Focused on the Montreal Canadiens, News and Notes is a weekly roundup of news, commentary, game recaps, and previews.
Montreal Canadiens, News and Notes: Winless in Montreal
News
The Habs dropped to 1-3-1 on the season this week. After losing their home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, the Habs brought more effort to the Bell Center against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The Habs got scoring from Jeff Petry, Alex Galchenyuk, and Jonathan Drouin – his first as a Hab.
Karl Alzner with a perfect slap pass, and Jonathan Drouin has his first goal as a Canadien! pic.twitter.com/oLOARasUpo
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) October 15, 2017
Despite the effort, the Leafs defeated the Habs in overtime. Auston Matthews scored the winning goal in a game in which the Habs played better than they had all week. Montreal had just missed a scoring chance. William Nylander jumped on a loose puck and started up ice on a two-on-one. Matthews managed to control the puck and fired in the winner. Let’s just say, the rivalry has returned.
In other news, defenseman Mark Streit has been placed on unconditional waivers by the Montreal Canadiens. Streit played only two regular season games with the Canadiens this year averaging 14:13 of ice time. After his underwhelming performance, his long and notable career in the NHL may be over. This latest news follows reports that Mark Streit would not report to the Rocket and would spend the next few days weighing his options. This follows news that David Schlemko may make his debut with the Canadiens this week.
Finally, the Hockey Sweater, by Roch Carrier, will be made into a musical. First published as an oral essay on CBC Radio in 1979, the story recounts the disappointment of a young boy in Sainte-Justine, Quebec after he receives a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater. The problem? He was expecting a Canadiens jersey complete with Maurice “The Rocket” Richard’s iconic No. 9. It is good news that this piece of Canadiana will be reimagined for the stage. They best not mess up the original.
Commentary
After telling fans to “stop hating” and unpaid hockey writers to stop being illiterate, smiling Jack Todd offers his latest missive in the Gazette. In a column that careens from one non-sequitur to the next, he concludes: “At the end of the season, Pacioretty will have his 30 goals, Price will be in the hunt for the Vézina and the Canadiens will be, if not world-beaters, at least significantly better than they are now.” If you say so, Jack.
Ryan Szporer and LWOH’s own Connor Lapalme each consider the future for Marc Bergevin. Spoiler alert: it ain’t good. Szporer examines other teams who made a change and why, He concludes:
It’s clear the Habs need to turn it around now for Bergevin to stand a chance at just surviving the season. Not only is history not on his side, but many fans don’t seem to be either. And that number will be growing with each subsequent loss.
Lapalme takes a different tack by detailing key moves and mistakes by Bergevin over his nearly six-year tenure. He concludes:
…Bergevin has failed to address the teams major issues in the past six seasons. If the Canadiens (continue) to struggle this season, Marc Bergevin is next in the firing line.
Predictions and Previews
The NHL provided a round-up of the predictions by leading hockey pool magazines heading into the 2017-18 season. This includes predictions by the The Hockey News and The Sports Forecaster that the Habs will finish third in the Atlantic. Hockey Le Magazine predicts that the Habs will finish fourth in the Atlantic, and Le Pool Pro likewise predicts a fourth-place divisional finish.
The Montreal Canadiens head out west for three games next week. First up is the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday, October 17. The Sharks have only managed one win this season. Game time is 10:30 pm (EST).
The Canadiens face the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday, October 18. The Kings haven’t lost a game early on in the season. Game time is 10:30 pm (EST).
The Habs head an hour south to face the Anaheim Ducks to round out their early west coast swing on Friday. Game time is 10:00 pm (EST).
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