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Canadiens Feeling The Pressure
Neil Becker
29sports.com
With the way Montreal Canadiens played in the first three and a half months of the season, it’s hard to phantom that they are in real danger of missing the upcoming playoffs.
Montreal who a year ago had the best record in the Eastern Conference were among the top teams this year in the conference until late January. Without any warning they hit a major slump which saw them since January 20 go an unimpressive 9-16-3.
Currently the Canadiens who on Saturday night lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 are being outplayed badly during what is the mid-point of a 10 game homestand against teams that are currently out of a playoff spot.
“Our next goal is to win a game in 60 minutes,” GM Bob Gainey who took over as coach on March 9 from Guy Carbonneau said. “We haven’t won a 60-minute game in a long time.”
Gainey who is an unimpressive 1-3-2 since taking over behind the bench can see his team slip out of a playoff spot as early as Monday night. The Florida Panthers who are only one point behind Montreal for that final position play at home against the Carolina Hurricanes and with a win will leap frog ahead.
Being stressed by the Montreal coaching staff in practice is to have the attacking players stay close to each other and make short passes. So far Gainey’s strategy isn’t working.
“But we hurt ourselves with unforced errors,” Gainey whose job is now rumored to be in jeopardy said. “A player has control of the puck, we’re ready to move in and then it doesn’t happen. It’s like we sabotage the other four guys on the ice because the pass hits a stick or a skate and then we don’t accomplish what we want to on the play.”
With only four games remaining on this homestand against the Atlanta Thrashers, Tampa Bay Lightnings, Buffalo Sabres and the Chicago Blackhawks there is alomost a sense of panic among the fans who were booing their team on Saturday night.
“They have their opinion and obviously, there’s a lot of frustration,” captain Saku Koivu said of the fans. “They have a right to be that way.”
The only positive for Montreal right now has been the stellar play of forward Maxim Lapierre who scored both goals on Saturday and has three goals in as many games and 14 on the year.
“Max is an example for our whole team,” said Gainey.
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