That was a pretty strong effort, undone by a pretty weak goal in overtime by the Blackhawks. No skin off Peter Budaj's back for the goal that got the game tied up in the waning seconds of the third period. A set play dismantled defensive zone coverage, as Patrick Sharp feathered the seeing-eye pass to Marian Hossa; it was a beautiful play. Coverage wasn't great on the goal in overtime either, but it was surprising to see that puck go through Budaj after he turned in a very solid performance.
Without Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin and Carey Price, the Canadiens were full value in the first period, and responded well to the Hawks awakening in the second. They staved off the charge for the majority of the third before Chicago connected on that brilliant play, and they scored a couple of gritty goals to put themselves in fine position to win the game.
A point of concern--naturally--was Alex Galchenyuk leaving the game, early on, with a lower-body injury. Galchenyuk was seen leaving the building on crutches later on. It's doubtful we'll get any kind of detailed update on his condition, but one would expect that regardless of how serious his injury is, he's likely to be out for the two remaining games of the regular season.
Michel Therrien felt his team deserved a better fate on the night, and it's hard to argue with that. They may have turned over a few pucks in the neutral zone, but they were more than comfortable with the high pace of the game, and seemed largely in control until the final minute of the third period. It was an especially good performance on the defensive side of the puck, without their top pair. And there's not too much to read into what's ultimately just the third game over the team's last 13, in which they were unable to secure two points.
The end result was another point in the bank; their 98th of the season. In the meantime, Detroit dropped a shootout decision to the Pittsburgh Penguins, securing their 23rd straight playoff berth. The loss, however, also guaranteed that Montreal and Tampa will face each other in the first round of the playoffs.
Home-ice advantage for Montreal has yet to be secured. Another point collected tonight against the Islanders (or Saturday against the Rangers), combined with a Tampa loss in regulation in one of their three remaining games will get it done.
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1) There were a few blemishes with the puck in his own zone, but for the most part, that was a pretty strong performance from Nathan Beaulieu. Consider it a statement for a player that certainly doesn't want to find himself back in Hamilton. He finished the night at +1, which was--in fact--indicative of the game he played, and he was implicated on both sides of the puck. The coaching staff had to like what they saw.
2) If they liked what they saw from Beaulieu, they also had to notice the confidence that Jarred Tinordi is playing with. Granted, he made a couple of mistakes that allowed for odd-man rushes, but he was physically imposing, and managed a 19:00 load with relative calm and composure.
3) I can see the value of Douglas Murray against Boston, but it's hard to argue he'd be the right choice against Tampa Bay, given all the options Therrien has at his disposal. The one thing you have to wonder is whether or not Therrien will take a couple of games in the series to realize this, or whether he'll figure it out from the get-go.
There's no question that Beaulieu can help the Canadiens play a stronger possession game, and though his powerplay skills went untested last night, we know what he can do in that department.
There's no question that Tinordi can be the physical force Murray's depended on, but it's doubtful that Therrien will opt for both Beaulieu and Tinordi over Murray and Bouillon.
Out of the four, Beaulieu seems the most logical choice to face Tampa. He and Mike Weaver can complete the final pairing. Let's see if he gets to play the next couple of games.
4) Josh Gorges had an assist on the game's first goal, and if it weren't for a bit of a soft play up the boards to Brian Gionta that netted Jeremy Morin the equalizer, you could've called it a near-perfect performance from him.
One thing was for sure, P.K. Subban looked infinitely better over nearly 24 minutes of ice-time. Gorges stabilizing things definitely helped, but let's not sell Subban short of his effort to simplify his game.
5) For the latest on Ben Bishop's status,
check this article by Damien Cristodero.
Ben Bishop will sit out the final three games of the regular season, and the Lightning goaltender's availability for the first round of the playoffs is uncertain.
Though coach Jon Cooper did not rule out Bishop playing in the first round, which is expected to be against the Canadiens, he did not offer a timetable either.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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