Habs prove they are competitive

Source : montrealgazette.com



We learned a few things about the Canadiens on their two-day road trip to Pittsburgh and Boston.

For starters, they proved they are competitive with their two main rivals in the Eastern Conference.

In Pittsburgh, they stifled the highest-scoring team in the NHL and lost a game they should have won because they gave Sidney Crosby a chance to score the game’s lone goal.

In Boston, they won a game they should have lost because Montreal showed character and resiliency to come from behind and win 6-5 in a shootout.

The games couldn’t have been more different. The Canadiens defence was razor-sharp in Pittsburgh but the game in Boston had coach Michel Therrien shaking his head and saying: “The defence has to be better.”

Part of the problem in Boston was that the Canadiens played most of the game with five defenceman. In the two games on the road, Therrien elected to limit rookie Jarred Tinordi’s ice time and the result was a bigger burden on the other defencemen.

P.K. Subban played 30:39 in Boston and Andrei Markov, who was on the ice for all four of the Bruins’ even-strength goals, played 27:51 and is averaging close to 25 minutes a game, which is probably too much. There is an imbalance because Raphael Diaz, who is averaging more than 20 minutes a game is out with a concussion and there’s no sign that he’s close to returning.

That means the Canadiens have some decisions to make. Do they try to pick up a defenceman before next Wednesday’s trade deadline? Do they hope that Diaz comes back soon? Or do they weather the storm with Tinordi?

If they take that last approach, they should stop trying to shelter the rookie and let him find his game.

In the six games since he was called up from Hamilton, he has an assist, is plus-2 and has only been on the ice for one opposition goal which was, unfortunately, the Crosby goal in Pittsburgh. Tinordi’s offensive and puck-moving skills have been better than advertised and this is the perfect time to see how much work he can handle.

One rookie who isn’t being babied is Brendan Gallagher, who continues to prove his value. His third-period goal launched the Canadiens’ comeback and he was a presence in front of the net on Markov’s tying goal. And he scored the lone goal in the shootout.

The game in Boston should prompt general manager Marc Bergevin to give backup goaltender Peter Budaj a contract extension. He replaced Carey Price in the third period and gave Montreal an opportunity to win as he stopped 14-of-15 shots in the third period and the overtime and then was perfect in a six-round shootout.

Budaj has won five straight games and has collected 11 of a possible 14 points in his seven appearances. The Slovak veteran understands the backup role and is a popular player in the dressing room.

With the trading deadline coming up, there’s no hint of what Bergevin has in mind but he has already made two important moves. Michael Ryder scored twice in Boston and is the team’s leading scorer.

And Jeff Halpern, who was picked up on waivers from the New York Rangers last week, provides the Canadiens with depth and experience on faceoffs and penalty-killing, two areas in which the Canadiens have struggled this season.

The Canadiens took the day off Thursday. They will be back in Brossard Friday to prepare for a visit from the Rangers on Saturday night (7 p.m., CBC, RDS, TSN-690 Radio).