At the beginning of the season, the Ottawa Senators were favored to win the Northeast division, but it's the Montreal Canadians who are in the first place and poised to make a run at the Stanley Cup. If they make it, it will be their first trip since last winning it in 1993, lead by hall of fame goalie Patrick Roy.
The Canadians are one point back for first place in the Eastern Conference, but let's look deeper into what exactly makes this team run so effectively. The Canadians are just a so-so five-on-five time with a plus-eight rating, while teams like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Ottawa and the New York Rangers have plus-50, plus-20, plus-26, plus-15 ratings respectively.
What separates the Canadians from the rest of the league is their explosive power play. At 24.2 percent, the best in the league, the Canadians are able to take advantage of teams if they get sloppy in their defensive zone and take too many penalties. But they have a unique ability that helps to make up for their lack of regular strength play. When the Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups in the early 90s, they to were not known for being an exceptional five-on-five team, but they had a very dangerous power play unit. Teams developed a mental mindset going into games that if they wanted to win they would have to stay out of the sin-bin, causing them to play a little tentative in their own zone. Now I am not comparing those Stanley Cup teams to the Montreal Canadians - far from it - but the Canadians are able to take the same approach.
There are a few reasons the Canadians have such an effective power play. The main goal scorer on the power play is one of my favorite players to watch, Alexei Kovalev. Leading the team with 16 power play goals, he is one of the most dangers snipers in the league. Able to play along the boards or lead the power play himself, he has one of the fastest and quickest releases for a wrist shot that I have ever seen. And to add sugar to the coating, he is also deadly accurate, with the ability able to pick corners from the blue line. Speaking of the blue line, Andrei Markov, and Mark Streit, who in his third season has really increased his level of play, are able both contribute with hard shots and smart plays.
A side from the powerplay, the Canadians have a ton of depth offensively. Christopher Higgins, although inconsistent at times, has taken strides each year he has been in the league and is developing into a first line player. And let us not forget about the heart and soul of this team, the captain Saku Koivu. If I had one word to describe the Canadian's captain, it would be courage. In 2001, Koivu was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer, putting the rest of his hockey career in jeopardy. But he fought relentlessly, returning to his team for their playoff series later that season. He was an instrumental part in helping to upset the first seeded Boston Bruins. An emotional leader in the locker room, Koivu will no doubt go down as one of the top captains in the historic franchise.
The only question for this team is in net. Although the Canadians have split time this season between rookie Carey Price and fellow netminder Cristobal Huet, management decided to deal Huet to the Washington Capitals on the trade deadline. Now, I don't have a problem with a team assigning a number one goaltender, but putting the entire weight of a team expected to win the Stanley Cup on a rookie's shoulders may come back and haunt them. The deal would have made more sense had the Canadian's receive a player that would could contribute to their playoff run, but they only received a second-round draft pick in exchange. If this team falters in the playoffs, general manger Bob Gainey will be the one to blame.
This team is one of the most exciting to watch, and it looks like they will draw the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. Although the Canadians have dominated Boston this season, don't think this will be a pushover series for the Canadians. The rivalry between these two teams can only be described as hatred.
Emre Aksoy's NHL column
runs every Tuesday. He can be
contacted at Emre.Aksoy@UConn.edu.
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