After two humiliating losses at home, the Montreal Canadiens needed to find the formula that had made them the talk of the league the first dozen games of the season. The Boston Bruins were in town and they brought the body — big bodies.
The Canadiens fell again, but, at least, this one was competitive. Boston with a 3-2 win.
Wilde Horses
The Habs were ready to compete. They had high energy trying to find a proper place to centre it. They tried to match the Bruins physicality. They were embarrassed by the week, and they wanted to respond to it. The will was definitely there. They were a proud bunch.
You could feel all of that energy when Jake Evans scored shorthanded. His reaction was intense. The shot to the top shelf just as top notch. It was Evans third goal of the season.
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There wasn’t another strong moment, however, until late in the second period. Nick Suzuki smartly flipped it to the centre of the sheet where he knew Cole Caufield was streaking. Caufield made a terrific move that made Jeremy Swayman look lost. That’s 13 on the season for Caufield.
Overall, Kirby Dach stood out, delivering a strong game. He got a chance on the second line and he looked good in the role. The first game for Jared Davidson was strong, too. He had a couple chances, one being a tip that could have easily gone in.
After a tough week, Lane Hutson had a much better contest. He was more careful, and it didn’t cost him his offence. Jayden Struble also had a better contest. It was his pass that set Suzuki free on the second goal.
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Wilde Goats
The issues that dogged the Habs through the week remained on Saturday night. The weaknesses were many: defensive zone coverage, goaltending, power play and overall physicality.
The power play was outstanding when Ivan Demidov joined it. For five games, it was running better than a 50 per cent clip. Since then, it’s fallen apart with a zero for the last dozen, including three opportunities where you simply must score.
Earlier in the week, the Habs had a five-on-three opportunity for 90 seconds and didn’t score. On Saturday, they had two chances up two men. The first time it was 1:28, and the second time it was 1:50. They didn’t actually get a single one-on-one quality look, never mind a cross-crease pass in the entire two opportunities.
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No one was a presence in front of the net at all. The Habs are trying Noah Dobson on the first unit because they feel they’re missing a heavy point shot leading to the penalty killers never going up high, instead concentrating down low. Dobson might be a good idea when up only one man, but there is absolutely no need for two defenders on a five-on-three.
There isn’t enough aggressive movement to break down lanes. Attackers have to take it to the net to force defenders to fill the space which opens up the lanes. Also, Caufield, Demidov, Suzuki are all outstanding shooters and none of the three is shooting at all.
Just as shocking is the defensive zone coverage that was so good in the beginning of the season. It’s terrible at the moment. There are Bruins with open space all over the ice. This is leaving a cold goalie way too much responsibility at the moment.
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Boston scored early when Samuel Montembeault left 18 square feet of a 24 square foot net open. He wasn’t really even in the net on the shot because he overcommitted on David Pastrnak.
The second goal against Montembeault was another long range banana. It’s shocking how much trouble he has on long range shots. It was from 40 feet and it wouldn’t have cracked your windshield.
The Bruins came into the night with a definite game plan. There were two fights early and they were mostly staged. Boston hit everything that moved. Juraj Slafkovsky spent the night getting hammered.
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The league stood up and took notice how fast the Canadiens were flying around the ice in the first dozen this season. Boston devised a different strategy, and it didn’t include trying to skate stride for stride with Montreal. It included making sure Montreal never took a peaceful stride.
5:11
Call of the Wilde: The Canadiens on the road
Wilde Cards
The key to a winning hockey team is everyone is in their proper seat. The scoring lines can score. The checking line can defend. The energy line can forecheck.
It would be wonderful to have four scoring lines, of course, but in the salary cap era, a general manager runs out of money before he can pay 12 forwards who can score.
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The realistic truth is, by the back-half of the forwards, the best return from players not commanding top dollar is that they stay tied on the scoresheet and offer intangibles that cause havoc to the front-half of the opponent’s roster.
The Canadiens rebuild is outstanding, but it’s thin, so injuries play a gigantic part. There are no solid replacements for the injured. The deck chairs are moving around and one can only hope that it isn’t the Titanic until the healthy return.
Alex Newhook was operated on Friday morning for a fractured ankle. He is out for four months. Kaiden Guhle will not be returning in two weeks as expected. He ramped up his training regimen only to find his partially torn adductor muscle was not healing. He also needed surgery. He will be gone for eight to 10 weeks.
This means players will not be in their proper seat for a long time. On defence, the first pair is fine. Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson are first pair talent. However, the second pair has been a mess recently. Jayden Struble is not in his seat as a 5-6 defender. This has led to Lane Hutson trying far too much offensively. Hutson is minus-seven in his last two games. That pairing has broken down. The third pair is fine with both Alexandre Carrier and Arber Xhekaj filling the roles they can handle.
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Forward has even more challenging shuffling in motion. The first line remans intact and is one of the best in the league. For the second line, losing Newhook is a massive blow. The line has truly only one second line talent on it. Oliver Kapanen started the season well, but he is not in his proper seat. Only Ivan Demidov is a true second liner, but he can’t drive a line yet.
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The third line and fourth lines in the NHL are changing in an historic manner. Not allowing goals remains the priority, but the best back-end lines now are big, tough and can play hockey. They hammer the best defenders on other teams at every opportunity.
This week, while watching the heavy and physical Stars and Kings, we all saw the missing link. In Montreal, there are many third and fourth liners not in their right seat.
Joe Veleno is not a back-end roster player. He’s a scorer who isn’t scoring. Kirby Dach must be a second liner providing more offence, or he is in the wrong seat as neither a strong defender nor a powerful physical force.
Brendan Gallagher was a scorer. He doesn’t score now. However, in his favour, he has always been a strong 200-foot player.
Josh Anderson is the defensive footprint you want from a fourth line player in terms of being a big body who can throw his weight around. But he has not been physical and imposing like he was against the Capitals during the last playoffs.
Jake Evans is a fourth liner in his 200-foot game, but again, not a physical player. Let’s see what Jared Davidson brings. Obviously, Patrik Laine is in his wrong seat as a fourth liner. There isn’t a hitter or a killer of defenders in the entire lot in the back half of the forward roster.
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Here’s the good news: If Kent Hughes balances his books perfectly, the club can afford three scoring lines. That means the fourth line must level hits and wear down defenders. That fourth line must play with the type of violence, power and anger that wins playoff series.
Hughes has some outstanding contracts locked in. When the talent keeps arriving — like Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky — the Canadiens could be that rare team that has the tremendous advantage of three scoring lines.
However, it also means that the fourth line needs players like Florian Xhekaj. It needs big bodies that impose their will on the game. The bottom line is that everyone needs to be in their proper seat: the scorers can score, the hitters can destroy, the defenders can handle their match-ups and their minutes.
Montreal’s rebuild is still in its nascent stage. They need to get a bit bigger. They need a bit more depth. They’re the youngest team in the league, yet already competing well. Salary cap freedom will open the door to trades and free-agent signings to bring in more talent, and more muscle.
It’s all systems go on every possible front.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports writer, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after each Canadiens game.
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5:00
Call of the Wilde: Habs off to thrilling start
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