SAINT-LAZARE, QC – Every year, twice every season, the Canadiens swing down into the Florida Sunbelt to take on the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. And like clockwork, this trip always comes at a time when the Habs are struggling to generate any offense, and come home with precious points. One would think that considering the familiarity between the Panthers and the Canadiens, since Jacques Martin used to be their coach and general manager, we would have better success. The same could be said about Guy Boucher and the Habs, since he was their AHL coach last season for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
However, it’s as if we fly right into the Bermuda Triangle. The Canadiens creativity and offensive talent is lost, mostly because of the dreaded “system” employed by Coach Martin. Players hit the ice thinking “defense first”, and don’t have the ability to generate much, except for what is given to them by their opponent. Meanwhile, the youthful and free-wheeling Panthers and Lightning skate relentlessly in the Canadiens’ defensive zone, putting constant pressure on the defenseman, and forcing our forwards to get involved along the half-wall. Every team in the league does this against the Habs, but only the ones that sustain this type of constant pressure down low have success.
Unless Carey Price, who all expect to play these two games Thursday in Sunrise and Saturday in Tampa, stands on his proverbial head and stops his opponents in their tracks, will the Canadiens be able to bring home points, and extend their stranglehold on the sixth position in the Eastern Conference standings.