10 Thoughts – Sloppy Start, Quality Finish in Vancouver

Following their emotional loss in Edmonton on Thursday evening, Habs fans were eagerly looking to see how their team will respond against the Canucks on Saturday. Jakub Dobes got the start for their third game on the road; primetime in Vancouver that normally would be reserved for the starting goaltender. The Canucks were even on the season entering the game at 4-4-0, losing their last two on the road to complete a five-game road trip.

Montreal may have started the game with one of the worst periods they’ve played this season, but they certainly vindicated the work their coach has discussed about them in the second and third. Ivan Demidov is on the top power play unit to stay, and five-on-five goals will continue to come for the Montreal Canadiens who are now 7-4 to start the first few weeks of the NHL season.

Starting Lines

Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov
Bolduc – Veleno – Dach
Gallagher – Evans – Anderson

Struble – Hutson
Matheson – Dobson
Xhekaj – Carrier

Dobes – Montembeault

10 Thoughts

1) Opening the game, both teams began to feel each other out in the same fashion as many other Canadiens games have started. Each line got their first shift logged early and exchanged neutral zone possessions. With nearly five minutes expired in the first, the Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov worked the puck below the goal line in the offensive zone when Kapanen sent a pass off the back boards to the opposite point. Alexandre Carrier rung it back around, but there was nobody nearby to retrieve the pass and the Canucks took the puck up the ice. Conor Garland made a good play in taking the hit to pass and gain the zone, and Dobson was caught out twice as the puck was moved around and through him across the slot to Elias Pettersson (the forward, not the defenceman with the same name) for an empty cage; he made no mistake to open the scoring. Dobson committed to neither the pinch for the 50/50 puck in the offensive zone, holding the blue line on Filip Hronek, nor blocking any of the passing lanes in front of the net.

2) Moving forward from the goal, the Canucks certainly seemed to have the momentum of the game, culminating in five shots and Kiefer Sherwood drawing an interference penalty as he tried to move past Arber Xhekaj at the blue line. Evans – Anderson and Carrier – Matheson got the start and some early clears, while Dobes was needed soon afterwards for a great stop on Pettersson in front of the net. The penalty killers were able to take care of the rest of the disadvantage with only superficial chances afterwards and promptly iced the puck seconds after Xhekaj stepped out of the box. This trend continued as the Canucks kept the pressure on with an effective transition game and strong defence below the line using their size and weight, preventing sustained chances and carries into high-danger areas.

3) Throughout the first period, the Habs encountered strange bounces, two-foot wide misses on the backhand with no pressure, puck watching, and a stout defensive scheme so far. If you had watched Thursday’s game, this would have looked like a very different style of play, and the Canadiens needed to get back in the driver’s seat after letting their emotions loose. On the opposite side, Vancouver was looking to maintain the momentum and utilize the options the middle frame provides to achieve that goal.

4) The home team did an effective job of working towards that to start the second period, and they got plenty of help from the visitors. Brendan Gallagher, Dobson, and Mike Matheson had numerous giveaways in both zones over the first five minutes and became stranded by the long change. Finally breaking free, the Dach line was able to get pressure and three shots as Max Sasson was missing a stick, only to be stymied as Joe Veleno got rung up for hooking deep in the offensive zone.

5) The Canucks went on the power play but couldn’t keep the zone as Josh Anderson was fed a spectacular pass and play from Evans for a breakaway. Anderson beat Kevin Lankinen but not the post, and the Canucks brought it back down the ice and got to work. Quinn Hughes labelled a point shot as the spent defenders were unable to put pressure on him and Jake DeBrusk tipped it over Jakub Dobes’ pad to make it 2-0.

6) To this point, the Habs had been having trouble with clean plays and controlling bounces. Each touch pass seemed just a half-foot out of reach and the puck jumped over sticks just at the right moment.  Soon after, Arber Xhekaj decided to stand still, watch the Canucks player skate towards him pursuing the puck, and put out his arms to interfere with his movement. The minor was immediately assessed, and the Canucks had their top unit on the ice to open the man advantage. After some shots and a clear, Linus Karlsson was called for interference in the top of the zone akin to the “pick” style penalties the league has been seeing this season. In the ensuing four-on-four play, Dach and Veleno got the call to start and controlled the play with Matheson and Dobson. They cycled, got a shot off, and worked the time to one second remaining until the top power play squad got the ice. They were able to win the faceoff, but lost possession and had to restart from their own zone as Ivan Demidov was deployed, evidently now a permanent fixture alongside Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield, and Suzuki.

7) Once more, the decisions of the coaching staff had immediate results, and Demidov assisted on Suzuki’s forthcoming power play goal by delivering a wonderful pass in traffic to his captain. That captain was the driver on the man advantage, controlling the entire play along the half-wall and drawing the defenders in. He sent a pass back to Hutson, whose shot was stopped but the rebound got from Caufield to Demidov, who fed Suzuki to bring the Habs to within one. With 12 shots in the second period, and a much better effort that even drew a tripping penalty in the dying milliseconds, the Canadiens had a prove-it period ahead of them in the third.

8) Montreal came out of the intermission disheveled on the power play, giving the puck away three times. They immediately redeemed themselves, however, as the top unit showcased their incredible breadth of skills and talents. Suzuki, Hutson, and Demidov cycled and played keepaway while constantly shrinking the size of the defensive box the penalty killers were arrayed in. As Demidov took his possession across the middle and dropped it off for Suzuki, the captain again passed it back to Hutson to send a shot on goal. Demidov was precisely placed in front of the net(!) and again had the wherewithal to find the open man on the corner of the net. Slafkovsky did not miss, and evened the game up at two.

9) Caufield drew another penalty a few minutes later, as Evander Kane cross-checked him into the boards at 14:16. Montreal went back to work, quickly generating offensive looks and picking apart the defenders with quick passing. Despite the chances, they were unable to cash in and left the last 31 seconds to Bolduc–Dach–Gallagher–Dobson–Newhook. Even after the expiration of the advantage, Montreal kept up the intensity and Alex Newhook was able to win a puck battle and back to Matheson. The defender continued his excellent start to the season by giving the Canadiens the lead on a wrist shot from the slot that beat Lankinen. The game actively picked up in pace, and both teams traded chances. Montreal had the better of both chances and zone time, however, crystallized in Demidov’s second goal of the season at 11:09. Demidov was in his usual cut-back spot along the wall, stickhandling back and forth through his defender until the Canucks player dropped his stick, giving him an out to the blue line. The Habs worked the puck along the perimeter until Kapanen shot the puck back to Carrier at the top of the zone, who fed Demidov for a one-timer that put the Canadiens up by two. An excellent shot, and better play to get there.

10) Vancouver began to feel the heat with a few minutes remaining, starting their push and getting grade-A chances that pushed Dobes into some excellent saves. With 3:47 remaining, the Canucks showed their resilience by getting the puck back from a lost faceoff, and Pettersson (again, the forward) put a perfect deflection off Garland behind Dobes to give Vancouver even more jump to tie the game. Garland perfectly presented his stick for Pettersson to shoot at and send it over Dobes’ shoulder. Vancouver continued to push but a commercial break and offside call gave the Habs time to breathe. Montreal cleared the zone twice and the Canucks pulled their goalie, and Slafkovsky was unable to hit the empty net with two minutes to go as Suzuki led him. The final two minutes were very scrambly, much like the first few except instead of the play being in the neutral zone, the scrambling was happening directly on top of Dobes’ crease. The Habs iced the puck with 16.7 seconds to go right after Brock Boeser just missed on a glorious slot chance, followed up with another icing with 9.4 remaining, and finished off their comeback win with another dump down the ice.

HW Habs 3 Stars

1st Star: Ivan Demidov – Demidov directly set up both of the first two goals and scored the game-winner. He continues to grow each game and establish his presence on the ice. Imagining this player in five years with an enormous amount of physical maturation and thickness is mental gold for Canadiens fans.

Stats: 1 goal, 2 assists, +/- 0 rating, 1 shot, 1 hit, 1 block, 13:47 TOI

2nd Star: Jakub Dobes – The game was won by scorers, but the Habs would not have been in any position to get the puck back up the ice if not for spectacular saves and an admirable effort from Dobes, who continued his run this year undefeated.

Stats: .903 SV%, 3 GA 

3rd Star: Nick Suzuki – Suzuki was all over the game tonight, often reflecting the effort his defencemen were putting in after turnovers and giveaways up front. His goal allowed the Canadiens to begin to demoralize the Canucks as the first of four tallies.

Stats: 1 goal, +/- 0 rating, 2 shots, 21:22 TOI