We came, we saw and we still can’t fathom what we witnessed.
This edition of the Hidden Game can only be dedicated to one player — the incomparable Jacob Fowler.
The Canadiens’ goaltender was simply unbelievable in Tuesday night’s 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center. Forget for a moment that Fowler already has two shutouts in seven games, with more to come.
He blocked 46 shots and left the home team flabbergasted in the third period, when St. Louis outshot the Canadiens 24-3. In a span of three seconds during that period, Fowler stopped Philip Froberg and Adam Jiricek. He also made a sprawling right pad save on Mason McTavish. Then, with 1:12 remaining in regulation, he made a pad save on Dylan Holloway’s rebound attempt.
We feel bad for Jakub Dobes. He was one of the central figures behind the Canadiens reaching the Eastern Conference final last season. And Dobes won’t regain his confidence — or rediscover his game — without playing.
Head coach Martin St. Louis has a dilemma. The Canadiens are in the NHL’s toughest division, and every win and point counts. As long as they continue having a day off between games, and as long as Fowler continues standing on his head, the decision is a no-brainer — play Fowler!
“That’s a good problem to have,” St. Louis told reporters after the game.
News you need (Part I): Fowler joins Rogatien Vachon (1967) and Carey Price (2008) as the only goalies in Canadiens history, age 21 or younger, to win six consecutive games. And to think Punch Imlach referred to Vachon as a Junior B goalie before the ’67 Stanley Cup final between the Canadiens and Toronto.
News you need (Part II): It was the Canadiens’ first victory at St. Louis since Oct. 29, 2022.
News you need (Part III): Don’t look now, but the Canadiens are on a three-game winning streak for the first time this season, have improved to 7-3-2 and are 4-1-1 on the road.
Blues’ Jordan Binnington defends the net against Canadiens’ Florian Xhekaj (63) on Tuesday in St. Louis. Scott Rovak / NHLI via Getty Images
News you need (Part IV): St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington, an integral part of Team Canada in international competitions, played his first game since Oct. 17. As a potential unrestricted free agent in July, his name has been linked to trade speculation.
Strange, but true: The Blues have been shut out in consecutive games. And to think this team scored 35 goals during its first 10 games.
Enterprise will pick you up: Perhaps the rental car company could send a goal-scorer to the suddenly offensively challenged Blues?
Our random thought of the night: Why do we think Blues forward Jimmy Snuggerud should be a character on Sesame Street?
Milestone: It was Josh Anderson’s 700th career game.
You don’t spit into the wind: A baseball announcer normally keeps his trap shut when a pitcher is in the midst of a no-hitter. With seven minutes remaining, TSN’s Bryan Mudryk said: “And Fowler has been perfect.” Yeah, we’re superstitious.
But it’s not all rosy: The Canadiens haven’t scored a power-play goal since Oct. 17 against Buffalo. They went 0-for-3 against St. Louis. But at least they had the benefit of some power-play opportunities after Winnipeg wasn’t penalized Sunday night in the Heritage Classic.
It is all rosy: The Canadiens have killed off their last 12 short-handed situations.
It’s a game of inches: Kaiden Guhle’s shot early in the first period deflected off Jiricek and struck a post. It would have been his third goal in three games.
Will you be my neighbours? With respect to the late Fred (Mister) Rogers, Blues forward Jake Neighbours also hit a post in the first period.
Stat of the period: Ten giveaways by St. Louis during the opening 20 minutes.
News you need (Part V): Through six minutes of the second period, the Canadiens were outshot 7-0.
Canadiens’ Zachary Bolduc celebrates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. Jeff Curry / NHLI via Getty Images
Pass of the night: Mike Matheson’s diagonal gem to Zachary Bolduc opened the scoring.
And the dog ate my homework: You have to get up pretty early to put one over on veteran NHL referee Wes McCauley. During the second period, he ordered Phillip Danault off the ice and Chris Kreider back on, although the latter was on the bench, claiming there was an equipment issue. We couldn’t help but laugh.
Our World Series moment of the night: You’re probably aware Cole Caufield was born in Mosinee, Wis., and is a huge Milwaukee Brewers fan. So it should come as no surprise he caught Alexandre Texier’s lofty pass late in the second period and got a shot off. Regrettably, the puck went wide.
Canadiens’ Florian Xhekaj is congratulated by goalie Jacob Fowler after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the third period on Tuesday. Jeff Curry / NHLI via Getty Images
A goal-scorer’s goal: Florian Xhekaj will always remember his first one in the NHL. It came early in the third period and, when he finished cross-checking Jiricek repeatedly in the back, he decided to deflect Matheson’s shot past Binnington. Timing is everything.
It only hurts when I sit: Texier blocked a Matheson shot in the third period — in a spot where a guy doesn’t want to block a shot. Nonetheless, he managed to return.
This is why teams win: The Canadiens blocked 18 Blues shots. One that stood out was Kreider’s on Jiricek during the third period. It definitely hurt.
Quick stats: Caufield had three shots. Anderson, Kirby Dach and Guhle had three hits each. Alexandre Carrier blocked three shots. Despite playing only 6:19 and eight shifts, Xhekaj had two shots and one hit. Matheson played 23:25, while Guhle logged 22:47. The Canadiens won only 40.7 per cent of their faceoffs and were outhit 26-19.
They said it: “I’m a little tired,” Fowler said in St. Louis. “I’m just happy the team gave me a chance. I’m sure a lot of guys think they play their best hockey when they don’t have time to think and just react. I just got lucky tonight.”
“It’s insane to watch (Fowler) from the bench,” Xhekaj said. “I’m standing up every two seconds. He’s making a highlight-reel save. He’s the most poised goalie I’ve ever seen in the net. He’s got swagger. He’s unreal. It’s pretty cool to watch.
“It feels pretty good,” he added about scoring. “I had some chances in the first and I could feel it was coming.”
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