The Habs didn’t get off to a strong start but a
winning weekend moved them back into second place in the tight Atlantic
Division. In Hamilton, the downward spiral continues and the Bulldogs are
now nearing the point of mathematical elimination from postseason contention.
Thomas Vanek has yet to score since joining the Canadiens, my Final Thought asks
if it’s time to be worried about their prized acquisition.
|
Cheers |
Cheers to…
1) Slump busting. Both Lars Eller
(goalless in over three months) and Francis Bouillon (goalless in over a year)
scored timely goals that were critical in the Habs’ victory over Ottawa.
It’s one thing to get out of a slump, it’s another to do so at the most crucial
of times.
2) Dustin Tokarski, who is making the coaches
think twice before deciding who to play the next time Carey Price needs a night
off. Yes, his shutout came against Buffalo but nonetheless, he has looked
strong in each of his three games so far. He certainly has made a strong
case to get another chance at some point.
3) David Desharnais, for becoming the top line
centre production-wise like many expected of him. He has collected at
least a point in ten of his last thirteen games and dating back to December
31st, he has 26 points in 28 games. That’s #1 line production for sure.
Jeers to…
1) Lars Eller’s lack of discipline. When
you’re struggling, the solution to improve your play usually doesn’t involve
taking minor penalties at a high rate. In his last six games, he has taken
eight minors (and for those who like +/-, he’s -6 in that span). Frequent
trips to the box usually results in less ice time, not more.
2) Michel Therrien, for making Francis Bouillon
one of the most-used defencemen of the week. I can actually live with him
leading the team against Boston (they were getting blown out and he hadn’t
played for a while) but he should not be a regular in the top-4 and on special
teams. Last week, he had been a healthy scratch for over a month, it makes
little sense that Bouillon would go from that to a key cog on the blueline.
3) Douglas Murray, who appears to have lost a
gear skating-wise. He has been painfully slow all season long but in his
two games, he looked a lot slower than usual which helped contribute to quite a
few scoring chances the other way. He’s never going to blow by anyone in a
race but he can’t afford to fall any further behind in that regard if he is to
be a contributor in the postseason and down the stretch.
|
StatPack: |
|
SKATERS |
|
# |
Player |
GP |
G | A | +/- | PIM | SH | TOI |
| 6 | Douglas Murray | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 4 | 24:46 |
| 8 | Brandon Prust | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 16 | 4 | 34:34 |
| 11 | Brendan Gallagher | 3 | 1 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 10 | 44:52 |
| 14 | Tomas Plekanec | 4 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 0 | 3 | 55:41 |
| 20 | Thomas Vanek | 3 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 16 | 51:10 |
| 21 | Brian Gionta | 3 | 1 | 1 | +2 | 0 | 11 | 44:11 |
| 22 | Dale Weise | 2 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 10 | 1 | 18:32 |
| 24 | Jarred Tinordi | 2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 1 | 28:20 |
| 26 | Josh Gorges | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 0 | 38:10 |
| 27 | Alex Galchenyuk | 3 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 0 | 4 | 44:11 |
| 32 | Travis Moen | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 10 | 6 | 31:59 |
| 43 | Mike Weaver | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 0 | 29:34 |
| 48 | Daniel Briere | 3 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 8 | 44:40 |
| 51 | David Desharnais | 3 | 2 | 2 | +2 | 0 | 3 | 52:25 |
| 53 | Ryan White | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 8:59 |
| 55 | Francis Bouillon | 3 | 1 | 0 | E | 2 | 2 | 64:39 |
| 67 | Max Pacioretty | 3 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 0 | 14 | 56:18 |
| 74 | Alexei Emelin | 3 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 0 | 4 | 61:51 |
| 76 | P.K. Subban | 3 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 4 | 10 | 78:29 |
| 79 | Andrei Markov | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 0 | 8 | 74:24 |
| 81 | Lars Eller | 3 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 8 | 6 | 42:30 |
|
GOALIES |
|
# |
Player |
Record |
SV% |
GAA |
| 30 | Peter Budaj | 0-1-0 | .875 | 4.00 |
| 31 | Carey Price | 1-0-0 | .882 | 4.02 |
| 35 | Dustin Tokarski | 1-0-0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
|
Scoring |
Goals: Max Pacioretty (30)
Assists: P.K. Subban (38)
Points: Thomas Vanek (53)
+/-: Tomas Plekanec (+10)
PIMS: Brandon Prust (121)
Shots: Max Pacioretty (224)
|
The Dog |
The Bulldogs are quickly learning that scoring
one goal per game isn’t going to lead to too many wins. Fortunately for
them, that was enough in one of their games (a shootout victory) but they remain
in dead last in the West with no realistic hope of making the playoffs.
|
News and |
– After being a healthy scratch for nearly six
weeks, Jordan Owens played all three games for the Bulldogs.
– Patrick Holland’s offensive nightmare
continues. He has one goal in the last four months.
– Louis Leblanc’s goal against Syracuse gave
him 12 on the season which is a new career high for the former 1st rounder.
– Lines from the most recent game:
Forwards:
Andrighetto – Macenauer – Thomas
Blunden – St. Pierre – Dumont
Tarnasky – Holland – Leblanc
Courtnall – Nattinen – Owens
Defence:
Drewiske – Beaulieu
Chouinard – Pateryn
Schiestel – Ellis
|
Results: |
March 14:
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 5, Hamilton 1
March 15:
Hamilton 2, Syracuse 1 (SO)
March 16:
Toronto 4, Hamilton 1
|
StatPack: |
|
SKATERS |
|
# |
Player |
GP |
G |
A |
+/- |
SH |
PIMS |
| 2 | Greg Pateryn | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | Davis Drewiske | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | Nathan Beaulieu | 3 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 13 | 2 |
| 9 | Justin Courtnall | 3 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 4 | 5 |
| 12 | Maxime Macenauer | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 3 | 0 |
| 14 | Michael Blunden | 3 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 15 |
| 20 | Louis Leblanc | 3 | 1 | 0 | E | 6 | 2 |
| 22 | Drew Schiestel | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | Joonas Nattinen | 3 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Jordan Owens | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | Sven Andrighetto | 3 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 11 | 4 |
| 37 | Patrick Holland | 3 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 | 0 |
| 40 | Gabriel Dumont | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 11 | 5 |
| 44 | Morgan Ellis | 3 | 0 | 1 | E | 5 | 0 |
| 59 | Joel Chouinard | 3 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 | 7 |
| 74 | Nick Tarnasky | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 5 | 7 |
| 92 | Christian Thomas | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 6 | 2 |
| 93 | Martin St. Pierre | 3 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 4 |
|
GOALIES |
|
# |
Player |
Record |
SV% |
GAA |
| 29 | Robert Mayer | 1-1-0 | .918 | 2.02 |
| 41 | Devan Dubnyk | 0-1-0 | .714 | 6.81 |
|
SHOOTOUT |
| # | Player | G/ATT |
| 8 | Nathan Beaulieu | 0/1 |
| 12 | Maxime Macenauer | 0/1 |
| 14 | Michael Blunden | 1/1 |
| 20 | Louis Leblanc | 0/1 |
| 27 | Sven Andrighetto | 0/1 |
| 37 | Patrick Holland | 0/1 |
| 40 | Gabriel Dumont | 0/1 |
| 92 | Christian Thomas | 0/1 |
| 93 | Martin St. Pierre | 0/1 |
|
SHOOTOUT |
| # | Player | SVS/ATT |
| 29 | Robert Mayer | 9/9 |
|
Scoring |
Goals: Gabriel Dumont (15)
Assists: Martin St. Pierre (10)
Points: Martin St. Pierre (41)
+/-: Morgan Ellis (+7)
PIMS: Nick Tarnasky (123)
Shots: Gabriel Dumont (156)
|
Schedule: |
March 19:
Abbotsford vs Hamilton
March 21: Milwaukee vs Hamilton
March 22: Abbotsford vs Hamilton
|
Final |
Through his first five games in a Montreal
jersey, Thomas Vanek has yet to get a goal and has recorded just a single assist
along the way. Does that mean it’s time to get worried about the Habs’
major deadline acquisition? Hardly, although his inconsistent hustle when
getting back on defence is something that is worth being a tad concerned about.
There is an adjustment period that every new
player has to go through when they join a new team. The style of play is
different, the wingers, everything. Then you consider the fact that Vanek
has already changed lines meaning that he has had to adjust to two different
sets of linemates already (not to mention powerplay units). It’s hard to
find chemistry when you haven’t had enough time to develop any though that’s
something Michel Therrien doesn’t seem to be concerned with given how often the
lines get juggled.
Although he has stated in the past that his
preference is to play on the left side, he looks quite comfortable alongside
Desharnais and Pacioretty. That line has been a threat every time they’re
on the ice and Vanek most certainly has had plenty of chances. Most goal
scorers are streaky and it appears that he is on the verge of busting out of
his. When that happens, watch out. Better days are soon ahead when
it comes to Vanek and the scoresheet.