Habs News: Montreal Canadiens, Dominique Ducharme, Paul Byron, Jeff Petry, Carey Price, Brendan Gallagher, Shea Weber, Vegas Golden Knights, Stanley Cup, NHL

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — The Canadiens flew to Vegas on Saturday in anticipation of the best-of-seven series versus the Golden Knights beginning on Monday.

It will be the first time that these two franchises face each other in the post season since the Golden Knights joined the National Hockey League (NHL) in 2017-18. The winner of the series will be awarded the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, traditionally awarded to the Western Conference team that advances to the Stanley Cup final.

Both clubs will collect a lot of points on their frequent flyer program if the series extends to five or more games. The five-hour flights, and three-hour time zone difference between the cities will impact the series, as it will limit the amount of practice and adjustments that can be made between matches.

Montreal’s coming off a seven-day rest following their sweep against Winnipeg, and are hoping to use the time off as an advantage against their opponent.

“The guys are energized now, and the challenge is more on the mental side. We kept our guys busy, and connected to the game with meetings on the days we weren’t skating,” Dominique Ducharme shared.

One of the storylines will be former captain Max Pacioretty facing his old team for the first time in the playoffs. Nick Suzuki will face the organization that drafted him 17th overall in 2017.

“I think it worked out for both teams. When Marc Bergevin called me and said that I was a big piece that they wanted, I just wanted to show that Montreal made the right decision by bringing me over,” Suzuki commented.

Shutting Down Attack

Ducharme appears to keep the forward lines in tact to begin the Stanley Cup semifinals. No reason to make drastic changes when the team is on a seven-game winning streak.

There’s no doubt that Vegas’ forward group is superior to Winnipeg’s. Add to the fact that the Jets were without Mark Scheifele for three games, and Paul Stastny skated in two games with an injury that prevented him from playing centre.

I think that Vegas has a more balanced attack than Toronto that’s more top-heavy. The trio of Artturi Lehkonen, Philip Danault, and Brendan Gallagher will likely be assigned to stop the line of Pacioretty, Chandler Stephenson, and Mark Stone.

“It’s going to be the same as we handled in the last two series going up against some of the most dangerous players in the world,” Gallagher said on the assignment. “When you’re on the ice, you know how dangerous these guys can be, so you try and limit their time and space.”

The Canadiens are familiar with their former captain, and with Stone from his playing time with the Senators. “He works extremely hard defensively, and that’s what I think creates his offence. He’s a real smart player on the ice, an excellent two-way player,” Danault evaluated Stone.

Vegas’ 3.08 goals-per-game average ranks them fourth in the post season, while Montreal is 11th place with 2.55.

Danault, along with Josh Anderson and Gallagher need to contribute more offensively in this series. The three players have scored three combined goals in through 11 matches.

I give the advantage to the Golden Knights for their forwards.

Petry Sidelined

Jeff Petry continued his journey to return the lineup after an injury during game three against the Jets. The Canadiens defenceman isn’t expected in the lineup on Monday and Ducharme said that Petry should return early in the series. No additional timeline has been provided, therefore it’s hard to have a clear idea on when to expect the veteran to play.

Since the start of the playoffs, the coaching staff has relied on Shea Weber, Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson, and Petry to log heavy minutes. The four average 22:18 or more of ice time through 11 games. Weber, Chiarot, and Petry are in top-5 in ice time amongst the players playing in one of the semifinals.

Alexander Romanov drew into the lineup following Petry’s injury and slotted into the third pairing. Weber, Chiarot, and Edmundson all played over 25 minutes that night to compensate for Petry’s loss.

Maintaining that workload will be tough for the defensive unit, especially if Petry’s absence is prolonged. For that reason, I give Vegas the advantage on defence.

One thing that’s certain is that Weber is motivated and ready for his first career appearance in the semifinals.

“It’s always the same thing with him, a lot of intensity, we know he wants to win. He’s first at the arena every day, his preparation, it’s incredible to be with him,” Paul Byron said on the captain.

Goaltending Duel

There’s no doubt that Carey Price has been the Habs best player in this playoff run, and  one of the top across the league. He’s maintained a 1.97 goals-against-average and .935 save percentage in 11 games.

Price will need to play at an elite level again for Montreal to have a chance to advance to the finals.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that every single player in this league knows that Carey Price is the best goalie in the league, and at any given point, he can steal you a game. Doesn’t matter if you’re playing with him or against him, you know he’s capable of that,” said Byron.

The last time that Montreal was in the final four was in 2014. We remember that series by the moment when Chris Kreider ran into Price, and forced him out of action. Price is now focused and ready for his second chance.

“You can kind of see it in his demeanor right now; he’s locked in, he’s ready for any challenge. You can see he’s definitely excited, definitely hungry for the opportunity, and it’s pretty nice to play in front of a guy with that mentality,” Gallagher said of Price.

Marc-Andre Fleury is also having a good post season with Vegas, posting a 1.91 goals-against average, and .923 save percentage in 12 games. He will have extra motivation to beat his home province’s team.

Fleury’s playoff experience can’t be neglected. He’s fourth all-time in games played (158) and wins (89) by goaltenders in the playoffs. He’s three shy in both categories to tie Ed Belfour for third place. He would only trail Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur.

I think both teams will get solid performances from their respective goalies.

Series Prediction

The Habs are the underdogs once again in the series, and it doesn’t seem like it bothers them one bit.

“When we started this whole thing at the start of the year we had the same goal in mind & every single guy believed in it regardless of what outside of our room might have thought,” Gallagher said.

“I feel our players are at a good place, I see excitement but it’s not excessive, I see guys that are hungry to continue advancing. The focus is good,” said the coach.

The Canadiens will be looking to add to their current sequence of 437:53 without trailing. A strong start on Monday will be crucial.

“Ducharme, Burrows, Richardson brought in a good system for us since their arrival. Since the playoffs, we’re respecting the system, to be engaged, and everyone accepted their role, and it’s only brought positives for us,” Danault explained team’s recent success.

I believe that Vegas will end Montreal’s playoff run in a short series. Too many things need to sway in Montreal’s favour, and Petry’s absence will be hard to overcome. For those keeping track, I predicted that Montreal would lose to Toronto and Winnipeg. Am I picking Vegas only to continue the tradition or do I really think they will win? I’ll let you know at the end of the series.

More Fans in the Building

Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced during a press conference on Sunday that he’s putting pressure on the province’s health authorities to allow the Bell Centre to increase the amount of fans in attendance.

“I’ve had discussions with several people, including Philip Danault about the fact that Vegas will have 18,000 people, and we’ll have 2,500,” said the Premier. The organization sent a formal request to authorities on May 28th to increase capacity. Legault added that any approval will be done fairly, and no special privilege will be made to the hockey team.

Canadiens Connection podcast

Current Habs topics were discussed on this week’s episode of the Canadiens Connection. Listen, share and subscribe!

By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
Copyright © 2021 Rocket Sports

===