There’s an adjustment period whenever a player changes teams and Ben Chiarot is not only successfully navigating life with a new team but he’s also learning to play with two very different defence partners.
The Hamilton, Ont., native started the season playing with Jeff Petry on the second defence pair. It was a classic partnership with a solid stay-at-home type — that’s Chiarot — alongside the puck-moving Petry.
In recent weeks, Canadiens head coach Claude Julien has played a mix-and-match game depending on the opposition. If the Canadiens were playing a team with one outstanding line, he paired Chiarot with Shea Weber. Against a more balanced lineup, he has used Chiarot with Petry.
“My game doesn’t change much no matter who I play with,” Chiarot said Thursday as the Canadiens enjoyed a light day off the ice in preparation for Saturday’s home game against the New York Rangers. “Going back and forth isn’t a problem because I’m comfortable with both of them. It’s good for the coach to have the option of using different looks against different teams.”
Chiarot said he was happy to play with Weber, describing him as “one of the best defencemen in the world.”
“We play a similar style,” said Chiarot. “We take care of our own end first and then join the rush second. The puck’s on his stick and then it’s off his stick and it’s moving in the right direction. Jeff likes to skate and get up the ice and he likes to make those stretch passes and he’s good at it. I try to be in a good defensive position because we want him to take those offensive chances.”
Chiarot, who has three goals and five assists in 22 games, said he finds the system in Montreal is more fun than the one employed in Winnipeg.
“We’re a good skating team. We like to keep our forwards in motion whereas in Winnipeg, they weren’t stationary, but I knew where the winger was going to be, where the centre was going to be. I didn’t have to think about it,” Chiarot noted. “But here, I have to look up for the guys a little more. We try to keep our forwards in motion and not get caught on the boards by teams that are bigger and stronger. We want to move the puck through the middle.”
Chiarot also sees action on the penalty-killing unit, which hasn’t been very good this season but was 3-for-3 in Wednesday’s 2-1 overtime loss to Ottawa.
“Going into last night’s game, we wanted to play with a little more desperation, take pride in what we’re doing as penalty-killers,” said Chiarot. “It can be a dirty job, but it’s part of being a winning team. Being 31st in the league isn’t acceptable if you want to be a winning team. I know the guys that are out there take pride in what they do and I thought we did a good job last night, took a big step up. We have to continue to have that desperation, whether it’s blocking a shot or getting the puck down the ice.
“We have to let (goaltender Carey Price) see the puck; if he can see it, he’s going to stop it,” Chiarot added. “We have to limit the chances around the net because no goalie’s going to stop them. It doesn’t matter who the goalie is. You can’t allow the puck to go through the seams. I think that’s something we talked about earlier in the season when things were going sideways on us. Those are killers, especially with some of the shooters we see every night.”
Related
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
