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Therrien's Blender is on the Shelf, Habs Commit to Gallagher |
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No, your eyes did not deceive you. The Buffalo Sabres took two straight games from the Montreal Canadiens over the weekend, overcoming long odds to knock them off their perch atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Jhonas Enroth was the star of the show, especially Saturday, stopping 41 of 44 shots in regulation and overtime, saving his best for the shootout where he stoned Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais, P.A. Parenteau, Lars Eller and Tomas Plekanec.
The Canadiens could've salvaged an extra point Friday before a late-game penalty by Alexei Emelin caused an odd turn of events. Tyler Ennis--author of the game's opening goal, which was an absolute beauty--wrapped a puck around the glass that took a freakish hop on Price who went to play it, and Matt Moulson deposited it into an empty net.
Despite dominating play, the Canadiens only managed four goals in the two contests. They didn't create enough scoring chances on Friday despite an obvious advantage from a possession standpoint, and when they corrected on Saturday, they just couldn't bury it enough.
What a satisfying outcome for former Canadiens captain Brian Gionta, who was instrumental role in helping the Sabres nauseate Canadiens' fans, drawing the powerplay that sealed Montreal's fate Friday and creating the turnover before inevitably assisting on Brian Flynn's game-tying goal Saturday.
Dustin Tokarski was alright in his first regular season start at the Bell Centre, but he was undone by Flynn on the game-winning goal in the shootout; not exactly the memory he was hoping to forge against the East's worst competition.
For all their chances Saturday--after a game of fancy hockey on Friday netted them very little--the Canadiens managed a goal from newly minted Brendan Gallagher, who signed a six-year, $22.5M extension just a couple of hours before the game, and Lars Eller and Max Pacioretty deposited the others.
Zemgus Girgensons turned a counterattack opportunity into a goal after David Desharnais gave away the puck in the offensive zone before failing to tie him up in front of the net. Bryan Allen and Mike Weaver were caught in transition on Buffalo's second goal of the contest, losing a speed battle to not-so-speedy Chris Stewart, who finished the play beautifully. And Alexei Emelin failed to clear the defensive zone, compounding Gallagher's neutral zone turnover to Gionta right before Flynn put this game in doubt, some 49 seconds after Pacioretty gave Montreal the lead in the third period.
These were frustrating results for a team that was trying to appear anything but frustrated after the game.
And there's no rest for the weary. The Habs are in Denver, where they're set to take on the Avalanche tonight before traveling to Minnesota to take on the Wild Wednesday. Then it's off to Chicago and Dallas for back-to-back games Friday and Saturday.
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1) I think it's clear Michel Therrien's deliberately trying to to allow chemistry to permeate with all of his lines, not wanting to mix it up as frequently as he has in the past. But these lines aren't producing consistent results, and fighting the temptation to change is hurting them a bit.
"As long as we keep pushing the pace, and get chances, and play that way, you know eventually it's going to turn around," said Therrien after Saturday's game.
Seems like less of a given than he's making it out to be.
Jiri Sekac and Lars Eller have been magnificent next to Brandon Prust. And Prust does a pretty good job of keeping the cycle game going. But these two players need a pure finisher for all the offensive pressure and opportunity they're creating. And that finisher is Max Pacioretty.
Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk aren't producing as regularly as they can, and Brendan Gallagher doesn't play a brand of hockey that's conducive to aiding that cause. Gallagher's a tenacious puck retriever, a great cycle player and a fierce competitor in every sense of the word, but he doesn't have the skill to play the passing game his linemates are enamored with. P.A. Parenteau does. Parenteau can play the quick give-and-go game these guys want to play, and he can bury it too.
David Desharnais' work level is a notch lower than where it needs to be. Perhaps skating shifts with Prust and Gallagher would change that.
This team doesn't score as much as they should, and not changing it up when they're creating chances but not burying them is counter-intuitive. And it's not working.
2) Why was Marc Bergevin tempted to skip the bridge-deal process with Gallagher? Simple. Gallagher's a known commodity.
He'll evolve. Gallagher will be a consistent 20-goal scorer, and his confidence will grow as he gains more experience. But there are no questions as to what Gallagher is; no questions about his competitive spirit; no questions about his role on the team and his leadership quotient.
"He does both," said Bergevin in his brief press conference before the game Saturday. He was talking about Gallagher's worth as a player that helps you get to the playoffs and get through them. That statement is undeniable.
As for the cap hit--$3.75M per year--boy is that going to be a great number for the Canadiens over the middle years of that contract, as salaries bloat league-wide for like commodities.
It's a great number for Gallagher too, though I suspect he's even happier about the six.
3) What does Gallagher's deal mean for Alex Galchenyuk?
I believe it means two things.
a) There's a lot of untapped potential in Galchenyuk's case, and he's slightly younger than Gallagher too. He's in for a bigger contract when they eventually settle on a long-term deal. But on a short-term deal, he's going to be kept a pretty reasonable price.
b) Galchenyuk is much more likely to accept and even push for a bridge deal. Right now, he doesn't have the leverage to ask for much more than what Gallagher's going to earn on this new contract, and he knows he's going to be worth much more than that in a couple of years.
4) TVA Sports voted Alexei Emelin their player of the week. I'll let you all digest that...
5) A couple of weeks ago, the Habs had very little robustness on their back end. Now they're going for too much of that look.
Therrien and J.J. Daigneault haven't found the right balance on the blueline despite having nine serviceable bodies at their disposal. The current composition is in direct contrast with the identity of the team.
Between Gonchar, Emelin, Allen, Weaver and Markov, the speed quotient is non-existent. Puck movement is far from pristine between Allen, Weaver and Emelin.
Tom Gilbert was a healthy scratch for both games over the weekend. Nathan Beaulieu's toiling in Hamilton, and Jarred Tinordi--who's not known for his speed--is faster than at least two of the players listed above.
Bergevin always says you can never have enough defensemen, but the way Therrien and Daigneault are using them, it sure looks like the Canadiens have too many of them.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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