The Canadian | Jeff Petry: “My caliber of play was not up to par at all”

(Buffalo) Joel Edmundson has been missed a lot since the start of the season, but no one has arguably missed him like Jeff Petry has missed.

Richard Labbé
Press

The memory is distant, but last season Jeff Petry’s name was blithely circulating behind the scenes when it came to the nominees for the Norris Trophy. In addition to being reliable on defense, Petry was producing on offense, and he finished the season with 42 points in 55 games. Projected over an 82-game season, this harvest would have given about 63 points, which would have given Petry the best offensive production of his career.

Was all of this possible thanks to Joel Edmundson?

In any case, the question arises. It arises because without an injured Edmundson, Petry is nothing like the player from a year ago.

“I like playing with him, we were successful and we worked well together last season,” Petry began by saying Thursday at noon in Buffalo. I don’t know when he’ll be back, but I can’t wait to see him again. ”

For now, Edmundson’s return to the game has not been confirmed by the club, but during Thursday’s practice in Buffalo, he had resumed his usual place to the left of Petry, suggesting that ‘He could be in uniform for the Canadiens’ next game on Friday night at KeyBank Center against the Sabers.

“We get paid to play, to show up every night, and when there are injuries, we have to play with new ones,” added Petry. I found that my caliber of play was not up to par at all. I’m still trying to regain that confidence, that style of play that has brought me success in recent seasons. We had this cohesion together Joel and I in the past. I hope, and for the sake of everyone here, that he will be back sooner rather than later. “

In the same breath, the one who wears the number 26 admitted not to be at the top of his game.

“I have to get my offensive touch back. I have to play in a simple way; I keep the puck too long, I don’t move my feet. My skate is probably my greatest quality so I have to come back to that, not to force it; if there is no pass line, I have to keep the puck […] I don’t mean pressure, that shouldn’t explain my game, but (Shea) Weber is a big part of the club and without him it’s more responsibility for me on defense. It’s a different role for me, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse. ”

Dominique Ducharme also finds that Jeff Petry has not been the same since the injury to Joel Edmundson. “It’s only part of the equation,” he replied. This is not THE main reason, but it may have a small impact. ”

With all that, we can start to wonder if the Canadiens players are going to run out of time; on Thanksgiving Thursday in the United States, it is fashionable to dust off the inevitable statistic: since the creation of the current format of the series in 2013-14, and in a proportion of about 75%, the clubs that are on the playoffs table on that date will also be on the playoffs table when it starts in earnest in May.

And it turns out that the Canadian is 10 points from a place in the series. Dramatic? Yes, given the state of affairs; this 5-14-2 record, for a total of 12 points, represents the worst start after 21 games of a season in the club’s history.

Tyler Toffoli, who is certainly one of the disappointments, nevertheless believes that the source of hope is not yet dried up.

“We have seen it often in the past, things can change in this league,” said the striker. This year alone, we have seen a few clubs replace themselves, clubs which have started to win 5 games in a row to get back into the race. If we do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance. ”

But before thinking of winning five in a row, the Canadian will have to think about winning two in a row. Which has not happened once this season.