The Toronto Maple Leafs are the best team in the NHL’s North division.  To everyone who picked them to finish first, you have been officially vindicated.  And it’s not even March yet.   

The Montreal Canadiens now have second place to chase in the division.  Which is fine.  The Habs are just beginning the start of their competitive window while the Leafs have spent a few seasons learning some hard lessons about what it takes to be successful.  But it could not have been laid out more plainly than last night’s 5-3 loss to the Buds at the Bell Center. 

The Habs as a whole didn’t necessarily play an awful game.  In fact, it can be argued that the Canadiens could take a lot of positives from last night.  The team held the Leafs in check for the most part at even strength.  Jesperi Kotkaniemi was the Canadiens most dangerous forward after looking worryingly average before the bye week.  Paul Byron took his benching and placement on waivers the right way by playing an aggressive, up tempo game.  Josh Anderson continued to crash, bang and threaten offensively.  And Carey Price made some terrific saves on a rare night where Frederik Andersen outplayed him. 

But it is perhaps the comparisons between the body of work for the two goalies that so perfectly illustrates the gulf in class between the Leafs and Habs at the moment.  Andersen was calm, cool and collected in the nets, something that Toronto fans have been wishing for for some time.  He was called into action on several occasions and emerged relatively unscathed.  But the Canadiens best chances on the night fell to Joel Armia and Jake Evans.  That is no disrespect to the quality of the saves but rather to the finishing ability of the shooters.  The Leafs best chances fell to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.  And they were ruthless in punishing the Canadiens for their carelessness. 

“At the end of the day you get on the penalty kill, you’ve got a job to do and you have to find a way to shut down the other team.  It’s a huge part of the game.  I think they had three powerplay goals tonight and it’s the difference in the game…That’s just part of your job. We’ve got to find a way to be better, got to find a way to limit the chances we’re giving up in the shooting lanes and try and make it a little bit harder for them to get those opportunities”.

Most of the time there are layers of problems to explain what went wrong in a hockey game.  However, last night there were two glaring issues that contributed to the Habs downfall, other than the fact Toronto just have better players than Montreal: the penalty-kill, as Byron pointed out there postgame, and a defensive unit that has been struggling as currently constructed for weeks now and has not been addressed by the coaching staff.   

First up, the penalty-kill.  Let’s acknowledge that the Leafs have the best powerplay unit in the league.  And then let’s also acknowledge the stunning lack of attention to detail by the Canadiens when shorthanded.  The best shooter in the entire NHL at the moment is Auston Matthews.  The guy is scoring at a clip that would seem unsustainable if it didn’t look so damn easy for him. If you’re on the penalty kill against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first thing you must account for is number 34.  What did the Canadiens do last night?  On a 5-on-3, Joel Edmundsson, Shea Weber and Phillip Danault’s conspired to open up a passing lane for Matthews the size of the St.Lawrence for Mitch Marner to pass the puck through.  For Matthews’ second, Artturi Lehkonen overplayed the shot from the point and allowed Matthews to walk down to the top of the circle and rip one on Carey Price short side that we’re all certain the Habs goaltender would want to have back.  But at some point you have to bring some of Bill Belichick’s mantra to your game.  Don’t let their best players beat you.  You can live with Joe Thornton, Travis Boyd and even Morgan Reilly getting the better of you.  But don’t let the two most dangerous players in the entire league on the man advantage school you like that.  The Habs are now in the bottom third of the league again when it comes to penalty killing efficiency despite leading the league in shorthanded goals and only facing one team in the top ten of powerplay efficiency.    

Secondly, the Canadiens lack of balance has been found out on the back end.  Jeff Petry is having a terrific season and you could surely feel the tension across the Habs fanbase when he left with what appeared to be a right hand injury in the first period.  He soldiered on alongside Edmundsson but was clearly limited after he returned. However the Canadiens top pair has been victimized by opposing teams over the last two weeks because it is missing a true puck mover to make a solid first pass to effectively breakout of the zone with control.  The Oilers, Leafs and Senators have realized that if you pressure Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot up high you will either force turnovers in the neutral zone or stymie the Canadiens speed in attack.  Even worse, the Canadiens had two players last night on the third pairing who are known for being good with the puck on their stick and were also having a horror show defensively precisely because they were getting in each others way.  Alexander Romanov and Victor Mete looked unsure time and time again either off the rush or in their own zone as to who was supposed to do what.  And yet the coaching staff sat by and let it happen.   

“To accept certain things is not being very committed to winning… Had we been sharp mentally and really cut down on some of those mistakes we could have won this game.  But we shot ourselves in the foot with those kind of mistakes and that’s on us… I don’t think we should sit here and say it’s acceptable after being off for a week”.

Perhaps Claude Julien and his staff should heed his own words when examining his team’s performance last night.  What is the definition of insanity again?  During his tenure with the Canadiens Julien has been sharply and justifiably criticized for his lack of in game adjustments.  The same problem reared it’s ugly head once again.  Who continued to play a clearly outmatched third pairing together instead of adjusting his lineup? Him.  Who configured a penalty kill on a team full of defensive forwards and defensemen that has been getting torched? Him.  Who changed the powerplay unit that was moderately successful to start the season to the abomination it has once again become? Him.  Who played his best centerman on the night just over thirteen minutes while chasing a lead? Him.  Who has kept his top pairing together despite their inability to move the puck? Him. What did the team work on all week in practice?  The system.  And who the hell knows what else.   

The coach insinuated postgame that he felt let down by his players when in actuality the players were let down by their coach last night.  The Leafs may be the best team in the division but they clearly exposed cracks that Julien and his staff have papered over instead of properly fix.  The Canadiens coach accepted defeat with his stagnant approach against Toronto on a night where his players were not devoid of energy but rather of ideas.  And that is unacceptable.

Player Ratings

Carey Price – 7/10

Let in a questionable goal against the hottest and most unpredictable shooter in the league.  Committed absolute larceny on Mikheyev.  Looked confident and assured.  Please tell me what he was supposed to do on the other four goals.

Shea Weber – 5/10

Thought his passing looked better in the first period but part of a putrid penalty kill that cost the team the game. Stepped up on Matthews during a line change that directly led to Marner’s goal. Led Habs defensemen with 5 shots on goal.  When was the last time he looked dangerous on the powerplay?

Ben Chiarot – 5/10

Another delay of game penalty for Chiarot that really turned the momentum of the game.  He is being asked to be the puck mover as well as the guy who activates from the point on his pairing and it hasn’t been working for a while now.  Would like to see him paired with Mete next game but it won’t happen.

Jeff Petry – 5/10

You could hear the gasps around Habs nation when he left injured.  Clearly fought control of the puck when he returned, most likely because of that injury.  Fully to blame for Boyd’s goal with a moment of madness. Never really activated into the rush like he so often does. 

Joel Edmundsson – 4/10

Awful night.  Led the team in giveaways and tried to step into the offensive void left by his partner’s injury but with very limited success.  Lost his head on Matthews first goal down two men.  At least owned up to his mistake postgame.

Alexander Romanov – 5/10

Also had a moment of madness on Boyd’s goal but most of his failings last night can be attributed to poor coaching.  Was not working well with Mete whatsoever.   Don’t understand why he has been moved off the second wave of the powerplay. Put him back in there so Weber can be moved up to the first.   

Victor Mete – 5/10

Like Romanov his rating should be lower but anyone with a pair of eyes could see that their pairing was off all night long.  Sucks for him to have a performance like that after his best game of the season last Saturday.  Will probably sit for Kulak tomorrow which is not the solution to the problem on the blueline. 

Nick Suzuki – 5/10

Oh Nick, where art thou.  His downturn in form continued with a completely anonymous showing last night.  Really struggling to even really get touches with the puck right now.  Vexing. 

Josh Anderson – 7/10

Led the team with nine hits and was up for the game from the moment the puck dropped.  But his wayward finishing ended up costing the team as he missed some glorious opportunities.  Wouldn’t worry about him though.  Habs most consistent forward this season. 

Jonathan Drouin – 7/10

Shoot the damn puck man!!  Set up Anderson repeatedly and Armia point blank but his refusal to shoot the puck allowed Andersen to overcommit to the shooter.  Still the Habs most creative forward last night.  But shoot.  Please.

Phillip Danault – 6/10

Either he or Edmundsson have to get their stick in the lane on Matthews’ first.  Kept the Leafs top line limited at even strength.  Definitely played hard but still so offensively limited right now. 

Brendan Gallagher – 5/10

A good game from him usually features a typical Gallagher moment.  Didn’t see that last night.  Most memorable from him was a wide open slot shot that he missed stick side.  Was not nearly as involved as he typically is. 

Tyler Toffoli – 6/10

His 11th goal of the season was of the consolation variety. Made one unreal toe drag play into the slot that was stopped by Andersen.  Never got any high danger service from his linemates. 

Jesperi Kotkaniemi – 8/10

What an absolute missile for his goal on the breakaway.  Second was taken away by the referees.  If anything he didn’t pout but played with more focus and determination afterwards.  Best game of the season for him so far.  Seven other players had more ice time than he had…

Joel Armia – 5/10

Stoned by Andersen on a nice set up by Drouin.  But his usage on the first powerplay was mind-boggling and faded badly down the stretch.  Such a streaky player. 

Tomas Tatar – 6/10

Would like to see what a line with he, Kotkaniemi and Toffoli could do.  Superb backhand sauce to the Finnish center for his breakaway goal.  Like Armia though kind of drifted throughout the game. 

Jake Evans – 6/10

Solid enough night from the 4th line center.  Continues to be intense on the forecheck and in the corners.  No problem taking the puck to the net either.  If he elevates his point blank chance on Andersen it could have turned the tide of the game.   

Artturi Lehkonen – 5/10

Let Reilly shoot from the point on the powerplay.  Get out there on Matthews quicker.  Didn’t look as good as his linemates but wasn’t terrible either.  One chance fell to him late in the slot but Andersen got a blocker on it. 

Paul Byron – 8/10

Great bounce back game for him.  Lovely backhand finish on the breakaway and set up Evans for his chance with a tape to tape saucer pass. Skated through the Leafs defense on more than one occasion.  Second amongst forwards with six hits.  Involved all the way. 

Claude Julien – 4/10

The special teams have cratered under him once again.  It is the part of the game that is most coachable and yet is constantly an Achilles heel for this team.  He has a plethora of defensive forwards and defensive defensemen yet the penalty kill has been atrocious.  His deployment of personnel on the powerplay is mind-boggling.  Two of his three defensive pairings were struggling immensely and he did nothing about it.  Played players that were struggling mightily last night way more than Kotkaniemi, one of his best players.  Keefe once again victimized him in the matchup game… on home ice!!  Obvious issues are not being corrected.  And this is after a full week of practice.   

P.S

Why do I think Kotkaniemi’s second should have been determined a good goal?  Because while making a play on a loose puck he made incidental contact with Andersen’s pad.  He didn’t shove Andersen and the puck into the net.  He tried to dig for a clearly loose puck, moved Andersen’s pad and the puck squeaked over the line.  Does contact with a goaltender’s pad now automatically kill the play dead without a whistle or the goalie freezing the puck?  Would have loved to have heard either Corey Perry or Brendan Gallagher’s take on that disallowed goal.  Something tells me that they’ve scored one or two like that.  And we’ve all seen greasy goals like that given.  Kotkaniemi himself said after the game that as long as he’s been playing that’s been a good goal. He’s twenty years old.   Matthew Tkachuk bowled Mikko Koskinen over for Andrew Mangiapane’s goal in the Battle of Alberta not an hour later.  After a coaches challenge the call on the ice was a good goal.  The NHL’s lack of consistency on these calls continue to be ridiculous.  If that’s the standard then stick to it.  But of course they won’t.

The Canadiens 3-5-0 record at home is dismal and makes no sense. Only Ottawa, New Jersey, Buffalo and San Jose have picked up less points than the Habs on home ice this season. Those teams are all terrible. Someone please make sense of this. Please.

Ice melts under direct sunlight.  That is all.