Hoping that Saturday night's miraculous comeback against the Senators was a major turning point for his team wasn't much of a stretch for Michel Therrien. Down 4-1 with less than four minutes remaining in what would've been their fourth straight loss, the Canadiens have now erased their struggles on the Western swing with three straight wins--and they appear to be on the upswing.
Balance of the lineup seems ideal right now. It's even more apparent with Carey Price finding his way back to his best self--a process that could take some time given his extended break. And of course, there's some trepidation about his injury; being anything less than superb will invite some speculation that he's not entirely healed. But the Canadiens have found that all important balance--at least for now--and the results have been impressive from game to game in this mini winning streak.
Last night's performance against Colorado was a pretty powerful statement. The Avalanche--their top six shining bright with the talents of Gabriel Landeskog, Paul Stastny, Ryan O'Reilly, Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon and Jamie McGinn--are a very difficult team to play against. They boast remarkable speed, and they are opportunistic, hence they've yet to be shutout this year (hat-tip to Rod Francis--producer of Mitch Melnick's drive show--for that stat). Playing for Patrick Roy, hoping to give him a win that had to have meant more to him than the others he's chased this season, they couldn't overcome the Canadiens depth, nor could they stem the wave of momentum Montreal's powerplay provided in the third period.
Thomas Vanek was an unstoppable force, adding two goals to the first one he scored; his first three as a Canadien. He mentioned that he nearly blacked out from the ovation he received during his first star honors. And while his efforts stole the storyline, Therrien's defensive lines (Plekanec's and Eller's) handled the tough assignments as best they could--there was only so much they could do about MacKinnon and Duchene--and the first and fourth line did the scoring.
When you get a goal from your fourth line, it's like found money. When you get three of them, you're pretty much guaranteed to win. The Canadiens managed to win big. *********************
1) Vanek didn't need to get much on that first shot to find the back of the net. That was as much of a gift as he's probably received all year.
Some people will never, ever admit it, but it's becoming harder and harder to deny the fact that David Desharnais is the glue of his line. There's no question about the fact that he's playing with the team's best wingers, but since his disappearance from relevance, he's consistently been one of Montreal's best players this season.
He maintains that he always believed in himself and that he knew he'd turn things around. And he reminded everyone of that, in the room after yesterday's game. And his confidence is so apparent off the ice, it's no wonder things are going as well for him as they are.
Desharnais is a good story. He's the undrafted guy who--no matter what level of success he achieves--will always be doubted. Sure as I'm writing this, all of his doubters will be quick to remind that his playoff performance will be more indicative of who he actually is.
2) Was anyone really concerned about Vanek scoring? Considering how he was playing since he arrived in Montreal, it was seemingly clear that he was getting better with every passing game. What he's shown to Canadiens fans is that he's much more than an elite goalscorer; there's a completeness to his offensive game that very few players have. His instincts are sharp, his skills are so polished, his passing and his positioning are reasons why he's a true force.
When he was acquired I felt the biggest change he brought to the Canadiens was the ripple effect throughout the lineup. This team was intended to have balanced scoring; three lines that could threaten, and since they acquired Vanek, they've been finding their way to that.
Therrien remarked that right now, he trusts his players in every type of situation. He's got established trios dedicated to shutting things down, but both of those lines can provide in the offensive zone too. His top line can play the best kind of defense--and they showed that in scoring the first goal of the game against Duchene's line. And the depth of the players on the sidelines have made the competition for fourth line duties a fierce one. The result has given the Canadiens a fourth line that's been dominant over the last two games.
3) With the exception of allowing Erik Johnson to waltz on through on a breakaway, I thought the Markov-Emelin pairing was up a level last night. Emelin in particular was very sharp in his own end--and the task was no easy one with those speedy Colorado forwards.
4) Nathan MacKinnon. Wow.
Michel Therrien spoke about coaching Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin when they were 18 and 19, and he easily came to the assessment after last night's game that MacKinnon was in that class. Who among you would disagree?
This kid is beyond special. He's a lethal threat.
5) All in all, last night was a special night to be in the Bell Centre. The house was rocking, it was a really tight game up until the Canadiens pushed through in the third, Patrick Roy's reception was special indeed, and it was really quite something to see hockey royalty in Joe Sakic walking around the press gallery.
It was the first time in 14 years that the Canadiens won on my birthday--granted they didn't play every year in between on March 18th--and it was probably one of their best performances of the season.
Thursday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets will somehow be tougher. They come in on a loss after out-shooting the Carolina Hurricanes 19-0 in the third period of their game last night. The Canadiens tend to struggle with them as is, and they'll be famished for a win in what's become a very tight race for them to make the playoffs. Carey Price will have to be at his best.