Having surpassed all expert analyses and expectations, the Montreal Canadiens aim to repeat and improve upon last season's successful playoff performances, which saw them bow out of the Eastern Conference finals in 6 games versus the New York Rangers.
Thanks especially to Carey Price's potentially Hart and Vezina trophy-winning heroics in what is a franchise record-breaking season in wins (44) by a goalie, the Habs maintained an elite position in the standings. They finished first in their division, and second overall in the National Hockey League with 110 points through 82 games. That is no small feat, considering they have also tied the Chicago Blackhawks in allowing the least amount of goals (189), thus sharing the Jennings trophy with their Original Six rivals from the Windy City.
While there is cause for concern amongst media and fans going into this season’s playoffs, I would propose cautious optimism for the city of Montreal. Barring any injuries to goaltender Carey Price, another trip to the Conference Finals is a realistic achievement, given that General Manager Marc Bergevin and Head Coach Michel Therrien have both maintained throughout the season that the team’s priority is to make the playoffs. Having accomplished this mission, a daunting task yet awaits Therrien’s younger and slightly less seasoned troops.
Let’s contrast statistics from last season and this year’s campaign:
2013-2014 Season Goals For: 215 Goals Against: 204 Difference: +11
Top 5 scorers: • Pacioretty: 39 goals • Plekanec: 20 goals • Gallagher: 19 goals • Gionta: 18 goals • Desharnais: 16 goals Total: 112 Number of players with over 10 goals: 9, for a total of 160 goals 9, for a total of 171 goals Goals by defensemen: 24
2014-2015 Season Goals For: 221 Goals Against: 189 Difference: +32
Top 5 scorers: • Pacioretty: 37 goals • Plekanec: 26 goals • Gallagher: 24 goals • Galchenyuk: 20 goals • Subban: 15 goals (tied with Eller)
Total: 122 Number of players with over 10 goals:
Goals by defensemen: 37
Suffice to say, this year’s edition of the Montreal Canadiens have a more balanced scoring, and have played better defense in allowing 15 less goals. Momentum remains nevertheless essential; in 2013-2014, the Habs were 7-2-1 through their last 10 games of the season, yet finished 2014-2015 with a record of 5-2-3 in their last 10. The two-point difference will fortunately not be a determinant factor heading into the playoffs, as the team has already secured home ice advantage in the first and second rounds.
Credit Therrien on his handling of Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk, both of whom have improved on last year’s goal tallies. Consistency remains a struggle for Galchenyuk, though he has continued to make strides in his development, often employed at his natural position as a center. The pressures of playing a more refined two-way game led him to ask Michel Therrien to return him to the wing, and the coach obliged. Look to him to improve on his overall production next year, and attempt to make his presence felt on the score sheet during the playoffs.
As of right now, the entire fan base holds its breath, for Max Pacioretty accounts for a little over 16% of all goals scored and close to 12% of the team’s points. Having fallen hard against the boards after being checked by Florida Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov during Easter Sunday’s showdown, Pacioretty left the game and did not return. I continue to suspect that he has suffered a concussion, although the team predictably did not come out and make an official statement as such. They were surely protecting their star forward from undergoing a lengthy and thorough NHL protocol, one implemented a few years ago specifically for head injuries. I leave it up to you to decide if this approach by the team is necessarily the best long-term solution for Pacioretty’s health…
He has been skating recently, and was given the green light to participate in full-contact practices earlier this week. I cannot imagine whom, in their right mind, will body check Pacioretty during practice, potentially aggravating his “upper-body injury…. His teammates will surely let up and avoid being too aggressive. Though he has proven to rapidly bounce back from numerous injuries over the course of his career, he should nevertheless not be rushed back into his regular role on the first line. Do not be surprised if his name is not on the starting roster on Wednesday nor Friday night.
Losing him for any period of time will prove to be costly, although the team has done well in stepping up and adding a touch of secondary scoring that has often been lacking this season. For instance, Plekanec has 4 goals and 2 assists over the last 5 games. Subban notched a goal and added 5 assists in that same period of time, and trade deadline acquisition Jeff Petry has recently come into form, with 5 points in his last 5 games. Devante Smith-Pelly, often the whipping boy since being traded for Jiri Sekac, has 2 points in his last 3 games. He is often touted as a proven playoff performer, and should seize the opportunity to prove GM Bergevin right in bringing him on board. Therrien will thus need to rely on his players to make up for the team’s most consistent scorer being out of the lineup.
Finally, with the playoffs beginning on Wednesday Night against the Ottawa Senators, it comes as a surprise to me that the fan base worries about a team that barely made it into the playoffs. Despite going 20-3-3 since rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond’s explosive debut, the Senators needed poor performances from the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins in order to squeeze into a Wild Card position at the very last second. They’ve been the league’s hottest team over the course of the past few months and have given the Habs a hard time this season, winning 3 contests and losing 1, while scoring 14 goals and allowing 9 during their 4-game regular season series. The Canadiens should keep their heads held high, having demonstrated an enormous amount of character and often overcoming adversity in consistently maintaining an elite standing in the league. (I will spare you the goaltender and top defensemen comparisons- this is a constant comparison that has been overdone, and I do not intend to broach the subject.)
The case can be made, however, in favor of Ottawa causing an upset against the Atlantic’s top team. I will leave you all with data I’ve compiled in a table below that should shine a light on the differences between the teams:
Ottawa Senators (6-2-2, L10)
Goals For: 238 Goals Against: 215 Difference: +23 Hot Streaks • Mark Stone: 6 GP, 7G, 3A, 10pts, +8 • Kyle Turris: 6GP, 2G, 7A, 9pts, +7 • Clarke MacArthur: 6GP, 2G, 6A, 8pts, +5
Goals by defensemen: 34 Number of players with over 10 goals: 10, for a total of 186 goals Number of players with over 20 goals: 5, for a total of 118 goals
Montreal Canadiens (5-2-3, L10)
Goals For: 221 Goals Against: 189 Difference: +32 Hot Streaks • Tomas Plekanec: 5GP, 4G, 2A, 6pts, -2 • P.K. Subban: 5GP, 1G, 5A, 5pts, +3 • Jeff Petry: 5GP, 2G, 3A, 5pts, 0 Goals by defensemen: 37 Number of players with over 10 goals: 9, for a total of 171 goals Number of players with over 20 goals: 4, for a total of 108 goals