Michel Therrien gave his team an unscheduled day off Wednesday.
It was partially designed to give their bodies a rest, but the kindly ol’ coach also wants them to be mentally refreshed so they can grasp the concept of time as they prepare for back-to-back games Friday against the Hurricanes in Carolina and Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens have lost two consecutive games for the first time this season but, with a league-best 13-2-2 record, there’s no reason for fans to panic.
However, there is reason for concern because the two losses could have been two wins if the Canadiens had understood that a hockey game is 60 minutes long.
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In the 3-2 loss in Chicago Sunday, the lull occurred during the middle of the game. The Canadiens took a 2-1 lead early in the second period and then decided to sit on it. They went more than 22 minutes without a shot and by the time they pushed back on offence, they were down 3-2.
On Tuesday night, the Canadiens took a 1-0 lead against Florida — two positives here because Max Pacioretty used his quick release to score on the power play — but Montreal was outshot 12-6 and trailed 2-1 after one period. Pacioretty has goals in two of the past three games and the power is No. 7 in the NHL — and climbing — with a 23.5-per-cent success rate.
Therrien was pleased that his team came back to force overtime and earn a point, and the winning goal by Aaron Ekblad came after Alex Galchenyuk broke his stick and the Canadiens were down to two defenders.
Some of the Canadiens failings could be attributed to the absence of Alexander Radulov, who has been the team’s most dynamic offensive player. That resulted in a wholesale juggling of lines and limited Galchenyuk’s effectiveness. He picked up his 100th career assist, but he was merely a footnote in a game that saw Paul Byron go to the net and tap in a rebound after Brendan Gallagher tested Roberto Luongo with a shot from the side boards.
Gallagher has gone 11 games without a goal — the longest drought of his career — and Tomas Plekanec has scored only one goal this season, but Therrien said he felt both players turned in solid efforts.
“They had chances,” offered the coach, who said he felt Plekanec played one of his best games.
Gallagher and Plekanec each had five shots on goal to lead the team and Plakanec was strong in the faceoff circle, winning 10 of his 14 draws. He also did his part in neutralizing the top line of Jaromir Jagr, Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Marchessault.
David Desharnais scored for the first time in 13 games and added an assist. He was happy to produce the points, but said he would be happier to trade them for a win.
Carey Price lost for the first time since Oct. 29, 2015, which, with time off to rehabilitate a wonky knee, represents a 13-game win streak. This was not his best game and he stated the obvious when he said that the result would have been different with another save or two.
It would also have been different if the Canadiens had started the game the way they finished.
Price will get a chance to start a new streak Saturday against the Maple Leafs. With the back-to-back situation, Therrien will be relying on Al Montoya in goal Friday in Carolina.
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