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Predictable Habs loss to Rangers After Impressive win over Bruins

November 24, 2014, 10:28 AM ET [2000 Comments]
Habs Talk
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After an impressive performance against the Boston Bruins Saturday, the Canadiens predictably fell flat against the New York Rangers Sunday, completing a 13-day stretch that saw them play eight games against quality opponents.

The Canadiens couldn't muster the energy to keep pace with a Rangers team that hadn't played since Wednesday, and with a four-day rest on tap before back-to-back games with the Buffalo Sabres, the team just seemed ready to come home once they fell behind.

Dustin Tokarski was pretty much left to his own devices, and their were several mistakes made in front of him that could've made this an uglier outcome. That said, 5-0 doesn't make for much of a dignified loss.

The Canadiens have been outscored 30-3 in their regulation losses this year, shutout four out of six games. Then again, they only have six regulation losses in 23 games.

In the Habs' 16 wins, they've outscored their opposition by a total of 56-24. As Arpon Basu of NHL.com pointed out on Twitter last night, coming into the Boston game, their last six wins had been by three or more goals.

After wins over Buffalo, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Boston, Philadelphia and Detroit, many looked at the schedule last week and noted 50% of the points against Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Boston and New York would be a successful outcome. The Habs managed to pull that off with great wins against the Blues and Bruins, book-ended by ugly losses to the Penguins and Rangers.

The Habs aren't perfect. Far from it. They're allowing a few too many quality opportunities against; their starts put them behind the eight ball, and in some cases too far behind to come back; their powerplay continues to produce more laughs than it does goals; their defense is vulnerable at times. But with the best record in the National Hockey League, the glass shouldn't just be half full, it should practically be spilling over.

This team has plenty of time to work out the kinks, and they've shown--past the quarter mark of the season--that they know how to play to win games and win decisively.
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1) Last season, it took a tweet from the Mayor of Montreal to inspire something different out of David Desharnais. You'd have thought it would've taught Desharnais that he can't be the player the team wants him to be if he isn't trying as if it's the playoffs.

Right now, Desharnais isn't putting in a playoff-like effort. If he were, he'd resemble the guy that scored 52 points in his final 60 games last season. Right now, he looks like half that guy, and that's so obviously not good enough for the supposed number one pivot on the team.

Desharnais' not a goal-scorer. There's nothing wrong with that. Some of the best centres in the game aren't/weren't big goal scorers. Hall of famer Peter Forsberg never had more than 30 in a season. Forsberg still averaged more than two shots a game over his career, and at least two shots per game in every season but two when he was just slightly off the mark.

Right now, Desharnais--career shooting percentage of 15.3% (better than Forsberg's 14.7%)--has 22 shots in 23 games. By passing up every shot opportunity he has in scoring areas, he renders Max Pacioretty's shot less effective, and he renders P.A. Parenteau's shot less effective just by increasing predictability out there.

How is Desharnais going to keep this job? How is he going to hold onto these responsibilities with the depth the team currently has up the middle?

A lot of Canadiens fans believe Desharnais' rope is made of adamantium, but that theory's going to be put to the test. If Michel Therrien doesn't adjust, history--recent history--has shown that Marc Bergevin will make the adjustment for him.

2) Okay, so the question becomes, what value does Desharnais have on the market?

He's got a digestible cap hit for a player with 174 points in 280 games. At $3.5M per for another two seasons after this one, his contract is better than a lot of second line centres' out there. He's had stretches of being a near point-per-game player; extensive stretches. He's a career +24. He's at 53.4% in the dot this season.

I'm not suggesting Desharnais can net you a promising young asset all on his own, and trading his contract would probably necessitate taking some salary back in the deal, but with Bergevin at the helm, with his finger on the trigger, you have to like the odds that he can make a good deal that helps the Canadiens.

We spent a lot of time talking about how Alex Galchenyuk would get to centre, and it seems only logical that his way there goes through Desharnais' removal from the equation.

The question is, will it happen this year?

3) Speaking of Galchenyuk, he still managed six points in these last eight games without scoring more than one goal.

He's got only one goal in his last 12 games. He stays after most practices and works on his shot. And he has a great shot. He's going to start burying pucks.

4) Jiri Sekac's ice-time over the last two games: 17:53, 17:48. He saw a bit of time on the powerplay and a bit of it on the penalty kill too.

This is smart.

During the Bruins game, the Canadiens had this incredible shift in the offensive zone. They were working the Bruins for over a minute before the puck was finally cleared. It was real hard work, and yet, there was Sekac, full throttle on the net drive from the blue line before skating to the bench full tilt to complete the line change. This is the beep test put into context.

Sekac's energy doesn't wane. His energy from the beginning of the shift to the end of it is so consistent. His recovery on the bench is likely better than most of his teammates. And his energy shines through in every area of the ice. He's great on the zone entry, and recovers the puck himself if he has to release it at the line. He's great on the backcheck, always taking the quickest route back to the puck. He's very reliable in his own end, in terms of his positioning and his commitment.

If Therrien switches Pacioretty and Prust, the Canadiens might actually have a bonafide first line with Pacioretty, Eller and Sekac.

5) Fans need to give Bryan Allen a practice or two before ripping a stripe off him. He's not going to be much of an offensive force, nor is he going to be much of a possession driver, but right now, he's just about the only Montreal defenseman who can play mean. And he's certainly more capable than Doug Murray was.

If Allen can't adjust, if he looks more Murray-like with every game, than the Canadiens will have to park him at times, and there's nothing wrong with that. When it comes down to it, he was the return on getting Rene Bourque's cap hit off next year's salary cap. There's no major commitment to him.

We'll get into Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi over the next couple of days of inaction for the Habs...
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