The Montreal Canadiens are California dreaming this week — three stops in Los Angeles, Anaheim and beginning Tuesday evening in San Jose.
The primary recreation of the journey was a nightmare defensively because the Sharks had been capable of create loads of house on offence to outscore Montreal 7-5.
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Two rookies supplied pleasure on offence for the Canadiens. Oliver Kapanen counted his nineteenth objective of the season. It’s a outstanding whole for a rookie for whom not a lot offence was anticipated. Kapanen is behind solely the good Matthew Schaefer, who has has 20 tallies, for rookie objectives.
That Ivan Demidov shouldn’t be the main rookie objective scorer on Montreal is a shock to everybody. Demidov has been struggling, with solely two objectives in his final 21 video games. That is with the bonus of power-play time as properly. Demidov lastly obtained the objective he wanted with a slap shot with the additional man.
Demidov has been working laborious on his one-timer. He took a Lane Hutson go for his thirteenth of the season to chop San Jose’s result in 5-3. It seemed to be only a beauty objective on the time, however solely 18 seconds later, the Canadiens continued the comeback try.
Alex Newhook has at the least some extent in all three video games since he returned from the fractured ankle — two assists within the first two video games, after which two objectives within the third recreation. The primary on Tuesday evening got here on a robust shot to the highest nook from 15 ft, the second on a shot from the nook that Newhook banked in.
It’s outstanding that Newhook has come again from a critical harm and suffered no rust in any respect. He’s flying the identical method he did earlier than. Newhook has eight objectives in 20 video games this season. That’s a 32-goal season, if he had been capable of hold that tempo and his well being.
Extra importantly, for the Canadiens, it accomplished a three-goal third-period comeback to tie the wild recreation at 5. Credit score to the gamers who may have simply mailed it in down three within the third.
The mountain to climb was a bit too excessive ultimately, however preventing to the tip is necessary. It reveals perception. Montreal had strain within the Sharks’ zone for the ultimate three minutes with the goalie pulled, however they couldn’t discover the magic equalizer.
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Phillip Danault centring Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher is meant to be the line of defense on the Canadiens. They’re supposed to have the ability to neutralize the opposite group’s high gamers. Danault was introduced particularly to shore up that defensive problem down the center.
And whereas Danault has been excellent on faceoffs, hovering at round 58 per cent since coming from the Los Angeles Kings, his capacity to key a defensive revival shouldn’t be going in line with plan. Actually, the massive optimistic shock has really been Danault’s offence.
In 24 video games, together with his objective within the second interval, Danault has 4 objectives and 10 factors with Montreal. He didn’t rating a single time in 30 video games with the Kings. He’s really been pretty efficient offensively, contemplating he has largely defensive zone begins.
The larger subject is that the road will get hemmed in their very own zone an excessive amount of. On Michael Misa’s game-tying objective within the second interval, it was Danault who tried to clear the puck ahead into the excessive slot, as an alternative of into the nook.
For the reason that return from the Olympic break, the Danault line’s Corsi was 46 per cent towards the Islanders, 13 per cent towards the Capitals.
Just one line has been worse and that’s the Kapanen line. Demidov is trying human many shifts, and Juraj Slafkovsky is attempting to do an excessive amount of since his spectacular effort in Milan.h
There are some nagging issues percolating presently on the Canadiens. There’s no purpose to sound any alarms, however head coach Martin St. Louis might be a bit nervous about his membership’s defence. Anaheim on Friday evening will likely be attention-grabbing. St. Louis will need to see a tighter membership, extra targeted on particulars.
He will even need to see higher goaltending. It was a tough one for Jakub Dobes, who let in a really delicate one from Macklin Celebrini by means of the legs. Dobes completed the evening with a .778 save share and a objectives saved above anticipated of minus-3.55. These are completely horrific numbers.
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It was the ultimate recreation for the Canadiens earlier than the buying and selling deadline. The gamers on the high of the roster, safe of their standing, would take pleasure in getting a bit extra assist for a playoff run. The gamers on the cusp of the minors don’t need to see extra our bodies arrive to steal their jobs. For every participant, the buying and selling deadline is a special deal.
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield would like to see an ultra-talented winger added to the membership. Jayden Struble shouldn’t be thinking about one other defender coming to city.
An important factor to a participant is ice time. After he’s locked that in, the following is linemates or defensive companions. Opposite to well-liked perception, a participant doesn’t actively fear about well being. He is aware of he has no management over the whims of the second throughout contact. He goes all out. He hopes for one of the best.
The query gamers hate essentially the most as deadline day approaches is a few hearsay {that a} participant may very well be arriving. It’s a minefield with no proper reply. They need to simply reply “subsequent query.”
The largest Canadiens hearsay this buying and selling deadline feels extra farce than fact. Not that Robert Thomas isn’t on the buying and selling block, however that it could take 4 belongings to get him.
Normal managers float rumours to see how they land. Reporters are their messengers. A GM likes to see his best-case situation make the rounds. He’s attempting to determine a excessive value for his participant.
Yearly, reporters carry that water for normal managers. That’s the system. The miracle is a lot ink and respect is given to rumours confirmed incorrect 99 per cent of the time.
Phrase is that the St. Louis Blues need Michael Hage, a high prospect, and two first-round draft decisions for Thomas. That is far an excessive amount of and the GM is aware of it. Montreal’s GM is aware of it too. Hage is a star within the making with seven years of largely low-priced value management. That issues within the wage cap world.
Thomas has six objectives in 52 playoff video games. That’s the kind of manufacturing that screams Elias Pettersson. If Hage obtained six objectives in 52 playoff video games, you’d need him shipped to Siberia, not demand 4 prime belongings for him.
If Canadiens GM Kent Hughes bit on a commerce supply comparable to this, the huge quantity of respect that he has accrued by means of his 4 brief years guiding this rebuild into the stratosphere would come crashing to earth.
It says right here that Hughes acquires a right-shot defender with a big-body profile earlier than Friday — like a Brandon Carlo or Luke Schenn — and that Thomas goes for a lot lower than 4 prime belongings.
Brian Wilde, a Montreal-based sports activities author, brings you Call of the Wilde on globalnews.ca after every Canadiens recreation.
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