Over the past few weeks, especially through the last four game where Montreal has banked only two out a possible eight points, media and the Internet are a buzz with talk that the Canadiens lack offensive punch.
I beg to differ.
As I outlined in my last piece Getting The Canadiens Playoff Ready Takes Change, part of the problem begins with proper defensive zone breakouts into solid transition offense. Being able to generate offense off the rush takes more than just systems. It takes speed, chemistry and hockey sense.
So ask yourself, do the Canadiens have all those components? Here’s some proof that they do.
Mar 28, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Lars Eller (not pictured) scores a goal against Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo (1) as Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) looks on during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
The Habs have speed to burn. Players like Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty, Tomas Plekanec and others all have the speed you need to generate scoring chances. Speed, however, isn’t just a physical attribute…it’s also mental.
Play recognition is a huge part of a player’s speed quotient. Take, for example, a specific play in last Thursday night’s matchup with the Winnipeg Jets.
Max Pacioretty was driving into the offensive zone with considerable speed when Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau read the play, realized Pacioretty needed offensive support and drove the mid-ice lane to the net. Despite Pacioretty being unable to hit Parenteau with a pass, the speed in which both player read and reacted to each other’s choices led to a quality scoring chance.
Mar 10, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center David Desharnais (51) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman (6) chase the puck near goalie Ben Bishop (30) during the first period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
By comparison, David Desharnais, who has been struggling mightily to find any consistency in his game, misread the same play, expecting Pacioretty to take a shot on goal, and remaining on the weak side. If Desharnais has the necessary play recognition speed to see the play develop, he would have known that Parenteau’s net drive would force the Jets’ defenseman to back up and defend the house, giving Desharnais free rein in the high slot.
That lack of play recognition also comes from a lack of chemistry. Not the chemistry that defines a team or their attitudes towards each other, but that which defines a line combinations success or failure.
While Pacioretty has progressed to levels that have him once again at the cusp of breaking the 40 goal threshold, someone like Desharnais has remained stagnant. That doesn’t mean that the diminutive centre isn’t making an effort…it just means that he has peaked in his hockey growth. Desharnais has had more challenges in getting to the NHL than most players do, and he has had to overachieve at every level. What it does mean though is that his chemistry with a player like Pacioretty is beginning to swing in the opposite direction.
On the other side of that spectrum are developing players like Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher and Jacob De La Rose, just to name a few. Their professional development is in its infancy, which means their capacity to form the right kind of chemistry with the Canadiens’ top goal scorer is much higher.
The right combination of speed and chemistry are what create the final component, hockey sense. Hockey sense isn’t something that someone is born with. It is an ability that is developed over time, through familiarity of game strategy, line mates and game situations.
Look at what I outlined then ask yourself if you can understand now why the power play has been so abysmal for so long?
The point of all this is to say that through all the line juggling, Canadiens’ head coach Michel Therrien has inadvertently hurt his team.
Do the Canadiens have what it takes to be an offensive team? Absolutely! The problem now is they don’t have enough time to adjust going into the playoffs.