The Montreal Canadiens blew a third period lead for the 2nd game in a row, this time allowing the Detroit Red Wings to comeback and win the game 3-2. After a loosey goosey first period that saw many breakaways and odd man rushes, Darren Helm opened the scoring in the second period as he found the back of the net on his 3rd breakaway of the game. The Canadiens replied just two minutes later as Charles Hudon blasted a shot on Petr Mrazek that Sven Andrighetto pushed over the goal line as it trickled behind the goalie. It was Hudon’s first NHL point in his first NHL game. In the third period, Tomas Fleischmann gave the Canadiens the lead as he placed a perfect shot blocker side and scored. Unfortunately, the Canadiens were extremely undisciplined on this night taking 7 penalties against the Red Wings. Justin Abdelkader would tie the game with Alexei Emelin in the box. Then just 71 seconds later, Darren Helm would score his 2nd of the game giving Detroit the lead and win. Against the Bruins in their previous game, the Canadiens lost the game in 42 seconds and so 71 is a slight improvement, right? #SmallVictories
Sarcasm aside, this marked the 4th consecutive loss in regulation for the Canadiens and the frustration is being felt by the players and fans alike. They have had opportunities to win as the Canadiens have had the lead in 3 of their 4 losses but simply could not keep their opponents at bay. Nor have they been able to provide support for their goaltenders as the Canadiens have allowed 3 goals in each of those 4 losses. The offence has dried up without Brendan Gallagher and head coach Michel Therrien’s constant tinkering to the Canadiens top line has not allowed for chemistry to develop. For reference, the forward lines last night were:
Pacioretty-Galchenyuk-Weise Eller-Plekanec-Byron Fleischmann-Desharnais-Carr Hudon-Flynn-Andrighetto
Here are my Props & Flops from the game:
Props:
Dustin Tokarski - He started his first NHL game of the season for the Canadiens and in no way shape or form could the loss be pinned on him. Many had doubts about Tokarski’s ability to regain his confidence and form and in the first period especially, he proved that he was up to the task. He tracked the puck well and had much better rebound control than what we saw in the preseason. The game could have been over in the 1st period had Tokarski not made some excellent saves. The goals that were scored game on a breakaway, powerplay and defensive lapse. There was little that he could do on those.
Flop: Michel Therrien - I’ve had him in the Props section on numerous occasions this season. For 25 games he was coaching as well as anyone in the league with his name often brought up as a Jack Adams candidate. Against Detroit though I did not agree with his game plan. Dale Weise is not a 1st line player. He is not the right winger to play with Alex Galchenyuk. There is no reason why Andrighetto should have been demoted to the 4th line. A one game trial for Andrighetto with Galchenyuk and Pacioretty was not fair to the players. The other move I strongly disagreed with was the benching of Nathan Beaulieu in favor of Greg Pateryn. I am a big fan of Pateryn, but with the Canadiens struggling for offence, the team needs all of the help that they can get. The Canadiens are a better team with Beaulieu in the lineup.
Flop:
The Canadiens Defence - It was a rough night for just about all 6 Canadiens defencemen, especially the duo of Gilbert and Pateryn who were on the ice for both of Helm’s goals. Jeff Petry played one of his worst games of the season, even if he was not on the ice for any goals as the Red Wings players routinely got around him, normally this is a rarity. Emelin took an unnecessary high sticking penalty and the Red Wings tied the score on the ensuing powerplay while Petry and P.K. Subban also took minors. Subban’s especially hurt as the Canadiens were only able to pull Tokarski to play 5 on 5 at the end of the game, rather than get a man advantage. The Canadiens defence looked like they had played the night before and acted like it as well.
Props:
The Young Guys: Charles Hudon, Sven Andrighetto & Daniel Carr - Hudon has been working hard and succeeding in the AHL ever since he turned professional last year. His rookie season in the minors was dynamite and by all accounts he kept up an excellent attitude while his teammates were getting the calls up this season. Hudon was finally rewarded with a call up of his own with Devante Smith-Pelly’s recent injury. He made the most of his limited minutes and got the Canadiens back in the game with his hard shot as Andrighetto was the beneficiary of a tap in goal. Although Andrighetto was relegated to the 4th line, the chemistry between these two forwards were quite obvious. Carr was promoted to the 3rd line to fill in for Weise and you can see why St. John’s coach Sylvain Lefebvre likened him to Gallagher. Carr was aggressive and tenacious around the crease and in the offensive zone. He has a nose for the net and that is something the Canadiens are lacking in right now.
Flop:
The Canadiens Young Leaders - I’m looking squarely at Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban here. Yes, the Canadiens are missing their other young leaders such as Carey Price and Brendan Gallagher. However, now is the time for the Captain and Subban to step up and carry the Canadiens. Neither are playing at their best right now and each of them are pointless during this 4 game skid. Subban has not scored a goal since October 24th which is ok for the most part as he has been creating opportunities for others. But with 1 assist in his past 7 games, it is time for Subban to play like we know he can. The Canadiens have had opportunities to win these close games but they need their best players and leaders to show up. I don’t expect as much from Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Markov. They are quiet veteran leaders. Pacioretty and Subban have to pull the team together and the sooner it happens the better. That lead in the Atlantic division is dwindling and the schedule is only going to get tougher… They don’t have to win every game until Price and Gallagher return. They just have to find ways to win rather than ways to lose.
Neither Here Nor There:
Tomas Fleischmann played a really good game. However, he did take two minor penalties and his second one gave Detroit some momentum which they carried over into their next penalty which they scored on. Otherwise I would have given props to Fleischmann as he was most likely the Canadiens best forward, scoring a goal and playing a very good game with Desharnais and Carr.
Pateryn will likely find himself back in the press box against Ottawa tomorrow night. Will Therrien continue with his benching of Beaulieu or will he give Jarred Tinordi his first game of the season as a reward for his play down in St. John’s on his conditioning stint?
Perhaps due to Tokarski’s strong play, he has earned another start against Ottawa tomorrow night. For now I would still lean towards giving Condon the start as he has a better history against the Senators than Tokarski...
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