For the first time during the 2016-2017 regular season schedule, the Montreal Canadiens have suffered four consecutive losses in a row.
One would think that with only Brendan Gallagher sidelined due to a hand injury that an almost fully-healthy roster should be returning to the elite status it boasted once upon a time. The Habs started the year off with a 13-1-1 record, with four forward lines put together by head coach Michel Therrien firing on all cylinders and dizzying opponents with their oft-praised speed.
The team's defense was finally starting to look like it was impenetrable, as the smooth transition game could count on defensemen who recovered the puck and quickly passed it to their speedy wingers which often led to breakaways or odd-man rushes. Carey Price was fantastic as always, and free agent signing Al Montoya proved to be the backup goaltender Montreal has been looking for for years.
Supposedly, the ambience in the locker room had drastically changed for the better as the terms “leadership… and “character… were convincingly part of the narratives surrounding the Bleu, Blanc et Rouge. This was supposedly a tight-knit group…
How, then, does one go about justifying that the team has not been playing well over the course of the last several weeks?
Since their aforementioned red-hot 13-1-1 start, the Habs are hardly playing over .500 hockey with a 17-16-7 record:
Habs are now 17-16-7 since their 13-1-1 start. Those points in October and November count just as much as the do now, but that's blah.
— Ðrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 8, 2017
Granted, the team is ninth in the league with an average of 2.8 goals per game, sixth overall in goals-against with an average of 2.47 per game and sixth by converting on 22% of their power play chances. If you look at the standings, the Habs are still holding onto the first spot in the Atlantic Division, and they are ranked eighth overall in the National Hockey League.
But the last four games have shown that there is cause for concern for Therrien and his troops. They have managed only three goals in that same span, and have scored only one powerplay tally in a losing effort against the New York Islanders prior to the All-Star break, their only goal with the man advantage in their last six games.
Who deserves the blame for all of this? Were we once again under the charm of a team that always starts the year off right only to drop significantly in the standings as the season progresses?
It is not as though Therrien is not trying to find winning formulae- he shakes up his lineup as often as he changes socks. But is anybody sincerely convinced that David Desharnais deserves more ice-time than any other centerman? Can anyone state with confidence that he should be rewarded with powerplay duties over a player such as Alex Galchenyuk?
Moreover, Price is continuing to struggle mightily. He has only four victories in his last 12 games while allowing 38 goals over that same span- an average of 3.17 goals-against per game. These are hardly Price-like numbers...
Yesterday, I mentioned that the only truly acceptable outcome would be two victories especially against the league-worst Colorado Avalanche and second-worst Arizona Coyotes. Suffice to say that the team dropped the ball yesterday, and if the effort they put out is any indicator, the Coyotes will prove to be yet another challenge.
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- Jacob De La Rose was relegated to the American Hockey League earlier today, as both Daniel Carr and Michael McCarron have received call-ups:
Michael McCarron and Daniel Carr were recalled, while Jacob De La Rose is headed to St. John's. DETAILS | https://t.co/usMlm7dVSX #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/NfGSNQfnd9
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 8, 2017
- 91.13% of respondents in yesterday’s poll believe that Galchenyuk is a center, and I would agree.
Today's poll asks: