Montreal 4 Toronto 1 (Air Canada Center)
MONTREAL, QC.– Minutes after this game ended, it was mostly forgotten. Conversation had already turned to the playoffs with the Canadiens facing their most bitter rivals, the Bruins. Reporters were trading flight deals to Boston, fans of the Canadiens were feeling buoyed by the 24-8 all-time playoff series record, and the more strident Bruins supporters were getting a head start on trash talking.
But not so fast. There will be plenty of time to microscopically examine every aspect of the upcoming Canadiens – Bruins series. While many labelled Game 82 meaningless, there were significant outcomes.
First and foremost, it was important for the Habs to end the season with a win. The two points locked up sixth place, provided momentum going into the playoffs and snuffed out discussion about a season that ended with losses to two non-playoff teams. Confidence will be important especially early in the first round as tentative play was a major negative factor in the final regular season game against Boston.
Special teams often play a major role in the playoffs. The Canadiens were 2-for-3 on the power-play and scored a short-handed goal. Habs penalty-killers were perfect in all five Toronto opportunities with the man advantage.
Brian Gionta scored twice bringing his goal total to 29. His 46 points and plus-3 rating are identical to last season although he played 21 more games this season. The captain has five points in four games in April and with Scott Gomez finally seem to be adjusting to the loss of linemate Max Pacioretty.
Toronto’s only goal was a softie by Carey Price, one of only a handful that he allowed in 72 appearances this season. After that he shut the door on the Maple Leafs with 27 saves. It was a more than a tune-up for the playoffs as Price delivered yet another game-star performance.
Ryan White had a goal, a fight and led the Canadiens with four hits in his 7:27 of icetime. White and his fourth-line mates Lars Eller and Tom Pyatt combined for four points with a plus-four rating. It is crucial that Montreal’s bottom-six forwards make a contribution at least equal to their Boston counterparts in the playoffs.
Jaroslav Spacek returned to the line-up for two games and seemed to be getting his timing back. Spacek looked good in his 4:18 of penalty-killing duty. Yannick Weber was ill-deployed as a forward but showed his value on the point of the power-play assisting on Gionta’s second goal.
Hal Gill was wisely rested, watching the game from the ACC press box. It’s puzzling that Roman Hamrlik didn’t merit similar consideration for one of both of the final two games. Hamrlik looked tired against Toronto, and gave fans a scare when he fell awkwardly and seemed to have injured his groin — but returned to play 21:17.
Despite the positives, there remain concerns that were only highlighted by the game in Toronto.
The Canadiens are the lowest scoring team in the playoffs and could only manage one even-strength goal against the Leafs.
While penalty-killing has excelled, discipline is still a major issue with the Habs taking five minor penalties tonight. Being down a man, Montreal spends less game-time in the attacking zone and adds minutes to offensive players who also kill penalties.
Lars Eller was the best Canadiens player at the faceoff dot at 60 per cent. But as a team, the Habs were only 44 per cent successful against Toronto. Losing possession from the draw has been a problem all season with forwards required to expend energy to retrieve the puck.
Benoit Pouliot is in a thick fog. He wasn’t a scoring threat, had two minor penalties and helped his line register a collective minus-three on the night. Patience waiting for his effort level to match his talent should have already been exhausted. The playoffs, particularly against the Bruins, won’t be kind to a player who has been coasting the entire season.
Jeff Halpern and Travis Moen missed the game against the Leafs with undisclosed injuries. It’s unclear whether either of them will be ready for the start of the playoffs. Halpern’s faceoff and penalty-killing ability and Moen’s rugged style of play would be very valuable in the series against Boston.
The Canadiens finished sixth and carry a record of 5-4-1 record in their last ten games into the post-season. Only the Philadelphia Flyers at 3-4-3 have been worse down the stretch of the Eastern conference playoff-bound teams.
Montreal did what they wanted to do beating the Maple Leafs in convincing fashion to end the regular season. They will now have several days of practise to address their shortcomings and work on the game plan for the Bruins.
“I like where we’re at right now,” said Cammalleri. “I think especially in the last couple of games we’ve found a little more consistency in our game and that will lend itself to some confidence.” He added, “I don’t know if it was the sharpest of games by either team but it was nice to get the win. We had some big goals tonight and Carey was great so here we go.”
The first round series begins in Boston on Thursday.
All Habs game stars
1. Brian Gionta
2. Carey Price
3. Tom Pyatt
Roster notes
Hal Gill and Alexandre Picard were healthy scratches. Jeff Halpern, Travis Moen and Max Pacioretty were out with injuries. Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges are out for the season with a knee injuries.