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

There's no place like home as the Habs defeated the Penguins 4-0

October 19, 2016, 10:08 AM ET [20 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
For the Montreal Canadiens there is simply no place like home as the team played their best game of the young season to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 at the Bell Centre. Last season’s dismal results are now ancient history. The fans welcomed the 2016-2017 Canadiens with open arms and are hungry to support a winner. Led by Al Montoya who recorded his sixth career shutout and captain Max Pacioretty who scored before fans could even take their seats, the team happily obliged.

Ceremonies are one thing that the Canadiens can always be expected to excel at and the one to introduce the team did not disappoint. The Bell Centre roared to officially welcome back former captain and assistant coach Kirk Muller back into the family. His influence is already taking shape with the team and starting to pay dividends. The players including the healthy scratches, individually introduced themselves on a pre-recording in French and English and skated in numerical order to center ice, forming a C. The loudest cheers before the leadership core took the ice were for Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov. The fans fully embraced Shea Weber and showered him with a standing ovation. Carey Price was the only player not on the ice but he was saved for last as he stood by the bench and the crowd displayed their love for their most valuable player. It is difficult for anyone to follow Price but it was the most pleasant of surprises to see former head coach and Senator Jacques Demers wheeled out while holding the torch. It was his first appearance at the hockey arena since he suffered a stroke this past Spring. The Bell Centre erupted with its approval and appreciation as Demers passed the torch to Pacioretty who promptly ignited the ice.

The quick goal by Pacioretty and the first line to start the game was a signal that the team came ready to play. After having been separated during their lackadaisical effort Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators, the reunited top line of Pacioretty, Galchenyuk and Gallagher demonstrated their determination to win the small battles and contribute offensively. The Penguins responded with a strong opening period firing 17 shots on Montoya. Marc-Andre Fleury settled down to make quality saves to keep the score close. In the second period as the Canadiens were in the midst of a line change, Pacioretty found David Desharnais alone in front and fed him a perfect backhand pass for a tap in goal. The first five minutes of the third period were bizarre to say the least as the constant penalty parade was as equally confusing as it was laughable. In the end, Radulov would score his goal on a brief powerplay and they do not come much prettier than this:




After a Penguins challenge, the goal stood as it was ruled that Gallagher did not interfere with Fleury’s ability to stop the puck. Desharnais completed the scoring with his second tap in of the game, this time courtesy of a perfect pass by Jeff Petry.

Puck Props & Flops:

Props:

Al Montoya - Quite deservedly he was named first star of the night as he saved 36 shots on net. His poise and confidence in net have been contagious as Montoya has performed above and beyond expectations. No one could have predicted that Price would miss the first week of the NHL season with the flu. Montoya’s excellent play could alter the Canadiens plans to give him even more starts than planned in order to keep Price as fresh as can be. Interestingly in his postgame comments, Montoya noted that the Canadiens defence group is the most talkative of any that he has played behind. Communication between the defence and goaltender is so important and last season there often seemed to be confusion between Mike Condon and the defence. The fact that this has been addressed, despite three of players not speaking English as a first language is a huge positive.

Max Pacioretty - His leadership has been questioned repeatedly and on Tuesday night he stood tall and demonstrated that he is fully capable of leading the team on and off the ice. His goal set the tone of the game but Pacioretty was involved in all aspects of the game. His pass to Desharnais was an absolute beauty and he showed that he has plenty of grit as he went to defend Galchenyuk after having been boarded by Eric Fehr. Nobody puts more pressure on Pacioretty than he himself and he rose to the occasion on opening night.

Shea Weber - When the fans welcomed Weber in the player introductions, he did not even crack a smile as he was all business and ready to play. His no nonsense attitude gives his teammates extra confidence and spikes intimidation in his opponents. Weber led all skaters with 28:09 of ice time and essentially was on every other shift. He knows his job plain and simple. His work on the penalty kill with Alexei Emelin was exemplary as the Penguins rarely had a scoring chance with the man advantage. It might be easy to overlook Weber at times as he just goes about his business.

Alexander Radulov - Despite spending six minutes in the penalty box, Radulov was amongst the Canadiens best forwards on the evening. Every time he had the puck he tried to make something happen. It was only a matter of time until he found the back of the net which he did on the powerplay. Just as importantly, his play without the puck is equally strong as he chased down loose pucks and fought hard along the boards. The only thing left to be desired is his chemistry with centerman Tomas Plekanec which unfortunately has been very low. He and rookie Arturri Lehkonen have formed a nice connection but they need Plekanec to become more involved with them in the offensive zone.

David Desharnais - His two goals were quite the redemption for his missed shootout attempt against the Ottawa Senators. While I thought that his line was not particularly strong, one has to give credit to Desharnais as he read the play on both goals, went to the net and finished them off.

Jeff Petry - His two assists gives him four points in just two games to start the season. The Canadiens are a much better team with him healthy and in the lineup. Petry balances the top four and contributes greatly on the powerplay and penalty kill. He has found some very nice chemistry playing with Andrei Markov on the second defensive pairing.

Flops:

None. Yes we could nitpick but for the most part, the Canadiens as a team played a very strong game and outplayed the Penguins. For what it’s worth, these are my nitpicks:

1) Send Mikhail Sergachev back to the Windsor Spitfires pronto. The young man played less than only 8:30 minutes due to all of the penalties but still. If he is not going to play 13-15 minutes a game, he would be better served leading the Spitfires to a Memorial Cup run and playing in the World Junior Championships for team Russia. His play was steadier compared to his first game against the Buffalo Sabres but the Canadiens will be a better team with Greg Pateryn for this season.

2) If they insist on playing David Desharnais on the second powerplay unit, do not have him in front of the crease trying to screen the goaltender. Andrew Shaw is on the same unit, that should be his job. So far Shaw has done little when playing with the man advantage. I would be curious to see Lehkonen there instead and let him stay at the net where he likes to play.

3) Speaking of Lehkonen, he continues to impress and improve with each passing game. He was terrific on the penalty kill, forechecking and not letting the Penguins enter the defensive zone. He is involved physically as he had three hits and is not afraid to shoot the puck. I hope to see him in a Canadiens uniform for many years to come.

4) I missed not hearing Michel Lacroix introduce the players. While it was a nice idea to have the players pre-record heir voices, they sounded so serious and flat. Lacroix would have inspired the roars and cheers.

Cheers & follow along!
Join the Discussion: » 20 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