Canadiens Set Record With Hot Start
With a 3-1 win against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning last night, the Montreal Canadiens set the new standard for a team that starts the season off strong. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Montreal Canadiens are the first team in NHL history to win at least seven of their first eight games in three consecutive seasons. This seasons’s Habs squad is off to a 7-0-1 start, while many will remember that last year’s team won nine straight to open the season, and the 2014-15 team got out to a 7-1 record.
A hot start is invaluable, especially in a sport as physical as hockey where injuries become more common and more taxing as the year goes on. Coach Michel Therrien, who seems to end each season on the hot seat despite beginning each season so well, deserves a lot of credit for Montreal’s strong October play. However, seven wins in eight games can only do so much over an 82-game schedule, and how Therrien manages the team later in the season is what has been much-maligned.
In 2014-15, there were only a few lapses in play over the course of the season, and it’s hard to argue that they made a difference. The team won 16 of their first 22 games before dropping six of seven in late November and early December. However, the team bounced back, winning nine of ten, and continued to excel through the winter. In March, the Habs lost six of eight to begin the month and five of six to end the month, heading into April. Because of this collapse, the team finished three points shy of the New York Rangers for the President’s Trophy. 110 points and an Atlantic Division title wasn’t a bad consolation prize though. Where Therrien received criticism was the noticeable drop-off in play between Montreal’s strong regular season stretches and their postseason performance. Montreal beat the Ottawa Senators in the first round, 4-2, but the Sens put up a better fight than many expected. The Canadiens then fell to the eventual Eastern Conference champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2 in the second round. Whether or not Montreal had pulled together some late-season wins and taken the top seed in the East, they still would have lost to the Lightning. A strong start in 2014-15 meant nothing without a strong finish.
In 2015-16, things went very differently. The league-leading Canadiens lost superstar goalie Carey Price to injury early in the season, and the 19 wins in their first 25 games were quickly erased. Price was expected to return from injury in one to two months. His last game of the season ended up being November 25th. Without Price, Montreal became a completely different team, and Therrien took the brunt of the hit. The Habs won just five of their next 27 games and were outside the playoff picture faster than they had climbed to the top of it. Montreal settled into .500 hockey for the remainder of the season, finishing with 82 points and sixth place in the Atlantic Division. Their hot start simply went could without Price in net, and the team was unable to ever get the fire going again.
As excited as Canadiens fans are right now, the message in all this is that a record-setting team over the last two seasons have turned their early-season success into a disappointing playoff exit and a complete collapse. While Therrien is very much off the hot seat right at this time, his job now is to find a way to keep this strong play going. If the Habs can become a more consistent team in 2016-17, one that is ready to deal with injuries (Price has already missed time) and capable of playing in April and May like they play in October, then Montreal is a real contender this season. Until that is proven, this hot start is just a statistical anomaly that has played out over the past few seasons, but holds no real weight.
What’s Going On With The Chicago Blackhawks?
Both Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo and Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times address the Chicago Blackhawks struggles out of the gate. Wyshynski tackles the anemic penalty kill while Lazerus touches on a number of issues that have been plaguing the Hawks.
Wyshynski begins with the penalty kill, pointing out the unusually bad stats (46%) but looking at it closer and highlighting some of the anomalies contributing to the struggles. Wyshynski points to usual stalwarts Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson, both of whom have been on the ice for nine goals against when defending against the man advantage. Captain Jonathan Toews has been on the ice for seven out of 14 power play goals against, while Marcus Kruger has seen six pucks head into the net during a kill. On Corey Crawford, Wyshynski says this:
Corey Crawford, meanwhile, has faced nine high-danger chances on the PK and let in six goals, giving him the lowest HD save percentage in the league on the penalty kill (via Corsica). That ranks fifth in high-danger chances shorthanded and first in goals allowed. He’s not bailing them out.
Will it turn around? Wyshynski figures that when Andrew Desjardins returns from injury, it will boost the penalty kill unit. While it won’t be as dominant as it once was with the current cast of players, Wyshynski figures it to improve from the disappointing start.
Lazerus scours some of the other issues plaguing the Hawks. Aside from the penalty kill, Lazerus writes that the grueling schedule certainly isn’t doing Chicago any favors. From Patrick Kane:
“We have a lot of young guys that probably haven’t played in that type of scheduling before,” Kane said. “It’s something to get used to, and something for us veteran guys to lead by example and make sure we’re getting off to good starts. Especially in the United Center. There’s no excuse not to come out and have a good first period and dictate the pace of play right away.”
Lazerus also points to the lack of production from key players. Toews has yet to score in seven games. Artem Anisimov has been great on the score sheet but struggling in the faceoff circle (35%). Richard Panik has been a nice surprise and Crawford has been stellar at even strength, only giving up three goals at 5 on 5. Despite the negatives, there have been positives, such as Panik and Crawford, to feel good about as a Chicago fan.
Lazerus finishes by saying that the “troubling signs” are of a team trying to figure things out–something unlike the championship Hawk squads of seasons past.
Craig Anderson To Take Leave Of Absence From Senators
The Hockey News’ Jared Clinton reports that Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson will take a leave of absence from the Sens indefinitely. The team released a statement via their website, and general manager Pierre Dorion said that Anderson has the club’s full support:
“While we are uncertain of how long Craig may be away, he will continue to have our support for as much time as is needed,” Senators GM Pierre Dorion said in a release. “We will respect his privacy and will have no further comment at this time.”
The announcement from the 35-year-old netminder was unexpected. CBC, along with Clinton, reports that a reason was not provided by the Senators for Anderson’s sudden departure. In his place, the Sens have called up Chris Driedger from Binghamton.
The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch writes that it’s the second time in a month that Anderson has left the club due to personal reasons. But like the other two outlets, Garrioch reports that there is no timetable for his return. Andrew Hammond becomes the number one goalie in his absence.
Anderson was fresh off a shutout Tuesday evening against Vancouver with a 22 save performance. In six games, Anderson was 4-1-0 with a .903 save percentage.
Anaheim Ducks Assign Theodore, Etem To AHL
With the Anaheim Ducks signing of Hampus Lindholm earlier today, the team has decided to send defenceman Shea Theodore to the AHL along with the recently claimed and then waived Emerson Etem.
Theodore, one of the leagues top defensive prospects, made his debut last season for the Ducks and scored eight points in 19 games. The 21-year old was the team’s first-round pick in 2013 and has blossomed into an excellent puck moving defender capable of putting up handfuls of points while containing the other team in his own end. While there apparently isn’t room on the blueline for him as of now, the team would likely bring him back up if a trade was worked out for Cam Fowler as has been widely rumored.
Etem was only claimed two weeks ago from the Vancouver Canucks, but this time has made it through waivers and will join the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. A former first-round pick in his own right, Etem has never been able to replicate the success he had in junior when he scored 107 points in 65 games. A gifted goal-scorer, he’s never been able to improve enough in the other areas of his game to keep him in the NHL for long. He’ll head back down to continue to work, and at 24 is far from a lost cause.
Snapshots: Trouba, Ducks, Goaltending
In the latest edition of Insider Trading on TSN, the panel of Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun discussed a number of subjects. One of them was Jacob Trouba, and the potential of a trade in his future. While Trouba has insisted all along that it isn’t about money in his contract dispute, the Jets are rumored to be willing to go to six-years, $33MM to get the defenceman under contract.
Even though it seems like most teams would want Trouba, Dreger reports that it doesn’t look like there is a fit anywhere in Canada. The Maple Leafs, Oilers and Canadiens have all been rumored to be interested in the 22-year old in the past.
- On Hampus Lindholm and a possible deal of Cam Fowler, LeBrun reports that it might not be as guaranteed as one would think. While it still seems likely that one of the Ducks young defenceman will have to be shipped out, the fact that Simon Despres has hit the LTIR and has no timetable on his return the team has a little more wiggle room under the salary cap.
- In Carolina, Dreger suggests that Ryan Murphy may be on the block, since he’ll likely be exposed at next year’s expansion draft. The 23-year old former first round pick split last season between the NHL and AHL levels.
- On the goaltending front, Los Angeles sounds like they’re putting all their eggs in the Peter Budaj basket for now. They’re waiting for Mike Condon to hit waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that may not happen for a while as Pittsburgh wants to try and keep or get an asset for the young goaltender.
Maple Leafs Notes: Andersen, Griffith, Reimer
When Toronto Maple Leafs saw rookie Auston Matthews score four goals in a losing effort, it was a sign of things to come for the team this season. Despite scoring 21 goals in 6 games, and taking leads into the third period a handful of times, the team is 1-2-3 as they head into tonight’s matchup with the Florida Panthers.
Jamie McLennan of TSN broke down what he thinks is one of the key factors in their record and analyzed the weak play of Frederik Andersen. McLennan says that Andersen has allowed at least one “bad goal” in each game this season, deflating the team and allowing the opposition to come back. It’s not all bad for Andersen though, as the TSN panelist says that his team defense hasn’t helped him very much through the first few games. He’ll be in net when they take on the Panthers.
- Seth Griffith will work his way into the lineup for the Leafs tonight, his first game of the season since being claimed on waivers October 11th. The former Boston Bruin is a dangerous offensive talent that hasn’t been able to find his footing in the NHL thus far, but scored 77 points in 57 AHL games last season. He’ll start on the fourth line, taking Peter Holland‘s place alongside another recently claimed player in Ben Smith.
- James Reimer will make his return to Toronto as a member of the Florida Panthers tonight, though in a backup role to Roberto Luongo. While Reimer was somewhat of a divisive character among Leafs fans during his tenure with the team, he does rank among the leaders in many all-time categories among Toronto netminders. While he’ll most likely be remembered best for the collapse in game 7 against Boston three years ago, he also could have likely been a part of the re-build had they not decided to go after Andersen this summer.
Shane Prince Activated From Injured Reserve
Isles winger Shane Prince has been activated from the injured reserve list. The 23-year old was put on the shelf more than 10 days ago after suffering a lower-body injury against the Washington Capitals.
After scoring 43 goals in his final season in junior, Prince took the AHL by storm becoming a 65-point player in 2014-15. He got into 42 games for the Senators last season before being dealt (along with a seventh rounder) for a third-round pick at the deadline. Prince was part of the Islanders’ playoff run, scoring four points in eleven games, including a two-goal effort in game 1 of the second round.
A second-round pick from 2011, Prince has yet to find consistency at the NHL level but is still regarded as a potential top-six scorer in the future. While injury has slowed the start of the year, he’ll likely be back in the lineup tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
James Wisniewski Signs In KHL; Includes NHL Out Clause
According to Darren Dreger of TSN, free agent defenceman James Wisniewski has signed a deal with the Vladivostok Admirals of the KHL. The deal will include an NHL out clause, meaning the former Blue Jacket could bolt if a spot opened in North America. 
Wisniewski was a journeyman defender that played for five teams in four years before settling in Columbus for a few seasons. During his years there, he continued as an excellent offensive contributor, matching a career high of 51 points in 2013-14. “Wiz”, just hasn’t been able to stay healthy throughout his career though, and played only a single game last season.
The 32-year old was only able to secure a PTO from the Lightning this summer, but was released after not showing enough to make the NHL squad. While his intent is still to return to the NHL, Russia offers an opportunity to make some money while keeping his skills sharp. Vladivostok is the home of other NHL defenders, including Jonathon Blum and Anton Volchenkov. Wisniewski’s strong first pass should play well on the bigger ice surface.
Canucks Place Tanev On IR, Recall LW Zalewski
The Vancouver Canucks, already minus three regular forwards, have placed blue liner Chris Tanev on IR, tweets Ben Kuzma. He’ll be eligible to be taken off IR in seven days. To take his spot on the roster, Vancouver promoted LW Michael Zalewski from the team’s AHL affiliate in Utica.
Tanev has appeared in six games and collected one assist while averaging just more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. Among regular blue liners, only Ben Hutton and Alexander Edler have averaged more playing time than Tanev. Earlier this week the Canucks brought up young defenseman Troy Strecher to cover for the absence of Tanev.
As mentioned above, the Canucks are down three forwards, with Derek Dorsett, Anton Rodin and Alexandre Burrows already on IR. Zalewski’s addition to the roster gives the Canucks 13 healthy forwards. Zalewski has appeared in five career NHL games and has recorded two assists. In 118 AHL contests with Utica over parts of the last three seasons, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward has tallied 19 goals with 27 assists and adding 72 minutes in penalties.
Snapshots: Maple Leafs Blue Line, Vancouver, McIlrath
There has been much written about this past summer’s blockbuster trade which sent LW Taylor Hall from Edmonton to New Jersey in exchange or D Adam Larsson; most of it critical of the Oilers side of the transaction. But Kevin McGran of TheStar.com opines that not only has the trade benefited both teams so far, it actually represents the sort of trade the Toronto Maple Leafs may have to explore in the future.
Hall already has five goals in six games for the Devils while Larsson has fit in well on Edmonton’s blue line, helping the Oilers to a 6 – 1 – 0 record. Even if Hall is considered the superior player, it still appears as if the deal has worked out in both team’s favor.
McGran argues that the Leafs, much like Edmonton, have a lot of highly-skilled forwards but a lingering deficiency on the blue line. Toronto has some interesting players on defense – Nikita Zaitsev, Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly, for example – but with Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak seeing regular playing time and with few prospects of particular note in the system, it’s clear the Leafs could use more young talent on the back end. While it’s possible the youngsters already on Toronto’s roster develop into a decent group of blue liners, it’s more likely the Leafs may eventually have to instead consider dealing from a position of strength – scoring wing – to address a weakness – defense. And just as the Oilers had to do, the Leafs might have to sacrifice a talented and popular player – and perhaps even a better player than the one they acquire – in order to fix the issues on the blue line.
The scribe does note that the Leafs likely won’t have to make that decision right away; that they likely have a year or two to see how things shake out.
More from around the NHL:
- Goal-scoring is up around the league with a per-game-average of 5.91 markers to date. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in Vancouver where the Canucks have averaged just two goals per game, the lowest rate in the NHL. Writing for The Province, Jason Botchford highlights some disturbing trends suggesting the Canucks offensive issues are likely to linger throughout the season. Botchford notes that the team is dead last in even-strength, score-adjusted shot-attempt differential and suggests that trend will place additional pressure on Vancouver’s special teams. But through seven games, the Canucks have converted on just 12.5% of their man-advantage chances. Two players the Canucks expected and needed to step up this season have yet to do so. Defenseman Ben Hutton has recorded just a single goal while winger Sven Baertschi has failed to find the back of the net. As Botchford writes, the Canucks have talent but perhaps not enough depth at this point.
- Earlier today we learned the Rangers waived Dylan McIlrath. The former first-round pick had appeared in just one game and was the eighth defenseman on the team’s depth chart. As Larry Brooks of the New York Post noted via Twitter, the Rangers simply weren’t going to keep eight defensemen on the roster all season. Brooks also believes the chances of McIlrath getting claimed is “50-50.”