Steadying Presence | Three Stars of the Week, NHL, Habs, Montreal Canadiens, Joel Edmundson, Corey Perry, Carey Price
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA — Hello there, folks! Back with another edition of my three stars of the week column!
Players will earn points each time they appear as a star in this column and at the end of the year, I will award my three stars of the season.
Since the last edition of this column, the Canadiens advanced past the Toronto Maple Leafs and have taken a 2-0 series lead against the Winnipeg Jets. How did that happen? Here are my three stars of the week.
☆ THIRD STAR: Joel Edmundson
This is the first appearance for Joel Edmundson in my column and it comes at a very good time. Even though Edmundson had a staggering plus-28 rating in the regular season, it felt to me as though he was the beneficiary of playing alongside Jeff Petry for a good chunk of the season and that inflated his plus/minus as a result.
But in the playoffs, it was exactly the opposite. Petry struggled early on in the series against the Leafs and Edmundson was a stabilizing presence that did a pretty good job of cleaning up messes in the Canadiens zone.
He has been the physical presence we have come to expect him to be and has been punishing the opposition forwards in battles along the boards and in front of the net. One particular play in game one that caught my eye was Edmundson losing his stick as the Jets were attacking but he used his strength, taking the puck carrier to the boards and snuffing out the rush opportunity.
On top of that, it feels like his passing has been better in the playoffs as well. A guy who almost certainly would not be characterized as a puck-moving defenceman making crisp outlet passes, like the one that led to the beautiful Nick Suzuki goal in game one against the Jets, was not what I expected to happen, but it has been a nice development.
The Canadiens are relying heavily on Edmundson, Petry, Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot. All of them deserve credit for the job they are doing, but Edmundson has really stood out to me.
☆ SECOND STAR: Corey Perry
In years past on a Montreal Canadiens power play, there has usually been one guy who has consistently tried to get in front of the net and make the goalie’s life miserable and that has been the diminutive Brendan Gallagher. Not to disparage Gallagher, who has certainly pulled his weight, but you need more than one guy to take on that challenge. Enter Corey Perry.
Having a little more height to effectively take away the goaltender’s view of the puck and possessing the ability to make quick plays in tight around defenders and the goalie, Perry has been huge of late getting to the dirty areas and paying the price.
He scored the opening goal in game six against the Leafs, scored the game winner off his leg in game seven and had a beautiful assist to Eric Staal in game one against the Jets. Perry and his linemates, Staal and Joel Armia have been a really effective trio and both Perry and Staal have brought some nice leadership to the group.
Perry is just a pain to play against, he is a goaltender’s worst nightmare, he battles hard with his opposition every night and does all the things you would expect of a savvy veteran forward.
The Habs will need Perry to continue his agitating ways and for his chemistry with Staal and Armia to continue to shine through.
☆ FIRST STAR: Carey Price
Three consecutive first star appearances for Carey Price, because it simply would not be fair to have anyone above him. He is the reason the Canadiens got past the Toronto Maple Leafs, he is the reason they have a 2-0 lead in the series against the Jets. He has been simply magnificent. Yes, there have been contributions from others, but Price has been the steadying presence always there to make a big save.
Price recorded his eighth career playoff shutout in game two against Winnipeg in a 1-0 victory for the Canadiens. One goal was all that was required for Price to get the Canadiens out of Manitoba with a stranglehold on the series. Even in game one when the Canadiens gave him more run support Price was superb, making a stunning blocker save on Mark Scheifele, among other remarkable saves.
The Canadiens skaters found a good level of play as the series against Toronto went along, but it was Price who gave them the opportunity to settle into that series. And even then, in overtime of game six, the shots were 13-2, so even as the Canadiens found their footing, Price was the biggest factor in them getting here.
The level of play has continued to be solid against the Jets, more structured and clicking at a higher level than it has at any other point this season, but it is all centered around Carey Price being Carey Price.
Carey Price continues to be magnificent and as such he continues to be my first star.
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