Roundtable: Several candidates who have a lot more to give on the Montreal Canadiens

2. Regarding the powerplay and the goals scored on it in the past 5 games, has it actually looked better or will it simmer down as the games get more intense?

KK: If you look back at all four of the Habs powerplay goals, they seem more like good fortune than excellent special teams play.

Tomas Tatar scored their first one against the Carolina Hurricanes, but he was gifted the puck in the slot thanks to an errant clearing attempt by a Canes defender. Jeff Petry was credited with a powerplay goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it came on a penalty shot. Joel Armia scored a PP goal against the Buffalo Sabres, but again, it was an awful turnover by a Sabres defender that gave him a chance from the top of the goal crease.

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Max Domi scored the fourth PP goal, and it was off a wild bounce against the Detroit Red Wings. Petry took a point shot that was deflected, bounced off the glass and landed in the crease. Domi found it before Wings’ goaltender Jonathan Bernier knew where it was and tucked it into the net.

Not one of their powerplay goals came from a classic setup and puck movement in the offensive zone. Until they can score a few off one-timers across the ice and pucks getting through from the point and tipped in or knocked in on a rebound, I’m not going to be too optimistic about their man advantage.

DD: We are currently converting at a 25% clip, good for 13th in the league, as opposed to last season, which saw us convert on only 13.2% of our power plays, placing us second to last in the league. Is this real? I have no idea, but I hope so. There’s no doubt that the man advantage looks improved. There is more movement, more chemistry and the coaching staff seems hell-bent on improving it this season, and so far, they have done just that.

It’s still a work in progress, but definitely, something to be happy about. The biggest issue last year was, without a doubt, our power play. A league-average power play would’ve seen us make the postseason. Just something to think about.