1) In this line of work, repetition is king. It's the buy-in to a system. It's the backbone of a team owning its identity.
Repetition is also a reporter's best friend. Sometimes, there's only one question worth asking to various people you interact with.
Mine on Saturday was: "How close is this team to playing its best hockey?"
With six games left on the schedule, with the majority of them against teams that are going to keep the already-clinched Montreal Canadiens on their toes, the team's mental state is a true barometer of how prepared they are for the playoffs.
"Very close," said Lars Eller without hesitation.
Max Pacioretty danced around it, lauding his team's competitive spirit, noting there's a lot to work on between now and the end of the season, and that Monday's test against Tampa Bay is the perfect reminder that this is not the time to take the foot off the proverbial gas pedal.
"I like the composure of our team," Michel Therrien started. He finished by saying "I like the way that we're aggressive. We're a team that competes hard and we try to play the right way."
2) Nothing direct in there worth hanging your hat on, so I'll shift over to a bit of analysis.
I don't really see the month of March as a harbinger of what the Canadiens will offer in April. A comfortable team entered the month with a heavy schedule against teams desperate to make a bid for a playoff berth. At times, they failed to find the emotional wherewithal to withstand the high tides of passion from their opponents. At other times, they kicked themselves into gear and offered glimpses of their true selves when they needed to.
It was the only month this season in which the Canadiens didn't at least register eight wins, and yet, they still managed to go 6-5-3 leading into this game with the Lightning.
They started off the month very far from their best hockey. They turned it around on what proved to be a very frustrating night, March 16th in Tampa Bay. They rattled off three solid wins before losing one they deserved to win against Nashville. In Winnipeg, they got goalied, and their own goalie was nowhere near on even ground.
Against a desperate Panthers team on Saturday, they found the formula after a very poor start to the hockey game. It wasn't pretty--and a lot of their hockey this year hasn't been--but they got the job done.
How close are they to their best hockey?
We're going to find out from the start of this game versus Tampa Bay. They've come out feeling the Lightning out in all their games this year, and their passivity has killed them in those games. This time around, will the Canadiens start with the type of emotion they displayed in the final two periods of their 4-2 loss on the 16th?
This is Montreal's chance to plant a seed of doubt in Tampa's hubris, and it's their best chance to get closer to their best hockey leading into the playoffs.
3) Greg Pateryn is obviously playing his best hockey. And now that he's earned the confidence of his coach, he's found a comfort level on the ice to throw his weight around. He had a couple of punishing hits on Saturday, with the one on Jimmy Hayes standing on its own merit.
Pateryn's edge on a roster spot is that predictability factor I mentioned last week. His first pass needs work, but he's as safe of a player as they have on the back end.
His physicality on the right side is a real balance to what Emelin brings on the left. And there's a value in his willingness to take hits to make plays. He doesn't panic with the puck. He eats it in the corner and comes out with possession. These are traits of a reliable defenseman who's clearly not in over his head.
4) We all know Nathan Beaulieu's best asset is his skating, but if there's another element to his game that should make him indispensable in Therrien's lineup, it's his willingness to jump into the play in the offensive zone. He makes good decisions there, and that's a sign that his confidence hasn't been shaken by his sporadic use.
5) Tom Gilbert was playing passionate hockey before getting injured a little over a week ago. He resumed skating with his teammates yesterday but isn't quite ready to get back into the lineup (UPDATE: Reports from the morning skate are that Gilbert is participating with full facial protection).
When he is ready to return, Therrien's going to have to decide if Gilbert's a more reliable option than Beaulieu is as a right-handed defenseman playing on the left side, or if he's a better option than Pateryn is on the right side.
I think if it were up to the fans, he'd find his way to the left side in Emelin's place.
6) Is Brian Flynn a better option than Devante Smith-Pelly?
It's a question Therrien has the fans flirting with, but it seems painfully clear to me he's got a better option than both of them in Christian Thomas.
7) Is Torrey Mitchell winning out over Manny Malhotra, simply because he's right-handed?
There's no real competitive advantage between both players. They're both proud, they're both doing their jobs, and neither of them offer much offensive upside.
8) If you haven't yet read Dave Stubbs' sit down for dinner with Max Pacioretty, here's a
link to it.
There's some real insightful stuff in there, and though Max hasn't quite yet come to terms with his breakaway pass to Stamkos from a couple of weeks ago, he has moved on to joking around about it--as he did in the locker room following the team's win over Florida Saturday.
9) Timing is everything. I don't know that it had to take 11 games for Alex Galchenyuk to finally bury his 20th goal. His work ethic didn't exactly dip over that time, but his execution was nowhere to be found.
Right now is the right time for Galchenyuk to revive his offense. The Canadiens desperately need it from him, and big bonus if it comes on the powerplay.
10) Carey Price is chasing history. With a win tonight, he equals the franchise mark of 42 in a season, set by legends Jacques Plante and Ken Dryden.
Through 61 starts, he's at .937 save percentage and a 1.88 goals against (9 shutouts).
A reminder: Dominik Hasek, 1998-99, 64 starts, 30 wins (9 shutouts), .937 save percentage, 1.87 goals against.
Another reminder: Hasek faced 1877 shots in 64 games that year.
Price has faced 1817 shots in 61 games this year.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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