2020 Playoffs: Feels like 2010…

MONTREAL -- There are very few teams that present a bad stylistic matchup for the Canadiens.

Special teams aside, for the most part, they're able to control the play against the vast majority of their opponents, evidenced by their excellent 5-on-5 statistics, where they rank in the top-3 in most key offensive categories.
But the Penguins were one of the few teams that simply weren't a good matchup for the Habs. The proof was in the underlying statistics in the first three games. The Penguins had a significant advantage in both shots and scoring chances.
To close out the series in Game 4, the Canadiens needed to impose their style of play. To do that, they needed to play a virtually immaculate game against some of the best players in the world.
And that's exactly what they did.
With 54 percent control of the shots and a 70 percent control of the high-danger chances at 5-on-5, the Canadiens played their best game of the series when it mattered most.
Curiously, it wasn't the first line that did most of the damage in the game, or the series for that matter.
They played reasonably well, especially when you consider who they were tasked with shutting down, but they weren't the offensive catalysts in this series.
It came down to depth scoring. Players that often take the brunt of the criticism, while playing in limited roles with limited opportunities.
Players like Artturi Lehkonen, who put on a defensive clinic against the Pens, all the while providing the offensive spark the Canadiens needed.
Players like Paul Byron, who used his speed and nose for the net to generate high-danger chances.
Players like Jonathan Drouin, who improved steadily as the series went on.
And players like Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who won almost every single 1-on-1 battle in the series, against battle-tested veterans.
But before we get to the nitty-gritty of the series, I want to take a moment to discuss a certain goaltender. And no, it's not Peter Sidorkiewicz, but that's a good guess.
Price de Nice
Carey Price wasn't very good.
He was great.
First off, let's take a look at the numbers.
Price finished the series with a .947 save percentage. According to my sources, that's fairly good.
At 5-on-5, he saved 92 of the 96 shots he faced, resulting in a .959 save percentage. Not bad at all.
But we need to delve a little further into the numbers to reveal his true excellence versus the Penguins.
If you combine his 5-on-5 and penalty kill numbers, Price saved four goals above average in the series, which almost amounts to an entire win in terms of impact, statistically speaking. The closest goaltender to Price in this particular metric is Cam Talbot, who saved three goals above average.
Considering the length of the series, it's impossible to downplay Price's presence.
And we have the highlights to prove it. Take a look at how calm he is while adjusting to the play. This is a clip from Game 2, but we saw Price readjust without wasting an ounce of energy on several occasions against Pittsburgh.

That's how you know you're seeing the best version of Price: he turns a scene that would fit perfectly in any horror movie into a clip from The Bridges of Madison County.
And his calming effect is a double-edged sword -- for the competition, that is.
Not only does he put his troops at ease, resetting the play as many times as need be, but oftentimes, Price has a shooter beat before that shooter even picks his spot, because he forces them to overthink the play.
His opponents are playing with Pogs, meanwhile, Price is playing 4D chess with a heart rate that would make most yoga masters envious.
The little things
We recently discussed the value of a
sustained forecheck
, particularly when it came to the third line's ability to generate quality scoring chances.
On Friday night, it didn't just generate quality scoring chances, it led to the crucial game-winning goal late in the third period.

You could argue the Canadiens got their wires mixed on the play, as both Lehkonen and Byron acted as the F1, pressuring the puck carrier Kris Letang, but it worked out nonetheless.

Letang's time and space are reduced to zero, forcing him to send a rocket of a pass to Brandon Tanev, who has a hard time corralling the puck. While the difference between a lot of time and no time in the NHL is roughly one second, it can be enough to turn the tide in any game, as it did on Friday night.
Enter Ben Chiarot.
Most people would suggest the wisest course of action for a defensemen in this scenario, particularly when you already have a few players deep in the offensive zone, would be erring on the side of caution.
But damn the torpedoes.
Safe is death in the NHL, and Chiarot makes the right call by pressuring Tanev, who is already having a hard time controlling the puck. That gives enough time for Byron and Lehkonen to readjust their positioning, to ensure the puck stays in the offensive zone.

Byron then proceeds to get everyone's attention. And I mean everyone. All six Penguins on the ice are focused on the pride of Ottawa as he dangles into the corner and draws a penalty, including defensive specialist Zach Aston-Reese, who has a front-row seat to Lehkonen's series-clinching goal.

Flip the defensive script
Without singling anyone out, a stick tap goes out to the blue line's performance in Game 4 The Canadiens allowed just four high-danger chances at 5-on-5, down from the double digits they allowed in the previous games. The group did a much better job shutting down passes in the slot, as well as maintaining proper gapping at the blue line.
And when the Penguins did gain the zone with control of the puck, the defensemen made them work very hard to get into the high-danger areas.
As you can see, while Price definitely held his own, he received a little help from his friends in the defensive zone.

FINN-ishing touch
There was a lot to like about the series versus the Penguins. On the flip side of things, there were some elements that remain questionable, particularly the special teams play.
But what about the first line? Should we be worried?
Probably not. Not only did they face a very high quality of competition in the series, they actually managed to control more than 50 percent of the shots and scoring chances. Statistically speaking, they're beyond due, an encouraging sign moving forward.
But if the Canadiens are to become a legitimate Cup contender, they need to be more than just a one-line team that has a brick wall for a goaltender.
They need players like Kotkaniemi to emerge as a presence in all three zones, just as he did against the Penguins.
I know what you're thinking, "Marc is about to go on endlessly about Kotkaniemi's statistics," and you're wrong.
It'll come to an end, eventually, just not quite yet.
At 5-on-5, Kotkaniemi finished the series by leading all Canadiens players in shot share (64 percent), expected goal share (80 percent), actual goal share (100 percent), smile share (100 percent), high-danger shot share (84 percent), goals, and hits (19).
Oh, and did I mention he's still the sixth youngest skater in the playoffs as well as the youngest player on the roster?
Some would say that's prettymint.
(All statistics are 5-on-5 unless otherwise specified, courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com)