Defeated in his last four games, the Montreal Canadian will try to get back on the winning path Thursday evening, but his task promises to be complicated on the New Jersey Devils ice rink at the Prudential Center.
• Also read: The organization stripped down in front of everyone
• Also read: CH too concentrated on a few individuals
• Also read: The CH allows Crosby and Ovechkin to experience a first
Indeed, the Habs’ next opponents are doing fairly well. With a record of 8-5-2 and 18 points, they hold third place in the Metropolitan section. Head coach Sheldon Keefe’s men have just concluded a three-game trip to Western Canada and collected two wins.
Among the visitors, who will begin a sequence of four games abroad, Martin St-Louis will once again rely on Samuel Montembeault to defend his net. Even though he didn’t win on Tuesday, the Quebecer helped his team get a point in the standings in a 3-2 overtime loss at the hands of the Calgary Flames.
The score is 4 to 3 for the Devils in the third period.
THIRD PERIOD
8:13 | Newhook responded to Hughes with his second goal of the match thanks to a superb individual effort.
6:23 | The Devils regain a two-goal lead. Launched alone against Samuel Montembeault, Jack Hughes shakes the nets.
Hughes adds to his big night of work –
SECOND PERIOD
19:01 | In the slot, Brendan Gallagher takes advantage of a throw return to beat Markstrom in the upper part.
Gallagher revives hope –
10:19 | After a great presence for the Habs in the offensive zone, Jonas Siegenthaler allows the Devils to lead 3 to 1.
The defensive cover cracks again, 3-1 Devils –
5:00 | The CH took advantage of a turnaround and Alex Newhook reduced the gap to 2 to 1 thanks to a shot that Jacob Markstrom would probably like to see again. THE GOAL CAN BE SEEN IN THE MAIN VIDEO.
FIRST PERIOD
18:50 | Kaiden Guhle is punished for obstruction. The Devils play on the power play.
12:38 | Ondrej Palat doubles the Devils’ lead. Jack Hughes gets his second assist of the period.
Hughes prepares a second goal in the 1st –
6:45 | The Canadian already obtains his second numerical advantage of the match. Bratt is thrown out for obstruction.
1:33 | The Devils opened the scoring thanks to Jesper Bratt’s fourth goal of the season.
Hughes flouts Newhook, Bratt scores –
—
“Obviously, we didn’t get the result we hoped for during the last match. However, we played well in the last two games. We have to go back a little to our structure and our identity in order to regain our confidence. If we stick to our plan, our chances of winning will increase,” said defender Kaiden Guhle.
“We must return to our structure and our identity” – Kaiden Guhle –
To be successful, CH would benefit from focusing on robust play against rivals who want to win at home.
“When you advocate physical play during the first five minutes of the game, you are already in the match. Our starts haven’t been great this season and we’re trying to improve. It’s been better lately. We want to engage physically: you take a blow, you give a blow. We want this very early so that we are really involved,” considered Guhle.
Caufield dominant
On an individual level, Cole Caufield remains one to watch. He dominates his team with 10 goals this season, five more than Brendan Gallagher. This is also the same number as Nico Hischier, one of the many hockey players at the top of the National League scorers.
Asked about his top scorer, St-Louis praised the progress of the 23-year-old sniper.
“In the last 14 months he is in a process of becoming more than a scorer. He is learning to play 200 feet and in the defensive zone. He’s a young player, like the rest of our team.”
The CH held a training session in the morning and the presence of Lucas Condotta was noted, who will face the Devils after being recalled from the Laval Rocket.
It is also goalie Jacob Markstrom who will defend the Devils’ net against Sainte-Flanelle. This will be his first start since November 1. In 10 games so far in 2024-25, the 34-year-old Swede has maintained a 5-4-1 record, a .907 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-against average.
