Groundhawk Day: Montreal Canadiens Lose to the Chicago Blackhawks Again

The Montreal Canadiens squared off against perennial cup favorites Chicago Blackhawks, and unlike the game in Montreal they actually showed up to play. The outcome was the same, but at least the game was entertaining. Let’s dive right in.

For starters let’s give credit where credit is due. The fans in Chicago are amazing! I’ve never seen any fans enjoy a national anthem as much as they did, but they made it feel special. It’s one of the venues that’s on my bucket list. The tribute to Jean Beliveau was nice, although one bone headed fan needed to yell out “Go Hawks!” during the moment of silence, but I don’t hold it against the rest of their faithful that they have one buffoon in the crowd. The bilingual anthem was a nice touch though, and I honestly didn’t see that coming.

Dec 5, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Montreal Canadiens goalie

(31) makes a save against Chicago Blackhawks right wing

(23) during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Last night’s game was a game of inches, and losing with less than 30 seconds left in the game will no doubt still. Especially since the Habs overcame a 2 goal deficit and even took the lead 3-2. The Habs again allowed the first and second goals of the game, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort or slow start. Sometimes you just get beat. It’s a great thing that the Habs have shown the resiliency to battle back and even win games when conceding the first goal, but they’ve only scored first in 9 games! Consequently they’ve won all 9 of those games.

The special teams battle was ultimately a tie, but the game tying goal was scored while PK Subban was in the box on a call that I would describe as “weak sauce”. You can’t be angry with the refs as they did call another weak one against Patrick Kane, which led to the Habs taking a 3-2 lead in the first place. Karma will do that to you.

Dec 5, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie

(31) makes a save as left wing

(13) and Montreal Canadiens right wing

(11) battle for the puck during the third period at the United Center. The Blackhawks won 4-3. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

One area the Habs lost that contributed to them losing this game was in the faceoff dot. They won 30 and lost 33, so it was close, but for a team that often struggles with possession numbers, the faceoff dot is where they tend to generate a lot of their momentum. It wasn’t the sole reason for them losing, but this team can’t be under 50% in any game, unless they start controlling more of the flow in games.

Here are some players that I want to single out after last night’s last minute letdown;

• Alexei Emelin – This wasn’t the crown jewel of performances for him. His foot speed was horrendous, he made a few really bad pinches and was often out of place. He needs to be better.
• Alex Galchenyuk – He was all over the ice creating offense. He picked up a beauty of an assist on the  Brendan Gallagher goal.
• Brendan Gallagher – The little engine that could generated 5 shots, 1 blocked shot, 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) and was all of the ice.

Therrien again made some odd moves, deciding that it’s better to play Dale Weise on the first line instead of Jiri Sekac. After Lars Eller went down with an upper body injury, he didn’t use the rookie much. I love what Weise brings to the game, he’s got a fierce competitive streak and he’s a great spark-plug. But let’s be completely honest. He’s not a first line winger. Sometimes I think the coach is just refuses to play the better player for not better reason that he likes to play his vets instead. That isn’t what this team is supposed to be about…

Dec 5, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Montreal Canadiens defenseman

(55) celebrates with the bench after scoring against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Sergei Gonchar scored his 1st goal as a Montreal Canadien last night. Let’s hope for many more, and maybe a few on the powerplay eh?

Finally the Habs are officially in a funk. They have now lost 5 of the last 6, with only one of those going to overtime. That’s a whole lot of points to be leaving on the table. They had a great first quarter of the season but they’ve managed to squander their hard earned lead atop the conference. They’ll need to get back into the win column very soon, and there is no time than like tonight against the Dallas Stars.

Thanks for reading!