Jan 07 Getting to Know Alex Auld

He’s big. He’s bald. He’s Alex…bored?

Four starts.

Five appearances.

In 41 games played.

Yeah, I’d be bored, too.

I’m sure he knew what he was in for when he signed on the dotted line, but I’m not sure he expected to see this little ice time. Can we blame Jacques Martin though? No disrespect to Alex Auld, but the Habs’ fortunes lie with the goalie with the thick head of hair. We all know the story to here. Price started October and November hot as Georgia asphalt, only to cool down in December and at the start of 2011. The first month of 2011 has seen him play a poor game against Atlanta, and finally rebounding with a strong game against the Penguins. At the rate at which he’s starting games, he’ll start about 74 times. I know he’s only 23, and that Bob Gainey called him a thoroughbred, but 74 starts in a single regular season is stupid. Things don’t look to change any time soon though; The Canadiens face the Bruins, Rangers, Penguins, Rangers, Flames, Sabres, Senators, Ducks and finish up the month with another tilt with the Flyers. Price figures to start the majority of those games as Martin ices his best team to regain points lost in December. If Price is to get any form of breather before this season wears him out, the Canadiens will have to have success throughout January, despite the mounting injuries. Why? Because February looks like the time when Alex Auld may be able to step in and relieve Price of some of the heavy load.

February, already a short month, will see the Habs play 13 games, or roughly once every second night. There are three sets of back-to-back games, one set of three games in four nights, and one stretch of four games in seven nights. If there’s a silver lining, it’s a faint one: while there are no longer easy nights in the NHL, the Canadiens’ opponents line up as such: Capitals, Panthers, Devils, Bruins, Islanders, Leafs, Sabres, Oilers, Flames, Canucks (the latter three during the dreaded Western swing), before finishing up the month with home games against the Leafs and Hurricanes. With a number of “weaker” opponents on the slate, February could be the window of opportunity for Alex Auld to shoulder some of the load while Price hopefully gets a break or three leading in to the stretch run. March promises to be a  difficult month, as teams play desperation hockey, or assume the spoiler role. The Habs as a potential (probable?) bubble team don’t want to be caught in the position of having to play playoff hockey again just to qualify for the post-season.

Time will tell, but we know that Coach Martin isn’t one to innovate and improvise on the fly. If he does any planning in advance, he’d be smart to look at February as an opportunity to give his meal ticket a chance to catch his breath while not sacrificing his team’s slot in the standings. But first things first – get the Canadiens back on track in January!

(photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Tags: Alex Auld \ habs \ Montreal Canadiens