1) There's no explaining a letdown like last night's. There's no excuse to be made. The Canadiens simply didn't invest anywhere close to 100% of their effort into winning, and as a result they lost. It wasn't a full on embarrassment, even in light of the fact that 11 rookies were dressed for the Islanders; in fact, the Canadiens still could've pulled out the game--with it being in reach all along. But as Thomas Vanek put it after the game, they sucked.
2) The excuses were readily available, but no one uttered a single one in the dressing room after. It seems the fans and media are putting more stock into home-ice advantage than the Canadiens are. They want to secure it, but not so badly that they were going to tax themselves against the Islanders the way they did the night before against the Blackhawks.
This is the psychology of the situation: Playoffs are clinched, opponent is Tampa Bay, and with two games remaining on the schedule, after playing and traveling last night, I really don't feel like stepping in front of a shot and potentially busting my hand or my foot; not against all these kids playing like it's the playoffs, trying to secure employment for next season. And we may even be able to beat these guys without the sacrifice. Price can keep us in there long enough to convert a few chances.
Maybe this was the right time for a gut-check. It's true, the Canadiens are no longer in control of whether or not they get home ice against Tampa Bay. And maybe it's a good thing for them to have such a bad performance, knowing they don't want to back into the playoffs with another bad performance, and they don't want to spoil what's still likely to be a good opportunity to secure home ice on Saturday.
3) As you undoubtedly know by now, Alex Galchenyuk will miss the first round of the playoffs. There was no announcement made last night about, but obviously the door is open for the possibility that he misses more time than that.
Tough loss, but hardly insurmountable. Lars Eller's suffering from a virus that kept him out of the last two games. Brandon Prust is on the mend and expected to be back for the start of the playoffs. No update as of now on Travis Moen.
The Habs have depth. They have options to play with up front to get some scoring out of another line. We'll see where the coach takes this.
4) The intrigue of yesterday's blog was the race for who will fill the final spot on the Canadiens blue line for their series against Tampa. Michel Therrien has obliterated that intrigue.
The club announced Nathan Beaulieu's demotion to Hamilton. Therrien said he thought both Beaulieu and Tinordi were great against Chicago. And then he scratched both of them, and sent Beaulieu back down.
Says all you need to know about Beaulieu. The Habs aren't vaulting him ahead of Tinordi. And as for Tinordi, it's clear that Therrien trusts Douglas Murray more. He may even trust Francis Bouillon more.
We'll see how that plays out in the first round, but as far as the start's concerned, it would be outright shocking to see Tinordi in the lineup.
5) Nice moment from last night. Stuck around the room until I was the last reporter in there; I was having an extensive conversation with Danny Briere, and Mike Weaver was telling one of the PR staffers that he was delighted to see a section of fans with Habs t-shirts that read "BeWeave!". He was downright giddy about it.
You have to feel good for this guy. He's been anonymous for most of his career, and the media and fans are showering him with trust and compliments. What it must mean to an under-appreciated veteran to get such appreciation--well, you could read it on his face.
6) Speaking of Briere, he couldn't describe how his mentality shifts for the playoffs, only that it does, and he doesn't feel any differently about this post-season challenge than he has throughout his career. He's ready, he's determined, and he's not even thinking about making a statement about his worth to the Canadiens. He's thinking about being the Danny Briere he's been throughout his playoff career. And you can see the passion in his eyes when he talks about it.
He used the word "awful" to describe his first half of the season--just in terms of how everything went down. At a point this year, about halfway through, he mentioned that he had a hard time feeling comfortable integrating into the leadership of the team, relegated to a periphery role, which is undeniably difficult for a veteran with Briere's pedigree. But he knows that at this time of year a few sets of eyes in the locker room will naturally gravitate towards him. He thrives on that.
He clearly appreciates the support of everyone. He's content with the way he's turned things around, and he's confident in himself.
It would be a great story if he could do what he's always done in the playoffs. It would sure mean a lot to the Canadiens, who are searching for that ever-elusive secondary punch.
Guillaume Lefrancois of Radio Canada wrote a great piece on Briere's playoff magic for CBC. Have a read.
7) The best thing Briere said last night, candidly, was that yes, the team let Carey Price down last night, and it has on a few occasions this season.
This is the kind of thing the leadership of the team should acknowledge every time it happens.
8) Speaking of Price, he once mentioned that a good couple minutes of chasing the puck around with his eyes and his movements is enough to make any goalie tired. So after spending the whole second half of the second period in the Canadiens end, it wasn't that surprising to see goal #2 beat him short-side.
It was a bad goal. He doesn't get scored on like that. It's very rare that he does. But he was so clearly gassed before it happened, and the cameras ran a closeup on him right after it went in, and he was huffing and puffing.
I could be wrong. Maybe he wasn't tired. Maybe he was just furious.
9) It's weird how certain situations seem to flip without reason in the playoffs. The Canadiens powerplay has gone completely stagnant. It's part of the reason they can't half-ass their way through a game and sneak it out. It takes a full commitment to score goals at 5-on-5. It takes a full commitment to score goals in any situation.
I'm not sure what the solution is on the powerplay, but it's been a long time since P.K. Subban took over in that situation. Maybe that will flip without reason in the playoffs. It has to.
10) Will last night's loss have any lingering effects?
I say no. But, if it does... Tampa's heating up, Anders Lindback is gaining confidence, and the Canadiens may not care all that much, but they'll likely be starting and finishing in Florida. You just gotta hope it's not finishing for the season there.