If not for Charlie Lindgren’s acrobatic saves, Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Toronto would have been a complete blow-out. Lindgren faced 49 shots, many of which were high-quality scoring chances as his team was a complete no-show.
Despite plenty of effort and a disciplined performance, the young Canadiens were shown what speed and talent can do in today’s NHL. They were peppered by the two-time defending champions from Pittsburgh as they fell 5-3 on Thursday night.
In a game filled with big hits and many fights, the Habs were the aggressors in this surprising turn of events. The strategy proved effective as the Habs punished the Stars on their way to a 4-2 win.
The Canadiens lacked consistency, finish, and ultimately blueline mobility in their 5-2 loss to Columbus on Monday night.
The Habs started strong on Thursday night but it didn’t take much for the effort go to waste as the Habs fell 5-0 to Florida.
In what turned into an ugly contest, the Habs lost their streak of earning at least a point as they fell 6-4 to New Jersey on Tuesday night. They also lost their streak of playing excellent hockey as many of the young players on trial to end the season had particularly rough outings.
The heavily short-handed Habs played a perfect and boring road game for all of 55 minutes on Saturday. With five minutes to play, they gave the Bruins an inch too much and seven minutes later, Boston fans were elated with their 2-1 overtime victory over the rival Habs.
The Habs and Alex Galchenyuk had an offensive explosion on their way to defeating the New York Islanders by a 6-3 score on Friday night although the win came at a cost health-wise.
The Canadiens continued their recent surge while defeating the Islanders on home ice. The 3-1 final score likely doesn’t do the Islanders justice as they created many scoring chances only to face Antti Niemi who played fantastic in this one.
The Habs, led by Antti Niemi, put forth a very strong effort on Saturday night but it wasn’t enough to beat the Lightning who prevailed 4-3 in a shootout.