Rocket:
A gritty win by the Canadiens but an odd game. I felt that the usual flow was missing. Coming into the game, the Habs had outscored their opponents 8-1 in the first period. Tonight, they came out a little flat.
Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Canadiens seem to lack finish around the net. Eight defensemen were dressed with two playing forward on the 4th line for at least part of the game.
The Canadiens are still finding their way on the powerplay. In the playoffs last year, the Flyers solved the riddle of the Habs PP. Since then the Canadiens coaching staff has done little to adjust. There have been changes but that is still a work in progress with Tanguay on the point. Markov is clearly much more comfortable on the left point but that means that a very stationery Brisebois is cemented at the blueline on the right side and the usually effective rotation is lost. Philly may have figured out the Habs powerplay but other teams are quickly copying the antidote. The Canadiens PP has become predictable and it can be muted by filling the shooting lanes.
The other concern is something I have been mentioning all year. It is breakdowns in defensive zone coverage. The Canadiens cannot continue to give up, on average, 32 shots per game. Price and Halak have been great so far, but the forwards have to do a better job of coming back. While Latendresse has improved his game in the offensive zone, he is still having problems keeping up with the opposition when they go on the attack in his zone. All forwards should be reminded of their responsibility to defense.
Halak had to make 3 terrific saves in the first period all due to forwards not maintaining their checks in the defensive zone. Speaking of Halak, he had a much better game after a little bit of a shaky start in Toronto. Tonight he still had some trouble with rebound control and his glove hand but overall Jaro had a solid game and was deserving of tonight’s second star. He certainly gave his team an opportunity to win.
Halak had to make 3 terrific saves in the first period all due to forwards not maintaining their checks in the defensive zone. Speaking of Halak, he had a much better game after a little bit of a shaky start in Toronto. Tonight he still had some trouble with rebound control and his glove hand but overall Jaro had a solid game and was deserving of tonight’s second star. He certainly gave his team an opportunity to win.
I was impressed with the line of Lang, Kostopoulos and Chipchura. They did a good job of cycling the puck, kept the Panthers pinned down in their own end and created chances. Chipchura is a smart player and his effort showed the coaching staff why he belongs with the big club. He is also very responsible in his own zone.
Sergei Kostitsyn didn’t look out of place at all on the top line. There was good puck movement by the KPK line but at times, Kovalev displayed his frustration. He was quite feisty!
Ever so briefly, the ‘line’ of Markov, Koivu and Tanguay looked terrific. What a pass by Markov for Koivu’s goal! Saku has been the Canadiens best and most consistent forward so far.
Latendresse and Kostopoulos led the team in hits. I especially like Gui’s 3-way collision with the Panther defenseman and Vokoun. Okay, not exactly bullet trains but perhaps locomotives.
Lapierre can be so frustrating to watch. He was all over the ice throughout the game and playing with passion but then took a dumb penalty at the end of the third period which could have been costly. Perhaps its time for another chat with Carbo.
I want to give kudos to the Canadiens defense who are really making good decisions about when to pinch in the opposition zone. Markov, Hamrlik, O’Byrne and Georges have been particularly effective at this. I’m sure that Bouillon will be added to that list once he gets a few more games under his belt. Nice shot by Frankie for the winning goal in his first game of the season. (Good work on that shift by Dandenault, Kostopoulos and Chipchura) O’Byrne seemed to be fighting the puck a little but even after a giveaway I like how he battled to regain possession and clear the puck. Ryan plays best when he gets lots of icetime and the coaches show confidence in him. Unfortunately, his icetime was limited tonight.
As usual, I’ll mention the opposition player that caught my eye. Tonight it was Jay Bouwmeester. He is a smooth skating, puck moving, physical defenseman who does a good job quarterbacking the Panthers powerplay. Being in Florida, he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.
Florida has been a nemesis to the Canadiens in the past so this is an important win.
Pregame:
Andrei Kostitsyn will recover and sit this one out. Begin still has the flu(?) Higgins may have reinjured his groin. Laraque sits. Chipchura up from Hamilton. Bouillon is ready.
Rocket’s 3 stars:
1. Andrei Markov
2. Jaroslav Halak
3. Tomas Vokoun
(photo credit: AP Photo, The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)
That was a solid evaluation of the game. Halak value is going up every time he stop 35 shots like that. I don’t see him traded this year but I don’t see him finishing his contract here either (he has two years).
As for Lapierre, well, like Begin he’s going to get some of those penalties for trying too hard. As long as he keep those to only one every couple of games (that was his 2nd minor of the season i think) I’m fine with that.
Most impressive stat: 0 PIM for Saku. That’s a huge improvement over last year where he had a tendency to hook easily.
As for Guillaume Latendresse (we discussed his status yesterday) you can’t blame him for “only” having 1 goal 5 assists. His 6 points was, before yesterday’s game, one shy of the whole KPK line. However, he still has to improve his defensive zone play. That’s where I see Higgins being more effective.
And yesterday, I mentionned that the biggest mistake of Saturday’s game was from Komi. No, I wasn’t joking. We (fans and media) have a tendency to let free pass to some players (Kovalev nearly did a big one before Plekanec took control of the puck for the 3rd goal). I’m not saying Breezer is better than Komisarek, I’m just saying we may be harder on him than any other defensemen. I like Patrice in small doses and I think he fit pretty well on the PP next to Hamerlik (a steady defensemen who will get caught out of position less than Markov but still can efectively feed Breezer for either a one timer or his favorite slapshot pass to the far post).
Anyway, good job. Looking forward to the next game.
take care
Thanks for the compliment J-F! I appreciate your very thoroughly thought out and well written comment.
Captain Koivu is really leading by example with his performance on the ice right now. The chemistry is starting to develop with Tanguay. My point is that additional assists are just lost on this line. They really need a finisher like Higgins.
Latendresse has taken a step forward from last year. I still am concerned about his footspeed and his scoring touch. He has improved his physical game and is certainly playing with more confidence.
I think you’re right that sometimes mistakes by certain players are minimized. But I have tolerance for a mistake by a player like Komisarek when he leads the team every night in hits and blocked shots. Komi and Markov are one of the top ‘D’ pairings in the NHL. I just don’t see much upside for Brisebois. I think he is a liability every time he is on the ice. In fact, I think his teammates play differently when he is out there. I have said before that I don’t think he is an NHL-calibre defenseman. Maybe he could be a useful #6 for some team…just not a contender.
I agree with everything you said about Halak. He may be a valuable asset to be moved at a later date but not now.
Enjoy the game on Saturday!
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