Wilde Horses

  • The chemistry on the Habs top line is just crazy good. Desharnais and Pacioretty thought they had their guy with Gallagher, as he did well, but Vanek in that hole is at another level. He freed Pacioretty with a no-look pass for a breakaway that was out of this world. The line executed these little no-look 10-footers all night long. Formidable. I know Thomas wants to make a tonne of money testing the market, but he has to want to have this type of success too. It has to feel good to link up like this.
     
  • Beaulieu in his first game back from a demotion that lasted way too long (for some reason, you can't get an answer from the team about why) was outstanding. I doubt that he learned much down in Hamilton and probably got angry that he was making minor league money instead of where he belonged in Montreal. Beaulieu doesn't belong in the AHL. He's just too smooth. He carries the puck smartly. He slows the game down when he needs to. He makes an awesome first pass. He is outmuscled every now and then. That's his only real weakness and seriously there are some pretty good defenceman in the NHL that don't bat 1000 in that department. Beaulieu is just so much better than who they often use and with the upside being that, with experience, he will distance himself even more from that pack. I can't help but wonder what is going on there. Bergevin is always going on about character and no question, you can't win cups without character guys, but I hope they don't confuse character as it pertains to desire to win, with character as it pertains to not talking back and behaving like a good little boy. Something in that vein has to be the reason Beaulieu is in-and-out of the lineup because how could it possibly be about talent? He was excellent before the Olympics began when he was sent down and he picked up right where he left off.
     
  • Weaver on one penalty kill was a stand out. The rest of the time he was excellent. Another time on a two-on-one, Weaver played it perfectly. Took away the pass by laying out at the right time and kept the shot at a bad angle. All in all, Weaver is what Bergevin was looking for when he got Drewiske. Weaver is one solid defender.
     
  • For his first game back, Gorges didn't seem to miss a beat. Straight into his rhythm. Gorges seemed to provide some stability for Subban, who struggled with the rotation of partners he had.
     
  • Not much ink used on Bournival these days but he's a dream for a coach. He is such a safe player. Good in his own end. He makes smart decisions. He gets on the right side of the puck. He kills penalties effectively and adds so much speed to an already speedy line-up. He's also a great kid in the room.

Wilde Goats

  • Goat is a pretty harsh word here but let's just say Tinordi had some weak moments. He's not fluid like Beaulieu, so he really does have to position well and read the play well. Tinordi can get caught. Have good faith he will get better but at times I don't like what I see. Also, he would be a lot better if he used his body more, because if you can't always skate with them, then hammer them to make sure they don't want to skate near you.
     
  • You might, as a fan, feel inclined to find some goats in your mind because the Habs lost, but apart from the overtime stinker that Budaj let in, the team was pretty much goat-free.

Wilde Cards

  • Galchenyuk suffered a lower body injury early in the contest. Looked to be a right knee. He skated on it and took some strides and flexed it too. It didn't look serious for Galchenyuk.