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Montreal Canadiens

Post Game Poutine: Montreal Canadiens’ Youth Power Team To Victory

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Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens simply could not be denied tonight in their 4-3 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers, as they battled from three separate deficits and a late-game penalty to force overtime and ultimately win the game in spectacular fashion. The Canadiens continued their flair for the dramatic, forcing a game into overtime for the second time in just 24 hours, and were able to come out of it with the victory tonight thanks to a rocket from Cole Caufield.

Head coach Martin St. Louis leaned on his youngsters to pull the Canadiens forward, and they delivered. Rem Pitlick, Nick Suzuki and Caufield, all 24 years of age or less, scored all of Montreal’s four goals tonight while playing big minutes and being asked to go up against the top lines of the Philadelphia Flyers.

For Suzuki, he just simply continued right where he left off against the Seattle Kraken last night.  He scored two goals for the Montreal Canadiens to erase a Flyers’ lead and keep the team in the game. With his two goals, Suzuki reached ner career highs in goals (16) and points (43) while being a very responsible player in all three zones. If there’s one silver lining the Canadiens can take from the recent games within this underwhelming season, it’s sure the progress of their young centre in becoming a true No.1 in the NHL.

Similar to Suzuki, Caufield looked dangerous all game. No matter which line he played on, he was constantly in motion and trying to get as many pucks on net as possible, finishing the game with a goal and an assist. Caufield’s offensive performance under St. Louis has truly been a game-changer for the Canadiens, putting up 17 points in his last 14 games and demonstrating to all that he still has the potential to be a top offensive player in the NHL.

Pitlick continued to prove to Montreal Canadiens management that he should be considered as part of the future for the Habs and a piece they can potentially slot in long-term in the top-9 moving forward. He fits the kind of style that general manager Kent Hughes is looking for with his great speed and impressive puck skills, ad his two-point performance tonight is sure to help his case in remaining in Montreal moving forward.

 

Here’s your MHN Postgame Poutine:

GOLD STAR: Nick Suzuki– Suzuki was the most dominant player on the ice all night, again. He was the Canadiens’ sparkplug and led the charge offensively while playing an excellent two-way game. Suzuki was the most used forward by far in this game, logging over 23 minutes of ice time and being used in every situation. St. Louis even saw fit to switch Suzuki’s linemates mid-game to give Mike Hoffman and Brendan Gallagher a boost in their play. Suzuki continued to look like a dominant player under St. Louis and looked like a true top-line centre yet again.

TABARNAK: Chris Wideman’s Late Penalty With .a minute left in the third period, Wideman took a needless interference penalty on Joel Farabee, which could have realistically closed the door on any chance of tying the game for the Canadiens, who were down 3-2 at that time. Lucky for Wideman, St. Louis’ Canadiens had other plans in store for the Flyers.

TURNING POINT: Rem Pitlick tying goal – The Canadiens were down 3-2 with less than two minutes to play in the 3rd period and had a minor penalty called against Chris Wideman for interference. Despite being short-handed, the Canadiens tied the game off a timely goal from Rem Pitlick off an increadible feed from Ben Chiarot below the goal line, sending this game to overtime.

HONORABLE MENTION: Rem Pitlick– Pitlick is proving to be the Canadien’s best waiver pickup since Paul Byron back in 2015. He played with speed and was in constant motion in his newfound role as centerman for the team. His clutch scoring at the end of the third period while short-handed, coupled with his beautiful pass on Cole Caufield’s overtime goal, were vital in ensuring the win for the Canadiens.

BY THE NUMBERS: Here’s how the Montreal Canadiens lined up Wednesday night:

Forwards

Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Josh Anderson

Mike Hoffman- Rem Pitlick– Brendan Gallagher

Paul Byron-Jake Evans- Micheal Pezzetta

Joel Armia- Ryan Poehling-Laurent Dauphin

Defence:

Alexander Romanov – Ben Chiarot

Brett Kulak-Jeff Petry

Corey Schueneman-Chris Wideman

Goalies:

Sam Montembeault

Cayden Primeau

QUOTE TO NOTE: ”There are players that want to hit a home run each time they’re on the ice, but Pitlick is happy with just hitting a single or a double; he’s a very intelligent player” – Head coach Martin St. Louis on the play of Rem Pitlick.