All Habs Headlines: Friday March 6, 2015 |
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On this day in hockey history… 1949 – Montreal goalie Bill Durnan recorded his fourth consecutive shutout as the Canadiens won 1-0 at Boston. Durnan broke Frank Brimsek’s record for consecutive scoreless games. |
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► Montreal Canadiens: March 6
- The Canadiens were back at practice today in Glendale, Arizona today after a shootout loss in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
- Michel Therrien announced that Carey Price will start in goal against the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night. Sergei Gonchar will return to the lineup in place of Mike Weaver.
- Missed Thursday night’s game? Check out our game report which includes the game summary, video highlights, 3-stars and post-game quotes: Recap – Canadiens vs Kings: Habs Rally From Poor Start, Lose in SO
► Lines and defense pairings at practice
Pacioretty – Desharnais – Weise
Galchenyuk – Plekanec – Gallagher
Eller – De La Rose – Smith-Pelly
Prust – Flynn – Mitchell
Malhotra – Parenteau
Markov – Subban
Gilbert – Petry
Beaulieu – Gonchar
Emelin – Weaver
► Defensemen at the deadline
- Friday afternoon at the Gila River Arena in Glendale was the first time that all four of the Canadiens’ trade deadline acquisitions were able to practice with their new team. Jeff Petry is the player who has enjoyed the most seamless transition to his new team.
- So how did Marc Bergevin do? Our friend Rob Vollman writes that the Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings “have to be the most pleased with how well [the new acquisitions have] filled their team’s holes on the blue line.”
- Vollman argues that “Sekera, Michalek, Petry, and Timonen should also prove more effective in second-pairing roles on their new teams where they no longer get buried with the lion’s share of the team’s tough minutes.”
- In his opinion, “Montreal took a big step in bolstering an otherwise top-heavy team with the low-cost addition of Petry.”
- Read Vollman’s full article at ESPN titled “Why defensemen ruled the deadline“
► No regrets
- You have heard it before, some of the best trades are the ones that you don’t make. It was reported by Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal that the Canadiens offered 2013 first round pick Michael McCarron to the Arizona Coyotes for Zbynek Michalek. The shut down defenseman was traded at the deadline to the St. Louis Blues for prospect Maxim Letunov.
- With McCarron preferring to stay put in Montreal, he anxiously tweeted (at 1:25 pm.):
Is it 3p.m yet?
— Michael McCarron (@MacAttackUSA93) March 2, 2015
- To revisit some of the best trades that were never made, Grantland posted “Celebrating the NHL Trades That Weren’t“
- The article noted a rumoured deal that included the Montreal Canadiens including a non-trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning for Vincent Lecavalier.
► Price for Vezina
- There have been so many ways to demonstrate why Carey Price is not only the best goaltender in the league but the league’s best player. Greg Balloch from In Goal magazine adds one more.
- Balloch points to Price’s heavy workload while maintaining stellar goals against and save percentage numbers. Price’s workload is measured by recovery time. According to Balloch, “Price has seen the 10th most shot attempts per game this season, and has 61.67 seconds to recover per shot attempt, on average.”
- You’ll find the entire article here: “Goaltender Workload and Its Effect on Save Percentage.”
► Canadiens make dreams a reality
- It’s nothing new for the organization to be making fans feel like they matter, and they did exactly that for Karen Porter and Izaiah Clyke. Karen, Izaiah’s grandmother, had won a raffle earning them a trip to the beautiful city of Montreal, but they had no idea what was in store.
- Karen emailed the Habs’ organization asking for details on the team’s practice so that they could make the best of their trip. The organization certainly ensured that their trip was unforgettable.
- Izaiah is a huge fan of P.K. Subban as he explains, “P.K. is kinda my role model, especially because of his diversity and what he’s gone through. The things I’ve been called…I figure P.K. has been through that stuff, so it makes me think that if he got through it to become a superstar, maybe I can get through it too. I like to model myself after him. He’s happy all the time and I like that. There’s a positive feeling around him.”
- Karen and Izaiah watched a game at the Bell Centre and afterwards had the extraordinary pleasure of meeting Élise and Hélène Béliveau, Max Pacioretty, Carey Price, and Izaiah’s role model, Subban. To say Izaiah was awestruck would be an understatement. Moments like this are indescribable.
- Karen Porter shared a little wisdom, “I honestly do believe in the powers that be. For some reason, this visit was meant to be. I’ve told Izaiah, ‘Stay good, stay on the right path and we’ll do anything.’ The last thing he said to me before he went to bed Saturday night was, ‘Thank you for everything, Grammy.’ It’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy.”
► Through Subban’s eyes
- The game is forever changing, and technology has brought the fan experience to a whole new level.
- You can watch P.K. Subban practicing from the view he sees it from.
► Price leading Hart Trophy race
- Now that three quarters of the season is in the books, people are really starting to speculate who is in the running for awards. NHL.com broke down who they deem top contenders for the Hart Trophy, given to the most valuable player to their team in the NHL. Carey Price‘s outstanding goal tending for the Canadiens has not gone unnoticed as he is considered first in the race for the Hart Trophy.
- Red Wings’ head coach, Mike Babcock, had this to say about Price, “Price, for me, is the calmest of them all. When you get a quality chance from the slot, he makes it look like you never even had a chance.”
- You can view the full breakdown and others in the race here.
► A dream come true
- Forward, Torrey Mitchell, was acquired by the Canadiens prior to the trade deadline. Being a native of Greenfield Park Quebec, he is ecstatic to be able to return home and play for the Canadiens.
- Mitchell talked about what the opportunity means to him, “It’s an incredible feeling. I’m excited. My family is excited. They’re all excited I’m coming home to play for the Canadiens. It’s a dream come true. In a span of 10 minutes, I went from the 30th place team to a team that has a chance to win a Stanley Cup. I hope that I can take advantage of this opportunity.”
- He is 30 years old, but has spent over a decade playing for teams in the United States and is excited to have been able to come home.
► Price wins 5th of the season
- Carey Price received the Molson Cup honour for the month of February. So far in the 2014-2015 season, Price has earned this award every month.
- Over the span of the month, he recorded a 9-1-1 record in 11 games , ranking second among NHL goaltenders in wins. He also led the league with a 1.34 goals against average and a .949 save percentage.
- He stopped 278 of the 293 shots he faced. He also ranked second in the NHL in shutouts for the month, recording two.
- Price was named the NHL Second Star for the month of February.
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