Ann 2Games 54 & 55 Review: Canadiens Get Steamrolled 13-4 In Alberta (Videos Included)
February 16th 2009 06:16
Everyone knew that the Montreal Canadiens would have a lot trouble in this season's trip out West. The theory was even more evident after they failed to win their last two games against lower-ranked division rivals (the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs). But no one saw a collapse of this scale coming.
On Monday in Calgary, the Habs were humiliated 6-2 by the Flames and that was despite a relatively solid performance by Jaroslav Halak. Two shorthanded goals by the home side gave an already-struggling Canadiens' powerplay even less confidence to go forward. Both goals came in the second period where the Flames scored three unanswered goals which gave them a 4-2 lead. They added two more in the third – one at even-strength, one on the powerplay - to make it six and send the Canadiens to Edmonton with their tails between their legs. It's hard to understand what happened to the Habs in that game. A 2-1 lead somehow dissolved into a 6-2 defeat. You could probably say that Matthew Lombadi's short-handed goal halfway through the second period was a real downer, but Dion Phaneuf's goal less than one minute later completely broke the Canadiens' back. It's a shame because at 3-2, the game was still there. Instead, they let it slip away.
After the game, the team had a players-only meeting, which, according to some media outlets, was pretty loud. Instead of punishing his players, Guy Carbonneau canceled practice the next day and took his squad bowling. Yes. You read it right. They went bowling. It was an activity to help a highly-stressed team get their minds off hockey, but it didn't change anything in the grand scheme of things.
Indeed, two days after the Calgary defeat, things got even worse as the Canadiens were thrashed 7-2 by the Edmonton Oilers who were also going through a rough patch in their season. Carey Price conceded four goals on 14 shots in the first period alone and the Habs never recovered. Yeah, Mathieu Dandenault's goal with 16 seconds left to the period gave some hope to the visitors, but with their confidence visibly shaken, it would have taken a miracle for the Habs to get back on this one. You only have to go back to The Comeback game against the Rangers last season to know that it's possible. But that was then. This is now. Right now, the Montreal Canadiens are a pathetic bunch of millionaires who have forgotten how to play hockey. Every mistake they make turns into goals for their opponents because their goaltender(s) can't even stop beach balloons. The more they're afraid to make mistakes, the more they think. The more they think, the more they lose the puck to aggressive opponents whose thoughts are resumed in only three words – Get. The. Puck. Looking at a Canadiens player in possession of the puck, you have the feeling that he's thinking the following: “Oh, crap. I have the puck. All right, breathe, breathe, it's gonna be okay. Just don't give it away, don't give it away. Who's free, who's free. Aw, shucks, I lost it.” And the opponent scores. No one wants to shoulder the blame for a conceded goal. The result is poor line changing (switch it up as soon as the other team looks threatening), panicky clearances by defenders that turn into icings. And goalies who try to anticipate where the puck is going instead of letting their instincts control their body. It's a mess, and so far, there's no way to fix it.
The first reaction is “Fire Carbo” because his system obviously doesn't work – if he even has a system. But then what will happen? The same team that ran Claude Julien and Michel Therrien among others out of town will once again have their way? Then, Carbonneau – a Jack Adams nominee by the way - will probably turn into an excellent coach with some other team (like Julien is right now, and Therrien was last year)? And then the media will ask why management let him go? I think everyone's seen this movie before. Let's hope the ending doesn't stay the same. What I would do is get rid of Doug Jarvis (the guy's useless) and hire a coach for defensemen because those guys are losing their way with each and every game that passes by.
On Monday in Calgary, the Habs were humiliated 6-2 by the Flames and that was despite a relatively solid performance by Jaroslav Halak. Two shorthanded goals by the home side gave an already-struggling Canadiens' powerplay even less confidence to go forward. Both goals came in the second period where the Flames scored three unanswered goals which gave them a 4-2 lead. They added two more in the third – one at even-strength, one on the powerplay - to make it six and send the Canadiens to Edmonton with their tails between their legs. It's hard to understand what happened to the Habs in that game. A 2-1 lead somehow dissolved into a 6-2 defeat. You could probably say that Matthew Lombadi's short-handed goal halfway through the second period was a real downer, but Dion Phaneuf's goal less than one minute later completely broke the Canadiens' back. It's a shame because at 3-2, the game was still there. Instead, they let it slip away.
Highlights from Calgary
After the game, the team had a players-only meeting, which, according to some media outlets, was pretty loud. Instead of punishing his players, Guy Carbonneau canceled practice the next day and took his squad bowling. Yes. You read it right. They went bowling. It was an activity to help a highly-stressed team get their minds off hockey, but it didn't change anything in the grand scheme of things.
Indeed, two days after the Calgary defeat, things got even worse as the Canadiens were thrashed 7-2 by the Edmonton Oilers who were also going through a rough patch in their season. Carey Price conceded four goals on 14 shots in the first period alone and the Habs never recovered. Yeah, Mathieu Dandenault's goal with 16 seconds left to the period gave some hope to the visitors, but with their confidence visibly shaken, it would have taken a miracle for the Habs to get back on this one. You only have to go back to The Comeback game against the Rangers last season to know that it's possible. But that was then. This is now. Right now, the Montreal Canadiens are a pathetic bunch of millionaires who have forgotten how to play hockey. Every mistake they make turns into goals for their opponents because their goaltender(s) can't even stop beach balloons. The more they're afraid to make mistakes, the more they think. The more they think, the more they lose the puck to aggressive opponents whose thoughts are resumed in only three words – Get. The. Puck. Looking at a Canadiens player in possession of the puck, you have the feeling that he's thinking the following: “Oh, crap. I have the puck. All right, breathe, breathe, it's gonna be okay. Just don't give it away, don't give it away. Who's free, who's free. Aw, shucks, I lost it.” And the opponent scores. No one wants to shoulder the blame for a conceded goal. The result is poor line changing (switch it up as soon as the other team looks threatening), panicky clearances by defenders that turn into icings. And goalies who try to anticipate where the puck is going instead of letting their instincts control their body. It's a mess, and so far, there's no way to fix it.
Highlights from Edmonton
The first reaction is “Fire Carbo” because his system obviously doesn't work – if he even has a system. But then what will happen? The same team that ran Claude Julien and Michel Therrien among others out of town will once again have their way? Then, Carbonneau – a Jack Adams nominee by the way - will probably turn into an excellent coach with some other team (like Julien is right now, and Therrien was last year)? And then the media will ask why management let him go? I think everyone's seen this movie before. Let's hope the ending doesn't stay the same. What I would do is get rid of Doug Jarvis (the guy's useless) and hire a coach for defensemen because those guys are losing their way with each and every game that passes by.
| 50 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
