Many of us are still reeling from the news of Markov's injury, and how serious it is. Honestly, the timing of this injury (and its extent) couldn't be worse, but it is what it is, and we have to try to focus on the games at hand and not the 'coulda-shoulda-woulda'.
It is certain that this injury will be extremely costly for us--especially on the PP. Markov was the cornerstone of our 5-4 tandem and the lack of his presence will definitely be felt. Not to mention that this guy was our 'silent captain', one that, like saku, lead by example... giving 100% on the ice. He's quiet and introverted in front of the media, and I'm sure is not the most talkative in the locker room as well, but he seems to be the type of guy that doesn't have to say much to get a point across.
Looks like the Habs won't be calling any of the young guns from the Bulldogs, and will instead rely on Roman Hamrlik to step up and pair up with Spacek on the #1 D-man line. Hamrlik will be a welcomed addition after missing the last few games due to the flu, and it'll be interesting to see how he fairs with his fellow Czech partner. I like the idea of keeping Subban and Webber in Hamilton for the next little while. We have to give the Habs a chance to step it up, and hope that we don't follow our old record of 6-20 with Markov out of the lineup.
That being said... here are a few points for tonight that in my mind are crucial to the Habs success:
1) Allowing less shots on net
-the Habs gave up 46 shots against the Leafs on Thursday night, blocking another 25 in front. This is unacceptable. Price played exceptionally well, but a team cannot rely on their goaltender to come out and cover their asses. Players were too complacent, an obvious example being Gill, who was stationary for much of the game. They must be more aggressive in terms of putting pressure on the Sabres, both along the boards and in front of the net.
2) Controlling the puck in our zone
-It seemed as if our guys had a ridiculously hard time getting the puck out of their zone on the 5-5. Painstakingly so... Guys seemed out of position in terms of the outlet pass and the transition through the zone... so passes ended up being either inaccurate or too long, giving the leafs an opportune moment for an interception. I know this team is still trying to find themselves and find their chemistry as most of them are playing together for the first time. As on the PP, they'll start clicking with time. However, they better start clicking soon.
3) Taking more shots on net (good shots)
-It's one thing to throw the puck on net, another to get an accurate shot. Often times Thursday I was confused as to why the Habs seemed to simply throw the puck away... sometimes taking a shot that obviously wasn't there and only led to them losing possession, or the other extreme where they tried to make that perfect play and held onto the puck for too long. It's time for them to settle down, control the puck and take the most opportune chances they have to score.
4) Take less penalties
-This was a recurring problem last year for the Habs... it's self-explanatory and hopefully will happen tonight.
5) Keep putting pressure in front of the next and actively participate in the play
-Georges reaction that led to the Habs winning in OT thursday is something that I hope will be repeated often tonight. All players becoming involved in the play and getting aggressive offensively. We saw some of the less obvious players doing it, Metropolit being another example.
6) Being more active in the neutral zone
-One thing i noticed against the Leafs was the Habs inability to stop them from penetrating the neutral zone/blue line. Often times we'd be stationary whereas the Leafs would blow past us at full speed (again, Gill comes to mind)... The guys have to find ways to force the opposing team to make errors in the neutral zone, put pressure on them and make them pass the puck. They cannot find themselves stationary on the blue line expecting to simply stop the puck. Being able to apply pressure in the neutral zone will definitely be a big plus for their overall defensive play.
The Habs are once again under the magnifying glass... except this time magnification has been increased to 500x... and most likely we'll hit scanning-electron microscope levels before the month is out.. such is life in Montreal. Everyone is asking themselves if this team can keep it together and push through the loss of our best d-man. Comparisons have been made to Pittsburgh and Carolina, who faced similar problems in the past. However, the Habs are even more fragile as our team is fresh out of the mixer, and have yet to settle into a comfortable playing pattern with each other.
Here's to hoping Price keeps up the awesome goaltending... our 'big' players finding themselves, our sleeper players keeping up the hard work, and our d-men finding a way to keep the blue line covered without Markov.
BRING ON THE SABRES!!!!!!
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