Habs News: Montreal Canadiens, Habs, Week In Review, Paul Byron, Tomas Tatar, Corey Perry, Claude Julien

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — The Canadiens started their week on Wednesday with a 4-2 loss at home against the Maple Leafs. Toronto scored three unanswered goals after Josh Anderson opened the scoring 1:16 into the contest, and they never looked back.

“I think [Frederik Andersen] saw most of the shots, but they played a solid defensive game. You’ve got to give them credit when they play well. We can be better at limiting our turnovers and playing that game down low, getting to the front of the net and crashing the front of the net because every goal, you see where they were scored tonight in that five, 10-foot area of the crease. You have to go there,” Corey Perry said.

On Thursday, the Oilers visited the Bell Centre and blanked the Habs 3-0. Joel Edmundson led the team with six shots on goal. I had to double check the stats sheet and pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

The loss to Edmonton was Montreal’s fourth loss in seven games inside the Bell Centre. Last season, only the Red Wings had a worst record at home.

“I have no idea. I wouldn’t say we play any differently. That’s a hard one to explain. That’s one that we ask in our room as well,” Ben Chiarot said when asked about the topic.

The captain wasn’t able to provide any more insight about the team’s struggles on home ice. “I don’t know. Hopefully it’s just one of those things that you go through in a season and it’s not going to hang around. We’ve got to figure that out ourselves, obviously, with our game and getting it back on track,” Shea Weber said.

Lucky Win

On Saturday, the Canadiens headed to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs as part of Hockey Day in Canada. “I think you’re going to see a different team tonight from us,” Edmundson said prior to puck drop. “We have a week off after this game, so nothing to save it for.”

Edmundson’s teammates must have missed the memo. The home team controlled the play through the first 40 minutes of play and the Habs were fortunate that they were only trailing by one goal at that point. Carey Price was responsible for keeping his team in the game. In the third period, Tyler Toffoli and Brendan Gallagher scored as Montreal went on to a 2-1 victory.

“We’re confident, but we’re also determined. Our determination allowed us to recover from a tough start. We did a lot of preparation for the game tonight. As the game went on, we started to see some of the good things we were doing at the beginning of the year. We’re hoping that we can build on this win,” Claude Julien said.

The Canadiens collected a point for an eighth consecutive game on the road. It’s the third time in franchise history they accomplish that streak to start the season.

Building off the Victory

The team flew back to Montreal after the win and will stay in town until Toronto visits the Bell Centre for a rematch on Saturday. The flight back and the upcoming week would have dramatically been different if Toffoli and Gallagher hadn’t scored in the third period.

“Let’s not kid ourselves, if we come out of here with another loss, it would be four losses in the last five games and we have a whole week to sit on that. It’s a huge difference. This is one of those wins you need at this point in the schedule. But that doesn’t mean we can relax. We know we still have a lot of work to do and we’ll do that this week. But it gives us a much better mindset.”

Byron on Waivers

On Sunday, Paul Byron was placed on waivers by the Canadiens in order to send him to the taxi squad. I’m not surprised of this move. If you’re a regular of my columns, you wouldn’t be surprised either.

I think it’s a low-risk gamble made by the organization. Byron has two seasons remaining on his contract with a $3,4-million cap hit. In a normal season, Byron would likely be claimed by another club.

The pandemic has changed the factors that teams consider before making a waiver claim. A team has to be confident that Byron’s salary fits their structure as the cap will remain flat in the short term. The teams based in the United States will additionally consider quarantine requirements before making a claim.

Byron lost his roster spot to Corey Perry. Perry has had an impact to on and off the ice. Byron was a healthy scratch for Wednesday night’s game against the Maple Leafs. The coach said that the decision was made because Perry can help the power play.

“It wasn’t a good feeling. We got good players here now, guys who can step in and help the team win hockey games. I know I need to step my game up and be better. I’m not playing up to standard I’m capable playing at. The coach made a decision he thought was best for the team and sucks hearing that, but just means that you got to step up and you got to play better,” a visibly affected Byron said on being scratched.

Tatar Scratched

Tomas Tatar was a victim on Saturday of the team’s depth. Claude Julien sat out last season’s leading scorer for the game in Toronto.

“Our standards this year are high. Tomas is not a bad player. We’re expecting more from him, not only on the scoresheet, but on the other parts of the ice too. He loses the puck often or doesn’t get the puck out. It’s small details that we hope he finds the way to improve his play,” coach explained the decision.

Julien is using the depth of his roster to create internal competition. “We have no injuries, and we have players that are waiting to play. I think it’s a question to keep everyone honest and to say that we’re expecting good games from everyone.”

Since he joined the club, Tatar has primarily played with Philip Danault and Brendan Gallagher. The trio hasn’t had success on the scoresheet this season, and the coach changed the line the third period of the Oilers game. Toffoli replaced Tatar for the final frame of that match and the following night against Toronto.

“I can say this about Tuna [Tatar], when I came off the ice, he had the biggest smile on his face. He’s an unbelievable team guy. He’s a big part of our group. We’re going to need him. Tonight, he obviously wasn’t out there with us, but he’s going to be a big part of this group going forward. We know what type of player he is. I know how he is. He’s going to be fine. He’s dealt with this before in his career. He’s responded the right way. As his friend, obviously, you try to talk to him. As a teammate, you know how important he is,” Gallagher said.

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By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
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