In a game that that the Montreal Canadiens had very little business being in, they managed to defeat the Dallas Stars 4-3 in overtime Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Heading into the game, the Stars were tied with the Chicago Blackhawks with 87 points for the lead in the Central division and Western conference and now have the lead due to the overtime point they received from their OT loss. They are in a heated battle with their division rivals while the Canadiens lineup featured only 8 players who were dressed back on opening night. The youngsters though are playing as though they have something to prove and nothing to lose. The Canadiens are showing some heart even though they are not always getting the results. On Tuesday night after returning home from a frustrating 0-3-1 road trip, they finally got that elusive win.
The Canadiens were led by none other than Alex Galchenyuk who is only getting more impressive as the team’s #1 center with each passing day. Against the Stars Galchenyuk had 2 goals and an assist, including the overtime game winner. That is now 9 goals in 7 games for Galchenyuk including 4 multi-goal games. The chemistry between himself and Max Pacioretty is improving with each passing shift and it is evident that these two are enjoying playing together. Their linemate last night Sven Andrighetto, probably had his best game of the season. He was determined to show that he could contribute to the top line’s success and not simply be a passenger. Andrighetto’s effort on the forecheck and pass to set up Galchenyuk’s first goal was spectacular:
Great work by Andrighetto on the forecheck. Galchenyuk makes no mistake. 2-2. pic.twitter.com/WkEmJ4SCfQ
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 9, 2016
With the recent call-ups and acquisitions of players such as Michael McCarron, Jacob De La Rose, Mike Brown and Lucas Lessio the Canadiens are finally getting bigger and it is showing on the ice. Against the Stars the Canadiens had 40 hits of which Brown had 9 of them. They are making it a lot tougher on their opponents as they are wearing them down. McCarron and De La Rose are especially looking very good on the forecheck, keeping the play alive by chasing the puck and outworking their competition.
It was an exciting night for Phillip Danault as he scored his first goal with the Canadiens and only the 2nd of his career. He played a strong almost 15 minutes of hockey and is coming as advertised in the face-off circle, winning 70% of his draws against the Stars. Lucas Lessio had been a healthy scratch as of late and was inserted into the lineup when Lars Eller was unable to play. He complimented Danault and Brown on the 4th line and earned his first point as Canadiens on Danault’s goal.
For much of the season I have criticized head coach Michel Therrien whenever he has utilized Andrei Markov in overtime. However, with Jeff Petry, Nathan Beaulieu and Tom Gilbert all injured, Therrien did not have much choice in the matter last night. In reality though, Markov has been playing some of his best hockey of the season over the past 10 plus games. He has looked like the Markov of old making sound decisions with the puck. His pass to Galchenyuk for the game winner was one that they apparently practice everyday. The Canadiens don’t have to worry about saving Markov for the playoffs and he is playing like he has the weight of the world off of his shoulders.
Alexei Emelin is also playing some of his best hockey of the year and somewhat surprisingly it is alongside Greg Pateryn. They are playing physical hockey and within their own limits. Pateryn is even showing an underrated yet accurate shot that is creating opportunities for his teammates. Pateryn has an assist two games in a row and 3 assists in the past games. Those three points are his total for his entire NHL career. This pairing could be a glimpse into next season’s plans for the Canadiens as the top 6 could very well be:
Markov-Subban Beaulieu-Petry Emelin-Pateryn
That is a nice and balanced top 6…
In other news on the injury front, it was announced that Brendan Gallagher will miss 2-3 weeks with a lower body injury (groin pull?) and that Jeff Petry has sports hernia surgery and is out for 12 weeks. Lars Eller wore a non-contact jersey at practice today and so he is unlikely to to play tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres.
In what was a surprise to the hockey world, it was announced that former Canadiens Jarred Tinordi failed a drug test for a performance enhancing substance and has been suspended for 20 games. Apparently the test was taken while he was still a member of the Canadiens:
To be clear: Tinordi positive test happened before the trade while he was with #Canadiens organization. #Coyotes were notified yesterday.
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) March 9, 2016
Tinordi took full responsibility but claimed innocence in terms of not knowing that the drug was banned by the NHL:
Jarred Tinordi says he didn't "knowingly" take a banned substance. pic.twitter.com/rJCxFdKQKb
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 9, 2016
Perhaps he was clueless that he was taking an illegal drug. Athletes do have a responsibility to verify all substances/medications/prescriptions that they take to make sure that they are within the rules. Remember what happened to Niklas Backstrom at the Sochi games? He took a cold medicine from a trainer and had to miss the gold medal game due to a failed drug test, a heartbreaking moment based on an innocent mistake. I feel like I would be likely to be leaner on Tinordi if he disclosed which drug caused him to fail the test, similarly to Maria Sharapova’s recent situation who took full responsibility and was very open about her circumstances regarding her failed drug test at the Australian Open.
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