After two solid wins, the Habs came back down to Earth with a 7-2 loss to the league leading Avalanche. The Avs showed why they are dominating the league last night as they were tenaciously forechecking at every opportunity and made Montreal pay for their mistakes. It’s really unfortunate because I was looking forward to seeing how they would fare against some stiffer competition. Unfortunately, it was not good.
The Game Was Lost in the First Period
I really thought the Habs had a great first period and they generated a lot of quality chances. Mackenzie Blackwood was amazing, and without him in net, the Habs could have been up 3-2. Echoing what Marty St-Louis said post game, once the Habs were down 3-0, they took more chances and the game fell apart from then.
I can’t fault Dobeš at all on the first few goals and after that with the game out of hand, it’s really a wash. I thought he played well in the first period, and if the Habs had been able to score in the first, I’m sure the Avs would not have scored seven by the end.
At the end of the day however, the Avs are an amazing team.
I really like his game. He skates great and reads the play well. So far he’s got a 0 for 5 on 5 play so he’s not been a defensive liability. I’d like to see him get into more games in a row and get more ice time. I really think he’s ready and I see him ahead of certain D in the bottom pairing.
There has been a bit of noise that the Habs were interested in Steven Stamkos. If I were them, I’d stay away, and Hughes is smart enough to do just that. Unfortunately, he’s declined quite a bit and has a hefty contract with an 8 million dollar cap hit. The answer is not there. Again, my target would be Ryan O’Reilly and I would push hard.
The Habs next game comes Tuesday at 7pm!