On Tuesday night the Philadelphia Flyers were in Montreal to face the Canadiens, and the Habs were without another core player. The result was. 4-1 loss.
Here’s what caught my eye.
Lane Hutson was solid but can’t do it all.
Let’s hope Mike Matheson’s injury is brief, because without him the Canadiens are down to just two top-four defenseman. Hutson had a solid game, particularly in the third period, but it wasn’t enough.
If anyone is wondering why the Habs had to re-sign Matheson, you saw it last night. Guhle misses a lot of hockey, and sans Matheson, the D-group is thin.
Has Texier found a home in Montreal?
The Canadiens will have some tough decisions to make as guys return from injury. Alexandre Texier intends to make those decisions tougher. He’s looked solid since his arrival.
The top line is not the same without Slafkovsky.
I love the chemistry Slaf is forming with Demidov, but I also miss what he does for the top line. Is the first overall pick justified for a guy who is needed on both top-six lines? What about the fact that pundits are asking for him to be tried in the 2C role?
Kirby Dach is due to return later this month, and he once had great success with Suzuki and Caufield. Perhaps they try that again. Or perhaps they try him on the second. However they manipulate those lines, Slaf has proven his worth and he’s only getting better.
Jacob Fowler is finding out how fast the NHL is.
Fowler was kicking his own butt last night for trying to play the puck, turning it over, getting caught out of position, and allowing a goal. This is not Kansas.
The plan for the net is a giant TBD. Kudos to Sam Montembeault for agreeing to the conditioning stint in Laval. I’m hoping he takes a good chunk of the two weeks allowed and then joins the team for the Florida trip after Christmas.
The Habs still have four games in seven days before their holiday break. Let’s hope they can stay competitive while they wait for some guys to return from injury.
Hab At Her 