The Montreal Canadiens started well, but once again, they failed to give a 60-minute effort and, unsurprisingly, the Washington Capitals claimed the win.
The Montreal Canadiens were ready to play tonight. They didn't spot a field goal to the Washington Capitals before they started to play, but they played more carefully, almost with a bit of restraint, not wanting to shoot themselves in the foot like they've done so often so far this season.
At times, it even looked like a chess game, with the opponents studying one another and not wanting to be the first one to surrender a piece, which neither did in the first frame. It was a rather tame first 20 minutes of hockey in which only 13 shots were taken, seven by the Capitals and six by the Canadiens.
Caution was thrown to the wind in the second frame, though. Washington opened the score through Tom Wilson, who deflected an Alexander Ovechkin shot on the power play before the Canadiens came back with a man-advantage goal of their own through Cole Caufield, his fourth goal in as many games and a league-leading 10 on the season.
Pumped up, the Habs applied some pressure, and Brendan Gallagher managed to deflect a Lane Hutson shot to take a 2-1 lead, but it didn't last. In less than a couple of minutes, Washington scored again with two goals in just over a minute to regain their one-goal lead, including one that came from a big Christian Dvorak turnover until Nick Suzuki found the back of the net with an assist from Hutson, who was the real architect of that lamplighter. The goal was the captain's 299th point already, how time flies...and in just 384 games.
After 40 minutes, the score was tied, but the Capitals had the edge in shots, leading 20-12.
Unfortunately for the Habs, though, Washington came out strong in the third frame and pounced on the Canadiens' mistakes, including a Dvorak turnover in the middle of the slot that didn't immediately lead to a goal but threw a spanner in the works for Montreal. It led to two goals in 36 seconds, and it sent the Tricolore down on the mat.
The Sainte-Flanelle had an opportunity to get back to its feet and throw a couple of uppercuts with a five-on-three power play, but nothing came of it. Martin St-Louis elected to send Dvorak out during that power play, perhaps to win the faceoff, but the pivot couldn't accomplish his mission.
To add insult to injury, Alexander Ovechkin was left alone by the net and managed to make it 6-3 on his second shot attempt as he missed the first one but had time to re-set...With the game all but over, Wilson lined up Guhle for a big hit, but the blueliner lifted his head in the nick of time. Josh Anderson took exception and dropped the mitts with the Caps' heavyweight, winning the decision.
Montreal's effort in the final frame was disappointing. They were in the game at 3-3 but somehow managed to only take four shots in the third, even though they had an extended five-on-three power play. Meanwhile, the Capitals bombarded Cayden Primeau with 14 shots in the last 20 minutes.
Simply put, you cannot win if you don't shoot, and shooting yourself in the foot doesn't help either. Montreal committed 24 giveaways tonight, and for a team already struggling with defensive and goaltending issues, that's way too much. The better team won tonight, and it didn't even have to break out a sweat in the final frame.
For perhaps the first time this season, St-Louis looked fed up and summed up the situation by saying the Canadiens "threw up all over themselves tonight" in the third. The coach's reaction is understandable and, at this stage, necessary. Something has to be done to shake things up right now. Modifying the lines and the pairings didn't produce a result. Where does the coach go now?
The Canadiens will play their next game on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, and until then, you can be certain that St-Louis will be racking his brains to figure out how to get the spark that could get the team going.
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