As Montreal Canadiens fans wake up the morning after the club’s 5-4 overtime win over the Vancouver Canucks on Monday (Jan. 6), they’ll notice something special: the Canadiens are officially in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That’s not something many predicted when the season began, but it was earned via a topsy-turvy contest that featured a little bit of everything. Here are the takeaways.
Kaiden Guhle Sets the Tone
Many will remember the evening for defenceman Lane Hutson’s three-point effort, which comprised of one goal and two helpers. That’s perfectly understandable seeing as the Illinois product has been the talk of the town since the campaign began. A trio of points is something worth saluting. But there are also moments from game to game – and within contests – that remind observers that he still has some ways to go.
Kaiden Guhle, on the other hand, has been with the franchise since the 2022-23 season and partook in his 148th match adorned in their colours. The 22-year-old is starting to come into his own after showing flashes of his capabilities in the previous two seasons. Whereas Hutson is still developing, it feels like the picture is becoming clearer for Guhle, and what an encouraging sight it is.
He has no issue laying bodies, something on display from the opening seconds on Monday. The Canucks, hobbled from injuries, had called up forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki. The latter carried the puck out of Vancouver’s zone, at which point Guhle cosplayed as a brick wall. It sent a message that no one was going out dancing after the game. To Lekkerimaki’s credit, he later scored in the second period, but Guhle once again demonstrated how invaluable he is to Montreal. Lo and behold, the Canadiens opened the scoring through Cole Caufield moments later.
This goes not only for his physical play but also for his contributions on the scoresheet. With Montreal trailing 3-1 late in the middle frame after getting flustered on point-blank shots confidently repelled by Kevin Lankinen, the Albertan sent a shot from the point as Kirby Dach blinded the Vancouver netminder. The puck had eyes and found the back of the net.
The irony is that he and Alexandre Carrier, with whom he was paired for most of the evening, finished with a minus-1 rating, as they were also on the ice for two Canucks markers. All the same, if we can praise Hutson – justifiably – despite his errors, we can highlight Guhle’s important presence on this team even though some of his Monday stats disappointed.
When asked about Guhle’s contributions to the club after the game, Caufield responded: “He buries people.”
Touché.
Brilliant Comeback Masks Mistakes
Those who say “comeback” also slyly hint that a superior effort was needed after a chunk of the match didn’t go as planned. Such was the case versus the Canucks.
Ironically enough, Montreal allowed Vancouver to slink back into the contest with a nearly identical goal as Caufield’s that got the party started. The latter was left alone in the slot – a horrible mistake with a player as lethal as Caufield – who happily obliged on Juraj Salfkovsky’s pass. Funnily enough, a defensive deficiency by the Habs permitted J.T. Miller to whip home the equalizer…alone in the slot.
Miller earned his brace in the second period by pouncing on a juicy rebound that itself was a product of an imperative Samuel Montembeault save when Carrier was completely fooled by a puck that bounced off the boards behind him.
But a comeback Montreal did perform, starting with the aforementioned Guhle marker. Dach, who has truly found his rhythm since just after Christmas, levelled the terms by tapping home a rebound during a third period power play. Hutson got his third of the season off a scrappy goal that spoke more about hockey sense than gobsmacking skill as he sent the rubber into the paint, where it bounced off Quinn Hughes and in.
Even a fourth Vancouver goal to notch things at 4-4 didn’t deter Montreal’s overall spirit. Aided by a bad Canucks penalty in the dying seconds of regulation, the Canadiens made their opposite number pay the price in the extra session when talisman Nick Suzuki sent a powerful wrister into the net and sent the Bell Centre crowd into a frenzy.
There is no denying it: Montreal is finding all sorts of ways to win games these days. They’ve shut out last year’s Stanley Cup champions, came back against the club that won it all two years ago, nullified a high-octane Colorado Avalanche attack in a 2-1 shootout win, and went toe-to-toe with a talented (if struggling) Canucks team in a goal festival. Winning in a variety of fashions is encouraging because it means that the club’s success is not predicated on one or two predictable tactics. Montembeault had an awful night (four goals on 20 shots), yet they won.
Power Play Working Without Laine
Perusing social media will reveal that some Habs fans and media members are beginning to ask: what sort of “illness” does Patrik Laine have? To that point, the lauded Finn has been absent since the Vegas Golden Knights game on New Year’s Eve.
Despite that he generated 100% of Montreal’s power play goals in December, the special teams have not floundered as he rests. Last Friday (Jan. 3) they netted one via Emil Heineman. On Monday, Dach and Suzuki – in OT – ensured the Habs finished the evening a healthy 2-for-4 on the man advantage.
Related: Canadiens Shouldn’t Fix What Isn’t Broken with Heineman
When the tried, tested, and true way of scoring on the power play is not an option (Laine ripping a shot from the left faceoff circle), it’s time to rekindle creativity. Heineman’s goal last week was a showcase of quick thinking and reflexes. Dach’s goal versus the Canucks, which made it 3-3, rewarded him for parking in the paint and readying himself for pucks in the vicinity.
Suzuki’s was pure skill, shooting from a distance and through traffic. It seems unbelievable, but the captain had not netted since Dec. 12.
Just as we pointed out earlier the importance of winning with disparate styles from challenge to challenge, it’s equally critical to find different avenues for keeping the power play going as the team’s greatest weapon remains sidelined.
The stretch of tall orders doesn’t stop for Montreal. They benefit from three full days off, notwithstanding practices, before playing the mighty Washington Capitals on Friday (Jan. 10), and hosting the imposing Dallas Stars 24 hours later (Jan. 11). But unlike a month or two ago, this time, looking at the calendar, one can truly believe that the Habs might get points against these teams. It can really happen.
Quite the turnaround from where the club was in October and November. All that’s missing now are the loveable if overly hyped fans claiming “Ça sent la Coupe cette année!” (It smells like the Cup this year!). If Montreal wins one or even both of those games, perk your ears and you’ll be sure to hear it.
