“Matheson has virtually no room for error with the majority of Habs fans.”

Michaël Petit
“Matheson has virtually no room for error with the majority of Habs fans.”
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

Yesterday, the Montreal Canadiens didn't play their best game, especially in the second period.

At least, as we've come to expect from them over the past year, they staged a comeback in the third period. However, they ultimately had to admit defeat in overtime.

A few players didn't play very well. Jakub Dobes didn't play his best, Xhekaj made a costly mistake, and Matheson took a penalty in the first period that eventually led to the Penguins' first goal.

It's easy to blame Matheson for his penalty, but Marco D'Amico discussed Matheson on the Starr & D'Amico Show today.

According to him, Matheson has virtually no leeway with the fans. When he makes a mistake, it's worse than if another player makes the same mistake—regardless of the nature of the mistake.

In addition, D'Amico also mentioned that Matheson's roughing penalty against Crosby should never have been called.

“Either both players get penalized, or there's no penalty on the play. In the playoffs, that would never have been called.” – Marco D'Amico

He's absolutely right.

It's normal for Matheson to be more prone to making mistakes, because he plays a lot of minutes, mainly against the opponent's top lines. At some point, he's going to slip up.

But he's certainly no worse than anyone else.

Obviously, he's getting older and isn't the same defenseman he was a few years ago. Nevertheless, he reads and anticipates the game very well. He plays solid defense and has a good first pass to restart the offense.

He's also the oldest player on the Habs' blue line—a rare veteran among this group of young players.

He has a lot on his shoulders, and the fans may be a little too hard on Matheson. He's not perfect, but he does a lot for the team.


In a Nutshell

– Lane Hutson broke away, just like Ivan Demidov.

– They're incredible when they're at the top of their game.

– Tyrel Bauer dropped the gloves twice in his first two NHL games. Let's just say Keegan Kolesar took a real beating.

– Must-read.

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