This season has not finished surprising us. Saturday evening, going to the Bell Center, there were two things that the fans had certainly not anticipated: the presence of Mike Komisarek in the stands and the domination of the Habs in the physical aspect of this clash against the Stars.
The Canadian dominated 30 to 8 in this regard. “Big shoulders,” Bob would have said in The Boys. And it’s not because he chased the puck all night. Even Patrik Laine, back in action after a four-game absence, had fun crossing the width of the ice to check Oskar Back.
“It made me laugh to see him do that. It gave me a spark,” said Juraj Slafkovsky, smirking.
The Slovakian hit just about everyone with a white shirt, finishing the night with seven shoulder hits. His intensity and physical involvement gave Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield good opportunities to score near the slot.
This is a good sample of what it will look like the day the 20-year-old shows greater consistency.
“He’s still a young player. It is far from being at the final stage [de son développement]recalled Martin St-Louis. Eventually, when he reaches his peak, I know it will be part of his identity. »
An important point
The Canadian nevertheless lost 2 to 1 in a shootout, failing once again in his attempt to win a fourth victory in a row. However, considering that he was playing a second match in 24 hours, with a return from Washington, and that he was facing a team which had not suffered defeat in its previous six matches, there is reason to be satisfied.
After a first period during which they needed Samuel Montembeault in great shape to keep the scoresheet immaculate, the Canadian players found their legs forcing Jake Oettinger to put out a great performance.
-“I liked our match. We didn’t have any passengers. Everyone was involved, praised St-Louis. We did enough good things to deserve the two points. We just didn’t have them. »
He collected at least one. An important point if the Canadian wishes to remain in the race as long as possible.
Memories of NHL 94
Those old enough to remember NHL 94 will recall that it was this edition of the popular franchise that revolutionized the video gaming world for hockey fans. In NHL 94, there were two ways to score sure goals: by taking a shot off a cross-ice pass at the faceoff dot and by coming out of the corner of the ice with the puck. Although your opponent knew your intentions, he could do no more than observe the damage.
This is a bit like what happens with the Canadian’s rivals when Patrik Laine jumps onto the ice on the power play. They know that the Habs’ plan is to succeed in isolating him long enough to allow him to take a shot on reception.
And like in NHL 94, it works every time.
This was again the case in this match. Martin St-Louis’ troops had benefited from a massive two-man attack for 14 seconds when Laine scored his ninth goal of the season. A goal identical to the first eight. All registered in numerical superiority.
“He has a good throw. And he doesn’t need a lot of space to let him go. Plus, he’s able to get the puck past the guy. He doesn’t necessarily aim for that, but the puck always ends up finding its way,” said St-Louis.
