Sunday, January 1, 2012

Plekanec's ice time has dwindled under new Canadiens coach

SUNRISE, Florida ? Tomas Plekanec is the Montreal Canadiens' leading scorer for the third consecutive season.

But as the team prepared to face the Florida Panthers on Saturday, the hard-working Czech finds himself as a third-line centre, spending less time on ice as head coach Randy Cunneyworth attempts to balance his offensive lines and their workloads.

?He?s done some very good work in a lot of different roles,? Cunneyworth said Friday, after the Canadiens went through a short, intense practice at the Panthers? facility. ?On the penalty kill, he?s been excellent, and again we?ve tried to focus on that part of his game to be the basis of the good work, but he knows he can bring a little more offence and intensity to his game.

?He?s working hard. We have other guys out there, so he doesn?t have to feel he has to take it all upon his shoulders.?

Plekanec leads all Canadiens forwards in ice time, averaging nearly 21 minutes a game. He is accustomed to being used on a top line and on both special teams.

But he has seen his ice time cut back since Cunneyworth replaced Jacques Martin behind the bench. Plekanec played 17:51 in the win over Ottawa on Tuesday and a season-low 17:20 Thursday night in Tampa.

Part of Cunneyworth?s rationale is to keep his players fresh, but he?s also trying to find some chemistry among his forwards.

Michael Cammalleri had been struggling on a line with Plekanec and went 10 games without a goal. He has now scored in each of the past two games while playing with David Desharnais.

The coach has also tried to give second-year centre Lars Eller a boost by putting him between the team?s top goal-scorers, Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty.

Plekanec?s new playmates are the streaky Andrei Kostitsyn and hard-working Travis Moen. The latter has eight goals this season, the fourth-highest total on the team, but has only one assist in his last 12 games.

Plekanec, who has a cap hit of $5 million US, has been minus-8 in the last seven games and is minus-10 for the season. That?s unfamiliar territory for a player who was a career plus-33 coming into this season.

?I?m playing what I?m asked to do and I try to do my best,? Plekanec said. ?If it?s the first, second, third or fourth line, it?s all up to coach to decide that. I?m not the type of guy who?s going to go to him and ask why this is happening. I want to play better, and that?s the main thing for myself.

?I know through the years when I?m not playing well, and I know I have to be better,? Plekanec said. ?You have ups and downs as a player. You need to fight through it, work hard and play better. I had a good start and then I slowed down a bit, but being a veteran, I have to be better. We?re in a tough spot fighting for the playoffs and we need the veterans to produce.?

Plekanec admitted confidence could be a factor.

?I don?t question my work ethic,? he said. ?I had a good chance (Thursday night against Tampa Bay) in the first period, and maybe if I score there I get some confidence.?

Cunneyworth said the recent line changes are a work in progress.

?We?re still creating chemistry,? he said. ?We did a lot of good things and we?ll get better. We have guys who are making new alliances on the lines and that?s very important.?

Cunneyworth said Friday?s practice offered an antidote to the disappointment that followed the 4-3 loss in Tampa.

?(It was) short and hard,? he explained. ?Obviously, we?re in a similar boat as the other day in seeing what the guys need on a daily basis and we know they?re tired and sore after a game, but they feel better after an intense but short workout.

?We?re disappointed, but it was good (practice) to prepare to play a good team that?s been going well at home. We have to stay sharp. We have to put some effort into it, push the body a little.?

The coach doesn?t expect any lineup changes against the Panthers, which means Chris Campoli and Yannick Weber will be healthy scratches and Carey Price gets the start in goal.

Montreal Gazette

phickey@montrealgazette.com

? Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Source: http://www.canada.com/sports/Plekanec+time+dwindled+under+Canadiens+coach/5930102/story.html

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