Tis the season to be optimistic in the face of darkness. That applies on the morning after the Montreal Canadiens lost to the visiting Calgary Flames 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday, Nov. 5. There were encouraging signs from Montreal in how they played and organized themselves in certain situations. And yet, it was all for naught. Well, it was for one point instead of two. Here are three takeaways.
The Canadiens Can’t Have Nice Things
Work hard and good things will happen. Good things come to those who wait. You get as much as you put in.
All those feel as though they should have applied to Tuesday’s match versus the Flames. The first period was, arguably, the Canadiens’ best in what felt like ages. They were awarded a pair of power play opportunities, and although they didn’t score, the units skated circles around weary Calgarian defenders. Flames keeper Dustin Wolf was sensational when he had to be, and he was the main culprit for the scoreline still reading 0-0 after the first 20 minutes of play.
Brendan Gallagher, who is quietly becoming a supremely important player this season as the club tries to remain afloat, scored in the middle frame on the power play to level the terms 1-1. Speaking of special teams, the Canadiens surprised the Flames in the third period, albeit whilst on the penalty kill. A couple of Calgary forwards fell to the ice in a collision despite winning a face-off in Montreal’s zone, which allowed Jake Evans and Joel Armia to race out for a two-on-one and the latter to rifle the biscuit in the basket to make it 2-1.
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And despite all that effort and, it should be noted, a fine night for Samuel Montembeault, the hockey gods decided that the Habs would not be fully rewarded. Gallagher thought he had provided his side with a 3-1 cushion in the third period, but the Flames astutely recognized the play was offside and had the goal disallowed via a brief review.
Then, as they tried mightily to protect a precious one-goal advantage, Flames forward Matthew Coronato showed what he was made of. Rarely do players net more critical braces than he did. His 2-2 marker came at 17:14 of the third period after some deft skating and a wicked wrist shot. He followed that up by scoring six seconds into OT with another powerful wrister. Yes, six seconds.
A respectable performance from Montreal was rewarded with a single point.
Dvorak and Anderson Look Good for Once
Part of why the Canadiens looked decent against the Flames was thanks to Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson. These players receive no shortage of criticism, much of it deserved. They cost the team $4.5 million and $5.5 million per season, respectively, but don’t do much to earn those hefty price tags.
Even the most ardent Dvorak and Anderson critics had to admit that both players were in the thick of things on Tuesday. They and Gallagher – who formed the third trio – had the most shift starts in the offensive zone with five. Anderson and Dvorak both had four shot attempts, and Dvorak was in the middle of the action that drew a Flames penalty in the second period.
The era of hoping that either of those forwards accomplishes big things for the Habs has long passed. However, if – and this might be a big if – they can replicate how they played against Calgary more often, then at least the club can rest assured that the third line can cause havoc for the opposition. Apply pressure in the offensive zone, contain the puck, and create some chances by feeding Gallagher.
A Game of Inches
They say American football is a game of inches. It often is. But hockey can claim that as well.
Slafkovsky could have given Montreal a 2-1 lead in the third but had a shot ping off the post. In the second period, an unexpected semi-breakaway for Cole Caufield appeared to get Wolf nervous in net. The puck glided towards him, but he misjudged it. As a result, it got lost between his skates for a moment, prompting him to simply fall on the puck for a stoppage of play. It was an odd moment that could have resulted in a better scoring chance.
Alex Newhook had seven shot attempts. Kaiden Guhle, whose presence was welcomed on the blue line, had three. They were good shots too, but most missed the crossbar or post by a whisker. It was just one of those nights when it felt as if more pucks should have found the back of the net but didn’t.
All that said, the performance itself should, in theory, motivate the club. It was honourable, even if the result hurt. It was something that head coach Martin St. Louis and his staff can build on. The last time we said something along those lines was after a 4-3 victory in Philadelphia versus the Flyers on Oct. 27. 48 hours later, the Habs were buzz-sawed by the Seattle Kraken 8-2. This time, that game two nights later will be on Thursday, Nov. 7, away to the New Jersey Devils.
As long as the team holds on to the positives, there will be light at the end of the tunnel, however far away that end feels at times.
