Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Habs stepped up and dominated the Devils, winning 5-2. Puck props & flops

December 9, 2016, 11:04 AM ET [223 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
In what can only be described as a statement game, the Montreal Canadiens stepped up and clearly demonstrated on Thursday night that they would not sink without Alex Galchenyuk and to a lesser extent David Desharnais, as they handily defeated the New Jersey Devils 5-2 at the Bell Centre. It would not have been surprising had the match turned into a trap game for the Canadiens. It was their first game at home since November 24th as the team had just returned from a gruelling five game road trip through Detroit, Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles and St. Louis. Combined with the loss of the aforementioned centers to injury and now Greg Pateryn to a broken foot, the game had all the makings of a recipe for disaster. Instead the Canadiens embraced the challenge and played one of their most complete and entertaining games of the season.


The lines for the game ended up being:


Pacioretty-Plekanec-Radulov
Lehkonen-Danault-Shaw
Byron-Mitchell-Gallagher
Carr-Flynn-Andrighetto


Emelin-Weber
Markov-Petry
Beaulieu-Redmond


Price


Phillip Danault opened the scoring in the first period as the puck from Nathan Beaulieu’s shot glanced his shoulder and fooled Cory Schneider. Danault had missed the morning skate with the flu but felt refreshed and ready to play after a six hour nap. The Devils challenged the play for goaltender interference but it was ruled a good goal which was the right call and Danault was not in the crease when the incidental contact took place.


The Devils would go on to score their own questionable goal as Adam Henrique squeaked one by Price. The Canadiens would challenge the call as they felt that Price was clearly interfered with. In an odd decision, the referees decided to let the call on the ice stand as they believed that the puck was already going in the net regardless of the interference. This explanation sets a dangerous precedent for future challenges and goals. How can a referee decide without doubt that the goaltender would have been unable to save the puck? On the replay, it certainly appears that Price may have been able to squeeze his pads shut had Henrique not interfered with his pads and legs.


Here are the two goals so that you may decide for yourself:










In the past, the Canadiens might have been deflated when a call did not go their way. On this night they kept coming and did not allow the momentum to shift in the Devil's favor. Not long after the Henrique goal Torrey Mitchell would restore the Canadiens lead.


All of the challenges paled in comparison to what would happen before the first period would end as Price, still reeling from the decision to allow goal finally broke and took matters into his own hand as he pummeled Kyle Palmieri after being run over by the Devil.






Artturi Lehkonen scored the only goal second period to give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead. Early in the third period Max Pacioretty would capitalize off of a Devils turnover and backhand the puck past the unprepared Schneider. Taylor Hall scored on the power play a few minutes later to make it a two goal game but Mitchell would further extend the Canadiens lead, scoring his second of the game and seventh of the season to give the home team a final 5-2 win.


Puck props and flops:

Props



Nathan Beaulieu - Zach Redmond: Beaulieu did not have any rust to shake off as he returned to lineup having recovered from his throat injury. Paired with Zach Redmond who was playing in his first regular season game in a Canadiens jersey, the duo looked quite comfortable on the ice together as they play a similar style of game. They helped drive the offense and kept the play going. Beaulieu and Redmond are both adept at breaking out of their own zone which made it much easier on the forwards. The duo looked so good together in the Devils zone that perhaps they should be given a chance on the Canadiens second power play unit. The Canadiens had fared okay without Beaulieu in the lineup but it was obvious that they are a better team when he is playing. He played 17:34 and was a +3 while Redmond, a +2 was on the ice for 15:33 minutes of play which allowed Shea Weber to play only 23:05 minutes. Weber can play big minutes when the Canadiens need him to but he does not need to be doing it every game…


Carey Price - It was a shocking moment to see Price, the epitome of calm, cool and collected snap and show such emotion. However, it was one that made you respect the goaltender even more as he decided that he had had enough of being a target and took things into his own hands (or blocker). Perhaps now that Price has spoken on and off the ice now regarding the abuse that goaltenders take, the NHL will finally look into protecting goaltenders, the most vulnerable players in hockey.


Max Pacioretty - During the first intermission Eric Engels of Sportsnet revealed that the captain had been playing with a microfracture in his foot throughout the month of November. It is now easier to understand why head coach Michel Therrien was limiting his minutes and not giving him an earlier opportunity to play on the top line. Despite the fracture, Pacioretty never once complained or used it as an excuse as to why his production had dropped. After the game he said that he has 100% recovered and is healthy. With his last night’s goal, his eighth of the season, Pacioretty has elevated his shooting percentage to 10.3% and has three goals in his last three games and five points in five games. He is now third on the Canadiens in points with 19 in 27 games. The Canadiens will certainly need him to continue to step up without Galchenyuk in the lineup.


Artturi Lehkonen-Phillip Danault-Andrew Shaw: This line was absolutely dynamite for the Canadiens. Aggressive and constantly on the pursuit for the puck. It was hard to believe that Danault was ill earlier in the day as he had another gear and used his speed and size effectively. The trio were always buzzing around the Devils net, leading to both Danault and Lehkonen’s goals. It was a terrific individual effort by Lehkonen on his own goal as he jumped on a loose puck off of a faceoff in the Canadiens zone, used his speed to carry the puck up and fire a quick shot on Schneider, grabbed the rebound, passed the puck from behind the net to Danault, followed the puck to the net and was there to cash in on a tap in goal. This clip only displays the latter part of the goal:






Paul Byron-Torrey Mitchell-Brendan Gallagher: While it may appear that the Canadiens had two number three lines last night, they both came up big and displayed that lines should not be numbered. The Mitchell trio combined for five points and played hard all of the time. Gallagher had two assists on the night and seems to have gotten over his slump. However, he only played 12:33 minutes which is not enough for the right winger…


Canadiens faceoffs - The team struggled greatly with faceoffs on the road against St. Louis and practiced them in the morning before the game. The work paid off as the team won 57% of all draws and Tomas Plekanec was the only center below 50%, winning 46% of his faceoffs. The game is much easier when you are already in possession of the puck and not chasing it.


Zero flops. The Canadiens played hard, strong and as a team for 60 minutes.


Expect the Canadiens to call up a forward and defenseman later today.


Cheers and follow along!
Join the Discussion: » 223 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Jennifer B Cutler
» 24 Cups = 24 Thoughts, A Final Farewell...
» Sergachev and Addison lead Spitfires to Memorial Cup Final, Ott retires
» Habs lack of depth will make it hard for Bergevin to acquire help via trade
» Habs Happenings: Memorial Cup update, Habs at Worlds & Lefebvre extended?
» Favorite Canadiens memories in honour of Montreal's 375th birthday