Plekanec Re-Signs 2 yrs / AAV $6 million & Habs beat NYR 3-0 at Home (Beaulieu)

Beaulieu

Plekanec Re-Signs 2 yrs / AAV $6 million & Habs beat NYR 3-0 at Home

By Jennifer B Cutler

Oct 21, 2015 • 2:06 pm

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Before I recap and discuss last night’s game, news came this morning that the Montreal Canadiens and Tomas Plekanec have agreed to and signed a 2 year extension worth an AAV of $6 million usd a season.

This is an excellent deal for both the Canadiens and Plekanec though it is somewhat surprising that he agreed to such a short term without any ‘No trade or movement clauses’. Plekanec will be turning 33 at the end of October. Some might say that an AAV of $6 million is too much money for Plekanec, however that is the range of what the top 2nd line centers in the league are being paid. Ryan Kesler is 31 years old and extended his contract 6 years at $6.875 million AAV. Right now he is playing on the 3rd line in Anaheim. I would much rather have Plekanec signed for 2 years at $6 million a season than Kesler long term. Plekanec has been the model of consistency for the Canadiens throughout his entire career, despite adapting to a tournesol of wingers. His two way play has made him invaluable. The signing ensures that the Canadiens have their core intact over the next few seasons as they push for that elusive 25th Stanley Cup. Plekanec’s contract will then be off the books by the time that the Canadiens will need to re-sign Carey Price. Lastly as a leader on the Canadiens, he went right back to work participating in the optional practice held this morning. Plekanec’s work ethic is truly second to none.

Now back to Canadiens win last night:

For the first time in franchise history, the Montreal Canadiens are a perfect 5-0 to start the regular season after shutting out the New York Rangers and winning their home opener 3-0. This new record is somewhat surprising, as it is hard to believe that none of the previous great teams have ever accomplished this feat. After the Canadiens defeated Pittsburgh on Tuesday night to go 4-0, everyone was bringing up the fact that the 3 other times that the Canadiens had started the season with 4 consecutive wins they had gone on to win the Stanley Cup. Perhaps the Habs should have lost last night to ensure they win the cup this year ;). Winning their first five games to start a season is unprecedented. The Canadiens teams of this modern era are always compared to champions of the past. This edition of the Montreal Canadiens is doing their best to create their own history and destiny, all while respecting and honoring those who came before them.

The opening ceremony of the home opener has become a tradition that fans look forward to. The Canadiens marketing team sets the bar higher year after year. Last year Ken Dryden fittingly passed the torch to Carey Price who went on to have an other worldly season, winning every award he was nominated for. With Max Pacioretty being named captain of the Canadiens during training camp, everyone wondered who would be the one to pass the torch this year? I had personally hoped that the Canadiens would continue to honour the late and great Jean Beliveau by having his widow Elise pass the torch to Pacioretty. While I believe the Bell Centre would have absolutely exploded had this come to fruition, the honour went to former Canadiens captain and head coach Guy Carbonneau. Carbonneau was the last captain to hoist the Stanley in the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge jersey and so perhaps that is the reason that he was chosen. He is a link from the Canadiens most recent success to the present.

As for the game itself, it was the Canadiens sternest test to date. It would not have been shocking if the players had a slow start, overwhelmed by their successful road start and the emotions that come with the home opener. As the game versus the Rangers went on, it had a feeling of a late season game, with both teams fighting to prove themselves. Head coach Michel Therrien even said that it had “the intensity of a game in April…. Sometimes October games can get sloppy with teams still adjusting to the regular season from the preseason. This clearly has not been the case thus far. This game against the Rangers though was all about the goaltenders.

Both goaltenders were fantastic but Price was clearly the hero, stopping everything in sight and then some. However, this was not a repetition of the previous season when the Canadiens would sit back with the lead. The action was back and forth and the Canadiens kept pressing Henrik Lundqvist. The Habs breakout from their own zone is much more efficient now that they are no longer simply dumping and chasing the puck. Ahead 1-0 in the third period, the Canadiens kept coming, forcing Lundqvist into making phenomenal saves. It was Dale Weise who finally beat the ‘King’ on what appeared to be a weaker goal compared to the other shots he had faced. As close as this game seemed at times, the Canadiens were still the better team, a fact recognized by Alain Vigneault:

"They schooled us, you have to give the Canadiens credit; they gave us a lesson in every area of the game. If it hadn't been for our goalie the score would have been much higher in their favor.… Here are my Props & Flops from the game.

Props:

Carey Price - What more can be said about Price? He stopped all 25 shots that he faced, including 7 while the Canadiens were on the penalty kill. Price is tracking the puck so well and anticipating the play before it even unfolds. If there was any cause for concern that he would not be able to perform at the same levels that he did last year, they have been all eliminated. Price’s hit on Chris Kreider may not count in the game stats and perhaps could have been called an interference penalty, but it was perhaps the highlight of the night. Even Price’s wife Angela Tweeted:

Price has swagger and is picking up on comments that Tomas Plekanec had made earlier in the week. This edition of the Canadiens seem to like playing with a chip on their shoulder.

Flops:

Alex Semin - While he is trying to shoot the puck more often and make things happen, he is still inconsistent with his effort and taking a second too long with the puck. Therrien is seeing this as well as Semin was the forward with the 2nd least amount of ice time (10:54) against the Rangers. At times during the 2nd and 3rd periods Therrien would bench Semin on his usual shift with Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller and replace with him with Devante Smith-Pelly. The problem is that there is nobody else with his talent up with the Canadiens and so everyone is hoping that it is just a matter of time until Semin breaks the ice with his first goal in a Habs uniform. Nikita Scherbak is the Habs most offensively talented prospect and plays on the right side (despite shooting left) however he needs time in St John’s to further develop and get accustomed to the professional game.

Props:

David Desharnais-Tomas Fleischmann-Dale Weise - A game after I had called Desharnais on playing so-so in Pittsburgh, he came back with a complete effort against the Rangers. He was directly involved in both goals and truly did the dirty work to keep the puck in the Rangers zone on the second goal scored by Weise. His heart and determination were on full display last night. Fleischmann doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but he is seemingly always in the right place and makes the right play. Weise has had a number of chances to score this season and it was good to see him rewarded with his first of the season. The success of this line is one of the main reasons that the Canadiens are doing so well as they have true depth and ability to roll all four lines.

Flops:

Yes you guessed it, the Powerplay again - The Canadiens went 0-6 with the man advantage and cut short their first three opportunities by taking penalties. At times it looks decent with the players moving but old habits seem to creep in and they go static and predictable. I believe that Jeff Petry and Nathan Beaulieu should be getting longer looks on the powerplay. Subban and Markov played 6:15 and 5:59 respectively on the PP whereas Petry and Beaulieu were at 1:33 and 1:17. Petry and Beaulieu have shown nice chemistry and if they are not going to get the time together, perhaps Subban and Markov should be split up to give another look. Why not try Subban with Beaulieu and Markov with Petry? Or have two right handers with Subban and Petry?

Neither here nor there:

- Nathan Beaulieu played 17:02 last night, his highest totals of the season. He obviously has the green light to jump in the play and had a great opportunity to score on the Canadiens powerplay. However, he also had 4 giveaways to go with his 2 blocked shots and 1 hit. His partner Tom Gilbert played 14:58 and had 3 giveaways as well. Will Greg Pateryn or Jarred Tinordi finally get in the lineup on Saturday night? I don’t see how Therrien can take Beaulieu out. I would like to see Greg Pateryn in for Tom Gilbert and have another physical defenceman in the lineup.

- After having played his best game of the season against Pittsburgh contributing 7 hits, Alexei Emelin had a quiet home opener. Surprisingly he failed to register one hit, had 2 blocked shots as well as a giveaway. Emelin also only played 15:52, his lowest totals of the season. While he wasn’t bad by any means, he needs to be more involved in the game to be at his best and truly effective.

- The Canadiens next stretch of games has them at home against Detroit on Saturday, Saint-Louis on Tuesday, in Buffalo on Friday and back at the Bell Centre Saturday against the Maple Leafs. I imagine that Price will start the next games and Mike Condon will get the nod in Buffalo with the Canadiens coming back with Price against the Leafs.

- The Canadiens will face another tough task against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Will the Canadiens be able to keep playing such a consistent high level of hockey?

- Lastly, it really appears that Markov still dislikes Subban, eh? I was hoping that the passing of the torch between the players would end with another kiss :) The bromance continues...

Cheers & Follow Along!

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