Michel Therrien has been criticized for his lineup choices, most prominently sitting Jiri Sekac in favour of veterans Travis Moen, Dale Weise and Rene Bourque. You have to feel a little sorry for the 22 year old Czech native. He reportedly picked the Canadiens from a list of 12 suitors, had a tremendous training camp and scored his first goal in from of his cheering family. His was rewarded for this by being sent to the press box for seven straight games.
Well last night Sekac finally made his way back into the lineup against the Buffalo Sabres. Taking his place in the press box was Rene Bourque. Bourque has not been awful, he has had his chances, but he just seems to be a player where offense goes to die.
To be honest, there is not a whole lot to say in regards to the Buffalo game. It was incredibly boring. The team played with zero intensity and at times the Canadiens made the Sabres look like a legitimate playoff team. It is understandable to come out slow in the second game of back to backs but you would think that the Canadiens would want to come out flying against a weaker opponent to get themselves out of this funk. However, the Canadiens offense sputtered and if not for some heroics by Tokarski, they would have lost.
Word has also come out that Jiri Sekac will not receive a call from the Department of Player Safety for his check from behind on Sabres Defenseman Nikita Zardov. This is surprising to me. Sekec is not a dirty player but that hit was. Zardov was cut on the play and had to leave the game for a bit. However Sekac only received a two minute minor for boarding. Sufficed to say, the next meeting between these clubs may get interesting.
There were some positives that came out of this win. One was that the Canadiens continue to excel in the shootout. Another was that P.A. Parenteau came up clutch once again. That trade for Daniel Briere keeps on looking like a absolute steal for the Habs.
Next game up is a tough one against Minnesota on Saturday.
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