There was a festive atmosphere at the Bell Centre Sunday night as the Montreal Canadiens soaked in the joy of making the playoffs for a second straight season. Eight straight wins was what it took for the Canadiens to earn the post-season spot in the Eastern Conference.
They had now set their sights on possibly winning the Atlantic Division with a chance to tie for first with Tampa Bay with a win over New Jersey. Instead, they had an emotional dip and lost to the Devils, 3-0.
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It was as low-event as a Canadiens game gets. It harkened back to the “Price And A Prayer” era, when they relied on the world-class goalie and hoped for a goal or two to win it. Little to get excited about in this one, but there were a couple of noteworthy performances.
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The two defenders who have spent much of the season looking over their shoulders are finally getting comfortable. Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble continue to play improved hockey. Struble has excellent chemistry with Lane Hutson. He seems to know what Hutson will try and reacts nicely, opening up opportunities.
Joe Veleno continues to be a handful on the forecheck and an excellent penalty killer for Montreal. It will be difficult to take Veleno out of the line-up when the injured return. Perhaps he might not even be the one to exit, but someone else who won’t stay in just because of pedigree.
Jacob Fowler also had a strong night trying to keep his team in the game. Fowler faced the higher quality of shot for the two goalies by quite a considerable margin. The Canadiens had only eight shots through two periods on Jacob Markstrom. Fowler had a .88 Goals Saved Above Expected for yet another good night in the cage under new goaltender coach Marco Marciano.
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Six games in nine nights, and it caught up to them. The Canadiens made the playoffs in the afternoon and they needed a moment with that. They were flat. It’s a long season, and it happens. They weren’t bad, but they hit the wall in energy.
The first line got the Jack Hughes line as an assignment, and it went quite poorly. The Expected Goals share was terrible for the line at 12 per cent after two periods. Hughes was the best player on the ice for either team in the home-and-home. Hughes and Macklin Celebrini have been the only two centres this season to make life miserable for Selke Award favourite Nick Suzuki.
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The defensive pair that had to handle the Devils best also had a tough night. Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson were minus two after two periods and their shot share was only 17 per cent. The rest of the club that didn’t have to face Hughes had a lot had good numbers.
The power play is a bit of an issue recently. The Canadiens are not working hard enough. It’s not all pretty passes that create an effective power play. It’s also a work ethic to win the puck in the offensive zone, and it’s only after having done all that work does it get to look pretty for 50 seconds. The top unit simply did not work had enough to earn time in the zone. They got outworked and, as a result, the New Jersey clears were easy. The Candien’s power play was third in the league at 26 per cent at its peak. It has dropped to eighth overall.
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Individually, there’s no one to be hyper-critical of. It was just a game where it didn’t come together. The Canadiens felt that they had a massive goal this season, and they achieved that goal of the playoffs in the afternoon. They just couldn’t find the next objective, mentally, by game time.
The next objective is winning the Atlantic Division, and by Tuesday night, they will have that objective, properly, on their minds. Onward and upward to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, and the game of the year on Thursday that will likely decide the division with the Tampa Bay Lightning in town.
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The Medicine Hat Tigers had a tougher test than expected, but they have dispatched of the Regina Pats in five games to move on in the Western Hockey League playoffs. The Tigers were down 4-1, but roared back for a 5-4 overtime win in game five on Saturday night.
As per usual, Canadiens draft pick Bryce Pickford was front and centre for the Tigers. Pickford had a goal and an assist in the contest and finished the series with three goals and two assists. He was kept out from a regular shift at times because he is nursing an injury.
It’s a mixed bag for the Canadiens on the Pickford front. On one hand, they would love for Pickford to have another long run in the playoffs as defending champion. On the other hand, they would love to see him already at the American Hockey League level for the Laval Rocket.
They have already signed Pickford, so he is coming to Montreal as soon as he is finished his season in the WHL. The only issue is when will that be. As the fifth ranked team in the entire nation, the Tigers are one of the favourites to win the Memorial Cup. If they advanced that far, Pickford wouldn’t likely come this season at all. If they lose their next series, he would play in the post-season for Laval.
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The Tigers will now face either the Calgary Hitmen or the Edmonton Oil Kings in the second round. Either will provide a strong opposition as the top four seeds in the East Conference were all strong teams.
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