Wilde Horses
- Brendan Gallagher with 3 goals in 3 games suddenly has quite a solid total on the season. 22 goals for Gallagher as the kid isn't resting on his new contract. Did anyone really think this heart and soul kid would? Tireless every night, he's a real professional in every way - on the ice and off.
- Jeff Petry really has had only one bad game for the Habs. It was against Tampa on a night when most were bad. Petry had one rush up the left side where his skating was so smooth he looked like Charles Hamelin. He was flying. He's solid on the defensive side of the puck. He's a UFA at season's end and will likely test the market fetching as much as 4.5 to 5 million. The Oilers it has been reported offered him 4 which he declined.
- On that Petry rush, we also saw Jakob De La Rose take the place vacated by Petry. JDLR never misses an assignment. He goes right to the point spot to make sure there was no 2 on 1 the other way. He didn't do much on the offence with a quiet game but when you're quiet on O on the bad nights but always great on D every night the coach is going to fall in love with you and the Habs coach has.
- Good to see Parenteau continuing to contribute. I thought he got a bad rap coming out of the concussion as he lost a job that he did have. A solid assist to Desharnais who scored an easy one all alone in the slot. In the 3rd period, another excellent link up for Parenteau to give Pacioretty a chance.
- Alexei Emelin had a horrendous giveaway in the first but it is so easy to forgive him those transgressions when he hits Forsberg so hard he almost flew over the player's bench. That type of respect stays with Forsberg and everyone else who will think twice before coming down the left side.
- Carey Price. In a season full of spectacular saves, the one with his back to the play making a toe stop a la the All Star game when he used the glass was about as spectacular as they can come.
Wilde Goats
- Just not enough from Devante Smith Pelly. No presence really physically and a couple occasions he should have nailed a guy to finish a check and he didn't do what he should do. Weak night for Eller on the line too. His first so so game in a while. I like DSP. I think he has game. He seems to need a little guidance what he has to do to be successful or perhaps lose some obstinance if he is getting guidance to do what he's told. He's not a line rusher. He's a park your ass in the creaser.
- The 4th line that had been so good with Malhotra had a tough time with Mitchell at the C position. Weise and Prust didn't see the ice much which you have to credit the coach for because when they did see the ice .... Oyoye. However, the Prust effort to clear on the Preds 3rd period power play was outstanding. He was going to clear the zone no matter what. He would take a couple guys with him if he had to.
- Alex Galchenyuk is in a rut. Hard to say what it is. Probably confidence waning. Nothing a goal won't change, but to get that goal. Keep working. Keep the legs moving in stride. Go hard to the tough areas.
Wilde Cards
- Not sure if I am seeing things right but it seems like the coach is letting the game open up a bit: Petry had a rush, Beaulieu had a rush and a clean look in the third, the forecheck was more determined. We'll see. If you're a Habs fan, you want to see some sort of activity that keeps the other team a little more honest than full stop in front of Price because there's limited fear of a counter attack push of significance.
- Don't think Subban was a goat on the OT penalty. He went to pass it and it hopped. It happens. He had to take the penalty. They scored. That happens too. Some times things happen in the course of play that you have little control over. It happened to Subban at a bad time also probably tired at the end of a spectacular shift gone wrong.
