2) Mathieu Darche: Was shuffled between a few lines but didn’t let that
hurt his production.  He also played a role in a pair of goals that he
didn’t get credit for an assist on simply by driving the net and providing a
screen.
(Previous: 8  Average:
13.40)

3) James Wisniewski: A trio of helpers for the newly acquired blueliner
who is earning his keep primarily from PP production.  Unlike a certain
‘retired’ journalist though, I won’t compare him to the last player we said that
about as there’s simply no comparison to make, Wisniewski is much, much better.
(Previous: 2  Average:
2.00)

4) Carey Price: Against the Pens, he kept the team in it for a while
before everything caved in, while he held the fort down late against the
Rangers.  Another quality week.
(Previous: 3  Average:
2.80)

5) Alex Auld: Though his game in Manhattan didn’t get off to the best of
starts, he was sharp throughout and made some key saves in the 3rd.  He has
earned another start in the near future.
(Previous: N/A  Average:
6.00)

6) Benoit Pouliot: Yes, he did take 3 penalties against the Pens though
you can question the legitimacy of some of those.  Aside from that, he was
one of Montreal’s more dominant forwards out there.
(Previous: 7  Average:
9.40)

7) P.K. Subban: I still don’t like how he’s taking himself out of
position as often as he is, but he is playing better.  I wish he’d follow
the ‘KISS’ method (Keep it simple, Subban) – get the fundamentals down, then
bring the game changing moves into play more regularly.
(Previous: 4  Average:
9.13)

8) Scott Gomez: Although he (or his linemates) failed to register a
single point, I thought he still played well.  He certainly set up enough
quality chances, but no one buried them this go-round.
(Previous: 6  Average:
9.87)

9) David Desharnais: A bit better than last week which is what I
wanted to see, keep improving basically each game out.  Even though he’s
tiny, he showed he can still be effective in front of the net.
(Previous: 11  Average:
10.00)

10) Max Pacioretty: Failed to register a point but still made his
presence felt out there.  He managed to rattle Lundqvist on Saturday but
the Habs weren’t able to generate much of an attack on him after.
(Previous: 5  Average:
5.40)

11) Mike Cammalleri: He had more jump to his step than he did before his
injury but still was snake bit when it came to lighting the lamp.
(Previous: 13  Average:
6.80)

12) Brian Gionta: He was still getting his shots but something didn’t
look right with him out there, it’s almost as if he was a little tentative at
times.
(Previous: 1  Average:
6.53)

13) Roman Hamrlik: Had a powerplay goal but largely struggled in his own
end overall.  It’s the same pattern with him, some good weeks, others not
so good.
(Previous: 10  Average:
9.43)

14) Andrei Kostitsyn: He showed up on Saturday night and…it showed. 
He’s useful when he plays like he did that game, but useless when he plays as he
did the rest of the week.
(Previous: 16  Average:
10.73)

15) Hal Gill: He has been playing heavier minutes as of late and it
showed over this stretch of games.  Fortunately, when he struggles he often
snaps out of it in a hurry.
(Previous: 14  Average:
14.27)

16) Jeff Halpern: Showed some, albeit brief, signs of life offensively on
Saturday.  When his line can generate an offensive attack, it does wonders
for this team.
(Previous: 17  Average:
10.33)

17) Travis Moen: The 2nd straight week where the highlight was a fight
(and basically a ‘staged’ one at that).  He needs to watch some tapes of
Anaheim’s Cup run, maybe that will remind him of why the Habs signed him.
(Previous: 18  Average:
15.87)

18) Yannick Weber: He was decent in the first 2 games but struggled on
Saturday night.  That was his first ‘down’ game in a while, but perhaps we
may have a Picard sighting in one of the upcoming games.
(Previous: 15  Average:
16.25)

19) Jaroslav Spacek: He was sat down in the 3rd for both games vs the
Rangers for poor play.  That in itself drops him this far in the rankings.
(Previous: 12  Average:
12.40)

20) Lars Eller: A very up and down week for the rookie, who was benched
one game and on the "top line" the next.  Sooner or later, he has to start
producing.
(Previous: 3  Average:
2.80)

Pierre Dagenais joined Montreal early in July of 2003, believed to be a signing
for Hamilton as the former 2nd and 4th round pick (yes, you read that correctly)
of the Devils had spent most of his career in the AHL.  But a torrid start
with the Bulldogs where he had 21 points in 20 games plus his chemistry with
then-Hab Mike Ribeiro (who was the focus of this week’s
ATB
column) earned him a permanent recall to the Habs.  He picked up a
respectable 17 goals in 50 games but was basically a one-trick pony, he could
shoot but not much else.  2 years later, after the lockout, he wasn’t
nearly as effective with the Habs, picking up just 12 points in 32 games before
being farmed out to Hamilton, where he finished the season.  That began
what can only be considered a long, worldwide hockey journey.

Of the 3 defencemen named, 2 (Fowler, Shattenkirk) were simply more deserving
based on their performance this season.  As for Ekman-Larsson, him being
named surprised me but he is a highly touted, highly skilled prospect and there
is the international element as well; they can cater the rookie portion to a
larger audience that way.  But, I don’t think that was the main reason
Subban isn’t going.

Whether you feel it’s justified or not, there has been a lot of negativity
surrounding Subban this year.  He’s chirping too much, not fighting enough,
yadda, yadda, yadda.  Put him (and those ‘issues’) in front of media
throughout the league, and surely those will find their way into the discussion. 
All-Star weekend is supposed to showcase the supposed good things in the league,
and bringing Subban along would take away from that mantra. 

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