CANADIENS
Montreal

0-1

FLYERS
Philadelphia

Lineup

Forward lines and defense pairings 

[one_half]Pacioretty – Drouin – Lehkonen
Byron – De La Rose – Gallagher
Galchenyuk – Danault – Hudon
Deslauriers – L. Shaw – Carr
[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Mete – Petry
Alzner – Juulsen
Benn – Schlemko

[/one_half_last]

Goaltenders

Lindgren
Niemi

Scratches

Mike Reilly, Nikita Scherbak, Byron Froese

Injuries

Ales Hemsky – concussion, Shea Weber – lower-body, Andrew Shaw – lower-body, Carey Price – concussion

Game Report 

‘Montreal is my home.’

It was one of several points being made by Max Pacioretty post-game following the Flyers – Canadiens game. His comments were expressed with frustration and desperation. How many ways does Pacioretty need to say that he is proud to be the captain of the Montreal Canadiens and that he wants to stay?

And why are so many fans and media salivating over the opportunity to run him out of town?

“It’s 15 years of my life. It’s my home.”

Tomas Plekanec spoke of his attachment to Montreal just before he departed for Toronto. Plekanec felt it important to let people know that the first language of his two young sons is French.

“I’m from Voskresensk, but my home is Montreal.”

The phrase is a common reply from Andrei Markov according to his wife. Currently Markov plies his trade in Kazan, Russia. Had he been treated with basic respect, Markov would likely be patroling the blueline in Montreal.

So, in a city with such a rich hockey history, why could Markov not receive respectful communication from a team to which he had devoted 16 seasons? Why were fans celebrating that the Canadiens received more than the proverbial “bag of pucks” for Plekanec? And how have things so seriously have gone off the rails that a local establishment promotes an event with photos of the Montreal captain lying on the ice with a broken neck?

How is it that these three players from the Czech Republic, Russia and the United States feel such a strong bond with an adopted city crawling with so many inhabitants who viciously hate them?

It’s not right. That isn’t how the media is supposed to work. That isn’t what it means to be a fan.

===

In his post-deadline presser, Marc Bergevin said that his new plan for the team was to get younger and faster. Youth was on display at the Bell Centre on Monday as the Canadiens young guns showed their talents. 

Noah Juulsen and Victor Mete each had over 20 minutes of solid defensive play. Jacob De La Rose proved that he can be a powerful offensive force when given the chance. And Charlie Lindgren was outstanding in goal adding his entry to save of the year.

The Habs took one of the hottest teams in the NHL to a shootout. One wonders how exciting and entertaining this team would be to watch had Bergevin done a much better job clearing the deadwood leaving more roster spots available for young players to show their speed and skill over the final 20 games this season.

===

▲  Charlie Lindgren, Jacob De La Rose, Artturi Lehkonen, Noah Juulsen. Victor Mete, Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher

▼  Jonathan Drouin, Logan Shaw, Nicolas Deslauriers, Daniel Carr

1. Petr Mrazek  PHI
2. Charlie Lindgren  MTL
3. Sean Couturier  PHI

Brendan Gallagher

• “[Charlie Lindgren] has a tendency of making big saves at crucial times to keep you in it. As players, you appreciate that because it bails you out at times. So definitely a good player.”

Charlie Lindgren

• “It felt really good, right from puck drop. I think I made a couple of saves early and it got me into the game and I felt kind of in the zone. Every time I’m up here, I want to take advantage of my opportunities and prove myself. That’s my mindset. Every time I’m in the cage, I just want to give the team the best chance to win.”

Max Pacioretty

• “It’s no surprise, my name was out there. I don’t know what else you guys want me to say other than I’m ready to go home and get a good night’s sleep. It’s been an emotional couple of days here. I happy to still be a part of this team.”
• “Obviously, moving forward, everyone has to hold themselves accountable for where we’re at right now and I definitely do so. To my knowledge, I think there has been no finger pointing as to why this year has been the way it is. I think if everyone involved looks in the mirror and takes full responsibility for where we’re at, then we’re going to be able to move forward and build off that. I definitely have that mindset right now.”
• “I have three kids. You always prepare for the worst, just in case. Actually, Max Jr. went to school today with a Habs jersey. I said, we want to pick him up, and feel good about walking through the school with that jersey. It’s little stuff like that. You worry about your family.”
• “At the end of the day, we’re all human. I take full responsibility for where my game is at and how I’ve contributed to the negatives of this season. But to be honest guys, I can’t shoulder whole thing. That’s unfair to myself and to my family.”
• “I don’t know, people have taken it wrong, my shortness with the media as of late but I appreciate the people that did respect the fact that I’m a human being and have a family to worry about.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com

Jacob de la Rose just triggered a whole sequence in the offensive zone with some good forechecking pressure, leading to Brendan Gallagher jumping on a turnover and the line getting a dangerous shift.

— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 27, 2018

Welcome to Winnipeg, @Jmorrow7! #RISETOGETHER pic.twitter.com/YKzCFzQbDp

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) February 26, 2018

Tomas Plekanec was all the #MapleLeafs needed as they continue to build from within (@DamoSpin)https://t.co/mHI6CpVnbn pic.twitter.com/O4WWm63foS

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 27, 2018

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