Got a text from a reader 30 seconds after the finish of last night's hockey game between the Montréal Canadians and the Philthydelphia Flyers. "O ye of little faith!", he said. "One bad game and you get off the good ship Habs?!" He was referring to yesterday's post headed "Poor Len Canayen loses hope for hapless Habs". Well, I blame Ed. for that.* If you read my words carefully, you will see that I did not give up hope entirely. I merely said that I wouldn't bet on a "miracle on ice" that would get les Glorieux into the playoffs.
Our reader (J-P Fou, of St-Louis-du-Ha-Ha, QC -- you can look it up) points to last night's satisfying 4-1 win over the team the Habs have to pass to get into the last NHL Eastern Conference wild card spot. And, he says, that makes 3 wins in the last 4 games. Plus a GAA of 0.67 for Carey Price, who turned aside 40 shots and was chosen first star of the game. Touché, J-P!
Add into the mix Montréal native (meaning he was born there, nothing else) Marco Scandella, recently acquired from the Buffalo Sabres, who turned in another strong performance on an improved Habs defence. Even more important, Ilya Kovalchuk, who many naysayers (Hello to the Gazoo's Brendan Kelly) said was past his prime, scored not once but twice, bringing his point total to 7 in 6 games. As P.J. O'Rourke wrote, age and guile beat youth and innocence! Good on yer, Kovy!
More good news. Tomas Tatar had a goal (his 17th) and an assist. He's now the Habs' leading goal-scorer. Whoda thunk it? Jesperi Kotkaniemiinstigated a fight which he won on points. Again, whoda thunk it? Joel Armia returned from injury and played well. Arturi Lehkonen continued his much-improved play, scoring his 11th goal this year. The Canadiens got a power-play goal and allowed no goals while short-handed.
All in all, it was a fine performance, and, while the Habs are still 7 points out of a wild card spot, hope springs eternal, right here in my bleu-blanc-et-rouge heart!
* Note from Ed. Perhaps I made a mistake when I translated Len's scribbles from the original joual. Sorry.
Allo sports fans! Poor Len `ere with an update on the falling fortunes of Canada's Team (TM).
It has been a tough six weeks for fans of the Montréal Canadiens. Le Tricolore came home flushed with success after a great road trip through western Canada, winning three and losing just one. Then came the Christmas break and the dreaded annual excursion to Florida (Canada's 11th province).
I say "dreaded" because the team seems to think it's a vacation, and don't exert themselves sufficiently, leaving the puck to find its own way into opponents' nets. Doesn't work. On 28 December, the Habs lost to Tampa Bay, beginning an 8-game losing streak, in which they collected just one (1) of a possible 16 points (an overtime loss to Pittsburgh). With that, they fell out of playoff contention, and left fans muttering darkly about which heads should roll.
Hopes were revived this past weekend when Les Glorieux squeaked out a 2-1 OT win over the Ottawa Senators. Carey Price was in form and was awarded the third star. Ageing superstar Ilya Kovalchuk, the team's latest acquisition (and last hope) scored the OT winner and got the first star. He has earned a place on the top line and in fans' sometimes-fickle affections.
Monday night's win over a stronger team, the Calgary Flames, was even better! Price starred in a 2-0 shutout, his 46th in a Habs uniform, typing him with Ken Dryden for third place in the list of Habs goalies with the most shutouts. (Jacques Plante is No. 2 and the all-time shutoutingest goalie is... wait for it... George Hainsworth.) The team in front of Price played well and was full value for the win.
Then came last night, a home game against the Chicago Blackhawks, which the bookies favoured the Canadiens to win. It was not to be. "Jumpy Charlie" Lindgren played goal, since Price will be needed for tonight's game vs Philthydelphia. Mistaking himself for Price, he played the puck from behind his net to Tomas Tatar, who wasn't expecting it, allowing the opponents a tap-in from about a foot out. Things just got worse after that and the final score was 4-1.
So, what now? Mathematically, Montréal still has a chance of getting into the playoffs, but I'm not betting on it, nor should you. I'm starting to hear talk that, with the playoffs out of reach, GM Marc Bergevin may be prepared to sell some assets as part of his 5-year building plan, now well into its 8th year. Names mentioned include Tatar, Jonathan Drouin and Paul Byron. The last two are on the IR, not expected to return until after the all-star break. IMHO, trading any of those guys would be a mistake. Trading Price or all-star D-man Shea Weber will be impossible because of their hyuge contracts.
If I were GM, I would try to trade a lesser light and maybe a pick or two for a reliable backup goalie. Even that isn't really necessary as Cayden Primeau is developing nicely with Laval and could be tapped for that position next season. And the team has two other rookies -- Cale Fleury and Nick Suzuki -- who are playing well and should be protected and nurtured. That leaves underachievers Jasperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling, both of whom are disappointingly mediocre, as trade bait, if Bergie feels the need to make a deal to keep his job.
In summary... I'll keep watching the Habs -- how could I not? -- but am not expecting any "miracle on ice". If the team's many injured scorers can return for part of February and March, it's possible la Sainte Flanelle could finish with a respectable record. And then... there's always next year. À la prochaine...
Last time we heard from Poor Len Canayen, he was mildly optimistic about the Montreal Canadiens' chances of making the NHL playoffs this spring. Now... not so much. Over to you, Len.
Tank youse, Walt. Last night les Glorieux played the 41st game of the 82-game schedule. The conventional wisdom is that if you're not in a playoff position at the half-way point of the season, you're not going to make it. As things stand, after their 2-1 loss (4th in a row) to Tampa Bay last night, the Canadiens have fallen to 6th place in the Atlantic division. And the Metropolitan division is so strong this year that only the top three Atlantic teams look playoff-bound, with the two wild card spots going to Metropolitan teams (Carolina and Philthydelphia). The Habs' playoff outlook is pretty dismal.
The main problem, as I see it, is lack of depth. Injuries are killing the Canadiens. [Kind of awkward phrasing. Must be Len's lack of familiarity with English. Ed.] Yesterday morning, coach Claude Julien announced that Brendan Gallagher has been placed on the injured-reserve list with a concussion, suffered the injury during a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year's Eve in Carolina after being checked by Jordan Staal and then getting accidentally kneed in the head by teammate Ben Chiarot while falling to the ice. Here's the video. Warning: content may be disturbing![That's to make sure you watch it! Ed.]
Gallagher joins teammates Joel Armia (hand), Paul Byron (knee), Jonathan Drouin (wrist) and Matthew Peca (knee) on the injured-reserve list. Peca is one of those in-betweeners, better than average in the AHL, but not cutting the mustard with the big team. But Drouin, Armia and Byron are all top forwards, and when you are missing four (counting Gallagher), you're going to have trouble putting the puck in your opponents' net. And that was exactly the problem last night and in the New Year's Eve loss to Carolina. You won't win many games scoring only one goal.
The good news -- such as it is -- is that the Habs' defence has improved, although there's still a lack of communications, at times, between the defence pairs and the goalie. And the "third defenceman", goalie Carey Price, has been inconsistent. TBL's winning goal, last night, resulted from Price leaving the puck right on his doorstep, thinking that Victor Mete would pick it up... which he (Mete) didn't.
The defence should be improved as of tomorrow night, when Marco Scandella joins the team, having been acquired by GM Marc Bergevin in a deal with Buffalo yesterday. Scandella will probably take the place of Brett Kulak, who has been less than reliable this year, and will now get on the bus for Laval.
If the Habs are to have any hope of making the playoffs, Bergevin is going to have to buy or rent a couple of seasoned players. Drouin and Byron aren't expected back until the end of January, and there's no help coming from Laval. Three or four of the sputtering Rocket have been called up and have done nothing much. I won't name and shame them, but the initials of one are Charles Hudon.
The good news is that some of the younger players on the forward lines are playing well. Max Domi scored in six consecutive games, before last night. Ryan Poehling shows signs of adjusting to his quick move from college hockey to the NHL.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who himself was concussed until recently, is improving, although not to the point of being the marquee player fans are hoping for. The coming superstar is more likely to be Nick Suzuki, acquired as a bonus in the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Vegas. In the last four games, he has been the best player on the ice, on either team, several times -- truly a delight to watch.
So... we're only half-way through the season. It's easy enough to see the glass as half-empty, but if you look not at the scores but at the way the Habs have been playing, it might just be half full. The fat lady hasn't sung yet!
UPDATE ADDED at 1130: Cazart! Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin just announced that they have signed Russian star [has-been? Ed.]Ilya Kovalchuk to a one-year, two-way contract which will pay the right-winter $700,000 if he plays with the Habs, 1/10th of that if he winds up in Laval.
Kovalchuk, 36, used to be the terror of NHL goalies, but parted company with the Los Angeles Kings in November after failing to perform miracles. Whether he can do so for the Habs is an open question, but at that price, it's worth a try. And don't forget that la Sainte Flanelle had another Great Russian, not so long ago, whose name began with "Kov"! Wonder if No. 27 is available?
Got a text from a reader 30 seconds after the finish of last night's hockey game between the Montréal Canadians and the Philthydelphia Flyers. "O ye of little faith!", he said. "One bad game and you get off the good ship Habs?!" He was referring to yesterday's post headed "Poor Len Canayen loses hope for hapless Habs". Well, I blame Ed. for that.* If you read my words carefully, you will see that I did not give up hope entirely. I merely said that I wouldn't bet on a "miracle on ice" that would get les Glorieux into the playoffs.
