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In Hainsight: It Cannot End Soon Enough |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Samuel Montembeault got the nod to start a 4th game in a row last night and he rewarded St-Louis for this show of confidence by standing very tall in his net. The 26 year-old netminder was a rock last night and has the Bolts kept pushing and pressing he stood his ground to allow the Canadiens to beat the Tampa Bay outfit by a score of 3-2. He finished his night with 31 saves on 33 shots for a .939 save percentage and there’s no denying that he’s doing his best to impress the Habs’ brass right now.
Kirby Dach who was finally back in the line-up found himself playing on the wing of the first line, a move which St-Louis explained by saying that he wanted his first line to be stronger against Tampa’s top line. Make no mistake though, Dach is and will be a center for the Montreal Canadiens. It would have been understandable if Dach had shown some signs of rust after such a lengthy absence, but it wasn’t so. He did miss a scoring chance early on, but he made up for it by scoring the first goal of the game minutes later. In the end, Dach spent 20 minutes and 44 seconds on the ice last night, more than any other Montreal forward. He played a strong game and reminded us how he can use his big frame to shield the puck and keep possession of it. He’s not a hitting machine, but he does find his own way to play big. Mike Matheson and Nick Suzuki also deserved gold stars for their game, Matheson scored yet another goal while the captain added two more assists to his name.
Meanwhile, Brendan Gallagher was also back in the line-up and while he was much less visible than Dach, he did put in a respectable performance logging in just under 14 minutes of ice-time on the 3rd line. Anticipating that he might have been a bit behind game-shape wise, he kept his shifts short and it worked like a charm. At this stage, the veteran is just looking to get some games in and manage to stay healthy.
Speaking of health, the Canadiens lost yet another forward last night as Josh Anderson battled hard one on one with Mikhail Sergatchev and tumbled legs first towards the Bolts’ empty net. There was no penalty on the play but Anderson’s ankle bent in a way which it was not meant to bent and he looked like he was agonizing on the ice. He retreated to the room with assistance and without putting any weight on his leg. Unsurprisingly, he will not be travelling to Boston in readiness of tomorrow’s game and we should know more about his status shortly, but as of now, it looks likely that we’ve seen the last of him for this season. It’s a shame as well as he’s been consistently improving this year and incorporating St-Louis’ suggestions into his game. As a result, his stock has risen and he’s likely to be one of the Canadiens’ most tradable assets whether it’s this Summer or at the next trade deadline. Hopefully the injury won’t be too serious as some already see Anderson as damaged goods because of his shoulder injury history.
After the game, the Canadiens also confirmed that Kaiden Guhle’s season was done as he’s now battling a high ankle sprain. Things are looking somewhat grim for the young defender who has been playing with braces on both knees and now has an injured ankle…talk about affected legs. Hopefully the Summer is good for him and he heals completely. Guhle is a big part of the Canadiens’ future and they need him in tip top shape.
Overall, this 3-2 win must have felt great for the team, but at this stage, the games are meaningless and it’s just annoying to see players dropping to injury like flies…especially when it’s on a play in the dying seconds when the game is already won like Anderson last night. Tomorrow, the team will have a tall task on their hands as they’ll take on the league leading Boston Bruins.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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