After a .947 save percentage in his debut in the NHL, Head Coach Martin St. Louis decided to stick with the momentum that Jacob Fowler forged for his team on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. It was a second start in New York City in one of the great buildings of the league Madison Square Garden.
Fowler faltered a little, but also faced a massive number of high-danger chances in losing 5-4 in overtime.
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The Canadiens were dominated for the first 12 minutes. They didn’t get a single shot on goal. Suddenly, it was Nick Suzuki with a chance for a shot, but he saw Zachary Bolduc streaking through the crease. Suzuki put a pass right on the tape of Bolduc for 1-0.
Less than two minutes later, it was a screen shot that must have had six bodies in the pass to the net. Somehow Arber Xhekaj managed to find a path through the maze and passed Igor Shesterkin for a 45 footer and a 2-0 lead.
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That wasn’t all in a first period that the Canadiens had three chances and three goals. On only the seventh shot, it was Jake Evans who ripped it into the top corner. Montreal shooting just shy of 50 per cent for a three goal lead. One of those weird periods of hockey.
The Canadiens have so much talent on the roster, and that talent is so young, and there’s so much future and improvement to come still from those talented players. Lane Hutson wins space like few others in the NHL. Among defenders, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Zach Werenski are probably the only three in the league who create more space than Hutson.
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In the second period, it was Hutson weaving, and mesmerizing everyone. They had no choice but to back off, and with that space, he fed Josh Anderson for a one-time slap shot goal from 25 feet. It was a fourth goal for the Canadiens on a second point for Hutson.
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The Canadiens may not be getting this simple point stressed enough: With the lead, make the game boring with few scoring chances. This young roster continues to make the same mistake. It’s losing hockey to give up odd-man rushes at any time. Up three, it shows a complete lack of comprehension how to hold on to a lead, and win a game.
The pathway to holding a three goal lead is no odd-man rushes allowed, get the puck over your own blue line, be on the correct side of the puck defending, don’t show emotion when a team is dead ready to be beaten. Montreal makes every one of these mistakes all night every time they have a lead.
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First period, the game was in command. Arber Xhekaj showed exactly why he is in and out of the line-up and hasn’t become a regular. Xhekaj was killing a penalty that had only 15 seconds left. He had a chance to clear it. Not only did he not attempt to clear it, he attempted to skate up ice.
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Xhekaj blew the zone, without the puck, and the Rangers went on to score with him behind the play. It was a horrendous moment that surely St. Louis is trying to coach out of him. A player must respect the blue line.
Right after, it was another cardinal rule broken as they allowed an odd-man rush. Artemi Panarin got a breakaway. Breakaways with the lead are unacceptable. A penalty shot was called that he scored on Fowler. Brutal understanding of winning hockey.
There is so much Canadiens talent out there, but if they cannot figure out how to play smarter hockey with the lead, they’re not going to roll to success yet. Take no chances is the motto.
Notice as an example when the Canadiens are down three or four what happens to the game they are in. The Canadiens create nothing. It isn’t because they are emotional wimps. It’s because their opposition makes sure they aren’t outmanned ever. They make sure that they are on the right side of the puck always. They give nothing. They close the game off.
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The Canadiens must understand with the lead to change their pattern. Hockey isn’t an exchange of chances up three. It’s no chances allowed at all. The Canadiens are 31st in the league in goals allowed. There is far too much talent for that shameful statistic.
There’s no Fowler in this section. The first four goals against were all shots within five feet of the net. He wasn’t missing on 45 foot wrist shots like seen this season. Good defense isn’t asking your goalie to stop five-footers all night.
Fowler had a -.23 Goals Saved Above Expected through 60 minutes. He had no chance on a power play goal against in overtime. The Canadiens have not received good goaltending this season, but they also are playing poor defence. Â Fowler finished with a positive GSAE. Saturday night was a defence issue.
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Few teams have the ability to put scoring talent all through their roster. It’s not that GMs aren’t smart enough to recognize talent. It’s that talent costs a lot of money. When it is finally time to fill out the back of the roster, the salary cap allotment is already spent.
In this transition from basement to penthouse, the Canadiens have been able to acquire a massive amount of talent for the top end of the roster at good value. It’s the back end that is the surprising issue right now, and it will be resolved.
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The back end isn’t just performing poorly this season; it’s also expensive. Brendan Gallagher costs $6.5 million per year for his two goals. Josh Anderson costs $5.5 million per year for his six goals.
When the 2027-28 season begins, $12 million will be freed. That allows Kent Hughes to fill three lines with scoring talent. That’s an NHL rarity. It can only be done because of the many home-town discounts Canadiens players have agreed to.
The freed up money will go to Ivan Demidov’s expiring entry level deal. Beyond that, the expanding cap means Hughes can sign and ice a super-nine up front: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky. If the prospects pan out, it will be the best top-nine in hockey.
This means the next three need to have a markedly different footprint than the first nine. Of course, the goal is for them to also be talented, but they need to bring with that talent a big body that can punish on the forecheck.
All that talent needs to be balanced with grit and anger to create a proper roster for the playoffs because there’s no Tom Wilson on the top-nine of the roster. They need to find some nasty somewhere. The effective ones have the ability to react to a dump-in, and quickly pummel defensemen over and over again.
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Trades and UFA signings for that type of gritty player are not expensive. This has not been a priority for management so far; nor has it been possible with so much money invested in players at the twilight of their careers.
When the cap is cleared of aging veterans, management will get the work done toward proper roster construction. A perfect hockey roster is filled with talent, and some effective intimidators to protect all that talent.
Hughes and Jeff Gorton mention repeatedly they know the Canadiens are not big enough. They know the work in front of them. They are systematically putting every piece in place.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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