MONTRÉAL – Like just about everyone, a final score of 4-1 pretty much reflected my expectations for Tuesday night’s duel at the Bell Centre.
Between two bites of vegetable fried rice and way too salty General Tao chicken pieces, I had even been daring to predict a more generous final score for the winners: a kind of 6-1.
Never, ever, would I have dreamed of believing that this is the Canadian who would emerge victorious from this duel which promised to be oh so unequal.
A duel that was indeed unequal. Except it was the Canadian who made the Jets and not the opposite.
So the big questions:
How on earth did the Canadiens, a club that has a better chance of winning the Connor Bedard lottery than making the playoffs, beat the Winnipeg Jets who are not just fighting for a playoff berth, but for the very first spot of the Western Association?
How the hell the Canadian who had lost 12 of his last 16 games (4-11-1) was able to overthrow the Jets who had won eight of their last nine games?
The Canadian decimated by injuries.
The Canadian with Jesse Ylönen and his three games played in the NHL this year as part of the first line, with Mike Hoffman that Martin St-Louis has left out four times in the last six games on the second line, with Michael Pezzetta et Evgenii Dadonov who totaled four goals to two in the third line, without forgetting Rafaël Harvey-Pinard et Rem Pitlickfreshly recalled from Laval who improvised fourth lines with which good Martin St-Louis decided to send with them on the ice.
The Canadian with Samuel Montembeault who is trying to prove he can fill a number one role against Connor Hellebuyck whose name is associated again this year with the Vézina Trophy.
Disorganized Jets, hard Jets!
The simplest explanation would be to suggest that the Jets took the Canadian lightly. That they already had their heads in Toronto and were thinking about the big game that awaits them against the Leafs on Thursday instead of first making sure to win the one against the Habs.
The head coach of the Jets, however, dismissed this claim out of hand.
“We are proud to fight for the first place in our association. To be one of the best teams in the League. We therefore have the responsibility to take the means to play up to our expectations. To do what must be done to win, regardless of our opponents. Tonight we didn’t. We were disorganized. Disconnected from the roles to be fulfilled. We were doing hard on the ice. We didn’t even deserve to win. And that has nothing to do with the fact that we took Montreal lightly. I lead proud guys. And in the locker room right now, guys have long faces. They are dissatisfied. And that’s good, because it will help us bounce back from the next game, ”that Rick Bowness paraded after the slap of 4-1 cashed by his players.
The head coach of the Jets, however, wanted to give the Canadian and Martin St-Louis the credit that was rightfully theirs. And never did he push the arrogance to the point of claiming that his club had given the victory to the Habs.
“We knew that they could take advantage of the space that we would offer them. It remains a fast club. I just think they’ve been made way too easy for them,” Bowness concluded, visibly disappointed with his team’s performance and the way the five-game journey was beginning.
It is true that the Jets played badly.
But it is equally true that the Canadian played well. That the aggressiveness, the conviction and the way of respecting the directives of Martin St-Louis largely compensated for the shortfall of the Habs in terms of raw talent and experience.
It is this respect for the directives imposed after the dreadful holiday trip, a trip during which the Habs lost the north and its identity, that Martin St-Louis appreciated the most in the context of this victory, a second consecutive for the first time since November 23 and 25 in Columbus and Chicago.
“We have just played eight good periods of hockey in a row. We ask our guys to play better in our zone. To react well when they return to the defensive zone, to take the means to recover the puck and to make good raises. I am very satisfied with the commitment of the guys. We have been working on this for about ten days and you can see that it helps us, ”explained St-Louis.
Unusual contributions
Contrary to what we have seen very often this season, and even too much it must be admitted, it is the support players, guys from whom we no longer expected much, who contributed the most against the Jets. At least statistically.
Evgenii Dadonov, who had squandered several chances over recent games, finally found the back of the net. His two goals allowed him to double his production of the first 35 games.
Beyond his two goals, the Russian played with speed and conviction on Tuesday. As if he had decided to take advantage of the fact that the cascading injuries foaming his use to convince his coach that he deserved to play more often and in more interesting roles even with a training in full health.
“Evgenii is a professional. When I took him out of the lineup – five times in eight games between December 17 and January 3 – he didn’t mind. He took advantage of the overtime training on the ice to improve certain aspects of his game. I was convinced that he would bounce back,” assured St-Louis after the victory.
Besides Dadonov, Mike Hoffman added an eighth goal to his record.
Justin Barron, who is showing more ease and confidence on the ice, collected two assists. His first two points in eight games played since his recall from Laval.
Christian Dvorak also collected two assists while maintaining his efficiency (11 in 18 = 58%) in the face-off circles.
Returning to the game after having played only one of the last 18 meetings of the Canadian, the veteran defender Mike Matheson played a strong match. Worried by a groin injury which forced him to miss the first 17 games of the season, it will be crucial now to see if this damned injury will come back to haunt him… or not!
Recalled because of the overdrive of injuries, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Rem Pitlick brought speed and energy to a fourth line that they completed sometimes with Christian Dvorak, sometimes with Nick Suzukisometimes with Josh Anderson. With pretty much everyone actually…
Dach and Montembeault confirm their places
If the Canadiens players have made many more good appearances than bad ones, Kirby Roof and Samuel Montembeault have particularly stood out in my opinion.
Transferred to the center due to the serious injury suffered by Jake Evans, Kirby Dach is trying to convince many people that he can fulfill this role. In a second game in a row, he was solid in all facets of the game. With the exception of face-offs (2 for 9).
For the rest, he led his trio well. He fed his wingers well. He also showed a lot of confidence when he took a solid check from the Jets inbounds while passing the puck to Mike Hoffman who scored the Canadian’s second goal in the middle period.
A goal that tilted the game on the side of the Habs.
In his fifth consecutive start, Samuel Montembeault was once again very effective. Less busy than in the first four games of his five-game streak – he received 25 shots after being shot 159 pucks in four games (39.7 shots per game) – the Quebec goalkeeper had his share of difficult saves to achieve.
He was much better protected by his defenders and more effective attackers in the defensive side of the game, but he was also much more stingy with the generous returns he gave too regularly during his last starts.
By adding good performances crowned with victories, Montembeault consolidates its place within the organization. He boosts his candidacy as number one or at the very least confirms his place as a solid second.
Which is nothing!
Between the lines
- Evgeni Dadonov scored twice in a game for the first time since March 17, 2022 when he helped the Golden Knights win 5-3 at the expense of his former club, the Florida Panthers…
- The Canadiens scored three straight goals at the expense of the Jets. It was the first time since Dec. 6 – a 4-2 win over Krakenin Seattle – that he scored three unanswered goals…
- The Canadiens outshot the Jets 28-25 on Tuesday. It was only the second time in the last 17 games that he got more shots than his rivals. He had also done it on January 7 (27-22) in a 5-4 victory at the expense of the Blues…
- Kyle Connor put on her 22e goal of the season when he gave the Jets a 1-0 lead early in the middle frame. It was also his 200e career goal. Connor reached that plateau in 429 games, just 18 more than Connor McDavid…
- Wayne Gretzky has reached 200 goals in 242 games. He still holds the record…
- Among active players, Alexander Ovechkin was the fastest to reach 200 goals (274 games). Besides Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni MalkinConnor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Kyle Connor are the only other active players to reach 200 goals in less than 430 games…