The Montreal Canadiens were in Boston to face the Bruins on Saturday night. These rivals always put on a show, and the result was a 4-3 loss.
Here’s what got my attention.
No matter who the Habs add, Caufield will remain essential.
The guy is just such a gamer. He plays his best when the pressure is highest. The first goal came off a beautiful pass from Matheson, and his second was a patient passing play with Suzuki on the power play. The hat trick goal was just Caufield getting ballsy from the same spot where he scored his second. That one just felt inevitable.
Cole Caufield is on pace for 46 goals on the season. It feels likely he will reach the 40 mark.
The penalty kill was not sexy in Game 52.
On the first goal allowed, Guhle played his man too aggressively, and when the passing lane opened up for Mittelstadt he was able to find Arvidsson having a picnic at the goal mouth.
On the second goal gifted to the Bruins power play, the other three guys forgot to play defense when Matheson got a shorthanded chance.
On the Bruins fourth goal, also while the Habs were on the kill, Geekie scored his second power play goal after getting 86 wide open looks on the night.
When I did my halfway mark review, the Canadiens PK was at 77.1%. They were tied for 23rd in the league. The addition of Danault and the return of Guhle were expected to help that. In this game they were 25%. The penalty kill is an absolute mess.
Jake Evans said it best. “If you give up three power play goals, you’re probably going to lose the game.”
Monty is struggling when the games matter.
Sam Montembeault was claimed off waivers on October 2, 2021. The previous spring the Habs had gone to the Stanley Cup Final. Carey Price was injured and about to enter the players assistance program. He would miss the bulk of the season and eventually go on LTIR.
Shea Weber had already gone on LTIR and would never play again. Phil Danault had left Montreal in free agency in the summer, and Jesper Kotkaniemi was lost to an offer sheet. The team was in shambles. By November 8, Marc Bergevin was fired, and then the rebuild began.
This is the first season in Montembeault’s tenure when Montreal was expected to win.
In previous seasons, fans craving a high pick complained that Monty was stealing too many games. He was never a true number one goalie, and he always had a banana in him, but mostly he played better than expected.
In this game, Caufield had more goals than the Bruins and it was 3-2 with less than half a period to play. Then Monty let in two shots he needed to stop. It was an important game against a divisional rival with implications for the standings. The contrast between how Caufield responded to that pressure and how Montembeault responded is stark.
After making some brilliant saves in the game, with the pressure on, Monty let in two bananas. I wonder if he can handle the pressure of Montreal when the team is expected to win.
HuGo has a goalie problem to solve. A playoff position is in jeopardy.
Hab At Her 