After 55 games, the Habs are separating the sheep from the goats

February 18, 2024

This past week for the Montreal Canadiens featured three games. On Tuesday the Anaheim Ducks were in town and the Habs won in convincing fashion, with a final result of 5-0. The Habs were in New York to face the Rangers on Thursday and suffered a 7-4 loss. Then on Saturday, the Canadiens were back in Montreal to greet the Washington Capitals – the result was a 4-3 loss

Here are my thoughts on the Habs after 55 games.

Winning winnable games in convincing fashion is an important developmental step.

This young team has had an up and down season – winning some games where they were the undisputed underdog, and looking like dogshit in some games they should have won. But on Tuesday night, from start to finish, the Montreal Canadiens, with a properly depleted line-up, demonstrated that they were the better team and they would not fall to the lowly Anaheim Ducks.

It may yet be two steps forward and one back, but this was indeed a step in the right direction.

Primeau’s shutout performance on Thursday turned up the heat on the desire to move Allen.

Sure, Anaheim only managed 13 shots, but the young netminder stopped them all. Despite less than ideal developmental conditions this season, Primeau has made the case that he can be a capable backup for the Montreal Canadiens, at least for this period until they are seriously competitive again. In the meanwhile, Kent Hughes continues to state his contentment to maintain three goalies for the season and deal with the issue in the summer. He may have to with Allen playing at less than his best.

Fair enough from a business perspective, but most fans would really love to see this ménage à trois come to an end.

On Thursday night, Juraj Slafkovsky broke his first record with the Montreal Canadiens.

On Thursday night, Slaf scored a beauty nearing the end of the second period and got his name written in the record books, becoming the first teenager in Canadiens history to record a seven-game point streak.

Folks, that crow is never going to become pheasant. Just eat it already.

Jake Evans is heating up at the perfect time of the year.

Not only did Evans score goals in consecutive games on Tuesday and Thursday, but he is centering a line with Pearson and Anderson and actually found some chemistry for a couple of games. On Saturday, not so much. Is it possible that there may be some trade value in that trio? The coach is certainly giving them the exposure to make or break it.

In the meanwhile, Brendan Gallagher returned from suspension to a slot on the fourth line, and was barely noticeable in his return. That’s a cringeworthy contract that Hughes inherited.

The game against the Rangers highlighted a couple of coaching gaffes.

I have been sparing in any criticism of Martin St. Louis. There are limits to what you can expect with the hand he’s been dealt with this line up. Nonetheless, when the coach makes questionable decisions, it’s fair to ask questions. I have a couple.

Does Marty have a gauge for when he makes a goalie change? Whether it’s on the goalie or the team in front of him, when the goals against soar like they did Thursday night, at some point you have to say uncle. There is no excuse whatsoever when you’re carrying three goalies and your next game is two nights away and at home. This is now the third game I can remember where the goalie was left in for a bushel of goals against.

And secondly, who’s going to tell Marty that the guy reviewing video and giving him advice on goalie interference calls is not good at it? It may be just me, but it feels like Marty’s confidence in making the challenge is inconsistent with his success rate.

The days of Slafkovsky being stapled to the bench late in games and needing a goal are done.

There they were on Saturday night. Late in the game, down by a goal and headed to the power play. The coach calls a time out. We had grown accustomed to seeing Slafkovsky watching from his spot on the bench. On Saturday night, there he was in the centre of the huddle while Marty mapped out the end of game strategy.

This week we saw a little silliness with a blogger pronouncing that Slaf wasn’t performing like a first overall pick because he’s not averaged out at a point per game as a teenager. I learned a long time ago that some hockey conversations are not worth having, and this is one of them.

With 27 games left in the season, and less than three weeks to the trade deadline, the sheep are separating from the goats.

On Saturday night Anthony Mantha said that the Washington Capitals had prepared to face the top line of Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky because they were the best line since the All-Star break. The Habs have a bona fide top line. They also have a vision for a second line with Dach healing, and Newhook providing some offense with little support. Roy looks like a solid third liner for the future. The Habs have goaltending and a crop of defenders competing for the top spots.

The team also has a large crop of player with no prospects of a future in Montreal. The game cards, night after night, are revealing that tale.

#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Montreal Canadiens on 2024-02-17:#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/EzWPWVGBTQ

— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) February 18, 2024

In the coming days, Kent Hughes will be doing his best to find new homes for some players whose future in Montreal has been determined. We can expect a couple of college players to sign contracts with the Canadiens, and perhaps get a taste of NHL action. Some guys in Laval – Logal Mailloux comes to mind – will get a chance to assess themselves against an NHL pace.

The picture is becoming clearer, and hopefully business in the next couple of weeks helps Kent Hughes frame it.