Ok. It was one game. One game, against the Sid-less Penguins. One game, against Brent Johnson. Does Matt Cooke really deserve mention in the same breath as the other notable absences on the Penguins side of the ice last night?
Should it be noted after every win the Canadiens accumulate between now and the end of the season that they're playing without Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges?
No asterisk required; the Habs beat the Penguins last night. It was their 4th straight win over the Pens dating to last year's playoffs. Regardless of who didn't suit up for Pittsburgh last night, they wanted the game about as badly as you could imagine they did. The Habs didn't give it to them.
Both goalies were excellent, but Price got the upper hand in the team's first shootout of the season.
Benoit Pouliot made it a night to remember with his dangle and patient backhander past Johnson, and the Canadiens collected their 5th out of an available 6 points over their last three contests.
Somehow, someway the Canadiens found the reserves to collect a win when everyone thought they'd lose. Without Andrei Markov. Without Josh Gorges. Without Roman Hamrlik.
But enough about absences.
Should we really be surprised that this group of Habs succeeds once again in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity?
Is this not what this team has done, time and time again, since it was assembled?
I won't pretend this one win is the continuance of a pattern that dates back to December of 2009, but let's take the opportunity to remind ourselves of what this resilient team has done under the most dire conditions.
Because it was wasn't until December 28th, 2009 that the Canadiens had played a game at full health last season. They had survived extensive losses of Andrei Markov, Ryan O'Byrne, Brian Gionta, Benoit Pouliot, Hal Gill and Paul Mara up until that point.
Before we got to December 28th, 2009, it had seemed as though the Canadiens were to be counted out as they dropped five consecutive games ahead of their annual, murderous 7-game, Christmas-time road trip.
Andrei Markov returned for the very first game of that trip; a win over the Islanders, in which he recorded 2 goals. It was just one game. Against the Islanders. The bottom of the barrel Islanders.
But one turned into two, as Jaroslav Halak spurned a Thrashers team that landed 50 shots on net. Two turned into three when Halak turned aside 46 of 47 shots against Carolina two nights later. Three turned into four against the Leafs, as Halak turned aside 47 of 49 shots.
December 28th, 2009, against the Ottawa Senators, with a fully healthy roster for the first time all season, the Canadiens lost their only game of a 7-game road trip that was supposed to bury their chances at a playoff spot (in December no less).
Carey Price got in on the winning act against the Tampa Bay Lightning, before the Habs stormed out of Florida the next night with a 5-4 nail-biting win.
It wasn't pretty, but if that wasn't overcoming an impossible situation, I'm not sure what you'd consider their success over the toughest portion of their schedule to be; from February 2nd to February 13th ahead of the Olympic break, with games against Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Boston twice, Washington, and Philadelphia twice.
That stretch was make-or-break for the Habs after surviving the test in December, and here's how they fared:
W over Vancouver
W over Boston
W over Pittsburgh
L to Boston
W over Washington
L to Philadelphia
L to Philadelphia
Those were games played without Andrei Kostitsyn, who had recorded a point/game over 20 before going down for 6 weeks with a knee injury.
It wasn't easy after that either. Coming out of the Olympic break the Habs had another brutally difficult road trip, over which everyone anticipated they'd be shellacked by Boston, San Jose, LA and Anaheim.
Results:
W over Boston
L to San Jose
W over Los Angeles
W over Anaheim
Those were games played without Michael Cammalleri.
Anyone recall what they did in the playoffs?
No chance against Washington?
Staving off elimination three times in that series; inevitably pulling off what was arguably the greatest upset in the history of the franchise.
Couple elimination threats against the reigning Cup Champs? Without Andrei Markov? No problem...
***********
I'm not going to pretend this injury-riddled group of the Canadiens is out of the woods yet. They aren't; not by any stretch of the imagination.
I'm not going to pretend there's some positive in the news that the Canadiens elected to shut down Josh Gorges, ahead of what will likely be a decently lucrative contract offering for the RFA-to be.
But the injuries this team has suffered since they were put together by Chemist Bob Gainey two summers ago has forced them to confide in Jacques Martin's system, one that is based on the simplest form of hockey; play as five-man units in all three zones, force mistakes with strong defensive play, and refuse to make mistakes at the offensive blue line that lead to transition goals against.
Prescribing to that style is easier to do when you don't have enough thoroughbreds to take risks. And so, after a tumultuous December that saw the Canadiens flounder out of premium position and inevitably lose their second most valuable defensive commodity in Gorges, they are once again forced to simplify and find miracles.
We'll see what they can do. History dictates it would be foolish to count them out, at this stage.
Habs Beat:
This week, Eric and Steve delve into the insights HBO's '24/7 Penguins and Capitals-Road to the Winter Classic' provided on winning and losing in the NHL. Discussing the Habs recent woes, their possible revival in a tough stretch of the schedule, and movement (Wiz, Lapierre, promotions for Pac and Desharnais.)
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