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Strong Finish In Vancouver Could Set Habs Up Well At The Quarter Mark |
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The Montreal Canadiens are riding high after a come from behind win against Matthew Tkachuk and the Calgary Flames. The 3-2 victory with a GWG by budding star A Lehkonen gives the team a chance to take 4 of 6 points on this western Canada road trip, which is finishing up tonight in Van City.
It would also help team morale to win 2 in a row for the first time since October 17 when they earned their 3rd straight win against the St Louis Blues. Yup, it’s been a month since the Habs have strung together consecutive wins and it’s also why I’ve been labelling them a bipolar team thus far.
Look, I’m not going to complain about the Habs sitting in 7th in the conference as we inch closer to being a quarter way through the season. I’m definitely grateful for the exciting changes and results that have come from it. I also had a blast on the glass last game against the Flames and I clearly influenced the game as all the goals were scored in my end in front of me. As much as my fantasy keeper league team loved having Tkachuk score twice, it was pretty bitter sweet watching the Habs get owned for that entire period. But with the excitement has come disappointment almost immediately after while following the team this year. Consistency is difficult to achieve in major sports and only the best can be the best most of the time so I won’t complain as much as some do about this team. That said, I sure hope this team can string together some wins over the next month because another 30 days of W-L-W-L, etc… is going to end up pushing the Habs out of the playoff picture and start the calls for tanking, trading, and firings.
I’ll be honest, I like following hockey more when the Habs look to have a ticket for the playoffs. I think that the Canadiens should strive for playoffs and if they fall just short, who cares. The draft lotto has rewarded teams closer to playoff contention and the odds are only getting better. It’s great incentive for teams to play competitively every night for the paying fans and I support it.
I know I’m jumping around topics here today but bear with me, the coffee is just pouring out now.
So tonight the Habs roll into Vancouver to take on a team decimated by injuries and being led by a superstar rookie in Elias Pettersson with his 10 goals and 7 assists in 15 games. But for all the success so far for Pettersson the Canucks are missing some big players. Names like Boeser, Baertschi, Beagle, Edler, Sutter, and Nilsson are all out for extended periods. The Boeser one stings hard as he was the only competition for Calder winner M Barzal last year if not for his freak accident injury. Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson have given the NHL a glimpse the NHL’s newest power duo before Boeser’s groin injury set him on the sidelines again.
I’m a huge Boeser fan, just so we are all clear. He is a premier player in the NHL and if you follow what he does off the ice you would know he appears to be a fantastic human being as well. Boeser is a person that experienced a heavy tragedy early in his life and took that experience and used it to become a better person. He appears to approach everything like a true pro and is always courteous. I hope he returns to top form and gives our Canadian friends on the coast a lot to cheer about this season. And yes, it’s OK to admire players of different teams. For a long time Shea Weber was my favorite player not on the Canadiens and now…. Well, I’m sure you can assume how I feel about him now.
I definitely want Boeser to rest up tonight though, the Habs need two points and two straight wins. The Habs will have to contain Pettersson and B Horvat, the Canucks surprising leading scorer with 10 goals and 8 assists in 21 games. After that it drops off huge with Boeser on the shelf. The Habs can’t take any game for granted though and must keep the compete level up all game long.
Max Domi, Tomas Tatar, and Jon Drouin will look to keep their high quality of play rolling along tonight and for the Habs to be successful that is a necessity. My thinking heading into the season was that if the Canadiens can hold their own until Shea Weber’s return they stand a good chance of making the playoffs. With Weber looking like he’s very close to returning, while we are almost a month and a half away from his anticipated return, the Canadiens look to be on that track. A win tonight and an early return from Weber to help stabilize and balance the D core would do wonders for this surprising, hard working team.
Let’s hope both of those things happen starting tonight in Vancouver where Carey Price gets the start in front of family and friends. After his best game of the season Thursday in Calgary I expect a solid showing from the All World goaltender. Unconfirmed starter for Vancouver looks to be J Markstrom who’s posting a 3.28 GAA and .896 SP%, but don’t discount him as he is a large, quality net minder who does his job effectively. That said, the Canucks have lost 4 straight being outscored 17 to 8 in the process… yeah, they miss Boeser…
A win tonight would be huge for the Canadiens heading into the next quarter of the season. This next quarter starts out against the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Rangers. All teams competing with them for playoffs and all teams that can play the Habs hard. The standings will ensure the intensity level will be there and this next stretch might be an indicator for the remainder of the season. I don't want to sound foreboding but it's just how I feel about the upcoming schedule with the Canadiens position in the standings.
Enjoy the game wherever you may be watching and of course Go Habs Go!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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