Montreal 3 NY Islanders 4 SO (Nassau Coliseum)
“I know I’ve made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I’ve still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.” – HAL 9000
Before you read the attribution, were you thinking of someone else? You would be excused if the quote made you think of Jacques Martin.
It’s been said that Martin is one of the least emotional coaches in the league. He speaks in a calm, monotone voice, not unlike HAL, the 9000 series computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Don’t be fooled. The voice and the blank look on Martin’s face is masking what lies beneath. He often makes coaching decisions based less on reason and more on emotion. And when he does, like the experience with HAL, things don’t end very well.
There are numerous examples going all the way back to the beginning of the season. With Martin in a snit with Andrei Kostitsyn, the sniper sat on the bench in the third period while his team trailed. The Canadiens lost the game to the Oilers.
Two weeks ago, the Canadiens best physical defenseman, Ryan O’Byrne, sat on the bench and watched his defensive mates be out-muscled for the tying goal. Martin was upset that O’Byrne had taken a penalty in the third period. The Sabres won the game in a shootout.
The same game saw Martin inexplicably deploy, Tomas Plekanec, Mike Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn as his forwards to defend the lead. It didn’t work out very well.
Tonight, Martin made one of his most bizarre decisions of the year, when he went with his gut, and selected Max Lapierre as the first Canadiens’ player in the shootout.
For the past three games, Lapierre has been playing better. Better is a relative thing. In this context, it means that Lapierre was playing well enough to keep his spot on the fourth line rather than being relegated to the press box. He was deserving of his ten minutes of ice-time.
But its a monumental leap from being good enough to play on the fourth line to being chosen as one of three shooters in extra time. Its not an overstatement to state that the point lost tonight could adversely affect the Canadiens’ playoff fortunes by dictating a more difficult match-up. It’s also still a remote possibility that the Habs could miss the playoffs.
“It’s just an empty feeling knowing that we let that extra point slip away,” Josh Gorges said. “We didn’t play our best tonight, and that’s the disappointing part. It’s frustrating right now because that was a big extra point.”
Lapierre has one goal in three attempts on the shootout. With Lapierre and Cammalleri failing to score, the Canadiens best shootout performers, Brian Gionta and Andre Kostitsyn, were left on the bench. Even if the shootout continued for many rounds, wouldn’t Scott Gomez, Tomas Plekanec, Sergei Kostitsyn, Benoit Pouliot, Dominic Moore and Andrei Markov rank higher on the list than Lapierre?
“I am completely operational, and all my circuits are functioning perfectly.” “It can only be attributable to human error.”
Yes, of course. The execution of the orders must be to blame. By why is it that the Habs seem so ill-prepared for so many games this season? How many times have hockey writers and broadcasters used the phrase “the Canadiens came out flat.” Are the words “aggressive”,”attack” and “forecheck” part of the game plan?
“They came out pretty strong and we came out fairly flat,” said Brian Gionta. “I thought the second period we played pretty good, and the third period we sat back too much.”
The Islanders are a potential lottery-pick team with names like Flood, Hillen, Reese, Meyer, and MacDonald on defense. The Canadiens needed to take advantage of such a line-up.
As mentioned in the last game review, the Canadiens came into this game with a record of 33-3-3 when scoring three or more goals. The Habs did their job and put up three but lost for only the seventh time this season when doing so.
For one of the rare times this season, goaltending let the team down. Jaroslav Halak didn’t have a good night giving up two soft goals during regulation. Islanders’ shooters didn’t have much difficulty with Halak as he failed to make a save in the shootout. Halak was down early and playing deep most of the game.
Halak was joined by Cammalleri (1 shot), Darche (0 shots, 0 hits), Pouliot (-1), and Markov (0 shots, -1) with subpar efforts. Josh Gorges struggled all game long.
Ryan O’Byrne had another strong game leading the team with ten hits and six blocked shots. Andrei Kostitsyn had five shots on goal and an assist.
Fortunately, none of the teams chasing the Canadiens has been going on a tear. The Habs need just one point in their remaining two games to qualify for the playoffs. If that were to happen, the Habs GM would have no choice but to pull the plug on coach Martin.
“I’m afraid. I’m afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I’m a… fraid. Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you’d like to hear it I can sing it for you.”
“It’s called Daisy.”
“Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I’m half crazy all for the love of you. It won’t be a stylish marriage, I can’t afford a carriage. But you’ll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two.”
Rocket’s three stars
1. Sean Bergenheim
2. Ryan O’Byrne
3. Tomas Plekanec
Player quotes from wire services were used in this report.
(photo credit: Reuters)
Great post! I love the comparison of Jacques to HAL 9000!!
I'm of two minds after this game. I've spent all my anger and frustration last week vs the Canes and Flyers. This loss hasn't done anything but elicit resignation from me. Whether it's inconsitency (incompetency?) among the 18 players or Jacques Martin failing to listen to his own press conferences (you know, the one after the Sabres game in which the light went on), I expected the Canadiens to make this harder than it had to be. They never, ever get things done they way they ought to be done. It's always a chore, and with Carolina and Toronto on deck, it's not going to get any easier. I'm sure if half points were awarded, the Canadiens would find a way to manage just a half point in their remaining 2 games to clinch.
While Lapierre in the shootout was obviously a mistake on Martin's fault, I don't have *such* a huge problem with it. I didn't like it when I saw him on the ice and I don't like it any more today. Martin played a hunch, and he lost. If Lapierre had scored, it wouldn't have made much of a difference anyway, as Halak looked like a scared little mouse in the shootout. While I thought at least 1 goal (the 3rd goal against) was weak, his save percentage will actually *go up* ever so slightly after last night's game. That's because the Canadiens once again sat back and let the ISLANDERS dictate the pace. The Islanders managed 42 shots on goal for goodness sake! That is where the Canadiens lost the game, in my opinion. While the Islanders directed 15 shots at the Habs goal in the 1st period, the Habs managed just 5. That's awful. They essentially forfeited 20 minutes of the game. When framed in that light, the Canadiens actually didn't do that badly! Ok, I tried to make some positive of this. I wonder if Gionta is getting tired of selling the media that "we sat back too much" by now? He seems to say that after every game, and he's right. The question is why do they keep doing it? I want to know how this keeps happening. I want to know who behind the bench flips the switch on the back of the player's helmets from "aggressive" to "passive", and why they do it.
I don't know what to make of this game. Should we be concerned or should we let it slide? After all, the Canadiens seem to play much better against the better teams. Or, more accurately, they at least compete.
Hey, things could be worse this morning. We could be the Flames. Then again, maybe it's not such a bad position that they're in; there's going to be a good housecleaning there, and I still think the Habs could use one too.
Obviously you didn`t watch the game as Halak was the only reason the Habs were in the game after the first period. The third goal i`ll agree was a bit soft but the first 2 were perfect shots to the corner, tough to stop. The saves Halak made in the third were very tough, but hard to stop them all.
I don`t like Martin, but I don`t blame him for the loss. His players play the game and there is another team on the ice with other ideas then what we might have.
All in all it was a good game but too much time spent in the Montreal defensive zone was costly. The Habs need at least 2 puck moving defensemen, real big ones would be perfect, bring up PK maybe?
Hey that save Halak made on Tavares as big T was going around the crease for the backhanded; that was awesome (and unfortunatley the kind of goal that Carey Price just hasn't been able to handle this year). Halak played pretty well: the D have to take away shooting opportunities! 2 d- men backed off the shooter inside the blue line on the isles last goal, giving him ample tine to win up and get a great shot off.
But I will agree with Kyle Roussell to say that Halak looked terrible in that shootout; no matter how good them
kids on the isle are.
Let's see if they can get some vengence on Cam Ward next game :)
Of course Jaro played well, he was the only one playing the whole game! We've seen this way too many times with both our guys. I don't know what is wrong with the rest of the team… It looked like they had a one hell of a Monday night party.
When you know your position in the standings and you know you can clinch a spot, it's rediculous and disturbing to have come out and skate the way they did that game.
Thanks HabsTwit. Seems to be some parallels between JM and HAL.
I agree with kyleroussel and Number31. Its frustrating that the Canadiens are not a team who can set the tone in games, hold leads, and finish off opponents. Poor preparation, flawed strategy and the inability to motivate all point to problems with the coaching staff.
Jacques Martin is not known for being able to make in-game adjustments, and when his decisions come from an emotional stimulus, one wonders if the Canadiens value coaching expertise at all?
Making decisions based on gut instincts smack of desperation. The same feelings drive individuals to place a bet or buy a lottery ticket. And we know how often there is a successful outcome in those cases.
What other team chooses their 4th line player, one who has had a dreadful season, one who deservedly has spent time in the press box, to lead off a shootout that has direct playoff implications?
It's insanity, yet some media were trying to justify the decision. Would they be as quick to endorse JM choosing Ben Maxwell if he was in a similar situation?
Definitely not. The media would crucify Martin for such a decision.
I think its fair to say that on a night where the Canadiens offense scored three goals, the goaltending was not good.
Yes, the Islanders got 15 SOG in the first period but, according to one broadcaster they only had 3 scoring chances. The crime wasn't that the Habs gave up so many shots from the perimeter, it was that they spent too much time in their own end and only managed 5 shots themselves. As kyleroussel correctly said, the Habs forfeited a period leaving only 40 mins to go for the win.
There shouldn't be any dispute that the Islanders third goal was a softie given up by Halak. Anon, you may wish to revisit the first goal. It was very stoppable. It was a weak wrist shot that went over Halak's pad. And when you look at it again Anon, you will notice that the puck crossed the line nearer the center of the net. It wasn't a shot just inside the post as you seem to infer.
The 2nd goal by Bergenheim was a blast that he blew past Halak and caught the corner of the net. No blame here, it would have been a difficult save to make.
It was in the shootout that Halak looked like he wasn't going to stop anything. He was down early and deep in his net. On the first goal he laid his paddle on the ice before the shot.
While I agree that the defense didn't play well, particularly Gorges and Hamrlik, it is their job to prevent 2nd shot opportunities. Goaltenders have to make the initial save.
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