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Habs Break Losing Streak & Turn Flops Into Props |
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The Montreal Canadiens snapped their 4 game losing streak with a solid 3-1 win Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens played like they had something to prove and came out flying in the first period. Nathan Beaulieu, who had been a healthy scratch the previous game against the Detroit Red Wings, got things started early in the first period when he drove the net and Brian Flynn was there to pocket the goal. Perhaps most importantly, the Canadiens got a much needed second goal towards the end of the first period from their Captain Max Pacioretty, who demonstrated the ability to step and lead his team. With just over 5 minutes played in the second period, Jeff Petry scored to put the Canadiens up 3-0. Not long after that, Pacioretty thought he had scored his second of the night but it was clear upon the replay that he punched the goal in with his gloves. Nevertheless, the Senators coach Dave Cameron had seen enough and pulled the visibly frustrated goalie Craig Anderson from the game. The goaltender switch helped the Senators regain their footing as who other but noted Habs killer Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored midway through the second to make it a two goal game. The score would remain 3-1 as the Senators were unable to capitalize on their opportunities, especially in the third period when they enjoyed an extended two man powerplay advantage. Montreal’s penalty killers stood tall and seized any momentum that the Senators had. Dustin Tokarski stopped 25 of 26 shots for his first win of the season and has looked much more comfortable in net.
How did the Canadiens manage to turn things around after having lost 4 in a row? They turned a lot of the previous week’s ‘Flops’ into ‘Props’. For example:
1) Their young leaders showed up and proved that they have the ability to lead this team. I have never accused Max Pacioretty or P.K. Subban of not caring. However, a 4 game slide meant that they had to step up on and off the ice and they did just that against Ottawa. Tomas Plekanec also stepped big time, especially on the penalty kill after Brian Flynn was terrific defending the 5 on 3. Plekanec broke his stick blocking a shot, and then without his stick continued to cause havoc for the Senators blocking another shot with his body once he came out of the box to make it a one man disadvantage. It was the key turning point in the 3rd period. Pacioretty had 6 shots in the first period alone and his goal was much more like vintage Pacioretty. He finally looks to be completely healthy and up to speed and it comes at not a moment too soon. Pacioretty also had 3 hits and a blocked shot to go with his 8 total shots, showing that he was engaged in all aspects of the game. Subban for his part played an excellent game, finishing the night +2 and played an integral part of the penalty kill in the the 3rd period.
Said Pacioretty, courtesy of Canadiens.com:
“We responded the right way tonight. To be honest, I didn’t sleep the past two nights. This is my life, I take this very seriously and I think all of my teammates do as well.”
2) Michel Therrien - I criticized him for benching Nathan Beaulieu against Detroit and while I still believe that he should not have been scratched, it’s hard to argue that it didn’t work out. Beaulieu turned in one of his best performances of the season and got the team going right from his first shift of the game when his drive to the Senators net set-up Flynn for the first goal of the game. He finished the night with an assist, 4 shots on net and 3 blocked shots in 16:16 minutes of play. The Canadiens are a better team with Beaulieu in the lineup, period.
Therrien’s other blender moves were also criticized, such as not giving Pacioretty and Galchenyuk a real opportunity to succeed. However, the Canadiens had to stop the bleeding and reuniting Plekanec and Pacioretty was the best move for now. While he and Galchenyuk are most likely the team’s future duo, at the moment Pacioretty and Plekanec have clear chemistry. Paul Byron can fill in on spot duty with them while Brendan Gallagher is injured but I would still like to see Daniel Carr or even Charles Hudon given a chance there
3) The Canadiens Defencemen - After having played one of their worst games of the season, the Canadiens six defencemen got back to playing the way that helped the team win so many games, early in the season. They used their speed to get pucks out and lead the attack out of their own end. Jeff Petry especially rebounded from his worst game as a Canadiens in his hometown of Detroit and started the play that ended with him beating Anderson for the insurance goal. Alexei Emelin led the Canadiens with 8 hits and 5 blocked shots while I’ve already highlighted Beaulieu and Subban’s strong play. I did think it was a rougher night for Tom Gilbert who had 4 giveaways against Ottawa…
4) Give Jeff Petry more powerplay time. The Canadiens had gotten into a habit of playing Subban and Andrei Markov almost the full two minutes of powerplay time and it was simply too much time on the ice, especially for Markov. The Canadiens are fortunate to have a very capable 2nd unit of Petry and Beaulieu and while the powerplay did not score a goal against Ottawa, it looked better than it had been playing during their losing streak. Even giving Subban extra time paired with Jeff Petry gives another look and benefits the Canadiens... Daniel Carr was also rewarded with some powerplay time and his net presence was welcome.
The task now doesn’t get any easier for the Canadiens. They play their next five games against teams from the Western Conference: San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings this week at home before embarking on pre-Christmas 3 game road trip to Dallas, Nashville and Minnesota. The good news on the injury front, is that Torrey Mitchell is finally healthy and ready to play. To make room for him Christian Thomas was sent back to St. John’s of the AHL. Plus, Brendan Gallagher skated for the first time as well:
The lines at practice this morning were:
I’m still not a fan of the top 6 but it’s hard to argue against the win. I see no reason why Andrighetto should not be reunited with Eller and Galchenyuk despite Weise contributing 2 assists against the Senators. Weise belongs with Desharnais and Fleischmann, that line just works on many levels. Flynn and Mitchell play well together and can handle tougher defensive assignments which takes pressure and additional responsibilities off of Plekanec’s line. Try Carr with Plekanec and Pacioretty and Byron with Flynn and Mitchell, suddenly the Canadiens have the ability to roll four lines again. Unfortunately Hudon appears to be the odd man out but I believe that the coaching staff and fans alike are quite pleased at how he has played these past two games. He will continue to develop in St. John’s and be ready for when the Canadiens need him.
Cheers & follow along!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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