HabsWorld.net -- 

Montreal and Chicago met in a Thursday night tilt as both teams were trying to find their game. Chicago had lost their last three in a row, and Montreal remains barely treading water around a .500 record. The game started with choppy play across all three zones, and turnovers pervaded throughout the match in its entirety. Zachary Bolduc got his first two goals at home in excellent fashion, and right in the slot area of the Blackhawks’ zone. Montreal’s fans have been lambasting the Canadiens’ lack of a net-front presence and the ease of which goalies are able to stop their floaters from the point. Bolduc got one of his goals off a tip from Lane Hutson at the point, something Montreal has barely done this season so far.

The Canadiens turned up the heat in the third period and took control early on with a goal 30 seconds on and from there, they pressed on the gas pedal until Chicago crumbled. They stopped giving up turnovers, and Chicago’s became more costly on the scoreboard and timer. Jakub Dobes earned another win, and the Canadiens vaulted into 3rd place in an extremely tight Atlantic Division. Every point counts, and missing the playoffs by one point in March and April would make fans remember a game such as tonight and wasted opportunities. Thankfully, Habs fans would need to look for a different game than this one.

Habs Lineup

Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Josh Anderson – Jake Evans — Alexandre Texier
Joe Veleno — Owen Beck — Brendan Gallagher

Jayden Struble – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson — Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj – Adam Engstrom

Jakub Dobes (Starting) – Jacob Fowler (Backup)

10 Thoughts

1) Montreal has scored first in each of its last four games, and escaped breaking that streak early in the first period as Alex Vlasic’s point shot squeaked under Jakub Dobes. Montreal had controlled the play to that point, though neither had registered a shot. Ivan Demidov danced the Chicago defenders but was unable to close on a backhand shot, and Cole Caufield couldn’t connect when he pivoted to an open spot in front of Spencer Knight. Chicago had dumped the puck in after roughly four minutes of play, and Vlasic sent a low snap shot that was deflected in front. Ilya Mikheyev made his way to the front of the net when the puck got to the point, but his right skate clipped and tripped Dobes’ left. As Dobes tried to push off to his left to get coverage for the incoming puck, he lost his footing and couldn’t make the save. The Habs challenged, and after a remarkably short review, the goal was called back, and the game returned to double zeroes.

2) Despite earning the next four shots on net and all of the possession time after the call, Chicago scored on their next first rush three minutes later. Frank Nazar recovered the puck in his own zone and carried it up the ice and across into the Canadiens’ zone. He had intercepted a dump-in attempt from Dobson and turned up the ice with his linemates. Nazar took the puck through the middle and dropped it off for Andre Burakovsky at the top of the circle. Nazar continued to the goal line but Burakovsky curled up and sent the puck back across the zone to the defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. Grezlcyk sent a slap-pass to a waiting Nazar at the far post, threading the puck through three Canadiens’ sticks and putting the Blackhawks up by one.

3) With 5:37 remaining in the first, Montreal struck back. The Habs dumped the puck in – again – but actually completed the retrieval since Knight was unable to clear it out. Hutson at the point. He sent the puck all the way back down behind the net, Zach Bolduc left the front of the net to retrieve and he dropped it off behind him again for Caufield. Caufield pivoted and shook his defender, skated to the perimeter of the trapezoid, and fed a waiting Bolduc in the slot. In a picture very much like some of his power play goals, Bolduc got his first goal at home and the equalizer for the Canadiens in the game. Montreal went to the dressing room tied with their Original Six opponent and looking for more.

4) The first penalty of the match came 4:49 into the second when Noah Dobson tripped up Ryan Greene on an odd-man rush. The Canadiens had been drawn out and extended in the neutral zone, and a turnover sent the Blackhawks downhill towards Dobes. Dobson took Greene down at the legs as he tried to feed his linemate and he had to sit for two minutes. Montreal earned an early clear off the faceoff and maintained its tight defensive play through the kill to get back to even strength. The 25th-ranked penalty kill performed well and got plenty of clears, only giving up one sequence of possession and a single shot.

5) Halfway through the second, both hockey clubs were playing an open game and exchanging chances on the rush. Ivan Demidov had been playing like a bear behind the net with spin-offs and bounce passes off the boards to himself, losing coverage and feeding slot passes to Oliver Kapanen. Slafkovsky had a scary turnover when he ran out of room near the blue line and laid a puck into the centre of the ice. It bounced off the Hawks forward and sprung them for a two-on-one that Dobes needed to be sharp for. Unfortunately for the Canadiens faithful in attendance, the home team didn’t give them much to cheer for as the puck rattled around the ice from turnovers and dump-ins. The tenor of the attack remained unproductive and untenable when three of four possessions ended up in a wasted puck being sent straight to Knight and back to the visiting defenders. Seconds later, the puck was back at the blue line and the Habs forwards spent half their shift skating in circles.

6) Montreal received its first power play with approximately five minutes left in the second. Dominic Toninato was called for hooking Dobson as he burst into the slot carrying the puck to the net. He cut to the middle of the ice from the point, drawing Toninato’s stick into his midsection and the call along with it. The top unit was able to win the faceoff and establish itself. Demidov sent a shot off the pipe from the top of the circle, Hutson collected the rebound, and then Demidov sent a pass through the seam to Caufield for an open cage. Caufield ripped his shot off Suzuki’s skate instead, and the Habs second unit almost came onto the ice to finish the job. Brendan Gallagher was the recipient of a wonderful pass to the front of the net from Alexandre Texier. Unfortunately for Montreal, the play was offside a dozen seconds earlier when the group entered the zone. Texier’s skate was a frame ahead of the puck entering the zone, and the Canadiens had a goal of their own called back.

7) With less than two minutes to go in the second, Chicago was called for their second penalty when Nazar tripped up Alexandre Carrier as he fell himself. The puck was bouncing near the players, and Carrier had gotten a stick on it first. The top unit went back to work again with 1:48 to use, trying to penetrate into the middle of the ice with bump passes and slot feeds from below the goal line, but nothing was able to beat Knight as he stood tall to keep his team in the game. The game tied at one, both teams returned to the dressing room to prepare for a final push for desperately needed points.

8) Montreal attacked early in the third and quickly set the tone with a deflection goal courtesy of Bolduc and Hutson. Caufield dumped the puck into the zone and the forwards worked the puck to the point. Hutson sent a slap shot straight to the front of the net where Bolduc was waiting to deliver an excellent tip past Knight. Once more, the Montreal Canadiens earned a score by going to the high-danger chances and laying pucks out to the front. 53 seconds later, Anderson thought he had doubled down on the lead after his own puck retrieval in Chicago’s zone. For the third game in a week, the linesmen demonstrated that they have absolutely no use on the ice as a second offside goal was called back. The puck just got past the blue line, directly at the feet of the official and the entire Chicago bench, a fact which neither of which seemingly noticed.

9) Montreal’s skaters began demonstrating some concerning play and turnovers with around 15 minutes remaining, a sloppy sequence starting with Jayden Struble giving the puck away with a ridiculous flip pass to nobody in his own zone. Although Hutson and Demidov were able to connect for a shift in the offensive zone and generate a cycle play, Dobes was called upon shortly after for some crucial saves. Struble took a single shift in the third period, his benching coming early on. As the minutes crept by in the third, both teams gave each other turnovers in all three zones. In a game like that, Hutson shone. The reigning Calder Trophy winner did not stop skating and moving the puck up the ice with urgency, and a mixed lineup broke into the zone. Demidov took the puck into the zone and laid a shot on Knight, with Dobson following up for the rebound. Owen Beck would eventually spot the puck underneath Knight’s glove and poked at it.  He got a piece of the glove, helping knock the puck over the goal line with Dobson getting credit.

10) The Habs fought off an additional penalty that was administered to Arber Xhekaj for slashing Louis Crevier. Montreal kept the Blackhawks out of their zone for the majority of the special teams play, Evans, Kapanen, and Anderson holding the line with their defencemen. As the penalty expired, Evans blew the zone on a clear and was able to feed Xhekaj in the slot all alone. Knight got a pad on his wrister, but Demidov’s line came right over the boards next and dominated the shift. As the period came to a close, Knoght was pulled with around four minutes left to the delight of Nick Suzuki, who put his 10th of the year into the open net and another two points into the bank.

HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars

1st Star – Zachary Bolduc

Montreal’s top-flight winger finally scored his first goals at the Bell Centre, both earned from the same spot on the ice and the most favorable spot in the league for scoring goals. He positioned himself in the slot expertly, and most importantly, he did not miss the net. His tip on Caufield’s shot showed an awareness and intent that he should double down on, since that shot from Hutson and the other defenceman is always available, but the Habs typically have nobody in front and the puck goes back behind the net. He played an excellent game against Chicago, retrieving pucks and banging bodies to make space for his linemates.

Stats: 2 goals, +2 rating, 2 shots, 2 hits, 16:23 T.O.I.

2nd Star –  Lane Hutson

Another 25+ minutes of ice time, another multi-point game for Hutson. Hutson earned his 71st point of the calendar year, piling up three assists at home against Chicago and playing a pivotal role in driving the offence of his team. He defends differently from the rest of the team. He skates different, has different instincts, sees the ice differently, and most importantly, attacks differently than most of the rest of the team. Hutson possesses the puck and skates with it, carrying it as far as the opposition will let him and sometimes dancing to get further. He anticipates where his forwards are supposed to be for the best chance at a goal or to continue the play in an effective manner. With Ivan Demidov on the ice at the same time, they become a formidable duo of fluidity and vision.

Stats: 3 assists, +3 rating, 1 shot, 2 takeaways, 26:19 T.O.I.

3rd Star – Jakub Dobes

The rookie Canadiens netminder needed another quality performance for both his own and the team’s continued success and confidence. With Samuel Montembeault starting games for Laval during the week, Dobes is relied upon for both actual saves and a mature and calm presence in the net for a team that gives up quality chances regularly. Dobes brought his game tonight, and gave the Habs a chance to win in each period. His second-period pad save on Ilya Mikheyev as he crossed in front of the net was pivotal for keeping Montreal in the game at the time and could have turned against them far earlier than the third-period storm of goals.

Stats: .933 SV%, 1 GA, 14 SV