Michel Therrien was right about the fact that the Rangers deserved credit for the way they shut the Canadiens down on Saturday, but his satisfaction regarding his own team's game was odd.
Not that they didn't put in a strong effort throughout. Carey Price attested to the fact in the locker room after, and made a good point about the Rangers being off since Tuesday, and the Canadiens having played in Columbus on Friday. All of that is understandable, but the lack of offensive thrust for a team that attempts to employ a high-pressure forecheck system is hard to comprehend.
The Canadiens, down a goal going into the third period, couldn't muster more than a shot in the first 10 minutes of the frame. They only notched four more as the clock expired, as Cam Talbot managed his first NHL shutout without being significantly tested. And with that, the Habs dropped their sixth contest in their last eight played.
It's not as if the Habs are allowing themselves to get pounded on the scoresheet. In fact, as a team, they have the third-best goals against average in the league, at 2.05. Only Boston and Minnesota are allowing less goals on average (both teams being in the top 10 in league standings, with the Canadiens sitting at 17th). Ottawa, who's nipping at the Canadiens' heels in the standings, sits 23rd in the category.
Where has the offense--ranked 4th best in the league last season--gone?
The Canadiens 2.43 goals/game average is a far cry from the 3.04 goals/game they put up last season. And Therrien's mantra since taking over the team has been: "You need three goals to win.".
Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette brings this current slump into focus,
reminding that the Habs have only managed 18 goals in their last 11 games.. Not much to be satisfied with.
We're all familiar with David Desharnais' story. And Max Pacioretty's taking a beating from the fans, he who's only found the back of the net twice in 12 games. Daniel Briere, who suffered a concussion earlier this year and has seen the ice sparingly since, has only notched two goals in 11 games. Between Desharnais' collapse in confidence, and the injuries Pacioretty and Briere have been through, this trio doesn't have very much to hang its hat on.
Brendan Gallagher's led the charge with eight goals, while Lars Eller has seven, and Tomas Plekanec has six. After that, Bournival and Bourque have five, Alex Galchenyuk has four.
A lot of people were scratching their heads on Saturday, wondering what Desharnais line with Bourque and Pacioretty were doing on the ice for more than 18 minutes, while Briere, who seemingly had some jump, only got on for 8:48. Therrien doesn't seem to have found the answer to this riddle that has three of his key offensive players mired in such a fugue. Perhaps he's desperately grasping at straws.
With 21 games under their belts, the competition only gets fiercer from this point forward. If the Canadiens maintain what they're doing defensively, all they need to do is manufacture half a goal more per game to start seeing losses turn into wins. Easier said than done, and the remedy might not be in their hands.
Marc Bergervin has to be considering making a move to help his team generate more. An area of focus might very well be the right wing. Gallagher's been fantastic there, but the Canadiens lack considerable size and physicality on that side of the ice, with respect to Gionta and Bourque (who's currently playing out of position).
In the meantime, the Habs have three solid offensive defensemen in Subban, Andrei Markov and Raphael Diaz, and of the 51 goals the team's scored this season, the blueliners account for 6 of them (3 for Subban, 2 for Markov, 1 for Gorges).
Whether it's the way the game's being managed by Therrien, or the way the team's being managed by Bergevin, the balance isn't there. The Habs play Minnesota (5th in the league) on Tuesday, Washington (top of the Metropolitan Division) Friday, and Pittsburgh (better than their current standing of 6th in the conference) Saturday. If the team can't find solutions quick, they could be in a world of hurt moving forward.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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