Montreal 2 Carolina 5 (RBC Center)
from Invictus (adapted)
Nelson Mandela: How long before the Stanley Cup playoffs?
Jim Fleming: Don’t get your hopes up. We’re a damn disgrace!
Canadiens’ fans were in a snarly mood after this one. And with good reason!
Let’s trot out the cliches.
The Canadiens showed no intensity, and no sense of urgency. Players lacked passion. The team came out flat.
Those phrases could apply to every member of the team, with one notable exception: Brian Gionta. Yet, it was the kind of game where even Gionta was less than perfect. He failed to corral a rebound leading to the first Carolina goal.
“Leaders get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.” — Bob Nelson
It’s safe to say that coach Jacques Martin hasn’t found the formula to motivate his team. Nailing a handful of players to the bench isn’t exactly stoking anyone’s passion, nor helping them learn
and build confidence.
Martin has his favorites, and those he likes to persecute. Some, like Sergei Kostitsyn, have a short leash, and others, like Marc-Andre Bergeron, have a boatload of mulligans.
As for Gionta, he has his own built-in fire, and the switch is on from the drop of the puck. Perhaps Martin could learn a thing or two about leadership from Gionta. Or the coach could have just done the smart thing and name him captain earlier in the season.
There were more emotional decisions tonight from the so-called non-emotional coach. After the game Martin said, “There were a lot of guys I wasn’t happy with.”
Blogger extraordinaire, Kevin vanSteendelaar tweeted this response, “Well a lot of guys and gals are unhappy with you!” Very true, sir!
Some may point to the play of Carolina goaltender, Cam Ward. Both Ward and Jaroslav Halak made solid saves in the first period which ended scoreless. But just as the Hurricanes found ways to beat Halak, it was incumbent on the Montreal forwards to do the same against Ward.
The Canadiens could have used the man advantage to crack Ward but ended the night 0-for-2. The power-play has a dismal success rate of 13 per cent since the Olympics.
But little was working for the Habs tonight.
As coach Martin admitted, the Canadiens weren’t ready to play. He could have added that they were ill-prepared.
With tonight’s loss, the Canadiens will look towards Saturday’s game against Toronto to actively secure a place in the playoffs. There is still a chance, albeit slim, that the Habs could miss the post-season with a loss to the Leafs and two wins by the Rangers over the Flyers.
The most likely scenario is that the Canadiens will make the playoffs, barely, but will have flushed their chance at the sixth place position in the Conference given their poor performances against the Hurricanes and Islanders, two non-playoff teams.
The Leafs and their fans will now relish the opportunity to have a say in the Canadiens’ playoff fortunes. Toronto visits the Bell Centre on Saturday night for the Habs’ final regular season game.
Rocket’s three stars
1. Eric Staal
2. Chad Larose
3. Jamie McBain
Player quotes from wire services were used in this report.
(photo credit: Reuters)
What's left to say? That the team could not elevate their game for the Isles or Canes speaks volumes about the group that occupy the bench; both on and behind it.
I've been calling for Martin's removal since November (which I realize was NEVER going to happen, but I'm glad to say that I'm likely among the first to sniff out this phoney), but all of the sudden, everyone is calling for his head as if the team has only just started showing signs of weakness. I was not fooled by the early season rash of injuries. This team did not look right from the very start, and they don't look much better now.
That said, if they manage to be handed a playoff spot (because I can't imagine them earning it), I like to think they'll be a different team. The Canadiens have been a better team vs better opposition. I believe that they'll show up. The result is TBD, but I don't think they'll look this bad. On the other hand, this team doesn't deserve the opportunity to redeem itself in the post season. The number of no-shows from this team this season has been staggering. By my count, this team has squandered at least 15 points by not even bothering to show up in at least 10 games, last night being the newest entry on the list.
Imagine where the Canadiens would be today without last week's back-to-back shutouts? 83 points (and I realize the results of the Isles & Canes games could have been different in that case) and probably booking tee times.
One thing I've noticed lately is that size IS a problem up front on this team. As much as I love Gionta, Cammalleri & Plekanec (and Gomez fits in that group too), it's clear that their size is a problem. Heart, talent, speed are not in question (well, sometimes the heart is, Gionta excepted). But reach is reach, and this team lacks it. Gionta's turnover that lead to a Canes goal was a prime example. A bigger man caught him and simply took the puck away. You take the good with the bad, and for the most part, our smallish forwards deliver more good than bad. But the bad is costly, and the bad means guys gets worn down and exposed. Unless they are firing on all cylinders, their size becomes a liability.
Lastly, if anyone still believes that Gionta is not the captain of this team, please step forward. Despite his stature, he has a huge heart and a non-stop motor. There's no one else on this team fit to wear the C right now. If a captain is one to lead by example on the ice, it's Gionta. We never question his effort, and he's ALWAYS in the tough areas of the ice, something small players are usually fearful of, and something that the bigger players refuse to do. Some still believe Markov is the captain. This argument is losing more and more steam in my eyes every day. For a guy who is supposed to be the team's linchpin, he has been awful lately.
In the end, it all boils down to the team failing to be prepared to play 60 minutes with purpose. That's partially on the players who should know better (this is not a young, inexperienced team), but it's mostly on the coaching staff who are about as useful as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.
I suppose if we miss the playoffs, we can hopefully have a legitimate reason to hope for Martin's dismissal. It's still unlikely given the upheaval that would then have to take place, but I could care less. I would worry about fast tracking Guy Boucher, but I have more faith in Boucher's ability to adapt to the NHL than I do in Martin's ability to adapt to the post-lockout NHL and to his own team's strengths.
Commenting thoroughly takes too much effort right now. Considering the Habs decided to not show up in a critical game, I've decided to flub my comment as well.
You know, that is probably the most appropriate response yet.
Why are we getting worked up when the team doesn't seem all that concerned?
Doing some math and even if the HABS lose to TOR and NYR win 2 against PHIL, that gives the NYR 88 points, PHIL 86 and MTL 87, which means they hold 8th. And if PHIL wins both, they'll get 88. And if they win 1 a piece, Montreal still has 87.
Am I missing something here?
Philly has more wins, Roza. They would pass the tie-breaker. Habs would trip over themselves into 9th.
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