CONTROVERSIAL CALL LEAVES HABS REELING
Goalie interference penalty erased win but GM says it didn't cost Julien his job
Did a controversial goalie interference penalty cost the Montreal Canadiens a win on Tuesday? More importantly, did it cost head coach Claude Julien his job?
In regards to the latter, Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin said no. The decision to part ways with Julien was in the works long before Brendan Gallagher interfered with Ottawa goalie Matt Murray during what could have been the winning goal of a 5-4 overtime loss to the Senators.
And yet, a day after losing for the sixth time in eight games, players and fans were blaming a blown call for everything that has gone wrong.
“Amazing that when it happens to Montreal and that guy at a critical time, it's a major story,” said a source within the NHL. “Should fine (Gallagher) and his big mouth. Inconsistencies my ass.”
Here's what we know: Gallagher, who has a history of hanging around the blue paint, interfered with Murray to the point where both players were knocked to the ice. Two seconds later, both were on their feet as the puck went from one defenceman to another defenceman, and was then fired into the back of the net.
So why was the goal called back?
After all, both players had time to get up. But according to the NHL, getting up isn't the same as getting square to the puck.
Just because Gallagher believed Murray had time to “reset” after getting knocked down, that doesn't excuse Gallagher from interfering with Murray in the first place.
“The phrase `impaired his ability to do his job' is part of the rule,” said the source within the NHL. “The contact led to Murray being impaired. Gallagher spun the goalie and Murray could never reset. Maybe in his mind he felt he could, but he makes that save without getting spun, and the rules provide him that protection in the blue paint. If you knock me down, and while I'm recovering the puck goes from one point to the other and I can never catch up or find where the puck is, is that OK? I guess that it's too bad that your back is turned to the play.”
The bigger issue, of course, isn't that the league called goalie interference. It's that the on-ice officials did not.
After all, if there was enough contact to impair Murray to the point where he couldn't reset, then why was no penalty called on the play?
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
One more take-away from the goalie interference debate: the league is trying to make it clear that only goalies belong in the blue paint.
“Go in there and bad things can happen,” said the NHL source. “Either learn the rule and adapt, or shut up and take your medicine” … The question being asked in Montreal today: is Dominique Ducharme the best available coach or is he the best available coach who happens to be fluent in French? … Julien was without a job for exactly one week after the Bruins fired him in 2017. It's something to keep in mind as you watch the Calgary Flames play this week … Two weeks ago, we were talking about Julien as an early candidate for the Jack Adams Award. Now, the list of candidates includes Toronto's Sheldon Keefe, Florida's Joel Quenneville and Chicago's Jeremy Colliton … Mark Scheifele, who has a goal in each of his past five games, is on a 10-game point streak with seven goals and 16 points during that span. Only Patrick Kane (five goals and 20 points) and Auston Matthews (12 goals and 19 points) have been hotter in the month of February … If the season were to end today, the Chicago Blackhawks would be a playoff team. If that happens, you can expect that Kane, who on Wednesday morning was tied for third in league scoring, will get some first-place votes for the Hart Trophy.
HERE'S ONE FOR YOU
Mike Babcock wasn't fired from the Maple Leafs last year because he was a bully or insensitive or for any of the things he did to Mitch Marner. It was because he couldn't get the team to play consistently. If the Leafs were winning, he'd still be coaching today … Do I think Babcock deserves to coach again in the NHL? Yes. But he's going to have to muster a better apology for all the things he's accused of doing — even if he doesn't believe he did anything wrong. Babcock's refusal to accept blame is why he's coaching university-level hockey in Saskatchewan these days … Speaking of being politically incorrect, I don't miss hearing Don Cherry's cringeworthy comments on TV. But I do miss how he made the first intermission of a Saturday night game more important than the game itself. Brian Burke could have been that guy for Sportsnet. Now that he's back working in management with the Penguins, I could see Kevin Bieksa growing into that role … I don't know what Jeff Skinner did to upset Ralph Krueger, but a 41-goal scorer has suddenly gone from playing with Jack Eichel to playing on the fourth line to getting scratched for two consecutive games. What I do know is that this relationship is going to end with one — or both — gone from Buffalo. And if the Sabres aren't careful, Eichel is going to be gone, too.
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
Nicklas Backstrom is among the top-10 in scoring. What's particularly strange is that his longtime running mate, Alex Ovechkin, is outside the top-50 in both goals and points … Love him or hate him, this is why
John Tortorella still has a job in Columbus: since benching Patrik Laine in a game against Carolina a couple of weeks ago, the winger has responded with three goals and seven points in six games … Columbus drafted Pierre-luc Dubois with the third-overall pick in 2016 because they believed they could turn the winger into a No. 1 centre. It never really happened. Instead, he was traded to Winnipeg, where he was supposed to be the team's No. 2 centre. On Sunday, he was playing on the wing, where he scored two goals and had an assist … While watching last week's outdoor game in Lake Tahoe, I couldn't help but think that the original site was supposed to be Alberta's Lake Louise. Had it been, the ice wouldn't have melted … The latest Alex Galchenyuk trade has me wondering, once again, who would go No. 1 overall if you could do the 2012 NHL Entry Draft all over again. My answer used to be Morgan Rielly (5th overall) or Filip Forsberg (10th). But after winning a Vezina Trophy two years ago and the Stanley Cup last year, I'm now going with Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (19th), with Tom Wilson (16th) and Jaccob Slavin (102nd) rounding out the top-five.
KEEFE COULD WIN THE JACK ADAMS AWARD
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the best team in the North Division with arguably the best player in the world. But while everyone has been talking about Auston Matthews as an early favourite for the Hart Trophy, why isn't anyone talking about Sheldon Keefe as a coach of the year candidate?
Maybe we should.
Yes, Keefe has one of the most talented offensive rosters in the NHL. But so did Mike Babcock. And unlike Babcock, Keefe has this team playing at a consistency that his predecessor could never achieve during his five years in Toronto.
The Leafs entered Wednesday night's game with a league best 14-4-2 record. Since Keefe took over in November 2019, the team is 41-19-7. That's a 109-point pace. Babcock's best year in Toronto resulted in 105 points. But that team and this year's team couldn't be more different.
When have you seen the Leafs this dominant after a 20-game stretch? When have you seen them this well rounded or this defensively responsible?
This year has been all about Matthews and Mitch Marner, who are both among the top-five in scoring. But it's also about the defence and the depth and the physical presence that everyone in the lineup has adopted. A lot of that comes from Keefe.
The Leafs are blowing teams out of the water, but they're also winning tight defensive battles. They're finding new ways to win every night.
More than that, they're winning games the right way.
Toronto's power play is the best in the league and the team ranks third overall in goals per game. But the Leafs also rank 10th in goals-allowed and are tied for 11th in shots against. You can say that these are by-products of playing in a division that might not be the strongest in the NHL. But the last time I checked, Edmonton and Calgary and Winnipeg had some pretty decent scorers.
And Toronto is doing a pretty decent job of keeping them honest.
Keefe deserves credit for that. And if the Leafs keep it up, he probably will get that credit.
WHO WILL BE THE NEXT COACH TO BE FIRED?
The first domino in the coaching world fell on Tuesday when the Montreal Canadiens fired Claude Julien.
Chances are, it won't be the last.
A year ago, there were eight coaching changes. Now that Julien is available, you can probably expect there will be more changes coming.
Here are four coaches on the hot seat:
Geoff Ward, Calgary
When the coach is describing a road trip in the second month of the season as “make or break,” you know you're on thin ice. The Flames headed into Wednesday night's game against the Maple Leafs out of a playoff spot, with three losses in the past four games. If they don't come out of a four-game series against Ottawa with six or more points, we could see management making a move.
Ralph Krueger, Buffalo
When you don't dress a player who is earning US$9 million for two consecutive games, you're asking to be put in the crosshairs. Then again, it's not just Jeff Skinner's inability to remain in the lineup that has jeopardized Krueger's job security. Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall aren't scoring. And once again, the Sabres aren't winning. Add it up and a change seems imminent.
Rick Tocchet, Arizona
On the final year of a contract, Tocchet hasn't done anything so far to justify an extension. The Coyotes are currently out of a playoff spot, with the retooling Los Angeles Kings having moved ahead of them in the standings. If it keeps up, it won't be long before Arizona looks for someone new.
Rick Bowness, Dallas
As an interim head coach, Bowness took the Stars to the Stanley Cup Final last year. But he hasn't been able to build upon that success. Injuries are obviously an issue, with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn both out. And it doesn't help that so many games have already been postponed. At the same time, Bowness is on a two-year contract, making him easily replaceable.