by CoachK, AllHabs.Net

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the All Habs family and beyond for their support in this difficult time. Losing a parent is never easy, but knowing others have your back helps ease the pain. Thanks one and all.

SAINT-LAZARE, QC — Like the rest of Habs Nation, I was thrilled that our Canadiens could tough out a 2-0 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series with the Bruins. My kids gave me high fives all round, and even my dog was unusually happy (I think he was a Nordiques’ fan in a past life.) But over the past six months with the team at All Habs, you’ve gotten to know how much I hate the way this team is coached.

We can start with the use of Jaroslav Spacek and Roman Hamrlik together on the blue-line. When, at any given point this season, did this pairing actually look good? I just refuse to understand why a coach would continuously make the mistake of using his two oldest defensemen together. Although their efforts must be commended, because of their speed and age disadvantages, the Canadiens can ill-afford to get caught with these two veterans together.

Now, let’s move along to the constant siege in our defensive zone. While “Les Glorieux” were wonderful along the boards last night, and even better in the way they kept the mid-ice lane clear of Bruins’ forwards, the puck was in the defensive zone for way too much time. Sometimes, the problem was a nonchalant effort in clearing the puck out. For the most part, however, it was the Bruins’ mastery of the face-offs that caused the problem. When a team cannot win face-offs, they are at a distinct disadvantage.

Firstly, without possession of the puck, you cannot dictate the pace at which you would like the game to flow. Losing face-offs also leaves visiting teams at a disadvantage as far as matching lines is concerned. The ability to control the puck and quickly change your lines is paramount when matching lines up. With Patrice Bergeron’s dominance last night, Canadiens’ coach Jaqcues Martin was forced to trust his fourth line players against the top two lines of Boston. Mind you, they did an good job when called upon, but it’s not the kind of situation you want the fourth liners to be in on a regular basis.

Finally, can we finally get guys that want to play in this series on the ice? Benoit Pouliot, while producing points all season, seems to have no competitive spirit. He falls all over the ice, make bad reads and blind passes, and has been a liability to the Canadiens for quite some time. Wouldn’t the Canadiens be better served dressing Yannick Weber, and using him on the power play, while giving him limited shifts on the fourth line? I am sure his compete level would be better than “Benny the Pooh.”

It remains to be seen if the Canadiens’ coaching staff will recognize these short-comings and attempt to make corrections on the fly during this series. If I can see these issues, I certainly hope they can.