This first visit to Utah did not bode well for the Canadian. The absence of Emil Heineman, hit by a car the day before, the four penalties awarded to the Habs in the first period and the practically absent threats during the first 20 minutes of play heralded a long evening.
But as it has been doing so well for some time, the Martin St-Louis troop held on. Winner by a score of 5 to 3, the Canadian signed a tenth victory in his last 13 outings.
For a second game in a row, Samuel Montembeault had to stand guard brilliantly while his teammates came out of their slump. Twelve of his 22 saves came in the first period.
However, the star of the match was undoubtedly Lane Hutson.
The rookie defender was complicit in three goals. It was his second three-point night in 10 days. He now has 32 assists on the clock. His 35 points place him at the top of the rookie scoring column.
If you can’t smell the cut, it’s starting to smell like Calder. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves too quickly, though. There is still a good half of the season left. Matvei Michkov and Macklin Celebrini have not said their last word.
Little jewels
Two of Hutson’s passes on Tuesday highlighted different aspects of the depth of his talent. On Kirby Dach’s first of the evening, he patiently skated with the puck from the back of his territory to the opposing blue line, before releasing a precise cross-field pass to Dach.
From Hutson to Dach and the CH takes the lead –
On that of Cole Caufield, his 24th of the season, he deliberately aimed at his teammate’s paddle by directing the puck towards the locals’ net. It was Caufield’s 17th goal at even strength and his 17th on opposing ice. Two peaks in the NHL. The American has now shaken the strings in seven of his last nine matches.
This clash also gave rise to a first: a goal from Patrik Laine at five against five. It was evenly matched, but the modus operandi was the same as if the Habs had played with a one-man advantage.
Moreover, for the first time since they played together, Dach, Laine and Alex Newhook were the most effective unit in the Montreal camp. Newhook didn’t hit the target, but he had a few chances to do so.
The referees’ show
You probably had never heard of Brandon Blandina and Chris Schlenker before this meeting. Possibly aware of their anonymity, the two referees made sure to be the focal point of the Delta Center.
In the first period, the Canadian received so many penalties that after 20 minutes, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki barely had the opportunity to spread their wings. Brendan Gallagher, for his part, had only been on the ice for 119 seconds.
It’s difficult to create anything good offensively when the pace of the game is so hectic and the attacking stars have frozen feet.
We don’t know if it was because of David Savard’s outburst towards them at the end of the period, but the officials changed the target after the intermission.
It stays tight
Thanks to this victory, the Canadian remained at the height of the race towards the playoffs. He is two points behind the Blue Jackets with a game in hand.
However, the Eastern Conference standings are so tight that only five points separate the Montrealers from the penultimate place. It shows that nothing is decided and that we are still only a few setbacks away from falling apart.
