Habs vs Oilers, McDavid vs Goliath

Phenom Connor McDavid‘s Oilers went up against the Goliaths of the NHL in the Montreal Canadiens and came out on top with a great effort.

152. Final. 4. 148. 3

GAME STATS

Shots: MTL 21 EDM 27
PP: MTL 1 for 2, EDM 1 for 4
Hits: MTL 21 EDM 17
FOW: MTL 34 EDM 37
Giveaways: MTL 18 EDM 16
Takeaways: MTL 7 EDM 6
Blocked Shots: MTL 17 EDM 11
PIM: MTL 10 EDM 6

DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING

The Montreal Canadiens came out looking determined to change their fortunes after their first loss of the season. They kept the majority of the play going to the corners, blocked a ton of shots, and didn’t allow many 2 on 1 or 3 on 2 situations. But, as the game wore on, that changed and the Oilers started getting more quality chances as a result. While they managed only 5 shots in the first period, they were able to more than double that in the second and third period while holding the Habs to 5 in those periods.

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING

The first period was the only real highlight for the Habs as they dominated that one and wound up with a comfortable 3-0 lead in the process. As the game wore on, the Oilers took the momentum and wound up getting some odd-man rushes which included a nice goal from Benoit Pouliot who managed to get one passed Carey Price from the slot.

The Oilers went to youth with Leon Draisaitl and was rewarded (Habs take note) with a 2 goal effort. He truly elevated their scoring ability in this game and looks to be a decent forward. The Habs should go that route as well to increase their offensive output, but if you ask Michel Therrien, he’d rather put a player with a career high of 17 points (Flynn) on the 2nd line wing, something that even a 5-year old could tell you isn’t a good idea.

POWER PLAYS / PENALTY KILLS

Oct 29, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward

Brendan Gallagher

(11) tries to screen Edmonton Oilers goaltender

Cam Talbot

(33) during the first period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

The Habs PP looks much better and continues to be effective. The problem? They didn’t create enough pressure on the Oilers to draw more penalties. Their legs aren’t moving nearly as much as usual and in some way, the Habs look slower than usual during this West coast run.

The bright spot for the Habs is clearly a willingness to send more pucks to the net and create chances as a result. Their players have such great hand-eye coordination that getting deflections and rebounds is really the best way to ensure they get their scoring chances each time they have the advantage.

Last night it was Brendan Gallagher who got the deflection from a P.K. Subban floater from the point. Cam Talbot didn’t have a chance on the play.

Meanwhile, the PK didn’t do too badly but was essentially the difference as the Oil created 2 goals from their PP chances to the single goal obtained from the Habs.

GOALTENDING

Oct 29, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot (33) makes a save during warmup against the Montreal Canadiens at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Each goaltender did their job last night although neither was really busy as they both faced less than the league average in shots.

I was impressed with Cam Talbot’s ability to keep the Habs to a 3 goals after the rough start for the Oilers. He really kept his composure, didn’t give up many juicy rebounds, and was positionally sound throughout.

As for Carey Price, the only goal I can see him wanting back was Pouliot’s as it was his shot to stop, but in reality – for those of us who are human – it was simply a great shot on the rush. There’s really little else Carey could have done to win this one for the Habs.

On a side note, both Alexei Emelin and P.K. Subban showed some great focus and hand-eye coordination as they swatted pucks out of the crease. Unfortunately for Emelin he was a half second too late, which could have been the difference in this game.

OTHER NOTES

Oct 29, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Montreal Canadiens forward

Brian Flynn

(32) tries to carry the puck past Edmonton Oilers forward

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

(93) during the third period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Byron: Are we done with the Semin benching now? It was most likely nerves for the most part, but you definitely saw jitters coming from Byron all night long. He often looked out of place and struggled to help his line out at all.

Brian Flynn: I would much rather see Bud Holloway or Charles Hudon get promoted than to watch an offensively challenged player like Brian Flynn get playing time on the second line. This is Michel Therrien’s continued oppression of goal scoring in Montreal. It has to end. Flynn belongs on the 4th line with Torrey Mitchell and Devante Smith-Pelly, which has been the 2nd best line for Montreal. Stop playing games with the lines Michel.

The Lines: It’s easy to be a bench coach, but at this point I would do the following to shake the team up and wake up the laggers:

Keep the 1st line together and re-unite Flynn with Mitchell and Smith-Pelly
Bring back Semin and pair him with Fleischmann and Weise
Promote Holloway from the AHL and put him alongside Galchenyuk and Eller
Send Byron to the AHL and bench David Desharnais

OVERALL

The battle of McDavid vs Goliath was a tale of momentum and it is clearly heading into McDavid’s direction. While the Habs – playing the role of Goliath in the NHL so far – search for answers on their West coast trip, the Oilers seem to be finding their confidence and clearly have the ability to beat any team they face.

This loss is entirely on the shoulders of Michel Therrien and a return to his old ways. I’m not sure how long his antics will be allowed to run this course, but if they keep playing like this against some of the worst teams in the NHL, imagine how badly things are going to be when they face the better teams like DAL and TB. This loss was a frustrating one, and it most likely wouldn’t have happened if the Habs kept their lineup as it was.

The Habs go up against the Flames tomorrow as Paul Byron will get a chance to play against his old team and prove they made a mistake when they let him go, if the Habs keep him in the lineup.

If the Habs lose this one as well, you can look for a bigger shake up to take place with some AHL player(s) added to the roster.

Next: Canadiens' Alexander Semin, 5 Reasons to be Encouraged

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