Poor Adam Smith must be rolling in his grave. If we extrapolate his thinking set out in The Wealth of Nations and apply it to hockey, the Canadiens should destroy everything in their path at the start of spring.
However, it was a Habs once again at the end of their ropes who showed up at the Bell Center on Tuesday, losing 5-0 to the Detroit Red Wings.
The spectators in the stands were treated to a second straight sad spectacle, following Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes. One might add that the value for money of the 5-2 against Florida last Thursday was not much better, except of course for Panthers fans.
“Many guys are fighting for a position next year, either here or for a contract elsewhere,” observed a discouraged Nick Suzuki after the game.
Sean Farrell is coming to the pros and will want to do like Jordan Harris and bypass the American League. Jonathan Drouin, Denis Gurianov, Jesse Ylönen, Chris Tierney and Michael Pezzetta will be out of contract at the end of the season, in very different realities. Rem Pitlick, Justin Barron and Chris Wideman have to show they haven’t spent the majority of the NHL season by default due to injuries.
In short, that’s a lot of players looking for individual interest, which should lead to the collective interest, if Claude Montour didn’t lie to us in economics classes at Ahuntsic College at another time.
“A team is always the sum of its parts, but in these situations, you have to identify your motivation,” observed Mike Matheson. Once the team is eliminated, you can focus more on individual motivations for carrying the team. But at the end of the day, collective successes must always come first. »
Injuries are obviously hard to exclude from the analysis, when a team is deprived of 13 elements as the Habs are currently. With so many absent, we find ourselves with Ylönen, Pitlick and Gurianov on the power play. In six minutes of play at five against four, the CH obtained three meager shots.
We also find ourselves with the young Farrell and Ylönen in a first trio. Farrell was playing colleges just two weeks ago and found himself in direct confrontation on Thursday with the sublime Moritz Seider, whose name will be circulating for the Norris Trophy before long.
“It’s not easy when you don’t have the guns you think you have,” Matheson conceded. But it’s out of our control and won’t change in the last four games, so there’s no point in using that as an excuse. No matter the situation, it’s a privilege to play in this league and you don’t know how long you will have this privilege. To simply play the four games without emotion would be a lack of respect for the chance we have to evolve in this league. »
The observation is all the more credible since it comes from the mouth of one of the veterans who keeps the pedal to the floor, even if he is not fighting for his job security.
Finding a collective direction, a common goal, for all these individuals, this late in the season, is therefore a challenge.
“Several players have just returned from injuries, we also have new players, recalled Martin St-Louis. We have new injuries, other players returning. It’s hard to have continuity, to have the collective game that we are capable of having. It takes time to build that, with more mental fatigue. »
However, this mental fatigue does not seem to be lacking in the Wings, who nevertheless know that they too are doomed. Established players like Seider and David Perron pushed the team in this game, and helped Detroit to a fourth victory in its last five outings.
“It’s not a goal or a point more to a player who will change what for him next year. It’s more important to play well to build something for next year, “said David Perron after Tuesday’s morning practice.
Wings head coach Derek Lalonde responded tit for tat when asked what he attributed his club’s recent successes to in difficult circumstances: “in the locker room.”
Speaking of leadership, this is perhaps another consequence of the many injuries. With so many players fighting for their future, fewer are in a position to exert influence over others.
If we disregard his failures in face-offs, he was one of the few to play in an inspired way. Paired with youngsters Sean Farrell and Jesse Ylönen, he led by example.
Some nights his body checks and intensity don’t work as well. This was the case on Tuesday. He finished the evening at -3.
Red Wings goaltender Ville Husso shut out the Canadiens for the second time this season. In four games against Montreal, he’s shot .954. Nothing to calm those who call him “the customs officer”.
He certainly can’t be given all the blame for the loss. But Cayden Primeau continues to rack up losses in the NHL. In 17 starts over the past four seasons, he has only won three games. His last victory in a CH uniform dates back to December 16, 2021. Since then, he has not been involved in any win for his team, either as a starter (eight appearances) or as a relief (four). By giving up five times on 21 shots on Tuesday, he saw his career save percentage drop to .871. After the meeting, Martin St-Louis came to his defense. Both against the Philadelphia Flyers last week and against the Red Wings, the skaters in front of him didn’t give much to their masked teammate. Tuesday night, especially, the head coach attributed the goals allowed to individual errors. He also recalled that Primeau was “an important reason” for the Laval Rocket’s presence in the race for the American League playoffs. “I don’t see this game as a negative for him,” St-Louis added.
It’s no surprise to anyone, but Sean Farrell’s NHL debut was muted to say the least. Against the Wings, he was promoted to the first line to the left of Nick Suzuki and Jesse Ylönen. At five against five, this unit did nothing transcendent, and the young forward was not much more visible on the power play. However, he was no worse than the rest of his team. It was predictable that for a 5-foot-9, 175-pound player, the transition from the NCAA to the NHL wouldn’t be smooth, let alone on a worn-out team. Martin St-Louis also acknowledged that these were not “easy circumstances” for the new number 57. “But you see his potential”, he immediately added. “It’s not as if the evaluation we are doing now will guide our decision for his future,” continued the coach. It’s a process, he’s going to go through it. I think these rehearsals will help him to manage his summer, to know what to improve. It’s positive for him to have that experience. »
Age doesn’t seem to affect David Perron. The 34-year-old Quebecer scored two goals and had one assist against the Canadiens, bringing his total for the season to 22 goals and 53 points. It is the seventh time in his career that he has exceeded the 20-goal mark and the 50-point mark. “He does a lot of good things for us,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. He brings us energy and a high level of competition. I was hoping he scored a third goal at the end of the game! Perron too, we noted, hearing from the press gallery his cry of displeasure after missing the net by a few centimeters in the last moments of the match. On his first goal, he was forgotten by the defenders of the Canadiens and took advantage of a long breakaway to serve a masterful feint to Cayden Primeau. “You were able to use your legendary speed,” quipped journalist François Gagnon, tongue-in-cheek, late in the evening. “Exactly, I can play another five years, it looks like! retorted Perron, bursting out laughing.
