In the playoffs a win is a win, but I was not a very happy camper (outside of the result) on Sunday afternoon. There is a fine line that the Canadiens need to walk between caution and over-kill. I’ve talked about it ad nausea this season about the lack of puck possession that has killed the Canadiens. It is what has resulted in the lop-sided shot totals, and often the late-game meltdowns that were common-place in the regular season. Yesterday we saw a team that made it much harder to win that game than it should have been.

It all starts with the first pass out of the zone. Often our defenders simply choose to dump the puck into the neutral zone in favor of trying to make a pass to a team mate out of the zone. The result is that we turn the puck over to the opposition who comes right back into our zone. We don’t get line-changes, and we have to start the battle all over again. Then if by chance we do collect possession and skate with the puck out of our zone, our players are too tired to create an offensive chance, and thus must turn the puck over again for a line-change. The result is that we often only get 1 offensive chance for our opponent’s 4. It is ALWAYS easier to play with a lead when you control the puck. You kill minutes without giving up scoring chances, and you are able to dictate line changes when you want them, and not when your opponent does.

So far Martin’s strategy of all out dump-and-defend has served the Canadiens well – but there are problems looming on the horizon that we got a preview to in Game 1. Martin has shortened his bench so much during the first 9 games of the playoffs that the combination of all-out defense, and tired skaters makes for ugly, ugly results. Luckily the Habs had enough juice for Game 2, but this series wont go the distance unless Martin makes an adjustment that will either utilize 4 full lines, or allow his players to control pucks, line-changes, and tire out the opponent in the offensive end.

Once the Canadiens take control of the puck, they MUST look to pass the puck first before electing to dump the puck and relinquish possession. The other gripe I have with Martin also relates to this point. I understand why the Kostitsyn’s have been in Martin’s dog house at points during the season, yet I simply cannot comprehend why he would essentially bench them both at this point in the season. Your team struggles to move the puck and posses the puck in the offensive zone – it might benefit you to have one of your top puck handlers, and one of your best shooters on the ice.

I understand that Martin will not allow players to be passengers in the playoffs, but it was less than a month ago that Sergei was being praised for his fantastic work on the 3rd line with Moen and Moore. It was last series that Andrei had the first Canadiens playoff hat trick in a very long time. These guys seem to take a disproportionate amount of flak in comparison to others. Explain how MAB is a minus-10 yet plays every game. Not that being +- Even is something to brag about, but consider the fact that Sergei was even when he got benched and it makes makes you wonder… especially because Washington had outscored the Habs 19-12 during that stretch! The Canadiens are playing with fire if they think that playing dump-and-defend will get them through 2 series. Not that I want to see them abandon what has made them successful, but they are in deep trouble if they continue to use 3 lines, and let the opposition have chance after un-checked chance.