Game #70 Washington Deal Canadiens Significant Injuries: Plekanec, Lower Body; Team, Pride

Details

Date: 15/3/2011
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Montreal

Loss:2-4

Habs Goalie: Price (L)
Opposition Goalie: Holtby (W)

Habs goalscorers: Moen, Kostitsyn
Opposition goalscorers: Johansson (2), Laich, Knuble

Play of the game

The save of the night had to be the team effort that duped Brad Watson into disallowing a goal that clearly was. It starts with Price who made the initial save then flopped back just enough to give the illusion of control. Subban, who batted the puck before the myopic ref would spot it. And Kostitsyn who knocked Johansson into the net before the puck could settle without doubt into the back of the netting. Unconventional. But a certain goal didn't end up on the scoreboard for this work. I suppose some credit must also go to the league for setting the ridiculous precedent that intention to blow a whistle is as good as blowing it.

Dome hockey team

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

Forwards

David Desharnais
Sloppy at times before the finish, but still the player who created the most danger in close on the Capitals net. e led the team in shots and his linemates were right there with him. I think he's stretched to play a top two centre's role, but when he was tasked with the lower docket, he was impressive again.

Tom Pyatt
Popped off the screen early before his ice time was limited to shift Cammalleri around. Pyatt didn't look much like scoring, but neither did many Habs forwards. At the least, he was creating rebounds and forcing the puck to danger zones. A great game by Tom's standards.

Lars Eller
Determined and dynamic. Eller continued his progression to important player for this team. His pass to Kostitsyn was a nice assist. His pass to Gomez was a pass too far. The next step is for him to find some selfish tendencies when in clear positions.

Defencemen

James Wisniewski
James had a good game at both ends, I thought. Some good moments on the PP, with a near goal in close. That goes with some moments of calm as well as at least two backchecking saves for the team. The signature moment for the man in the hockey mask was his shot block, going off in severe pain, and coming back before a shift was missed.

PK Subban
Subban had a tough assignment with Ovechkin. He handled it extremely well. I think we all thought we were getting an exciting and somewhat irresponsible offensive defender with PK. Instead, he continues to show his ability to learn and grow. I maintain that his defensive game is one of the biggest surprises of the season.

Goaltender

Carey Price - Game Puck
4 (or 5) goals. Some dicey puck handling. It wasn't a banner game for Carey, yet he makes the dome because he simply was the Canadiens best. The difference between Carey Price 2011 and 2009 is in the saves he can make after a bad bounce like goal #1 and a disallowed goal so close to the start. He not only settled but played a full half game of stunning shut out hockey. Oh, and his glove. The difference for the Canadiens is that Carey can carry a team close with a standard below his best.

Comments

Chances are we were due for this moment. The coach can be angry. But his team just played a playoff rival to a standstill on Saturday and had to face the hottest team in the East. They went down on some pretty bad luck within a minute and then ended up losing two important players (the Plekanec loss could weigh heavy on this teams hopes).

What I saw was a loss to a much better team on the night. Certainly a much better prepared team. Think of all the moments you saw Hal Gill beaten outside and tell me that wasn't a targeted strategy. The Capitals defence allowed those outside shots, but kept it to that. They limited the impact of Canadiens speed by forcing very early passes from defenders that failed most of the time.

The lesson to take from this game is twofold. First, losses will still happen, there is no need to despair. Second, the Canadiens are winning on the back of some pretty basic strategic maneuvers. An intensive examination by an opposing coach (such as the ones you typically see during a playoff series) will reveal weaknesses to exploit. Luckily, there's also a third lesson. The Canadiens once again have a wildcard in goal, a player who can disregard the momentum of the game and keep it close.

Game #51 Canadiens Do It the 2011 Way: Comeback, OT

Details

Date: 25/1/2011
Opponent: Capitals
Location: Washington

Win: 3-2 (SO)

Habs Goalie: Price (W)
Opposition Goalie: Varlamov (L)

Habs goalscorers: Gionta (2, SO)
Opposition goalscorers: Perreault, Knuble

Play of the game

The play of the game tonight came early. Price opened the game with a February 2010 number, but he quickly redeemed himself. Marcus Johansson took the very next Washington shot (a breakaway), and Price stoned him with a great leg save. The message to the team was clear enough: "I've made up for my mistake, your turn".

Dome hockey team

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

Brian Gionta - Game Puck
Off the puck, he had competition for recognition. On it, he was money tonight. On a team that wants to defer to everyone and anyone before taking an obvious shooting opportunity, Brian stands out. He shoots, and importantly tonight, he scores. There's not much more to say.

Benoit Pouliot
This comeback began not long after Knuble scored. For me the symbolic moment was when Pouliot lost the puck but then doubled back to strip it from Ovechkin. This led to a penalty and a change in momentum. other than this, Pouliot was solid throughout the contest, his line was dangerous at times, and he was the leader.

Tomas Plekanec
TSN said Tomas had 4 or more scoring chances in the game. Not sure about that, but he did play well after the turn of the tide. Like many forwards, chances he had went missing (AK missed more) -- he'll need to be better on future nights.

Defencemen

PK Subban
Subban is making friends in Washington. He really got under Ovechkin's skin in this game and for the vast majority of the time, he contained him too. Did we just read that? Subban contained Ovechkin? Subban the rookie offensive defenceman. It was a game for PK to show off his true talent and I thought he vastly outshone Carlson, who for some reason gets wider praise. It was another great game in a string of great games for the rookie since his second benching. Say what you will about Martin and young players, the evidence is piling up here with Subban.

Jaroslav Spacek
With the depleted defence we have, its taking some strong efforts and discipline from vets to hold this season together. Spacek deserves a significant amount of recognition for the way he allows Weber to operate. What's more, I thought Spacek had his best game in a long while, with some good hits and even a good shot.

Goaltender

Carey Price
Goal on first weak shot used to spell a night of sulking and days, if not weeks spent recovering. Not so anymore. As I said above, his rebound was immediate. And, apart from a beautifully prepared second goal, Carey was perfect. The icing on the cake was the fact he got to win the game with a save on Ovechkin in the shootout. The celebration of this win was much more sincere than a statue pose.

Comments

This could have been a loss. Coming back from the break, teams take time to find the groove again, passes go awry (AK) and timing is a bit off. It would have been forgivable against a resurgent Capitals team, too. Instead, we were all treated to an outstanding show of resilience and bullheadedness. The Habs simply refused to lose. They did it conventionally, by peppering the goalie with shots and doing it till goals went in.

A perfect result. It's not to say this was a perfect game -- there is plenty of tape to review. Only to say that when the playoffs come, and the team finds itself down by two in an important situation, you wouldn't want to have had a season without moments like these.

The stretch coming up is being termed the sprint by everyone and their auntie. Clearly these people who call the season a marathon have never done a spot of distance run. The Canadiens certainly need to be in position for a sprint when the time comes (and that means winning a fair share f the next 20-odd games), but sprint from now and there'll be fade. The goal should be to avoid the sprint if possible by doing what they were doing in November -- burying chances, burying games. They did it tonight with a sprint to the finish, a comeback, with OT. And this has been the way of 2011 (8 OT games in 13). But I hope 2011 has more in store for these Habs, because this kind of hockey does not a rested playoff squad prepare.

Same Name, Different Approach

You can call your son Guy, but you can't make him a communicator.

Pat Hickey gives us a taste of how Guy Boucher operates differs, and in a different snippet how different he is in his approach to Guy Carbonneau (on Johansson):

"I sensed that he was a little shy when the camp opened," said Guy Boucher, the Hamilton Bulldogs head coach who has been overseeing the camp. "I asked the assistants to talk to him and he's responded well."

Sensing?


Sensing and then communicating?

I thought shy players were there to be either a) mocked, or b) ignored for 8 months...

Canadiens Waiver Confusion

I'm not sure if the confusion was all mine, but I took some time to look into the Canadiens waiver exemptions for the upcoming season as a remedy.

I thought I'd share on another slow news day.

You'll remember that post I wrote about Latendresse the other day. I wrote it to point out that it was make or break time for the guy. What I probably didn't fully consider was that his situation may be more critical than I originally thought.

The reason is simple. The current Canadiens roster is stacked with veteran (and young) players who do not carry a waiver wire exemption. I didn't quite understand how this could be, but with a bit of a rummage around, I think I do now.

1) Waiver eligibility has nothing to do with age really – it has much more to do with experience and being paid at the pro level

2) Unlike the old NHL, waiver status under the 2005 CBA is determined by professional games, not just NHL games. That means players who've played 160 games for Hamilton, Cincinnati, Montreal or some combination are all exposed to other teams on demotion during the season.

The question is particularly pertinent when it comes to Latendresse and his rivals. Now, I assumed (and rightly so) that Pacioretty and Sergei Kostitsyn were waiver exempt. They both come under the cap for games and years since their first pro contract. Matt D'Agostini and Kyle Chipchura, however, who I thought were in the same boat are not at all. Because of their prolonged attachment to the Bulldogs both have easily amassed more than 160 professional games and are full-fledged NHL bait now. And, when you do some Kostitsyn math (and I could be wrong) one comes to the conclusion that he has one game of exemption left – so he's not really at all. This impacts on Latendresse (and others, but I have a fixation) because I thought he would benefit from being one of a few who could not be shunted to Hamilton. He's one of many. You can imagine that Glen Metropolit might also be thinking about trying to put in a big training camp if he'd like to stay with the Habs.

Here is a somewhat complete list of the Canadiens players as they fall into the waiver eligible or exempt pots:

Waiver eligible
Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kostitsyn, Guillaume Latendresse, Maxime Lapierre, Georges Laraque, Glen Metropolit, Travis Moen, Greg Stewart, Matt D'Agostini, Kyle Chipchura, Andrei Markov, Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek, Josh Gorges, Hal Gill, Paul Mara, Ryan O'Byrne

Waiver exempt (and for how long):
Sergei Kostitsyn (until 2010-11 or 1st game this year), Max Pacioretty (until 2011-12 or 89th game this year), Yannick Weber (until 2012-13 or 84th game this year), Ben Maxwell (until 2011-12 or 74th game this year), Mathieu Carle (until 2012-13 or 31st game this year), Subban (undetermined length as of today)


The interesting finding was initially D'Agostini, but certainly Kostitsyn (if I'm not off base) is a big deal. Either one of those players could be a legitimate waiver target for other GMs, so Gainey will be wary. It should also say something to Paccioretty backers – as the only NHL trialled forward who can commute, you shouldn't be too hopeful of his guaranteed place on a top line.

The final group of interest here to me are the Swedes. Because of their newness to the league, they carry with them the exemption. What looked like a couple of experimental pick-ups in Johansson and Engqvist might turn out to be very valuable filler if short-term injuries occur. Marks to Gainey on that front.


Maybe now that I understand this a bit better, I'll stop calling for Shawn Belle to be promoted and risking waivers. Then again, maybe not...

Canadiens Prospects and Newcomers

A few days ago, I compiled a bit of a list for you all of the players that we may never see again. From Yannick Lehoux to Alex Monahan, there will always be players who don't make the final step in their decades-long journey to the NHL. Of course, there's sympathy, but they must be proud to have even made it as far as they did and hopefully cherish the opportunity for even a single development camp if that's all they ever get.

Today, it's time for a change of gear. Time to focus on the players that the Canadiens do still have in the system. And, more interestingly, some that they have been adding.


Andreas Engqvist

By now you'll have all heard that the Canadiens have signed Andreas Engvist to a three-year deal starting this season. Reports of that are all over the web.

But unless you read Swedish, the most you can find out about this guys is that he is 6'0" tall, 200 lbs and scored a few SEL goals last year. There are videos highlighting his best moments (looking good), but we all know most players could put a highlight reel together.

I did a little more digging to come up with something extra for you all and this is what I found:

– Apparently the Canadiens have been after signing Engqvist for a while now (along with other clubs), but he's happy to sign here

–

– And the best from a very clued- in fan who saw the events in person:
"Clearly, I am way too happy to see big centermen on the ice ’cause he also impressed the hell out of me. Clearly needs to work on his foot speed. Probably amongst the big guys, the one that needs to improve the most on his overall speed, first steps and agility. But he is big, loves to implicate himself physically, loves to sit in front of the net, has some nice hands and a nice shot. I really don’t see how we will not sign him to a contract. Either it’s this year or next year, Habs NEED to make some kind of arrangements to get him here. He has a nice potential. Great size, great strength upper and lower, so beside his speed, I really don’t see how you cannot like this kid. Out of the Swedish kids, I mean today it’s no contest Engqvist way ahead of Johansson."


Development camp suite

If you are a masochist and like to watch skating drills that will tell you very little about how a player will react on the NHL ice in 5 years time, there's plenty to see on youtube. But if, like me you'd prefer not to listen to the man on the handycam, then I found a nice snippet from the CFCF evening news that's still available on their website. It doesn't give the all encompassing view that you'd have got going to the game in person, but it does give a glimpse of PK Subban in flight, some of Mac Bennett (though not enough to understand what they were on about) and Avtsyn.

The best summary I found was not from the mainstream media (though that CFCF report was a great recap), but from a fan. His whole piece of commentary can be found in English on Matthias Brunet's blog in the comments section (posted by stanley 25 at 09h51). That'll be for the most crazed among you – and I know you're out there.


Dany Masse

Dany Masse was the first free agent to get the ball rolling this year for Bob Gainey. Signed on the very eve of this season's playoffs, it was good to see Gainey scoop up a player that would have surely been given a shot somewhere else.

Looking at Dany Masse's statistics could be a bit deceiving, because although he did score 110 points with 40-odd goals in the QMJHL this year, he was a man among boys – something the 5'10" player may never e again.

But his signing was worthwhile for other reasons. For one thing, he was part of a championship team, which is always a good thing. And not just any championship team, but the team that turned last place into first with a 37-point turnaround. The lessons from that experience are surely valuable ones. For another thing, he was coached by Guy Boucher (new coach of the Bulldogs). As Dany was signed first, it may be that he already did all he needed to do with the Habs already by adding just that little extra incentive for the top junior coaching prospect in all of Canada to choose the Habs. Guy Boucher must like Masse, because, as Dany states in this interview before deciding whether to keep up with the QMJHL:

"He changed my mind," smiled Masse, who spent two seasons with the Titan scoring 55 goals and adding 80 assists in 139 regular season games. "I decided to go right away. I think it is the best decision I've ever made."

As a player, Dany is surely a big gamble. He was on the radar for NHL scouts as many as 3 years ago, but has gone undrafted in each subsequent draft. While his breakout season may be a turning point, it may simply be the exception to the rule. But as there is no harm (for the Canadiens big club, anyway) in giving this young man a chance, then I think it is certainly worth the gamble. Odds are he'll go the way of Thomas Beauregard, but if he's about to take off, then I'm glad we have his rights.


Mikael Johansson

The original Swedish free agent signing. This one happened back in May when we were all still licking our open wounds.

In many ways, he's probably the more interesting of the two new Swedes. Where Engqvist is bigger, based on the reports and the statistics he's not a top-line talent to get excited about. Johansson is the more skilled.

Mikael was also drafted – drafted by the Detroit Red Wings (which must mean something). Sure, he wasn't signed by them, but the line is that he hadn't progressed by the time contracts were being handed out. The difference now is that he has had his jump in form. Last season was the marked improvement where he doubled his goals and his points totals to find a place on scoring leaders. This season his goal totals suffered, but he was still posted the 12th most assists leaguewide (even though 28 doesn't look much).

Importantly, Johansson was also member of a championship team, as the team went through a 55-game schedule with 30 wins, 8 losses (3 in OT) and 17 ties. A most impressive season and massive improvement on the previous year.

According to his teammate on the Swedish champions Farjestad, he is skilled to the utmost degree. Fast skater, incredible hands and a catalogue of moves (you can hear all about Mikael about 2/3 of the way into this interview from SRC radio fromt he spring). According to our favourite fan at the camp, Johansson is overhyped. Apparently he looked pretty average in the scrimmage. While it may well be the case, one has to think that the Canadiens were still right to take a chance on a guy who could make the leap that Brunnstrom did last season (a player who may be labelled a bust by some, but who was probably a clip above Latendresse in scoring this season even as a rookie).


Mathieu Darche

The veritable old man in this piece, I wanted to give a nod to Mathieu Darche, my fellow Redman.

The Canadiens signed Mathieu on July 2nd, before they even put pen to paper with any of their own RFAs. In what may well be an AHL only signing, I think the Canadiens have picked up a nice piece here. And, if injuries do happen and you stare down the left wing depth chart and start to realise there isn't one, then it will be a relief to have Darche in the pocket for a call-up. After all, he has played over 100 NHL games, with one 73-game season 2 years ago. The timing of the move shows me Gainey was targeting Darche and was worried that other teams might also be interested.

I wouldn't look for him to be the star of the training camp in the fall. But the quietly effective player will be sure to keep some of the other aspiring Habs honest and at their best.


Gabriel Girard

As a final note, I wanted to mention Gabriel Girard one more time. I really think the Canadiens have a big problem in the goaltending depth column at the moment, particularly if Halak starts to make a fuss about getting traded. Nobody wants to see Cedrick Desjardins too much and after him is like staring into the abyss.

Girard did not have the best development camp (well scrimmage), but has some pedigree. His stats in Shawinigan this year were very, very impressive and he did outstanding work to press Drummondville to the very last (no small feat this year).

I hope that the next new signing I read about will be his...