A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens: 7 Talking Points

By Sebastian High

MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 04: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens tends goal against the Ottawa Senators during the first period at the Bell Centre on February 4, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Ottawa Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 04: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens tends goal against the Ottawa Senators during the first period at the Bell Centre on February 4, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Ottawa Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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Jul 22, 2020; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Montreal Canadiens coaches Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2020; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Montreal Canadiens coaches Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Speaking of the firing of Claude Julien… 

The second Julien-era in Montreal has come to a close, as have the days of the Muller powerplay. I am glad that Bergevin made this change. While he stated that Julien did not lose the confidence of the locker room, everything else he said along with the on-ice product is indicative of the opposite. While Julien is well known for being a first-class human being, this change was necessary for the salvaging of this nosediving season.

Dominic Ducharme was brought in two years ago as the eventual successor to Julien, and that day has come sooner than many had expected. He brings with him a fundamentally different message and system to Julien’s. A far more modern approach to hockey, one that encourages the skilled players to freely make things happen in whichever way they see fit. One in which the best players will be given the opportunities to succeed, no matter their levels of experience. This is a breath of fresh air for this organization.

Ducharme’s first game at the helm did not go as planned, but I do think it is worth noting that the first period of the game was far and away the best and most entertaining period of hockey the Canadiens played since they stood atop the North division all those weeks ago. The team looked dynamic. It no longer dumped the puck in at each and every opportunity, nor did it shoot from the point every three seconds.

Of course, this dynamic system was seemingly abandoned once the Jets rallied in the second period, which seemed more indicative of the players’ returning to the system they’d been playing under Julien than of Ducharme giving different instructions. This is to be expected, a new system won’t become firmly entrenched overnight. But I do think this bodes well for Ducharme’s tenure, at the very least, the Habs will be fun to watch.

As for Muller’s departure, I think that a new coach was needed for the powerplay, which has been horribly static and ineffective for years. Alex Burrows ran a powerplay with far more movement in Laval so far this season, and it constantly looked dangerous. Against the Jets, the Habs had approximately 20 seconds of sustained offensive zone possession on the man advantage, since zone-entries remained painfully bad. It should be noted though, that these few seconds saw a very different powerplay setup and a whole lot more movement… which also bodes well.

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