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Canadiens Postgame

Canadiens Defence Brings The Offence In 5-2 Win Over Devils

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1 year ago

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Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens shocked the New Jersey Devils thanks to the growing offensive contributions of their young defence and a standout performance from Samuel Montembeault.

The two teams looked like a mismatch on paper before the start of the game, but, right from puck drop, you could feel the Canadiens had the intention of playing spoiler on Tuesday night.

Walking out of New Jersey with a 5-2 victory is nothing to sneeze at, but it took a herculean performance from Montembeault to get it done.

His timely saves allowed the Canadiens to keep pace with the Devils throughout the game.

The Habs’ defence also did a solid job at both ends of the ice tonight, blocking over 25 shots in front of Montembeault, while also registering three of the Canadiens’ five goals in the game.

The Canadiens’ top line was once again Montreal’s best by a large margin, with Josh Anderson, Nick Suzuki and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard playing some inspiring hockey together.

Despite not showing up on the scoresheet tonight, tonight’s game was easily one of Anderson’s more complete games, as he looked dominant in all three zones and in all situations.

It was indeed a strong team effort by the Canadiens, but let’s go over some of the key pieces in tonight’s upset victory against the Devils:

Everyone Needs A Sam

Samuel Montembeault has been one of the most clutch goalies in the NHL since the start of 2023.

Despite a historically inexperienced defensive corps playing in front of him, Montembeault has kept his team in virtually every game he’s dressed for, and he did more of the same tonight.

Montembeault stopped 38 of the 40 shots he faced tonight against the Devils, including three separate breakaway opportunities from Miles Wood, Brendan Smith and Dawson Mercer.

The 26-year-old held the fort for the Canadiens in the second and third periods, as the New Jersey Devils began to turn up the heat.

He’s doing everything to earn starts in more games with more regularity, and it’s going to be hard to deny him that right moving forward with performances like this.

Chemistry Class

The Montreal Canadiens’ top line of Nick Suzuki, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard and Josh Anderson has shown flashes of greatness since being put together right before the All-Star break.

They’ve routinely made a habit of spending a significant amount of time in the offensive zone since being put together, and have quickly developed some chemistry in a short period of time.

They were by far the best line in tonight’s game against the Devils, setting the tone for the Canadiens right from the first puck drop.

They found each other with great ease on the ice, adding to their terrific transition play of late.

They were led by the impressive play of Suzuki, who once again led all Canadiens forwards in ice time.

The 23-year-old captain not only served Justin Barron with a beauty pass for the game’s opening goal, but also buried home a beautiful shot to double the Canadiens’ lead in the second period.

The combination of Suzuki’s creativity, Harvey-Pinard’s relentless motor and Anderson’s speed make for a dangerous line that has been one of the most surprisingly successful this season.

 

The Barron

The progress of Justin Barron has been one of the bigger bright spots so far this season for the Montreal Canadiens.

The 21-year-old defender is starting to build up his identity in the NHL as a two-way, smooth-skating defenceman, and it’s resulting in some sustainable offensive production playing alongside Mike Matheson.

Barron’s decision-making with the puck and newfound trust in his shooting ability, both aspects of his game that he worked hard to improve while in the AHL this year, have helped him reach another level with the Canadiens.

MUST READ: Justin Barron On Development In Laval, Finding Identity

Over the last month, Barron has routinely been able to find open ice in the offensive zone and support the Canadiens’ forwards in sustaining offensive zone pressure.

He’s been more active on his feet and aggressive in his involvement in the play, playing the role of rover to great results as of late, given the significant increase in responsibilities.

He showed those offensive aptitudes again tonight, joining Nick Suzuki and Rafaël Harvey-Pinard on the rush in the offensive zone and firing home a shot off a beautiful feed from Suzuki.

As long as Barron can maintain his strong offensive-zone play, while continuing to polish his defensive game, he’ll be a big part of the Canadiens’ future moving forward.

 

 

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