A Winning Habit
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Habs Ready to Wing It and Earn Carey Price his 43rd Win

By Mat Germain

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GAME PREVIEW: RED WINGS VS HABS, WIN #43 FOR CAREY PRICE?

Don’t you wish you could fast forward through the last two games of the season and know for certain that no new injuries would come out of them and that all remaining team issues were sorted out and ready for the playoffs? This is a time of angst, excitement, and anticipation when the word “playoffs” becomes a regular part of fan vocabulary. As Detroit comes into town, let’s all hope the Habs get Carey Price his 43rd win of the season, that all of his team mates come out of it healthy, and that we get to see what kind of line arrangement Michel Therrien has in mind with Max Pacioretty out of the lineup.

With that in mind, let’s work through some of the issues to look for in tonight’s game and some thoughts about what this game means, or can mean to the Habs as they head into the playoffs:

Detroit will be a great test for the Habs and could either build their confidence, or crush it. They truly need to have some form of success in order to keep their mojo going in the right direction;

Thankfully, the Habs have had their way with Detroit so far this year and could secure a regular season sweep if they’re successful in getting Price his 43rd win;

As we all know, Mad Max is out and the lines will get juggled as a result. Look for what comes out of the first period and how the lines are set by the end of the third. That will be very telling in that what Therrien has set by the end of the game may very well be what we see the first game of the playoffs if Max continues to miss time;

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  • Alex Galchenyuk will get his chance to prove he can be a top-scorer while he works with Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher. When you consider that Alex has begun heading for the net more often as the season has gone on, then Tomas should have no problem finding traffic in front of the net as he tries to set up his wingers. It won’t be a huge size line, but it will be fast, hard-working, and full of energy;
  • What most people are not talking about much is how this sets up the 2nd and 3rd lines. To me, that’s just as important – if not more – than how the first line sets up. Why? Well, if the first line doesn’t score as much, you need strong 2nd and 3rd lines that can support the team with a little more scoring. With this in mind, guys like Lars Eller, David Desharnais, Devante Smith-Pelly and P.A. Parenteau need to find their scoring touch. They need to get more pucks to the net and find the next level within themselves. Without them at their best, chances of success diminish greatly. So, look for their makeup (in terms of lines), ice time, and PP time;

    • Look for Desharnais to centre Smith-Pelley and Parenteau, while Eller gains a more critical role as the centre for

    Dale Weise

    and Jacob De La Rose;

    Jan 19, 2013; Montreal, QC, CAN; Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien behind forward Max Pacioretty (67) and David Desharnais (51) and Lars Eller (81) during the third period at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

    It will be interesting to see who the Habs have playing against the Wings top line tonight and how well they play. Max’s defensive play is something that the Habs will miss as well;

  • Traffic, traffic, traffic. What I’d like to see more than anything but Price’s 43rd win is traffic in front of Jimmy Howard. If the Habs need to crash the net to do it, make it happen.
  • Finally, the scoring that will be missing without Max in the lineup can also be picked up by the D. When you consider that without Max, two of the top three Habs point getters are defencemen, you see that much of the scoring in Montreal comes from the blue line. On that end, Nathan Beaulieu and Jeff Petry really need to take great shooting decisions from the line and attempt to get shots through a pretty tough Detroit team. They have what it takes to make the smart plays, and if they can up their point scoring, they’ll be relieving pressure from forwards that will likely be holding the sticks just a bit tighter.

    • The stage is set, the Wings are ready to be roasted, and Michel Therrien will surely have a lot of questions to answer after the game. We’re hoping that most questions are positive in nature, and regardless, we’ll all be waiting for word – for many more days – about whether or not Max will play in the first playoff game. Either way, he’ll be learning on Carey Price to carry the team forward.

    Here’s a recap of their game on Feb 15th, as a teaser of what we’re in store for tonight!

    If you ask me, I think the Habs will come out firing on all cylinders, ready to get the win for Price and to prove to themselves, to Max, and to their fans that they can win without their top forward. Doing so would send a message to any first round opponent and set the tone for a good, long, and successful playoff run.

    What do you think, will Carey Price earn his 43rd win tonight?

    Next: Season Comparison

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