CANADIENS
Montreal

SHARKS
San Jose

Lineup

Forward lines and defense pairings 

[one_half]Pacioretty – Drouin – Lehkonen
Byron – Plekanec – Gallagher
Hudon – Danault – Shaw
Galchenyuk – Mitchell – Hemsky 
[/one_half]

[one_half_last]Mete – Weber
Alzner – Petry
Morrow – Davidson
[/one_half_last]

Goaltenders

Price
Montoya

Scratches

Jordie Benn, Jacob De La Rose, David Schlemko

Injuries

None

Game Report

So, are we still talking about the big win in Buffalo? Since then, way back then, the Canadiens have lost five straight. 

But it’s early. These are just growing pains. This team is MUCH better than it’s record.

Unfortunately, while this kind of Pablum goes down easy for Habs fans, there is not a lot of substance to it. Similarly, the reasons being tossed around for the Habs slow start are baseless.

The French media is in full attack mode towards Carey Price and the lemmings in the fanbase mindlessly follow. Is this the type of diversionary tactic used so often in the past to deflect attention from one of their own, that they work so hard to protect?

Could the wild exaggeration in negative terms about Price’s performance really be about clearing the decks for Zach Fucale in their minds? It sounds ludicrous to those who have been paying attention but still the calls are out there.

A quick review of the San Jose goals on Tuesday night paint a very different picture: Jonathan Drouin left Logan Couture all alone on the first goal; the second can be called the Joe Pavelski pinball goal; two San Jose power-play goals, and an empty-netter. NONE should be blamed on Price.

So who is at fault for the start that finds the Canadiens at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, already eight points out of first place? The team, who has been struggling since the first game of the pre-season is the creation of Marc Bergevin.

The Canadiens general manager didn’t expect his team to feel the loss of Andrei Markov. Before the start of the season Bergevin said, “We have guys to fill that gap. Let’s keep in mind that we didn’t lose a 25-year-old defenceman. Andrei was going to turn 39 in December.”

Bergevin was wrong on two counts. Mark Streit didn’t fill the gap. And the 38-year-old, who meant so much to the defensive core and the Habs power-play, is desperately missed.

Habs fans don’t want to imagine what Karl Alzner’s play will look like in the 2021-22 season given that he is having such a hard time adapting to a new system now. Alzner was on the ice for both San Jose power-play goals on Tuesday night.

Up front, Bergevin was so singularly focused on his newly-acquired great Francophone hope, he low-balled Alexander Radulov until the Canadiens leader in assists from a year ago had already packed his bags for Dallas.

No worries. The Habs GM had a solution: Ales Hemsky would be deployed on the right wing of the top line. There should be no argument that Bergevin was wrong about that too.

And, after literally giving up the farm (at least the only blue-chip part of it), Jonathan Drouin has not met the highly-elevated expectations. While Drouin leads the team in scoring with five points, that’s not saying much for a team who is 31st in the league in goals scored.

In addition, Drouin has not energized the Canadiens power-play as promised, currently 27th in the NHL. His conversion to centre has not gone well. His face-off percentage is worst among the regular pivots. And Drouin has a minus-4 rating, worst among Habs forwards.

None of the spare parts additions by Bergevin can be considered a resounding success either. Joe Morrow was the most recent example on Tuesday night of one who struggled significantly.

All of this has had an effect on the regulars as well. Max Pacioretty has been quiet and unengaged. Alex Galchenyuk has been exiled to the fourth line. Other than his penalties, Phillip Danault has been invisible. And discipline has been non-existent.

For the majority of his tenure, Marc Bergevin has been given the benefit of the doubt by Canadiens fans. It would appear that is rapidly coming to an end.

~~~

▲     Artturi Lehkonen, Shea Weber, Victor Mete

▼      Joe Morrow, Ales Hemsky, Brandon Davidson

1. Logan Couture  SJS
2. Martin Jones  SJS
3. Tomas Hertl  SJS

• “I think there was definitely a lack of discipline. I thought there was also some weak calls. I was disappointed in the goal that was allowed when it was clear that (Joe) Thornton’s stick pushed Carey (Price) out of the way. We don’t know what we are going to get (from the officiating) from one day to another.”

Max Pacioretty

• “They have a tremendous power play every year, and I think we know to stay out of the box. It gives them life. Even if they don’t score, I feel like they make plays and get the puck, so they feel good about their game 5-on-5 and they use that momentum and that chemistry from their power play to take over games.”

Shea Weber

• “I don’t think anyone in here should be happy. Losing sucks and everyone hates it.”
• “Being undisciplined against a team that gets so much from its power play, there’s no excuse. You’ve just got to find a way to be better. You’ve got to do a job and unfortunately they got two power play goals in the second. We’ve got to limit their opportunities. We talked about their deadly power play, and they kind of got life there.”

Quotes courtesy of NHL.com