In the third period of Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Canadiens coach Jacques Martin benched his third and fourth lines. For the majority of the period, Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta were on the ice.
This trio have been Montreal's best players since the beginning of the season, exactly what was expected of them.
Right now, there are only five forwards that are contributing on the Habs' roster. The big first line, Tomas Plekanec and Glen Metropolit.
Not to take anything away from "Metro," but if you're Martin, and Glen Metropolit is one of your most valuable players, you know you're in trouble.
Secondary scoring has been an issue that has plagued the Canadiens since the end of last season, when the only line that could score was the first line of Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay.
Had Tanguay been re-signed by the club, he would be a perfect fit on the second line with Tomas Plekanec, who continues to put up consistent points despite having virtually no support.
Martin has juggled wingers on the second line, but none has been able to form chemistry with Plekanec.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Felix Sicard
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November 8th, 2009 by Felix Sicard Leave a reply »
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