The Montreal Canadiens are continuing to prove that they are currently the best team in the NHL as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres last night by a score of 7-2. While the Canadiens best players and leaders are dominating in each and every way, the Canadiens are not a one line only team. Contributions are pouring in from across the lineup and in Buffalo it started with backup goalie Mike Condon who continues to prove that he belongs in the NHL. Buffalo pressed and stayed with the Canadiens for the 1st half of the game. Fittingly, former Sabre Torrey Mitchell scored what would prove to be the game winner midway through the second period and the Canadiens never looked back.
Props & Flops, the props will once again outnumber the flops...
Props:
Andrei Markov - What a night it was for Andrei Markov as he scored his first goal of the season, had 4 assists and recorded his 500th NHL point.
Andrei Markov (1-4—5) is 3rd @CanadiensMTL d-man to record 500 PTS (109-392—501). Others: Robinson (197-686—883) and Lapointe (166-406—572).
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 24, 2015At 36 years young, Markov is playing inspired hockey. With the addition of Jeff Petry on the backend, head coach Michel Therrien has been able to limit Markov’s minutes as they are focusing on keeping this level of play up throughout the season and hopefully into the playoffs. Through 8 games Markov is averaging 23:22 minutes of ice time. He and P.K. Subban are displaying incredible chemistry and are having fun. It is safe to say that they have had a positive influence on each other:
We're pointing at you, Andrei Markov: His 500th NHL point came in his 5-point night in 7-2 #Habs rout of #Sabres pic.twitter.com/gBIMaRVP8c
— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) October 24, 2015And Subban on Markov (quote courtesy of Canadiens.com):
“He’s been playing some great hockey, and he’s been a great influence on me -- a real role model. Tonight’s just another lesson for me to learn from,… dished the soon-to-be 37-year-old’s partner on the blue line, P.K. Subban. “I see a lot of myself in Marky, from the way that he plays, to what he’s able to see on the ice. He’s similar to a guy like Niklas Lidstrom. They can both go all night. You might not notice them, but they’ll end the night with a couple of points on the stat sheet. He does his job quietly, and that’s something I try to do too.…
Props: Brendan Gallagher - Tomas Plekanec - Max Pacioretty - This line has simply been outstanding. They are in complete sync and bringing out the best in each other. The players know what each of their jobs are and they do it with such efficiency. Both of Gallagher’s goals came from his home away from home, around the crease. Plekanec had 3 assists and was 50% on faceoffs, most importantly winning cleanly the one on the powerplay that led to Markov’s goal. Pacioretty chipped in with a goal and assist as well. At this point the line is like a well oiled machine.
Canadiens Powerplay - The powerplay connected for 2 goals in 3 opportunites. The Canadiens are dedicating the time in practice to improve on it and the results are starting to show. The Canadiens now sit 16th in the league in powerplay rankings.
Flops:
Alex Semin - After scoring his first goal of the season and as a Canadiens, Semin had a very quiet night. On a night that the Canadiens scored 7 goals, Semin and his line did not factor into any of the Habs goals and were on the ice for Buffalo’s even strength goal. I am looking at a bounce back effort tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Therrien won’t be happy with Semin’s play but he won’t tinker with a winning lineup. He is getting the chance to work through it and it is up to him to make it work.
Props:
Mike Condon - The Sabres are fast and have offensively gifted players. Condon was especially sharp in the first period, making the hard saves look easy and being in the right position at the right time. When the Sabres came back to tie the game in the 2nd, there was no sense of dread by either himself or his teammates. Whereas last year Tokarski would have folded when he gave the lead, Condon stood tall and the players pressed to get the lead back. After Mitchell scored the go ahead goal, Condon shut the door on the Sabres for the rest of the night. There is a good reason that Habs management told him he could move out of the hotel and find permanent residency.
Props: Dale Weise - David Desharnais - Tomas Fleischmann: Dale Weise scored 2 goals against the Sabres and this line could have had even more. They are playing, solid and stable hockey. There were doubts about Desharnais being a 3rd line center but he has passed the tests so far with flying colours. Fleischmann has proved to be invaluable.
Props:
Torrey Mitchell - He now has 3 goals through 8 games whereas he had all of six goals the season before. This season he is playing with an added edge. Mitchell tipped a Subban shot in for a goal for the second game in a row. He has brought enthusiasm, speed and as an added bonus some offence as well. This signing by Bergevin was underrated but entirely necessary.
Flops:
Nathan Beaulieu - Tom Gilbert: For the first time this season, the Canadiens 3rd pairing on defence looked out of sync. Neither of these defencemen want to be the first one to sit this season and for the first time they played like they had it in the back of their mind. On Matt Moulson’s goal, he was left alone in the slot for a split second that was long enough for Sam Reinhart to find him. Beaulieu and Gilbert did not appear to be communicating. Again, it doesn’t appear that Therrien will alter his winning lineup but this pairing needs to bounce back as well against Toronto tonight.
Neither here nor there:
Not one forward played more than 17 minutes and not one defenceman played more over 24 minutes. The Canadiens play the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight and fatigue should not be a factor.
Can the Canadiens push their winning ways and streak to 9? They have a chap named Carey Price in net tonight and so there is no reason to think that they are not capable of it. The Maple Leafs and Mike Babcock will do their best to make sure that this doesn’t happen. Saturday night in Montreal, anything can happen between these two teams.
Shoutout to Doum79 for catching that the Habs have won by 3 goals or more in their last four games. Through 8 games the Canadiens have still not allowed a 1st period goal, scored 3 goals or more in every contest and have not allowed more than 2 goals in a game. Their 8 wins have all come in regulation. Finally they have trailed for a total of 2:57 minutes through 8 games. All of which are incredible feats.
The Sabres are much improved but they need help with their goaltending in Robin Lehner’s injury. Eichel and Reinhart are exciting players to watch. *** I’ll update later if there are any lineup changes***
Cheers & enjoy the game tonight! Follow @Jenbcutler