Montreal Canadiens Lose Again March 2018
The Montreal Canadiens' road trip has been a spectacular success so far, with a three and one record in the four games played. Wins over the Golden Knights, Coyotes, and Panthers make the final ii contests against the Lightning and Stars a chance to exist even amend than the .500 record that was the place marker for success.
The most hard of the contests was Saturday night in Tampa Bay, as the NHL's best team invited the Habs to town knowing that Montreal played the dark before.
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Wilde Horses
How many Jesperi Kotkaniemis were out there in this game?
He was everywhere. It'southward hard to believe that he reads the play as well as he does, considering his age. He reads the game ane consequence ahead of the puck all the time. He goes to where it is going, not to where information technology is, and he always seems to know where it is going.
You don't teach this vision. This is the vision that another Habs third choice overall, Alex Galchenyuk, never had and never found. Kotkaniemi had perhaps his best game of the flavor in this one. In fact, the growth from game to game is extraordinary. He's been on a ringlet recently, showing more comfort each time out for the concluding 2 weeks. Only when you idea that he may be hitting the wall in a long, grinding NHL flavour, he's instead looking like he's finding his all-time self.
He does and so many little things so intelligently — looks off the check, dummies his passing target, takes the right side of the puck, angles off when he forechecks to take away options and protects the puck with his long reach. It'south a long list of little things that he isn't supposed to accomplish just yet.
The goals certainly haven't come up at the stride that they volition, only information technology won't take long. He seems to be at the hitting the post stage. That half inch a difference is around the corner. Sometimes you watch him at 18 years of historic period and remember that information technology could be greatness that he achieves at 23, just you lot have to as well brand certain that you don't go likewise ahead of yourself, considering so much can happen to these young men in the course of time.
However, he has his caput squarely on his shoulders, and this dreaded life turn should not hitting him. His teammates speak of a downwardly-to-earth person who listens well, and is anxious to learn with a modest manner well-nigh him.
When he fills out to win more puck battles and matures physically, it's easy to get very excited that the Habs could take one of the height five centres in the NHL.
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Some other actor who doesn't have the same inventiveness or talent as Kotkaniemi, merely has the same all-time aspect of his game, is Artturi Lehkonen. The immature Lehkonen gets himself into some awful scoring slumps, but even when he is not scoring, he is an absolute dazzler for coaches to have on their team, considering he never hurts you lot. He'southward always doing the intelligent thing.
Lehkonen also cuts off the angles beautifully when he is defending. He protects the puck as well and that makes him one of the get-to penalty killers on the Habs. He makes smart decisions; he reads the play. Lehkonen is the blazon of thespian, much similar Lars Eller, who is a needed complement piece on a Stanley Cup champion. He's the type of actor on a champion who is thwarting everything all the time that the opponent expects he should be able to achieve, but just finds frustration instead.
Fans can know that coaches love Lehkonen because whenever he slumps, goals-wise, he's never sent to the printing box. This is considering they know that while he struggles to find his offensive touch, he is still a valuable player.
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Jordie Benn doesn't make it to the Wilde Horses category often, but this had to exist 1 of his all-time. Benn faked a shot then passed to Kenny Agostino for a tally, then got a superb shot upstairs for a goal, every bit well. Benn isn't known for whatsoever offence virtually of the fourth dimension, but some nights it merely comes together and this was one of them.
The Benn and Brett Kulak partnership was the all-time of the three Habs pairings. They didn't go a lot of minutes and it's always easier that way, only that doesn't take away from how good they were when they did hit the water ice. Kulak and Benn led the defenders in plus-minus on the night, with both having plus-3 ratings.
Phillip Danault had a plus-three for the forwards.
Give credit to the Habs' coaching staff for embracing the 200-foot game. Every i of the Habs' defencemen is ready to join the blitz, and every one of the Habs' forrard is expected to be responsible for covering the points for those defencemen. Information technology'south the modern 200-human foot game in the NHL.
In the 2nd flow, when Andrew Shaw scored on a ane-timer, information technology was Shea Weber standing in front of the net waiting for the rebound — Shea Weber! Anybody is embracing the future of hockey on the Habs today. It'south impressive, and information technology was easy to believe that Claude Julien didn't have information technology in him because of his long held behavior of how you are supposed to win at this game, but credit to him for understanding and growing with change.
The entire coaching staff is fix to play this type of hockey. It'due south why the Habs are on and so many nights outshooting their opponent by a margin of about 40 to xx. At present, it'south one thing to do this to the Coyotes, simply to walk into the Lightning'due south building and do it there is another thing in entirely.
The Habs didn't back down one bit, and didn't feel overmatched one bit. They outshot Tampa 38 to 32. No one idea this was possible in June — certainly, no one thought any of this was possible in June.
Wilde Goats
The first two goals against are certainly non on Jeff Petry and Mike Reilly, simply they were both on the ice for the Tampa markers.
Petry and Reilly is just not a wise partnership. They both play the same game and they're both a piffling soft on the puck at times in the defensive zone. This creates scenarios where they both aren't doing the hard thing, like going in the corner beginning when there is an onrushing forward with a head of steam ready to perhaps paste you into the boards.
This is why the Mete and Weber partnership is working and so well.
Victor Mete likes to use his speed to enter the offensive zone on the blitz, and he has an outstanding kickoff pass when he has command in the defensive zone. He pinches in and he chips it well, too. This is perfect for Mete, who has a partner who volition then take care of the defensive zone for him — prove the strength in one-on-one battles in front end of the net that he does not take.
Weber does all that Mete tin can't do that well; Mete does all that Weber can't exercise too. They complement each other. Reilly and Petry, while both strong players, practise not complement each other. Yet, this is the Habs' defence at the moment. It is what they have, and they're surviving extremely well so far this season. Next season, though, it is like shooting fish in a barrel to imagine that information technology volition be different than this.
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There take been times recently that Carey Price has struggled.
It'due south not off-white to say that Toll has been top 5 in the league for a little while now. However, information technology's also not fair to suggest he is in the realm of Antti Niemi. The Habs' backup this season has struggled with i of the worst save percentages in the entire NHL, and this was one of his worst games of the year.
Niemi allowed 4 goals on the first 14 shots that he faced, losing his net on two of those outset four goals. Someone seeing the shot from 15 feet and and so, on another goal, from seven feet might say that he didn't have a chance, but he did. He lost his internet. He didn't know where he was standing, and where he was standing was at to the lowest degree a human foot, if non two feet, out of place.
If he were playing in the proper position, then he would accept stopped both Tampa goals early. Some saves are for show, and some saves are for only standing in the correct spot, so making the save is even possible.
In the 3rd period, the run a risk got worse. He let out a soft rebound on a 65-foot floater to allow the five-5 goal. Minutes later, he had a 40-foot floater and he couldn't fifty-fifty catch it. Niemi was proficient last twelvemonth, but the Habs contumely should have known that this was a one-off. He is not practiced enough to be an NHL goaltender. This is harsh, simply this is truthful. The Habs accept a good goalie pipeline with the all-time perhaps on the depth chart being Cayden Primeau,who is still years out. Charlie Lindgren is capable but injured right now. He is a better goalie than Niemi. And if the Habs wanted real protection this season for an often-injured Carey Cost, then they should accept been more aware that Niemi'south play terminal twelvemonth was not sustainable.
In this one, past the terminate, Niemi was struggling with dump-ins from 75 feet, so it was no surprise that Niemi couldn't get it to overtime as the Habs lost six-5. We'll see how it shakes out, but this is going to require a healthy Price going frontward.
Wilde Cards
Carey Toll's visit to the doctor seemed to go well. The Canadiens' head passenger vehicle, Claude Julien, said that Price is progressing. Reading between the lines on that, Julien would non draw it that fashion if the md had reported something significant.
The lower body injury has been irritating Price for a lilliputian while, it has been said. He was put on the injured reserve listing back dated to December 22nd. Non to be too much of a doctor on this one, but "irritation" is exactly how one describes a nagging groin trouble. This is also a common problem for goalies who are stretching out in fifty-fifty more than improbable ways these days.
The Habs have not ruled out that Price could be flown in to play the Stars in Dallas on New Year's Eve.
READ More: Montreal Canadiens Carey Toll is dealing with nagging 'irritation'
Meanwhile, the Earth Junior Championships continue in Vancouver and Victoria. The Habs have seven prospects in the effect, and they are all playing extremely well so far.
Two players that have really stood out are Alexander Romanov and Ryan Poehling. Romanov is the all-time defender on the Russian squad and so far. He has been a ascendant force and it'southward already very clear that the Habs admittedly nailed what was a 2nd-round pick and kept completely under the radar.
The reaction on draft day was "Who?" when Romanov was selected, merely everyone knows who he is now. The other actor who is shining is Poehling, who was moved into the center role where he belongs when Jack Hughes was listed as day-to-solar day and left out of the lineup.
Poehling had a three betoken night, with a gorgeous short-handed goal for the United states of america and added 2 assists. He is likewise a terrific 200-foot histrion, which is obvious that he is ahead of his peers, intellectually. The Habs accept had a very competitive turnaround after the embarrassment of last season, and the future is looking extremely bright.
Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/4801271/call-of-the-wilde-montreal-canadiens-tampa-bay-lightning/
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