HabsWorld.net -- 

After leaving Salt Lake City with a win over the Mammoth, the Canadiens moved themselves back into the main pack of the Atlantic Division at 27 points. Mike Matheson signed a sizable extension earlier in the day, and Alexander Texier drew in for his first game with the Canadiens as Montreal continued its US Thanksgiving road trip.

Samuel Montembeault vindicated those fans who have staunchly supported his starting each game these past few weeks during the Canadiens’ first skid of the season. He stopped all but one shot, and the Habs gave the Vegas Golden Knights plenty of chances in front. Texier played well and did not stand out with any negative giveaways, and even earned his first point with the Canadiens by assisting on Jake Evans’ capitalizing goal.

Habs Lineup

Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Zack Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen — Ivan Demidov
Alexander Texier – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Florian Xhekaj – Joe Veleno – Brendan Gallagher

Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble — Lane Hutson
Arber Xhekaj – Alex Carrier 

Samuel Montembeault – Jakub Dobes 

10 Thoughts

1) The action got started on Friday afternoon with Samuel Montembeault fighting off early perimeter shots as the Golden Knights tested Montreal’s defence. With nearly ten minutes expired to start the hockey game, Mike Matheson committed a slashing penalty on a rushing Shea Theodore. The home team spent the following two minutes snapping the puck around the offensive zone and around the Habs’ forward, but Montembeault could not be beaten and seemed determined to redeem himself after being pulled on 10 shots.

2) Minutes later, Suzuki got clipped up high while transferring the puck in his own corner, sending Montembeault to the bench for the extra attacker. The Habs’ best players came over the boards as the play transitioned back up the ice, and Cole Caufield dropped the puck off for Zach Bolduc just inside the Knights’ zone. The American winger continued below the circles and watched the puck bypass him to Juraj Slafkovsky along the boards heading back low. Slafkovsky spied Bolduc at the opposite post and sent a laser pass across the zone and Bolduc put the Canadiens up by one.

3) Caufield doubled the lead two and a half minutes into the second period, as he sent a goal-line shot over Akira Schmid’s shoulder. Suzuki was carrying the puck over the line and sent a pass back behind him to a crossing teammate. Vegas’s defenders picked it off but were not able to clear the zone. The loose puck drifted to Alexandre Carrier in the middle of the zone, and the Montreal forwards immediately spread out into passing lanes. Carrier sent the puck to Bolduc at the circle, whose pass also crossed the ice to Caufield.

4) As the game progressed, Montreal continued to stymie any meaningful attack and forecheck from the home team by moving pucks quickly up the wall to the forwards and matching the Golden Knights’ physicality. With 7:19 remaining in the second, both teams exchanged minors for roughing – Keegan Kolesar and Arber Xhekaj – resulting in two minutes of 4-on-4 playtime. Suzuki and Caufield spent the majority of the time playing catch and lining Caufield up to pick corners on Schmid. Unfortunately for the visitors, Caufield was not able to capitalize on his chances by the time play resumed at even strength.

5) Personifying the dynamic of the contest so far on Friday, Jake Evans earned the Canadiens their second power play and their 11th shot of the game by breaking away from the Vegas defenders at the Canadiens’ blue line. Evans’ shot on Schmid flew up into the air and was batted out of the air by Ben Hutton, a delay of game penalty upon review. The Habs were not able to convert the advantage before time expired in the period, however.

6) After two periods, the Canadiens led the Golden Knights by two with a shot differential of 22-11 in favour of the home team. The Canadiens did not appear to be playing any more poorly than normal and were more often driving the pace, despite the fact that they were reacting to Vegas’s structure and system. The Golden Knights have a tried-and-true plan when they host teams at home, and Montreal has been scouted very heavily over the past few weeks given their success.

7) The Canadiens opened up the final frame with around 50 seconds remaining on the power play, and they appeared as disjointed as they normally have over the course of the majority of their other past dozen games. Unable to gain control in the offensive zone, Montreal generated offence on turnovers (including another Evans breakaway after slipping behind the Vegas defenders again) and point shots with net front pressure.

8) Early in the third, Matheson recovered one of his giveaways in the Habs’ corner and began moving the puck back up the ice. Matheson sent his pass to Texier, who was drifting back into the neutral zone after the turnover. Texier forwarded the puck through the Vegas defenceman to Evans, who did not miss this time and established a dominant 3-0 deficit for the Canadiens.

9) Vegas finally broke through with five minutes remaining in the game to give the fans at T-Mobile Arena a score to cheer for. After fending off a few minutes of consistent pressure from Vegas’ top players, Mark Stone found himself all alone with the puck in front of Montembeault. Vegas’ captain took a centring pass from Mitch Marner, who had stripped the puck off Matheson while he was clearing a dump-in.

10) Slafkovsky capped off the matinee game with an empty-net tally at 18:03, his seventh goal of the year and a fitting reward for an excellently played game.

HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars

1st Star – Samuel Montembeault 

The Canadiens’ netminder put in his best effort to regain the confidence of the team as the starting goaltender. Stopping 30 of 31 shots, Montembeault was called upon to backstop the 4-1 victory numerous times in the first and third periods when Vegas had their biggest pushes. He was firm in net, giving up very few uncontrolled rebounds and measuring his side-to-side movement. If he can return to this standard of play, Montreal Canadiens fans can rest their playoff hopes assuredly.

Stats: 30 saves on 31 shots, .968 save percentage

2nd Star – Zach Bolduc

Just like Slafkovsky, Bolduc was a winger who created critical offence by playing quality and sound defence. Bolduc scored the opening goal to get the momentum moving in favour of the Habs, and also directly created Caufield’s goal by feeding the pass from Carrier at the blue line. Since being moved to the top line, both he and Slafkovsky have been having success in a new-look dynamic that distributes to both top lines a high-skill, big-body winger.

Stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 3 shots, 15:01 T.O.I. 

3rd Star – Juraj Slafkovsky 

The young first-overall pick was everywhere on the ice Friday, playing defensive minutes while using his wide stance to create space inside the offensive zone. Slafkovsky, since being paired with Demidov, has seen his neutral zone and facilitation skills develop deeply. Demidov’s behaviour and enthusiasm certainly seems to be rubbing off on his teammates, especially as Slafkovsky is once more showing the style of play that earned him his draft spot while at the Olympics.

Stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 1 shot, 15:28 T.O.I.