Sports
Arrow
Title - Mitch Melnick
Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Follow Me on TwitterMitch Melnick is the host of Melnick in the Afternoon on the Team 990 - Montreal's Sports Authority. Mitch also has his own website at MitchMelnick.com where you can find his blog, music links, upcoming events, neat photos and more. Listen Live to Melnick - weekdays from 3:00 - 7:00 pm. If you have questions or wish to contact Mitch, you can email him at mitch.melnick@team990.com
The Good, Bad and Ugly - Habs lost to Oilers because they played frightened
Mitch Melnick
TSN990 and MitchMelnick.com

Mitch Melnick Blog
The Good, Bad and Ugly - Habs lost to Oilers because they played frightened
As far as Mitch Melnick is concerned, this game was lost because the Montreal Canadiens came out in their own building and played frightened. Afraid of what might happen should they open up a little against the Edmonton Oilers, as if this is the Oilers of Gretzky, Messier, Anderson and Coffey.
PHOTO CREDIT - YouTube.com

Montreal - Nov. 9, 2011 - This one was ugly. Oh, we're going to hear about how great Nikolai Khabibulin was, and the goal posts the Habs, especially Mike Cammalleri continue to rings shots off of (as if a goal post here and a cross bar there doesn't count when it's hit by the other guys) but as far as I'm concerned this game was lost because the Canadiens came out in their own building and played frightened. Afraid of what might happen should they open up a little against the Oilers, as if this is the Oilers of Gretzky, Messier, Anderson and Coffey.

I get being responsible defensively but the Habs should have approached this match up with the mind set of running the young Oilers out of the rink - their home barn - early and often. Instead they managed a total of four shots on goal, seemingly pleased with a scoreless tie. This one man in forecheck on home ice against an inexperienced opponent is not only defensive but defeatist. "Oh, we'll just nail them on the power play" is how Jacques Martin seems to approach every game. And if there is no power play his much vaunted "system" might keep the goals down but is terribly exposed for what it really is. Something that belongs in the pre - lockout NHL. With the man who preaches it.

THE GOOD

  • Mike Cammalleri. He's getting close. Was all over the ice.

  • Erik Cole. Same thing but he's got to become more selfish. Way too often Cole gets the puck in a position to fire but is thinking pass. The Habs need his goals.

  • Alexei Emelin. Gave the Habs some much needed physical presence on the blue line, especially early when he knocked big Ben Eager on his ass after Eager got too close to Carey Price. Caught out of position a couple of times but that's to be expected from somebody who hadn't played in two weeks.

  • Josh Gorges heavy duty body check on Jordan Eberle along the boards. "Not tonight, kid".

  • The car commercial featuring Paul Anka singing in the back seat. In French.

    THE BAD

  • Four shots on goal in the first period. Unacceptable on home ice against an inferior opponent. I know what the standings say but Montreal has to win this. So they kept Edmonton to under 18 shots on goal. So?

  • Yannick Weber on the right wing. What is the point? Are three grown men behind the bench not able to figure out how to double shift a forward instead of using a young defenseman out of position? Actually, this pre-dates the arrival of the two Randy's so they're not to blame. The other solution? Play 4th liner Mike Blunden for 15 seconds. Two straight games Martin has used just three lines.

  • David Desharnais. Might be getting a little fatigued, already. His reaction time has slowed back to, it seems, AHL level. He's also losing almost every one on one puck battle. Nothing wrong with resting a guy this small. Are you ready for Gomer 3?

  • Theo Peckham's crunching forearm to the jaw of PK Subban. Properly penalized for interference, Peckham will hardly be the last opposing player to physically punish a star calibre Montreal player as long as their power play remains as pathetic as it is.

  • Mathieu Darche, still very much a part of the impotent power play, got another 5:14 of ice time with the man advantage. Can't pin this one on Perry Pearn.

  • Lars Eller got 18 seconds of power play time.

  • PK Subban.

  • The injury to Andrei Kostitsyn.

    THE UGLY

  • Thomas Plekanic's shift on the point on the power play which eventually led to Ryan Jones short handed goal. Plekanic looked lackadaisical and nonchalent at the same time. It's supposed to be a north-south game, especially on the power play not the other way around. Maybe his worst shift ever as a Hab.

  • The power play. 0 - 6 with 3 shots on goal and a goal against. Post game Jacques Martin said it's not working because they "have a lot of young players and it's still a work in progress". Martin seems to be spending more time talking about what he doesn't have (Markov, for example. Well boo hoo. The Pittsburgh Penguins entered play tonight as the top team in the East. They've been without the game's best player since last January). Two weeks ago, when asked about the lack of protection for his goaltender, Martin responded by wondering if he was supposed to ask Raphael Diaz to pick up an opposing forward and throw him to the ice. I sense some tension, as opposed to frustration, as there should be when you're team is this close to last place.


  • Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS Follow Us with E-Mail Updates!
    Send Us Your Thoughts


    Title - Story Count
    8,402 Stories & Growing Daily...

    To date OurHometown.ca has posted a total of 8,402 stories! News, sports, hockey, lifestyle, opinion and more!

    Be sure to check out our Contributors and Columnists archives!


    Title - More OH Headlines
    Click on Photo or Story Title for more info
    Detroit Grand Prix Canceled for 2020
    Team Canada will not send athletes to Games in summer 2020 due to COVID-19 risks
    NBA to suspend season following Wednesday
    Lyn St. James to Race in Historic Trans-Am Series at the 2020 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix
    2019 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear Fast Facts
    OurHometown.ca News Database Last Updated:
    Jan. 28, 2024 @ 1:06 PM EST


    Footer
    Free Sitemap Generator