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In Hainsight: Canadiens Come Close to Upsetting the Champs |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
The Canadiens had a date with the defending Stanley Cup champions last night. Bruce Cassidy’s men had yet to lose in regulation and had an 8-0-1 record before puck drop. For a couple of minutes, it looked like it was going to be a tough night for the Canadiens, but St-Louis’ men gave their collective head a shake and put on their working boots.
It wouldn’t be a Montreal Canadiens game without penalties though and once again, time spent in the box was costly. The Knights opened the score with a power play goal which deflected on Mike Matheson’s stick while Jordan Harris was serving his time for holding. You’d think by now the Habs would have learnt their lesson, but no, they took another two penalties within the first five minutes of the second frame. However, they tightened up their defense and didn’t even let the Knights get a shot on goal during those power plays. Better yet, Sean Monahan scored his second shorthanded goal of the season to tie up the score at one all.
In the end, the Canadiens only allowed two shots on goal in the second period and another five in the third. By the end of regulation, Vegas had only taken 19 shots. Considering the Habs had given over 30 shots in each of their first eight games, this is quite a feat. Meanwhile, the Sainte-Flanelle had tested Aidan Hill 36 times.
Even though Montembeault only received a pair of shots in the second, one shot did beat him and the Canadiens retreated to the locker room down by one once more. This team didn’t give up though and captain Nick Suzuki sent everyone to overtime by tying the game at 15:42 of the third.
What had already been a great game got even better in overtime as both teams attacked relentlessly and the netminders put on a show. Samuel Montembeault even had to face a penalty shot after Suzuki got called for holding against Jake Eichel on a breakaway. The birthday boy made a big save to keep the Habs in the game, but they eventually fell in the shootout when both Jonathan Marchesseault and Shea Theodore scored while only Suzuki did for the Habs. Prior to Suzuki’s shot, Hill looked at his bench and nodded as if to say: ‘I’ve got this, I know what he’ll do” …he might have known that the captain would deke, but he still couldn’t stop him…Suzuki is becoming one of the best player in the shootout league wise. Still, final score 3-2 Vegas.
However, this was one of those games when a defeat feels like a win, and it was easy to see why the players were pleased with their performance. Even Coach Martin St-Louis said in his post-game comments it was the best game the Canadiens had played under him.
A few players shone particularly brightly last night, starting with veteran Sean Monahan. When he’s healthy the 29-year-old is truly a force to be reckoned with. He’s the kind of players that does it all, he elevates the play of his line-mates, he can play on both the powerplay and the penalty kill and he has really mastered the art of the faceoff. In yesterday’s game he won 19 of his 23 faceoffs for an 82.6 % success rate.
When Kent Hughes managed to ink him to a one-year deal during the offseason, everyone was quick to say that he’d make a good asset to trade at the deadline if he stayed healthy, but as things stand, I wouldn’t be surprised if he stayed put. It’s still very early in the season, but should the Canadiens keep winning as they have, don’t expect Kent Hughes to dismantle this group. I know, it’s way too early to even think about this, but those who are on team tank are all over social media claiming that Monahan and Matheson should be traded now, but it would be a terrible mistake to make. Suzuki and Caufield have both signed long-term extensions and they didn’t sign up to have their effort sabotaged if things are going well.
Back to the game though, once again Kaiden Guhle showed what he is made of, he’s got it all; the mobility, the skills and the calming presence of a veteran who’s seen it all, even if he’s just a sophomore. Last night, it was obvious that Matheson wasn’t entirely healthy and as a consequence, Guhle saw even more ice-time than usual, and he handled it just fine. Justin Barron also looks like he’s turned a corner, he’s playing with assurance, letting his offensive instincts guide him and often, his decision making is spot on.
The first line was a threat all night, shooting profusely, Caufield had five shots, Suzuki had 4 and Harvey-Pinard had two. They all linked up on the goal tying game and it was a deserved reward for their efforts.
Alex Newhook looked very hungry and eager to make a difference last night, but he was denied by the posts multiple times and had two more shots that Hill dealt with. Both Josh Anderson and Juraj Slafkovsky are still trying to record their first goal of the year. The power forward seems to be lacking finish right now, the opportunities are there but he just cannot finish them.Meanwhile, Juraj Slafkovsky has got to start taking shots on net and not off target. Slowly but surely, his confidence seems to be fading and something might have to be done soon to get him out of that funk.
The Habs have a travelling day today as they’ll be heading to Arizona in readiness for Thursday’s game against the Coyotes. The pack was hungry last night as it obliterated Chicago 8-1. Arizona is currently 11th in the Western conference and 26th in the league, so this should be an easier test on paper, but you never know and that’s the beauty of this league.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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