Heading into Saturday’s (Dec. 7) match versus the Washington Capitals, the Montreal Canadiens were riding high. They had begun their five-game homestand with two wins and finally had Patrik Laine back in the lineup. But the Capitals, 4-2 winners, proved to be too powerful a beast to tame, even without Alexander Ovechkin (injured). What went right and what went wrong? Let’s discuss some takeaways.
Great Start, Decent Middle, Poor Finish
Looking at the 4-2 final score and the shots on target total that favoured Washington 35-24, one would argue that this was a predictably easy game for the visitors. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Montreal made it out of the first period with a 2-0 advantage, putting the Capitals on spoiler alert. Some of that might have had to do with the visitors having played 24 hours prior against a tough Toronto Maple Leafs squad, but so be it. As of Sunday (Dec. 8), head coach Spencer Carbery’s ensemble is the highest-scoring club in the NHL (4.04 goals per contest), so a 2-0 lead was a terrific sign.
Moreover, the Canadiens continued to make their head coach, Martin St. Louis, look smart for opting for a Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Alex Newhook combination as the top line. The latter opened the scoring and Caufield doubled the advantage, each time capping off admirably aggressive play by the hosts. Clearly, they had the wind in their sails.
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Alas, the reality is that Montreal is not as good as Washington. Not in many statistical categories, nor in the eye test. This was one of those games where the lesser side pounces on the stronger one early and causes some havoc, but when the time comes to make the hill too steep to climb for a comeback, they can’t do it. The chances were there (more on that later), yet it was the Capitals who grew in confidence over the final 40 minutes.
To add insult to injury, or injury to insult in this instance, the player who took over was forward Tom Wilson. The 12-year veteran left the match in the first period after receiving the puck on his left cheek from a shot. He came back looking a little worse for wear but netted a brace in the third period that turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead the Capitals never relinquished.
Was this disappointing? Obviously. Montreal had the Capitals where they wanted them, yet made the same mistakes that have plagued them lately, such as coughing up goals extremely early or late in periods – Pierre-Luc Dubois got Washington on the board 33 seconds into the middle frame, thus changing the contest’s complexity.
Canadiens Breakaway Breakdowns
Oh, but it could have been a different result, even as the visitors tallied a trio of goals in the crucial final period to claim the 4-2 advantage.
Montreal had not one, not two, but three breakaways on Logan Thompson during the final 20 minutes of play. Kudos to the Washington crease protector; he let none get past him.
The first was barely two minutes into the stanza. Defender Jayden Struble demonstrated some moxie by poking the puck off Dylan Strome’s stick as the latter skated along Montreal’s blue line. Sensing his opportunity, Struble rushed past Strome along the left board with a clear path to the net, but Thompson stood tall.
Three minutes later, Christian Dvorak fed Josh Anderson with a pass through the neutral zone that sent his teammate alone against the goalie, but his shot couldn’t solve him either.
Finally, with the score tied 2-2, Nick Suzuki was sent off to the races by Caufield. This was a comfortable one-on-one for the Canadiens’ talisman, who had the time to dribble the puck and attempt a cheeky backhander through Thompson’s pads, five-hole. Rejected.
If all three of those go in, or two, or just one, who knows how that third period’s dynamics evolve? All three came at moments when the Habs would have either doubled their lead from one goal to two or reclaimed it when the terms were level. When the final horn rang to conclude the match, Struble, Anderson, and Suzuki probably each thought: “That one was on me.”
Alex Newhook’s Night
The final scoresheet, or even MoneyPuck’s more in-depth data, don’t suggest the often-criticized Newhook had a wonderful night. Only one shot on target, a Corsi percentage of 40.5%, middle-of-the-road individual expected goals for (ixG) of 0.136, etc.
That said, his first period was terrific. No one will suggest he’s as good as his first-line colleagues Suzuki and Caufield, but he seems to fit relatively well with them. He was in the thick of the action that led to his goal at 11:09 and was in prime position to distract Washington’s keeper on Caufield’s marker at 16:00.
The question becomes: is that a product of playing with two of the best players on the roster, or is it because Newhook genuinely has better chemistry with them, and he needs to remain on the top line? It would be worth looking into the data as the next few games unfold, assuming St. Louis keeps his top two formations identical, with Kirby Dach, Laine, and Juraj Slafkovsky fulfilling second trio duties.
It was a decent effort by the Canadiens. Frankly, apart from a 6-3 beatdown suffered last Sunday (Dec. 1) away to the Boston Bruins, the entire week has been okay, including the Nov. 30 loss to the New York Rangers. We’ve written the following before this season, but it’s not the end of the world if the club loses more games. Just don’t lose them 8-2 or 5-0. Show the supporters something that suggests the club is heading in the right direction, even though it doesn’t always pick up two points.
Montreal has two full days to ready itself for the Anaheim Ducks, who arrive at the Bell Centre on Tuesday evening (Dec. 10). Playing the way they are, the Canadiens can definitely get back on track.
