MONTREAL—Andrei Markov cut the play off at centre ice, rushed over the blue line and feathered a pass over to Artturi Lehkonen.
It was an assist that led to the third goal of a 4-1 win for the Montreal Canadiens over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, and it was the 572nd point of the 38-year-old’s illustrious career, which tied him for second all-time among Canadiens defencemen.
If it hadn’t been for a torn Achilles tendon and two ACL reconstructions that limited him to just 65 games from 2009-2012, and the two lockouts that stole away prime years of his career, Markov would’ve pulled even with Canadiens legend Guy Lapointe long ago.
It’s safe to assume the Russian rearguard would’ve also narrowed the gap considerably more between himself and all-time Canadiens leader Larry Robinson—who scored 883 points in 1,202 games—had it not been for those lost years.
"It’s a big honour to be even close to those people," said Markov.
It’s an honour that was met by a rousing ovation from the fans at the Bell Centre, who chanted Markov’s name after P.A. announcer Michel Lacroix made the accomplishment public.
Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty was exuberant for his teammate, repeating over and over again that Markov is the best player he’s ever played with.
"He’s just got such a good mind for the game, the way he does things," said Pacioretty. "He’s just got little techniques; the way he holds his stick in certain situations; the passes he makes. I said to [Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk] I never want him to retire because that’s at least 10 goals a year, and the left shots all feel the same."
Lehkonen—the lefty who scored his 14th goal of the year—is the latest in a long line of left-handed shooters who have benefited from Markov’s brilliance.
You think of the players who left Montreal for big payouts as unrestricted free agents, and Markov’s fingerprints are all over their contracts. Sheldon Souray and Mark Streit immediately come to mind as examples.
Markov also had a hand in keeping Marc-Andre Bergeron in the NHL for three more seasons after his 13-goal stint with the Canadiens in 2009. And his vision and smooth passing skills were huge factors in turning Alex Kovalev and Mike Cammalleri into two of the most popular Canadiens in recent history.
As Pacioretty notes, the devil is in the details of how Markov has registered the bulk of his 453 assists.
"When a lefty passes the puck, the puck spins counter clockwise," explained Pacioretty. "So when a lefty shoots that puck, you keep the spin going counter clockwise. If it’s a righty shooting the puck, he has to reverse the spin on the puck and it’s harder for it to come off your blade."
Pacioretty insists that Markov is so aware that he made the necessary adjustments to help right-handed shooters P.K. Subban, James Wisniewski and Mike Komisarek just as much over the years.
Right-shooting Shea Weber, who plays as Markov’s regular defence partner, is currently reaping the rewards.
On this night the pairing was on the ice for just under 22 minutes, driving the offence and doing their best to shut down prolific scorers Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
They had plenty of help from Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who wasn’t scheduled to start the game but was forced to after backup Al Montoya was deemed ineligible with a lower-body injury following Tuesday’s morning skate.
Price made breakaway stops on Benn and Devin Shore, and was nearly perfect on the 26 other shots he faced.
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At the other end of the ice, Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen stopped the first 26 shots he faced before the floodgates opened.
Lehtonen had come into the game with as the NHL’s second star of last week, having recorded a 3-0-1 record and a .959 save percentage to give Dallas the kind of goaltending it had yearned for but not received all season long.
The Stars had finished with the best record in the Western Conference a year ago and come into this season as a Stanley Cup contender. But by the end of the first game they played following their elimination from this year’s playoff race, Lehtonen was beat on a weak backhander from Pacioretty, a short-side shot from Brendan Gallagher and another backhand from Alexander Radulov.
If the knuckler from Lehkonen appeared to be the weakest goal of the night, it was largely due to Markov’s quick thinking, his perfect timing and his precision, which left Lehtonen scrambling to catch up to the play.
It was Markov’s 30th assist of the season, his 36th point, and the type of play that only reinforced his worth to the Canadiens.
"I’m not planning to retire," the pending unrestricted free agent said. "I’m planning to continue playing, as long as I enjoy playing."
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