As per usual at lunchtime, I browsed Twitter to see what was up with the Habs today. Considering that the lines at practice remain unchanged, there isn't much to report aside from the fact that Noah Juulsen is now back on the ice with the Rocket. Of course he's wearing a no contact jersey but that's still a rather positive step taken in the right direction.
#Habs Juulsen(likeDeslauriersbeforehim) isnowthe keeperof the bird. Juulsenisawaitingmedicalclearance to play— perhapsas earlyas Sunday in Chicago — and willneedto wear a cage intoJanuary.
The twoshotshetookto the cheekon 11/19 hit himin the samespot. pic.twitter.com/DctvtAUfgU
I could also tell you how important tonight's game is but I think everything has been said over and over and over again about that topic and we're all aware of the ramifications a loss could have. What I've yet to speak about though is who should win the Jacques-Beauchamp trophy which is given each season to the Habs' player who has been the team's unsung hero. According to Luc Gélinas, the journalists are voting today:
C'est aujourd'hui que l'on vote pour le trophée Jacques-Beauchamp. Le joueur qui contribue aux succès du club sans recevoir la reconnaissance qu'il devrait. Il y a une couple de candidats #CH #rds
Petry?
Tatar ?
Danault?
Mete?
In his tweet he also mentions a few possible candidates; Petry, Tatar, Danault and Mete. In the last 3 seasons, Paul Byron has won it twice (2015-16 and 2017-18) while Philip Danault claimed it in 2016-17. If it were up to me, I'd struggle to pick between Jeff Petry and Andrew Shaw. Why? Well, for a start, both players are having career years. With 6 games to play, Petry is on 42 points which ties his best season (last year) while Shaw is on 40 points having topped his 39 points total from 2013-2014. It should be noted that he had played 80 games back then while he will have taken part in a maximum of 63 contests this season.
However, it's not all about the points, it's more than that...it's that ability to step up when needed. Had it not been for Jeff Petry this season, the Canadiens' blue line would have been downright atrocious. He stepped into Shea Weber's skates while the captain was recovering from injuries and logged an insane amount of minutes, being used in pretty much every single situation.
As for Andrew Shaw, the mutt has had a tough season being injured and experiencing post concussion symptoms but he never capitulated. He came back stronger every time and now that the season is on the line, his leadership is visible. Not only on the ice where he delivers but also in the locker room. He calls out teammates when they should be called out and he backs up his word with his actions on the ice. Sure, there were those 2 minor penalties last game which put the Habs down to 4 men for 4 minutes, but that kind of player plays and always has played with an edge. The man has won it all before with Chicago (2013 and 2015) and it shows.
If I had to chose between the two, I'd struggle. Petry's contribution was bigger at the start of the year while Shaw is the one taking more space right now...Any way I could have 2 votes?
Now, before I go one interesting bit of info. Jonathan Drouin said this this morning when asked about his time on ice:
Jonathan Drouin sur son temps d'utilisation à la baisse
"Cen'est pas à moi d'aller chialer. Je l'ai fait dans le passé et ce n'est pas la bonne chose. J'ai déjà été dans la même situation quand j'avais 19 ans. Je suis capable d'apprendre de ça" #CH #rds
For those who do not speak French, here it is loosely translated: It's not my place to complain. I've done it in the past and it's not the right thing to do. I've been in a similar kind of situation when I was 19. I can learn from this.
I must say I'm happy to hear this was his reaction of course, some will say that he doesn't really feel that way and is just saying the right thing but that's already better than what he did in Tampa Bay. Furthermore, he has been attending the optional skates of late and really looks like he wants to bust out of that slump. Hopefully, he does just that tonight. The game starts at 19.30 and Luongo will be in goal for the Cats...He's shutout the Habs 4 times over the span of his career, hopefully he won't get shutout number 5 tonight.