Montreal Canadiens

Habs clinch the Atlantic division with their 4-1 win over the Panthers
April 4, 2017, 2:34 PM ET [67 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
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As they headed into their match Monday night against the Florida Panthers, the Montreal Canadiens needed just one win in their remaining four games to clinch the Atlantic division title. Rather than be dramatic, they immediately took care of business by defeating the Panthers 4-1 to lock up first place. While the Panthers had little if anything to play for, it was still impressive that the Canadiens were able to pull out the victory without their All-Star goaltender and number one defenseman Carey Price and Shea Weber in the lineup. Charlie Lindgren of the St. John’s Ice Caps got the start in net since Al Montoya was still not ready for game action.

What bodes well for the Canadiens is that they were not complacent against the Panthers. They showed up to play from the moment the puck was dropped. The team has not taken their foot of the pedal since defeating the Ottawa Senators on March 25th as that sparked their current five game win streak. The Canadiens already know that they will host the New York Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They want to be in tip top shape as they head into the postseason and not dragging their feet…

Puck Props & Flops:

Props:

Artturi Lehkonen - What more can be said about the 21 year old rookie forward from Finland? He has been on a tear as of late as he has taken his game to another level with the playoffs around the corner. With eight points in his last nine games including two goals and an assist against the Panthers, Lehkonen has discovered some nice chemistry playing mostly on a line with Alex Galchenyuk and Andrew Shaw. It also marked a shift to the right wing so as to accommodate Galchenyuk playing on his natural side. Lehkonen has already been impressive throughout his rookie year displaying a level of hockey IQ that is beyond his young age. He has proven that he can be trusted in all situations and never gives up on a play. Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin once said that you need players to get you in the playoffs and then you need players to get you through the playoffs. Lehkonen has the tools to be both of these types of, especially considering his previous success with Frolunda and Finland’s world junior program.

Charlie Lindgren - In just his second career NHL start, Lindgren looked cool, calm and collected throughout the game. He made 31 saves and allowed just one goal to the Panthers, a pretty successful night for the young goaltender. As Al Montoya returned to practice Monday morning, it appears that Lindgren’s stay with the Canadiens is about to end. He has had a very strong rookie campaign in the American Hockey League with the St. John’s Ice Caps with a 22-17-1 record and the team in the thick of a battle for one of the last remaining playoff spots.

Andrew Shaw - He has done a tremendous job since being moved to center and has really been able to stabilize Galchenyuk who now has less pressure defensively. Through Shaw’s strong play, Galchenyuk has been able to focus on rediscovering his own game which in turn benefits Shaw and Lehkonen as they will reap the rewards from that. Perhaps no other forward has benefitted as much from the coaching change as Claude Julien has been to bring out the best in Shaw. We have seen throughout the Chicago Blackhawks playoffs success that Shaw is one of those players that will get you through them. The Canadiens are now banking on just that…

Max Pacioretty and Alexander Radulov - With his assist on Radulov’s empty net goal, Pacioretty has tied his career high in NHL points with 67, matching his jersey number. With three games left in the regular season Pacioretty is in an excellent position to break that mark. For Radulov, it was his 18th goal of the season and what is really noticeable is how much he and Pacioretty really enjoy playing together. He celebrated the empty net goal as though it was an overtime one, just because of the pure joy he gets from playing hockey. Meanwhile, his put on a skills clinic against the Panthers:




Flop:

NHL deciding not to send players to the Olympics:

Yes, we get that what it comes down to is money. The IOC refused to cover expenses and the NHL owners for the most part have little interest in letting their star players travel to the other side of the world without any direct financial benefit. The end result though is without the NHL players at the Olympics, everyone loses. The players first and foremost miss out on a chance of lifetime to experience the Winter Games and represent their country. The fans miss out on seeing the best players in the world face one another. The casual sporting fan who would otherwise not watch hockey misses out on witnessing the game’s best and may lose interest without them there. The NHL misses out on an opportunity to further grow the game. It is not just about growing the game in Asia but the additional media attention it will get in the United States alone that should make it worthwhile for the NHL to be there.

The real question though, is if the games were reversed and Beijing was taking place in 2018 and not 2022, would the NHL still have decided to draw the line and announce their decision not to go? Beijing will host NHL exhibition games in 2017 with an eye of increasing the sport’s popularity in China in time for the 2022 games. The NHL is being paid handsomely to go to China. Would they dare to say no to going to the Olympics there? It is easier to say no to Pyeongchang where they have little interest in growing the game…

The Canadiens will close out their three game road trip in Buffalo on Wednesday night.