Hard to bemoan the Canadiens’ efforts on Saturday in Toronto when they were out of the game before they even had a chance to get started.
There’s no depth to add to the analysis. Four goals on five shots sunk the team, and anything you saw thereafter was a wash as far as I’m concerned.
Of course, another game lost to the Leafs, on Saturday night, in front of a national television audience--well--not much to celebrate for Canadiens fans on that one.
Carey Price’s harshest critics would point to Saturday’s non-performance as a major sign for concern, as the Canadiens edge towards the post-season. And until Price rights the ship, even his most adamant supporters won’t be able to validate a statement to the contrary.
And if the Price bashers were hoping for Peter Budaj to save his bacon, he didn’t exactly impress or give the Canadiens a chance to build on Davis Drewiske’s strike back in the first period.
You wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that Price hasn’t stolen many games for the Canadiens this season, if any. He hasn’t really had to. By the same token, you couldn’t count on one hand the amount of games in which Price didn’t give his team the best chance at a victory.
You can only imagine where the debate will end up if Price stones the Philadelphia Flyers tonight. It won’t take much imagination to know how this situation will evolve if he doesn’t.
Bad could’ve been a lot worse if the Boston Bruins hadn’t lost to the Carolina Hurricanes while the Canadiens skated the final 40 minutes of a game that was irredeemable. Instead, by the end of the night, Toronto had gained some ground in the standings on both teams, and the Habs held tight to their division-lead after one of their worst games of the season.
An optimist would point to what the 6-0 loss to Toronto earlier this season stimulated for the Habs. And with four games in six nights, the team doesn’t have much time to wallow in the disturbing defeat they suffered to the Leafs.
If they needed any supplemental motivation to put the hammer down from here to the final game of the season, it might just be avoiding the Leafs in the first round. I’m certain there are a few Canadiens fans who wouldn’t be too eager to watch that match up.
I get the sense that the team isn’t particularly worried about it. With seven games remaining on the schedule, their task will be to stave off the Bruins from capturing the division from under their feet, and that’s sure to be a night-to-night battle.
As for the Leafs, the Habs have one more date with them this season, and I’d have no qualms predicting they use it as an opportunity to make a statement, whether the game has any bearing on their final standing or not.
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If there’s one thing the Canadiens have shown, it’s that they have a lot of pride and character, and another bad loss like that won’t sit well with them at all.
It’s going to take pride and character to avenge a recent loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
It’s going to take more to venture into Pittsburgh Wednesday before returning home to play the Lightning Thursday. And then it’s a date with the Washington Capitals to wrap up the home schedule on Saturday.
You have to like the challenge this week presents; three of four games against teams that have recently gotten the better of the Canadiens; an excellent tune-up for the playoffs. Let’s see how they and Carey Price respond.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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