MONTREAL — Aback it comes to the Canadiens, there is consistently a appreciative attitude of one affectionate or another, like that of a young, almost blooming goalie ascent from obscurity to advance them on a hasty run through the playoffs.
In 1971, there was Ken Dryden; in 1986, there was Patrick Roy. Now there is Jaroslav Halak, whom the Canadiens accept ridden to an accidentally able alpha to the postseason.
Halak is abiding to get the better acclaim at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night, aback 22,500 admirers acceptable aback the Canadiens for their aboriginal home bold back a first-round agitated of the Washington Capitals, the N.H.L.’s No. 1 regular-season team, and a breach to accessible their second-round alternation adjoin the arresting Stanley Cup best Penguins.
“It’s abundant for us, and the army is activity to be on our ancillary from the aboriginal face-off,” a about chaste Halak said.
Despite actuality pulled from one bold in anniversary series, Halak, 24, has aggregate a .931 save percentage, the best amid goalies still playing. He chock-full 131 of 134 Washington shots in Amateur 5, 6 and 7 of the aperture round, and on Sunday he chock-full 38 of 39 Pittsburgh shots.
His saves adjoin the Penguins included one in which he chock-full a attempt with his face mask, bearing a blast aural throughout Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. Did it hurt?
“No,” he said. “It’s like aback you get it in the glove. Same thing.”
For best of the aftermost two seasons, Halak aggregate the Canadiens’ starting job with Carey Price, but he was about Goalie 1B to Price’s 1A. He assuredly won the job aloof afore the Olympics (during which he led Slovakia to a hasty fourth-place finish), and bankrupt out the approved division with able assignment that propelled him to a .924 save percentage, the fourth best in the league.
That was aloof abundant to get the Canadiens into the playoffs by a point advanced of the Rangers. They won aloof 39 of 82 games.
But now they are on a roll, admitting how continued they can aftermost adjoin Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin is cryptic — abnormally with Montreal’s top defenseman, Andrei Markov, allegedly absent for the alternation with what was declared as a lower anatomy injury.
Still, a aggregation can go far with a hot goalie.
The Canadiens’ attitude of outstanding playoff performances by abstinent goaltenders dates to the amazing admission of Dryden.
Tall, bookish and little accepted alfresco academy hockey, Dryden was alleged up at the end of the approved division two years afterwards admission from Cornell. He played able-bodied in six amateur and was handed the starting job for the fourth-place Canadiens adjoin the Boston Bruins of Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, one of the game’s greatest abhorrent teams.
Dryden balked the Bruins in a memorable seven-game series. He went on to backstop the Canadiens through the seven-game final adjoin Chicago, acceptable the Stanley Cup appellation with conceivably the best acclaimed save in history: a darting leg-pad stop on Jim Pappin with beneath than four account to play.
Next came Steve Penney, a 23-year-old accessory leaguer summoned to the sub-.500 Canadiens at the end of the 1983-4 season. Despite arena ailing in four games, Penney was fabricated the playoff amateur by Coach Jacques Lemaire and anguish up recording three shutouts in 15 games. He helped Montreal beating out the first-place Bruins and the third-place Quebec Nordiques afore the Canadiens assuredly fell to the arresting best Islanders.
In 1985-6, the Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie during the division was Patrick Roy, a 20-year-old amateur who had a so-so .875 save percentage. But in the playoffs, he bigger to .923, led Montreal to the Stanley Cup and became the youngest playoff best admired amateur in alliance history.
The latest in the band of playoff goaltending surprises came aloof two years ago, aback Price, again 20, was accustomed the postseason nod for the first-place Canadiens. In a first-round defeat of Boston, he recorded two shutouts, the aboriginal in the playoffs for a Montreal amateur back Roy. But the abruptness concluded early, with a second-round defeat by Philadelphia.
Halak’s case is not absolutely akin with those of Dryden, Penney, Roy or alike Price. Halak, admitting young, is no amateur — he played a scattering of times for Montreal in 2006-7 and 2007-8, and attentive the nets in 34 amateur in 2008-9. But he was not accepted to be the man in ambition this spring. He is accepting advice from his teammates, who accept affected opponents to booty abounding of their shots from the perimeter.
“Jaroslav makes big saves, but there are a lot of shots advancing from outside, and our aim is to block the centermost of the rink,” Canadiens advanced Maxim Lapierre said afterwards convenance on Monday. “That’s allotment of the bold plan.”
Nevertheless, Halak has to stop shots, and so far he has done so, abnormally aback he has been bombarded. In the bristles playoff amateur in which he faced 38 or added shots, he has a .973 save allotment and bristles victories. “It’s alone stats to me,” Halak said. “The alone affair I can do is get accessible for the abutting bold and try to advice our guys win.”
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