Winning four games in a row is difficult. In any case, it is when you wear the Canadian jersey. The Habs had a rare opportunity to do so for the first time since February 2022.
But although we were two days away from Christmas, there was no question of the Blue Jackets offering such a gift. The Canadian's opponents demonstrated their intentions from the start of the match by storming the slot and Samuel Montembeault's net.
The Bécancour goaltender was making his tenth consecutive start, a record this season in the NHL. By his own admission, his legs were heavy. He still stood guard, but the first active period of the locals undoubtedly quickly lowered his energy level.
Nevertheless, the Habs were in the game until the end, even taking the lead at the start of the third period. Kirill Marchenko, in the final moments of the third period, fired the cannon a fifth time. One time too many for the Canadian who suffered a heartbreaking 5-4 loss.
Wool taken advantage of
The more the weeks pass, the more we learn to discover the personality of Patrik Laine. And it's not just his clothes that are flamboyant. His frankness makes a change from the wooden tongues which have for too long, especially under the yoke of Marc Bergevin, occupied the Canadian locker room.
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We like that. This is now less the case in Columbus where the Finn played the equivalent of four seasons. His former Blue Jackets teammates clearly didn't appreciate the argument he made earlier in the day by saying that in Columbus, he was “tired of losing and giving up in December to focus on the following season” and that the organization “was satisfied with little and was too comfortable with [l’idée de perdre].»
Did this atmosphere, in part, lead him to join the NHL and NHLPA Player Assistance Program at the end of January? Possible.
In any case, yesterday, his inflammatory statements sent him to the infirmary. In each of Laine's six appearances on the ice, Blue Jackets players bullied him as many times as possible.
Checked twice in the space of a few seconds, by Sean Monahan and Dante Fabbro, Laine finished the first period by making two more appearances. Injured in the upper body, he was not seen again afterwards. . Sad way to end a day that began with obtaining the third star of the week in the NHL.
Identity problem
On paper, the Canadiens' second line is made up of Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine. But in reality, this title should go to Jake Evans, Emil Heineman and Joel Armia. For a fourth game in a row, this unit produced at least one goal. This time, it was Evans and Armia who hit the target.
And we're talking about important goals. Goals which allowed the Habs to level the score and take the lead. Not goals scored when the outcome of the match is already known. It was the same in both games against the Red Wings.
In addition to contributing offensively, Evans was imperious in the faceoff circle. He won 14 of his 16 duels (88%). Martin St-Louis enjoyed his evening of work so much that he sent him into the fray when he recalled Samuel Montembeault to the bench.
As for the Dach trio, we have been hearing cricket noises for six matches. Last night, the poor Albertan missed a practically open net. Not once, but twice. And not far from three.
The good news in his case is that he did not end the evening in the negative. At least it feels like that to win.
