The Calgary Flames are a tough team. The Tampa Bay Lightning have no defence. Sidney Crosby is a great player, but whines too much. Sometimes a team or a player creates such a strong identity based on an image or behaviour that even when the behaviour changes or the image is no longer true, it's tough for fans to see beyond it. So, even when the Flames' top lines include Rene Bourque and Matt Stajan, they're still "the gritty Calgary Flames." Even when Tampa adds Ohlund, Meszaros and Hedman, we still say their defence is as bad as it was two years ago. And although Crosby has toned down the attitude noticably, he still carries the "whiner" label. Even when truth has long evolved into myth, identities are tough to shake.
The Canadiens, being the oldest and most storied team in hockey are involved in more than their share of myths. Beyond the historic, though, a lot of the things people accept as fact about the Habs just don't stand up to close scrutiny. I thought I'd look at some of the things a lot of us believe unquestioningly and see if maybe we should be questioning them after all.
-The Habs are a small team. Just about every analyst who talks about the Canadiens cites this as a major weakness, particularly when it comes to the team's centres. It just isn't true, however. I decided to look at team averages by position, rather than overall, as goalie size doesn't really matter when it comes to assessing skaters and big goalies can skew team numbers. On average, the Canadiens are 6 feet tall and 199 pounds at forward. That ranks them about halfway down the list of NHL teams. On defence, (thanks to Hal Gill) they're an average of 6'2" and 213 pounds. That has them in the league's top ten. So, overall, they are not a small team. If anything, they're on par with about half the other teams in the league for size. When you compare their top-four centres to the rest of the league's top-four, they are admittedly a little bit smaller than most on average. The Habs' centres are about 5'11" each, and 198 pounds. The league average at the centre position is 6', 200.
-Plekanec is not good in the playoffs. This perception happened largely because of Plekanec himself. His infamous, "I'm playing like a little girl" comment from the playoffs two years ago was not only colourful and memorable; it also created an image of his post-season performance that's since stuck in everyone's heads. Unfortunately, it's not true. Most players' production tends to drop in the post-season, largely due to tighter defensive play and better competition. Scott Gomez, for example, scores at a .81 PPG pace during the regular season, but .71 PPG in the playoffs. Brian Gionta is at .67 PPG in the season and .60 in the spring. Plekanec actually has a smaller drop between his regular-season production, which stands at .65 PPG over his career, and his playoff production, at .62 PPG, than those Cup-winning veterans. Plekanec also has played a fairly small sample size of playoff games, with only 21 under his belt. Considering the marked change in his game this year from one of perimeter puckhandling to a grittier, drive-the-net style, I would imagine the drop-off this season will be even smaller in his case.
-Halak's biggest weakness is his rebound control. The Hockey News recently published some really interesting goalie stats that help interpret that idea more accurately. Halak is first in the league in stopping the first shot, especially beyond 20 feet out. He's 24th in the league for stopping rebounds. This stat, however, is mildly misleading, because it doesn't take into consideration whether the rebound that goes in is the first one off a goalie, or if it's a third or fourth attempt by a player who hasn't been removed from the crease. It does, however, appear that Halak's rebound control and overall focus is affected by the situation in which he's involved. He's perfect in games in which he faces more than forty shots; best in the league in that category. He's also got the best save percentage in the league in one-goal games, at .926, and the third-longest consecutive save streak, at 83. All that means when Halak is on, rebounds are not an issue, and he's on when the situation is difficult, which bodes well for the playoffs.
-The Habs can't compete at even strength. That might have been true earlier in the year, with missing players and just plain bad ones on the bottom two lines. Right now, however, the Canadiens have moved up from last in the league in 5-on-5 goals scored to 25th, a couple of goals removed from 20th. This move has happened in the last ten games. The biggest problem with the Habs at even strength isn't their lack of ability, it's that they don't shoot. They're 29th in the league in shots per game, yet still manage to be at 18th overall in goals scored.
-Injuries aren't an excuse because all teams have them. That's true, of course. But it also depends on which players are hurt at any given time. If you can speculate that a team's highest-paid players are also its most valuable on the ice, the Habs actually rank third in the league for man-games lost to important players. Only Edmonton, which is finishing last, and Detroit, which is on the bubble, lost more salary to injury. Of course, the salary measurement could just mean a team has overpaid less valuable players. So, looking at the total man-games lost to injury, the Habs are sixth in the league with 231. Of that number, 137 are games missed by players in the top-ten scoring positions, including two of the top-four defencemen. Comparing how the team is playing now, when it's nearly healthy, with the way it played when it iced six Bulldogs around Christmas time, I think yes, injuries can be an excuse.
I think a lot of the myths about who the Habs are and what we can realistically expect from them are aging ones. If we look a little bit closer, we can see a better team than the myths would have us believe. It may be in their favour, though, if other teams keep believing they're true.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Aftermath: Crosscheck This, Avery
Sixth place! Yup, I'm rubbing my eyes as I look at the standings, but that's right. Habs are sitting in sixth place. The team that was precariously perched on the playoff bubble three weeks ago is now jockeying for post-season position. How quickly things can change in a weird Eastern Conference. Fans aren't the only ones shaking their heads in wonder, though.
I watched Jaro Halak, he of the six-game winning streak, answering reporter's questions on RDS last night. I wasn't as interested in what he was saying as in his body language. He was looking down with a bemused half-grin, shaking his head at queries such as, "Why do you think shot totals have come down?" and "What do you think the team is doing differently?" While he dutifully gave the right answers, his face and body said, "What the hell am I supposed to say? We're doing all the same things we were trying to do all season, only now our lineup is better and it's working. I'm just amazed and thrilled."
Halak knows better than anyone that a team can do all the right things and still lose, or stink out the joint and steal a win. As a goalie, he pays his dues to the hockey gods in superstition and ritual, and he knows his fortunes are indivisible from those of his mates. So, he's the last one who'll say the shot totals are down because the forwards are moving their butts and getting back to help the D, or that Markov's return to health has meant less-good defencemen have to play fewer minutes than they did when he was out.
Halak won't tell the reporters a team with four hard-working, compatible lines will play better than one that depends on a single forward line for most of its scoring, while the bottom lines are composed of a handful of mismatched rookies, underachievers and all-around terrible players. Goalies believe in fate, and payback and Karma. They won't get too high for fear of dropping too low to make up for it.
There are good reasons for the turnaround, though, even if Halak won't point fingers. The two most important are good health and better role players. Most teams that have had the problems the injury problems the Habs have had this year, like the Oilers, are out of the playoffs already. The mighty Red Wings are on the bubble in the West because they've had so many players hurt. The Habs have managed to hold their own and will only get stronger with injuries behind them.
As important as a healthy lineup is the revamped bottom-six. Think about who they were on opening night: Max Pacioretty, Moen, Metropolit, D'Agostini, Laraque and Lapierre, with a side of Kyle Chipchura. Right now, Sergei Kostitysn is better than Pacioretty, Darche is better than D'Agostini and Moore is light years better than Laraque. Metro is better at centre than Lapierre. There's no comparison in the quality of the players on those lines between October and last night. As a result, no line is playing less than five minutes a game. The drop off in ability between the first and third line isn't nearly as marked as it was early on. Balanced ice time menas better-rested players and more energy late in games when a team is trying to hold a one-goal lead.
Last night was the kind of game that makes you secretly worry the team is peaking too soon. Even though it should improve up front with Cammalleri's return, it's hard to picture a team that plays an overall better game than they did in New York. The Habs won their battles on the boards, they hit, they skated and they played a solid defensive game. They could, perhaps, have done a better job of burying some of the glorious chances their hard work created, but that's where Cammalleri will come in. The result for the team is another W. For the fans, it's pure fun. I didn't think the Habs would be fun again this year, but they are, and it's just great.
Among the fun highlights for me last night:
-Jaro Spacek. He's playing a smart, solid game on the blueline, and proving why experience is vital at this time of year.
-The PK, which just suffocated the Rangers' PP. Gaborik looked like Laraque against it.
-Andrei Markov. When he's healthy, he's beautiful to watch. His puck control and passing are mesmerizing, and his shot can do some damage too.
-Sergei Kostitsyn. I don't know what happened to him, but wow, he's playing some good hockey!
-Dominic Moore. I'm officially retracting my concerns about the second-rounder in 2011 it cost to get him because I believe the improvement of the bottom six is largely due to his arrival, and said improvement is largely responsible for getting the Habs into the playoffs. Playoffs is worth a second in a reportedly weak draft. It's just too bad there won't be enough money to re-sign him.
-Glen Metropolit. Mathieu Darche has been jokingly calling him the "Wayne Gretzky of the fourth line." He's not far off. Sixteen goals, ten on the PP, from a fourth-line centre leaves any previous expectations in the dust.
-The confidence. We're seeing a relaxed team that doesn't panic when the opponent pushes. Confidence gives players that extra second to make a good pass instead of rushing a bad one. It lets forwards trust their defencemen to get the puck up to them and defencemen trust their goalie to make the stops. When a team is confident, every player knows his role and plays within it. That's winning hockey, and that breeds more confidence.
So, all of this good stuff adds up to sixth place, one point behind the fifth-place Sens. While it's true the Sens and Flyers have games in hand, they're not playing the kind of hockey the Habs are right now. We've got eleven games left to see how high our team can fly.
I watched Jaro Halak, he of the six-game winning streak, answering reporter's questions on RDS last night. I wasn't as interested in what he was saying as in his body language. He was looking down with a bemused half-grin, shaking his head at queries such as, "Why do you think shot totals have come down?" and "What do you think the team is doing differently?" While he dutifully gave the right answers, his face and body said, "What the hell am I supposed to say? We're doing all the same things we were trying to do all season, only now our lineup is better and it's working. I'm just amazed and thrilled."
Halak knows better than anyone that a team can do all the right things and still lose, or stink out the joint and steal a win. As a goalie, he pays his dues to the hockey gods in superstition and ritual, and he knows his fortunes are indivisible from those of his mates. So, he's the last one who'll say the shot totals are down because the forwards are moving their butts and getting back to help the D, or that Markov's return to health has meant less-good defencemen have to play fewer minutes than they did when he was out.
Halak won't tell the reporters a team with four hard-working, compatible lines will play better than one that depends on a single forward line for most of its scoring, while the bottom lines are composed of a handful of mismatched rookies, underachievers and all-around terrible players. Goalies believe in fate, and payback and Karma. They won't get too high for fear of dropping too low to make up for it.
There are good reasons for the turnaround, though, even if Halak won't point fingers. The two most important are good health and better role players. Most teams that have had the problems the injury problems the Habs have had this year, like the Oilers, are out of the playoffs already. The mighty Red Wings are on the bubble in the West because they've had so many players hurt. The Habs have managed to hold their own and will only get stronger with injuries behind them.
As important as a healthy lineup is the revamped bottom-six. Think about who they were on opening night: Max Pacioretty, Moen, Metropolit, D'Agostini, Laraque and Lapierre, with a side of Kyle Chipchura. Right now, Sergei Kostitysn is better than Pacioretty, Darche is better than D'Agostini and Moore is light years better than Laraque. Metro is better at centre than Lapierre. There's no comparison in the quality of the players on those lines between October and last night. As a result, no line is playing less than five minutes a game. The drop off in ability between the first and third line isn't nearly as marked as it was early on. Balanced ice time menas better-rested players and more energy late in games when a team is trying to hold a one-goal lead.
Last night was the kind of game that makes you secretly worry the team is peaking too soon. Even though it should improve up front with Cammalleri's return, it's hard to picture a team that plays an overall better game than they did in New York. The Habs won their battles on the boards, they hit, they skated and they played a solid defensive game. They could, perhaps, have done a better job of burying some of the glorious chances their hard work created, but that's where Cammalleri will come in. The result for the team is another W. For the fans, it's pure fun. I didn't think the Habs would be fun again this year, but they are, and it's just great.
Among the fun highlights for me last night:
-Jaro Spacek. He's playing a smart, solid game on the blueline, and proving why experience is vital at this time of year.
-The PK, which just suffocated the Rangers' PP. Gaborik looked like Laraque against it.
-Andrei Markov. When he's healthy, he's beautiful to watch. His puck control and passing are mesmerizing, and his shot can do some damage too.
-Sergei Kostitsyn. I don't know what happened to him, but wow, he's playing some good hockey!
-Dominic Moore. I'm officially retracting my concerns about the second-rounder in 2011 it cost to get him because I believe the improvement of the bottom six is largely due to his arrival, and said improvement is largely responsible for getting the Habs into the playoffs. Playoffs is worth a second in a reportedly weak draft. It's just too bad there won't be enough money to re-sign him.
-Glen Metropolit. Mathieu Darche has been jokingly calling him the "Wayne Gretzky of the fourth line." He's not far off. Sixteen goals, ten on the PP, from a fourth-line centre leaves any previous expectations in the dust.
-The confidence. We're seeing a relaxed team that doesn't panic when the opponent pushes. Confidence gives players that extra second to make a good pass instead of rushing a bad one. It lets forwards trust their defencemen to get the puck up to them and defencemen trust their goalie to make the stops. When a team is confident, every player knows his role and plays within it. That's winning hockey, and that breeds more confidence.
So, all of this good stuff adds up to sixth place, one point behind the fifth-place Sens. While it's true the Sens and Flyers have games in hand, they're not playing the kind of hockey the Habs are right now. We've got eleven games left to see how high our team can fly.
Habs vs. Rags - Bullets Over Broadway Edition
Notes on the third:
-So many open nets, so few finishers. I'm gonna bet the ice is crap or Pouliot would have cashed that one-timer that hopped over his stick.
-Habs are playing a good road game, but the first two lines aren't going to the net enough. If Andrei Kostitsyn wants to de-funk, he should try that.
-Okay, Moore is worth the second-round pick in 2011. What a sweet pass to Sergei for the goal. Took a shot in the gut to prevent a scoring chance too.
-Speaking of which, can a goal in three consecutive games be a Sergei Kostitsyn Hat Trick?
-Gill's got to be the worst puck-handler in the world. There are probably old Asian women who've never seen hockey before who can handle the puck better than him.
-Crap penalty call on Pouliot, and Pleky with the shorty to seal it on a gorgeous move. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
-If I was a Rangers fan, I'd be really, really upset tonight. Less than 20 shots at home in a must-win game? Terrible.
-As a Habs, fan, however, I'm really, really happy. The team played a fantastic road game and completely deserved to win their sixth in a row. Now we can relax for a few days, with smiles on our faces.
Notes on the second:
-Dumb old Luc Gelinas, embarrassing Metro like that. Of course Metropolit would never compare himself to Gretzky, fourth line or not.
-Horrid goal against, but it started when Gorges failed to clear and Gill screened his own goalie.
-I wish Gomez was the kind of vengeful player who really wanted to hurt the team that traded him.
-Speaking of Gomez, he's a funny player. He's wizardly when he's boxed in a corner with no room for a pass, but given a wide-open path to the net, he freezes.
-You know who's quietly playing some very responsible hockey? O'Byrne.
-Jaro scares the crap out me when he makes those veeerrrrryy long rushes out of the net to intercept a loose puck. He's going to be burned on one of those.
-I think if Spacek hits the net on a PP, Martin should give him a "Well Done, Big Boy!" sticker.
-Travis Moen always reminds me of that movie, "The Princess Bride." "Farm Boy, feed the pigs. Farm Boy, fetch me some water. Farm Boy, pound on the Rangers." "As you wish."
-Just noticed Martin's tie. Tonight it looks like a sheet of paint swatches at the reno store. Or shag carpet.
-Andrei Kostitsyn is terrible tonight. Just watch him score the winner.
-At least, I hope it's a Hab who scores the winner. They need this one.
Notes on the first:
-Pre-game shots on RDS show a very dapper and happy-looking Price getting off the team bus. Maybe he's secretly relieved to be able to rock the ball caps and look nice on the bench for a change. Nobody gets booed on the bench. Poor kid.
-Inspirational locker room talk pre-game: "Hey, Gomer, they didn't want you, Gomer. They threw you away. Get maaaad, Gomer. You too, Pie. Get maaaad, Pie."
-I have a feeling we're going to miss Cammy the Ranger Killer tonight.
-Then again, with Markov launching guided missiles from the point maybe they'll be okay.
-I can't believe the difference Moore has made to the third line. It's like a real third line, the kind good teams have.
-The RDS cameras are really far away from the ice. It's like watching from the nosebleeds.
-Habs are winning on the boards, not so much in the circles. It'd be nice to start a PP WITH the puck for a change.
-I guess Torts'll be doing some yelling. The Rags looked interested for about five minutes in that period. Habs had better be ready for a better NY push in the next period.
-So many open nets, so few finishers. I'm gonna bet the ice is crap or Pouliot would have cashed that one-timer that hopped over his stick.
-Habs are playing a good road game, but the first two lines aren't going to the net enough. If Andrei Kostitsyn wants to de-funk, he should try that.
-Okay, Moore is worth the second-round pick in 2011. What a sweet pass to Sergei for the goal. Took a shot in the gut to prevent a scoring chance too.
-Speaking of which, can a goal in three consecutive games be a Sergei Kostitsyn Hat Trick?
-Gill's got to be the worst puck-handler in the world. There are probably old Asian women who've never seen hockey before who can handle the puck better than him.
-Crap penalty call on Pouliot, and Pleky with the shorty to seal it on a gorgeous move. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
-If I was a Rangers fan, I'd be really, really upset tonight. Less than 20 shots at home in a must-win game? Terrible.
-As a Habs, fan, however, I'm really, really happy. The team played a fantastic road game and completely deserved to win their sixth in a row. Now we can relax for a few days, with smiles on our faces.
Notes on the second:
-Dumb old Luc Gelinas, embarrassing Metro like that. Of course Metropolit would never compare himself to Gretzky, fourth line or not.
-Horrid goal against, but it started when Gorges failed to clear and Gill screened his own goalie.
-I wish Gomez was the kind of vengeful player who really wanted to hurt the team that traded him.
-Speaking of Gomez, he's a funny player. He's wizardly when he's boxed in a corner with no room for a pass, but given a wide-open path to the net, he freezes.
-You know who's quietly playing some very responsible hockey? O'Byrne.
-Jaro scares the crap out me when he makes those veeerrrrryy long rushes out of the net to intercept a loose puck. He's going to be burned on one of those.
-I think if Spacek hits the net on a PP, Martin should give him a "Well Done, Big Boy!" sticker.
-Travis Moen always reminds me of that movie, "The Princess Bride." "Farm Boy, feed the pigs. Farm Boy, fetch me some water. Farm Boy, pound on the Rangers." "As you wish."
-Just noticed Martin's tie. Tonight it looks like a sheet of paint swatches at the reno store. Or shag carpet.
-Andrei Kostitsyn is terrible tonight. Just watch him score the winner.
-At least, I hope it's a Hab who scores the winner. They need this one.
Notes on the first:
-Pre-game shots on RDS show a very dapper and happy-looking Price getting off the team bus. Maybe he's secretly relieved to be able to rock the ball caps and look nice on the bench for a change. Nobody gets booed on the bench. Poor kid.
-Inspirational locker room talk pre-game: "Hey, Gomer, they didn't want you, Gomer. They threw you away. Get maaaad, Gomer. You too, Pie. Get maaaad, Pie."
-I have a feeling we're going to miss Cammy the Ranger Killer tonight.
-Then again, with Markov launching guided missiles from the point maybe they'll be okay.
-I can't believe the difference Moore has made to the third line. It's like a real third line, the kind good teams have.
-The RDS cameras are really far away from the ice. It's like watching from the nosebleeds.
-Habs are winning on the boards, not so much in the circles. It'd be nice to start a PP WITH the puck for a change.
-I guess Torts'll be doing some yelling. The Rags looked interested for about five minutes in that period. Habs had better be ready for a better NY push in the next period.
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Captain of Our Soul
With things (pending the condition of Tomas Plekanec) looking pretty good in Habs World right now, it might seem greedy to wish some loose ends were tied up before the playoffs. Still, at the risk of appearing ungrateful to the hockey gods who have so generously bestowed their sacred Ws in recent weeks, I think if there's going to be a captain at all this year, it would be a good idea to name him before the real season starts.
It's all well and good to lark through a regular season without an officially acknowleged leader. There are certainly important games and difficult situations along the way in the 82-game schedule, but if one night the team doesn't show up for some reason, there's always another game just ahead. The playoffs are a different beast. Not only do the players ratchet up their levels of speed and desperation, but second chances are in short supply. You might blow Game One of a series, but if you blow Game Two as well, you've got one foot on the golf course and the other on a banana peel.
The playoffs make legends, and it's there that captains become heroes. Who can forget the iconic images of the greatest playoff leaders? Maurice Richard, bloodied and bowed, shaking the hand of a vanquished foe. Jean Beliveau skating off the ice with the Cup in his last game. A bleeding, smiling Bob Gainey hoisted onto his teammates' shoulders in victory. Mark Messier howling in triumph after leading the Gretzky-less Oilers to his first Cup as captain. There's no doubt a great captain can drive a team to a championship. The question is, does a team need a captain to win?
I don't know the answer to that question, but I have to think in a situation as volatile and passionate as the playoffs, a team needs an emotional touchstone. When the team is uncertain and overexcited before Game One, it needs someone to be calm and set a direction. When things are going to crap in the vital Game Three, someone's got to stand up and inspire the room to be better. When the players are jittery and scared before a huge Game Seven, someone has to be able to harness their energy into a positive channel. As a friend of mine likes to say, someone in that room has to be able to give The Look. Picture the Rocket's Red Glare, Messier's ferocious glower or the quiet, implacable fire in Yzerman's eyes and you'll know what he means.
The Habs have been playing a good team game with a leadership-by-committee approach this year. One could argue they're playing with more heart than they did when under the leadership of a very good captain in Saku Koivu. My concern about that in the playoffs is whether the committee members will all be on the same page in crunch time. If they are, then maybe it's okay to share the rallying, prodding and inspirational duties among three or four veterans. I can't help thinking, though, that if the playoffs are a war on ice, then men need a general. It's fine to have your colonels and lieutenants, but they should all have to answer to a single leader. Otherwise there's potential for chaos.
Napoleon once said, "A leader is a dealer in hope." That's what the playoffs are all about. If a team has hope, it believes in itself. And a team that believes is a dangerous team. If the coaching staff buys into the idea that a team needs a dealer in hope during the playoffs, there's a handful of candidates from which to choose, including Markov, Gionta, Cammalleri and Plekanec. What it comes down to is whether any of them can successfully give The Look. That's for the players and coaches to determine.
As a fan, though, I think I'd like the team to have a captain for the playoffs, if only to lend it sense of unity and identity. I'd like the gaggle of "As" to not have to play rock/paper/scissors to see who gets to accept the Cup. (Hey...I can dream!) I think appointing a captain now, especially if the players vote for him themselves, would lend the team an added sense of direction and purpose at a time of year when every little advantage is important.
But hey, the Habs are winning for now, and if the hockey gods are listening, I don't want to be greedy.
It's all well and good to lark through a regular season without an officially acknowleged leader. There are certainly important games and difficult situations along the way in the 82-game schedule, but if one night the team doesn't show up for some reason, there's always another game just ahead. The playoffs are a different beast. Not only do the players ratchet up their levels of speed and desperation, but second chances are in short supply. You might blow Game One of a series, but if you blow Game Two as well, you've got one foot on the golf course and the other on a banana peel.
The playoffs make legends, and it's there that captains become heroes. Who can forget the iconic images of the greatest playoff leaders? Maurice Richard, bloodied and bowed, shaking the hand of a vanquished foe. Jean Beliveau skating off the ice with the Cup in his last game. A bleeding, smiling Bob Gainey hoisted onto his teammates' shoulders in victory. Mark Messier howling in triumph after leading the Gretzky-less Oilers to his first Cup as captain. There's no doubt a great captain can drive a team to a championship. The question is, does a team need a captain to win?
I don't know the answer to that question, but I have to think in a situation as volatile and passionate as the playoffs, a team needs an emotional touchstone. When the team is uncertain and overexcited before Game One, it needs someone to be calm and set a direction. When things are going to crap in the vital Game Three, someone's got to stand up and inspire the room to be better. When the players are jittery and scared before a huge Game Seven, someone has to be able to harness their energy into a positive channel. As a friend of mine likes to say, someone in that room has to be able to give The Look. Picture the Rocket's Red Glare, Messier's ferocious glower or the quiet, implacable fire in Yzerman's eyes and you'll know what he means.
The Habs have been playing a good team game with a leadership-by-committee approach this year. One could argue they're playing with more heart than they did when under the leadership of a very good captain in Saku Koivu. My concern about that in the playoffs is whether the committee members will all be on the same page in crunch time. If they are, then maybe it's okay to share the rallying, prodding and inspirational duties among three or four veterans. I can't help thinking, though, that if the playoffs are a war on ice, then men need a general. It's fine to have your colonels and lieutenants, but they should all have to answer to a single leader. Otherwise there's potential for chaos.
Napoleon once said, "A leader is a dealer in hope." That's what the playoffs are all about. If a team has hope, it believes in itself. And a team that believes is a dangerous team. If the coaching staff buys into the idea that a team needs a dealer in hope during the playoffs, there's a handful of candidates from which to choose, including Markov, Gionta, Cammalleri and Plekanec. What it comes down to is whether any of them can successfully give The Look. That's for the players and coaches to determine.
As a fan, though, I think I'd like the team to have a captain for the playoffs, if only to lend it sense of unity and identity. I'd like the gaggle of "As" to not have to play rock/paper/scissors to see who gets to accept the Cup. (Hey...I can dream!) I think appointing a captain now, especially if the players vote for him themselves, would lend the team an added sense of direction and purpose at a time of year when every little advantage is important.
But hey, the Habs are winning for now, and if the hockey gods are listening, I don't want to be greedy.
Square Pegs in Round Holes
You have to be excited when you look at the situtation in Montreal right now. The Habs are winning games. More importantly than the actual fact of winning, though, is the way in which they're winning. Remember last season, when they started out really hot, but the wins were kind of unconvincing? A blown lead here, a last-ditch OT goal there, a lucky bounce somewhere else. None of it gave you the feeling the team was in control of their own fate. Instead of creating things, the players just let things happen to them. You don't get that feeling this time. Now, riding a five-game winning streak, you don't worry that it's all an illusion and the wheels are going to fall off at any minute. This time the players are earning what they get because they're working hard and playing a solid team game. Losses will still happen, but you don't fear they'll be debilitating to team morale and lead to a five-game losing streak.
The best part of it all is the injury problems that lead to much of the trouble earlier this season appear to be finally ending. Mike Cammalleri and Marc Andre Bergeron are the last two long-term residents of sickbay, and they're both skating again.
We're all awaiting Cammalleri's return with unabashed enthusiasm. We know what he can do and we know he'll simply bump Tom Pyatt back to Hamilton and immediately improve the Plekanec line and the power play without causing many ripples throughout the lineup. The Bergeron case, though, is more difficult.
MAB's got a cannon from the point and he played a big part in saving the early-season wretched PP. The man is also terrible defensively. The coaching staff really has a tough choice to make here. Do they sit Bergeron because the team is winning without him, or do they squeeze him in as an added weapon with the man advantage? If they play him, will it be on forward or defence? And who sits in his place?
Really, if Bergeron plays, it'll have to be on the fourth line. The defence isn't perfect, but it's got the best combination of pairings we've seen all year out there right now. Hal Gill is the weakest link, and Bergeron is certainly not better than him. The prevailing school of thought would have us accept that it's more important to have a solid defence than a solid fourth line. So, if Bergeron plays forward, he won't replace Glen Metropolit at centre. That leaves Mathieu Darche and Maxim Lapierre. In this scenario, you almost have to keep Darche. He's outplaying Lapierre and he's a smart player who's producing. Yet, we know that Lapierre can be effective if he uses his speed and size properly. The question is, do you risk messing up some pretty decent chemistry on the forward lines to make a place for a power play specialist and defensive liability?
My first thought was, no. You shouldn't mess with a winning lineup, and Bergeron really hadn't been contributing much on the PP since Christmas anyway. Without the PP goals from the point, he really brings absolutely nothing to the team. Then I thought, what's better, the threat of Bergeron scoring while he's actually doing nothing, or Lapierre just outright doing nothing? In that case, I'd have to go with the guy who might create some offence. What it comes down to for the coaching staff might be how well Lapierre performs in the next few games before Bergeron's ready to return. If he's aggressive and contributing on the fourth line, maybe he'll keep his spot.
The one thing the coaches have to be careful about is assuming just anybody can jump in on the fourth line and still make it work. For the first time all year, we're seeing good third and fourth lines that are helping the team win instead of just eating minutes. The current winning streak is evidence of how important those role players can be, and I'd be loathe to interfere with success if I were the coach.
Whatever Martin and Co. decide to do about Bergeron, though, it's a pretty small worry compared to some of the problems the team has faced this year. And as long as the wins keep coming, we'll keep smiling, no matter who's got to sit to make it happen.
The best part of it all is the injury problems that lead to much of the trouble earlier this season appear to be finally ending. Mike Cammalleri and Marc Andre Bergeron are the last two long-term residents of sickbay, and they're both skating again.
We're all awaiting Cammalleri's return with unabashed enthusiasm. We know what he can do and we know he'll simply bump Tom Pyatt back to Hamilton and immediately improve the Plekanec line and the power play without causing many ripples throughout the lineup. The Bergeron case, though, is more difficult.
MAB's got a cannon from the point and he played a big part in saving the early-season wretched PP. The man is also terrible defensively. The coaching staff really has a tough choice to make here. Do they sit Bergeron because the team is winning without him, or do they squeeze him in as an added weapon with the man advantage? If they play him, will it be on forward or defence? And who sits in his place?
Really, if Bergeron plays, it'll have to be on the fourth line. The defence isn't perfect, but it's got the best combination of pairings we've seen all year out there right now. Hal Gill is the weakest link, and Bergeron is certainly not better than him. The prevailing school of thought would have us accept that it's more important to have a solid defence than a solid fourth line. So, if Bergeron plays forward, he won't replace Glen Metropolit at centre. That leaves Mathieu Darche and Maxim Lapierre. In this scenario, you almost have to keep Darche. He's outplaying Lapierre and he's a smart player who's producing. Yet, we know that Lapierre can be effective if he uses his speed and size properly. The question is, do you risk messing up some pretty decent chemistry on the forward lines to make a place for a power play specialist and defensive liability?
My first thought was, no. You shouldn't mess with a winning lineup, and Bergeron really hadn't been contributing much on the PP since Christmas anyway. Without the PP goals from the point, he really brings absolutely nothing to the team. Then I thought, what's better, the threat of Bergeron scoring while he's actually doing nothing, or Lapierre just outright doing nothing? In that case, I'd have to go with the guy who might create some offence. What it comes down to for the coaching staff might be how well Lapierre performs in the next few games before Bergeron's ready to return. If he's aggressive and contributing on the fourth line, maybe he'll keep his spot.
The one thing the coaches have to be careful about is assuming just anybody can jump in on the fourth line and still make it work. For the first time all year, we're seeing good third and fourth lines that are helping the team win instead of just eating minutes. The current winning streak is evidence of how important those role players can be, and I'd be loathe to interfere with success if I were the coach.
Whatever Martin and Co. decide to do about Bergeron, though, it's a pretty small worry compared to some of the problems the team has faced this year. And as long as the wins keep coming, we'll keep smiling, no matter who's got to sit to make it happen.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Aftermath: Well, Hellllllooooo, Sergei
It was wonderful to see Sergei Kostitsyn play up to his level of ability last night. The kid has speed to burn and knows where to be on the ice. His vision and passing ability are world class. Of course, the frustrating thing about him is the drive he needs to use those skills to their best advantage is sometimes excruciatingly absent. Whatever's gotten into him to get him moving like he's been in the last handful of games should be bottled and sold.
Maybe it's playing with Dominic Moore that's doing it. I still haven't learned to love Moore, but I will admit he's growing on me very quickly. He still smells a bit of Toronto, and I'm wondering why he never sticks with any team for very long. Still, nobody can deny he's been playing his heart out for the Habs. One of the Canadiens' biggest weaknesses this season has been the serious ineffectiveness of their bottom two lines. Replacing Laraque with Darche and D'Agostini with Moore has upgraded those two positions immeasurably. The happy side effect of that is the other players on their lines get to play with better teammates and then their level of play improves as well. I saw a stat last night that says something like 11 of the Habs last 25 goals have come from the bottom-six forwards. That's 44% of the scoring in this nice little winning streak, and it's something we didn't see at all when the Pleks/Cammalleri line was carrying the team.
The bottom six still isn't as big or hard-hitting as they could be, but they're helping for the first time since Metropolit and Moen started out the year playing like their pants were on fire. Five of the six guys are now in their proper roles as hard-working grinders. The exception is Kostitsyn. I know he started out on the wrong foot with Jacques the Knife, but it's time for him to think about forgiving the kid now. It's not sensible for Tom Pyatt, as hard as he works, to get game after game to try and put up some numbers with Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn. Sergei, in the meantime, got one game with them and then demoted to the bottom six. It's probably ungrateful to find fault when the team is riding a five-game winning streak, but I can't help thinking it could be even better. I've seen Plekanec put goals on Pyatt's stick that ended up going wide or hitting the goalie's crest. I find myself wondering whether Sergei might have buried them. I wish he'd have gotten a better opportunity to show what he can do with more offensive-minded linemates. A shot on the powerplay wouldn't hurt anyone either, but Sergei continues to sit while the team has the man-advantage.
In any case, if Sergei continues to produce from the third line, none of this really matters. Moore and Moen will be his linemates when Cammalleri comes back anyway, so perhaps that's Martin's thinking. Better to just plug in Cammalleri for Pyatt rather than rearrange the lines again.
Other positives about last night's game include the improving play of Markov. If anyone still doubts he was hurt before the Olympics all you have to do is remember him then and compare that to how he's looking now. He's a different player in his own zone; much more like the all-star we've been accustomed to watching. And he's putting up points again, which he hadn't been doing before.
The rest of the defence is also playing a better brand of hockey. Zone clearances are much smoother than they've been for a lot of this year and the time off over the Olympic break seems to have given Hamrlik and Spacek new life. They're still not the fastest D-corps in the league and they're never going to scare anybody, but this is the time of year when smarts and experience really count. That's why other teams moved to bring in wily veteran defencemen for the playoff run. This is the time when Hamrlik's and Spacek's calm under fire will come in handy. Gorges and O'Byrne are playing a quiet, effective, if unflashy style of reliable D. Gill is the question mark on this squad, but in a tough playoff series, his time can be limited in close situations to small minutes at even strength and his bread-and-butter role on the PK.
There are no issues in goal. Halak, for maybe the only time in his career as a Hab, got a start after he stunk in a game. Martin joked yesterday he picked his goalie by flipping a coin. There might have been some truth in that, at least figuratively, because Halak looked pretty ordinary against the Oilers and Price has done very well against the Bruins this year. Whatever the true reason behind Halak's start last night, he proved he's the number-one goalie. Number ones buckle down in shootouts when it counts, even when they've played a bad game. They get a shot to come back and play better next time and make huge stops to preserve the win with five minutes to go in a one-goal game. Martin might have been flipping a coin publicly, but it appears that privately, he's finally committed to Halak as his guy. Halak, for his part is running with the best chance he's ever been granted in his career as a Hab.
I saw something new in him last night after the game too. I watched his interview on RDS, and he wasn't just answering questions. He was holding court, and he was loving it. It's the kiss of death in Montreal to compare a young goalie to Roy, but watching that interview, it crossed my mind. Halak was saying all the right things about his teammates helping him out all night and about being lucky on his big game-saving save. While he was talking, though, he was smiling and exuding confidence. He enjoys being a star and having the team depend on him. It was the first time I'd seen that undefinable something in Halak that can make a goalie a real team leader.
The Rangers game on Tuesday is going to be vital because of the ongoing competition for playoff positioning, and because it's the Habs' only game this week while others make up their games in hand. The winning streak can't go on forever...or for another twelve games, as Markov joked about last night...but it'd be nice to see it last at least another one. That will open some breathing room between the Habs and Rangers and keep the momentum going until Cammalleri returns to give the team two actual scoring lines for the first time all year. It's almost too much to hope this can get better, but I think it can.
The awakening of Sergei Kostitsyn, if he can keep it up, is just another sign that things are turning around in Habs World.
Maybe it's playing with Dominic Moore that's doing it. I still haven't learned to love Moore, but I will admit he's growing on me very quickly. He still smells a bit of Toronto, and I'm wondering why he never sticks with any team for very long. Still, nobody can deny he's been playing his heart out for the Habs. One of the Canadiens' biggest weaknesses this season has been the serious ineffectiveness of their bottom two lines. Replacing Laraque with Darche and D'Agostini with Moore has upgraded those two positions immeasurably. The happy side effect of that is the other players on their lines get to play with better teammates and then their level of play improves as well. I saw a stat last night that says something like 11 of the Habs last 25 goals have come from the bottom-six forwards. That's 44% of the scoring in this nice little winning streak, and it's something we didn't see at all when the Pleks/Cammalleri line was carrying the team.
The bottom six still isn't as big or hard-hitting as they could be, but they're helping for the first time since Metropolit and Moen started out the year playing like their pants were on fire. Five of the six guys are now in their proper roles as hard-working grinders. The exception is Kostitsyn. I know he started out on the wrong foot with Jacques the Knife, but it's time for him to think about forgiving the kid now. It's not sensible for Tom Pyatt, as hard as he works, to get game after game to try and put up some numbers with Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn. Sergei, in the meantime, got one game with them and then demoted to the bottom six. It's probably ungrateful to find fault when the team is riding a five-game winning streak, but I can't help thinking it could be even better. I've seen Plekanec put goals on Pyatt's stick that ended up going wide or hitting the goalie's crest. I find myself wondering whether Sergei might have buried them. I wish he'd have gotten a better opportunity to show what he can do with more offensive-minded linemates. A shot on the powerplay wouldn't hurt anyone either, but Sergei continues to sit while the team has the man-advantage.
In any case, if Sergei continues to produce from the third line, none of this really matters. Moore and Moen will be his linemates when Cammalleri comes back anyway, so perhaps that's Martin's thinking. Better to just plug in Cammalleri for Pyatt rather than rearrange the lines again.
Other positives about last night's game include the improving play of Markov. If anyone still doubts he was hurt before the Olympics all you have to do is remember him then and compare that to how he's looking now. He's a different player in his own zone; much more like the all-star we've been accustomed to watching. And he's putting up points again, which he hadn't been doing before.
The rest of the defence is also playing a better brand of hockey. Zone clearances are much smoother than they've been for a lot of this year and the time off over the Olympic break seems to have given Hamrlik and Spacek new life. They're still not the fastest D-corps in the league and they're never going to scare anybody, but this is the time of year when smarts and experience really count. That's why other teams moved to bring in wily veteran defencemen for the playoff run. This is the time when Hamrlik's and Spacek's calm under fire will come in handy. Gorges and O'Byrne are playing a quiet, effective, if unflashy style of reliable D. Gill is the question mark on this squad, but in a tough playoff series, his time can be limited in close situations to small minutes at even strength and his bread-and-butter role on the PK.
There are no issues in goal. Halak, for maybe the only time in his career as a Hab, got a start after he stunk in a game. Martin joked yesterday he picked his goalie by flipping a coin. There might have been some truth in that, at least figuratively, because Halak looked pretty ordinary against the Oilers and Price has done very well against the Bruins this year. Whatever the true reason behind Halak's start last night, he proved he's the number-one goalie. Number ones buckle down in shootouts when it counts, even when they've played a bad game. They get a shot to come back and play better next time and make huge stops to preserve the win with five minutes to go in a one-goal game. Martin might have been flipping a coin publicly, but it appears that privately, he's finally committed to Halak as his guy. Halak, for his part is running with the best chance he's ever been granted in his career as a Hab.
I saw something new in him last night after the game too. I watched his interview on RDS, and he wasn't just answering questions. He was holding court, and he was loving it. It's the kiss of death in Montreal to compare a young goalie to Roy, but watching that interview, it crossed my mind. Halak was saying all the right things about his teammates helping him out all night and about being lucky on his big game-saving save. While he was talking, though, he was smiling and exuding confidence. He enjoys being a star and having the team depend on him. It was the first time I'd seen that undefinable something in Halak that can make a goalie a real team leader.
The Rangers game on Tuesday is going to be vital because of the ongoing competition for playoff positioning, and because it's the Habs' only game this week while others make up their games in hand. The winning streak can't go on forever...or for another twelve games, as Markov joked about last night...but it'd be nice to see it last at least another one. That will open some breathing room between the Habs and Rangers and keep the momentum going until Cammalleri returns to give the team two actual scoring lines for the first time all year. It's almost too much to hope this can get better, but I think it can.
The awakening of Sergei Kostitsyn, if he can keep it up, is just another sign that things are turning around in Habs World.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Bs vs. Habs - Put the Boots To 'Em Edition
Notes on the third and OT:
-Oh boy, Sergei's hot as the earth's core.
-Clever negotiating strategy by Gauthier to put Pyatt with Plekanec. Those assists were building up way too quickly.
-Gill makes a better door than a window.
-If scientists are still looking for the Missing Link, they should look on the Bruins bench. Lucic is definitely part monkey.
-I think if the Habs make the playoffs, every fan should sign a giant thank you card for Halak.
-Great win. Five games over .500. Bring on the Rags.
Notes on the second:
-O'Byrne's got to be careful about letting his man get behind him like that. Sorry if that sounds a little bit too Pierre McGuire.
-Sergei is channelling Kovy...the good one...tonight.
-The Keep Moore Foundation is accepting donations at 1-800-CAP-HURT.
-Is Martin superstitious? He's wearing the ugly ameoba tie from the Edmonton game again tonight.
-Habs are holding their own, but this is going to be close.
Notes on the first:
-Ugh. HNIC has a choice of showing the entire country a classic original six game with serious playoff implications or the two worst teams in the league. Guess which one we get, again?
-Great to see the Olympians on the ice before the game. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.
-My gut feelings usually mean nothing, but I have a sense of foreboding about this one.
-PING! Pouliot the blacksmith.
-It's funny how time goes at different speeds during the course of a game. That first Bs power play felt like it was about six minutes long. The Habs' felt like thirty seconds.
-They're still booing Ryder? Seriously?
-What a nice shot by Markov. Amazing what happens when your point man actually hits the net.
-Sergei Kostitsyn's playing like a star in the last few games. Hope he keeps it up.
-I love the last-minute-in-the-period goals when they happen for our side.
-Oh boy, Sergei's hot as the earth's core.
-Clever negotiating strategy by Gauthier to put Pyatt with Plekanec. Those assists were building up way too quickly.
-Gill makes a better door than a window.
-If scientists are still looking for the Missing Link, they should look on the Bruins bench. Lucic is definitely part monkey.
-I think if the Habs make the playoffs, every fan should sign a giant thank you card for Halak.
-Great win. Five games over .500. Bring on the Rags.
Notes on the second:
-O'Byrne's got to be careful about letting his man get behind him like that. Sorry if that sounds a little bit too Pierre McGuire.
-Sergei is channelling Kovy...the good one...tonight.
-The Keep Moore Foundation is accepting donations at 1-800-CAP-HURT.
-Is Martin superstitious? He's wearing the ugly ameoba tie from the Edmonton game again tonight.
-Habs are holding their own, but this is going to be close.
Notes on the first:
-Ugh. HNIC has a choice of showing the entire country a classic original six game with serious playoff implications or the two worst teams in the league. Guess which one we get, again?
-Great to see the Olympians on the ice before the game. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.
-My gut feelings usually mean nothing, but I have a sense of foreboding about this one.
-PING! Pouliot the blacksmith.
-It's funny how time goes at different speeds during the course of a game. That first Bs power play felt like it was about six minutes long. The Habs' felt like thirty seconds.
-They're still booing Ryder? Seriously?
-What a nice shot by Markov. Amazing what happens when your point man actually hits the net.
-Sergei Kostitsyn's playing like a star in the last few games. Hope he keeps it up.
-I love the last-minute-in-the-period goals when they happen for our side.
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