Edit: The Habs have announced that Ben Scrivens has been waived and that free agent goaltender Charlie Lindgren has been signed to a two-year, two-way deal.
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
Lindgren will be Mike Condon's backup until the end of the year.
Marc Bergevin states via #Habs release that Lindgren will finish the season with the Canadiens...
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) March 30, 2016
The Montreal Canadiens played one of their best games of the season last night against the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-3 victory nail biter at the Bell Centre. Max Pacioretty scored two goals and could’ve easily had 4, while Alex Galchenyuk had two assists and goaltender Mike Condon shut the door on a Red Wings team that’s desperate to punch its ticket to the playoffs for a 25th consecutive season. Condon stopped 39 of the 42 shots he faced– 23 during the third period alone - despite giving up three in the second period. Paul Byron notched a goal and an assist playing alongside Galchenyuk and Pacioretty, but I’m hard-pressed to believe that he’ll remain a first-line winger for the next three years. I hope that Sven Andrighetto (1G, 1A) will be the go-to man for the time being. That is, until Marc Bergevin figures out a way to add a top-line right wing over the course of the offseason.
It was about time that the veterans stepped their game up, especially in front of an impatient home crowd. The problem is that they’ve taken way too long to have a positive impact and influence over their AHL counterparts, who’ve certainly not learned much with regards to leadership in the short time they’ve spent in the NHL. They’ve often been relied on to carry the load of a team that’s looked discouraged and hopeless over the past three-plus months, and that’s a daunting task to ask of a 20-year-old Michael McCarron, for instance.
I wonder why the Habs chose this particular game to show what they’re capable of doing. Spoiling an Original Six’s chances of making it to the Spring Dance makes sense if Michel Therrien’s troops were already a shoe-in, so I have a hard time understanding what motivated them to come away with a victory. It was an entertaining game to watch, and I’m not complaining about a win, but I’m truly curious as to what could’ve possibly incited Montreal to do so well when they should be aiming for the best draft pick.
Defensively, there weren’t any players that seemed out of place. Joel Hanley had a helper on one of Pacioretty’s goal, while Andrei Markov and Alexei Emelin continued to play smart, virtually mistake-free hockey. I still don’t think Emelin deserved a 5-minute major penalty for his hit on Dylan Larkin, though the way the Red Wings player fell on the boards is probably what pushed the referees to penalize #74. I doubt he’ll be suspended or have a disciplinary hearing with the League.
See the video for yourselves, and let me know if you agree or disagree :
With only two more home games to go, the misery Habs fans have gone through in this season to forget will come to an end very soon.