An interesting matchup awaits the Montreal Canadiens (20-8-3) tonight as they play hosts to the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre. The Sharks have lost six straight heading into tonight’s game, and their record of 14-14-1 leaves them occupying the 5th position in the Pacific Division. Their 10-4-1 record on the road is nothing to scoff at, and the Habs will have to be prepared to face a team that could potentially cause an upset tonight.
As we’ve seen one too many times, the Habs sometimes fail to adequately perform against opponents with worse records than their own, and surely need to break out of that habit if they wish to find their winning ways. They came close to losing five in a row last week, something the team hadn’t done since they were under the helm of the infamous “interim… head coach Randy Cunneyworth in 2011-2012, but will need to string together a few wins in order to maintain their first place in the Atlantic Division.
Recently, and with two games in hand, the Washington Capitals surpassed the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference and sit atop with 44 points in 29 games, 1 more than Michel Therrien’s troops. While the Habs held a comfortable cushion over their conference counterparts up until a few weeks ago, the New York Islanders and the Rangers are both inching closer with 41 and 40 points each, respectively, and have played the same number of games as Montreal.
This is not too worrisome, considering just how well the St. John’s Ice Caps call-ups have played since joining the Canadiens in recent weeks. Charles Hudon has two assists in two games, Sven Andrighetto has 4 goals in 10, and Daniel Carr has 2 points in 4 games. The latter has impressed captain Max Pacioretty the most, who compared him to his regular line mate and good friend Brendan Gallagher by praising his ability to shoot and drive the net while continuously providing a sustained effort at both ends of the ice.
What is worrisome, however, is that for the first time since the beginning of the Marc Bergevin – Michel Therrien era, the main goal is not to simply “make the playoffs this year…, as has been stated year after year by both the general manager and the head coach time and time again. This time around, talks of a Stanley Cup championship are not uncommon, and the overall organizational and team efforts need to demonstrate that this is a group that is willing and capable of going the distance.
True to his nature, Bergevin continues to be subtle in ways that only Lou Lamiorello would offer a nod of approval for. I get the strange feeling that he’s being a little extra subtle lately, and that something could potentially be in the works as you read this article. Rumor has it that Bergevin is actively seeking reinforcements both up front and on the back end, and his track record in recent years has gone to show that he often makes the right decision via the trade market. More often than not, his trades have been hits and not misses, and making a move in the new year might be on his to-do list. For instance, longtime Shark Torrey Mitchell earned himself a two-year contract last summer, and could potentially return from injury to face his old club tonight.
Therrien did well in reuniting Pacioretty with Tomas Plekanec, as the captain had no points during the 4-game skid. Against the Senators last Saturday night, both veterans led by example and added their names to the scoresheet, and they will look to continue on that wave tonight. With Pacioretty publicly supporting his friend Dustin Tokarski and singing his praises for his performances over the last two games, Tokarski should gain a confidence boost as he’s had nothing to be ashamed of recently. He will start tonight against the Sharks, and I’m starting to think that Michel Therrien is looking to create an internal competition between both backup goalies to see who wants it more.
Check back in tomorrow for my recap of tonight’s game.