1) You can pull two ugly losses to the Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres under the microscope and find fault in many different places, but perhaps it'd be wiser to start evaluating the Canadiens on their performances against quality competition.
It seems that every time this Canadiens team has an opportunity to take to the ice and prove something to itself, it rises to the occasion.
The team is Dale Weise in a microcosm. They are a team that cannot succeed without work prevailing over skill. The sum of their parts, the majority of them at the capacity of their ability, make the Canadiens a very difficult team to beat. And they've proven that time and time again this season.
2) Speaking of Dale Weise, he deserves the credit too many people in this market are reluctant to give him. He does all the little things that should lead to goals, and he's a player that deserves the bounces that come his way.
If you want to continue to repeat the mantra that he doesn't belong on the top line, so be it, but you can't bemoan the effort he puts in to seize the opportunity. He's got underrated skill, but he takes nothing for granted.
There are examples of other players around the league, in Weise's category, that have played strings of games on the top two lines. Jay Beagle in Washington comes to mind. Andrew Shaw in Chicago comes to mind. Nick Spaling in Pittsburgh is another.
It doesn't make sense to have these players in these positions over 82 games of a season, but they're used when an injury occurs to a top six forward, they're used to motivate other players in the lineup, and sometimes--like in Weise's case--they're used because they bring an elements like size and hustle to the equation.
3) The contest in New Jersey was critical for Weise. After scoring against the Islanders, Weise went six straight without a goal while playing on the top line. If he doesn't score against New Jersey, he probably doesn't keep his place next to Pacioretty and Desharnais. Sure enough, he came through with two, then scores one and sets up on against the Bruins.
4) Getting back to point number one, after three wins against the Bruins this year, last night was going to be the toughest game the Canadiens have played against them. The Habs had to be keenly aware of the fact that Boston was playing their best hockey coming into the game; that they were hungry to knock the Canadiens off their perch in a four-game contest after narrowing the gap in the standings; that they were out for blood.
Surely, the Habs are aware that any time they stroll into Boston, they better be prepared for a very physically demanding game. Knowing this, it's impressive to see Montreal come out and play the way they did.
The Habs turned the speed up a few notches, they got performances from everyone in their roster, and Carey Price was so good, even the one that got by him failed to get to the back of the net.
5) Rereading Ken Dryden's "The Game" a couple of months ago, he refers to Boston Garden as his house. He cites his performances with Cornell in that building, and countless wins in the regular season and in the playoffs, noting he can't seem to lose in Boston.
Price must skate into Boston feeling untouchable at this point.
There's a coolness to Price that makes him comparable to Dryden. There's a skill level that makes him comparable to Patrick Roy. When you combine the two, you get a goaltender that may go down as the best of the three before all is said and done. Sure, he'll never win six Stanley Cups in eight years, and he won't reinvent the position either, but by 27, Price has worn World Junior and Olympic Gold, he was the MVP of a Calder Cup championship, and he's really just a year into his prime, on his way to winning this year's Vezina trophy, possibly picking up a Hart trophy with it. Who knows where he can bring this Canadiens team?
6) There were two big keys to the performance in Boston: The third and fourth lines.
Against New Jersey, Therrien relegated Brandon Prust and Jiri Sekac to the fourth line in favor of Jacob De La Rose and Christian Thomas. He promoted them towards the end of the game, and he kept them with Lars Eller against Boston.
All five of those players were great in Boston, and Michael Bournival was a dog chasing a bone.
7) There have been occasions this year where a minor elevation in play for Alexei Emelin and Tom Gilbert has made a considerable difference. When these two get on their toes, they become a solid third pairing. They challenge Sergei Gonchar and Nathan Beaulieu for ice time, as they did last night, and they become engaged in a manner you wish would prevail more consistently.
Montreal's third pair played as its second pair in the second of back-to-backs, and they combined for five hits, four blocked shots and some game-saving plays in front of Price.
These are two players fans love to hate on, but you have to give them credit when they come up with a strong performance. Let's see how they build on it.
8) I'd expect Dustin Tokarski in nets when the Philadelphia Flyers visit Tuesday. Heavy schedule ahead with 10 games in 19 nights to close out February, and with Steve Mason sidelined, Tokarski is a safe bet.
You have to think Tokarski was scheduled for the Devils game, but it would make sense that Therrien would audible with the Canadiens dropping consecutive games against Arizona and Buffalo. Tokarski wasn't exactly outstanding in his last performance.
The Oilers and Leafs up after Philly, and this could be a huge week for the Canadiens to continue climbing up the standings.
With 34 wins in 52 games, only the Nashville Predators have a better winning percentage than the Canadiens do.
9) You have to be truly impressed with Montreal's discipline in Boston. Jiri Sekac took a hard hit from Torey Krug early in the game, but didn't retaliate. Two shifts later, he gets run twice by Lucic, and the second time he ends up planting Boston's most feared player with a reverse hit.
Max Pacioretty was targeted. He was blanketed by Patrice Bergeron all game, and he was sent flying on a knee-on-knee coming out of his own zone. No retaliations.
Subban was run in from behind by Brad Marchand. No retaliation.
Lucic predictably came after Alexei Emelin. Hitting him into the boards wasn't enough, when Emelin struck back, out came the crosscheck. No retaliation.
The Canadiens skated out of Boston without taking a single penalty.
10) There was a lot to like about De La Rose's game at centre, and maybe just enough to keep him there instead of Manny Malhotra. The one deficiency; he was 27% in the face off circle. But De La Rose's speed is impressive. His work without the puck is real solid. He's surprisingly physical, and he definitely has more offensive upside than Malhotra does. There's no question he's a better option than Gabriel Dumont.
P.A. Parenteau's working his way back. When he returns, the Canadiens will have to decide what to do with Bournival, Thomas, and De La Rose. Can't help but wonder who they decide to keep with them...