After destroying the Buffalo Sabers 6-1 on Tuesday night and getting a new defenseman in a trade on Wednesday night, the Montreal Canadiens were hoping to get their second win in as many games as they took on the Detroit Red Wings.
Unlike the Sabers, the Wings weren’t down in the dumps and when the Canadiens scored, they didn’t break up, they went back to it. Emil Heineman scored the first goal of the game when his quick release got the better of him Cam Talbot has been playing for the first time since December 1st after being sidelined for lower body injuries.
The puck went straight into the net player’s five hole as he tried to squeeze the pads, but it was too late. Jake Evans, who was scoring in his 300th game, had the game-leading assist with Mike Matheson picking up the second assist. This goal seemed to wake up the Wings and they retreated which led to Patrick Kane scoring a stunning goal over the shoulder of Samuel Montembeault at the near post. Granted, the vacancy shouldn’t have been there, but Kane’s hands are still as impressive as ever.
Soon after, Kirby Dach was sent to the box for high-sticking, taking penalties has become a bit of a habit for him, but it wasn’t Detroit who scored while in the box, it was Montreal. Evans picked up Lukas Raymond’s puck and flew to the net where he scored a beautiful shot that gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead. The center stood out for the Canadiens tonight and the more he played, the more he did. Will you sell yourself in Montreal or will you want to stay?
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Less than a minute later, Jeff Petry shot a blueliner and Joe Veleno deflected it, putting everyone back at square one. After 20 minutes, it was 2-2 and both goalkeepers were working hard. Montembeault faced 23 shots while Talbot saw 14.
In the first frame, there were a few instances where the second line got stuck in the defensive zone, the first time there was no damage done, the second time it led to a Detroit goal and then, early in the second frame, it led to Patrik Laine taking a holding penalty.
Montreal was able to kill the man-advantage, but still, this second line formed by Alex Newhook, Dach and Laine needs to click even more. If your top six is weak in defense, it must be good in scoring. The Canadiens dominated the middle frame getting 10 shots on net while Detroit got just five from Montembeault.
In 40 minutes, the newly formed pairing of Kaiden Guhle and Alexandre Carrier was very effective, not allowing a single shot from space. A very effective defensive pairing.
Less than two minutes into the final frame, Nick Suzuki turned the puck over but quickly returned it, only for Hutson to convert it and at that time, the Canadiens could not recover, Tyler Motte scored a goal to give the Wings a 3-2 lead. The young green player was upset about hitting the ice with his stick, but when he got to the bench, defense coach Stephane Robidas was straight at him, clearly telling him to forget about it and turn the page.
Not so long ago, that kind of mistake early in the third would have destroyed the Canadiens’ confidence. Not tonight. A few weeks ago, the l’Antichambre team was saying how a team in that position needs a veteran to step up and solve when that happens, but tonight it wasn’t the old man who did that, it wasn’t anyone else. Hutson.
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After a costly offense, he returned to the ice with purpose, picked up the puck and took it to the offensive end, brimming with confidence. The message is very clear here in the team, if a 20-year-old can do that and not let it get to him, every player can. Of course they did, pulling back a third goal and Arber Xhekaj tied the game minutes later with his first goal of the season.
With the game tied 3-3, Hutson controlled the puck in the offensive zone and forced Veleno to take a holding penalty. Less than two minutes later, Laine scored a potential game-winner, his seventh goal and seventh on the power play.
GM Kent Hughes said before the season that he didn’t want to keep Hutson in the NHL if he was going to be used as a power play specialist, but I’m sure he has no problem with Laine being one.
For the first time this season, the Canadiens took more than 30 shots on net and, for the first time in a long time, scored a goal on a breakaway. It wasn’t a perfect game from the Canadiens, but it was one where the growth and development was very evident.
Both clubs will now head to Montreal and meet tomorrow night at the Bell Centre. Will Montembeault start the ninth game in a row or will St-Louis be forced to start Cayden Primeau due to the schedule?
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