Six problems to solve for the hospital

Few can claim to have witnessed the last time Canadians experienced such a painful beginning. However, everyone remembers that he had such, not so long ago, in October 2017.

That season, the Habs wrapped up the first batch of 10 games on their calendar with a 2-7-1 number. In short, only one point more than the portion of the regular season that ended on Sunday afternoon in Anaheim.

Like this year, on the heels of that bad streak, Mark Bergievin went down to the locker room and spoke to the media.

“I will not show a sign of panic,” Al-Kindi’s general manager fired.

The players responded with six wins in their next eight duels. However, the five-game winning streak (0-3-2) that followed dashed what was left of hope. That was on November 22.

A brilliant coup may come even earlier if Dominique Ducharme’s forces do not manage to score a few victories in the upcoming matches. To achieve this, she will inevitably have to solve the following six problems.

1- an unstable number

Shortened, the Canadian has a pitiful 65% success rate. He was perfect only twice in his first 10 matches. The chassis appears to be defective. The pocket is a real highway where the opponent’s passes and shots are a legion. Additionally, one can question the level of commitment of the workforce employed by Ducharme. The number of blocked hits is starving, while the goals scored from the top of the circles are regular.

“Not because of a lack of participation,” the coach said. “These are positioning errors.”

• Possession time in the attack area is allowed 0:38 (20^NS)
• Pocket shots awarded 1,47 (31^NS)
• Pocket bottom shots were awarded 0.43 (20^NS)
• Pocket Permits Granted 1.78 (23^NS)
• Banned shots 0,60 (24^NS)

2- Dominate in the circle

If there’s one place Canadians have missed so badly with Philip Danault, it’s in the showdown circuit. The latter died in the NHL with a terrible injury rate of 43.8%. It’s hard to create an attack when you always have to run behind the disc. The same when it is necessary to pass the penalty. Putting the stick on the disc right from the start could kill at least a good 20 seconds. Moreover, the Habs team won two of the three games in which the quarterbacks shined the most.

• Christian Dvorak 50.3%
• Mathieu Perrault 50%
• Jake Evans 46.7%
• Nick Suzuki 40.6%
• Cedric Beckett 29.8%

3 – Unbalanced in defense

Image source: file image, AFP

The absence of Shea Webber and Joel Edmundson caused a visible imbalance in the Canadian Blue League. Alexander Romanov and David Savard, who should usually occupy a chair on the third pair of defenders, develop on the second. Jeff Petrie, who appears to be running late with an injury, is unrecognizable. Ben Chiaroot sometimes seems overwhelmed by events. When the Brett Kulak is the firmest butt, there is a problem. Ducharme will have to find a solution to tighten the match in defence.

• Expected goals 3,38 (29^NS LNH)
• Opportunities to register 25.4 (26^NS LNH)
• pocket fire 14.8 (26 .)^NS LNH)
• Shots from the bottom of the pocket 6,6 (23^NS LNH)

4- Irregular decisions

Image source: AFP Photo

Due to the rare goals, CH attackers sometimes try to do too much. Going out before the team has possession of the disc, trying long passes and doing too much in the boot when entering the zone creates potentially costly flips. Especially on the opponent’s blue line, which allows for quick and frequent counterattacks.

• Shifts in the Neutral Zone 9,40 (14 .)^NS)
• Over-attack 5,50 (19^NS)
• Transformations in the defensive zone 34 (21^NS)

5- Unable to attack

It’s hard to score wins when you only score one goal per game. Six times in the first ten engagements, the Hab moved the ropes on one occasion…or less. No wonder he appears among the worst teams in the NHL in his many advanced offensive stats.

• Possession time in the attacking area 5:28 (30^NS)
• I tried to shoot 54.7 (30^NS)
• Penalty kicks 27.3 (30^NS)
• Expected goals 2.68 (26^NS)
• pocket fire 11.9 (26^NS)
• Scoring odds 21 (25^NS)

6- Flat spirits

Image credit: Image file, Martin Alari

When nothing goes well, our morale ends up plummeting. Resistance is less powerful and giving up is easier. As long as the Canadian is in the game, as he was in San Jose and Anaheim, he’s fighting. But just when it looks like the match is about to slip away, the channel arrives. The game system takes the edge, and mental errors become more frequent. After that, the situation worsens and the melt accumulates. At this level, perhaps calling in Michael Pezzetta injects new energy into the group.