“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” — Malcolm X
MONTREAL, QC — Missed the game last night? In trying to catch up, maybe you read that the Canadiens number one goaltender was horrendous and solely responsible for the team’s weak showing in their first exhibition game.
Move on from that publication. The story isn’t accurate.
Some in the mainstream media tried to spin a tale that was all about themselves. You know, the selfish rant about not being allowed to extract juicy quotes from certain players?
Sad, really. And again, not representative of the game.
If you read a piece that focused on the play of Aaron Palushaj, congratulations. I suggest you bookmark the site.
For those of you who watch NFL pre-season, you know that the games are more about player evaluation during game action rather than the final score. Perhaps NHL games are somewhat more competitive, but the main priority remains, personnel assessment.
Palushaj’s report card was all ‘A’s. He looked very comfortable on the right side with Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri. He went to the net, had scoring chances and anticipated the play.
I have been impressed with Palushaj during the development and rookie camps. Palushaj has scoring touch, can be a play-maker, isn’t afraid to go to high traffic areas and is defensively responsible.
Palushaj’s linemate, Plekanec was the best Canadiens’ player. He had a goal and an assist. It was a sub-par night for Cammalleri who had an assist but seemed out of sync.
The Canadiens ran up the shot total but rarely had sustained pressure or rebound chances. When they did Tuuka Rask was solid. The Habs forecheck consisted of one man doing a fly-by while everyone else headed for their own blue-line.
Plus and minus:
▲ Andrew Conboy was in the middle of the action every time he stepped on the ice. He created havoc in front of the Bruins goal, played physical, drew a penalty and was on the losing end of a fight.
▲ Benjamin Maxwell looked much more confident. He skated well, fought through checks, and drew a penalty.
▲ Jarred Tinordi had a solid game. He played a simple game in his own end, and got involved in the offense.
▲ The line of Jeff Halpern, Max Lapierre and Tom Pyatt was effective. They cycled well in the Bruins zone creating some chances.
► Louis Leblanc had a tentative debut looking very nervous to start. He got better as the game went on but tried to do too much on his own. Given that his skating is not a strength, he has to do a better job using his wingers.
▼ Benoit Pouliot better raise his game or he is in danger of losing a spot on the roster. Pouliot showed sporadic shifts of effort but still lacks the ability to finish.
▼ Jaroslav Spacek had a very rough outing offering up two turnovers that led to goals, including a shorthanded backbreaker by Boston.
▼ The rest of the defensive corps was dreadful. They were porous and had trouble moving the puck out of their own end.
That was the game story. But in Montreal, the sub-text often becomes the headline. For that tale, read The Persecution of Carey Price.
All Habs game stars:
1. Tomas Plekanec
2. Aaron Palushaj
3. Jarred Tinordi
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)