On Sunday night, the Montreal Canadiens were back home from a two-game road trip to greet the visiting Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre. The result was a 4–1 win.
Here’s what I noticed.
That first period penalty kill set a tone.
That could have been the end of the game. Two men down for a full two minutes against a potent power play did not have me optimistic. A goal or two there would have been enough to have the Canadiens on their heels for the night.
But then the PK came out and said no. Jakob Dobes said no the loudest, and that two minutes set the tone for the game.
Demidov has seen the video.
Someone must have sat him down with the video evidence. Opportunity after opportunity where he should have shot the puck but passed it off to a linemate instead, and the play died.
On Sunday, Demidov shot the puck. That power play goal was the kind of shot Caufield would have taken, and it lit the lamp just like Caufield would have done.
A strong defensive effort was rewarded.
McDavid’s assist on the Veleno goal was nice, but it came following a heavy forecheck from Evans. The bottom six were a factor in containing the Oilers last night, and they were rewarded on the scoresheet.
Suzuki should have had a hat trick.
I know Pickard played well, but Suzuki was gifted two breakaways by the Oilers D and did not convert. The attempts didn’t even look that much like Suzuki. I wonder if he’s still playing through something.
He didn’t miss the open net on the beautiful pass from Slafkovsky though. Slaf is not getting enough credit for his elite playmaking. He’s been a beast for weeks and had a couple of assists last night.
Texier is making himself useful.
He could have had a couple if he had also converted on the breakaway at the end of a long shift. Texier was a low cost signing that is paying off for the Habs.
The ups and downs with this iteration of the Montreal Canadiens are real. The hope is that they mature through the embarrassing losses and the disciplined wins become more consistent. The Habs still have five games in nine days before a brief holiday break.
Hab At Her 