It appears there is going to be a season-long obsession with the NHL standings for fans of the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs entered their affair at the Bell Centre against the Carolina Hurricanes with a three-point lead over Pittsburgh and Detroit for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, trying to recover from an embarrassment in Minnesota after losing 7-1.
The team emerged victorious Thursday night, defeating the Hurricanes 6-4.
Wilde Horses
- The partnership of Mike Reilly and Jeff Petry was a revelation. Reilly wasn’t even in the lineup in the loss at Minnesota when the Habs looked painfully slow, with the likes of David Schlemko and Jordie Benn getting far too much ice time. Reilly is an enigma, though. He can be so good on some nights and then, on other nights, simply not be ready to make the physical commitment necessary in the NHL. The league is painful for defenders, it’s simple as that. If you are not prepared to take the pain when the first forechecker comes hard after turning you, then you are not ready to be an NHLer. In this one, Reilly was engaged. He and Petry were skating miles, which they can. It’s why they make a great partnership, and it’s why the Habs need to look for more speed on the back end to help their forwards show more speed on the rush, getting solid head-man passes. Petry also clinched the 2-1 goal on a tremendous shot into the top corner.
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- It was a welcome sight to see the Habs’ coaching staff put some speed into the lineup against the Hurricanes. Matthew Peca got the call instead of Nicolas Deslauriers, and the fourth line was even better than it has been recently. Kenny Agostino has been strong, surprisingly. Michael Chaput has done more than was expected, too. Add a player with some wheels and that fourth line is really rolling. Peca was a particular standout, with the key tying goal from a beauty of a shot upstairs.
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- The top line of the Habs had a strong contest. Max Domi picked up an assist to keep his points-per-game season alive, and Jonathan Drouin played with outstanding confidence, holding onto the puck that extra second to make the right play. Drouin is playing the way that general manager Marc Bergevin envisioned when he traded for him. Drouin has such high-end skill. He is also playing a much more committed game defensively. Domi was also weaving through bodies well. Andrew Shaw was doing the dirty work, going to the front of the net to take a defender with him, opening up the ice for the skilled guys. Shaw also potted a beauty on a skilled pass from Shea Weber. That’s a line: a good combination of different skills to create different problems for the defenders.
- Last season, Brendan Gallagher hit the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career. This season, Gallagher has 14 on the season already. He is on pace to get his second 30-goal campaign with a big number of 36. Gallagher probably won’t hit a total that high, but he certainly is showing that last season wasn’t the summit of his career. Not bad for a guy who doesn’t have the same shooting ability as before due to the screws in his hand, but then again, Gallagher scores most of his goals from one foot out so the shot strength isn’t exactly key when you spend life in the blue paint. In fact, if Gallagher is looking for a title for his autobiography then, certainly, he can do no worse than Life in the Blue Paint.
- Artturi Lehkonen takes a lot of heat for not exactly being a finisher, but suddenly he has six goals on the season with four in his last seven games. The one he scored against the Hurricanes was his best as a pro. He lowered the shoulder and powered his way past the defenceman, made a bold move across the crease, simply not being denied. He then curved it around the goalie and just inside the post. It was a goal he will remember for years. Lehkonen does so many things right; if he can find a way to get 15 goals on the season, that’s a valuable NHL player.
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Wilde Goats
- It’s halfway through the second period when Phillip Danault has the puck on his stick with a defender standing between him and a pass to Gallagher. If the pass gets through, the goalie has no chance; it’s a goal on the lateral pass. Danault makes his attempt. It’s on the ice — it’s defended easily. That is the difference between an offensive player who can add plenty of goals to your team’s total and a defensive player who maxes out at 40-point seasons. Now, imagine that moment with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who is a passing wizard, with the puck on his stick. It’s a saucer pass and it’s a goal and it’s a different game. This is just one moment, of course. However, this moment plays out 10 or 20 times in a game in different situations. Let’s keep the contrasts coming: Kotkaniemi makes a gorgeous pass in the first period through two players on to the stick of Lehkonen. The Habs winger has a free pass to the net but instead fires it from 35 feet — into the chest of the Hurricanes’ keeper. The argument to not change Kotkaniemi for Danault has its merits. Danault’s line drives the play well. Danault’s line has the best Corsi on the team. However, this point can simply not be denied in hockey history: you do not have a real contender for the Stanlely Cup with a second-line centre who is on pace for a four-goal season. He makes good plays, he gets his assists — there’s no denying he is a good player. This is not to say that Danault moving down the depth chart has to be done now, but everyone must know that as a second-line centre, he is not the future on any team with aspirations of greatness. Bottom line: second-line centres don’t score four goals in a season on a top-flight hockey team.
- It was a rough night for Brett Kulak. Fans will point out that his partner Weber was turned on a truly magnificent play from Andrei Svechnikov, but it was Kulak who was constantly in trouble. He was turned badly on the fourth Carolina goal. This is the thing that happens with players who are 5-6 defenders, as most of the players on the left side of the blue line are for the Habs. They can play well over a short period of time, but when you ask them to play 25 to 30 minutes against the best players, they get exposed both mentally and physically. It’s difficult to concentrate shift after shift. It’s difficult to face the best players who have the best moves shift after shift. The hunt remains for a first pair partner for Weber. However, the Habs better not separate Petry and Reilly for a spell — they have something that could be brilliant there.
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Wilde Cards
- It’s time to play tarot card reader for Team Canada at the World Junior Tournament. You need to be a soothsayer to have any idea who is going to make the club when there is so much talent available. Fans of COTW are interested in how the two Habs prospects are doing so far. Nick Suzuki was a late cut last season and is not a lock for this year, either. Suzuki has played right wing for much of his time in Owen Sound, but recently he has moved into the middle. That’s good news for Team Canada management, who need strength down the middle, but it isn’t always a natural position for Suzuki, who is more of a scorer than a 200-foot game player. His game is more natural as a winger. Suzuki is setting up as the second-line centre so far, and it appears he has an inside track. The situation is also unusual for Josh Brook, who is a right-handed shot and has played on the right side as a defender through his career. He also is out of position recently with Moose Jaw, moving to the left side. This could be outstanding news for the Habs, who need left-side help desperately. If Brook can be as good on the left as the right, that would be sensational for a club that is horrible on the left-side blue line. It is, of course, the Habs’ greatest weakness. Brook is playing for Canada on the left with Evan Bouchard on the right. Bouchard was a top 10 draft pick and got a look in the regular season briefly for the Edmonton Oilers before they decided it was better if he returned to his junior team. Brook and Bouchard are the second pair for Canada. It appears that both Habs picks are in position so far to make the club. They simply have to play well enough in the pre-tournament games to maintain their slots. The World Juniors begin on Dec. 26 in Vancouver.
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