Among the veterans that the Habs can count on right now, there is defenseman Jeff Petry. However, the number 26 of the Tricolore is not having a good start to the season. In fact, he's been taking a lot of heat since the start of the 2021-2022 season.
Once again yesterday, it was a very difficult game for Petry. The stats may say otherwise with just under 21 minutes of playing time, four checks, three shots on goal and a -1 rating, but Petry's erratic play was most likely responsible for the CH's loss last night.
On the Caps' first goal, it was Petry who was outflanked like a cone by Nic Dowd. While Down was busy foiling Jake Allen, the Habs defenseman was just watching the play. Then Petry took a penalty that led to the Caps' second goal.
That's all it took for the Tricolore's hopes to be dashed. Dominique Ducharme's team can't stick two in a row and they are 0-13-0 with a two-goal deficit. That's why we can say that Jeff Petry has a lot to do with last night's loss.
When you see a veteran like Petry make mistakes like that when he is supposed to be a leader and control the game, you have to wonder. What is going on with Jeff Petry? He is not the same player as last year and yet he is healthy.
Would a little time off be good for him? Why not! The Habs are 29th overall right now. Fans have probably already written off the upcoming playoffs.