei Emelin look to you?
Looks pretty good to me...
What a hit on Moulson.
Is there a guy that hits as hard and as clean as Emelin does?
9) Seven players to have dressed for the Canadiens this season are minuses. Pretty shocking that Desharnais isn't one of them. Parros and Michael Blunden are both in there. Murray's -5 and Bouillon's -10.
The Sabres, who have won two home games this year, have three players that are even. They are: Alex Sulzer (3 GP), Luke Adam (3 GP), and Brayden McNabb (3 GP). Every other player on the team is a minus.
I'm not a fan of the plus/minus index because it's flawed in a few different ways. In this particular case, it shows you how truly awful the Sabres are at 5-on-5.
10) I believe Tyler Myers still has everything it takes to be a great NHL player. The problem is, since his rookie season, he's had no insulation whatsoever.
That first year, Myers had big-minute eaters with him in Tony Lydman and Henrik Tallinder. Tallinder's back with the team now, but he's obviously a shell of who he was when he left Buffalo a few years ago.
The Sabres replaced Lydman and Tallinder with Shoane Morrisonn and Jordan Leopold. And then Bob McKenzie et al. said Myers would win the Norris Trophy.
It's been a struggle ever since without an anchor on the blue line to help Myers. Christian Ehrhoff? Are you kidding?
This kid needs to get out of Buffalo. He needs half a season playing on the bottom pair of a team that's deep on the blue line. Build his confidence.
Myers has six more seasons at 5.5 million dollars. He's -22 (last year and this year combined). And I can guarantee you that many teams would still kill to have him. It'll be interesting to see what the Sabres do with him...
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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