Does Montreal Miss Sheldon Souray?
December 14, 2008, by Homme De Sept-Iles
The Montreal Canadiens’ disappointing 0 of 8 power-play performance in last night’s 2-1 loss to the surging Washington Capitals was the most noticeable (if not the most important) factor in what has become perhaps a second slide down the Eastern mountain for the Cup hopefuls.
Personnel change, this time in the guise of lamenting those dearly departed, is one of the groundlings’ immediate corrective (or in this case reflective) responses to the problem. Namely the question, “Where is this team’s power-play without Sheldon Souray?”
It has been over a year since Souray’s surly form skimmed passes or boomed shots from the Red, White and blue-line. Now with the Oilers, Souray continues to administer his brand of frontier justice and has contributed eight goals to his team’s cause (four of those are power-play goals). In 2006-07, his last season with Montreal, he scored 26 goals in 81 games, 19 of those on the power-play. His current Edmonton pace suggests he will finish with 24 goals, 12 on the power-play.
In Montreal, Souray’s goals often came from what is considered one of the top three blue-line shots in the NHL. When he left for Edmonton, Montreal’s number-one power-play was said to be irrevocably affected.
The shot from the blue line is the last in a series of events on one of the three or four typical Montreal power-play sequences. The problem has been establishing it in the opponent zone. The blue-line shot on the power-play needs, among other things, lanes and crisp, quick passing in order to move opponents into compromised positions.
Souray’s point shot is replaceable. Mark Streit showed that last year. Streit’s 13 goals (7 on the power-play) helped Montreal retain the league’s number-one power-play for the second year running.
Today it is 29th in the NHL at 13.0%.
Right now, it could be said that Montreal has at least three or four good point shots. Alex Tanguay, Alex Kovalev, Andrei Markov and Patrice Brisebois have been taking most of the point shots when they do come up. The goals will come only when Montreal establishes control down low on the power-play and, in addition, stops turning the puck over up top.
Last night, the power-play struggled just to get the puck through the neutral zone.
An interesting thing in observing power-plays, in general, is that when the shot comes from the point, the point-shooter’s role becomes very similar to that of a quarterback who is being asked to throw a medium to long-range pass (15-22 yards). That quarterback will need the assistance of his o-line, first to create passing lanes (o-linemen need to do this) and to give him time.
Montreal may miss Streit more on the power-play than Souray as Streit was quicker with the puck and if the shot wasn’t there he could create on the fly. Souray was not as mobile or agile as Streit so if the shot wasn’t there, he would get it back in along the boards. Streit, like Koivu could quickly move the puck along an oblique angle inside one of the top two opponents to create awkward-angle shots for his forwards on the power-play.
The chemistry needed for power-play goals may come when Carbonneau decides to go with the non-line approach and create unique units just for the power-play.
One scenario:
Unit One: Markov-Brisebois-Tanguay-Koivu-Kovalev
Unit Two: Gorges-S. Kostitsyn-A. Kostitsyn-Lang-Plekanec
There are many permutations available to the Canadiens for power-play combos. They have had Tanguay, Kovalev and Sergei Kostitsyn on the point at different times this season.
Regardless of who is on the point, the team will be focusing more of their energies on establishing control first. The shots will come later. But they will come. And so will the goals.
Related posts:
Subscribe to the Podcast
0 comments
Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment