The Detroit Red Wings got away with a little controversy in last night’s 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. It was a close game, as the Habs mounted a comeback in the third period only to find themselves on the losing end of an Original Six matchup at the Joe Louis Arena. Here are a few quick hits on this cold (Winter?!) morning in Montreal:
- Tomas Plekanec had his first period goal disallowed and was punished for apparently cross-checking his Czech homeboy Petr Mrazek. After looking at the play a few times, I’m still scratching my head…
- Max Pacioretty played a good game, scoring a goal and putting 3 shots on net. The Captain looked involved, as did Plekanec who could’ve had a 2-goal night.
- Alex Galchenyuk added an assist, bringing his season’s point total to 50. He’ll have 6 games to score 3 goals and I’m confident he’ll hit the 30-goal mark.
- Who could’ve ever guessed that the soft-spoken rookie defenseman call-up Joel Hanley would have 4 assists in 3 games? He would have had a 3rd assist last night had it not been for the ghost call on Plekanec. Is he the real deal, and where would he fit on next year’s roster?
- Paul Byron scored his second goal in his last 5 games.
- David Desharnais was invisible in his return to the lineup and was on the ice during a 6-on-4 man advantage at the end of the game. He was mandated with crashing the net, and I seriously don’t understand why neither Lars Eller or Plekanec were picked instead of Desharnais. Does anyone understand why this player is still a part of this team?
- The injuries continue to pile up as Mike Brown, Lucas Lessio and Stefan Matteau were hurt in last night’s game. Brown would leave after doing the splits on a fall, yet Lessio and Matteau would return shortly after their incidents. I thought Matteau was concussed on a play that most certainly merited at the very least a minor penalty as there was clear contact to his head. Michel Therrien would agree.
- Ben Scrivens got the start and stopped 36 of the 40 shots fired in his direction. He was weak on the first and fourth goals. He has a really hard time controlling his rebounds, even if he would multiply the great saves in the third period.
- You’ve got to love Galchenyuk and Pacioretty’s chemistry. The former is turning the latter into a playmaking machine.