Quarterly Report #2-Half Way Point

So here we are, 41 games into the season......the half way point. From a win/losses standpoint the Canadiens sit at 19-19-3 good for 7th in the east, but it should be noted that most of the teams in their conference have games in hand on the Habs. Slowly but surely we are seeing guys return from injury giving us a better look as to what this team is capable of. So here is a rundown of the good, the bad and some player grades.

The Good-Tomas Plekanec has been the best player on the Habs. Not only does he lead the team in points but he should also get some consideration for the Selke for his defensive play. His line of Mike Cammalleri and Andrei Kostitsyn has turned into a legit #1 line. The special teams have been much improved and both the PP and PK are among the tops in the league (PP currently sits #1 at 25% and the PK sits #8 at 84.2%). This without Andrei Markov for most of the season makes it even more impressive. The goaltending has been very good to this point. There have not been many games that either goalie hasn't given the team a chance to win. Martin seems to be satisified to ride the hot hand in net and I have no problem with that. The Canadiens have managed to compile a respectable record despite all the injuries in the 1st half and are in the mix for a playoff spot. Seeing some key players return from injury is a huge positive.

The Bad-Secondary scoring has continued to be a big issue. With the injury to Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez has had a revolving door of wingers and none of them seem to be able to provide that offensive spark that is needed. Overall team defence hasn't improved much since the start of the season. Too many giveaways, the inability to get the puck out of the defensive zone and poor defensive zone coverage has led to a ton of shots and scoring chances by the opposition. The Canadiens continue to get outshot most games but the return of Markov should help the defence. Penalties also continue to be a huge concern. The Canadiens continue to be league's most penalized team (in terms of times shorthanded) with 183 times shorthanded (Coyotes are next with 172 having played 1 fewer game). They also continue to have the least number of power plays with only 120 (Bruins are next with 132 in 3 fewer games). I am not going to rant about the officiating because the majority of the Canadiens penalties are legit. I am more concerned about similar infractions being missed when the opposition committs them.

Now the players report card. I based my ratings on not only play, but expectations.

Forwards
Gomez-B->With Gionta on the shelf Gomez struggled. Has started to heat up as of late.
Gionta-A>Injured most of the 2nd quarter and was missed big time. Still sits tied for 4th with 8 goals.

Cammalleri-A+>Great pickup all around. Leads team with 19 goals and has meshed well with A. Kost and Pleks.

Plekanec-A+>Continues to be a rock. Solid in both ends and a team high 44 points.

A. Kostitsyn-B>Has totally turned his game around. Sits 2nd on the team with 12 goals and has scored at will lately. Possibly the addition of his brother has helped.

Max Pacs-B->Continues to play hard every game on the 3rd line. Needs to work on polishing up his offence.
Moen-A->Moen and Pleks have been an amazing team on the PK. Continues to add grit which is why he was signed.

Metro-A->A few bad penalties have hurt his rating. Still a great surprise this year with 10 goals and responsible play at both ends of the ice.
D'Agostini-C->On the team to score and he hasn't done much of that this year with only 2 goals. Had a chance with Gomez on the 2nd line but couldn't capitalize.
Pouilot-B+>Through 3 games he has looked impressive. Good size and loves to shoot. Can't wait to see how he does in Q3.
Lapierre-C->Very disapointing season so far. Appears confidence is gone.
White-B>Back in Hamilton now but did a good job while with the big club. High hockey IQ and energy guy.
Pyatt-B->Went pointless in 19 games but was a pretty responsible player overall. Returned to Hamilton.
Laraque-D>No shots on net and only a handfull of fights in 22 games. It appears injuries have really caught up with him.
Stewart-D>Back in Hamilton.

S. Kostitsyn-C>Only 4 points in 18 games since being called up, but has been very good on the PK with Gomez.

(J.T. Wyman (3 games) and David Desharnais (1 game) also saw action)

Defence

Markov-A>Recently returned from injury and the team is 5-1 with him in the lineup. Already has 7 points.

Hamrlik-A->Continues to log big minutes and play well. Suffered an injury and has missed the last 7 games.

Spacek-C>Paired again with Markov after Andrei's return. Offence has been lacking and has taken a few too many penalties.

Gorges-B+>Has continued to play well. Not a flashy d-man but effective.
Mara-B->Suffered a pair of injuries and is currently out of the lineup. Play has tailed off a bit from earlier in the year.
Gill-C>Has played much better after coming off an injury which saw him miss 14 games. Has been a big key on the PK paired with Gorges.
O'Byrne-C>Has struggled in the last few weeks. The number of penalties he has taken has hurt the team.
Bergeron-C+>Still a liability in his own end, but his power play skill has paid big dividends. Has scored 9 goals and 21 points while seeing limited ice time.
Carle-C+>Hamilton.
Belle-C+>Hamilton.

Weber-C>Hamilton.

Goalies
Price-B+>Earned a long stretch of starts with some great play. Focus and urgency appear to be back.

Halak-A->Sat for a while after Price got hot. Was able to get a string of starts lately and has been good while seeing a ton of shots.