1) It's a game of mistakes, and the Leafs--as they have over the last five games--managed to make one too many in their loss to the Canadiens.
The game started on the rocks for Toronto, as Max Pacioretty and Rene Bourque found the back of the net with ease, and though they battled hard to tie things up at two, eventually tying things up at three after Brian Gionta found the back of the net, a careless penalty by James Van Reimsdyk allowed Tomas Plekanec to collect his first goal in 13 games. There was more push back, but the Habs extended their lead in the standings by two points, while Toronto, sullen, sauntered into New Jersey Sunday and fell victim to another early deficit; this time, a 3-0 lead for the Devils.
The finger's been pointed at James Reimer--not only by his coach, but by the fans of the Leafs.
Speaking of coach Carlyle, a couple of weeks ago Jonathan Bernier admits he tweaked something against the San Jose Sharks, and as the Leafs venture into Los Angeles a couple of nights later, Carlyle leaves it up to Bernier as to whether or not the Leafs' number one should make the start. You'd imagine Bernier would've braved a groin tweak for a chance to play his old team, and sure enough he did, leaving the game after the first period.
Enter Reimer. When the Leafs collapsed in game seven against the Bruins last season, Dave Nonis came out and said the situation allowed them to learn who was prepared for this kind of situation and who wasn't. Then Toronto made a trade for Bernier.
Reimer--who had earned his way to the Leafs starting role--set forth this season in a faux scenario that he was competing for the team's top job in nets. He'd have had to have played infinitely better than Bernier to take the position, but that didn't happen, and his confidence has fluttered since officially losing the job.
So with Bernier hurt, and Reimer left as virtually the only option--no offense to Drew Macintyre--after a tough loss to the Detroit Red Wings coach Carlyle was asked about his goaltender's performance and responded: "James Reimer? He was okay. He was just okay.".
Some would say there was nothing wrong with that statement, given the validity of it, but how did James Reimer take it? Seems pretty obvious he didn't take it well.
Timing is everything. Calling out Reimer while the team desperately needed his best was a gross miscalculation from Carlyle. It seemed quite calculated to try and light a fire under his goalie, when Reimer was probably in desperate need of a pat on the back. And some will argue that this just proves how fragile Reimer truly is. I'd say it's more of an indication of the fact that he's human.
And to add insult to injury--literally--idiot Leafs fans (a disturbed segment of the fanbase) decided it would be a great idea to harass Reimer's wife on twitter for his goaltending pitfalls.
The Leafs have got to turn it around from five straight losses to winning 70% of their games from here to the end of the season to secure the playoff spot they've yet to fall out of. There's a lot of turmoil and distraction for them to overcome in order to do that.
Can Bernier return sooner than expected?
Can Bernier be the guy he's been for most of the season--playing spectacularly well for a Leafs team that is practically setting records for shots against and quality scoring chances against?
Considering how up and down they've been all season, it would hardly be pulling off the impossible for the Leafs to maintain their position, but they're facing tough odds.
2) After not scoring in seven straight games people around Montreal were starting to worry about Max Pacioretty's production (he had 5 assists in 5 games coming into Saturday's), but it was pretty predictable he'd find the back of the net against Toronto.
In five games against the Leafs this year, Pacioretty's scored five goals.
3) Many had predicted the end for Rene Bourque and the Canadiens, as the struggling winger was placed in pressbox for five consecutive games. It's pretty obvious he got the message, as he rattled six shots in on Reimer Saturday, nailing the post once, scoring once and adding an assist on Gionta's goal.
Is there any doubt this guy can make a difference if he plays like that?
You'd have to think his leash will be shortened. Any kind of step back should have him relegated back to the sidelines. If this is what it'll take to keep him motivated, then so be it. The team has the depth to do this right now.
4) Lars Eller tweaked something in the third period of Saturday's game--this after playing a pretty good one between Travis Moen and Dale Weise. Michael Bournival was immediately recalled, and some believe he'll be taking the centre position against Boston tonight. I'm not so convinced, as I would think Therrien will opt for Ryan White.
But there's another game tomorrow against Buffalo, and it might be the right time to get Bournival back into the lineup, especially on the second half of back-to-backs when fresh, speedy legs are an asset.
5) If Leafs fans are wondering how Bernier will be after his injury, take a look at how Carey Price has been since coming back from an injury that took him away from the hottest play of his career.
Price has been great at times, but he's been just okay too; to borrow a phrase from Randy. That's not a knock on Price, as he continues to get his timing down, rounding nicely into form for what's likely to be a playoff team in Montreal.
We can talk about Reimer crumbling all we want, but did you see that giveaway by Phil Kessel to David Desharnais, to help Montreal onto the board nice and early in Saturday's game?
You can't win with terrible neutral zone turnovers, and you certainly can't win without any tangible commitment to defensive hockey.
Enough about the Leafs...
6) Is tonight the night Boston's winning streak gets halted? They've rattled off 12 in a row, and they're getting scoring from everyone. To say this is a monster challenge for the Canadiens is putting it mildly, and if they can't overcome it, it's going to be a huge confidence boost for the Bruins to beat the Canadiens twice in a row ahead of the playoffs.
You'd think if there's one matchup the Bruins don't want in the post-season, it's the Habs. So that confidence boost can really go a long way.
Prepare for another epic battle between these teams. Lucic and Emelin have had a great one running all year, and Thomas Vanek--quiet in his first Habs game against Boston--is a notorious Bruins killer.
We're going to see if Price is closer to the form he offered before he got hurt. There's no question that he'll be tested more tonight than he has since returning.
7) Daniel Briere played a great game in Toronto, between Bourque and Gionta. He was sloppy on the Leafs first goal of the game, but aside from that, he was all over the place. He's gotta maintain a very high level, otherwise Alex Galchenyuk is going to take that coveted centre position from him. This is a critical competition that's going to help the Canadiens.
8) Doug Murray at 10:00 is so much better than Doug Murray at anything more than 10:00.
Have a read from Mitch Melnick, who also did a fantastic job summarizing what it's like watching Hockey Night in Canada when the Leafs and Habs play each other. Here's a hint; it's awful!
9) I've been a fan of how Francis Bouillon's played since returning to the lineup after what seemed like an eternity as a healthy scratch. But more than 25:00 for him against Toronto? That's just ludicrous.
10) Boston-Buffalo today and tomorrow, in Detroit Thursday, in Florida Saturday, in Tampa the following Tuesday, in Ottawa on the Friday, and back home against the Wings on the Saturday. That's a pretty tough schedule before the final week of the season.
It's entirely likely the Canadiens clinch a playoff berth over that stretch, and if they don't, they finish things off with back-to-backs against the Blackhawks and Islanders, back home for the final game of the season against the New York Rangers.
So that's 10 games to go. How many points will the Habs pick up in these 10?
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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