The Montreal Canadiens may not be facing elimination yet, but they need to get back in this series in a hurry and that means tying the series before it heads back to Carolina.
The Montreal Canadiens have lost the last two games, a first in these playoffs. If they were to lose a third consecutive game against the Carolina Hurricanes, they would find themselves in too deep a hole to climb out of. On Tuesday, Martin St-Louis understandably decided to keep his men off the ice. At this stage, they’ve seen more than enough action. It was time to look back on the last two games, reflect, and react.
Flushing away the defeat when there’s nothing you can learn from them makes sense, but after the last two games, there was plenty to learn from. There’s no doubt the coach and his assistants have been busy in the video room, dissecting the Hurricanes' play and passing that knowledge on to the players. Still, ultimately, it’s up to the players to execute and follow the instructions.
Historically, the team that leads 2-1 in a best-of-seven series has won it 69% of the time (402-180), so the odds aren’t favorable to Montreal right now, but those are just odds. Carolina has an 11-10 (.524) record in Game 4 while playing on the road, while the Canadiens have a 19-29 (.396) record in Game 4 playing at home. Down 2-1 in a series, Montreal hasn’t fared well historically; they are 8-21 (.276) overall and 6-11 (.353) when they started the series on the road.
If the Canadiens are to come out on top in Game 4, they’ll have to find a way to overcome the Hurricanes' forecheck and be able to execute good zone exits. In Game 3, they struggled to even get to the red line, which cannot happen tonight. The Habs have got to make their reads faster and make the right decisions in a split second. Entering the zone in possession has been a challenge, so it’s time to put the puck in deep, in the right area and come in at speed to retrieve it. In Game 3, Josh Anderson surprised Frederik Andersen while playing the puck behind the net and dispossessed him. That’s what Montreal needs to do more often, not just on the goalie but on their defensemen as well.
On Wednesday, goaltender Jakub Dobes is turning 25; the best gift his teammates could give him is some offensive support. The Czech netminder has been great in this series and has multiplied the important saves, but it’s not up to him to score the goals. He did get an assist on the game-tying goal on Monday, but that’s as far as it can go for him.
Whichever way you look at it, the Sainte-Flanelle’s forwards have got to step up. None of them found the back of the net on Monday, and that’s rarely a recipe for success. It’s not like they’ve never been able to produce against the Canes. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov all had five points in three games in the regular season against Carolina, and they all got on the scoresheet in Game 1.
It might be time for St-Louis to mix up his lines to spread his attack around. Putting Slafkovsky on the second line with Alex Newhook and Demidov could be an interesting combination. Putting another big body on the first line to fill the power forward’s spot would make sense. Zach Bolduc could be an interesting candidate. He brings speed, and he’s not afraid to throw his body around; he could be good in puck retrieval to feed Suzuki and Caufield.
At this stage, much is about having confidence and the right attitude. Montreal must come out strong and show Carolina that they won’t let them rule the game on Wednesday night. They must push back right away and show that they are still alive and kicking.
It will be interesting to see who the Canadiens use as a torchbearer tonight. So far, Yvan Cournoyer, Serge Savard, Chris Nilan, Kirk Muller, Guy Carbonneau, Larry Robinson and Claude Lemieux have fired up the crowd ahead of the game.
Just like Monday, the duel is set for 8:00 PM, and you can catch it on CBC, TVAS, SN, TNT, truTV, and HBO MAX. Chris Rooney and Graham Skilliter will be officiating, while Ryan Daisy and Devin Berg will be the linemen. Now that the Vegas Golden Knights have swept the Colorado Avalanche, John Tortorella’s team will no doubt be paying attention to proceedings as they prepare for the Stanley Cup Final.
Just like the Habs, the referees will have to be better tonight. They weren’t responsible for the Canadiens’ loss in Game 3, but their performance left a lot to be desired with missed calls on both sides. A blatant trip on Lane Hutson went uncalled in overtime, and minutes later, Montreal should have been called for too-many-men, but they let that go as well. Two wrongs do not make a right, and it would be refreshing if the referees' work could go unnoticed tonight, as it should.
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