Pickin' The Corners 5.02.08

Posted by Ian Smart on 05.02.2008

Where have the Canadiens gone? Où ayez le Canadiens allé?

Can someone wake up the Montreal Canadiens and tell them that they are one game away from being sent packing?

During their first round series with the Boston Bruins that Canadiens came out gunning and demonstrated that they were serious contenders in the Eastern Conference. Up 3-1 in the series, the Habs fell into a lull and nearly cost themselves the series, but they rebounded in game seven and put the Bruins and reasserted their dominance.

One would presume that the Canadiens, having been taken to the limit by a team that had no business forcing a game seven, would have been woken up by their first round series and come in prepared for the Flyers; as we ca see, that had not been the case.

Thus far in the series, the Canadiens have looked as if they are playing underwater. The entire team has lost the edge that enabled them to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Watching the Canadiens through four games against the Flyers has been painful; not because I want the Canadiens to win- far from it- but because it is difficult to watch a team with so much potential and so much talent simply tank, night in and night out.

That is what made Guy Carbonneau's decision to change his goaltender in game four so remarkable. Certainly there is something to be said about making changes in hopes of sparking something in the dressing room, but Carey Price-while not playing at his best- was far from the reason that the Canadiens were down in the series. Moreover, withholding the change in net until puck-drop does nothing to rejuvenate the team, nor instil confidence in either goalie. By not declaring his starter Guy Carbonneau perpetuated a distraction that could only hurt his team's chances in the game. Speculation among those closest to the team was that Price had been injured- consensus was a broken or sprained thumb. If this is the case, all the more reason to declare whom your starting goalie is emphatically before the game, removing the doubt and the distraction. If the injury is the reason for the switch, Carbonneau could have lied to the media and stated that he wanted to give Jaroslav Halak a chance or that he felt that he needed to give his young goalie a break. Internally, the reason would remain an injury- no disruption to the team- the media can chew on the lie in the means time, effectively diverting their attention from the team. Instead, Carbonneau chose to take the path that would lead to the most distraction and which ultimately did not help his team.

Goaltending had not been the difference in this series thus far. Montreal has been outplayed in every facet of that game. The Canadiens have lost the majority of the battles along the boards and in the corners. They have taken a number of stupid penalties,- Steve Begin's late hit being the most egregious and most recent, and most noticeably the Canadiens have failed to get anything going in the offensive zone, especially on the power play. Montreal's success throughout the regular season was largely a product of what the team was able to achieve offensively, and the absence of the scoring power at this point in the playoffs is glaring and has exposed the flaws that are normally hidden by the Canadiens ability to take advantage of their chances.

Throughout this series Philadelphia has taken advantage of the Hab's inability to generate strong offensive pressure by taking more risks in both the offensive and neutral zone. Where this has been seen the most evident is during the transition from the offensive to defensive zone, because Philadelphia has been more aggressive, releasing the forwards from the defensive zone quicker after changes of possession giving the Flyers more opportunities to create odd man rushes. In the defensive zone, Philadelphia has been able to put pressure on the Canadiens using a more aggressive fore-check than they used against the Canadiens during the season, minimizing the opportunities for the Canadiens to breakout, but more importantly it is perpetuating the biggest problem in the series for the Canadiens; they are being physically dominated and are playing on their heels.

What the Flyers have been able to do in this series is bash the Canadiens into a defensive position. In the first game the Canadiens came out flat and the Flyers took the game to the Canadiens; the Canadiens were lucky to escape with a win. Since that point, the Canadiens are playing scarred and they are playing like a defeated team. When the Flyers intensified the pressure, the Canadiens backed down, and have allowed the game to be taken to them. Even in their offensive rushes, the Canadiens' forwards have allowed themselves to be pushed to the outside and have resigned themselves to perimeter shots that have not yielded enough scoring chances. It is also necessary to give credit where credit is due, and to recognize that Martin Biron has made a number of key saves, but he has not been tested frequently enough. If Montreal is to succeed on Saturday, they will need to get more pucks on net, and drive to the net in order to capitalize on free pucks and to turn down the Flyer's level of aggression.

Montreal surprised many with their strong play in the regular season, but thus far in the postseason the Habs have left a lot to be desired. In no uncertain terms, the Flyers have dominated this series and the Canadiens have not responded. They have retired into their shell and hoped to survive the storm. Their strategy is failing them. If the Canadiens have any hope of winging tomorrow night's game or this series, they have to step up their game and go toe-to-toe with the Flyers in terms of aggression and energy. They have to step on the ice Saturday willing to go to the wall to win this game, because their opponents have, and will. At this point the Canadiens have their backs to the ropes and are just trying not to get embarrassed; tonight they have to return the punches, turn up the energy and begin taking some risks in order to reverse the pressure and test the Flyers ability to maintain their drive when they are being out played. The Canadiens are the better team in this series, and they have all the tools to turn this series around, they just need to find the will and desire to do so.

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