Led by Captain Max Pacioretty the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Pacioretty opened the scoring in the first period and also scored the winning goal in the third to put a damper in the Red Wings playoffs hopes. Paul Byron scored his 11th of the season which led to Petr Mrazek getting pulled in the first period in favour of Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings regrouped in the first intermission and took advantage of their powerplay opportunities in the second period, scoring 3 goals with the man advantage and taking a 3-2 lead into the third period. Sven Andrighetto on the powerplay to tie the game in the 3rd while Pacioretty scored on a perfect pass from Galchenyuk to give the Canadiens the win.
Pacioretty had come under fire for not knowing that the Canadiens were eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend. Pacioretty has gone through growing pains in his first year as captain. This is not the way he or any of his teammates envisioned the season unfolding. However, each time Pacioretty has endured some criticism he has come back stronger time and time again. Against the Red Wings he led the way for the Canadiens from the puck drop until the last second.
Mike Brown is fortunate that the Canadiens were able to comeback as it was a rough night for the tough guy. He took an unnecessary double minor in the second period which led to the Red Wings third powerplay goal. Alexei Emelin could have scored his first goal in over a year to tie the game but Brown had clearly interfered with Howard, resulting in a disallowed game. Fortunately for Brown his teammates kept at it and were able to still come back to tie and then win the game. Many have been suggesting that Brown should be re-signed to provide some needed toughness to the Canadiens bottom six. Perhaps he could contribute as the team’s 13th forward but did he really need to be in the lineup against the Red Wings? Does he need to be dressed every game?
The 3 poweplay goals allowed by the Canadiens just goes to show how valuable P.K. Subban is in the backend and not just on offence. In the 9 games that Subban has had to miss due to his neck injury, the Canadiens have allowed at least one power play goal in 7 of those 9 games. During that time they have given 10 powerplay goals in 28 opportunities translating into a success rate of 36%, a fairly dismal stat. Subban has been unfairly criticized all too often that he is irresponsible in his own end. The Canadiens recent troubles on the penalty kill displays just how much they are missing Subban in all facets of the game but especially in their own zone. Team Canada’s braintrust for the World Cup should be considering this when they finalize their roster later this Summer.
Last night’s win though was overshadowed with the news this morning that general manager Marc Bergevin has signed Charlie Lindgren from the St. Cloud Saints of the NCAA to a two year contract. Lindgren was highly sought after as one of the top available UFA goalies as he had 30 wins in 40 games as well as a save percentage of .925 and goals against average of 2.13. Lindgren led the NCAA in wins this season but will be leaving college one year early. He will bring some much needed depth to the Canadiens prospects in goaltending. Lindgren is accompanying the team to Florida and by dressing this season he will burn the first year of his contract, even though there are only 5 games remaining in the season. This is to his advantage as he will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent one year earlier once the time comes. One thing is for sure, we already know that Lindgren will look good in the Bleu-Blanc et Rouge:
Canadiens agree to terms on a two-year contract with free agent Charlie Lindgren. -> https://t.co/1A9oc0WiPc pic.twitter.com/kGEtTT7HC3
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 30, 2016
To make room for Lindgren, Ben Scrivens has been placed on waivers. It is an unfortunate turn of events for Scrivens who came in to a tough situation in Montreal. The Professor has been a consummate pro during his time here and I wish him well and the best of luck.
In addition to Lindgren the Canadiens are carrying a few extra passengers on the plane to Florida as Carey Price, P.K. Subban, Brendan Gallagher, Daniel Carr and Brian Flynn are all travelling with the team. We will have a better sense of who might be ready for action after practice tomorrow morning.
Cheers & follow along! Follow @Jenbcutler