Fansided

Montreal Canadiens At Risk Without Max Pacioretty

By Adam Savard |

The Montreal Canadiens are a high seed in the Eastern Conference, largely on the back of Carey Price.  Up front Max Pacioretty has been by far the best offensive player for the Montreal Canadiens this season.  These are the two players the Habs would likely struggle in the playoffs without and we seem likely to find that out.

Pacioretty hasn’t played a game for the Montreal Canadiens since this crash into the boards after a bump from Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov.  Pacioretty was far enough from the boards and it wasn’t from behind but he lost an edge and smashed against the boards, perhaps taking the playoff hopes of the Montreal Canadiens with him.  Kulikov did get two-minutes for interference on the play.

The injury is being called “upper-body” but it’s pretty likely the injury is a concussion.  Already Pacioretty has been ruled out of the Montreal Canadiens last game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.  It’s a smart call by the team.  Don’t risk your star player when you’re firmly in the playoffs with home-ice advantage, at least through the first two rounds.

The question now is will the Montreal Canadiens get through the first two rounds.  I said a few days ago I didn’t think Montreal was going to fall victim to a first-round upset.  Carey Price has been great and most of the teams fighting for wild-card spots aren’t very good on offense.

But the only Eastern Conference playoff team the Montreal Canadiens have outscored are the Boston Bruins, even with Pacioretty.  Take him out of the equation and the Montreal Canadiens suddenly need to win a bunch of 2-1 games.  That’s a lot of pressure on Price, pressure he has been up to so far all season.

Making matters worse, the Montreal Canadiens have the 23rd best power play this season with Pacioretty in the lineup.  When games get tighter next week, guys like P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec must find more success on special teams.  The break for Montreal in the first round is that potential opponents all have big flaws.

The Detroit Red Wings have battled injuries and goaltending issues.  The Pittsburgh Penguins have also fought off injuries to key players. The Ottawa Senators have ridden “The Hamburglar” on their late season surge and he doesn’t have playoff experience.  Does that matter?  Not if they stay in ninth place.

The Boston Bruins, sputtering over much of the second half and average most of the year, have a goaltender in Tuukka Rask that can match up against Price well.  That is the team Montreal Canadiens fans may fear the most.  A seven-game series of 1-0 or 2-1 games with plenty of overtime, where a bounce can make you or break you.

No matter who the Montreal Canadiens draw in the first round, that series will be much tighter without Max Pacioretty.  I still believe the Canadiens get out of the first round, even if Pacioretty needs more time to recover from his injury.  After that the Canadiens will need Pacioretty if they want to play for the Stanley Cup.

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