I know, you are most likely, like me, disappointed with the outcome of the Montreal Canadiens’ game last night against the Dallas Stars.
Even though the CH was looking for an important point, the evening ended with a 2-1 shootout defeat which hurts, because they really didn’t need much to get the two points.
Everyone believed that the Habs would again escape with victory against one of the best teams in the NHL, as evidenced by the wave made by the crowd at the Bell Center during overtime.
There is a lot of excitement and positivity surrounding the team right now, and rightly so. We must therefore keep this attitude by telling ourselves that to obtain three points out of four during this back-to-back against two excellent teams is a great success for the Habs.
We can truly say mission accomplished.
And this point in the standings, well, it is very important despite everything, because it keeps the CH neck and neck with the other teams in the race for the playoffs, while only two points separate the Habs and the Blue Jackets.
In short, it is an important point which was obtained by the CH, and we must say a huge thank you to Samuel Montembeault.
Indeed, without the brilliance of the Quebec goalkeeper, the Habs would probably not even have obtained this point.
Montembeault was very solid, especially in the last ten minutes of the third period, when the Stars were pushing very hard and really had control of the game.
The 28-year-old cerberus did not let it get to him, and he knew how to hold the fort until the shootout.
In short, Monty excelled last night, just like Jakub Dobes did on Friday.
So there’s really a lot of healthy internal competition emerging between the two goalkeepers, and that’s really good news.
Indeed, this competition currently only represents positives, while Dobes’ performances push Montembeault to surpass himself, as he did last night against the Stars.
Monty understands very well that he won’t be allowed many missteps if Dobes continues to play well and win matches, which pushes him to perform even more.
Let’s say that it was not with Cayden Primeau as an assistant that Montembeault felt or would have felt such a wind blowing at his back.
Now, what do I remember from the rest of the match?
1. Patrik Laine played one of his best matches of the season.
In addition to his power play goal, Laine was really excellent last night, as he was involved in all areas of the game, including physical play.
Laine may still not have scored at five-on-five, but yesterday he allowed his line to generate plenty of scoring chances, as his line with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook generated eight shots , the most of all the CH trios.
2. The fourth line came very close on several occasions.
Even though they haven’t produced in a few games, the trio of Jake Evans, Emil Heineman and Joel Armia continues to be dominant when on the ice and greatly bother the opponent.
Martin St-Louis trusts this trio and he sends it into very important and crucial match situations like at the end of the match with a few minutes left tied 1-1.
3. The top line looked good again, and it came close to ending the game, as Cole Caufield hit the post in overtime.
His streak of consecutive games with a goal therefore ends at five games.
4. We forget how important Kaiden Guhle is.
At only 22 years old, he plays like a true veteran night after night, while he is dominant defensively and physically.
He is a very stable and reliable pillar, with great importance for the CH, and he showed it once again last night.
In Burst
– Logic.
– Wow, what a last minute comeback!
– An interminable match due to the rain.
