The ultimate stops this weekend on a powerful street journey. After wins towards the Panthers, Lightning, and Golden Knights, it was imagined to be simpler towards the Blackhawks in Chicago. Nevertheless, sports activities doesn’t at all times go based on plan.
Montreal needed to ensure that they didn’t let down. Playoff spots should not gained by groups who don’t beat the groups that they’re imagined to, however that’s what occurred in a 4-2 Hawks win.
Wilde Horses
The Canadiens had a large shot benefit. Many facets of their recreation had been robust, however they lacked end, and that was the distinction. The 40 pictures translated into solely two objectives.
The Objectives Anticipated Shot Share was in Montreal’s favour, so there’s not loads to complain about, however not a lot to get enthusiastic about both contemplating the warmth map meant nothing within the remaining consequence.
Cole Caufield counted within the first with a stunning objective scorer’s objective. Caufield took the puck from the aspect of the web, then stored going till he immediately was on their own in entrance of the web, then he fired an ideal shot upstairs for his twentieth of the season. That’s a 43 objective marketing campaign at current tempo.
Within the third interval, Emil Heineman confirmed his objective scoring expertise once more. A puck got here off the again dasher excessive into the air, and Heineman well waited it to be waist excessive the place he batted it completely out of the air for his tenth of the season.
One of many fantastic surprises of the season has been not solely Heineman’s objective scoring means, however his full recreation. It seems like he’s an NHLer and there’s no doubt about it for years to come back. There’s at all times a spot for a 20 objective scorer who has a 200-foot recreation within the league. This seems sustainable for Heineman.
Wilde Goats
Successful puck battles isn’t about dimension and power solely. It’s maybe simply as a lot about steadiness. It additionally has a component of intelligent connected to it. The Canadiens are an ideal workforce to take a look at puck battles, and who wins them to grasp the science of it.
Followers have solely had 40 video games to see Lane Hutson, but they already know that dimension doesn’t matter in the case of his puck battles. He angles his physique. He distributes his weight. He makes intelligent changes. He wins puck battles. Ask the large Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres who has 9 inches and 60 kilos on Hutson, but misplaced to Hutson in an open ice puck battle.
Caufield is one other participant that if it had been about dimension solely, he wouldn’t win puck battles, however he wins greater than he loses. Once more, it’s a matter of steadiness, positioning, and likewise smarts.
There are gamers who’re larger, in fact, who do use that dimension to win puck battles. Joel Armia carries a number of power into puck battles, and he wins nearly all of them. He’s an absolute horse profitable his one-on-one confrontations.
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That takes us to Juraj Slafkovsky who has not discovered how one can use his dimension to win puck battles. He’s a large, and if it had been solely about dimension, he would go away the nook with the puck each time.
Nevertheless, that has not but occurred in 12 months 3 of his NHL profession. Slafkovsky primarily makes use of his keep on with win puck battles. NHL scouts name it a protracted stick too as a result of his physique is so far-off from the battle.
Armia is aware of that when you’re huge and powerful, you get in shut quarters, tight to the puck, generally truly proper over it, trapping it in your skates, and then you definitely start to make it a bodily confrontation. Armia purposely makes use of his power and steadiness to win the battle in shut areas.
That is what Slafkovsky nonetheless severely lacks. Being six-foot-three and 225 kilos doesn’t matter when you’re solely utilizing your stick. Successful a one-on-one confrontation is a posh science with the stick taking part in a small half solely.
When the Canadiens drafted Mike McCarron within the first spherical in 2013, they felt that he might use his six-foot-six-inch body to win puck battles to turn out to be a second line NHL centre. When the Canadiens gave up on him, the most important concern was not that he couldn’t skate properly sufficient, however that he might by no means possess the puck. He by no means used his enormous body efficiently.
Among the many lots, the evaluation of Slafkovsky principally begins nowadays together with his objective complete, nevertheless it actually ought to begin together with his lack of ability to win the puck. If he would merely make a behavior out of that, he might discover Nick Suzuki and Caufield to be the efficient ‘F1’ that line wants.
He’s 20. Time is on his aspect, nevertheless it’s additionally about time that he made some progress on this entrance.
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Nobody will probably ever know if there may need been some quid professional quo between the Canadiens and St. Petersburg SKA, however one thing has occurred and Ivan Demidov couldn’t be happier about it.
The proprietor/head coach Roman Rotenberg of Demidov had the Russian on the fourth line or not taking part in, however after a go to from GM Kent Hughes two weeks in the past, immediately Demidov has moved up the depth chart. In his recreation on Friday, Demidov was on the primary line.
Seems that for those who play 18 minutes as an alternative of 5 with the most effective gamers as an alternative of plumbers, you do higher.
Demidov is on fireplace within the KHL now. He scored twice and added an help in a 6-3 win. Each objectives had been spectacular for various causes.
On the primary objective, Demidov took possession at his personal blue line. He then completely undressed the proper aspect defender. He then weaved by means of the offensive zone, delaying till he was one-on-one towards the goalie who he deked then roofed his shot.
The second objective was off a rebound. The puck went excessive the place Demidov waited well for it to descend under the crossbar earlier than he whacked at it. He additionally smacked down on the puck to extend the prospect his try stayed on internet. Lovely objective scoring instincts proven.
Demidov added an help which was additionally of top quality. He faked shot and offered it to the goalie, then no-look handed it to a large open teammate. Once more, a inventive participant at his greatest.
In his final 5 video games, Demidov has 9 factors on six objectives and three assists. He’s again on track for one of many best draft plus one seasons ever within the KHL. One of the best is Matvei Michkov with 41 factors in 48 video games.
Regardless of many video games of 5 minutes of ice time, Demidov is now 29 factors in 39 video games this season. He’s closing in on the most effective points-per-game complete in league historical past for a participant simply drafted.
As a bonus, Demidov is a a lot better defensive participant than Michkov. Michkov has an enormous quantity to study defensively. Simply ask his Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella in Philadelphia who has benched his younger star as a result of he gained’t play with power when defending.
If Demidov will get ice time from right here on in, then the KHL has labored out for him. It’s a 68 recreation season this 12 months after which playoffs begin late March. His workforce is excessive up the standings, so he may very well be taking part in till mid-April and past. A 75 recreation KHL season of excessive competitors prepares Demidov properly for his arrival in Montreal.
The Canadiens have the most effective participant not within the NHL on his manner subsequent season. Hockey consultants will repeat for years how gorgeous it’s that he dropped to 5 within the draft. Demidov will probably be the primary Canadiens participant since Mats Naslund in 1986 to get 100 factors in a season.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports activities author, brings you Name of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after every Canadiens recreation.
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