MONTREAL – This week, I’m going to be the optimist.
Yes, I’ve seen the scores and yes, I know the Montreal Canadiens came away with only one of four possible points this week.
Yes, things went wrong.
But the great thing about this season for the Habs?
Even the wrongs are turning into rights.
The Price is right, but he’s not the only one
Carey Price injured?
Enter the Mike Condon fairytale.
It’s true that Condon didn’t have a great game on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche.
You could feel his frustration on the third and fourth goals from the press gallery one hundred feet above the ice.
He had a bad game.
Everyone does.
He wasn’t helped at all by the Canadiens defensive effort, which head coach Michel Therrien essentially called non-existent during the post-game press conference.
Believe me, Therrien’s irritation was clear – it didn’t help that he was on a stage 10 feet in front of me.
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All the same, the man tasked with the hardest job in hockey has proven to be a solid goaltender in his own right.
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Both Price and Condon have played nine games this season.
Before Saturday night’s debacle, Condon posted a 1.73GAA, .936SV per cent and Price a 2.01 GAA and .936SV per cent.
It’s worth mentioning that both net minders are in the the top ten goals against average as of Sunday night.
While Price was practising on the ice this weekend, it’s safe to say we won’t see him back in action for the next two games.
Condon continues to live the dream for a little bit longer.
If you’re going to lose…
At least the Canadiens snuck out of Pittsburgh with a point this week.
Even though they lost against the Penguins, it was hard to knock the Habs down.
They held the Pens to one shot in the second period and contained a team loaded with offensive fire power.
An old wrong is corrected
The power play worked well when Andrei Markov notched his second goal of the year.
In fact, the Canadiens have scored a power play goal in seven of their last eight games.
That old wrong is now definitely heading in the right direction.
Wrong man for the job?
Finally, the man who was pegged as being the “wrong” fit for the team returned to the line-up on Saturday night.
Alexander Semin played his eleventh game of the season on the second line with Lars Eller and Alex Galchenyuk.
While he was held to no shots, and at times looked out of place, it was a definite improvement from Brian Flynn, who had a temporary stint on that second unit.
The line dominated in possession, especially in the offensive zone, but failed to produce a goal.
After Semin took a penalty that was just – well – wrong, we’ll have to see if Therrien gives him another chance.
Next time on…
The Canadiens are busy this week.
They play the team that broke their season opening 9-0 winning streak, the Vancouver Canucks, on Monday.
They stay at home Thursday to meet the Arizona Coyotes before facing off against John Tavares and the New York Islanders on Friday and Sunday.
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