A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: 5 Key observations from the Pittsburgh Penguin game

By Omar L

MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 13: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles for the puck against Paul Byron #41 of the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 13, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - OCTOBER 13: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles for the puck against Paul Byron #41 of the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 13, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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Montreal Canadiens
MONTREAL, QC – OCTOBER 13: Montreal Canadiens Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

4) Complacent powerplay

This is going to sound very “stay in your lane,” but Pittsburgh’s powerplay didn’t look good. Coach Sullivan agreed, so it’s not an outrageous take and going 0/3 speaks for itself (neither does going 0/6, but that’s another conversation).

There wasn’t enough danger and not nearly enough shots. At least not enough to keep the goaltender moving. Perhaps it comes down to who was on the ice and finding some connections that way. The Flyers were also doing a good job defensively in taking away shooting lanes and making Pittsburgh’s PP look weak.

The Habs can excel here as they did a good job holding the Leafs’ powerplay at bay by clogging up centre ice.

5) Jarry puck handles

It’s not clear who is going to start games for Pittsburgh between Murray and Jarry. One thing I noticed from Jarry was his willingness to play the puck. The broadcast mentioned he was working on his puck handling during the pause, and that could be a green light for the Montreal Canadiens.

Players such as Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher, who like to crash the boards, could intercept any of those plays and make behind-the-net plays to linemates in the slot. It’ll be something to look out for, and of those windows to score Pittsburgh may allow if Jarry is in net.

Next. Next stop, Stanley Cup Qualifier. dark

The Montreal Canadiens had a lot to work with from that game and a lot to prepare for. It’ll be up to them whether they apply the information they’ve studied.

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