Brian Burke went on "SN 590 The Fan" to discuss what is going on with the Montreal Canadiens. Like many, Burke seems very puzzled as to what it is Montreal needs to do to get better.
“The coach is a great coach. The team is a decent team. I'm just not sure what is wrong there,” Burke said. “I like their defence, but something is wrong there. Carey Price isn't stopping the puck right now, and they really look lost. It's not good what is happening there. They are drifting south fast.”
Burke also mentioned he likes their forward core and believes they've done a good job drafting, but something is just flat out missing. This has been a problem with the Canadiens for quite some time, as they have been a middle of the pack team for a handful of years. Last year was a prime example, as they missed the playoffs by just two points. Currently, they are on a seven-game losing streak, which has them losing ground fast in the standings. As of today, they are seven points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the final wild card spot.
Some of the blame falls on players such as Max Domi . Although Domi has picked up his play in recent weeks, he still has just 33 points in 44 games, a 62-point projection. This, after a 72-point season last year which many expected him to build off of. They have also had injuries to some of their skilled forwards such as Jonathan Drouin , Brendan Gallagher, and Joel Armia.
Although these are some reasons for their struggles this season, the main problem has been Carey Price. Price has been the backbone for the Canadiens for many years, as well as one of the top goalies in the league. However, he has had an extremely disappointing season to the midway point. Right now, Price owns a grimacing 3.01 goals against average, along with a .902 save percentage. These numbers are bad for any goalie, let alone your starting netminder who makes $10.5 million per year.
The fate of Montreal's season rests on Carey Price's shoulders. If he can play at the level we've seen from him in the past, they may just have a shot. If he continues playing like this however, expect Montreal to miss the postseason yet again.
Source: Sportsnet
