The Ones That Got Away...
"We know we have the talent, but we have to put it to work and
get the good plays from our top players," said Patrice Brisebois
before the short-lived overtime against Toronto.
In a matter of 34 seconds, hopes of getting at least one point
were blown away after having led the game 3-2 up to almost 18
minutes in the third when Tie Domi benefited from rookie
defenseman Brett Clark's mistake to even the score.
The scenario was similar the night before in New Jersey when
Andreychuk scored a 35-foot slap shot with 1:35 to play in the
third to tie the game 1-1. And thanks to stories like those, the
Canadiens have won only two of their last 12 games.
So are the Canadiens unlucky or just unable to play the full 60-
minute regulation time? The latter seems more like it by looking
at the prosecution's evidence.
Exhibit A: the game against Boston when in the third the Bruins
scored five in a row, including three within a span of 2:35, to
win 5-1.
Exhibit B: against Pittsburgh when with 45 seconds to go in the
second Martin Straka scored twice and Robert Lang followed in a
span of 4:30 to hand their coach Kevin Constantine a 4-3 win.
Stephane Quintal testified: "We have to turn this thing
around, we have to find something positive. One of Straka's goals
was my fault, it went off me. When things go bad they really go
bad."
The defense's rebuttal: a 3-1 win against the struggling Los
Angeles Kings who dropped eight of their last nine games overall.
One testimony: "We got that 60-minute effort we were looking
for," said Brian Savage, who scored what proved to be the winning
goal early in the second period. "We've had the 40-minute games
and the 55-minute games, but it was all there tonight."
The effort started with a goaltender who stopped the first 17
shots until Glen Murray scored on a one-timer from the left point
in the last few minutes of the third.
Prosecution's exhibit C: role reversal in Carolina. Ray Sheppard
and Keith Primeau scored 5 1/2 minutes apart as the Hurricanes
beat Montreal 4-1. Sheppard's goal came at 15:41 of the second
and Primeau's at 1:08 of the third. Therefore, whatever was said
in the dressing room in between periods might not have been very
well understood. The outstanding goalie this time was Trevor
Kidd, who made several key saves in the third.
A witness account: "We've just got to score more goals," said
Montreal coach Alain Vigneault. "I think the effort is there, but
we're going to get back on track we're going to need more than
effort, we're going to need our key players to deliver."
Lady Luck on Their Side
The defense exhibit B: a one-point game against New Jersey (1-1)
and a great performance by Jeff Hackett (38 shots-37 saves).
Furthermore, the Habs played without injured regulars Vincent
Damphousse, Benoit Brunet and Scott Thornton. And lady luck was
on their side for a change: Pandolfo scored a goal in overtime
but is was refused because the puck had been kicked in the net.
Closing arguments: After losing to Toronto 4-3 in OT, Montreal
is in last place in the Northeast division and there is an eight-
point difference between the fifth and forth places. Victory and
two precious points seemed possible until the puck bounced off
Brett Clark's stick to tie the game 3-3. Tomas Kaberle put in the
winner 34 seconds into overtime as the Maple Leafs won the first
of five meetings between these teams this season.
Alain Vigneault's comment: "I'm not going to carve up Brett
Clark. We had our chances. We were up 3-2 in the third period and
we had two unbelievable chances to make it 4-2. We didn't put it
in and we lose the game."
However, there are always extenuating circumstances like those
expressed by the prosecution expert witness Jack Todd of the
Montreal Gazette.
"Years of poor talent evaluation, inept trades and shoddy
scouting have left the cupboard so bare that the handful of
blue-chip talents still on board are no longer enough to win
consistently..."
Hopefully, the three-game road trip starting in Phoenix will not
give more ammunition to the comics who are already making bad
jokes like: what's the difference between the Montreal Expos
(baseball) and the Canadiens? There is none: they both can't play
hockey.
The outcome of this trip will be decisive as far as management is
concerned, and so goes the rumor mill, once again...
