Lightning 4 - Habs 3(OT)
Like it or not, the Montreal Canadiens let an easy two points slip away...and much to the discontent of the real star of the game, Carey Price. There were all sorts of game stories leading into tonight's matchup but for all the lauding of Guy Boucher and the new system he brings to Tampa Bay, it was truly what Montreal's head coach Jacques Martin's system failed to bring his team tonight.
A win.
The refs were nothing close to enjoyable, but that's hardly ever a valid excuse. Like it or not, we should all know by now that you are going to get bad calls or have bad breaks go your way, that is just the human nature of the game.
Officiating aside, the Canadiens were quite poised in snaring a quick opening 2 goal lead, but the dreaded square peg - round hole thought process of Jacques Martin reared its ugly head once again tonight.
Now, I hesitate to be so brash in calling out Jacques Martin so early into the season as he proved that he can get results, yet the reality is that sitting on a 2 goal lead, as early as the 2nd period of a game, is simply hazardous to a teams health. Instead of disparagingly returning to a 1-4 system when holding a lead, why doesn't Martin think outside of the box a little and let his offensive players have the opportunity to expand on the lead. It might sound crazy to conservative coach, but it just might work.
Finally, I do have to say that tonight's matchup was very interesting on one particular level, that of the "what could have been files."
Watching Guy Boucher run his system at the NHL level, against the team he was destined to apparently one day coach, was really quite fun.
His approach rekindles the non-stop action that hockey once brought us and gives his team the opportunity to win games. Tampa won't face goaltenders like Carey Price every night so there is an excellent chance this team will enjoy some seriously dominating performances.
That said, despite the Lightning's 47 shots, of which Price managed to turn back 43, many of them were from the perimeter. The shot total may be a negative, but the fact that Price allowed very few rebounds and did not have to face constant pressure down low were bright spots in what was a very splotchy home debut for his team-mates.
Post Game Notes
- Benoit Pouliot breaks your heart. Watching him tonight it was clear to see he was the best player on his line...yet his lack of confidence honestly holds up his stride. If Benny could simply take 2 or 3 more strides at his intended target, be it player or puck, he would be a heck of a lot more successful.
- Andrei Kostitsyn's got his head in the game. Although quiet in the first half of the game, AK wasn't loafing rather he was stalking. He really stepped up in the 3rd period, making big hits, back-checking and make strong defensive plays as well as scoring a beautiful and timely goal for the Habs. He's in his contract year, so I'm doubtful we will see Andrei take things too lightly this year. If anything, he seems far more focused and aware of what his role and responsibilities are this year.
- Carey Price was a stud tonight. Hard to blame him for any of the goals as he was either screened, handcuffed or otherwise let down by his own team-mates. His eyes were on the puck everywhere it went tonight and he was poised. He reminded me alot of the goalie who first came to the Canadiens a few years back, settled in his crease, great puck-handling skills and a perfect balance between being patient and aggressive. The Habs may take awhile to get things together as a team, but Carey's already ready and waiting.
- PK Subban is a little bundle of energy that won't quit. Any other defenseman pinching as much as he did tonight would have been stapled to the bench, and it likely would have been the case with PK were it not for the fact that he is fast enough that he almost always makes it back in time. His speed is phenomenal and his skills are very present. The only thing that is missing is a little control. He needs to reign in his bursts and become more patient in picking his spots, but it's hard to blame him as these are things that must be learned through experience. The only bit of advice for PK I have at the moment is for him to keep two hands on his stick. By leaving one hand off the stick as often as he does, Subban is placing himself in a position where he's going to get called for alot of holding penalties or, as was the case tonight, slashing. Aside from that small bit, he really just needs Andrei Markov to come back to the lineup.
- Lars Eller has great hands, vision and makes an excellent pass. He skates to the front of the net, hustles when he forechecks and is aware enough to cause Marty St.Louis to cough up the puck. Like Pouliot, Lars needs some more confidence to get his game going, but it shouldn't be as tough as with Benny. Cry about the Halak trade all you want, Eller is going to bring a lot of joy to Habs fans, just you wait and see.
- Gomez and Gionta have yet to take off. Of all the players on the team we didn't really expect to have a slow start it would have to be these two. That said, they are skating in circles more than anything else. Perhaps the cobwebs of the summer and pre-season haven't yet been shaken out, but there's little time to waste for these two as the Habs are really counting on them to make the difference alongside Plekanec and Cammalleri.
- Speaking of Pleks and Cammy, they are dynamite. It may have been a losing effort, but these two are a relentless bright spot when they are on the attack. Tonight's smooth efforts and easy goals are simply a product of their chemistry and talent and it really seems like it's only going to get better. The rest of the team needs to catch up to these two, the sooner they do, the better Montreal will be.
- Hal Gill, Jaro Spacek and Roman Hamrlik need more grease in the wheels. Slow as molasses out there tonight, but that is to be expected out veteran defensemen who take a year-long beating. They'll all come around, but it is Spacek who will need to take the biggest step forward. Hamrlik's injury prevents a fair criticism of his game this early on whereas Gill is renowned for his 2nd half and playoff heroics, which leaves a healthy Jaro Spacek. He hasn't been the worst, yet he has yet to help his team out that much. Again, like with PK, once Markov gets back, Spacek will have a much safer role with lesser expectations that should hopefully help him yield better results.
- Ryan O'Byrne played well tonight. Aside from his delay of game gaffe in the 1st, he played a very strong game. And, on top of the physical and relatively consistent performance, it should be noted that he plays pretty well on both sides of the ice. Although it's not much, not too many defenders can switch sides with ease and, despite that likely being a by-product of lineup and roster shuffling, it still serves O'Byrne well.
I could go on about other players and their performances tonight, such as Josh Gorges and his excellent shutdown work against Vinny Lecavalier, but the truth is that it was still a loss and there's only so many good things you can take from a loss.
In the end, I harken back to my statement that it wasn't the penalties or the ridiculous shot totals against that cost the Habs the game tonight, nope. It was the Canadiens conservative head coach's decision to defend a two-goal lead which ultimately led to their demise.
Interestingly enough, it makes all the more sense to highlight this factor as it is a common theme in Montreal losses. It becomes all the more poignant when it comes at the hands of the man who could have been plying the very same system which beat them here tonight instead of the 'Lemaire-ian' style of hockey of hockey that oh-so often costs the Canadiens late game leads.
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Go Habs!!!!!
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