Cue the curse of the reverse retro jersey craze in 3…2…1…!!!!

Blame the strangeness of the blue all you want, Habs fans.  But whether the Canadiens were back in their barbershop abomination from a decade ago or the classic tricolore of more than a hundred years, if the men filling out those jerseys can’t keep control of the puck than results like last night’s 4-3 overtime loss (AGAIN) to the Winnipeg Jets will become all too common.  Which they have. 

The positives should not be completely shunned to the background for the Canadiens.  Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s simple smarts once again led to a powerplay goal, the second one in as many games for a team that had psychologically abandoned the thought of special teams’ production.  Jonathan Drouin in the absence of Josh Anderson has become the team’s best forward. Alexander Romanov may have played with a youthful exuberance that bordered on recklessness last night but his confidence has clearly soared since Dominique Ducharme’s appointment as interim head coach.  Jake Allen continued to show why he might be the most important addition Marc Bergevin made this summer with another outing that earned the Habs a point and kept them in shouting distance of a second. 

Without Allen, the Winnipeg Jets might have throttled the Canadiens in a demoralizing fashion that would have rendered their next encounter Saturday night a moot point.  The entire first period was a collection of mistimed passes and poor decisions with the puck on their sticks.  Tyler Toffoli’s turnover to Mathieu Perreault for his goal may have been the most egregious but his was simply one of a plethora of head scratching choices by the Canadiens with the puck on their sticks in all three zones.  The outlet passes from the defensemen, in particular the pairing of Ben Chiarot and Shea Weber, left much to be desired not only in the opening stanza but throughout the game.  A team low on confidence that has averaged just 2.3 goals per game their last 10 cannot go behind by two to a formidable opponent like the Jets. 

Credit is due to the Canadiens as they showed character, dusted themselves off the mat five minutes into the second period and through more will than skill brought the game back to level terms.  It is fair to wonder whether the Habs under the stewardship of the previous coach would have displayed the grit and push back to put the Jets back on their heels the final half hour of the game.  And yet for all of their good work another sloppy board play by Weber ended up in the back of their net to give Winnipeg a 3-2 lead they did not deserve in the third period.  Ducharme spoke postgame about the costliness of his team’s turnovers,

“We paid cash, that’s for sure.  But we can cut down on those mistakes”.

The good thing for Ducharme is that there are two simple solutions to not only cutting down on the amount of turnovers by his team but also sustaining more dangerous offensive pressure.  The question is whether he will be bold enough to do it.

General manager Marc Bergevin’s changes this season shows that he expects a playoff appearance for this team.  Bergevin’s reset several years in the making also showed that his team would need to rely on youth to play crucial roles.  It is time to cast the training wheels aside and go all in with the talented youngsters who the previous coach was not willing to trust completely and the new coach has yet to give an honest shot to.   

The pairing of Chiarot and Weber must come to a swift end.  The first minute of the game foreshadowed the evening ahead as both men put their forwards in terrible positions that nearly ended up in goals against.  Whether he is ready or not, Alexander Romanov must be placed directly to the left of Weber to be used as a natural puck mover for the captain and take the pressure off of him.  For fans fretting about the steep dive in Victor Mete’s career since he was forced into a miscast position alongside Weber, it’s quite obvious that Romanov‘s natural talent is on a completely different level.  The Tsar is able to not only move the puck with both his vision and his legs but is more than capable taking care of himself in his own zone in terms of killing the cycle and laying devastating hits off the rush in a way Mete will most likely never be able to. His natural confidence doesn’t hurt either.

It’s also not that Phillip Danault will never score again.  There may be a time when the puck grazes off the side of his pants the same way the game tying goal grazed off Corey Perry with less than 90 seconds remaining in regulation.  But in the meantime his play does not merit the linemates he currently enjoys.  Tomas Tatar led the team in points last season while Brendan Gallagher has been the team’s most consistent goal scorer of the last decade.  They are playing with a man whose offensive confidence is at the lowest it has been his entire career.  Meanwhile Kotkaniemi seems poised to break out in a way that would begin to justify his third overall selection.  The 20 year old Finn is no longer trying to force his much lauded shot down the throat of the opposition.  He instead is playing with a situational confidence that is leading to offensive chances for not only himself but his teammates as well.  With Josh Anderson returning to practice and perhaps able to play as soon as Saturday, Ducharme will have the chance to reconfigure his forward lines.  Danault is playing like a defensive centermen while Kotkaniemi is playing like someone who is starting to demand for the puck be on his stick.  The offensive personnel and usage should reflect that fact. 

Speaking of usage, the coach must have been listening to the media and fan base alike when he sent out his lines in overtime.  Or perhaps he finally got around to putting together a strategy at 3-on-3.  He’s certainly had just a bit on his plate the past week.  While there are still certainly questions to be asked when Joel Armia plays more than Brendan Gallagher or Chiarot sees the ice while Romanov does not, the Canadiens were always going to be at a disadvantage in OT against the Jets.  Without their most dominant physical force in Anderson, Winnipeg were undoubtedly going to have the upper hand talent wise.  Which makes their porous start to the game that much more unacceptable. 

The good thing is, as the coach mentioned postgame, the mistakes the Canadiens made last night are easily correctable.  He certainly sounds confident that he can get his players to cut those out of their game.  Whether he has the courage to make the difficult decisions to allow his group to take the next step is another question altogether.  The clock is ticking.  And time waits for no man.  Especially in the ruthless environment of professional sports.

Player Ratings

Goaltender

Jake Allen – 8/10

Made the pass to Weber difficult and down a bit too early on Stastny’s second.  Other than that brilliant.  Timely big saves early kept the train on the tracks and two point blank saves in overtime nearly nabbed the Habs the win.  Scary to think where the team would be without him. 

Defensemen

Shea Weber – 6/10

Strange game for the captain.  Thought he looked at his best when his team struggled early and fell off when they finally got going.  Active in the rush and offensively early.  But his wayward passing affected his confidence.  Dumb roughing penalty.  Led the team with six shots on goal. 

Ben Chiarot – 4/10

If that performance doesn’t get him moved off the top pairing than what does? His passing was the stuff of nightmares.  Looked lost and out of position in his own zone.  And yet led defensemen in ice time and was out there in overtime! Baffling. 

Jeff Petry – 6/10

Didn’t think he looked particularly great but popped up when it counted most.  Walked the line very well to get his shot through for Perry’s equalizer late on.  Counted on in overtime.  Passing still too erratic at times for the Canadiens only true puck mover in the top four.  Collided with Armia on the game winner.    

Joel Edmundsson – 7/10

The revolution continues for Edmundsson.  Don’t know where his passing range has been hiding the first month and a half of the season but he’s showing it off now.  Other than that looked very good on the penalty kill and played quiet, simple hockey.  Long may it continue. 

Alexander Romanov – 7/10

There were some moments where he was almost too giddy to do something which surely happens to all young players.  But the talent is undeniable.  Puts the hurt on folks behind the goal line and for the most part moves the puck effectively to his forwards.  Always willing to jump in the rush but does so smartly.  Deserves a promotion. 

Brett Kulak – 6/10

Maybe should have had better positioning on Stastny for his first but in his defense he did have his stick tied up.  Nothing crazy good about his play but simply kept the puck moving in all three zones, which was a chore for some.  Can be the puck mover on the third pairing with a different partner. 

Forwards

Nick Suzuki – 7/10

Better from Suzuki but still not back to his early season best.  Led forwards in ice time.  His wave of the powerplay is still yet to get going.  But enjoyed the most threatening offensive zone time of all the Habs lines.  Much better in the faceoff dot at 67 percent.  Still a half step off the pace though and not controlling the speed of the game like he has shown he can. 

Jonathan Drouin – 8/10

Easily the biggest beneficiary of the coaching change.  His skill finally has a purpose shift in and shift out.  Canadiens best player without a doubt.  Much more willing to try and get his shot off.  Fantastic tip to tie the game was his goal if not for Perry’s pant leg.  Growing into the player most believed he could be when he first arrived in Montreal. 

Tyler Toffoli – 6/10

Diabolical turnover for Perreault’s goal.  The hockey gods shone down upon him for his goal as the puck simply deflected off his skate and past Hellebuyck.  Didn’t let his mistake affect his game but never was able to find a soft spot in coverage to get a high quality scoring chance.  Will be interesting if he stays with Suzuki and Drouin when Anderson returns. 

Phillip Danault – 5/10

The good? Very solid on the penalty kill and pressured the puck carrier all over the ice, causing some turnovers in the offensive zone.  The bad?  Absolutely nothing came of it.  His line never really threatened at all offensively and except for a drive to the net that ended with a one handed push at the near post he could not get inside.  Feel bad for him but he needs to focus on being simply elite defensively the rest of the way. 

Brendan Gallagher – 6/10

Johnny on the spot in the slot on the powerplay for his goal.  Changed the course of the game.  Always ferocious on the forecheck but again could not generate anything of quality off the zone time his line received.  Never saw the ice in overtime which is a head scratcher to say the least. 

Tomas Tatar – 6/10

Best chance of the night for him was a shot to the left of Hellebuyck that the Jets goaltender got across to stop.  Looks better than he did under Julien but like Gallagher he has no one to set him up for much to threaten the opposition.  Only one shot on goal isn’t good enough from him. But again he was solid. 

Jesperi Kotkaniemi – 7/10

Like he did against Ottawa his smart pass set up the sequence that led to Gallagher’s powerplay goal.  Nice to see him have an offensive role on the team finally as he runs the second wave of the PP.  His sloppiness in the neutral zone and lost faceoff did lead to Stastny’s first.  But he controlled play numerous times in the offensive zone. Kept himself and the puck moving.  More physicality please. 

Joel Armia – 5/10

Good enough game with four shots on goal to lead the forwards. But can’t remember many that truly troubled Hellebuyck.  Seems to have simply gained the favor of his new coach based on his usage in regulation and overtime.  But fades from shift to shift.  He and Lehkonen are just not up to the standard of their centermen.  All twisted around and collided with Petry for the Jets game-winner.

Artturi Lehkonen – 4/10

Took a shot off the hand.  That’s about it.  No shots on goal and no threatening moments of note.  Largely anonymous.  Forechecks hard though.  Fourth liner miscast on the third line. 

Jake Evans – 5/10

He’s got to step up and play with the battle we saw early on.  Not that he’s lazy or anything like that.  Just has to play with the hunger and chippiness that made him so effective early on.  Least used Habs forward but played well on the penalty kill.  Need more passion from him. 

Paul Byron – 5/10

Didn’t accomplish much in regulation but was trusted by his coach to start overtime.  Could have ended the game on a 2-on-1 but pass was a bit behind him and narrowed the angle he had to shoot at.  Simply could be an OT specialist going forward with some dutiful minutes on the fourth line.  But his contract is a little steep for just that role. 

Corey Perry – 7/10

Just over eleven minutes of ice time.  For his trouble scored the game tying goal and assisted on Gallagher’s on the powerplay.  Makes much more sense to play him with Kotkaniemi than either Armia or Perry.  Has that craftiness around the net that the Habs certainly lack elsewhere in their lineup.  Lucky the puck hit him in the pants for the equalizer but his presence took Hellebuyck’s eyes away and he got rewarded.       

Coach

Dominique Ducharme – 6/10

Another powerplay goal and a penalty kill that kept a talented Jets powerplay at bay.  But his team once again didn’t start on time and found themselves in an early hole.  Needs to go with the youngsters who are delivering right now and not the veterans that are letting the team down.  No more Chiarot or Armia on in overtime please and thank you.  Has to be bold when Anderson returns from injury. 

P.S

Don’t know who was responsible for the brutal quality of the ice at the Bell Center last night.  But seriously, you really had only one job.  There is quite literally nothing else going on at that venue for the foreseeable future.  Least that you can do is make sure the ice is a good enough quality that the puck is not bouncing and skidding everywhere.  Don’t think it’s too much to ask.