The Montreal Canadiens avoided a season sweep by the Washington Capitals, and they did it in convincing fashion.
After a disappointing overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday, Martin St-Louis said his Montreal Canadiens had stopped playing in the last 10 minutes of the game, and on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals, the Habs were hoping to make up for it. The bench boss had elected to make a few changes to his lineup: Jayden Struble was in for Arber Xhekaj, Zachary Bolduc for Alexandre Texier, and Jakub Dobes was playing his first game since the Olympic break after Samuel Montembeault played on Thursday night.
Caufield Everywhere
The Canadiens didn’t have the best first frame, but Cole Caufield had come ready to play. The sniper scored goals number 34 and 35 on the season in the first frame and could have had another pair had it not been for two big saves by Charlie Lindgren.
In the first 20 minutes, the Habs only took seven shots on goal, and four of them came from the diminutive winger’s stick. He was the only Montreal forward to test the netminder, with the other three shots all coming from blueliners.
The goalscorer really had a busy first frame, since he also blocked two shots and landed a hit. There’s definitely a reason why they call him Mr. Saturday night. With his two goals, he’s now on pace for 49 on the season. One must start to wonder whether he may make it to 50 at this stage.
At the end of the game, Caufield had taken five shots on net, or 20% of the team’s output, on top of having one attempt blocked and another shot that missed the net. He finished his night with a plus-three rating and must have felt like he had accomplished his mission.
Dobes Shone
Through 40 minutes, Dobes had only given a single goal, on a rebound that wasn’t cleared in front of the net, low-hanging fruit for Alexander Ovechkin. He looked in control and poised in front of the net, playing with a lot of confidence. Twice when he couldn’t control a rebound, he harpooned the puck to prevent a second shot.
In the second frame, seeing that Ovechkin was on his way to a breakaway if he caught up to the loose puck, the netminder came way out of his net to handle the puck and neutralize the danger.
He faced the Capitals' power play four times, and each time, he denied them, even though Ovechkin stayed on the net for the full duration and had a couple of his patented shots from the side.
It’s also good to see a goaltender who is energetic and aggressive in the net. Once, after he had immobilized the puck under his glove, Tom Wilson poked it loose, and Dobes gave him a paddle whack in return. The Czech netminder plays with a certain swagger and just won’t be intimidated.
He gave up another goal in the final frame, but it was once again scored by Ovechkin, who had managed to slide in undetected in front of the goaltender and had an easy tap-in when the pass came from behind the goal line. The goal was down to a lack of defensive coverage, with nobody covering the opponent’s most dangerous player.
If St-Louis meant what he said after the Olympics about each goaltender getting a game and then taking it day-to-day as to who would be in net afterwards, Dobes had to be in the pole position to play on Tuesday night. There’s no need to anoint a number one netminder, but the one who plays the best should play the most; it’s as simple as that.
In Game Improvement
On the Canadiens' first two power plays, they controlled the puck nicely and passed it around a lot, but failed to take a single shot on net, always looking for the perfect play. When another penalty was called against the Capitals, St-Louis felt he needed to talk to his men:
Firstly, Suzi was very tired; he had just finished a long shift, so I asked him. Secondly, it was about understanding where we were in the game. If shots get blocked, for Lane, it’s about knowing their guys are going to go the other way. Even if shots don’t get blocked, the guy at the top can cheat a bit. I reminded Lane that he had to respect that, if they go, you need to go too. But it was also about closing the game with a goal, not just enjoying puck possession for two minutes, but also attacking in a calculated manner, because you have to be ready for what can stem from that attack.
While they didn’t score on that power play, the players really took what the coach said on board, and they did press to get some shots on net, even though only Juraj Slafkovsky’s got through. 48 hours after seeing his team squander a lead, the coach had the presence of mind to refocus them when they had an opportunity to close out the game.
In the end, it was a deserved 6-2 win thanks to a couple of empty netter goals.
The Canadiens' next game will be on Tuesday night, when they take on the San Jose Sharks at 10:00 PM. After Saturday’s win, the practice scheduled for Sunday was cancelled and turned into a travel day; the coach smiled, saying the six-hour flight would be much more enjoyable after a win.
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