"The results are disappointing, but we need to regroup and get ready for our next game, against Detroit," is what Michel Therrien had to say following last night's debacle against Pittsburgh, in response to whether or not there were any positives to take out of the game.
The coach wasn't looking for something he'd have not been able to find. The Canadiens were thoroughly trounced by a Penguins team that looked ready to do exactly what they did last night, and the Habs had no response. Not even Carey Price, in the kind of form he showed against Ottawa a week ago, would've been able to make the difference. And on a night where Price was more ordinary than in previous contests over which he had to be superhuman for the Canadiens to win, the Penguins took full advantage.
Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban, playing together for the first time in well over a month, looked completely substandard against worldly talents like Sidney Crosby, and in particular, Evgeni Malkin, who embarrassed Markov twice in the game. The duo was a combined -5, with both players clocking in at less than 24:00 of ice-time.
Rene Bourque provided the lone flint for the spark-less Canadiens, putting Daniel Briere's pass over Marc-Andre Fleury's glove to make the score 2-1 in the first period, but the team showed no sign of fire after that. Bourque heeded the message of being a healthy scratch and managed to deliver on the scoreboard in this one, but not even this could be pointed to as a positive by coach Therrien thereafter.
Angry Canadiens fans bemoaned this most recent loss as part of a larger picture that's seen the team drop three of their last four games, dipping to the wrong side of average since December 1st. And the anger is pointedly directed at Therrien, whose team isn't playing the brand of hockey most fans believe would garner more success.
Offensive depth is obviously lacking--this much has been evident throughout the season. That situation has been compounded by the extended loss of Alex Galchenyuk's services and the lethargy of various depth scorers like Bourque, Eller, Briere and even rookie Michael Bournival. Far more troubling is the quality scoring chances the team is allowing, weakening the part of the game that put them in fine standing up until this point of the season.
Arpon Basu, of NHL.com--among other Habs reporters offering the type of data that magnifies the Canadiens defensive struggles--tweeted this dandy this morning: "In past 19 games #Habs have 24 GF and 43 GA at 5v5, a ratio of 0.56/1. Gone from 1.14 ratio to 0.86 in that span."
Needless to say, wins will be very hard to come by if things don't change. Therrien's measure of control over all of that will be put to the test over the next couple of weeks, as teams below the Canadiens in the standings are quickly gaining ground.
Not everything falls on the much-maligned coach of the Canadiens. Montreal has some glaring issues that could require intervention from GM Marc Bergevin. While it's assumed Bergevin is working feverishly to address these problems, the trade market is practically in a deep freeze. With the deadline set for March 5th, and the Olympic break looming, you'd expect things to heat up right about now. Then again, when the TSN Insiders are reading memos from GMs that list available players, it certainly smacks of desperation and speaks to how closed off trade discussions are between teams.
Therrien will have to pull this team out of the fire before they turn into ashes. With 32 games remaining, holding dearly to the third spot in the Atlantic Division, the team has plenty of time to get back to basics. Therrien's decisions will continue to face great scrutiny regardless of whether the team is winning or losing, and it's not all about him. The Canadiens have some soul searching to do, and must find the balance that had them succeed at certain points this season.