Habs coach Julien defends Pacioretty, mild reaction to Nash hit on Price
Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien talked about keeping things in perspective heading into Game 5 of their playoff series with the New York Rangers.
That regular season scoring leader Max Pacioretty has yet to score in the first four games does not mean he is an underachiever, he said. And the team’s failure to start a war when goalie Carey Price was run over by Rick Nash does not mean the Canadiens are timid or don’t care.
“I’d like to put the context in the right perspective,’’ was how Julien put it on Wednesday, a day after a 2-1 defeat in New York evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal at 2-2.
The teams face off again Thursday night at the Bell Centre.
Price was not injured when he was bowled over as Nash took the puck hard to the net in the first period, but it was immediately compared by some to an incident in the opening game of the 2014 conference final when New York’s Chris Kreider took the all-star goalie out of the series in a skates-first crash.
The Canadiens on the ice at the time wisely opted not to jump on Nash, who took a goalie interference penalty.
“I know history makes it a little sensitive when you see that happen,’’ said Julien. “There’s a difference between running a goalie and going hard to the net.
“It’s part of the game. You have to read the situation. If it was intentional, I think you’d see a different reaction.’’
Centre Steve Ott, who is not shy about getting physical when it is called for, said it wasn’t the time to risk nullifying a power play.
“Obviously, we’re here to protect Carey,’’ he said. “We’re here to protect each other as well. But you have to be smart in tough situations.’’
Canadiens fans are sensitive to the toughness issue because for most of the last decade the team has been smaller than average and not very physical, but that was addressed with the arrival of defencemen Shea Weber and Jordie Benn and size was added up front in the form of Ott and Dwight King, not to mention gritty middleweight Andrew Shaw.
The Canadiens-Rangers matchup, featuring two teams known more for speed than muscle, has been surprisingly physical so far, but not so much to risk taking a penalty on a play like the Nash hit, even if the Rangers are 0-for-12 on the power play.
“You’ve got to do it verbally in the playoffs,’’ said defenceman Nathan Beaulieu. “I know everyone wants us to go and fight and stuff, but in the playoffs that’s how you turn it into a bad penalty that can cost you a series.