Montreal Canadiens: Breaking Down the Penalty Kill

The Montreal Canadiens penalty next season may look slightly similar to last year’s in terms of personnel, but needs to improve moving forward.

A team’s penalty kill may be one of the most overlooked aspects of the game. It can be a real game changer. Whether you’re defending a lead, or holding out until you get a chance to score, being able to prevent the opponent from converting on a power play opportunity wins games. The Montreal Canadiens unfortunately need to take time next season to improve theirs.

The Canadiens’ penalty kill has been on a steady decline for the past three seasons. Their penalty kill was around 85% after the 2012-2013 season. This season, the kill was at 81%. That had the Montreal Canadiens sitting 14th in the league.

According to leftwinglock.com, the Habs two main penalty kill units were:

• Tomas Plekanec–Paul Byron–Shea Weber–Alexei Emelin
• Torrey Mitchell-Byron-Weber-Emelin

Sometimes Max Pacioretty or Phillip Danault would be played instead of Byron. The Canadiens scored five shorthanded goals last season. Plekanec had the lead in that department with two while Pacioretty, Byron, and Artturi Lehkonen had one a piece.

Related Story: Breaking Down the Power Play

2017-2018 Penalty Kill Units

The Montreal Canadiens will probably have the same make-up for the penalty kill next season. Two solid defensive pillars on the point, a defensively responsible center, and an offensive option.

Here’s a look at what this season’s penalty kill could look like:

• Plekanec-Byron-Weber-Alzner
• Danault/Mitchell-Byron-Weber-Alzner

Unfortunately, Emelin isn’t on the team anymore. Karl Alzner will probably be the one to replace him. He played a key role on the penalty kill with the Washington Capitals and could definitely bring that to Montreal.

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Habs fans may also see more of Danault killing penalties next season. It would be ideal for Claude Julien to take advantage of the center’s versatility. He has the hockey sense to predict and disrupt plays, and may be able to send Byron off on a breakaway if the timing is right.

The team may want to start grooming future penalty killers though. Both Plekanec and Mitchell are on expiring deals. It’s more likely that they remain with the Canadiens the entire season, but there’s always a chance they get dealt.

Finally, we have to look at Carey Price and Al Montoya as well. The cliché is that your goaltender has to be your best penalty killer, and on most nights Price is. The killers just have to do a good job in clearing the lanes for him.

Penalties are going to happen in a game. The difference between an alright team and a great team is that the great ones don’t let the penalties mean something often. The penalty kill will definitely be one of the improved aspects of the Habs’ game once Julien gets a full season in.

Next: Season Expectations for Charles Hudon

Do you think the penalty kill can improve? Let us know your thoughts down below