The Montreal Canadiens hit a wall before the Four Nations break with only one win in their last nine. It was hoped that with two weeks rest that they would regain the form that made them the best team in the NHL for a month before that slump.
A playoff spot isn’t impossible, but the wins had to start against the Senators in Ottawa, and they did. The Canadiens were excellent in a 5-2 victory.
Wilde Horses
Juraj Slafkovsky said this week that if you want to find success in the NHL, you have to play like Brady Tkachuk. That’s quite a career aspiration that starts with being a lot more competitive than he has been so far in his career.
Slafkovsky is speaking about the tenacity that Tkachuk brings to a game. There isn’t a puck battle that Tkachuk isn’t willing to engage in. He hits hard. He plays hard. Tkachuk is a competitive jerk.
In game one for Slafkovsky after watching Tkachuk be the best American player in the Four Nations event, Slafkovksy delivered on his promise. Slafkovsky was a much harder opponent to face than he has been. Slafkovsky was willing and able to engage in a lot of puck battles, and he won a good share.
Sometimes a pro athlete thinks they are working hard and bringing everything they can, then they watch someone working much harder, and they realize that they aren’t actually competing as hard as they think they are. They aren’t using their big frame like they think they are.
It’s a long journey for Slafkovsky to rise to Brady’s level. Firstly, he has to have better balance in puck battles than he has. Secondly, he has to engage in close quarters in those puck battles, instead of reaching with a long stick into the fray hoping to pick the puck out.
This is why it gets repeated so often that Slafkovsky is only 20 years of age. For some, it feels like he has played enough games to show his true colours, but it’s not even close to the truth. He’s got a lot more to give, and to learn.
Slafkovsky can get in front of the net better. He can learn how to win inside position better when he does get there. His tipping game is actually not that good yet. He can deflect shots better than he has so far as well. He can release his good shot faster. He can think the game faster than he has so far.
Slafkovsky counted a well deserved goal on a 20-foot shot to make it 5-2. He was also instrumental on Cole Caufield’s 27th goal of the season. Slafkovsky won the puck in the corner, and then was in front of the net providing a screen on the point shot.
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Slafkovsky even got in a fight in the third period. He took exception to a Ridly Greig hit and immediately dropped the gloves. It was a bit of a cat-fight as Slafkovsky needs to learn a stance that doesn’t leave himself open to getting corked. The heart was 100 per cent willing, at least.
It was a big night offensively for the Canadiens. Josh Anderson scored on a rebound. Brendan Gallagher counted on a brutal Drake Batherson giveaway in front of Ottawa’s net. However, the prettiest goal of the night was Patrik Laine’s power play marker.
Lane Hutson saw space in front of him on the point. He skated toward goal which was key. He looked at Ullmark the entire time. That forced the defenders to come to Hutson. As soon as they did, it opened the ice for Laine to get a perfect pass to wire it upstairs for yet another goal from his favourite spot.
The Canadiens offence was firing. They had their energy back. They may have their mojo back.
Wilde Goats
Looking at the standings and seeing that the Canadiens are only six points back of the wild-card playoff spot may leave one with the impression that the task is still doable. However, in a world with a point awarded for a loss, the road ahead is even harder.
At its present rate, and with history as a guide, the final playoff spot will likely be won with 93 points. For the Canadiens to get to 93 points in their final 25 games, they have to go 18 wins and only seven losses. While anything is possible, this is unlikely.
However, considering the Canadiens got off to a good start looking for that miracle, there are no goats. Montreal needs a winning streak. Tuesday they invite Carolina, then Thursday it is San Jose at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens need to put six points on the board out of six to start the final stretch.
Wilde Cards
The Canadiens are thrilled that David Reinbacher bested his expected recovery time from knee surgery by a month and is already back in the line-up for the Laval Rocket. Reinbacher has played two games with his club losing once and winning once.
The initial reports on Reinbacher are strong as the head coach in Laval Pascal Vincent has been giving a glowing critique. After Reinbacher’s first game, where he was on for four goals against and finished with a minus-two, Vincent was still quite pleased.
“I thought he was our best defenceman the first half of the game. He reads plays. He kills plays. He has a good first pass, and an ability to anticipate what was happening in front of him. I was very impressed with him.”
In a dominating win for Laval in Reinbacher’s second game Vincent was glowing again: “He has a good head, good eyes and good feet and his hockey sense is really good. His offence won’t get created the same way like Lane Hutson or Logan Mailloux. I don’t know his ceiling, but after two games, I’m really impressed. It is rare that I see a young defender in his same class.”
“He makes plays under pressure. There are players who are a little more nervous when they have to come back into the play. He doesn’t seem nervous at all. The fact that he comes back into an environment and is capable of executing what was seen only on video is pretty impressive.”
Reinbacher was given the Rocket’s next game to rest as the knee is still recovering. Though a player can say his knee feels fine, the knee itself is still deciding how it feels a full 48 hours after a difficult task. It was just precautionary to remove him from the line-up Saturday.
Reinbacher was happy with his play in his first two games: “I feel pretty good. I got a lot of trust from the coaches. That was really nice. I tried to give it back. It was pretty good. It was a good pace.”
It’s not going to be easy after a long layoff during a developing year: “I have to work on a lot of things. For sure, the timing and speed reaction. It’s fast on the ice and I have to be ready. I think I did a good job on some of the reads, and had a couple of good looks.”
Reinbacher is set to play 25 regular season games, and the Rocket are expected to go on a long playoff run. It appears Reinbacher could get 45 games in, if all goes well. The reports of a lost season seem to have been greatly exaggerated.
Reinbacher is never going to be a top-flight offensive player at the NHL level. However, simply look back to the Four Nations tournament to the best defender on the US team Jaccob Slavin. He offered little offensively, but with perfection on the defensive side of the puck, he was a force.
Not all defenders should be Cale Makar. If Reinbacher lives up to his advanced billing in terms of decision making, gap control, puck battling and man-on-man coverage, he will be a valuable addition to the Canadiens defence that currently ranks 30th in the league in goals allowed.
