There was never much doubt on Thursday night as the Habs were the better team for 60 minutes. Allen made the few saves needed to secure the win and he finally got some goal support as Gallagher and Evans were particularly impressive in a 4-1 victory over Ottawa.
The well-rested Canadiens took full advantage of an Oilers team playing their third game in four nights on Tuesday in executing 60 minutes of complete domination. Considering the incoming schedule, a game that was not intense for the entirety of its 60 minutes of play was welcomed for the Habs as they skated away with a 4-0 win.
In a game that featured many momentum swings, the overall result was dictated by the Habs inability to hit the net. They stole a point that they more or less deserved but ultimately fell to Vancouver in overtime once again, bringing their extra time record to 0-9.
The Habs were not the better team for most of Wednesday’s game in Winnipeg. Carey Price made saves when it mattered and the Habs held on long enough to give themselves a fighting chance and managed to get it to overtime before losing 4-3.
The Jets were firing on all cylinders on Monday night but Montreal there every step of the way for the first 40 minutes as they attacked a vulnerable Winnipeg back end. The Jets didn’t give up as the Habs bent but didn’t break as they escaped with a 4-2 win on Monday night.
The quick turnaround, a different time zone, the loss of Chiarot, and poor execution. All of these factors could be used to explain why the Habs were completely flat in Thursday’s game versus Calgary where they lost 2-1 and didn’t even get their shot count to 20.
The Habs and Jets exchanged momentum, chances, goals, big hits, dirty plays, and words between whistles all night long. But in the end, Winnipeg once again prevailed in overtime, winning 4-3 on Thursday night.
In a game where the Habs looked way more like their early-season selves than their recent selves, it was an old habit of being afraid of offence in the overtime that ultimately finished the night as they fell 2-1 to Winnipeg on Saturday.
Remember when the Habs outplayed the Leafs for most of an opening night loss? Karma happened on Saturday as the Leafs dominated the entire first half of the game but Carey Price kept his team in the game for that long. The Habs woke up in the second half of the game and snuck away with a 2-1 win over the top team in the division.
There weren’t many positives to take from Thursday’s game as the Habs dropped yet another home game, this time a 3-0 decision to the Edmonton Oilers. Jake Allen kept the team in the game longer than they deserved to be in it.