The traditional Super Bowl weekend of afternoon games for the Montreal Canadiens this year is a make-or-break weekend. If the Canadiens drop two games to the New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning, that would likely signal the end of a realistic playoff push.
This means the weekend games will also set the course for the trading deadline, with the next 13 days void of hockey as the 4 Nations Face-Off takes over the NHL schedule.
The Canadiens players needed to show they wanted to stay in Montreal, making general manager Kent Hughes’ battle plan difficult to judge. However, it’s becoming clear that the free agents will be traded. The Canadiens are no longer in the mix after a 4-0 loss to the Devils on Saturday.
Wilde Horses
Head coach Martin St. Louis broke up the second line this week, leaving Patrik Laine on the fourth line. Laine may be struggling for fitness, or he may just not be a good five-on-five player. However, let him stand on the left side, on the power play, and watch the bullets. At even strength, though, a change had to be made.
Josh Anderson was the selection to take over the second-line wing spot, and, so far, the early returns are excellent. The line is playing a lot more in the offensive zone as the primary important change.
Anderson is a natural at being the first forechecker on a dump-in. He does that well. He goes in with big speed and he throws his body around when he arrives. The line had no puck retrieval with Laine on it.
Anderson also opens up space for Kirby Dach, who looks better as a centre when he gets a chance to lead rushes, instead of handling his assignments in front of his own goal.
Anderson had a breakaway in the second period. He tried a deke and it just rolled off his stick. In the third period, Anderson made a tremendous drag move around a defender and almost counted from in close.
Anderson on the second line should continue. The goals expected share passed the eye test. The second line had a 92 per cent share. That was tops on the team.
On defence, the head coach, possibly, gave us a glimpse of the future with his choice of pairings. Logan Mailloux had Lane Hutson as a partner. It doesn’t seem like a good choice, with both players having more of an offensive profile. It feels like a duo that would have trouble on defence.
However, they were strong together — in fact, the strongest pairing on the team. The goals expected share as a duo was 74 per cent. This is a tremendous number, and if Mailloux can sustain that success, his training in the minors may not be destined to continue as long as many are suggesting.
It was a frustrating watch on Saturday, but, under the surface, there were some strong positives to note.
Wilde Goats
Two weeks ago, it appeared that the Canadiens were hitting the wall. They had been the best team in hockey for a month, but the massive travel schedule was clearly taking its toll.
It was suggested they needed to somehow finish with four or five wins in their final nine, and that would be outstanding before the 4 Nations break, when they could re-energize.
They didn’t make it to the break. They fell apart instead, and as a result, it appears a playoff spot is a bridge too far. There is only one game left in the final nine before the break, and the Canadiens have only one win. They went from tied for the last playoff spot to needing a 19-8 mark in their final 27 games to make it to 93 points. That’s the pro-rated total to grab the last playoff spot currently.
The effort was good on Saturday. They played well. There are no criticisms overall for the play of the Canadiens, apart from just not finishing their chances. Juraj Slafkovsky had an open net in the second period, on the power play. He couldn’t miss that chance again if he tried.
The work continues. The rebuild continues. Excellent players are coming. Draft picks are coming. A lot of money is becoming available for free agents.
Stay the course. Keep teaching the group how to compete.
Wilde Cards
The Laval Rocket are now in first place in the entire American Hockey League. The Rocket beat the Toronto Marlies 5-2 Friday as goaltender Cayden Primeau put yet another win on the board. It was the sixth straight win for the Rocket.
Primeau now has a .923 save percentage in the 10 contests he has played for Laval. His record is a remarkable 10 wins and no losses. His goals-against average is 1.96 as coach Pascal Vincent has that club playing tight and organized hockey.
One of the keys to success is how deep the lineup is in Laval. It seems as if it is a different player excelling every contest. Sean Farrell struggled mightily in the first 20 games of the season. Recently, he has been the club’s best forward.
Farrell didn’t score until the 24th game of the season. He has five goals in his last two games. One night it is Jared Davidson surprising, then the next night it is Joshua Roy leading the charge. It can basically be any of the 12 forwards they ice who is the difference.
The Rocket will eventually get the services of Mailloux and Owen Beck returning from Montreal. They could make a serious charge to the finals, but first, they will have to get out of the competitive north. That won’t be easy because the Rochester Americans are only one point back in the standings as perhaps the second-best club in the league.
It doesn’t appear there will be hockey in May in Montreal, but get on the orange line of the metro to enjoy outstanding entertainment in Laval.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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