Canadiens vs. Predators top six minutes: To tank, or not to tank?

For our new readers and members, the Top Six Minutes is a continuation of the discussion in the game thread. We try to keep it light and entertaining. Full recaps are up the morning after every game.

Ah yes, another Montreal Canadiens game. One more opportunity to watch them skate their way to agonizing defeat. I’m so sure that they’re going to lose that I’m almost positively going to go to the dep for beers, and perhaps a mise-o-jeu ticket on which I would definitely wager against them.

I’m so sure that they’re going to lose that I’ll perhaps also prep a pot of coffee; to offset the amount of beer I’ll need to ingest in order to tolerate it. I might have to call in sick for work tomorrow, partly due to beer and coffee sickness, and partly due to extreme sadness.

Then again, maybe I’m rocking a little reverse psychology with this defeatist attitude, because I’m somehow still one of the few remaining fans clinging to dreams of playoff hockey in Montreal.

Spoiler alert: it is the second thing. Le sigh… Here we go.

First period

• Nathan Beaulieu has un bon coup de patin. That’s Quebecois for he skates well, and almost snaked an early one because of it.
• Nashville didn’t even need the first penalty to get called, they just got it done with the extra man… This might turn into a laugher.
• I’ll take players who shouldn’t be opening the scoring against your team early for $500, Alex.
• Who the hell is Viktor Arvidsson.
• There aren’t a ton of whistles, but so far this game has had all the excitement of a lawn bowling match called by Morgan Freeman on sleeping pills.
• That would possibly be more entertaining. Not sure we’ll ever know.
• Alexei Emelin firing a floater from the blueline is peak LOL. Settle it down and find a lane dude, I had a better clapper than that one in Bantam. I’m also not in the NHL.
• The Habs have iced the puck so many times that I’m beginning to wonder if the Preds are getting sick of it and Pekka Rinne might just start coming out to play it.
• Someone did a thing??
• 
• Not sure what was being argued about by Laviolette there. My guess is “It was Brendan Gallagher, so something about that goal has to be illegal!!”
• Haha, nope. Maybe that will be the spark that makes this game more interesting. A man can dream.

Second period

• Apparently there was a missed high stick before the Gallagher goal. Perhaps that was Laviolette’s beef. TOO BAD IT AIN’T REVIEWABLE!!
• I’ll take it, because we aaaalllll know the makeup call will come sooner or later. Late in the third is my guess. Stay tuned.
• Period opening power play is bad, and the Habs should feel bad.
• Bad power play ends, and the Habs return to icing the puck at every available opportunity, because we all know that is a winning strategy.
• Some of them are attempted stretch passes. You know, the super high percentage pass that totally doesn’t end in icing 90% of the time or more.
• Uhhhmmm Lars Eller just ran show behind the Preds net by himself, and then set up two scoring chances at the end of a shift. Do not trade that man, give him more minutes.
• Note how when the Preds need to clear really bad they lift it high so it doesn’t get all the way to the other end? Sure you do, but do the Habs? Hard no.
• Did Carey Price dress up like Mike Condon and come out for the second to make that save?
• Serious question, because that save was so Carey Price it wasn’t even funny.
• What would it seriously take for the Canadiens to mix in a controlled exit, or even just get over the red line before they launch it down the ice? A lot, apparently.
• Ehhhh the linesman just blew an offside call hard, negating a Habs scoring chance. Suuuuper cool.
• Tied in the third. The decision to go full tank or full playoff push could well come down to these last 20 minutes.

Third period

• Three minutes into the third and they haven’t iced the puck yet. Feels weird. Not in a bad way, but weird still.
• The Preds are charged with the first icing of the period. Bizarro world, yo.
• If you’re wondering why all I’m writing about at this point is the icing calls, or lack thereof, it is because not much else is happening.
• Oh man. Nathan Beaulieu just got cross checked into the post rather viciously. We cannot have nice things.
• Upon further review, yeah… That was a nasty cross check with no call. Perhaps the no-call is the makeup from the first period?
• Shoddy officiating at both ends tonight. There is your obligatory Drake complaint about the Zebras.
• Beaulieu skates back out looking all good. The dude is tough.
• Can Mike Condon be this version of himself more often? I quite like him.
• Paul Byron almost managed to split the D from the top of the circles in, because he’s basically Usain Bolt on skates.
• Update: still no icing calls against the Habs this period, and still don’t know why I’m following that so closely.
• Hooooooly donnybrook in front of the Preds net! Puck unfortunately never crossed the line, although not for a lack of trying to push the pile.
• Loser point achieved at minimum. Let the overtime shitshow begin

Overtime/Shootout

EOTP 3 Stars of the night

3) I hear that’s a pretty harsh strain of Flu right there.

2) Yepppp. Just might be.

1) No, but they might use the old one again after this one.

Highlights

• Gallagher being Gallagher
• Beaulieu gets run straight into the iron, but is tougher than said iron.
• You thought there would be more?!? HAHAHA. You poor, poor soul. /

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