Blue Line Buzz: Shattenkirk Rising

Just how good are the Canadiens? With Carey Price between the pipes, it feels like they only have to score a goal or two every game to win, but a 10-0 drubbing at the hands of the Blue Jackets and a concerning shot differential has people scratching their heads for a team that's 10-1-1.

The Haps collapsed last year when Price was sidelined with an injury, although with Shea Weber and Alexander Radulov they're definitely not the same team. Jack Han, who does Video and Analytics for the McGill Marlets, did a one-minute video on the Habs' rope-a-dope strategy:

New #1MinuteTactics: Do the #Habs' poor shot differentials actually EXPLAIN their goalscoring? An exploration of the mysteries of PDO pic.twitter.com/8GHmL7HJcG

— Jack Han (@ml_han) November 6, 2016

The one major thing to take away from the clip is that the Habs' counterattack is very impressive, and the amount of time spent in the neutral zone was basically nil. Their breakout passes and speed through the neutral zone is incredible, and in one swift motion can usually create an odd-man rush up the ice. This is pretty prevalent in soccer, in which the Italian national team practically invented it, calling it the Catenaccio, meaning "The Chain," where the philosophy is to bend and not break. A defense-first mindset, the newest wrinkle is that once opportunities present itself, a good long pass can lead to a swift counterattack that hopefully catches the opposition off-guard.

The NHL is moving further away from big and heavy, increasingly putting an emphasis on speed and skill. Look no further than the Coyotes, who ignored all warning labels and took the 5-foot-10, 168-pound Clayton Keller with the seventh pick in the 2016 Entry Draft, when 6-foot-1 Alex Nylander and 6-foot-6 Logan Brown (both skilled players, too) were still available. Being able to move the puck with accuracy and speed is more important than being big and taking up a lot of ice — the puck will always move faster than the player, after all.

Then there's the old adage that if you control the neutral zone, you have a pretty good chance to win the game. Zone entries and exits dictate how well a team can do that, and even with the bevy of analytics available, you don't have to go too far back in time to see that's usually been the case. The Devils' neutral zone trap helped them win their first Cup in 1995, and the Wild were very successful under Jacques Lemaire's similar trap system for several years.

Shea Weber doesn't skate nearly as well as P.K. Subban, but he's certainly more sure-handed, and he controls the line very well, rarely turning the puck over. Subban, if you remember, was torn apart for this risky play after a game against Colorado, which may or may not have put the nail in the coffin in his time with the Habs. Weber never really attempts any plays like this where he walks the line, and if his partner ever switches with him to set up a one-timer, it was usually by Roman Josi in a more controlled situation.

Price is the league's best goaltender, as evidenced by his otherworldly 1.57 GAA and .952 save percentage, which creates a lot of opportunities for the defense to transition rebounds up the ice. It helps that the Habs forwards are pretty quick, but something is bound to give here if the defense doesn't become more efficient in front of Price. The Habs are reportedly already looking for some defensive help, so maybe Marc Bergevin already knows he's about to have a problem on his hands if he can't get more guys who can make that clean, 90-foot pass from goal line to center ice.

Top Five Studs of the Week:

Kevin Shattenkirk, Blues – Shattenkirk was all kinds of useful for the Blues this past week, notching a combined four helpers in back-to-back games and getting his first fighting major of the season against noted pest Antoine Roussel in a frustrating 6-2 loss to the Stars. He had a slow start to the season, but things are starting to pick up for the vaunted power-play quarterback.

Dennis Seidenberg, Islanders – A late-summer signing intended to bring in a little stability to the back end, Seidenberg has been one of the best bargains so far with two goals and four assists this past week while averaging over 21 minutes per game. As Nick Leddy and Travis Hamonic (combined minus-13) continue to struggle, look for Jack Capuano to lean on Seidenberg even more, but don't expect the point streak to continue for too long.

Stephen Johns, Stars – The hulking defenseman was a dud in Sunday's second straight loss to Chicago, but prior to that notched a point in three consecutive games and posted 16 hits for the week — tops in the league. Johns averaged almost 18 minutes per game last season and just 14 during the playoffs, but currently sits third with 19:27 on the team behind John Klingberg and Dan Hamhuis. His offensive ceiling isn't believed to be very high, but on such a good offensive team he should get his chances to pile up some apples.

Brady Skjei, Rangers – Skjei could very well succeed Ryan McDonagh as the team's best defenseman some day, and he was excellent this past week with five assists, including two with the man advantage. He's averaging just 17:15 per game so hold your horses before picking him up, and note that the Rangers offense has been surprisingly good and the team has lost just once in nine games. Still, he's a good name to put in your back pocket for a rainy day.

Matt Irwin, Predators – No Weber, no problem. Despite limited ice time, Irwin has scored a goal in each of his past three games, and has scored four points in five games since getting called up from the AHL. The Predators' struggles are surprising, but what's most disconcerting is that through the first month of the season they still haven't quite figured it out. The long-term solution isn't in the 28-year-old Irwin, either, who's normally a sixth or seventh defenseman.

Top Five Duds of the Week:

Brent Burns, Sharks – It's rare to see Burns end up in this particular space, but after a hot start he has just one goal in his past nine games and skated to an ugly minus-3 against the Penguins in a Stanley Cup rematch last weekend. He continues to drive offense with 24 shots on goal this past week and 69 on the season, but when he doesn't score it's not good for San Jose (they've lost three straight games).

Torey Krug, Bruins – I feel bad putting Krug here because he's really pressing — and thankfully he managed to notch his first point in a 4-3 win against Tampa Bay on Thursday — but that's all he has to show so far this season. I'm still confident the points will start rolling in soon, but keep him on the bench while his cold streak continues.

Keith Yandle, Panthers – So much for improving that power play. Despite three assists this past week, Yandle has failed to move the needle much for the Panthers, as their power play sits 17th in the league at 17.8 percent which is only a minor improvement from last year's 16.9 percent. He has yet to score a goal and has just two power-play points on the season.

Tyson Barrie, Avalanche – He had a week to forget, failing to register a single point while posting a minus-5 rating. After two straight shutout wins, the Avs were shellacked by the Blues in a 5-1 loss, indicating that the young team, including Barrie, still has plenty of issues with inconsistency.

Ben Hutton and Erik Gudbranson, Canucks – With Chris Tanev (undisclosed) and Alex Edler (upper body) out of the lineup, Willie Desjardins has been forced to use a sophomore and a new acquisition as his top pairing, and it hasn't been pretty. Mired in an eight-game losing streak, Hutton and Gudbranson were a combined minus-13 this past week. It's not entirely their fault, but it's clear that the Canucks just don't have much depth and their supporting players are struggling in first-line roles.

Recommended Pickups:

Damon Severson, Devils – Remember him? The former Kelowna Rocket (which counts Weber, Edler and Tyler Myers among its alumnus) burst onto the scene in the 2014-15 season, but didn't take the next step everyone thought he would last year, only to pop back on the radar this season with nine points in 11 games. He had his three-game point streak snapped Sunday, but the Devils are starting to score a little more and he's the team's No. 1 power-play option, so he's worth picking up for his upside.

Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets – Pick him up and never regret it. Now, please.

The Big Board:
^ = stock rising
˅ = stock dropping

Just Missed Cut:

Rasmus Ristolainen, Buf
Dennis Seidenberg, NYI
Alex Pietrangelo, StL
Kris Letang, Pit

Notable Omissions:

P.K. Subban, Nsh
Roman Josi, Nsh
Aaron Ekblad, Fla
Tyson Barrie, Col