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Habs defeat Islanders 3-2, puck props & flops + game preview vs TB & 5Q's |
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The Montreal Canadiens improved their record to 6-0-1 as they defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday night. The opening period was uneventful at both ends of the ice as the teams seemed to be going through the motions and had to get accustomed to the terrible ice conditions. In the second period Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien made a slight adjustment to his lines as Max Pacioretty played the rest of the game alongside David Desharnais and Andrew Shaw while Paul Byron was shifted to play with Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher. The change was neither a demotion or a promotion. Therrien was only trying to create a spark without going into full blender mode.
The switch paid immediate dividends as Byron would score off of Gallagher’s rebound to give the Canadiens a 1-0. Pacioretty’s new line also had some very strong shifts in the Islanders zone. The Islanders would tie the game when John Tavares converted on a powerplay as Alexei Emelin seemed more concerned about embellishing a high stick than covering one of the most talented forwards in the NHL. Phillip Danault put the Canadiens back up by one in the third period as he went to the net and was able to pot home the loose puck. It would take the Islanders less than three minutes to once again tie the game as Dennis Seidenberg’s blast from the point got passed the screened Al Montoya. Shea Weber scored the game winning goal on the Canadiens lone powerplay of the game as he continues to lead the Canadiens with nine points in seven games.
Puck props & flops:
Prop:
Shea Weber - Is it too early to nominate him for the Norris trophy? He has been the Canadiens best defenceman night in and night out. Two of Weber’s three goals have come on the powerplay and he also has two game winning goals. He is tied with Brent Burns for the most points by a defenceman and leads all skaters with a +12 rating. In his own end Weber has been a stalwart, averaging a hair under 26 minutes a game and keeping the crease clear for his goaltenders. Perhaps the most telling attribute of Weber is that he makes everyone around him better.
Prop:
Alexander Radulov - Once again one of if not the best forward on the night for the Canadiens. While his name did not make it onto the scoresheet, it certainly was not for a lack of trying as he created multiple opportunities for himself and his linemates. Throughout seven games he has yet to take a shift off and his compete level is always turned on.
Flop:
Alexei Emelin - He should stick to playing hockey and focusing on the play on the ice as his acting skills still need work. Regardless of the high stick, Emelin was killing a penalty and needed to worry about his opponents getting to the loose puck and not trying to sell a penalty. The goal gave the Islanders momentum and got them back into the game.
Prop:
Nathan Beaulieu - He has handled his demotion to the third pairing in stride and played an excellent game with Greg Pateryn. Almost whenever he was on the ice he was in the offensive zone and creating chances. It was a big bounce back game for him and one to build on. With efforts like that it likely won’t be long until he is back on the first pairing with Weber.
Prop:
Michel Therrien - He often gets criticized for not making the correct in game adjustments and reverts to his blender too often. Instead he made a slight altered the lines by swapping Byron and Pacioretty and for whatever reason it worked immediately. David Desharnais has been playing well to start the season and Pacioretty looked quite comfortable with his old friend and Andrew Shaw for two periods. It was also one of Shaw’s better games as he was involved and fore checked quite hard. It remains to be seen if the change was short term or not but Therrien gets props for making the right decision against the Islanders.
Flop:
Tomas Plekanec - How many times will Radulov set him up perfectly with near open nets before Plekanec either connects or gets replaced? As the second line center he needs to produce. Yes, the season is only seven games old but his play has to be a concern for the Canadiens. Who could have guessed that Phillip Danault would be outscoring Plekanec to start the season?
It is a fast turnaround for the Canadiens as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Carey Price will be starting in goal and any other lineup changes will likely only be known later in the day. This should be the Canadiens toughest competition to date and will be an excellent measuring stick to gage the team. The Lightning should have an edge as they will be rested and the Canadiens are playing the back end of two games in a row and had to travel as well. The Lightning lines should be:
5 questions heading into tonight’s game:
1) Will the Canadiens lines be back to normal or will Therrien stick with the changes he made in Brooklyn? I’m leaning that he stays with the lines as how they finished last night’s game and that there will be more changes heading into the weekend once they have a practice. Perhaps Radulov with Galchenyuk in time for the Maple Leafs game.
2) Does Shea Weber continue his point streak? He has at least one point in every Canadiens game so far. If it ain’t broke… Yes, he will have an assist.
3) Will the powerplay continue to find success or will the Lightning stop them cold? The Canadiens will score a goal with the man advantage and I’ll say that Pacioretty is due for one.
4) Is tonight the night that Plekanec has a breakout game? Nope, I think he continues his goalless drought as he, Brian Flynn and Daniel Carr are the only forwards who have yet to score this season.
5) What will be the final score of the game? I will sy 3-2 Lightning in overtime.
Puck drops tonight at 7:30pm.
Cheers & enjoy the game!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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