MONTREAL

Call of the Wilde: A new and outstanding partnership

Brian Wilde CTV Montreal
Published Saturday, November 21, 2015 11:53AM EST Last Updated Saturday, November 21, 2015 12:05PM EST

Montreal Canadiens defenceman Jeff Petry (26) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015, in New York. The Canadiens won 5-3.(AP Photo/Paul Bereswill)

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Wilde Horses

- Nathan Beaulieu is starting to get very comfortable. Really like how he is feeling confident enough to pinch in on a regular basis and not feel he is going to get in trouble from the head coach if it goes sour. It is time to get him on the second half of the powerplay again. It seems like Subban on for the entire powerplay is not the best use of his ice time. Subban had more than 30 minutes the other night. It's too much. Use Beaulieu here is my feeling. You're going to need him here eventually.

- Petry and Beaulieu had one bad game for sure but the partnership is the future to my mind. Emelin can play on the third pair with Gilbert. Petry with two goals and I just keep thinking WTH EDMONTON? Petry is such a smooth skater. Don't know if there is a D man with a smoother stride. The Habs blue line is so good that it really is the best indicator that with Subban and Petry long term and Beaulieu coming of age, the Habs should be a strong hockey team for a long, long time to come. Long term success is won with a strong blue line and a great goalie, right Edmonton?

- Fleischmann is the best $750 grand Bergevin has spent so far. He's got six goals already. He's on pace for 24. He won't get to that number but anywhere even close is a heist.

- Don't look now, but Alex Semin had a good game. He laid out a strong pass on the Petry goal and went weak side smartly on the Beaulieu goal. Plus two after the first period.

In the second, he got a breakaway and wow how that could have turned his season around. Also, how can one ignore that the team is better with him playing? They started 9 and 0. He played them all. They're barely over 500 since his troubles started. Is he perfect? Hell no, he was brought here to score goals. Is he better than others tried? Hell yeah. Check the score in games he plays. Winning is the bottom line.

- For Carey Price in his return more than anything, it just felt like the Habs make more confident decisions, more relaxed decisions in their own end when he is in goal. They are simply more relaxed to play the moment right. As if to say, "He's back there. This is gonna be okay."

Wilde Goats

- I suppose you could begin to ask why the Habs are allowing three goals a game in an extremely defensive league and lament that. I will do that later. For now, the Habs played back to back and managed to win on the road on the second night. We will save the defensive question marks for another time. Besides, why not concentrate on how long they held that one goal lead in the third tiring quickly? Even the goat has a horse nearby.

Wilde Cards

- Good challenge by Therrien on the Isles first goal. I do not really know how some of these are going to go and frankly it should not be a mystery. Price was hit with a cross check between save one and two on a three-shot sequence. How his that not interference of a goalie? They say if it is incidental then it is a goal. How is purposely hitting a goalie with your hand and stick incidental? I didn't get this one. I called the Gallagher one right as he did interfere even if Chara wouldn't let him out after he went into the blue paint. Felt I had it figured out at that moment. At this moment though, I feel perplexed.