Lessons The Canadiens Can Learn From The Blackhawks And Lightning

May 12, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center(91) screens Montreal Canadiens goalie(31) during the second period in game six of the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Despite finishing on top of their division and second in the league during the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens are watching the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals from afar, as they’ve done every year since their last Cup in 1993. The Lightning and Blackhawks are tied at two games apiece in what’s been one of the tightest finals in recent memories. So how did these teams get here and what lessons can the Habs take to help with next year’s campaign?

Ride Your Best Defensemen, Hide Your Worst

P.K. Subban played an average of 26:45 per game during the playoffs, putting him in the range of Chicago’s Brent Seabrook. The only problem there is that Seabrook is second to Duncan Keith‘s 31:20 average ice time. Subban didn’t just lead the Habs in playoff ice time, he led them in points as well. Maybe finding a way to squeeze a few extra shifts out of him could have extended the team’s playoff run.

At the other end of the spectrum, Michel Therrien certainly didn’t hesitate to hide the players he thought were his worst defensemen, namely Nathan Beaulieu and Greg Pateryn. The two young defensemen were never dressed at the same time for the playoffs; together through 12 games they clocked over 90 minutes less ice time than Tom Gilbert, whose TOI was the next lowest.

Of course, it’s debatable whether the youngsters really were the Habs’ defensemen that needed the most sheltering. Andrei Markov struggled throughout the playoffs. He had just two points, a goal and an assist, in twelve games. Pateryn had three assists in seven games despite playing an average of under 11 minutes a game.

Markov was the only Canadiens defensemen to finish the playoffs with a minus rating. Those are a few strong signals that suggested the veteran rearguard shouldn’t have had the second most ice time on the team.

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