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Habs hope to snap losing streak in Colorado, Galchenyuk back to center |
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The Montreal Canadiens are hoping that a matchup tonight against the last place Colorado Avalanche is just what the good doctor ordered to get them a much needed victory and break their current three game losing streak. Fortunately for the Canadiens, despite the fact that they are only 3-5-1 in their last ten games, they have not lost any ground in the Atlantic division as they continue to lead it with 68 points. The team must be wary and have an eye on the rearview mirror as the second place Ottawa Senators hold four games in hand. Consistency has been a great weakness of the Canadiens throughout January and February as the team has not won consecutive games since the first week of the new year when they strung together a series of road wins against the Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Their struggles of the Canadiens have been somewhat surprising as the team is near full health and they have especially received solid goaltending from Carey Price and Al Montoya. The first line of Max Pacioretty, Phillip Danault and Alexander Radulov have been carrying the offense but are seemingly performing well every other game. The secondary scoring which was helping the Canadiens stay atop the Atlantic division throughout the many injuries has dried up. Paul Byron, who has played above and beyond expectations, is the team’s second leading goal scorer with 14 on the season. However, he only has one goal and two points in his last ten games. Torrey Mitchell has not scored a goal since December 8th, 2016. Tomas Plekanec had started to come alive in January but he has not scored in eleven games and has just three points in that span. Alex Galchenyuk is not playing up to his potential since returning to the lineup from his knee injury. It could be a matter of confidence for the young centerman or perhaps he has had difficulty getting into game shape. Either way, the team desperately needs him to rediscover his game so as to contribute to the offense and their future success.
It could be said that the Canadiens embarrassed the Avalanche back in December when they handily defeated them by a score of 10-1. In truth though, the Avalanche did little to help themselves that evening as they allowed the Canadiens to put on a clinic with Max Pacioretty recording four goals and an assist while Tomas Plekanec had four helpers and every forward got on the scoreboard with at least one point. Since then the Avalanche have only continued to falter as they sit in the basement of the league with just 30 points on the season. They are 1-8-1 in their last ten games and have especially struggled at home where they are 6-18-1. On the plus side, the Avalanche are coming off of a 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
It will be the first opportunity for Mark Barberio to face his former teammates as the Avalanche had claimed him off of waivers less than a week ago as the Canadiens no longer had room for him on their roster. The acquisition of Nikita Nesterov combined with the return of Andrei Markov from injury had made the left side of defense crowded and Barberio expendable. Bergevin had hoped to be able to sneak Barberio back to St. John’s with the extra year of his contract acting as a deterrent. Unfortunately for the Canadiens, the Avalanche were able to get him for nothing. Barberio will have a much better opportunity to establish himself as an everyday NHL player while with the Avalanche who desperately needed help on defense. He has the ability to step up but consistency and poor decisions with the puck remain his achilles heel.
A cloud of trade rumours are following the Avalanche as they are one of the few confirmed sellers this season. It has not been a secret that general manager Joe Sakic has made nearly every player on his roster available, save for Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and prospect Tyson Jost. Several insiders in the hockey world have confirmed Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin’s interest in acquiring Matt Duchene as he would certainly fill the void of a dependable second line center. However, Montreal likely does not have the necessary assets to make the deal or the one’s that they have they are not willing to part with. If a trade with the Avalanche does happen, it would probably only occur at the last second of the trade deadline when they asking price may have fallen or around the NHL Draft in June. Regardless, this interview with Duchene will only make Habs fans want him even more:
At the morning skate in Colorado, forward Brendan Gallagher joined his teammates for practice, sporting a non-contact jersey and even a blade at the end of his stick! Up until now, Gallagher had been rehabbing his fractured by skating solo and with a blade-less stick, ringuette style. Much to the relief of just about everyone, Alex Galchenyuk has been moved back to the middle and will center the second line between Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron. David Desharnais will center the fourth line as Torrey Mitchell shifts to the wing and Brian Flynn will play in place of Jacob De La Rose. The defensive pairing will remain the same while Carey Price gets the start in net.
In other news, former Canadiens head coach Claude Julien was finally let go by the Boston Bruins early this morning. Julien certainly deserved a better fate as his fate was constantly being questioned and Cam Neely always seemed reluctant to keep him on as head coach. Has an expansion team ever had such an embarrassment of riches to choose from for their first head coach? As of now, Julien joins Gerard Gallant, Ken Hitchcock on the available list. All excellent coaches that will not be out of work long.
With the Canadiens recent struggles, some fans may be wishing for Therrien to be relieved from his duties so that the team could hire Julien. While I may have agreed with that train of thought at the end of last season when Julien's job was up in jeopardy, Therrien has rebounded quite nicely from last year's disaster. Today, he does not deserve to lose his job. The Canadiens are in first place in their division in part because of Therrien, not despite him. He has learned from many of last season's mistakes and has improved in many facets of the game. The team has battled through adversity many times and usually they come out on top. He has been able to get the best out of a number of players. While we may not always agree with every decision that he makes, a three game losing streak is not a reason to fire a coach.
Puck drops at 9pm EST.
Cheers and enjoy the game!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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