They won! They won! The PP worked well! Didn't miss a beat without Souray! The PK Subban played to perfection!!!!
Stop. Arrest every thought in your head. I want you to tell that thought to sit down. I want you to look at that thought. Now I want you to tell the thought to go away.
This win was eerily similar to what the team accomplished in the first half of last season. Then the law of averages settled in.
You're not going to win games regularly by scoring 3 on the power play and by killing off a bunch on penalties, including over 2 minutes worth of 5 on 3s. This is stretching the team's capabilities again and having them play beyond their capacities. It will bite them in the culo in the end.
Gainey said it best at the end of last season: this team despite its torrid 21-8-5 explosion out of the starting blocks last year was marred by imbalance. Great penalty kill but too many penalties taken, great save % but too many shots allowed. Eventually the team tires and the results change.
The Habs will be a convincing team when they find a way to accomplish 2 specific feats on a regular basis: limit the opposition to under 30 shots and score when playing 5 on 5. That signifies that the players are committed to a defensive system while consistently overpowering the opposing team in the offensive zone. That establishes balance. No need for the players to extend themselves and play in over their heads.
Until then, bring your umbrella, ella, eh, eh, eh, to the parade.
That last line sucked.
