Game #73Close Game Puts Habs Back In Comfort Of Last Place

Details

Date: 17/03/2012
Opponent: Islanders
Location: Montreal

Loss: 2-3 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Budaj (L)
Opposition Goalie: Montoya (W)

Habs goalscorers: Palushaj, Leblanc (Desharnais, Bourque - SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Streit, Nielsen (1, SO) (Moulson, Bailey - SO)

Play of the game

Subban's good play continued tonight and he was at his best on our second goal. After taking a pass from Budaj (who now has as many points as Engqvist, Staubitz, St. Denis and Geofrrion combined; Peter has played 27 less games than those guys combined) he rushed up the ice and caused confusion. A nice pass found Leblanc open in the slot and the kid went against the stream, upstairs with a backhand. It is the type of goal that only a puck-carrying defenceman can generate and is a big reason why I always take notice when PK takes off.

Dome hockey team

The 6 players we're playing in a no changes, do or die contest in the dome

Forwards

David Desharnais
David played well throughout and scored a spectacular goal in the shootout. Surprisingly he played over 24 minutes of hockey as it has become obvious that the team's goals don't line up with mine.

Louis Leblanc
Leblanc only played 11 minutes and took 2 penalties, but I can't stop thinking about that backhand goal. With 9 points in 33 games I am not sure that he is really going to be the player that all hope for, but when he scores goals like he did tonight it certainly helps to fuel that fire.

Erik Cole
-1 and only 2 shots, but still in the dome, way to go other forwards. Tonight was a chance for guys like Palushaj, White, Bourque or Eller to step up, but again there was nothing. Aarron did score a soft, fluky goal which was long overdue, mind you. I guess there is a reason that Cunneyworth refuses to give ice-time to certain players as they aren't really proving that they deserve it right now.

Defencemen

Andrei Markov
I really enjoyed watching Markov tonight as it makes the games that much easier to sit through. I was also happy to see him back in after missing yesterday's game and wonder if they didn't want him to play two days in a row so soon so sat him yesterday? He almost hit 22 minutes tonight and I am hoping that he stays there for the rest of the year. He has proven he is still elite and is worth hanging on to, so now it is all about getting minutes under the belt; 9 more games then World's please.

PK Subban
Subban has taken all year to get to this point, the point where I feel he is playing some of his best and most consistent hockey as a Hab. Like the Desharnais line it will be hard for him to miss a dome from here on in. And, like Markov, send him to World's too as I feel that could go a long way in healing relationships with other NHLers (seems like no other players or fans like him at all) which may end up helping him down the road.

Goaltender

Peter Budaj - Game Puck
Since no other player really stepped up and Peter played pretty well this seemed like the right choice for the game puck. I thought that he made some great saves, especially that one on the Bailey partial break where he really stretched out to make a toe stop. 9 more games for the Habs means 3 more for Budaj, I think. Both goalies may also go to World's which, again, won't hurt at all.

Comments

Losing in OT when you are unsure about winning or losing being the goal is the worst possible outcome. There is no 'well, at least we killed the other team' feeling, yet you still get saddled with a point. I am not surprised that we are going to OT so much though as teams at this time of the year are very cautious starting at about 15 minutes to go in the third. It seems that most teams are happy to take their chances in the skill contest as long as they are guaranteed a point. I bet that a bad team who was horrible at shootouts would still get 100 points on the year if they 'tied' every game just based on odds. So, you can see why so many bad teams take that route (us and the Islanders have gone to OT a combined 40 times this year, translating into 56 points).

How about a system where coming 9th is better than 15th? Instead of rewarding teams that come last with high draft picks and making fans sit through game upon game that means nothing the league makes finishing higher worth something. No team would rather the first pick than playoffs (if they did, then the current system would still work for them), so, I suggest having 17th get the first overall pick and 30th gets the 14th. Letting Columbus, Edmonton and the Islanders draft high every year doesn't create parity anyway when you think of it. So, how about giving all 30 teams 82 worthwhile games.

Your New Betts Friend

You know this is the absolute peak of Habs fan excitement and anticipation, hours away from a game that makes a putrid Stanley Cup playoffs (wrong champs) irrelevant again. Fans have been very excited about the waiver wire moves.

What happened today was that Pierre Gauthier took an honest look at his prospects and admitted none was quite ready, turned around and saw Blair Betts sitting on waivers only to claim him.

The waiver wire pick up was not an indictment of Engqvist or Palushaj, they did that to themselves with their play. It's just a simple little addition that means we fans can expect a more honed game from a 4th liner.

The news of the addition did little to stir my own emotions. If that feeling wasn't indifference then I'm not sure what it was. Betts is big sure, but he's pretty one dimensional. I mean we're getting some pretty straight forward hockey here.

The good news is that 4th liners shouldn't stir the emotions. That line will hopefully be made up with guys everyone is comfortable with leaving off the ice for 51 minutes a night. What's more, Betts himself does have some intrigue about him. He played in 23 Stanley Cup playoff games about 16 months ago (that has to mean something) and he usually scores more goals than Gomez did last season.

No he's not Dominic Moore, but that ship has now sailed. He's no Engqvist either you know.

Scouting, Not Denouement

I believe that I speak for a large number of fans whose main interest in these relatively unfamiliar names remains on their hockey abilities, more so than the years-long route taken to the Brossard arena this Monday.

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't want to hear again about years past. I don't want to hear about how the guys feel (sorry, but it's predictably optimistic and thrilled). I want to know how they skated, passed, positioned themselves and shot.

It would be nice to get a scouting report before a life story. After a summer of manufactured stories, it would be a bit of sweet music to read about a slick deke or crisp passing play.

For the most part, the very capable observers are set back to default. The score is reported, the scorers and the story is peppered with quotes. I know that Alain Berger scored twice in a meaningless scrimmage, but most sites tell me little about the player we've been waiting months to see in a Canadiens uniform. Forget about the guys that did not score.

I know it's only been a day, and I would be the fiercest critic of anyone who wanted to read too much from 45 minutes of meaningless shinny, but it's been a really long time since we laid a path for Brutes to win a championship.

If like me you do want to know about how the guys play (all of them, not just favoured picks) then do yourself a favour and check out Dan's Daily Dose.

Dan is doing the diligence that we'd all love to do by attending the rookie camp. Not only that, he's also breaking free of the mould and delivering impressions on the players he is watching on the ice before him.

Yesterday, he didn't cover every player, but he did cover a lot more than anyone else. Moreover, where else are we going to hear that Palushaj didn't look so great or that Ian Schultz still exists.

It's a true breath of fresh air for the Habs fan who's waited a summer for skates to scratch ice and needs to look beyond coincidences to the mundane aspects of hockey like skating and skills. For the fan who wants to know and rate the chances that we'll ever hear these names again, there simply isn't a better way.


What I'm taking away

I'll begin by saying one day is far too soon to form full impressions. One scrimmage as insignificant as one NHL shift in the scheme of things. But even so, trends begin to form:

- Bournival started on the right foot. The plucky Quebecois is someone I'll keep my eye on for sure.

- If it takes baseline skill level to break through to the NHL then Gallagher might be the man. Can the Habs afford to start another small forward? Well that's another question altogether

- Berger is fascinating. Forget two goals. He is big and clearly kept up with his peers that were drafted. Let's count him in the bigger mix.

- Palushaj likely not destined for first line duty. Not to dismiss a player after a day, but let's be honest, we've seen him before and we all thought the same. If you don't stand out with lower level players, it's a rare thing to stand out with high level ones. That said, I already thought he could ably play on a fourth line, so should we care?

- Olivier Fortier injured again. The end of the road sign squarely in his rearview surely now?

- Louis Leblanc generates far too much fuss for what he is, especially on a first day of camp where he played in a diminished capacity and still got headlines

- Goalies? Anyone? Everyone realises that 3rd in line for the Canadiens crease is not really locked up right? Everyone remembers how for every season in recent memory the Canadiens relied on a goalie to take them wherever they went right? Over-the-top monikers aside, it would be nice to hear about someone, anyone that might grab a mantle.

Canadiens Deadline Assets Hamilton Bulldog Players

Nearly there. The picture is becoming quite clear. Want the world, don't want to pay. Let's see how much we think Bulldogs players are worth.

There's No Team In X Paciorty

I've written many times about how Max Pacioretty is no goalscorer, no power forward. It turns out he's no diplomat or power thinker either. He times a quote like he times his shots.

Yesterday, we learned via RDS that Max Pacioretty had told Renaud Lavoie of his wish to stay in Hamilton the whole season. Today, we hear more from his Team 990 interview.

There's a lot of sound thinking in what Max Pacioretty has to say. Letting players make mistakes for development sounds about right. Taking a year to build his game is something most would have advised anyway.

It's not always what he said that is the problem, it is the fact that he said it on the radio, that he said it at all.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I've ever heard a 21-year-old hockey player state that he would rather spend a whole season on the farm rather than jump at the chance to prove what he can do in the NHL. It's almost unnatural. The reason it's unnatural is that it shows a distinct lack of ambition and a very worrying lack of confidence.

Never mind that he also slagged off the current coach of the Canadiens, you know the one who will be here when he's done his year in Hamilton. And he questioned the value of working under "one of the best coaches of all time?" for his personal development.

It's an immature set of interviews all around, and a set that could well be forgiven but for a few things.

The first is that forgiving Max may be more effort than it's worth for the organization. Having offended coaches, and from the sounds of it players, immediate recall is not on the books. In August I asked and we all joined in on the fact that Pacioretty's window of opportunity was closing compared to what it had been.

"The Habs are loaded with middle talent on the wings through Hamilton and beyond. Pacioretty is a good player, but is likely replaceable via internal promotion." is what I said at the time, and it's only truer as Desharnais shines brighter, Eller shows good glimpses and others put up numbers just as interesting without the sour attitude. Asking to be in the AHL all year might be the easiest request Max has ever made. Hamilton, though? We'll see.

The second is that Max is now broadcast over the internet on an interview that drags on and on without hardly a mention of anyone other than Max Pacioretty. They say there is no "I" in team, Well, despite appearances there's no team in Max Pacioretty (X Paciorty). It's a stunning tirade of self-absorption that sendsoff alarms of Christopher Higgins.

Mathieu Darche, the consummate professional, and one who knows far more about learning how to play hockey in sub-NHL situations than the precocious American summed up the whole affair best when he said:

«Un joueur peut se retrouver sur un quatrième trio, mais doit apprendre que les décisions ne sont pas toujours prises juste en fonction de lui.»
"A player may find himself on the 4th line, but has to understand that not all decisions made are a function of himself alone."

Martin then closint it out with a wry thought:

«Malheureusement il s'est blessé.»

The good side

Even in stories like this there's always good.

Cunneyworth and co. have been winning, but the fact they are getting good reviews is encouraging. There was plenty of worry about losing Guy Boucher from the Hamilton organization. The team won't perhaps learn the same things, but at least if they all learn something and take lessons from the winning they are currently doing, that would be a good step.

Habs Take To Our TVs 2010-11 Season Begins

An interesting game to watch (and not watch at times). Overall it was good to see the team back in action.

I'm happy to tell you I took my own advice for this game. Score? Was there one? I tried to watch players I hadn't seen before and look for improvement in those I was familiar with. I won't give a full report by any means, but I have a few notes:

Pouliot is trying to deliver on promises
He didn't score, but I thought he tried. He was energetic and importantly he shot the puck (when he could find it). His highlight came early when he saw a seam and drove with a wicked backhand and ending on the post.

Palushaj will try all night long
Aaron tries and tries, but I fear the St. Louis scouts who let him go for lack of finishing touch may have been right. But while he may never be a top-liner, he's an instant improvement on D'Agostini as a checking player and could be a good complement over the years to guys like Pyatt.

Tinordi was a good pick
Genuine surprise of the night was Tinordi's poise. I don't think Fischer ever showed this. Tinordi looked a rookie, but a rookie with a future.

Bergeron would be a great Hab
We hear about most every other French Canadian coming to Montreal. Seldom do I hear about Bergeron. But he's a good good player and he showed his quality tonight.

Gill's game is post-season
Someone else said it. You could see it every time he was on the ice for this end to end contest. Gill thrives in tight checking games with no whistles. Exhibition season is never going to flatter his talents. He did alright, but at times creaked.

Maxwell realized
Palushaj was on everyone's tongues. That's right as he played a full game. But Ben Maxwell was more impressive at times than Palushaj, and he grew into the game. If I had written this in the first intermission, it would have been about Maxwell missing the boat. I'm pleased to say he made it in time for boarding, maybe even avoided a cut or two in the end.

Some out of depth for the moment
Not yet for Dumont, St. Denis, Weber. If the Habs played Boston 82 times, Conboy would be an asset. But they don't.


Your thoughts welcome...

What Will Become Of Max Pacioretty?

Recently I was asked to contribute to a list of 25 Habs prospects under tha age of 25. While the top of the list fell out quite easily because it's top of mind, the middle and the bottom required some thought.

As I got to the middle portions, a lot of players who've been dormant in my mind for some time came back to the forefront. Chief among those was one-time prospect list hotshot Max Pacioretty. Big first round draft pick with rookie scoring at Michigan who makes the Habs at age 19 in a prospect averse era.

How did he ever slip down the counsciousness? What happened? And more pertinent, what is likely to happen from here?


Sound play, no scorer's touch

No matter how much the Canadiens want to will Pacioretty to become a power forward, it seems the signs so far point to a different trajectory.

Pacioretty was selected by the Habs on the back of a 21-goal campaign in the USHL at age 17. 21 goals in the USHL can go many ways (ask his undrafted Sioux City teammates). For Max it appeared to be the start of something good when he tickled the twine 15 times with the powerhouse Wolverines the next season. Still, it was prospect stuff. There were more levels at which he needed to be tested.

We know the story well from there. A goal in his first game, a few in his first week playing with Saku Koivu. He looked a keeper. but then the NHL settled on Max. He took time to work out the checking, how to get free, how to beat a goalie. I say he took time, he's taken time. The time extended through the entirety of his stint last season. No NHL scorer was Max Pacioretty at age 21.

The corroborating evidence for his less than subtle hands comes from the AHL. In 2 seasons and 60 games in total (with playoffs), Max has managed only 9 goals. That's an Andrew Conboy scoring clip.

He's more of a goals prevented than goals created type player. Over 52 games last season he created just 3.7 goals, which translated to 0.33 GC/60. Compared to top-liners who are over 1.00 GC/60, this seemss paltry. Compared to Maxim Lapierre (0.39 GC/60) who was dismal last regular season, flags go up. Goals were even scarce when he was on the ice (20 in all). He was on for about 1.8 GF/60 in all situations, with about 1.33 GF/60 at even strength. This was one of the poorest efforts on the team.

Goal prevention was different story. 1.816 GA/60 overall and 1.80 GA/60 at even strength. Max was the second best full-time player after Glen Metropolit at being stingy at even strength last season. A superb sign for a rookie.

This is not to say I don't think Pacioretty is a good player. It's just that his stats (3G, 1FA, 10SA. 14 Pts) only back up what we see. Unlike other young shooters, he more often than not shies from the shot and the selfish play and instead opts to get a head start on his backchecking assignment. It makes him a fine penalty killer and a great prospect for defensive duty from the front. The problem being that's not perhaps what the Habs expected or even wanted right away from the lanky American.


Down the depth chart

Early last fall, Max Pacioretty was poised to step in for Guillaume Latendresse after any slip. He was pencilled as high as 6th in some Habs depth charts.

His own play, the play of others, and multiple changes and additions make me think he has slipped a substantial amount.

First and foremost is the addition of Pouliot, who outstrips Pacioretty on offense by such a degree that any conversation of Max on the Gomez line starts to seem desperate. Lars Eller has been a cut above Max in the AHL, and Pacioretty's 6 NHL goals can't refute that either.

Next is the rise of Tom Pyatt. He has the coaches blessing and plays a less peripheral game. The addition of Aaron Palushaj also hurts as it seems that Aaron might actually be the USHL Michigan scorer that the Habs intended Max to be. Then there's the additions of guys like Dustin Boyd and Ian Schultz, who aren't better options yet, but aren't far.

If Max is indeed progressing on the path to being a solid defensive forward, he may slip more. This is perhaps unfair, but let's face it, it's easier to teach defense than find offense and grooming a first round pick for 3rd line wing duty for the next 10 years is more suited to the 1970s Canadiens than a team desperately in search of secondary scoring.


Conversion?

This is an idea I floated a long time ago on Pacioretty. Needless to say it was laughed down, but I persist. Given Pacioretty's continued demonstration of strong game awareness and his persistent refusal to look like scoring more than once a month, what about defence?

Pacioretty might be the first convert in a while to go this way on the Habs, but turning a forward to backliner is nothing new at all. Markov was once a forward, and so were countless other NHL Dmen current and past. It might take some doing, but it might also salvage an NHLer from him.

My personal opinion is that it could work, but it would be a wait and see proposition. Pacioretty is big enough and a good enough skater, but there's no telling at how he might find positioning at the back. What's more, it's possible his skills are more suited to being the third man in the shut down move than the first or second.

Still, Ithe way things are going, the Habs will be losing Dmen, have lost Fischer and McDonagh, Valentenko and in all likelihood Emelin. O'Byrne is adequate but not first pairing stuff, Weber, who knows? Beyond Subban, Gorges and Markov there's space for a young buck.

And the forward situation suits this move too. The Habs are loaded with middle talent on the wings through Hamilton and beyond. Pacioretty is a good player, but is likely replacebale via internal promotion.