It was expected, before the 2023-2024 season began, that the Canadian would not be a great defensive club. The first portion of the schedule confirmed this apprehension, the consequences of which were largely mitigated by the brilliance of the goalkeepers.
Since Christmas, however, performance in this area, already ordinary, has been declining. Plus, as expected, the guards seem to have become human again. Beyond the goals allowed, certain figures speak for themselves. The results of the matches too, for that matter.
- CH record before Christmas: 15-13-5 (.530)
- CH record after Christmas: 4-7-2 (.385)
At five against five, over the last 13 games, Martin St-Louis’ men have controlled the puck significantly less than before the planet celebrated the Nativity. They also conceded more shots and expected goals than before.
There were certainly some performances more inspired than others. Let’s think about the more than honest defensive efforts that led to victories against the Colorado Avalanche and the New Jersey Devils, or even a heartbreaking defeat in Tampa on December 31.
The two recent thaws, in Ottawa (6-2) and Boston (9-4), however, betrayed a group often disconcerted the moment the puck changes sides. This despite the fact that, still since Christmas, all of the club’s regular defenders have been healthy.
“It’s not an easy league,” St-Louis repeated again on Monday after his team’s training. Reluctant, as usual, to talk about the shortcomings of his team, the head coach of the Canadiens succinctly spoke of missed assignments and induced errors – or, in his words, those “that come from our stick “. He also noted that his charges were “too passive away from the puck.”
“We’ll fix it,” he promised.
Central theme
Even though St-Louis wanted to point out that “statistics don’t tell the whole story,” defensive territory play was a central theme of Monday’s training and the video session that preceded it. A great opportunity to refresh the notions of zone defense, in short.
“The two things we focused on were the arrival [de l’adversaire] in our zone and our coverage when we are already there,” explained Mike Matheson.
CH’s recent problems, particularly in Boston, appear when the opposing team crossed the blue line on the counterattack. “We have to kill games as quickly as possible,” said Jordan Harris. And better protect the enclave, recalled the defender. He was referring to the open bar in which the Bruins did not hesitate to drink in front of the Montreal net last Saturday – our words, not those of Harris.
In Ottawa last Thursday, it was the turnovers that hurt the Canadian. Moreover, the MoneyPuck site calculates that the Habs outrageously dominate the circuit for pucks lost to the opponent in the defensive zone – 299 already, far ahead of the 248 of the Nashville Predators.
As usual, it is important to remember that the turnover statistic should not be taken at face value, given the inconsistency of its collection in the league. The trend, nevertheless, is obvious.
“Certainly turnovers don’t help, and we need to improve in that area,” Matheson agreed. But turnarounds will always happen. Of course we don’t want to do too much, but we have to know what to do when it happens. »
Shades
An attacker who takes great pride in his defensive play, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard was more optimistic.
He argued that with the exception of the collapse in Boston, his team admittedly gave up a lot of shots, but forced the opponent to take them from outside the crease.
“I think we’re not doing a bad job of controlling the environment,” he said. Maybe we could block more of these shots from the outside to help our goalers work. » For an exact reconstruction, pronounce “goaleurs”.
Verification made, according to the NaturalStatTrick site, it is true that five-on-five shots since December 25 have been conceded from a slightly greater distance: 36 feet rather than 34 before Christmas. This suggests, in fact, that the adversary has been conscripted more on the outskirts… but that he still has privileged access to the paying zone.
We will see a change of personnel in defense on Tuesday. Justin Barron was transferred to the Laval Rocket, and Arber Xhekaj was recalled. It’s probably not the addition of “Sheriff” that will make this formation a wall in its zone, but the big guy will lend a helping hand in terms of robustness against the Ottawa Senators.
In any case, we must quickly turn the page on the Boston massacre, insisted Harris and Harvey-Pinard. The Saguenéen also affirmed that veterans “got up in the room” after this match.
“It’s one of those matches that we won’t forget,” assured the American. It was embarrassing to lose like that. You have to remember this third period and use it as motivation. »
“We have to progress, look forward and continue to move forward by improving the points where we did less well,” concluded the Saguenéen.