The Habs got back in action after the Christmas break, riding a 3-0-1 stretch before said break. What awaited them was a fierce opponent in the Tampa Bay Lightning who had played an emotional game against the Panthers on Saturday.
This game featured many big momentum swings for both teams and turned out to be quite a wild game. The Habs dominated the first, the Lightning took advantage of some bounces to push back and take a 3-0 lead after two. This prompted a wild comeback by the Habs to push the game to overtime. After surviving overtime, the Lightning would eventually win via the shootout. Such a wild comeback against one the league’s premier defensive teams is noteworthy for the Habs who hope to ride that momentum into Florida on Tuesday after a 5-4 shootout loss on Sunday.
Habs Lineup
Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Zachary Bolduc
Juraj Slafkovsky — Oliver Kapanen — Ivan Demidov
Alexandre Texier – Phillip Danault – Josh Anderson
Samuel Blais – Joe Veleno — Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Lane Hutson — Alexandre Carrier
Arber Xhekaj – Jayden Struble
Jacob Fowler
10 Thoughts
1) One story that has been far too present of late relates to the breaking of sticks in the hands of Habs players. This was again the case on this night as it was ridiculous the number of times that Montreal got scoring chances only to see a stick snap. While frustrating as a viewer, one can only imagine how the players are feeling. Is it an issue with where the sticks are being stored? Worth asking because while the sticks have a reputation for this, it appears to be a little out of proportion for the Habs lately.
2) Getting to the game itself, the story of the first period was the lack of opportunism by the Habs. They played heavy early and were all over the Lightning which resulted in a holding call on Max Crozier. Demidov was all over the puck but could not convert. The Canadiens would get two more power play chances, but the second unit was honestly more dangerous than the first and never really came close.
3) The other story in the first period was a fight that occurred with five minutes to play in the period. Scott Sabourin and Xhekaj were throwing haymakers in an old-school bout. Unfortunately for Sabourin, one of those shots by Xhekaj really connected, which left the Lightning forward on the ice as Xhekaj immediately motioned for help for his challenger. It was a big win for Xhekaj in the fight as his opponent was TKO’d on the ice.
4) The second period was a bad bounce haven for the Habs. Immediately following a golden chance for Demidov that was foiled by a broken stick, Nikita Kucherov snuck behind Matheson, got a pass and put Tampa Bay on the board. This was immediately followed by a Texier hooking penalty and the Habs were clearly on their heels.
5) This continued ten minutes later when Anderson had his coverage beat. All Slafkovsky had to do was place the puck. The dump-in hit the linesman which created a 3-on-1 for the Lightning instead as Kucherov scored his second goal. While the luck was terrible, it’s worth noting that Slafkovsky’s back check was lacking here. A terrible job identifying coverage after the unfortunate bounce. The third goal for the Lightning came with five minutes to play as another odd-man rush resulted in Nick Paul scoring.
6) Regardless of the terrible luck, it must be said that the home team pushed back in a big way. They won the period in terms of shots by a 13-7 margin for an 18-16 Montreal lead overall. Could the Canadiens mount a third-period comeback against the second-best defensive teams in the league?
7) The Habs got on the board in the opening minute of the third period. A strong shift by the second line saw them reload in the neutral zone before Slafkovsky drove wide. He then centred the puck counter traffic where Demidov found it and riffled it home. The hope was short-lived as Pontus Holmberg tipped home a point shot 34 seconds after the Demidov goal.
8) The Kapanen line absolutely refused to be denied on this night as they made it 4-2 just before the midway mark of the period. It was a defensive zone start where Kapanen won the draw, the line rushed once, reloaded, and went a second time. Kapanen found Slafkovsky coming in late who buried a low glove shot to make it 4-2. With 7:43 to play, Dobson made it 4-3 after some strong forechecking by Texier, Suzuki, and Caufield, who formed the first line since the start of the third period.
9) The Habs were buzzing for the entirety of the final five minutes as Slafkovsky and Demidov joined Suzuki and Caufield in the final 90 seconds. With 11 seconds to play, Martin St. Louis made a call to take Dobson off the ice in favour of Danault. Danault won the faceoff before Hutson passed to Demidov who found Slafkovsky off to the side for a one-timer that would tie the game with 3.8 seconds to play.
10) In overtime, the Lightning did not touch the puck for the first two minutes in a scene Habs fans have become a little used to in the three-on-three. Once they did get it, Kucherov got a breakaway that was stopped by Fowler. Overall, the five-minute sequence was dominated by the Habs as the final tally in shots was 36-22 for the visitors. The game required a shootout where Fowler got his first taste of an NHL shootout. Gage Goncalves beat Fowler low glove before Demidov lost the handle on a deke. Point then came in and also scored low glove before Caufield was stopped to end the game.
HabsWorld Habs 3 Stars
1st Star – Juraj Slafkovsky
Save for the back check on the second Lightning goal, Slafkovsky was an absolute beast all night long. I don’t know if the coaching staff said something to him before the third period because he was a man possessed in that final frame. He constantly pushed back the Tampa defenders, won puck battles and puck races, and created by attacking the middle of the ice. In terms of the first star of this game for either team, it was a no-contest for Slafkovsky.
Stats: 2 goals, 1 assist, +1, 5 shots, 20:27 T.O.I.
2nd Star – Ivan Demidov
Slafkovsky’s new ride or die appears to be two rookies and Demidov figures to be the offensive presence next to the big man. Demidov plays a completely different style and the threat of the other opens up so much ice for both of them to bend defences to their will. The Lightning had obviously chosen to attack Demidov and give him no space or time, which creates lanes for Slafkovsky. Demidov adapted nicely in the third as he let Slafkovsky carry and he tried to open himself in the slot to put it home. If the two of them can continue to read what the opposition is trying to do to select their plays, they’ll be a force moving forward.
Stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 3 shots, 1 hit, 18:26 T.O.I.
3rd Star – Noah Dobson
Really torn between Dobson and Hutson here as both played massive third periods to get the Habs to overtime. I ultimately went with Dobson for two reasons. One was his active sticks in the final minutes of the third that kept two plays alive for the Habs that could have otherwise sealed the deal for Tampa. The second reason is the goal, a great shot that Dobson appears to be getting comfortable using. If he can continue to find lanes to get it through, he could be in for an excellent second half of the season. Imagine if this first half is just him getting going offensively. Interesting thought.
Stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, even, 5 shots, 2 hits, 3 blocks, 27:29 T.O.I.