In a game that brought back memories of the 19-20 Canadiens, the Habs did not skate, did not forecheck, and did not execute with the puck. The result was a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night, a score that made the same seem closer than it really was.
In Captain Shea Weber’s 1,000th career NHL game, Vancouver presented a much stiffer challenge on Tuesday night. The Habs battled through a desperate opponent and prevailed 5-3 in what was a highly entertaining contest.
Monday’s game against Vancouver was all Habs from the drop of the puck. Nick Suzuki scored a minute in while Artturi Lehkonen scored shorthanded and the Canucks looked like a shell of themselves from last week as the Habs cruised to an easy 6-2 win.
After being dominated in the first period, the Habs spent the rest of Saturday night shooting into the shin pads of Flames’ blockers while running into a wall in Jacob Markstrom when they were able to get to the net and they lost 2-0 as a result.
Thursday’s rematch against Vancouver was quite entertaining for the first 25 minutes, and then the Habs took over in a big way. They were led by the Jesperi Kotkaniemi line for the second night in a row as Tyler Toffoli has looked like a 50-goal scorer so far in Vancouver; he picked up two more goals in a 7-3 win.
In a game where defensive responsibilities were checked at the door, Tyler Toffoli finally hit the mark as he notched a hat trick but unfortunately for the Habs, it wasn’t quite enough on Wednesday night as they fell 6-5 to Vancouver in a shootout.
For the second straight game, the Habs kept Edmonton’s top scorers at bay, received top-notch goaltending, and won the special teams battle as they beat the Oilers 3-1 on Monday night.
Carey Price made key saves, the Habs controlled the even-strength play, and then dominated the special teams. That’s the formula for many wins, and that’s just what the Habs did on Saturday night as they opened up their Western Canada trip with a decisive 5-1 win over Edmonton.
In an exciting season-opener, the Habs showed some offensive muscle proving that Marc Bergevin’s statement that the Habs can play any style was quite true. They faced the offensively capable Maple Leafs so despite the fact that Montreal was likely the better team, Toronto stuck around long enough to squeak out the win as the Habs were dropped 5-4 in overtime.
Tuesday afternoon was a game where the Habs looked like the 24th place team. They couldn’t adjust to a team that shut things down and the result was a second consecutive shutout that gives the Flyers the chance to end the series in only 24 hours.