Not only was Thursday’s game limited in scoring, it was also limited in terms of good offensive chances; this was a chess match of sorts. The end result was unsurprisingly close with the Habs taking it 2-1 in overtime.
Montreal was outplayed for the entire 60 minutes on Saturday night, losing 6-2 at the hands of the Oilers. They’ll have plenty of work and thinking to do over the four-day break that is now awarded to them.
In a game that included little scoring chances and passion, the Habs were unable to take advantage of a tired Flames team as they let a point slip away with a 3-2 overtime loss on Thursday night.
The win streak is over as the Habs fell 4-3 to the Blues in a game that was much closer than it should have been. The Blues dominated play with effective forechecking and Western Conference-style physicality for which the Habs had very little answer other than Carey Price.
In a game that was over almost as soon as the first puck was dropped, the Habs throttled the Wings 10-1 on Saturday night with all four lines getting in on the action and some unlikely heroes taking care of business.
The Canadiens showed some offensive opportunism in scoring a surprising six goals against Jimmy Howard and the Red Wings to pick up their fourth win in a row.
The Habs strong start was enough to earn a 2-0 lead and they rode that and Carey Price all the way to a 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Monday night.
In a game that perhaps lacked some excitement, the Habs did what needed to be done as they handled the Sabres by a 3-0 score on Saturday night. If this can be a sign of things to come from former Hart trophy winner Carey Price, then this season isn’t done yet.
In a surprise turn of events, Antti Niemi and the Canadiens gave Nashville all they could handle on Wednesday but it was the Predators who ultimately prevailed 3-2 in a shootout.
After Thursday’s disappointment, one expected an aggressive Montreal team. Instead, fans were treated to a steady diet of perimeter play which lasted just long enough for Toronto to find their game and pile-drive the Canadiens 6-0 in yet another ugly loss on Saturday.