MONTREAL – Martin St-Louis worked hard to reach the NHL. He worked even harder to settle there; to become a star player; to lift the Stanley Cup; to eventually be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
When asked, following Tuesday’s 5-4 loss at the hands of the Senatorsif he was inclined to give a chance to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard in order to help emulate his rise to the NHL, the head coach was blunt. Almost sharp: “Coaches do not distribute chances, it’s up to the players to deserve these chances and that’s what he does”, Martin St-Louis replied.
The answer was far from negative. Especially since a few questions earlier, St-Louis had just pointed out that he too was discovering Harvey-Pinard. That he noticed it on the rink.
Better still, St-Louis transferred Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to the first line during the match. The Quebecer has been doing very well for a few games withAlex Belzile et Michael Pezzetta. So much so that he obtained the privilege of going to join Nick Suzuki et Josh Anderson.
A privilege he maximized by scoring twice during the third period. A privilege that also served the cause of his two new linemates while Suzuki and Anderson were accomplices to his first goal. While Anderson added another assist on his second goal.
But even more than the points they collected, we noticed an increase in the dynamism of the captain and one of his assistants when the one we nicknamed “HP” in the locker room came to give them a kind of… . boost.
Five equalizing goals
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard plays with courage and passion. He is fast. He goes to the net. He maximizes his chances of success by not relying solely on his talent.
And the results follow:
The 25-year-old Quebecer has scored five goals in the seven games played since his recall from the school club.
All goals are important. I don’t mind. But the five goals scored by “RHP” all allowed the Canadian to tie: twice, Tuesday night once morest Ottawa – tied 3-3 and 4-4 in the third period – twice last week once morest Detroit – tied 2-2 and 3-3 in a loss of 4-3 in overtime at the hands of the Red Wings – and once (2-2 tie) on January 21, when the Canadiens overcame a 0-2 loss to finally beat the Leafs 3-2 in overtime.
Better still, according to a statement by our colleagues from SportsCentre at TSN, only Jean Béliveau (eight goals), as well as Fern Majeau in 1943 and Craig Laughlin in 1981-1982 with seven, claim more goals than Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (six ) following the 11 games played in the tricolor uniform.
Harvey-Pinard shares this third place (6 goals) with Yvan Cournoyer, Kjell Dahlin, Mats Naslund, Stéphan Lebeau without forgetting the illustrious Aurel Joliat and Howie Morenz.
No question of claiming here that Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is promised careers as grandiose as those of Béliveau, Cournoyer or Naslund to name a few because of this statistical data.
But the way he plays, the way the Hockey Gods reward his way of playing, of giving everything, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard forces the Canadian to not only keep him in training, but to maximize his use.
Because for the moment it is not Rafaël Harvey-Pinard that the Canadian pleases by offering him quality playing time, it is Rafaël Harvey-Pinard who pleases the Canadian, his teammates and their supporters by seizing with both hands the opportunity he has to demonstrate that he is much more useful than many veterans who do nothing to justify the generous use they have been getting since the beginning of the year.
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will spend the All-Star Game break and the annual vacation that will follow with the big club, while Alex Belzile and Jesse Ylönen headed to Laval following Tuesday’s game to help the Rocket.
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard fully deserves to stay with the Canadiens even if he is on a break. But a formality also helped him keep his place with the big club. Decimated by injuries as he is, the Canadian needs to keep Pinard and Rem Pitlick to ensure we have the minimum number of players required by the NHL – 18 skaters and two goaltenders – on the roster.
This list is even a bit “illegal” if we consider that Cole Caufieldwhose season is over as he will have shoulder surgery next week, is still on the regular roster and not on the injured list.
Between the lines
– The Canadiens allowed the first goal of the game for the 34th time in 51 games so far this season. His record when it happened: 10 wins, 23 losses and an overtime loss…
– It was also the 15th time in their last 18 games that the Habs conceded the first goal to an opponent. He has only won four of those 15 games (4-10-1)…
– The Senators have taken a 2-0 lead in their three games once morest the Canadiens so far this season. They signed three wins, two of which were decided by one goal: 5-4 last night at the Bell Center and 3-2 on December 14 in Ottawa. It is Brady Tkachuk who scored the winning goals in those two one-goal wins…
– The Canadiens have lost 0-2 in 22 of their 51 games played so far this season. He only signed three wins. The three acquired at the Bell Centre: two in overtime once morest the Penguins and the Maple Leafs and another in a shootout at the expense of the Philadelphia Flyers…
– On a more positive note, the Canadian scored, Tuesday, at the expense of the Senators, two goals, those of Kirby Roof et Mike Hoffman, in five massive attacks. It was only the fourth time that the power play had given a double: on October 29, in St Louis, two goals from Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky on three occasions in a 7-4 win; on December 5, in Edmonton, goals from Suzuki and Xhekaj on three occasions, in a 5-3 loss; on January 12, at the Bell Centre, once morest Nashville, two goals by Cole Caufield on three occasions in a 4-3 victory over the Predators…
