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Canadiens Postgame

Canadiens Improve Draft Lottery Outlook In 5-2 Loss To Senators

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1 year ago

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Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens ran out of gas in the second leg of their back-to-back, falling to the Ottawa Senators in a 5-2 loss.

The Canadiens have been playing some inspiring hockey as of late, but it’s usually tied to some exceptional goaltending from either Jake Allen or Samuel Montembeault.

Unfortunately for the Canadiens, Montembeault couldn’t push back the pesky Senators, as they stormed the high-danger area and made life difficult for him in the blue paint.

Rookie Mads Soogard was also quite effective in pushing back the Canadiens’ offence, stopping 29 of 31 shots and coming up big against Montreal’s most dangerous elements early on.

The Canadiens and Senators traded offensive chances for most of the game, but two quick goals in the third period stopped Montreal in their tracks.

The quick goals from Austin Watson and Drake Batherson seemed to suck the life out of both the Canadiens bench and the Montreal faithful, as the Senators cruised to victory.

After going 5-2 in the month of February, the Canadiens were bound to run into a game where the bounces didn’t go their way, and that’s exactly what happened tonight.

Despite the loss, there was a lot to like about the Canadiens’ recent play; and that’s not just the fact that the loss has created additional separation between Montreal and Ottawa in the NHL standings.

We break it down below:

Defence First

Mike Matheson has been the Canadiens’ most consistent defenceman since returning from his most recent injury; taking the role of No.1 defenceman and thriving in it.

The 28-year-old has been a breath of fresh air for the Canadiens, playing the offensive, puck-moving style Habs fans have been clamouring the organization to emulate for years.

He was once again the most noticeable defenceman for the Canadiens; exploding up the ice with possession and commanding the puck in the offensive zone.

It’s becoming a common occurrence to see the Canadiens’ No. 8 fly down the ice and make a play, but tonight, it was his turn to take the puck up the ice and hammer home a goal of his own.

Matheson’s speed and fluid skating has helped him dominate in all three zones, and tonight was no different. With his goal tonight, the veteran defenceman has posted three goals and six assists for nine points in his last nine games.

The Canadiens continue to get a jump in production from their defence, and Matheson has been at the front of the offensive shift.

Finding His Scoring Touch

Nick Suzuki went 24 games with only one goal on his record, a massive drop-off in goal-scoring production after a very difficult road trip.

However, the rest from the All-Star break has seemingly given him a second wind this season, as he’s now potted three goals in his last three games and six points in his last eight games.

The Canadiens captain is starting to find his mojo playing next to Josh Anderson and upstart rookie Rafaël Harvey-Pinard; all while routinely being asked to play upwards of 18-20 minutes a night.

With a goal in today’s game, Suzuki has hit the 20-goal mark for the second time in his career and is one goal away from matching his career-high of 21 goals.

It looks like the Canadiens captain is on the upswing yet again, and that has to be good news for Montreal Canadiens management, as they look for their top youngsters to take the next step in their development this season.

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