The Montreal Canadiens engaged in a matinee battle against the Buffalo Sabres in conjunction with Remembrance Day in Canada and Veterans Day in the United States. The visitors were looking to halt a six-game slide and in the process earn their first victory in November. Mission accomplished, albeit in gonzo fashion, with a 7-5 final. A game that was always hanging in the balance because of excellent play and some bad play. Here are three takeaways.
Canadiens’ Stars Are Their Stars
Every sports fan – hockey disciple or otherwise – has heard this expression: “Their stars need to be their stars tonight!” It sounds like a platitude, a dumbfoundingly obvious statement. But in some instances, it most certainly applies, and Monday afternoon was one such occasion.
On the TSN telecast around the start of the game, a graphic was shown which displayed that Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, the three great hopes of the 2024-25 season, had gone pointless in four games or more. Right on cue, they all played major roles versus the Sabres.
Caufield was back to his scoring ways. Moreover, he netted twice on the power play from his usual office, close to the goalie’s right. The first was a tipped shot from Lane Hutson in the second period, and the second was the game-winner, also on the man advantage. He now has 12 markers for the campaign.
Suzuki’s brace came with brilliant timing. Down 3-2 with less than a minute remaining in the middle frame, an odd-man rush allowed Slafkovsky to feed his captain, who sent a low, powerful wrister past an outstretched Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Then, 22 seconds later, Slafkovsky’s brilliant forechecking in Buffalo’s zone fed Suzuki for another goal in close and a 4-3 advantage on the scoreboard.
Not to be overlooked, Emil Heineman earned his third of the season in the final period, and Josh Anderson opened the scoring thanks to a lovely breakaway pass from Christian Dvorak. But what most people will remember from this match are two goals for Caufield, another two goals and an assist for Suzuki, and a trio of helpers for the tall Slovak.
What else is there to say? Montreal’s stars were their stars.
Cayden Primeau Cannot Be Trusted
A few weeks ago, we dedicated an article to Montreal’s backup netminder, Cayden Primeau. It argued that if the Canadiens want to attain a modicum of success and consistency, he’d have to play well, or at least better than usual. After all, Samuel Montembeault can’t get the nod every time. Even then, the Québecois goalie hasn’t been up to par this season. Primeau, therefore, needs to help steal some matches.
That didn’t happen on Monday afternoon versus the Sabres. By the time he got the hook a few minutes into the third period, he had coughed up a quintet of goals on 14 shots on target. That’s an abysmal save percentage (SV%) of .643. Once again, head coach Martin St. Louis had to call upon Montembeault’s services for help.
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Before Monday’s game, through six games (four starts), his overall save percentage was .861 and his goals-against average (GAA) was 4.38. With all due respect (we don’t aim to disparage his character or minimize how challenging it is to be an NHL goalie), those are atrocious figures. Last season, he partook in 23 matches and completed the campaign with an 8-9 tally, a 2.99 GAA and a .910 SV%. Those were not bad at all.
But this season has been a completely different story. True enough, Montreal’s defence has put in appalling performances at times, awarding the opposition a plethora of quality scoring chances. In other words, the Habs’ netminders have had to be on their toes like never before. Simply put, Primeau has not been on his toes. His level of play is unacceptable. The criticism goes beyond the number of goals he concedes (although that’s a strong basis for judging a keeper). The roster is young and still working to find confidence. Giving up five goals in less than 45 minutes is not helping accomplish that.
Connor Hughes and Jakub Dobes have put up nice statistics with the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League (AHL) this season. Just saying.
Canadiens Bounce Back From Mistakes
Winning is fun. Winning after a string of defeats surely brings with it a special sweetness. For those reasons, the Canadiens deserve to enjoy the rest of this holiday Monday. It was a breathtaking contest, after all.
By the same token, the name of the game this season is finding ways to improve the club from contest to contest. Two points feel nice, but there were plenty of reasons why Montreal maybe wasn’t fully deserving. It took the Sabres 28 seconds to equalize after Montreal scored the opening tally. Buffalo then responded to Caufield’s first goal in the second period by levelling 19 seconds later. Heading into the final frame, the Canadiens led 4-3. By the 3:51 mark of the period, it was 5-4 in the Sabres’ favour.
Even victories have lessons for players and teams. A win does not mean a club played perfectly. This was about as far removed from a perfect game as one can imagine despite coming out on top. Montreal’s mental fragility in big moments was on full display for all to see. Well, anyone who had Monday off from work. Momentum is a fickle thing in team sports, but the Habs sometimes take that concept to staggering new heights (or lows).
On the flip side, it can just as easily be argued that whenever the Sabres punched back, the Canadiens settled down. Consider that they only allowed 18 shots on goal. Buffalo never found a consistent groove either, and at least some of that had to do with stingy play from the Montreal blueliners. It sounds wild in a game that ended 7-5, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
The team’s four-game road swing concludes on Thursday evening in Minnesota against the Wild. The Wild are not only having a great season so far but will be particularly angry after somehow losing to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. Wins have come infrequently for the Canadiens this season, so it will be fascinating to see how they respond on Thursday. If they can pull off an upset, they return home to face a very beatable Columbus Blue Jackets squad on Saturday. But look at us now, getting ahead of ourselves. One game at a time, lads.
