Canadiens Try To Keep Momentum Going In Ottawa, Reway to EU, Scherbak Out (Hudon)

Hudon

Canadiens Try To Keep Momentum Going In Ottawa, Reway to EU, Scherbak Out

By Brandon Smillie

Oct 30, 2017 • 2:44 pm

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The Montreal Canadiens narrowly avoided disaster on Saturday night when they held on for a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers. The Canadiens jumped out to an early lead by scoring 3 on Rangers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec in a span of under 6 minutes in the middle of the frame. Byron, Galchenyuk (PP) and Danault provided the offence and the Habs owned the period, outshooting NYR by a total of 19-2.

The ice began to tilt back towards center for the remainder of the game with the Rangers clawing their way back into the game with 2 goals in second period before Pacioretty responded with his 3rd of the season.

The Rangers came out hard again in the third period and scored another 2 goals on Carey Price before Phillip Danault scored what would stand up as the game winner at 9:37 of the period.

Price had another shaky outing stopping 22 of 26 shots for a .846 SP%. His positional play has been his strongest asset throughout his career but this season he doesn’t look comfortable. He slips, he slides to far on his lateral movements, and he isn’t tracking the puck very well at all. I have faith he will regain form, but it is just odd to see him look this way.

Player of the game was definitely Phillip Danault who put up 2 goals, 2 assists, 6 shots, and was a +3 while playing 19:35. Danault’s reunion with Pacioretty has had a positive impact on both players. Not many people give the Canadiens much credit for bringing in Danault from Chicago, but I’ve felt he was a tremendous addition. Danault is a worker with skill and a good hockey IQ and as this season wears on I hope most will recognize his ability as a top 6 NHL center.

After last night, he is now second on the Habs in scoring (3G, 4A) with a solid CF% of 56.3 all while having a PDO of 88.9, which is almost exactly 10 points less than his career average. I know I’ve beaten the puck luck drum already, and it is fair to point it out, but if there is a turn around to the Habs season I think we will see even more from Danault as the season progresses.

REWAY HEADING BACK TO EUROPE + SCHERBAK HAS KNEE SURGERY

In some unfortunate news, Martin Reway had decided it was best for him to continue his efforts to regain his form in Europe and subsequently he and the Laval Rocket mutually agreed to terminate his contract. It really is a shame to see this news as I’m sure we all hoped Reway would be able to progress here in Canada and get a shot with Canadiens. If Reway and his family believe this is whats best for him then I wish him all the best. I hope he can find his way back before too long and we get to see the potential he had realized.

Nikita Scherbak has had surgery for his injured knee and will be out approximately 6 weeks according the Canadiens official website. Can I just speak for Habs fans everywhere and say “Uncle!…? This team simply can’t catch any breaks and this is just one more log on the fire. Scherbak was finally showing signs of realizing his potential and it has been dashed just as quickly as it materialized. Let’s hope for a speedy, and set back free, recovery for Scherbak and hope when he returns he can regain form quickly.

SENATORS HOST CANADIENS TONIGHT

The Habs make the short trip to Ottawa to start off a 4 game road swing that includes games against Minnesota, Winnipeg, and Chicago with the final two being back to back. Tough sledding indeed. But the Canadiens did play well against the Rangers last game and will look to carry that into Ottawa tonight.

The Habs have yet to put in a complete, 60 minute effort and while the results have been mostly poor I wouldn’t say its because of said effort. The team actually plays pretty well and played pretty well in some of those previous losses. The play of the goaltenders has been lacking big time and tonight is a big test for Al Montoya to show he still has what it takes to be a quality back up. The night one of these goalies turns in a SP% over .900 combined with 3 goals from the Canadiens will most certainly be a win. Hopefully, it begins tonight.

The Senators will turn to 36 year old Craig Anderson who comes in with .913 SP%, 2.67 GAA, and a record of 4-1-3.

The Canadiens were 3-1-0-1 last season against the Senators and they are hoping to continue trending upward in play. The Habs have won 2 of their last 3 games and I’m sure the coaching staff will be looking to capitalize on a surge of confidence.

The Canadiens will look to control the ever dangerous Erik Karlsson who comes into the game with 9 points (all A’s) in his last 5 games. So the captain is creating like he usually does and while he’s one of the leagues most difficult defensive assignments, the Habs will have to do their best to slow him down and take away his opportunities on the rush. Staying out of the penalty box will help too. The Sens are rich in scorers with Hoffman, Stone, Brassard, and Canadiens killer Pageau. Discipline will be key tonight.

The lines this morning remained unchanged and are as follows:

Lehkonen - Drouin - Byron Pacioretty - Danault - Shaw Hudon - Plekanec - Gallagher Galchenyuk - McCarron - Mitchell De La Rose

Mete - Weber Alzner - Benn Davidson - Petry Morrow

Montoya Price

The first two lines seem to be gaining chemistry and that can only be good news with all the trouble Montreal has had scoring so far this season. We all see it in the games. The Habs play well and they generate lots of opportunities. They also hit quite a few posts and they can dominate for 10 minutes before the other teams next scoring chance. The unfortunate part has been that the next scoring chance has ended up in the net and the following shift the Habs look stunned and either give up another goal or give up all momentum.

With Price being the biggest leader on the team and struggling, it’s likely rippling through the team. Price looks out of sorts, team looks out of sorts. With Carey getting a breather tonight, hopefully a little respite before a couple days off in Minnesota gives him the time he needs to step back, refocus, and get back to basics. Even if he was just his positionally sound self, making hard saves look absolutely effortless, I would feel he is on his way back to form. Here’s hoping we see that next game.

Speaking of opportunities, last game Habs rookie standout Victor Mete played a season low 11:01 taking 20 shifts as opposed to his usual 25-28. Mete did not have very good game against the LA Kings the other night going -3 and he was to blame for one of the Rangers goals last game with a bad clearing attempt and then missed coverage (Rick Nash goal I believe). Unfortunate, but not unexpected for a 19 year old D man in the NHL. Growing pains will happen, but being that he is still practicing with Weber I think he will get back into 17-18 TOI range tonight. His speed and puck handling are an asset the Canadiens can ill afford to keep on the bench for too long.

So keys to the game: Maintain quality starts but try to carry momentum all game, Contain OTT offence/remain disciplined, Get quality goaltending.

Tall order, but the Habs are trending the right way so let’s see if that can continue tonight.

Have a safe Devils Night and a Happy Halloween!

Here’s a little Halloween fun to end todays ramblings courtesy of one of my Twitter followers.

Dont forget to check out Upper Deck products at your local hobby shops and online! Preorders for UD Series 1 and 2 are already happening so if you’re a big collector, or a new one, make sure you stop by your local shop and see if you can get yourself a box (or case). The Young Guns rookie set are one of the most collected rookie sets all year and the Exclusives (#’d to 100) and High Gloss (#’ to 10) are always worth good money on the secondary market (depending on the rookie of course). You can find Auto’s, jersey, and patch cards in these boxes as well! Check it out!

Happy 4th Birthday to my boy Blake! He loves having snacks at our bar with me!

Follow me on Twitter @BrandonSmillie where I mostly stick to hockey stuff.

If you have interest in advertising in this space message me through the HockeyBuzz PM system or through Twitter.

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