MONTREAL—You could feel Shea Weber’s influence on just about everything but the final outcome of Tuesday’s game at the Bell Centre, which the visiting Carolina Hurricanes won by a score of 2-1.
It was a fifth consecutive loss for Weber’s Montreal Canadiens. It knocked them out of a playoff position for the first time since early October. And it stung. Especially since they out-shot the Hurricanes—the NHL’s possession darlings who rank first overall in even-strength shot attempts—49-22 and out-chanced them handily.
But this one was different than the four that preceded it, and that had everything to do with Weber’s presence.
"I think the amount of time we spent in our zone was definitely less," said Canadiens assistant captain Brendan Gallagher. "His presence in front of our net was seen as well."
The proof was in Montreal allowing less than three goals for just the third time in 14 November games. Exhibit B—a bonus—was the Canadiens limiting the Hurricanes to just two shots on net in the third period.
Sure, he was a big factor in all of that, but if we’re being honest, Weber wasn’t even close to performing at the height of his abilities. We’ll give him a pass. After all, no one would be at their best playing in their first game after major surgeries to both legs and a 345-day absence from NHL action.
Not to say Weber wasn’t good. Even with his timing off-kilter he still managed an assist, three shots on net, 13 attempts, a hit, two blocked shots, and several clean zone clearances and exits over a team-leading 25:19 of ice-time. And the six-foot-four, 230-pound B.C. native had everyone else on the Canadiens side standing a little taller.
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Especially David Schlemko, who skated as his partner.
"It helps. He’s a big physical presence back there and he always seems to be in the right position," Schlemko said. "It makes it pretty easy to play with him."
To say it was a challenge for Schlemko this past Saturday, skating on his off-side on a pair with Brett Kulak in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins, would be putting it mildly. But in this one the 31-year-old settled in early, played more aggressively, and looked a lot more comfortable and confident in his game.
Almost everyone in the Canadiens lineup did. Rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi created a multitude of opportunities. Phillip Danault scored his first goal in 18 games. Artturi Lehkonen, Charles Hudon and Nicolas Deslauriers were threats to score, but all of them missed yawning nets, failing to turn this game into an authoritative win for Montreal.
Jonathan Drouin had a goal snatched away by Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Max Domi hit the post with the Canadiens skating 6-on-5 late in the game.
While the forwards couldn’t convert their chances, Montreal’s defence appeared as calm and composed as it’s been all season. Jordie Benn and Victor Mete, who had struggled some in the lead up to Weber’s return, were relegated to third-pairing minutes. They were mostly effective in that role, with bad bounces on Carolina’s two goals—scored by Victor Rask and van Reimsdyk—not detracting from that.
And Kulak fared well on the second pair with Jeff Petry, who was finally slotted into the role he’s best suited for.
For the better part of a year Petry had been punching above his weight class, logging Weber’s minutes to the best of his ability. He did an outstanding job through Montreal’s first 24 games, nailing down a spot among the NHL’s top-10 defencemen in scoring with 17 points. But his ice-time against Carolina dropped to a more manageable 22:53, which was 2:03 less than his average for the season and a shade under 10 minutes less than what he logged just four games ago.
"Jeff was a good soldier for us on that first pair," said Canadiens coach Claude Julien before saying Weber’s return allows Petry to solidify the team’s second pair.
It wasn’t for lack of effort that Weber failed to solidify the team’s woeful power play, which ranks 30th and is operating at 14.4 per cent despite ranking second in the NHL in power-play opportunities.
But he believes he can make the difference.
"We just gotta get on the same page," the big man said. "We’re working it, before practice and during practice, and I think we’re going to get it figured out."
Give it time, and give Weber time.
"I think it’s going to keep getting better as we go here [and I] get more comfortable being in those game situations," he said. "Obviously practice is different and being in those actual situations when you have to read and react and things are happening quickly will be good to go along and get better as we go."
And if the team performs more often as it did with him in the fold on Tuesday, you have to think they’re going to get better, too.
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