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<\/p>\nWhen the Montreal Canadiens flew over the Rocky Mountains to face the Colorado Avalanche Friday night, there must have been a bit of trepidation over the task at hand. They knew the Avalanche had lost only one game in regulation in 24 this season. They are as dominant as a team that has ever been in the salary-cap era.<\/p>\n
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Montreal fell 7-2.<\/p>\n
Wilde Horses<\/p>\n
When the Canadiens signed Alexandre Texier, it felt like a decision that wouldn\u2019t move the needle much. However, after further attention, it \u00a0now appears that Texier can make a difference.<\/p>\n
The oddity of Texier is he possesses amazing hands, but somehow doesn\u2019t use them very often. He likely won\u2019t ever solve that at the NHL level at this stage. However, what he brings in other areas makes him worth the signing that GM Kent Hughes believed in.<\/p>\n
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Texier plays smart. He has his head on a swivel constantly looking for his man defensively. He is aware of his positioning and is often on the right side of the puck. He\u2019s been well coached. Texier also wins a lot of puck battles with a frame that looks bigger than it is out there.<\/p>\n
Texier improves the size footprint of the club, so even if he doesn\u2019t figure it out offensively, he adds to the brawn this team desperately needs. This is a good depth signing by the Canadiens.<\/p>\n
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The evolution of Juraj Slafkovsky is on. The context is unusual. The new line Slafkovsky is on is getting cratered overall, but the actual development is so powerful that it must continue. The short term angst of losing in shot-share is worth the long-time benefit of watching this player explode.<\/p>\n
Playing with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, Slafkovsky is carrying the puck more than he ever has in the NHL. He is discovering that he can keep the puck on his stick, use his big body and make plays. On the Canadiens opening goal, Slafkovsky won the zone, then did a spinerama to beat the checker, then carried it to the net.<\/p>\n
That was just the first part, and many might think that was the best part. However, the best part was making Mackenzie Blackwood believe that he was going to shoot. The duplicity part is the glimpse at greatness. Never did he show pass. Finally, when he did pass, Demidov was all alone.<\/p>\n
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For Demidov, it was his sixth goal of the season, on his 19th point. That\u2019s good for the league lead among rookies in the NHL. Let the line stay together despite some defensive issues. It\u2019s how they\u2019ll learn. More than that, it appears it\u2019s the road to stardom for the first pick overall.<\/p>\n
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The second goal is also a good development for the future. Lane Hutson has been working on his shot. Hutson knows that if his opponent doesn\u2019t respect his shot, and they always think pass, he\u2019s lost that deception. On the power play, Hutson ripped a shot far side.<\/p>\n
It is absolutely vital that Hutson adds this to his repertoire overall. When they respect his shot, and he feints that he is going to shoot, he will open up passing lanes, and make tremendous passes even more than he already does.<\/p>\n
Two outstanding long-term developments recently for the Canadiens for two important players.<\/p>\n
Wilde Goats\u00a0<\/p>\n
The best line in the NHL, and it\u2019s not even close, is Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas, and the early favourite for MVP, Nathan MacKinnon. The line has a plus-17 goal differential already this season in five-on-five play. They have been on the ice at even-strength for 25 goals for, and are only eight against. They are remarkable.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens didn\u2019t get the Nick Suzuki match-up they were looking for defensively against that top line in the league. It was Joe Veleno given the responsibility of stopping MacKinnon. That\u2019s a massive challenge for Veleno.<\/p>\n
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However, the minuses were spread out fairly evenly against the powerhouse Avs. Alexandre Carrier carried a minus-two in the first period. He was mostly responsible for over committing on the opening goal, leaving Brock Nelson alone. Veleno didn\u2019t help in the middle of the ice either.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens actually played a strong first period, but down 3-0 in the second, they started to play stupid. The key to getting back into a game is patience. If a club thinks that allowing two-on-nothing breakaways is the way to get back into a game, they are mistaken.<\/p>\n
A team can\u2019t get three goals before they get one. A comeback begins with good hockey that has the same discipline in it as if the score was tied. The way this played out has some youth to it, some inexperience to it, some fatigue to it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s years of NHL games that gives the knowledge that staying low-risk in how a game is defended is how the comeback begins. Key on the opposition\u2019s nonchalance, or risk taking. Look at how the Canadiens have allowed comebacks this season. It\u2019s been exchanging chances up three. That shouldn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
However, the bottom line on the week is the Canadiens got four points out of six in three tough buildings. It was a strong week. Throw this one out the window.<\/p>\n
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