The Montreal Canadiens came close to beating the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, but once again, they couldn't protect a lead in the last minutes, and it cost them.
After weeks of speculation, and despite Montreal Canadiens’ GM Kent Hughes’ best efforts, the Sainte-Flanelle was unable to make any trades in the run-up to the trade deadline, which means that the Habs were attacking the final stretch of the regular season with the same issues that have plagued them all season: shaky goaltending, a very young second line pivot and a coach who doesn’t trust his sixth defenseman, whoever is filling the role on any given night.
After the 7-5 loss to the San Jose Sharks with Jakub Dobes on Tuesday night, Samuel Montembeault was back in net for the Canadiens against the Anaheim Ducks, while Arber Xhekaj was brought back in to replace Jayden Struble. Martin St-Louis also decided to make some changes up front by remixing his lines, which made his first line happy.
A Second Opportunity To Make A First Impression
Canadiens’ fans counted their blessings after the Ducks’ first goal, which came 20 seconds in on their first shot, was waived off for offside. It gave Montembeault a chance to start over, which he missed as he was once again beaten on the next shot. However, it’s hard to blame the goaltender when the goal is scored on a three-on-one. Still, it’s the fifth time in 23 starts that he has scored a goal in the first two minutes.
The netminder made a spectacular save on the penalty kill with his paddle to prevent Anaheim from getting a second goal. But not long afterwards, he let in yet another goal on a shot from far out that wasn’t deflected. It’s a headscratcher to see him post Jekyll and Hyde performances time after time. The Bécancour native is capable of the best and the worst at times in the same minute, which unfortunately makes every game an adventure.
In the second frame, with the score tied at 2-2, Jackson Lacombe took a slapshot from the blueline, and it found the back of the net without a screen or a deflection. Whichever way you look at it, Montembeault really struggles against shots from far out, while he can make big saves on shots from the real danger zones. This is puzzling to say the least, and it’s a trend that started at the end of the last season as well. It’s almost as if he couldn’t see the puck from far out.
Had it not been for the fact that the Canadiens are playing on Saturday night, Montembeault would have deserved to be pulled after that third goal.
Ready For A Leading Role
Since coming back from the Olympics, the line formed by Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen, and Ivan Demidov had struggled, prompting the Slovak’s return to the top line, and it didn’t take long for the move to pay off.
Just a minute in, Slafkovsky went hard on the forecheck and retrieved the puck to pass it to Cole Caufield, who fed Nick Suzuki in front of the net, and just like that, the score was tied. Then, about two and a half minutes later, Slafkovsky was able to complete a pass to Lane Hutson while absorbing some contact, and the blueliner went on to score the Habs’ second goal. Two assists in 3:30 for Slafkovsky, who was ready to play.
One slight criticism, though, is that he needs to make better decisions on the power play. At times, he seems to want to rush the play, and that often translates into a giveaway caused by a predictable pass.
Mr. Saturday Night Worked Overtime
The Ducks took a 4-2 lead 35 seconds into the third frame, and while some believed the Canadiens were toast at that point, the Habs didn’t. Mr. Saturday night, Cole Caufield, took charge, scoring twice in less than five minutes with Alexandre Carrier squeezing a lamplighter in between Caufield’s and just like that, the Canadiens took a 5-4 lead.
The diminutive sniper now has 16 goals in his last 14 games, and with 37 goals, he has tied his career high set last season. With 37 goals in 61 games, Caufield is now on pace for a 50-goal season.
Unfortunately for Caufield, the Canadiens were unable to hold on to the lead, and with less than a minute to go, Chris Kreider deflected a shot from the point to tie the game and send it to overtime with the Ducks playing six-on-five. The Habs failed to score the game-winning goal despite getting a power play in the extra frame, and a shootout was necessary. It took six rounds, but in the end, Alex Killorn gave the Ducks the win.
The Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday night, taking on the Los Angeles Kings at 7 PM ET.
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