Montreal Canadiens: 24 Thoughts On Habs Falling Flat vs Predators
Third Period Thoughts
Ryan O'Reilly plays in Nashville? So do Tyson Barrie and Luke Schenn? I guess a short stint with the Maple Leafs recently will send players as far south as possible to get away from that circus.
Savard makes a lot of smart, correct defensive plays. He seems to be a bit of a whipping boy among Habs fans, but he is a great veteran to have on a team filled with young defensemen. He is constantly in the right spot to break up plays and can get the puck moving in the right direction in a hurry as well. Some underrated offensive ability there.
I thought that late goal in the second period by Evans would really fire up the Canadiens and see them come out flying in the third period but it is more of the same with some back and forth play but not a lot of momentum or pressure being built up by the Habs.
Sean Monahan steps around a Preds defender, but then he gets clipped as the defenseman sticks his leg out and sends Monahan spinning to the ice. With all the injuries the Habs have suffered in recent years you hold your breath when any player goes down, but especially Monahan who has dealt with severe injuries for years.
It says a lot about the state of the Montreal Canadiens that they have a line of Christian Dvorak, Gallagher and Armia on the ice with less than six minutes to go in a game while down by a goal. That is more than $14 million worth of cap hits this season and you know there is no chance they will score a goal to tie this game.
Apparently, Brad Holland, the assistant general manager of the Edmonton Oilers was in attendance watching the game last night. I can only imagine he liked what he saw from Jake Allen but who else could he have his eye on? Maybe Savard? Johnathan Kovacevic? They could use some defensive help as well as goaltending.
Gallagher being rewarded with some last minute of play ice time as the team tried to tie the game. Well deserved as he was one of the team's best players all night and one of the few who showed up right from the start of the game. He has had a bit of a dip in his play lately so it is great to see him back on the ice in key situations after earning it with strong two-way play.
The Canadiens can not find the tying goal and fall 2-1 to the Predators which drops the Canadiens to 12-13-3 on the season. Considering Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook have missed considerable time that is a better record than expected. I just don't see where the goals come from to continue playing anywhere near a .500 points percentage for the rest of the season.