Canadiens Krakdown: Habs start road trip with a win in St. Louis

Score: Habs 3 - Blues 2 (shootout)

Habs MVP: Andrei Kostitsyn, he didn’t have the greatest first period, but for the first time since his return from his concussion, he was physically engaging himself in the play and because of that he got himself a goal and an assist.

Magic Number: 12 (number of shifts played by Guillaume Latendresse. He started the season on the second line, was eventually bumped to the third and is now on the fourth. His next spot; the press box….or maybe Hamilton!)

‘Throw in the towel’ Moment: St. Louis could have packed up and left when overtime ended and this game was going to a shootout. Carey Price is simply lights out in shootouts and there was just no way in my mind that Manny Legace would outduel him.

Song Dedication: “Give it Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers to Alex Kovalev, who has become a turnover machine, especially with the man advantage. He is either trying to be too fancy and as a result he ends up coughing up the puck, or he is making low percentage passes into slot. Sabres fans will understand what I mean when I say that Kovalev looks like this year’s Maxim Afinogenov.

Even though the game was close, Montreal was the better team and deserved to win this game. Carey Price was solid, their team defense has exceeded expectations for the second straight night considering they are missing their best defensive defenseman and the majority of the forwards put in a solid effort. I especially liked the line of the Kostitsyn brothers centered by Robert Lang. The brothers are impact players when they can use their skill, so they need a big body in the middle to drive the net and create space for them. This is precisely how the second goal was scored. What I find interesting is that Guy Carbonneau is a big proponent of rolling 4 lines, but he has taken notice that his 4th line is just not getting the job done. They aren’t supposed to score goals, but they are supposed to bring some energy and be reliable, which they are clearly not. Their ice time is slowly decreasing from game to game, and this was evident in St. Louis, as Begin, Dandenault and Latendresse played 6, 7 and 9 minutes respectively. Personally, I thought Lapierre deserved to sit out, seeing as he has 1 point and is a minus-3 in 15 games. I would love to see Chipchura come up and replace him, and I stand by the fact that I believe Chipper outplayed Lapierre in training camp and should have been given that spot.

The major concern with the Habs right now has to be their powerplay, which is now 0 for 20 in their last 4 games, including an 0 for 10 performance versus the Blues. The lack of success with the man advantage is directly linked to why Montreal has had trouble scoring at even strength in recent games. This is a trend that will continue until the PP is fixed. The Habs have a lot of talent up front, and for those talented players to be able to succeed, they will need time and space to operate. In the new NHL, time and space in 5 on 5 situations has increased because defenders can’t play a tight checking game anymore, the reason being that they will wind up in the box. What’s happening to Montreal right now is that teams aren’t threatened by their powerplay, so opposing teams can now play them more aggressively by limiting their time and space, all the while knowing that they will either force the Canadiens into taking bad shots, or worst case, they’ll take a penalty. But who cares if they take a penalty when their powerplay doesn’t work! The coaching staff needs to find a way to fix this powerplay as soon as possible, perhaps trying some new players on that right point. I know he’s only 20 years old and very raw, but I firmly believe that the day Yannick Weber gets called up from Hamilton is the day this once potent powerplay will regain its form.

The Montreal Canadiens have won 3 out of the 5 shootouts they have been in this year. What I find odd, though, is that Kovalev’s winner was his first shootout attempt all season. I would argue that he is and always will be Montreal’s best scorer and that he should ALWAYS be a shooter in the shootout. He could be in a 15 game scoring slump and having his worst game of the season, but he should still be a shooter. What I always liked about John Tortorella is that no matter what, his shootout lineup was always St. Louis, Lecavalier and Richards. He saw no reason why he shouldn’t use his 3 best shooters every time, and I completely agree with that philosophy.

It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t domination, it wasn’t convincing, but it was a win. It was a good start to their 3 game road trip, and hopefully they can carry this momentum into Carolina on Tuesday. On a side note, it sounds like everything is fine, but I sincerely hope that Francis Bouillon is alright after being struck in the ‘upper body’ by a Brad Boyes shot in overtime.

 

GO HABS GO!

Kraks
coreykrakower@sportstalkbuzz.com

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