Month: March 2019

With the Canadiens no longer holding the cards in their battle with Carolina and Columbus for one of two playoff spots, they entered their game in Winnipeg on Saturday night with the mentality that each of their last four games are “must-win” games. The team fulfilled the first of their four tasks, by playing a near flawless road game and dismantling the Winnipeg Jets from the opening faceoff.

The main talking point prior to the game was that the Canadiens scratched rookie centre, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, moved Jordan Weal to play between Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia, and inserted Matthew Peca onto the fourth line with Nate Thompson and Nicholas Deslauriers. Kotkaniemi was scratched for only the third time this season, but has clearly hit a wall in his performance in recent weeks, which is understandable for an 18 year old who has been playing hockey nonstop for nearly a full year. In his last 10 games, the young Finn has not scored and has produced a mere two assists. He has also seen his ice time limited during this stretch. Most notably, Kotkaniemi has proven to have difficulties playing away from the Bell Centre, as opponents have taken advantages of matchups against him due to having last change. Kotkaniemi has notched only 11 road points, all of which are assists. Additionally, his performance in Columbus on Thursday night was poor, and he was outmatched in the faceoff circle and in his own end by the Blue Jackets’ larger, more experienced centre men.

The two benefactors of Kotkaniemi being scratched were Weal and Philip Danault, who took Kotkaniemi’s spot on the Canadiens top power play unit. The Canadiens took a lead in the first period, through their NHL 31st ranked power play. It was former Jet, Joel Armia, following up on his first career powerplay goal on 21 March (vs Islanders), by netting his second. The goal was created from a creative passing sequence between Weal and Danault, who seem to have some terrific chemistry on the man-advantage. Armia continued to have a very effective game against his former team. On the Canadiens second powerplay of the game, another Danault and Weal sequence allowed Armia to have a quality chance in the slot, only to be stopped by Jets goalkeeper, Connor Hellebuyck.

Montreal continued to stifle Winnipeg throughout the second period, and as the period was drawing to a close, they held a 28-13 shot advantage and there was a growing concern that the Canadiens would once again squander periods of excellent play, by not being clinical in their finishing. This affliction has caused the Canadiens to drop points in Carolina and Columbus over the past week, and may be a source of much regret if the season does end on 6 April. After Kevin Hayes caused a mild flutter by glancing a shot off the post behind Carey Price, the Canadiens stormed up the ice, and found Jeff Petry who fired his career high 13th goal past Hellebuyck. The goal was set up by Brett Kulak, who continues his impressive recent offensive production, netting his fifth point in the past three games. It was an instant reprieve for the Canadiens, who could take comfort with a two goal lead heading into the break, against a Jets team that would surely be coming on in the third frame.

Despite being considered one of the best teams in the NHL, the Jets were surprisingly second best all night. The Canadiens played an organized defensive scheme, and did not take a single penalty all game, which left the league’s fifth best powerplay on the shelf. As a result, the Jets had several stretches where they could not even get near Carey Price, let alone create quality scoring opportunities. For a ten minute stretch in the first period, they did not have a single shot (5th minute to the 15th), and prior to Mathieu Perreault bringing the game to within one half way through the third, the Jets managed only a single shot on target. In the end, the Canadiens outshot Winnipeg 44-24.

In the final minute, the Jets applied the usual pressure one would expect in a one goal game, but what was an unusual sight was seeing the Canadiens having the much maligned Jonathan Drouin on the ice during this sequence. There was an opportunity for him to get off the ice and make a line change for a more defensive stalwart, however it did not occur, and Drouin remained on, amidst a growing anxiety amongst Canadiens fans. Yet, he held his poise, captured the puck, and was able to calmly flip it out of the Habs zone. Jordan Weal would cap his impressive work with an empty net goal.

It proved to be a textbook road game for the Canadiens, who controlled the play, limited high danger scoring chances, and remained disciplined and focused throughout the night. While the Habs locked up two points, to climb to 92 points, the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets did the same. The Blue Jackets will play their game in hand in Buffalo against the mediocre Sabres tomorrow night, while the Hurricanes play their game in hand in Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon.

While tonight’s game was quite satisfying for the Canadiens, the out of town scoreboard provides a reminder that there remains much work left to be done, and that hard work and positive results still may not be enough for this team to extend their season beyond next week.

Jaideep Kanungo

In sport, a single loss can change everything.

On 14 March, after a 2-1 loss to the Islanders, the Montreal Canadiens playoff hopes hit a snag, and as the team followed up with a 2-0 loss on home ice to the Blackhawks two nights later, the feeling was that the team should look forward to next season. However, following that defeat to Chicago, the Habs reeled off four wins from their last five (the lone loss was an overtime loss to Carolina), and dreams of spring time hockey in Montreal were back on. Yet, those hopes careened off track once again after the Habs lost a pivotal game in Columbus to the Blue Jackets on Thursday night, 6-2.

It was a hotly anticipated game for much of the week, as the Canadiens held a two point lead on the Jackets, but the Jackets held a game in hand. “Win and you’re nearly in!” was the rallying cry heard amongst Canadiens fans.

Playing on the road amidst an ebullient playoff atmosphere is always difficult, but the Canadiens came out as perfect as a road team can. A Brett Kulak point shot found the back of the net within the first two minutes of the game, and the Canadiens poured on seven shots on Blue Jackets’s netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky, in the first 10 minutes of the game, before Columbus even mustered one of their own. This feat was so ignominious that the Columbus fans let out an indignant mock cheer as Carey Price steered the first shot into the corner. From that point onward, the Blue Jackets demonstrated their quality, capitalized on several defensive lapses by the Canadiens, and roundly demoralized their opponents for the night, and perhaps beyond.

The first Columbus goal from David Savard early in the second period resulted from an unfortunate Andrew Shaw fall near his bench, leading to a confused and delayed line change, leaving the Canadiens bereft of defenders as the Blue Jackets stormed up the ice on an odd man rush.

While the teams briefly played 4 on 4 hockey, Jeff Petry gave the Canadiens a surprising 2-1 lead after his intended pass fooled and eluded Bobrovsky. Whatever relief that goal gave the Canadiens was short lived, as Oliver Bjorkstrand tipped a Seth Jones point shot past Carey Price to bring the teams level. The Jackets then took the lead for good, after Matt Duchene made a deft, single fluid movement spinorama/pass to Artemi Panarin, who connected on a one timer to beat Price. It was a play that seemed to fool normally reliable defenders in Phil Danault and Shea Weber, and completely took the gas out of the Canadiens for the rest of the evening.

The Canadiens once again came out flat for the third period, and an errant pass from Victor Mete to Jesperi Kotkaniemi allowed Riley Nash to dash up the ice, handcuff Price, and give the Blue Jackets a two goal lead. From there, Bjorkstrand’s second made it 5-2, and Brandon Dubinsky added an empty netter to add insult to injury.

Unlike the previous five games, in which the Canadiens played with pace, an attacking verve and an unflappable Carey Price, the team that showed up for this important game was relatively flaccid and impotent. The Blue Jackets dominated puck possession, and the Canadiens seemed to be drained of energy.

A couple of Canadiens’ players did show some bite, notably Max Domi, who took a high stick from Columbus’s Boone Jenner, which did not garner the attention of the officials and went uncalled. Domi, an effervescent ball of energy, seemed to be wasteful in his energy use, as he tried to goad Jenner, and later Seth Jones into unnecessary extra-curriculars. Andrew Shaw, also appeared to needlessly expend energy, with an unintended (or intended, if you listen to the throng of aggrieved Columbus fans on Twitter) forearm shiver to the head of Columbus defender Adam McQuaid. The already woeful Canadiens powerplay was just getting started when Shaw took that penalty, negating whatever meagre lift the powerplay could have provided. Columbus coach, John Tortorella would later contend that the play was suspension worthy, though that remains a matter of debate, dependent on which club the viewer supports.

In the end, the Blue Jackets capture two points and move ahead of the Canadiens based on the ROW (regulation and overtime win) tiebreaker, as both clubs have 90 points. This places Columbus as the eighth and final seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Canadiens are on the outside looking in. Though both clubs are tied on points, this game may have proved fatal for Montreal, as Columbus has a game in hand with five games remaining, while the Canadiens final four games of the year are at Winnipeg, at home against Tampa Bay, away to Washington and a final home game to Toronto. This is indeed a murderer’s row of opponents.

The last four games will be a gauntlet, which is one matter. The other matter of course is that the Canadiens went from controlling their own destiny to losing all of that in a single night.

Such is the cruelty of sport.

Jaideep Kanungo

As the Canadiens continue to attempt to lock down a playoff position in the final six games of the season, they appeared to be fully ready to play a Florida Panthers club that was playing their third game in four nights. They completely blitzed the Panthers with three goals in the first 14 minutes of play, chasing James Reimer (who had unexpectedly started the game for Florida) from the net, and demoralizing them from mounting any sort of respectable comeback. The 6-1 victory was a near perfect game against a road weary opposition, and helped create some optimism that the team might actually make it to the postseason.

Yet, after the game, the discussion was dominated about a fight between Paul Byron and MacKenzie Weegar that knocked the diminutive Byron out of the game, within the first three minutes of action. This game marked the first time since mid January that Byron and Weegar shared the same ice surface. In their prior meeting, Byron was suspended for three games after delivering an elbow to the head of Weegar. Byron, who is from all accounts a respectful player, publicly apologized to Weegar for the hit, and appeared remorseful for his actions. He served the time that the NHL had doled out to him. In the modern NHL, where fighting has largely been eliminated, it may have been surmised that the matter was closed, that bygones be bygones. Yet, there was a 5’7, 160 lbs Byron dropping the gloves with 6’0, 210 lbs Weegar, in one final act of atonement. Byron was dropped to the ice with a single punch, and appeared to have been concussed as he was helped off the playing surface by the club trainers. The club announced at the start of the second period that Byron would be done for the night. On Wednesday morning, the club announced that Paul Byron would not be traveling with the team for Thursday night’s pivotal game against the Blue Jackets.

Unfortunately, in spite of players remarking on how important it is to be disciplined in the throes of a playoff race, and how coaches emphasize the importance of “safe and simple hockey” during these times, it appears that respecting the “code of the game” was more of a priority for Paul Byron in a pivotal game. Why did he feel the need to fight a much larger, more physical player? Had he rejected the call to fight, would the Panthers have called him a coward as the game wore on, maybe even suckering him in what ended up being a blowout loss? I suppose being concussed in an honourable way was preferable to these possibilities. Should the onus have been on Claude Julien to protect Byron further, knowing that this was the first time the players would be meeting since the initial hit? In this scenario, would he change his winning lineup to accommodate respect for the code?

All too often in hockey, “the code” gets in the way of common sense and the hockey players’ devotion to these arbitrary set of assumed rules is what prevents sensible discussion on the role of fighting in the game. As a result of this irrational worship of “the code,” (and some unfortunate luck) the Canadiens will be without one of their most versatile, responsible and energetic players in their most important game of the year on Thursday night. If the Canadiens lose, and fail to make the playoffs, you wonder what is this game and sport ultimately about, when players are more concerned about honouring the code than being on the ice to help their team win games.

Jaideep Kanungo

As the regular season comes down to its final two weeks, the Montreal Canadiens attempt to (unexpectedly!) chase down one of the final two wild card positions in the Eastern Conference.

As of this evening (prior to games played on 25 March), the Canadiens are in the second wild card spot, having played 76 games and having earned 88 points. The Columbus Blue Jackets remain just out of a playoff position, with 86 points in 75 games. A pivotal moment between these two clubs will be on Thursday, 28 March when the Canadiens visit the Nationwide Arena in Columbus. In the build up to tomorrow night’s game between Montreal and the Florida Panthers, here are are a few thoughts:

• After the Habs were beat 2-1 on 14 March on Long Island, Andrew Shaw called out the team and suggested that many players were “taking the night off.” Since that time, the Habs have earned 7 of a possible 1o points. In the one regulation loss during that span, they fired 48 shots at Corey Crawford, but were beaten by Chicago 2-0 (16 March). Needless to say, the Canadiens effort level has increased significantly during this stretch. Whether it was Shaw’s words that served as the impetus for this recent surge is debatable, but undoubtedly, it is the type of moment that gets script writers supremely excited.
• Since 17 February, where Anti Niemi got shelled by the Florida Panthers, Carey Price has started 16 of 17 games for the Canadiens. Niemi got one more start on 7 March against San Jose, however as that start was also abject, Claude Julien has opted to start Price in every game down the stretch. Price will likely end the year with 66 starts, the most he has had since 2014/15 (Hart and Vezina Trophy seasons). If the Canadiens do make the playoffs, will he have any gas left against Tampa or the winner of the Metropolitan Division?
• Much has been made of the way Brendan Gallagher has stepped up this season whenever the team has needed a boost. Gallagher is now up to a career high 33 goals (his previous career high was 31 goals, last season), and is amongst the league leaders in 5 on 5 goals. Whenever it has appeared that the Canadiens good fortune has dried up once and for all, it has been the tireless work of Brendan Gallagher that has helped the club find its way. He will need to be the same metronome during this final stretch that he has been all season for the Canadiens to make the playoffs.
• Much was expected of Jonathan Drouin when he was acquired by the Habs in the summer of 2017, yet despite nearly matching his career high in points this year (he is presently on 52 points, previous best was 53 in 2016/17), Drouin has found himself in Claude Julien’s doghouse since 12 March, playing essentially fourth line minutes. Although Drouin scored his first goal in 18 games on 21 March against the Islanders, he did not endear himself to his coach against Buffalo on 23 March, in which a careless neutral zone turnover resulted in a Marco Scandella goal against. Likewise, irresponsible feigns and soft neutral zone play resulted in Drouin being benched for the last 10 minutes of regulation in the Canadiens 2-1 loss to Carolina last night. If Marc Bergevin did not trade what he did for Drouin (Mikhail Sergachev) and did not bet on him like he did (6 year, $33 million dollars), he is the type of player that would be served with a ticket out of Montreal.

Much of the above was just a few thoughts on my mind about the team heading into the final six games of the year. It is the best time of the year to be a hockey fan, as the weather turns, and the intensity and meaning of these games heighten, and these will be some of the interesting story lines to follow over the coming weeks.

Jaideep Kanungo

Thanks for joining me on this blog.

Ever since I was a kid, I have been a huge fan of sports, sports writing and story telling. In those days, I can remember copying boxscores from the newspaper, and inscribing them into a journal that I kept for the Montreal Canadiens season. Over the years, I have had previous forays into blogging and writing, however the real world and its latest and fanciest distractions would intervene and derail those efforts.

This current NHL season, I started a personal journal, initially tracking each Montreal Canadiens match and the events around it. As the season has progressed, my journaling has become more detailed and complex, and it has brought me a greater sense of satisfaction in following the team and the league. The activity itself has also brought back a flood of warm memories of watching the Canadiens from afar as a child, and has also reignited a passion to share my observations and insights with the public.

I hope to operate this blog without any pressure to publish, or any expectation that it will be read by anyone in particular. At most, I hope it will allow me to hone my writing skills and provide me with a platform to present my work.

To those that have chosen to follow this self indulgent post, a sincere thank you. Hopefully, this blog outlasts the last one.

Jaideep Kanungo