On Tuesday night the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre. After a pointless weekend, the Habs needed to turn things around in a four-point game. The result was a 3-2 overtime win.
Here’s what got my attention.
The top line played their best in a while.
They’ve consistently produced, but not always with the dominating presence that we’ve come to expect from them. Against Boston, the Suzuki line could have had three or four in the opening frame. The captain’s 24th of the season was a nifty move in close for the backhand goal.
But even niftier was his shot pass in overtime for Caufield to tap in for his 40th goal of the season to win the game. They almost missed that beauty by employing the infamous FOGO.
Fans of the Montreal Canadiens have waited more than three decades to see a 40-goal scorer in their sweater. And there are still 15 games left in this season! Whether this year or another, I believe Caufield can be a 50-goal scorer in Montreal.
The most exciting part is how he does it. Clutch Cole Caufield scored the winner against Boston, and we’ve gotten used to him doing just that.
I wonder if Pavel Zacha enjoyed his picnic in front of the Habs net.
Good grief. They have to fix their coverage in high danger areas. The slot has become way too comfortable for opponents. I will say that I liked those D pairs better than what we have seen since Hutson went back to the right side. Jakub Dobes was excellent and bailed them out a few times.
The third line was effective sans Kirby Dach, and that’s bad news for Kirby Dach.
The trio had a good game. Texier was dangerous, Bolduc was physical, and Evans was Evans. I’m not sure how he missed that tap in. Nonetheless, they were good. They didn’t seem to miss Dach at all, and that raises a reality for the Habs since they acquired Kirby Dach. They couldn’t afford to miss him because he was missing so much.
The off-season will be interesting in this file.
Josh Anderson looks to be getting playoff ready.
Brendan Gallagher played Game 900 of his career last night. That’s a lot of hard miles on that reconstructed body. Phil Danault is showing the wear and tear too. But Josh Anderson can smell Spring and playoff hockey, where he performs his best.
Strong game for the big man against Boston. He has made himself more than useful in a changed role.
Next stop is Detroit on Thursday for another four-point game.
Hab At Her 