Monday Habs Headlines: The Canadiens struggle against weaker competition

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• Teams coached by Michel Therrien consistently struggle to win against opponents who are lower than them in the standings. [RDS]
• Although Andrei Markov finds himself in some pretty elite company and was one of the few lucky Canadiens defensemen to suit up for every single game, he isn’t satisfied with how his season ended. [Canadiens]
• Alexei Emelin’s disallowed goal brought a smile to the face of a young Canadiens fan. [La Presse]
• Nikita Scherbak’s first year in the AHL left a lot to be desired. Hampered by injuries, the Russian prospect only managed to put up 23 points. [Montreal Gazette]
• Tune into the latest Centre Ice segment, where Team Canada’s starter Emerance Maschmeyer and blogger Melissa Geschwind drop by. [Centre Ice]
• Even though John Scott knew that the Montreal Canadiens only called him up to play a single game out of pity, he was still grateful for the opportunity. [The Buffalo News]
• The Calgary Flames are going after a former Canadiens prospect:

• How did Charlie Lindgren unpeel the banana so quickly?

Around the league and elsewhere

• There is more to Washington Capitals centre Nicklas Backstrom then meets the eye, and following these playoffs, he will no longer be one of the more underrated players in the league. [Sportsnet]
• While existing advanced statistics may not be perfect, they are still the best way to determine how well a team is performing. [Today’s Slapshot]
• Approximately 40% more penalties are being called during this year’s playoffs than in the last post-season. [St. Louis Game Time]
• Do you think you have what it takes to be an NHL referee tackling a Coach’s Challenge? [Lighthouse Hockey]
• Someone finally asked Mike Milbury the question we’ve all been waiting for: