After starting the season on a tear, the Habs have struggled mightily to remain in the winning column. These losses have been the result of an ineffective power play, spotty defence at times, sub par goaltending and a slew of injuries. The following are some of the things I've observed.
The Powerplay
What was working so well for the Habs lately has all of a sudden dried up.Montreal has some difficulty gaining the zone and when there, they are over passing the puck and not taking effective shots. Not having a bomb from the outside is hurting the Habs to some extent, and St-Louis mentioned how the team is simply making too many passes.
Demidov has been relegated to the second unit in order to mix things up, but I'm not sure I agree with this tactic. I would continue to roll out Demidov, Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson and Dobson on the first unit and get them to figure it out. There is too much talent there for them to not be able to regain form.
The Goaltending
Unfortunately, Montembeault's struggles have continued and Dobeš does not have the same form which he displayed at the start of the season. Some people criticized the fact that the Habs did not ride Dobes when he had the hot hand, and I can't say they are wrong.
I do understand however that Monty needed to be given a chance to regain the net as he has displayed that he is a number one goaltender in this league. Unfortunately, Dobeš being on the bench seems to have cooled him down somewhat, and he is not displaying the same sharpness. I found he had a good game last night, but he needs to come up with a save on one of those goals. They weren’t weak by any means, but at least one could have been preventable.
Injuries
The injuries are beginning to mount with Laine, Guhle, Newhook and Dach set to miss extended periods of time. Not having Guhle in the lineup is starting to hurt as he was eating up a lot of minutes and playing the best hockey of his career. Struble has played great in his absence, but having Guhle really solidifies the top 4.
Not having Laine, Newhook and Dach is really going to test the Hab’s depth. I really liked Davidson’s first game. He was in the right spot most of the time and almost had his first NHL goal on a really nifty tip in front of the net. The Habs called up Roy for last night's game, and I thought he did a good job, and seemed more involved. I would love to see Owen Beck get another shot at it, but maybe being in the AHL will do him some good for the time being.
I don’t think Hughes will necessarily look for a trade in order to deal with these injuries, as the Habs have enough depth to fill the holes. This is why Montreal kept a deep prospect pool, so it's time that was tested.
Montreal’s next game comes on Thursday vs the Washington Capitals. Hopefully the next two days off will give the Canadiens a chance to reset and get back in the winning column.