On Canadiens: The Final Countdown

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