Montreal 3 Buffalo 2 (HSBC Arena)
“If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
MONTREAL, QC.– While Scott Gomez may not have the universe against him, a good portion of Planet Habs are not very happy with the second line center. For the time being, Jaroslav Spacek is very grateful that the scorn has shifted to someone else.
Clearly Gomez is in a pit. With three points in 13 games, he is only two ahead of Carey Price, and has the same number of goals as Alexandre Picard.
Yes, the comparitors were chosen intentionally to sensationalize his struggles, but trust me, it’s kinder than what some have been saying. Criticism has varied from barely reasonable to outrageous.
It is fair to expect Gomez to better contribute to the offense, but those who are expecting more shots or goals haven’t been paying attention to the role that he plays with the Canadiens or previous teams. He has carved out a niche as setup man, and if his linemates aren’t scoring, Gomez doesn’t get assists.
Let’s also dispel the myth that Gomez has been a bust since the trade was made. He was the Canadiens second leading scorer last season and third in team playoff scoring.
Can we please set aside the silly trade and AHL suggestions? The Canadiens have a vested interest in seeing this player succeed. So how to do that?
There should be little debate that coach Jacques Martin is not a master motivator. The frustrating part is his uncanny ability to turn a minor problem into a huge crisis. Some are now calling for major surgery — splitting Gomez from Brian Gionta — when an early tweak might have cured all.
Had Martin decided on a left-winger with the appropriate skill set to complement Gionta and Gomez — Lars Eller, Max Pacioretty or Benoit Pouliot — and given the line ten games to gel, we may not be talking about this right now. In addition, if Martin had focused on fixing his pathetic power-play, the second line wouldn’t be under such scrutiny to score five-on-five.
We have also witnessed Martin’s destruction as he zaps the confidence from his players. The list is lengthy. That’s not to say that Gomez doesn’t bear the responsibility for elevating his play, but Martin must create an environment for his players to be successful.
Whatever was said prior to the game in raised voices, Martin did not push the right buttons with Gomez. He played his worst game of the season. Even the strong play of Andrei Kostitsyn wasn’t enough to rescue the line.
There’s a history going back to last year. It’s no secret that Gomez is not a fan of Martin’s brand of hockey. Other than Hal Gill, who is? But somehow, coach and second-line center have to find some middle ground, or this situation will get ugly and counter-productive.
Plus/Minus:
▲ There’s no question about the first star of the game. Carey Price was sensational, particularly in the first two periods when the Canadiens were badly outchanced.
▲ Jeff Halpern continues to vie for the title of MVP, most valuable (off-season) pick-up. He had a goal, two assists and has key on the Habs penalty-kill with Tomas Plekanec sidelined.
▲ Mathieu Darche and Benoit Pouliot each had two points and are showing good chemistry with Halpern. Pouliot has picked up his effort level and is skating much better.
▲ Josh Gorges adds stability to the No. 1 defense pairing with Andrei Markov. As recommended on the pages a few days ago, it was imperative to split up Markov and P.K. Subban.
▼ It appears that Dustin Boyd and Max Lapierre will remain in this section until they do something to break out of the fog that they are playing in currently.
The Canadiens will host the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.
All Habs game stars:
1. Carey Price
2. Jeff Halpern
3. Benoit Pouliot
Roster notes:
Ryan O’Byrne and Alexandre Picard were healthy scratches. Tomas Plekanec was out with the flu.
(AP Photo/Don Heupel)