The Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Islanders Thursday night at the Bell Centre to run their record to a league leading 12-2-1. It was a close, fast paced and hard fought game until the Canadiens were able to go up for a good in the third period on a fortunate bounce off the linesman. It has been said many times before: ‘You have to be lucky to be good and good to be lucky’. So far this season, the Canadiens are a prime example of this. They are creating many of their chances through hard work and are capitalizing on their opportunities.
Props:
Everyone who honestly thought that Dale Weise would be leading the Canadiens in goals with 8 through 15 games, please raise your hand. *** crickets ***. What more can be said about Weise and his terrific start? His line with David Desharnais and Tomas Fleischmann clicked immediately in training camp and they have not looked back. Weise has power play goals in two straight games, playing on a unit with Desharnais and Alex Galchenyuk. His teammates are teasing him, calling him ‘Guy Lafleur’ because of his scoring prowess of late and his long blond hair (not Lou Lamoriello approved).
#Habs Desharnais says some of the guys are jokingly calling Weise "Guy Lafleur" because of his blond hockey hair. Oh, and the scoring thing.
— John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) November 6, 2015Weise’s hard work and determination is inspiring. His self-confidence is not to be confused with cockiness. Weise truly believes in himself and does not give up. It is a lesson that everyone can benefit from, on or off the ice.
Props:
David Desharnais & Tomas Fleischmann - Weise's linemates should not be overlooked. Desharnais is playing terrific hockey and is taking advantage of not being constantly matched up to the opposing teams best lines or checkers. When he has a bad game he has rebounded quite nicely. Fleischmann continues to prove all of his doubters wrong. The way he is playing it is hard to imagine that other teams were not interested in his services this Summer. His play on the 2 on 1 winning goal showed maturity and confidence as he waited out the defenders slide to get the puck back to Desharnais.
Flops:
*** Crickets ***
If I had to nitpick, it would only be to say that Galchenyuk and Eller need real help on their right wing. I don't believe that either are lacking in effort. Galchenyuk came within a hair of scoring on the power play. He absolutely needs to shoot the puck more often. In the last 5 games, coach Michel Therrien has tried a trio of 4th liners (Brian Flynn, Devante Smith-Pelly, Paul Byron) and none of them have been able to stick. Galchenyuk, Eller and Alex Semin had their best game of the season the last time the Canadiens faced the Boston Bruins. Perhaps it is time to release Semin from purgatory?
Props:
Max Pacioretty-Tomas Plekanec-Brendan Gallagher: This line came alive again and it was not just because they scored two goals and each player contributed 2 points. Pacioretty was much more aggressive on the forecheck than he had been during his pointless streak. While he is still not at the same speed that everyone is accustomed to, Pacioretty was much more involved and created opportunities. Gallagher’s goal came from his office space, just outside the crease. His hand-eye coordination is second to none.
Props:
Mike Condon - The rookie goaltender is calm, cool and collected. He gave up what was probably his weakest goal of the season but steadied himself and did what he does past, give the Canadiens a chance to win. Nothing more can be asked of Mike Condon.
Neither Here Nor There:
- For someone coming off the flu, John Tavares still played quite well in almost 20 minutes of play. Just imagine how he would have been at full strength
- The Habs held an optional practice this morning. Expect news of any lineup changes tomorrow after the morning skate for the Bruins game. I think that 5 games is enough of a benching for Alex Semin. It’s time to get him back into the lineup and see if he can rekindle the early chemistry he had with Galchenyuk and Eller. I would suggest taking Brian Flynn out of the lineup just because I think that Paul Byron has outplayed him.
#Habs coach M.Therrien says A.Semin is still part of the plan here. "Yes, he still has a future with this team."
— Richard Labbé (@Richardlabbe) November 6, 2015- The Canadiens expect to get an update on Carey Price’s status on Monday. Look for Condon to get his 5th consecutive start against the Bruins on Saturday.
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