Montreal 3 Philadelphia 0 (Bell Centre )
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” — Winston Churchill
MONTREAL, QC.– Do you believe that the Price is Right?
During the summer, hockey analysts who publicly stated that the Canadiens made the right decision in keeping Tomas Plekanec and Carey Price over Jaroslav Halak would fit into the saddle of a rodeo horse. To me, it’s now entertaining to watch as the same pundits stampede back in the direction of Price’s wagon.
One radio host, in particular, who spent the better part of last year bashing Price, is now twisting himself into knots trying to undo his words. Yes, like so many of the revisionist history buffs, he was there all along. Of course.
After the game, I received the following from a reader named Eli White, “Great article…..you wrote this back in June…can I borrow your crystal ball????lol …. Look at how Price has played up to now this season…..I too believe in Price and felt that the right decision was made in trading Halak….IMHO anyone who thinks that long term Halak will be better than Price doesn’t truely understand the Goalie position….”
Mr. White was referring to an article titled, “Jaroslav Halak Fans Singing The Blues” that I wrote on June 17. No, unfortunately I don’t have a crystal ball. But I do know a little about goaltending, and it just seemed obvious to me when evaluating objectively that Price was the more talented goaltender.
Halak had a good start to the season with St. Louis but has faltered, being shredded in his past few starts. Halak benefits from playing behind a much better defense with the Blues, being in the top two spots in the league all season with respect to fewest shots allowed per game. The Canadiens currently rank 15th.
In Montreal, the load falls more squarely on the shoulders of Price.
In three games against potential contenders, Philadelphia, Boston and Vancouver, the Canadiens have surrendered almost 37 shots per game. Yet, Price has allowed only one goal. Let’s repeat to be sure we comprehend: one goal, total, for the three games, against elite opposition. Now, that’s a statement!
Price has been carrying the Canadiens in every start while under a tremendous amount of scrutiny.
While the veterans on defense have been steadier in recent games, the play of Price has helped make them appear that much better. And you have to think that Price is the new best friend of Alexandre Picard who showed signs of rust, and had a tough first period against his former team. Price bailed Picard out after a number of defensive miscues.
Sometimes lost or denied by some fans is the simple fact that had the goaltending choice gone the other way, the Canadiens would not have been in a position to sign Tomas Plekanec. So in addition to the impact of Price, where would the Habs be without Plekanec in the lineup?
Plekanec is another Canadiens player who received unfair criticism, in his case, for not showing up in the playoffs (count the aforementioned radio host in that crowd). Focusing solely on his goals and assists shows a lack of understanding of the true value of Plekanec. When discussing the premiere two-way players in the game today, Plekanec must be part of that conversation.
Against the Flyers, Plekanec had a goal and an assist. At a shade over 22 minutes, he was the Canadiens busiest forward. With 20 points on the season, he easily leads the Habs, with his next closest teammate six points behind.
Jeff Halpern has been the surprise story of the season providing the Canadiens with a responsible defensive center while at the same time chipping in offensively. Halpern played less than ten minutes against Philadelphia due in no small part to a vicious head shot from Darroll Powe. If the league is remotely serious about addressing the issue of concussions, Powe should be sitting out beyond the Canadiens visit to the City of Brotherly Love.
It wasn’t Powe’s only transgression on the night. He received a penalty that was not so much an elbow (the minor that was called) but yet another hit that targeted the head of a player.
A popular Flyers blog said this about Powe, “Really, his two vicious, legal hits and the subsequent backing-up of those hits with his fists were probably the highlight of the game from our side.”
Highlight? Sergei Bobrovsky, despite being outsmarted on Plekanec’s goal, made some nice saves. Jeff Carter had six shots on goals and was perfect at the faceoff dot. Ville Leino is always a joy to watch. Andrej Meszaros had a strong game with eight hits.
Apparently, nothing in that list was “vicious” enough for the bloggers watching through their tangerine-coloured glasses.
I have a good number of friends and readers from Philadelphia who are very knowledgeable hockey fans. But it is nonsense like this quote, appealing to the mindless members of the fanbase, that gives the city its reputation, whether deserved or not.
Mike Richards, apparently sensing that his teammate could be called upon the NHL’s supplementary discipline carpet, decided to change the focus of the game. Strangely, and embarrassingly-so for a veteran, he went out of his way to call out rookie P.K. Subban for his lack of respect. “It’s just frustrating to see a young guy like that come in here and so much as think that he’s better than a lot of people,” whined the Flyers captain.
Richards threatened consequences for Subban saying “something might happen to him,” if one of the senior members of the Habs didn’t take the young defenseman aside and provide counsel about his “cocky” on-ice attitude. Richards is not exactly speaking from a position of moral superiority given his reckless hit on Florida’s David Booth, or more recently, his cheapshots on Andrei Kostitsyn, last night.
Scott Hartnell tried to get into the act saying that he “got choked out” during a scrum in the Canadiens crease by Maxim Lapierre claiming that he “couldn’t breathe.” Perhaps Hartnell was just gassed after spending the entire game racing all over the ice attempting to hit any red jersey who DID NOT have the puck.
Not to be outdone, coach Peter Laviolette deployed Powe and enforcer Jody Shelley on the power-play in the dying minutes of the game. Classy.
It all provides an interesting prelude to the Canadiens visit to Philadelphia next Monday. You can bet that Price will start at the Wells Fargo Center as he continues to silence his critics and finally begins to get the recognition that he truly deserves.
Prior to the date in Philly, the Habs have two more home dates hosting the Nashville Predators on Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.
All Habs game stars
1. Carey Price
2. Tomas Plekanec
3. Brian Gionta
Roster notes
Dustin Boyd was a healthy scratch. Andrei Markov is out with a knee injury.
(Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
Richards’ threats are words. I’m more concerned about the real thing, about the fact that the NHL chose to ignore Powe’s hit on Halpern, about more orange bullying on Monday…
Generally, we agree Lyse. As I mentioned in the piece, Richards’ comments could be viewed as a smokescreen to distract the media and others from focusing on Powe’s head-shot that should have been reviewed by the NHL.
But I suppose where we differ is that Richards’ threats are important with respect to Monday’s game given that he is the captain of the Flyers. His words carry weight with his teammates, and by threatening Subban, he could be inciting an extra dose of violence for the Habs.
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