Is the Montreal Canadiens blue line good enough for the playoffs?

Collin Jones: It’s a good question. There are several reasons. But I think the primary reason is that Montreal has serious problems entering the zone. The puck gets dumped into the offensive zone, but there is no one crashing the net to retrieve the puck. Then it gets dumped by the defense, and so on and so on.

I also think it may have a lot to do with who is carrying the puck through the neutral zone. It’s been Jonathan Drouin for a large majority of the season. If that is not working—which it isn’t—I do not see why Muller is not giving other players touches. I would like to see Max Domi or Tomas Tatar carry the puck into the zone more often.

It is fundamental, but there seems to be an easy solution. I see other teams doing this all the time with no trouble. A forward carries the puck into the zone, stopping along the half wall, and pitching the puck back to the defenseman. This seems to be incredibly effective and allows the offense to control the pace. Instead Montreal dumps the puck without chasing after it. It is ineffective, and it is exhausting to watch.

Surprisingly, Shea Weber has not added a ton to the power play, but scoring against the Arizona Coyotes helped. Perhaps it will tighten up as the season continues.