If the Montreal Canadiens deserved better on Wednesday night, they were properly rewarded for their efforts on Thursday night against the Detroit Red Wings with a 5-1 win. While the game didn’t exactly start the right way with a power play goal conceded within four minutes, it turned out to be the only cause for celebration the local fans had tonight.

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New Guys Are Leading The Way

For a second game in a row, it was newcomers who led the charge for the Canadiens. Both Zack Bolduc and Oliver Kapanen scored in the first frame within less than three minutes of each other, and the Habs never looked back after that.

If some wondered if the right decision had been made by keeping the young Finn up, these first two games should have reassured them. Against Toronto, he found the back of the net on the penalty kill, and in Detroit, he scored at even-strength. While some worried when Ivan Demidov was paired up with Kapanen and Alex Newhook when the second line was dismantled, I was of the view that Newhook’s speed would be a big plus for him, and it has been, but so has Kapanen’s.

The coach didn’t hesitate to bet on the rookie being able to get the most out of his linemates, and it worked. Kapanen didn’t look like much of an offensive threat last season, but with Demidov’s presence, he has raised his game.

As for Bolduc, I was impressed by his speed at training camp, and I thought he would be a good match for Newhook. However, the coach wisely chose to utilize his speed with Kirby Dach and Brendan Gallagher. Dach is coming back from two serious injuries and has never been the quickest on his skates. Although the alternate captain has lost some speed over the years, he has not lost his hockey smarts. When Mike Matheson made a good first pass, Gallagher one-timed it to Bolduc, anticipating where his linemate would be, and it sent him in all alone on the Wings’ net. That play was a perfect example of what the coach meant when he said he wanted his players to be predictable for their linemates.

That First Pairing

Mike Matheson had a tough season last year. He saw his role diminished offensively, but was tasked with more defensive missions, and at times, he was running on empty, which made him prone to mistakes. But so far, so good this season. He skated for 20:22 tonight, and on top of registering an assist, he added a goal in the dying seconds of the first period, delivering a real gut punch to the Wings’ hopes.

As for Noah Dobson, he had another solid game, logging nearly 20 minutes and registering his first point as a member of the Canadiens, an assist on Matheson’s goal. There were concerns when St-Louis chose to pair Matheson with Dobson, but so far, the plan has worked out perfectly. Granted, Detroit isn’t the strongest opponent, but the way they handled Toronto the night before says a lot.

About The Power Play

Demidov needs to see more ice time on the man advantage. He is an incredible weapon, and it doesn't seem very easy to get him involved when his unit doesn’t start the power play. There was one man-advantage when only one forward managed to change, and it was Gallagher who was sent on the ice. I get that he’s the guy who usually gets on when the sniper gets out, but the young Russian should be the first to jump on the ice. With all due respect to Gallagher, he’s not as creative as Demidov and has fewer odds of creating scoring chances.

If that’s too hard to implement, it may be worth considering putting the rookie on the first wave, replacing either Bolduc or Juraj Slafkovsky. I know he scored tonight, but there has to be a way to give the youngster more opportunities. In a 5-1 win, the fact that he barely touched the ice on the power play wasn’t a huge issue, but in a tighter game, it could have been.

In net, Jakub Dobes made 30 saves on 31 shots (.968 save percentage) and looked great in net. He was more like the Dobes who joined the Habs after Christmas last season than the one who was having a tougher time in March. With 16 back-to-backs to play in the season, he should at least see 16 more games, but if he keeps performing this way, expect the coach to look his way more often. At the other end of the ice, it wasn’t John Gibson’s night as he gave up five goals on just 13 shots, but there was little he could do on a breakaway, an odd-man rush, and deflected shots.

Montreal only took 17 shots on net throughout the game, but they made them count, and that’s what matters in the end. It’s also worth mentioning that after two games this season, Gallagher leads the team in scoring with three assists, something not many people saw coming. Needless to say, if he keeps this up, he’ll keep climbing the Habs’ record book. Right now, he’s 27th in points with 467, just 15 away from Bobby Smith, who has 482, and he’s six assists away from Yvon Lambert in 38th place with 234.

The Canadiens headed to Chicago after the game, where they’ll face the Blackhawks on Saturday night, opening yet another building on their road trip. They’ll then head back home and get ready for their own home opener against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.

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