Montreal Canadiens did Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders a favour
The Montreal Canadiens are out, but their impact will go on, especially for Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders, who will face the Philadelphia Flyers.
No two teams impressed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs more than the Vancouver Canucks and the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately, for the Habs, they weren’t able to get the job done and make it to the second round, but they did do a lot better than most predicted. Sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins is one thing, and taking the Philadelphia Flyers to six games is another; however, there’s one another crucial thing the Canadiens did, and it’s going to be important for Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders.
The Flyers and Islanders had a lot in common this regular season. Both established themselves as structured-defensive squads who would rather win 2-1 or 1-0 than open the flood gates and get into a scoring race. The coaching of Trotz and Alain Vigneault was a big part of that, and yes, we have to give some kudos to Michel Therrien as well.
Surprisingly, only one of the two teams stuck to that identity the entire way through. Philadelphia went undefeated in the Round Robin, scoring a total of 11 goals and not allowing any more than 1. They were getting offensive contributions, but not from those that you’d expect. At the time, it was Scott Laughton and Nicolas Aube-Kubel leading the way while Carter Hart had .971 and .958 save percentage performances.
It didn’t matter as much that Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Travis Konecny wasn’t getting on the board. The Flyers’ depth was producing, and their structure helped Hart, and Brian Elliott shut the door.
This identity made Philadelphia a scary team heading into the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So much, so that many believed the Montreal Canadiens didn’t stand a chance.
Yes, the Habs lost, but they played a lot better than most expected them to, and it wasn’t all on the shoulders of Carey Price. And to go even further, the Canadiens exposed something about the Philadelphia Flyers that I’m sure Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders paid attention to.
I looked at this in an article ahead of Game 6, where I made a few observations leading to a final conclusion that Games 2 and 5 weren’t all that different.
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Game 2 was Montreal’s 5-0 blowout win, while Game 5 was fiery and energetic 5-3 victory to push the series forward. Some will say those were the two games where the Flyers lost their defensive structure, but I’ll argue the Montreal Canadiens made them do it.
Speed through transition and controlling the back of the net really helped the Habs in those two games. They continued to push the pace and keep the Flyers guessing, so much so that there were multiple occasions where a man would be left alone in the slot or right in the crease with Hart.
When Montreal stepped away from this playing style, they allowed Philadelphia to establish an early lead, dictate the pace, and shutdown centre ice, which is where the Habs are their most dangerous.
Trotz likely had a giant smile on his face watching those games. The New York Islanders do play a similar reserved style, but they can grind it out, use their speed, and fight for space to capitalize. Players such as Mathew Barzal, Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier, to name a few, are going to be difference-makers.
Kevin Hayes is trying to set the record straight and make it seem like they were able to win without playing their best. However, I feel having that perspective mitigates what the Montreal Canadiens were able to accomplish in this series. Their players dominated at times, especially Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. That’s not all on the Flyers, that’s Montreal establishing a game, working at it, and capitalizing on those chances.
The Montreal Canadiens pulled the curtain back on the Philadelphia Flyers. Whether they want to admit it or not, they’re not as consistently defensive and aware as they put off. They did shutout the Habs in back-to-back games, but let’s not forget Montreal is a team that has chronic issues of goalless droughts, especially from their top players at times. For example, Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher were their most productive players this season, and they didn’t find the back of the net as much as they could’ve.
The New York Islanders, on the other hand, completely dismantled the Washington Capitals. It was nearly a first-round sweep if not for Alex Ovechkin and his two-goal performance in Game 4. The Islanders consistently scored first in their games, shut down the neutral zone with their modified 1-3-1 coverage, and bide their time until they got an opportunity to hem them in their zone and score.
Hart is a great goaltender and will be for years to come, but Games 2 and 5 proved that if the Flyers’ system collapses, he allows goals.
Next. The Habs may not be as far as we thought. dark
Don’t be surprised to see the Islanders come out on top in this series against the Flyers. And if they do, the weaknesses the Montreal Canadiens exposed in them will be a part of it.