A Winning Habit
Fansided

Habs Morning News and Features: Max Pacioretty the focus

By Mat Germain

facebooktwitterreddit

More from Habs News

HABS MORNING NEWS AND FEATURES

Good Morning! Here’s a rundown of what’s taken place while you were sleeping or while you made your breakfast. Grab a coffee and get yourself set for a one stop place to get your Habs fix!

  • Anabelle Ferland interviews P.K. Subban here. He even answers a question in French and states that its uniqueness is one of its best features.
  • AllHabs has the Hot Plays of Week 26 and also add a Podcast asking whether or not the Habs are ready for the playoffs.
  • Habs Eyes On The Prize have their own Wednesday Links to share including an interesting piece about Dale Weise who is ranked 9th in comeback stories by Sports Illustrated.
  • The Montreal Gazette have the details of the proceedings for Dollard St-Laurent’s funeral which “will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at St. George’s Church in Longueuil”. CBC also have an article out about his career.
  • Pat Hickey details the fact that Max Pacioretty is out vs the Red Wings, while Carey Price is in.
  • Dave Stubbs of Hockey Inside/Out has Max Watch, Day 3.
  • The Max articles continue with Adam Savard of Too Many Men on the Ice stating that the Habs are at risk without Max.
  • We posted our first new Prospect Profiles piece with Brett Lernout earning the nod due to his promotion to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Unfortunately, his debut was a 3-1 loss, but he seemed to fare well by all accounts. The Bulldogs have now slipped to 10th and have dwindling playoff hopes, but the experience in Hamilton will help Brett get set for next season.
  • Finally, Arpon Basu has an interesting Tweet about Max’s upcoming missed game:

The Habs are nearing the playoffs and fans are just hoping for a healthy squad to get set for a long playoff run at this point. Michel Therrien indicated that the schedule is kind to the Habs, providing them with some breathing room to let guys heal and get set for a gruelling period.

Not surprising is the fact that all Habs fans are holding their collective breaths hoping that Max is healthy and ready to roll, while all opposing fans are likely hoping for him to miss more time.

Here are my thoughts on the Habs situation, just to add my 2 cents:

  • If Max does play, the Habs will still be worried that any big hit could take him out, but do they really have a choice? Concussions are what they are, so if the doctors and player say he’s good to go, he’s going to play.
  • If, however, he misses time in the playoffs, all is not lost. It’s a different season in the playoffs, when the 3rd liners seem to come out of the woodwork and lead their team’s playoff scoring. You don’t have to look any further than last year when Rene Bourque became the best Habs scorer. Another interesting fact from last year’s playoffs is that Jonathan Quick not only won the Cup, he also faced a lot of shots per game, keeping him used to handling the puck and focused. Carey Price should get the same chance to stay sharp this playoff run, so hopefully he keeps on rolling. It seems that often it’s the goalie that faces fewest shots that has the worst game.
  • P.A. Parenteau, David Desharnais, Alex Galchenyuk, and Lars Eller in particular all get a chance to step up and score more often whether Max plays or not. They’re needed at their best for the Habs to have a chance at all, because even if he does play, Max can’t do it alone.
  • I fully expect Devante Smith-Pelly to break out as a Hab through the playoffs. I’m not saying he’s going to be the hero every game, but his game will be bigger and he’ll get more key playing time from Michel Therrien, who’s trust and confidence he seems to have earned recently.

I’ll have more thoughts on the playoffs soon in our playoff primer. For now, enjoy your Wednesday and get set for the Red Wings vs the Habs!

Next: Season Comparison

More from A Winning Habit

Home/Habs News