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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Game
Season 2016-2017

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY GAME NINE Montreal 2 Toronto 1

Mitch
Season 2016-2017The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Game
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In a game that featured more speed than you’d find in Bob Dylan’s medicine cabinet circa 1966, it was the guy who appears to be moving in slow motion that stole the show (and two more points). Again. We’re lucky in Montreal to be witness to this.
It didn’t work out in the end for Bob Gainey as GM in the city where as a player he won six Stanley Cups. But I can think of worse legacies to leave behind than the 2005 draft.
THE GOOD

  • Carey Price. What’s their left to say? I could go the “I told you so” route when he was being dismissed by people who think the word patience is what you’d find in a hospital. What a treat to watch. The most technically sound goalie of my lifetime. And easily the best puck handling goalie ever to wear the CH – unless you saw Jacques Plante play 60 games a year. And when it’s Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada who’s been better than Carey Price? In 124 lifetime starts on Saturday, Price is 80-29-16, 2.10, .931 and 17 shutouts.
  • Shea Weber. That’s quite the tag team act they’ve got going. Here’s what I especially liked about Weber in this one: After the Leafs tied the game on a perfectly timed Nazem Kadri power play redirect with Leo Komorov as a screen, Weber was clearly pissed. He was a split second late in tying up Kadri’s stick (even though it was his D partner who failed to use his stick to block the pass) while allowing Komorov to block his goalie’s vision. On his next shift, Weber carried the puck deep into Toronto territory to the back of the net where he set up Arturi Lehkonen alone in front. The Habs rookie was stopped by Frederik Andersen but Weber’s intention – to get back that goal on his own – was clear. And then came the 4 on 3 power play and his blast from the middle of the ice. His reaction was almost as impressive.

    • Alex Galchenyuk. You mean there was somebody worried about him after one goal in the first seven games? Also encouraging was a rare strong night in the face off circle where he won 7 of 12 draws (58%).

@Habs4evr Not worried one bit about Galchenyuk.

— Mitch Melnick (@HunterZThompson) October 29, 2016

  • Alexander Radulov. Interesting dynamic with Galchenyuk to say the least. Centre as trigger man. Winger as playmaker. Such obvious chemistry. Do they eventually move Radulov back to his more comfortable wing? Took another penalty in the offensive zone (18 minutes through nine games is way too many) even though it occurred after he was clearly hooked by Connor Carrick. It led to the goal by Kadri. But he did make a sensational defensive play in the second period when his hard back check broke up what appeared to be a two man breakaway.
  • Tomas Plekanec. Time for a little love. Spent a lot of time keeping an eye on Auston Matthews. Helped keep the rookie sensation off the scoresheet. Couldn’t have been easy for his 34 year old legs to play nearly 18 hard minutes as the Habs finished up a tough stretch of five games in eight nights.
  • Andrei Markov. Ditto. Except for the legs (37) and minutes (20).
  • Jeff Petry. Habs leaned a little more on Petry than usual because of the Leafs’s speed. Other than a blip in the third period when he inexplicably handed the puck to Zach Hyman right in front of Price, Petry rose to the challenge in a season high 24:44. He even spent a couple of shifts on the left side early on as Weber’s partner as the Habs tried to figure out how to deal with Toronto’s speed.
  • Andrew Shaw. Important night with some obvious fatigue setting in among a few key teammates. Won all five of his face offs.
  • Greg Pateryn & Nathan Beaulieu. Another solid effort to keep 18 year old Mikhail Sergachev on the outside looking in. It’s quite clear the Habs will be looking elsewhere for a more experienced puck moving defenseman. In the short term it could be Mark Barberio in St. John’s. But the view I’ve had since training camp was echoed on HNIC – Marc Bergevin is looking for a top 4 guy.
  • Torrey Mitchell-Brian Flynn-Phillip Danault. Another good night for the 4th line. Especially Mitchell & Danault.
  • Power Play. It’s (he?) starting to look lethal.

      • Young Guns 2016 Take 2. Auston Matthews first game at the Bell Centre will be remembered for the awesome performance by William Nylander.

THE BAD

      • Alexei Emelin. Caught early chasing Matthews to the net. Forced into taking a penalty. Didn’t get his stick in the lane as Nylander fed Kadri for Toronto’s lone goal. Submarine hit on Connor Brown had Mike Babcock squawking as he left the ice following the first period. But Emelin couldn’t catch anybody else to hit. No surprise he struggled against a team as quick as Toronto.
      • Brendan Gallagher. You never, ever have to question his work ethic or energy. But because of the way he plays there are a few nights each season when his legs can’t match his heart. This was one of those nights.

THE UGLY

      • Scary.