It has been a challenge for the Montreal Canadiens to finish a game with 30 shots this season, but in the loss to the Chicago Blackhawks they managed 40 shots.
Now, I'm not suggesting that the loss is something the team should be searching for a positive in because it wasn't the result they wanted. But I think the team warrants a little slack; when you consider that the Habs ran into a hot goalie. Arvid Soderblom was nothing short of brilliant, and he frustrated Montreal.
There are adjustments that will need to be made ahead of the Habs Saturday night matchup with the Colorado Avalanche. But I think that head coach Martin St. Louis will feel encouraged by the Habs' ability to put the puck toward the net. Choosing the shooting spots a little better could be a wise piece of advice for the team.
I do think that the effort was there, and that is something that can be worked with. Making the right decisions in the offensive zone, more specifically shot selection and getting traffic in front of the net will go a long way. Defensively it wasn't a fantastic effort, but Samuel Montembeault did his best to hold the Habs in the game, but Soderblom outdueled him.
If the shooter's mentality can stand pat, and the team come together more cohesively, a complete team performance should make a big difference. The Avalanche shouldn't be taken lightly, but the Habs have shown they can hang with the league's big dogs. So long as they continue shooting, and playing a complete 60 minutes, I believe they are pushing in the right direction.
Montreal may not be close to a threat to make some noise in the playoffs, but they might not be so far away from clinching a wildcard spot. I think that the team still needs another year or two, but chemistry and consistency will come with time. I am the first to admit that watching the Canadiens drop a game to the Blackhawks was hard, but I don't think that the team is still lacking a couple of pieces.
We can look at with a glass half-empty, and view the Habs loss as the wheels falling off the boat completely. Or a glass half-full mentality, with the thought that the Habs are down, but they are growing and it's a marathon not a race. Rushing the Habs or expecting them to be contenders before all the pieces arrive isn't going to happen.
Onto the next one
The focus has to switch to the Avalanche now, with a turnover from Chicago on Friday to Denver on Saturday night. Juraj Slafkovsky will look to shake off the thoughts of a poor performance against the Blackhawks, with a strong effort against Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the Aves. While I think it's an odd decision, Jakub Dobes starts between the pipes against the obviously stronger opponent.
Being able to move on from tough losses and recollect themselves before the next game is the difference between a good team and a bad team. If the team sits around and mopes about the loss, then that mood spreads in the room. Rather putting the loss behind them and continuing to push forward create a thick skin and resiliency throughout the locker room.