HabsWorld.net --
Despite numerous injuries, the Habs managed to
pull off a trio of victories this week, moving them to 6th in the Eastern
Conference. Losing so many players didn’t deter the Hamilton Bulldogs any,
as they just continue to steamroll the AHL. It’s never too early to start
scoreboard watching which means the Schedule Synopsis makes an early return this
year, while the Final Thought looks at a new consideration in the Price/Halak
debate. This plus the weekly power ranks, in the Recap.
Power |
The PPR’s are on a cumulative basis with
some bias towards the current week. The prev. column represents the last
ranking for the player; players not on last week’s list will be slotted back
where they were when returning from injury/benching/recall (italicized numbers).
Thus, multiple players may have the same previous ranking.
Rk |
Player |
Prev. |
Comments |
1 |
Tomas Plekanec |
2 | The points continue despite being paired with a couple of Bulldogs. |
2 | Jaroslav Halak | 4 | Let’s not mince words, he stole 2 more game for the Habs this week. |
3 |
Brian Gionta | 3 | A key reason that the team beat Boston and upset Pittsburgh. |
4 | Scott Gomez | 7 | A big week for him as well as he and Gionta led the way offensively. |
5 |
Benoit Pouliot | 5 | He may not be able to shoot but he showed he could set up some goals. |
6 | Roman Hamrlik | 9 | His little dance moves make him scoring that much more exciting. |
7 |
Andrei Markov | 10 | Took some positive strides after struggling for several weeks. |
8 | Josh Gorges | 8 | Got shuffled around a bit this week and struggled somewhat as a result. |
9 |
Jaroslav Spacek | 12 | Picked up where he left off before going down, best hockey of the year. |
10 | Mathieu Darche | 14 | Quickly earning the confidence of the coaches, nearly 20 mins vs Boston. |
11 |
Sergei Kostitsyn | 15 | Playing with more energy, though I’m not a fan of him whining about PT. |
12 | Marc-Andre Bergeron | 11 | Has been quieter since moving up front, not nearly enough production. |
13 |
Glen Metropolit | 13 | Nice to see him finally get one, he’s surely worked hard enough lately. |
14 | David Desharnais | 19 | Didn’t look out of place, even when he saw time on the powerplay. |
15 |
Ryan O’Byrne | 18 | Now this is what we all hoped to see after such a strong training camp. |
16 | Travis Moen | 16 | Liked the physical play, but needs to do more with Gomez/Gionta. |
17 |
Brock Trotter | – | Played with lots of aggression which is exactly what this team needs. |
18 | Ryan White |
20 |
Played with a lot more poise in this stint with the big club. |
19 | Hal Gill | 17 | A couple of uncharacteristic giveaways proved costly. |
20 | Maxim Lapierre | 19 | Rebounded well on Sunday after being sat late in the Pittsburgh game. |
21 | Ben Maxwell | 21 | Looking more comfortable but was overshadowed by the recent callups. |
22 | Yannick Weber | 20 | Showed signs that he’s further along compared to his last recall. |
23 | Matt D’Agostini | 22 | Played a little better, but questions about his future are rampant. |
Dropped from the rankings: Mike Cammalleri
(1 – injury) and Carey Price (6 – DNP).
The Dog |
The winning streak is up to 7 straight now as
the Bulldogs won all 3 of their games this week.
Results: |
February 3 | 1 |
2 | 3 | Tot |
PP |
SOG |
San Antonio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/4 | 22 |
Hamilton | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3/9 | 26 |
Attendance: 3,228
3 Stars: 1) Trotter – HAM 2) Desharnais – HAM 3) Sanford – HAM
February 5 | 1 |
2 | 3 | Tot |
PP |
SOG |
Hamilton | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2/5 | 28 |
Rochester | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/5 | 24 |
Attendance: 4,425
3 Stars: 1) Pyatt – HAM 2) Glumac – HAM 3) Taylor – ROC
February 6 | 1 |
2 | 3 | Tot |
PP |
SOG |
Hamilton | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1/6 | 43 |
Toronto | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/5 | 12 |
Attendance: 5,868
3 Stars: 1) Glumac – HAM 2) Subban – HAM 3) MacDonald –
TOR
The 12 shots allowed set a franchise record for fewest shots allowed in a
game.
Stats: |
Despite being without 2 full lines of forwards
(all with the Habs), Hamilton didn’t skip a beat this week in large part due to
the stellar play of G Curtis Sanford who is making a huge push to reclaim the #1
role.
SKATERS |
# | Player | GP | G | A | +/- | SH | PIMS |
5 | Alex Henry | 3 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 0 | 7 |
6 | Chad Anderson | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 2 |
7 | Yannick Weber | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 1 | 4 |
8 | Maxime Lacroix | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 7 | 0 |
10 | J.T. Wyman | 3 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 9 | 0 |
12 | Andrew Conboy | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 8 | 2 |
15 | Mike Glumac | 3 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 16 | 4 |
16 | Gregory Stewart | 3 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 4 | 0 |
18 | Dany Masse | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 1 | 0 |
19 | Brock Trotter | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 4 | 0 |
20 | Ryan Russell | 3 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 3 | 0 |
23 | Max Pacioretty | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 8 | 4 |
25 | Ryan White | 1 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 2 |
26 | Grant Stevenson | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 1 | 4 |
27 | Tom Pyatt | 3 | 3 | 3 | +3 | 10 | 0 |
29 | Eric Neilson | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 2 | 2 |
32 | Frederic St. Denis | 3 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 | 14 |
44 | Shawn Belle | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 2 | 0 |
51 | David Desharnais | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 4 | 0 |
61 | Andre Benoit | 3 | 0 | 2 | E | 4 | 2 |
76 | P.K. Subban | 3 | 1 | 5 | +4 | 7 | 4 |
GOALIES |
# | Player | Record | SV% | GAA |
1 | Curtis Sanford | 2-0-0 | .971 | 0.50 |
30 | Cedrick Desjardins | 1-0-0 | .917 | 2.00 |
Leaders: |
Goals: Brock Trotter (25)
Assists: David Desharnais (32)
Points: Brock Trotter (53)
+/-: P.K. Subban (+29)
PIMS: Ryan White (95)
Shots: Mike Glumac (137)
This Week: |
February 12: Hamilton
vs Lake Erie
February 13: Abbotsford vs Hamilton
Schedule |
Yes, it might be a little too early to start
doing this on a weekly basis, but with 1 week before the Olympic break (and
roster freeze), it’s worth looking at the standings and who plays who this week.
Rank |
Team |
GP |
PTS |
Wins |
This Week |
6 | Montreal | 60 | 62 | 28 | vs WSH, @ PHI, vs PHI |
7 | Tampa Bay | 57 | 61 | 25 | vs VAN, vs BOS, @ NYI, @ NYR |
8 | Philadelphia | 56 | 59 | 28 | vs NJ, @ NJ, vs MTL, @ MTL |
9 | Boston | 57 | 59 | 24 | @ BUF, @ TB, @ FLA |
10 | NY Rangers | 59 | 59 | 26 | vs NSH, @ PIT, vs TB |
11 | Atlanta | 57 | 58 | 25 | @ COL, @ MIN, @ CHI |
12 | Florida | 58 | 57 | 24 | @ CAR, vs VAN, vs BOS |
13 | NY Islanders | 58 | 54 | 23 | vs NSH, @ PIT, vs TB, vs OTT |
Standings as of games played through Sunday,
February 7th.
Final |
For weeks now, there has been a lot of debate
over who should be anointed the #1 starter for the Habs. Currently,
Jaroslav Halak is the favourite but knowing how some people like to flip-flop,
that might change by the trade deadline. I’ve seen tons of arguments for
and against keeping Halak as #1, but I’ve yet to see the one that might actually
have the greatest impact on the team both this and next season, the salary cap.
And no, I don’t mean the simple fact that Price has a higher cap hit, it goes
much deeper than that.
$850,000 of Price’s bonuses are what’s considered to be "A-level" ones, payable
based on certain criteria being hit. They go in increments of $212,500 per
option, so 4 need to be fully hit in order to maximize the bonus. As we
sit here nearing the Olympic break, there’s no guarantees he’s going to hit them
all. For reference purposes, here’s the listing of eligible bonuses:
1) 1,800 minutes played (he’s played more than that already, this one’s
locked in);
2) GAA that is less than or equal to the median (average) of all goalies with
25+ GP (Price is 25th in this category out of 38 goalies who have currently
played 25+ GP, likely below the median);
3) SV% greater than or equal to the median of all goalies with 25+ GP (Price
is 18th out of 38 eligible goalies, likely a bit above the median currently);
4) 20+ wins, averaging more than 30 minutes per game played (Price has 11, if
Halak sees the bulk of the load the rest of the way, he’ll have a hard time
getting 9 more);
5) Shutouts earned that is greater than or equal to the median of all goalies
with 25+ GP (Price is just one of 6 goalies with 20+ GP who’ve yet to earn a
shutout so he’s clearly below the median);
6) Makes the All-Rookie team (ineligible);
7) Selected to the All-Star Game (there isn’t one);
8) All-Star Game MVP (there isn’t one).
So what does that all mean? There’s only 1 bonus that’s fully locked in
with one more that he’d be eligible for. If he doesn’t play a lot down the
stretch, he’s not going to hit the rest of them. That means, you guessed
it, cap savings, to the tune of give or take $425,000. When the Habs
currently are projected to be over the cap by more than $1.6 million next season
(pending bonus adjustments), that’s pretty substantial. And all they have
to do to save it is let Halak run with the ball for the rest of the year.
Sounds pretty tempting if you ask me…
If you have a question regarding this article or the
capsheet
(next scheduled update is Tuesday),
please feel free to drop me a line at
[email protected].