It looks like one team has finally figured out how to beat the Montreal Canadiens. The Ottawa Senators defeated them by a score of 2-1 in overtime, and the Sens are very likely thrilled to have built a brick wall in front of their net that goes by the name of Craig Anderson.
The goaltender has always had good statistics against the Habs, and yesterday he further demonstrated it by stopping 36 of the 37 shots he faced. For the first time this year, the Habs did not score five goals or more while playing in front of rookie goaltender Mike Condon, and that led to his first loss in the National Hockey League. It was a very respectable loss, as he only allowed two goals that any goalie would have had a hard time stopping. Taller goalies especially are slower at closing off the five-hole area, which also explains why Anderson coughs up a lot of rebounds when shots hit his pads. While watching last night’s game, I was surprised that that wasn’t a tactic that was often and consistently utilized.
This isn’t to say that the Habs did not perform well. In fact, it was overall an entertaining hockey game, as both teams played strong defensively and applied similar dump-and-chase tactics against each other. The Habs did manage to outshoot their opponent, however, though they were outhit by a margin of 38-25. The Habs also managed to win a whopping 39 of 58 faceoffs, but that still wasn’t enough to solve Craig Anderson. The weirdest stat of the night: Paul Byron led the Habs with 5 hits.
There isn’t much to say about a game that could have gone either way. Max Pacioretty was yet again held off of the scoresheet, and the “Dutch Gretzky… Dale Weise is now tied with the captain in most goals scored on the team with seven. It was nice for them to score on the powerplay, which has improved significantly since the first couple of games this season. They are now ranked fourth in the league with a 24% conversion rate, so it looks like J.J. Daigneault knows what he’s doing, and they still lead the league in goals scored with 51. Finally, with 23 points out of a possible 28, the Habs are on their way to a President’s Trophy at the end of the year.
Here are a few questions to think about before the Habs host the New York Islanders on Thursday night:
- What explains Max Pacioretty’s dry spell, and with whom should he play in order to break out of his funk?
- Has Paul Byron earned himself a permanent spot on the roster?
- Has Alexander Semin learned his lesson, when will he play play again, and where would you insert him into the lineup?
- Is Brian Flynn justifying his presence on the starting roster, or is it time for him to take a break?
- What are the real concerns of the defense corps, 14 games into the season?
See you all tomorrow for a preview of the Islanders-Canadiens game.