In the past week, the Montreal Canadiens went a modest 2-2-0 in their four games. However, the big news of the week was getting some major reinforcements back. Both Alex Galchenyuk and Andrew Shaw came back from their injuries on Saturday night.
Habs Weekly Report: Alex Galchenyuk and Andrew Shaw Return
The Reinforcements Impact
Galchenyuk had missed the last 18 games before the game against the New York Rangers with a knee injury. At the time of his injury, Galchenyuk was the team’s leading scorer putting up just under a point per game with 23 points in 25 games. Meanwhile, Shaw missed a total of 14 games, after suffering a concussion. Before his injury, Shaw had 15 points in 29 games.
The returning players provide the Habs with better quality and depth going into the second half of the season. However, the Canadiens have done a great job playing through adversity as of late. In the 18 games that the Canadiens played without their top centre, they collected 22 of a possible 36 points.
Despite their success, the Habs are in far better shape having Galchenyuk up the middle. They now no longer need to lean on Phillip Danault or Tomas Plekanec to step up as much. While Danault is playing the best hockey of his career, he should not be expected to continue producing the numbers he has of late. Galchenyuk also gives a boost to Alexander Radulov‘s game. Radulov was a point per game player alongside Galchenyuk and has since faded at times since he had been out.
Shaw brings some nice grittiness to the Canadiens roster. He’ll play the main role of grinder, and be expected to crash the crease while Brendan Gallagher recovers from his hand surgery for the eight weeks. Shaw may not have the hands that Gallagher possesses, but he does have a nose for the net and will help contribute on the team’s offense. He will especially be a key performer late in games as he was earlier this season before his injury.
Winning in Winterpeg
Following an uninspiring loss against the Washington Capitals on Monday of last week, the Canadiens wanted revenge in Winnipeg. Revenge is what they got as they beat the Winnipeg Jets 7-4. Danault and Artturi Lehkonen scored two goals apiece to get the job done. For the second time in less than month, Al Montoya beat one of his former teams. He stopped 23 shots to help the Habs seal the deal.
Depth forwards Brian Flynn and Sven Andrighetto each finished the night with a goal and an assist. The Canadiens left Winnipeg feeling good about their play.
Price’s Nightmare
Following the win against the Jets, the Canadiens took off to play the Minnesota Wild. The Canadiens followed their win up with a bad performance losing 7-1 to the Wild. Carey Price allowed seven goals in a game for the first time since March 2nd, 2013. Price only finished the night with 17 saves for a .708 save percentage on the night.
Price’s struggles may hit rock bottom with a performance like that. However, as previously mentioned he needs to stop being so tense in the net if he wants to get out of the slump. It’s been a struggle for the all-star netminder but he has been showing flashes at times. A great example is a save that he made on Saturday night against the Rangers on Michael Grabner that saved the game for his team.
Habs win the game in 62 seconds
Saturday night, the Canadiens beat the Rangers 5-4. However, three of the Habs goals came within a 62-second span. First Alexei Emelin sneaked a shot from the point past Henrik Lundqvist. This was followed by Max Pacioretty scoring his 20th goal of the season on a breakaway. Almost immediately afterwards Paul Byron sneaked a puck past Lundqvist. At that point, the Canadiens were leading 5-3.
Despite the win, the biggest headline was the inconsistent officiating. Early in the first period, a Philip Danault goal was called back because of goaltender interference by Shaw. However, in the second period when Kevin Hayes‘ skate pulled Price completely out of his net following his deke, which allowed Rick Nash to score in a wide open cage. The controversial goal was allowed, despite the fact, that Price had no way of stopping the shot.
In his first game back, Galchenyuk opened the scoring for the Habs and made a nice defensive play to prevent a goal. While, in his return, Shaw got a total of 22 penalty minutes including a game misconduct penalty for his hit on Jesper Fast.
Afternoon game in Detroit
Monday was Martin Luther King day in the United States, so naturally this gave some afternoon NHL action. The Canadiens visited the Detroit Red Wings in a 3 pm Et. matchup. The Red Wings won the game 1-0. The game’s only scorer was former Habs forward Thomas Vanek. The shot total ended in favor of the Red Wings with a 20-18 lead.
Danault continuing to produce
If there was one player on the Canadiens that made Galchenyuk’s absence bearable it was Phillip Danault. While, he was relegated back to second line duties for Saturday’s game against the Rangers. Danault continued to produce with Paul Byron and Brian Flynn (who replaced the ejected Shaw). In the game, Danault had three assists and nearly scored a goal (the aforementioned goal that was called back).
Danault finished last week, with five points in four games. Danault has made some fans consider the possibility that he can fill the second line centre role. The Habs have been looking for someone to fill that position. Many are asking if Danault can defy the odds and continue to produce offense. This would allow Marc Bergevin to address other needs at the trade deadline and in the off-season. For now, it appears that Danault will continue to centre a line with Byron and Shaw on his wings.
Plekanec finding some offense
Tomas Plekanec has been struggling offensively this season, but finally found some. Last week, Plekanec went on a three-game goal streak that proved that not all his offense is fading. His goal streak carried from the game against the Capitals until the Wild game. Although the offensive game isn’t there as much, Plekanec remains valuable in taking a key role defensively, and shutting down the league’s best forwards.
Although Danault has been hot lately, Plekanec continues to centre the second line with his new found chemistry with rookie Artturi Lehkonen. It remains to be seen if Plekanec can find the consistency that made him a 55-60 point player throughout his NHL career.
Final Thoughts
Shea Weber hasn’t been the same player that he was when the season started. It was evident that his offensive game would falter, however, the Canadiens didn’t prepare properly for when it came. Typically Alexei Emelin is not the right partner for Weber as both lack foot speed. When Weber was producing, he didn’t have to put too much emphasis on skating but now he needs to join the attack more than usual. This is because Emelin is simply just a defensive defenseman. The Habs should continue to search for a left-handed defenseman who could carry the puck and let Weber do his thing. It’s not urgent as others have taken the load off of Weber, and he is still the team’s best defenseman. This is an area that should be addressed before the trade deadline.
Centre Michael McCarron has been sent back to the St. John’s IceCaps. The Habs first round pick in 2013, put up a goal and three assists in 15 games with the big club. General manager Marc Bergevin indicated that it was better for McCarron to play on the top line in St. John’s instead of limited minutes in Montreal at this stage of his development. His spot on the roster will be taken by Jacob de la Rose.
The Canadiens next game will be Wednesday at the Bell Centre where they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Habs will then take on the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres to close out the week.
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