Montreal Canadiens: Breaking Down Game 2 Line By Line
Line 1: Brendan Gallagher – Phillip Danault – Artturi Lehkonen or Mission Accomplished?
There was a clear improvement with this line, and Montreal as a whole. There was an obvious effort to get Danault out against Point and it worked pretty well.
Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov were held pointless in the game, which is no small feat. Their winger Ondrej Palat was a different story, but you cannot blame this line for that, and don’t you worry, we will get to that goal. But other than that, Kucherov and Point were fairly quiet. They had some chances, like Stone and Pacioretty did in the last series, but did not register points. That needs to continue.
The problem came when this line became matched up with the Goodrow – Gourde – Coleman line, and a bad habit that seemed like it was left in the past reared its ugly head. The one second alluded to in the introduction was the last second of the second period, where Blake Coleman scored a back-breaker, and it was against Montreal’s first line.
Its all just about effort for the whole 60 minutes. Danault loses the puck at the blue-line, and a Montreal player makes a weak drive-by on the player with the puck. Chiarot makes the poor decision to pinch at his own blue line, probably assuming that there is no time left for Tampa to score. But that put Weber into a 2-on-1 situation with Danault backchecking hard. And Danault made a great defensive play, just the play Coleman made was better, diving to put the puck into the net with mere milliseconds left to play.
The other big story with this line is that Artturi Lehkonen was viciously checked into the boards, and left the game. Former Montreal draft pick Mikhail Sergachev cross-checked Lehkonen the perfect distance away from the boards to injure. Far enough away to get the full bodily momentum into the boards, yet close enough to not have any time to protect yourself. At the time of writing this, there is no word if Lehkonen will return for Game 3, and Jake Evans may take his place, if healthy. Evans missed Game 2, and was skating with a no-contact jersey.
Montreal has surrendered goals in the first and last minute of periods a lot this year. The goals in the last minute really hurt, as there is no time to get the momentum back, and the goal is fresh in everyone’s minds going into the break. It seemed like Montreal had kicked the habit during the playoffs, but this play probably cost Montreal the game. You have to play the full 60 minutes.
Line 2: Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Tyler Toffoli or Variety is the Spice of Life
Like most of the Canadiens’ lines, this line looked a lot better, and much more threatening for a goal. Nick Suzuki got the only goal for Montreal, in fact it was Montreal’s only point, as the goal was unassisted, but it happened on the powerplay as well. So, not technically all this line.
But there were a couple of great chances, with Caufield in particular, at the side of the net trying to fit the puck into a small hole above Vasilevskiy’s shoulder. And it almost worked. Toffoli got a great break-away chance, but was stopped by a standing Vasilevskiy. Which was the problem.
The Montreal forwards have definitely read the book on Vasilevskiy. During the first game, the broadcast crew shared a chart that showed that in order to score against Vasilevskiy, you have to shoot high. Most goals scored were high glove or high blocker, and goals from shots along the ice are rare. But Tampa Bay and Vasilevskiy know that, and know that Montreal knows that.
When you look at Vasilevskiy as a Montreal shooter moves into the zone, the goalie is standing up to his full 6’3″ every time. He knows that the Montreal shooters are going to shoot high, and it is not a weakness if the goalie knows where the shots are going. Especially such a tall goalie like Vasilevskiy.
In order to score high, you have to force Vasilevskiy down. If there is no threat of a low shot, you are not going to score high. Montreal’s shooters need to make Vasilevskiy think about what to do, because right now they are making it easy on him. It is similar to the Lehner Caufield situation, where Lehner stopped Caufield on a break-away because he knew Caufield was going to go for the five-hole shot. What happened next? Caufield got a break-away and shot high over the shoulder and scored.
Montreal, and this line in particular, needs to start to shoot low, and get Vasilevskiy off his feet. Even if these low shots don’t go in, it leaves more room up top to score those over-the-shoulder goals these guys have been looking for all series so far. And if there are any forwards that have the skill and creativity to score these low goals, its Suzuki, Caufield and Toffoli.
Right now, Montreal’s offence is very predictable, and anything being thrown at the net is being easily read by Vasilevskiy. Montreal needs to make him think, and the goals will come.
Line 3: Josh Anderson – Jesperi Kotkaniemi – Paul Byron or A Line Lacking Some Finnish
Of all the forward lines Montreal has iced, this one is the most enigmatic. Paul Byron has proved his worth killing penalties and scoring 3 goals using his break-away speed. Jesperi Kotkaniemi has had his ups and downs, and recently has had more downs than ups, but has had 5 goals. Josh Anderson has looked dangerous in each series, but only has 3 goals and 1 assist.
I think every single game this post-season, Josh Anderson has had a chance where his size and speed has carried him behind the opposing defence and onto the net. However, these chances, dangerous though they seem, have rarely resulted in goals. Anderson’s three goals, two in one game, include the Toronto goal: where he was still in front of the defence when he took the shot; the first Vegas goal: which was a gift from Fleury; and the second Vegas goal: where he skillfully knocked down the puck at the blueline and was in with Byron on a 2-on-0.
The only time that one of Anderson’s drives to the net has resulted in a goal was in a game against Vegas, where the puck squeezed through Fleury, went through the crease, and Kotkaniemi received a gift of an empty net. But those opportunities are too good to pass up. Anderson needs to find a way to turn those rushes into goals. This line has to find a way to put the puck in the net period. Both Montreal and Tampa have great records when scoring first, and Tampa has done that in both games so far. Montreal has to find a way to score first.
I would totally understand if there are no lineup changes into the next game (outside of if Lehkonen is severely injured or not), as the Canadien’s did play a very good game and Ducharme and Richardson have not changed the lineup during this run. But, if there was a change to be made, if I may be so forward, I have a humble suggestion. Its a small change, but might get some more offensive chances. And that is switch the positions of Paul Byron and Joel Armia.
Joel Armia has been instrumental to the success of Montreal’s fourth line along with Corey Perry and Eric Staal. And while Armia has been great, I think that there could be even greater rewards to be had by putting Armia on the third line. While Byron has been good on that line, in fact, better than Kotkaniemi, I think that someone with the proven finishing power of Armia could really help this line. Armia has the size and speed to be able to play with Kotkaniemi and Anderson, and Byron could still bring the grit and tenacity to that fourth line.
While putting Byron on the fourth line might bring down some of the production of said fourth line, I believe that it would be outweighed by the positives that Armia would bring to that third line. On the fourth line Armia already has 5 goals, just imagine what more he could have on the third.
Line 4: Corey Perry – Eric Staal – Joel Armia or Reunited and it Feels So…Okay
While you cannot blame how everything in this game went better than the first because of Joel Armia, but you can say that about this line. They had more dangerous chances, and it is clear that Perry and Staal need a more offensive minded player than Jake Evans for this line to produce.
And while this line did not produce on the scoresheet, they did have more of those shifts that they were so good at getting in series in the past, where they spend a lot of time in the offence zone, and while they don’t always score, they can get the team going.
However, the big story is that first Tampa goal. It was a weak one. Anthony Cirelli took a weak shot from the point, that went straight into the back of the net. So how did Carey Price let this shot through? Well, the answer is that he was screened, but who was he screened by? The answer is Corey Perry and Jon Merrill, both of whom were wearing Montreal jerseys.
In the Vegas series, Montreal did a great job of clearing the net and making sure that Price could see any puck that got put on the net. No Montreal player was ever found in front of the net, and the one Vegas player in front of Price is not enough of a screen. But Perry and Merrill provided a double layered screen, which is hard to see through, and made little attempt to actually block the shot.
As I stated before, I think a good idea might be to bring Armia up off of this line, and drop down Byron to this line. This is not a demotion for Byron, as he has played well this playoff run, and I think that Byron could bring a similar energy, tenacity and speed that Armia brings, and could still keep the tough cycle identity that this line has built up.
Defensive Pairing 1: Shea Weber – Ben Chiarot or Play the Whole Game
Shea Weber and Ben Chiarot have been great this post season. They play a really physical game that is enhanced by the different standards that referees have for penalties. Weber got away with a big slash at the end of Game 1 with only a fine, and the number of punishing cross-checks and man-handling in front of the net that these two have exacted on the Tampa Bay forwards.
The problem is attention to detail. We went through the second goal, the heart-breaker, earlier, but Chiarot’s decision on this play is not good. Montreal has gotten this far by prudent and stout defending. If you take no risks, than you give the opponents nothing, and Montreal can just wait for the opponent to make mistakes. They capitalised on Toronto’s mistakes in almost all their goals in their first round series, and I am sure I do not have to tell you about Fleury’s mistake.
But what Chiarot did was not safe. It was seconds before the period ended, but obviously there was enough time to score a goal, and that is what happened. If Chiarot plays that a bit more conservatively, not stepping up to steal the puck at the line, there is no goal. Chiarot can take the man with the puck, Goodrow, and Shea Weber and Danault can handle Coleman, and the game would go into the third tied 1-1. But that wasn’t the case, and the game fell to Tampa.
Defensive Pairing 2: Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry or The Importance of Communication
If the last second goal was the dagger to the heart of the Montreal Canadiens, the third goal was the nail in the coffin. While the last second goal was an impressive showcase of offensive skill by Coleman, and a single bad decision by Chiarot, the third goal was an impressively bad display of defensive communication.
Jeff Petry has been Montreal’s best defenceman for a couple of seasons now. While Shea Weber is the steady physical presence on the back end, Petry has the ability to play extremely well when the puck is on his stick, and is instrumental at getting the puck up ice and into the offensive zone. Edmundson is cut from the same cloth as Weber, but has shown some offensive flair, especially in the Winnipeg series, where he made an amazing pass to Suzuki to score that fantastic patience goal.
And that is what makes the third goal such a weird one. It makes sense if a player like Jon Merrill or Erik Gustafsson would make that mistake, or a forward behind the net. Not the player that finished top 5 in +- in the entire league.
Edmundson skated behind the net and executed the perfect pass to Ondrej Palat. Put more on it, and it goes past Palat to Petry, and put less on it, and Palat gets the puck behind the net and there is time for Petry and Edmundson to try to recover. Instead, Palat gets it in the perfect spot to snap it in the net with one touch.
It is that kind of mistake that Montreal’s players have so successfully avoided making. And when you are playing against the likes of Kucherov, Point, Stamkos and Palat, those are mistakes that more often than not end up in the back of the net. Especially with the offence stalling against the wall that is Andrei Vasilevskiy, there can be no mistakes.
Defensive Pairing 3: Jon Merrill – Erik Gustafsson or Get Your Act Together
Once again, these two are on the ice for damage control, and let the Big 4 get a rest. It is no offence to these two. There are few defenders that can match with Weber, Chiarot, Edmundson and Petry. But we have seen some more of Gustafsson and Merrill as the playoffs have gone on.
That is almost definitely due to fatigue. The Clydesdales have played monster minutes since Game 1 of the Toronto series, and that much play time in the most intense hockey on the planet will take its toll on the body. You need the bottom two pairing to provide safe play, and come out even, or plus if they can.
Merrill screened Price on the first goal of the game, and Gustafsson has continued to stall on the powerplay. I do not think that Romanov will draw into the Final. There is rust and inexperience there, and is not as offensively minded as Gustafsson and not as defensively sound as Merrill. If one player goes out, it might be Gustafsson. However, as well as trying to provide offence on the powerplay, he gives one of the Big 4 a break, as either Petry or Weber would take his place as a member of the first group.
Don’t let the score fool you, Montreal played a good game. They probably should have won the game if not for Andrei Vasilevskiy. It feels like Montreal is looking for a breakthrough, and then they will be able to score more than 1 goal a game.
Both of Montreal’s goals have been scored in fluke-y ways, a double deflection and a whiff backhand goal. Sometimes those goals can bring up the confidence of the offence, by saying that if that bad shot can go in anything can go in.
But sometimes you just need to score a straight goal in order to say that you can beat Vasilevskiy with your skill, and that is what it feels like Montreal needs. Just one good goal and the rest will come.
Line 1: SCORE THE FIRST GOAL. Tampa’s first line of Nikitia Kucherov, Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat cannot get any points this game. Danault and Gallagher have completely shut down everyone else, they have to take advantage of last change and absolutely shut down that line.
Line 2: SCORE THE FIRST GOAL. And you can do that by altering your shot selection. Make Vasilevskiy think where the shot is going to go, and holes will appear.
Line 3: SCORE THE FIRST GOAL. Maybe Armia could be one this line, maybe not. But either way, this line has to find some finishing power. They have gotten chances, but they have to put the puck in the net and they have to do early.
Line 4: SCORE THE FIRST GOAL. Continue with the ground and pound and clean up the defensive play. Staal in the Vegas series, Perry in the last game. Armia scored the first goal in Game 2 against Vegas when all hope seemed lost, maybe he can do it again.
Pairing 1: Play the full game and play it safe. Tampa has the most potent offence arguably in the entire league. Make mistakes and they will capitalise and they will score. Conservative play is the way to go and let the forwards try to score the goals on the rush. Pick your spots extremely carefully.
Pairing 2: Petry has to become more active and confident with the puck. He is unique on Montreal as a puck moving defenceman, and is one of the best in the league at it. Edmundson must make better decisions with the puck.
Pairing 3: Produce on the powerplay and do not get scored on. Do not, under any circumstances let the first goal in.
Next. 5 Takeaways following a Game 2 loss. dark
If Montreal plays the way that they played last game, they will do well in Game 3. The big difference is that the puck has to go in the net first. Montreal’s offence has to be in all out attack in this basically must-win game. This is it. Montreal has to find a way to win this game, if not, we will see a repeat winner.