It wasn't easy, but the Montreal Canadiens managed to get back to their winning way and grabbed two important points against the Boston Bruins.
After two consecutive defeats over the weekend, the Montreal Canadiens had put themselves in a bit of a pickle, and on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, they needed to get the two points against archrivals Boston Bruins. As if the game weren’t important enough already, it was also Brendan Gallagher’s 900th, a feat highlighted on the jumbotron, prompting the fans to give the Canadiens’ warrior a standing ovation, which was cut short by the linesman dropping the puck. Given the occasion, he could have waited a little longer.
The game didn’t start like the Canadiens had intended, with Alexandre Carrier getting assessed a four-minute high-sticking penalty, which led to the Bruins taking a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard and an 8-1 lead in shots. The Sainte-Flanelle didn’t panic, however, and once they were back at even strength, they turned on the attack, but without being careless with the puck.
The First Line Was Cooking
When the Canadiens need a win, you can always count on captain Nick Suzuki to rise to the challenge, and that’s exactly what he did. In the first 20 minutes, he had three shot attempts and was a constant nuisance for the Bruins’ defence, finding ways to get in close to Jeremy Swayman.
That’s how he tied up the game with assists from Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield, who looked like he really wanted that goal number 40 tonight. As for the Slovak, he made better decisions with the puck and limited the no-look back passes, which were regular occurrences over the weekend.
The three players combined for 24 shot attempts on the night, 10 of which made it to the Swayman. Watching them buzz around the offensive zone, it wasn’t surprising to see Caufield score the game-winner, his 40th goal of the season, a feat last accomplished 32 years ago in Montreal by Vincent Damphousse.
Gallagher Doing His Thing
It’s been established that Gallagher cannot be as effective as he once was, but with a limited role and load management, he can still deliver. After 40 minutes on Tuesday night, he had only seen 6:01 of action across nine shifts and had delivered a game-leading five hits on top of getting an assist on Anderson’s game-tying goal in the second frame.
In his own way, he can still be the spark plug that he once was, but you have to use him at the right time and in the right situation, which Martin St-Louis appears to be doing right now. Getting a point in his 900th game, against the Bruins as well, was the perfect way to mark the occasion.
The diminutive player with a big heart ended his work night with 10:37 of ice time, 6 hits, 2 shots, and a blocked shot. The perfect proof of the heart he has on the ice came in the third frame when he landed a hit on Hampus Lindholm. The 6-foot-4 and 217-pound blueliner ended up on his backside behind the net as if a giant had hit him. But no, it was the 5-foot-9 and 185-pound alternate captain that took him down. When you play like Gallagher, size does not matter.
Asked about Gallagher’s big milestone after the game, Martin St-Louis explained:
When you play somewhere for that long, it says a lot about your character, the human side, the presence you bring; it’s about more than just what you do on the ice. You look at how he entered the league (a fifth-round pick), how he found a spot, and the way he plays, it’s galvanizing. He has a galvanizing energy; he gives his all, and he deserves it. It’s not easy to play 900 games in the NHL; not many do it (Gallagher is the 13th player to play 900 games with the Habs). And the way he has played those 900 games? It’s a lot of effort; he doesn’t stay on the perimeter; he’s right there in the blue paint, he takes the big hits, he’s a warrior…the way he plays, it’s not easy to make it to 900 games. I tip my hat to him, and I’m really proud of him.
Two Game Savers
While the Canadiens skated away with the two points tonight, they easily could have gone home empty-handed if Jakub Dobes didn’t make some big, timely saves. The Czech netminder faced 28 shots and saved 26 of them for a .929 save percentage. Late in the third, after a bad change at the Canadiens’ bench, he had to pull off a tough breakaway save.
Over the weekend, Lane Hutson didn’t play his best hockey, but on Tuesday night, paired with Jayden Struble, he looked much better. He spent 21:41 on the ice, had seven shot attempts, even though only one made it to Swayman, and finished the night with a pair of assists, including one on the overtime game-winner.
However, one of his defensive plays saved the day. During extra time, he had to defend a two-on-one, and he slid at just the right time to poke the puck and kill the play. Had he not done that, the Canadiens might not have had two points.
The Habs will be back on the ice in Brossard on Wednesday before heading to Michigan to take on the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
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