by CoachK, AllHabs.Net
SAINT-LAZARE, QC — The game was as predicted. With the Florida Panthers short three of their best defensemen, who were traded at the deadline by their general manager Dale Tallon, the Canadiens walked out of the BankAtlantic Center with a convincing 4-0 victory over the Cats. However, despite playing a team that boasted mostly AHL talent, the Habs still had their share of issues. Some were quite evident, others needed to be more closely scrutinized.
For the second straight game, it was evident that Carey Price was the Canadiens’ best player, stopping all 30 shots he faced and posting his seventh shutout of the season. He has stopped 70 of 71 shots so far during this southern swing, while gives him a .986 save percentage.
Michael Cammalleri was a no-show last night. While totaling 16:35 of ice time, only two of which came short handed, he generated a measly single shot on goal. It was evident early in the game that he seems to still be weary of the health of his left shoulder. He constantly avoided contact along the half-wall, and was useless when trying to cycle the puck. Include in that a nearly non-existent effort to back-check and one can wonder what Coach Jacques Martin was thinking using him when the Canadiens were shorthanded.
Then there is the overuse of defenseman Roman Hamrlik, who continues to log huge minutes regardless of his play. While he has been the workhorse of the Habs’ defense over the past few season, Martin’s reliance on him is quite evident. After the Canadiens took a 3-0 lead early in the second period, Hamrlik continued to see a regular shift. Included in this, on several occasions, were shifts that were overextended to almost a minute and a half. With the Canadiens in the stretch drive to the playoffs, reducing Hamrlik’s minutes would be beneficial.
Finally, there is Jacques Martin’s favorite player, Benoit Pouliot. While he is a mainstay on Martin’s Summer Camp staff, it seems he can do no wrong. He only totaled eleven minutes in ice time, he was continuously flat footed and took one of three minor penalties in the game by the Canadiens. And given than other players on the team, like Lars Eller or David Desharnais, would have ridden the pine for an extended period for such as lack-luster effort, Pouliot didn’t miss a shift.
And at this point, I’m not even going to try explaining his use of enigmatic centre Scott Gomez.
Hypocrisy and favoritism are two very dangerous elements for any coach. These examples, among others, are starting to erode the chemistry that was developed early last season in the Canadiens’ locker room. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see there are plenty of malcontents amongst our beloved Habs. If the playoffs started today, I wouldn’t be as worried. However, with 17 games left to play, I can only hope that a locker room division doesn’t develop into an early exit.
(Feature image by: Pierre Obendrauf)