Canadiens Instant Recap: Mailloux Scores First, Caufield Stays Hot

The Montreal Canadiens faced the New York Islanders on Saturday night, a match-up between two teams desperately seeking to put together a healthy stretch of games.

There was some good news from a health perspective, as both Mike Matheson and Juraj Slafkovsky took to the ice for the Habs. Rookie Logan Mailloux replaced Arber Xhekaj on the blue line, while Cayden Primeau was given his second start of the season.

Extra time was required to decide the winner, but in the end, the Islanders emerged with a 4-3 shootout win.

Let’s dive into those highlights!

Cole Train

The Islanders were ready to enter the first intermission with a 2-0 lead, which would have put the Canadiens in an uncomfortable, if not familiar situation. One of the recurring themes of Martin St-Louis’ tenure as head coach is how often the Habs give up the first or second goals of the game. And while the team certainly needs to do better when it comes to the first few shifts of the games, that’s often a question of talent. Rebuilding teams rarely have the advantage in that situation, but they can work hard to get back into the game.

That hasn’t always been the case in the last three years, but Montreal worked hard to get back into Saturday’s game. Cole Caufield’s fifth goal of the season with just a few seconds left in the first period was crucial, as it shifted the momentum back to the Canadiens. Once again, he shot short side from a bad angle, one of his favourite scoring plays. Full marks to Mike Matheson for his patience prior to the pass.

Another angle of the Caufield PP goal. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/XtEMtpQl2p

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 19, 2024

Caufield went on to score his second of the game with a little over two minutes left in the third period, yet another shot that surprised a goaltender short side. The top line has struggled this year, but this play was a good reminder of what they can do when they generate a little speed in the neutral zone.

Cole Caufield ties the game with a little over 2 minutes left in the third period. A very solid shift for the top line. Good speed through the NZ. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/0c8TQPhupf

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 20, 2024

Rookie Reinforcements

Logan Mailloux did not waste any time making his mark in the NHL. His first career goal was the epitome of a snipe, with the first few angles failing to even capture the puck due to the Mailloux’s lightning-quick release.

Logan Mailloux’s first NHL goal is an absolute snipe. None of the angles really captured the puck. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/9GslDJDizl

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 20, 2024

Some may want to discuss his underlying numbers, and yes, they were ugly. The same can be said about Lane Hutson’s stats, but I simply can’t bring myself to criticize the two rookies for a team issue that has existed long before they joined the Canadiens. The Habs are terrible defensively, full stop. That doesn’t mean I believe there’s no room for improvement, but we have to use a little nuance when rookies are thrust into very difficult situations.  What we do know is that both Hutson and Mailloux are quite comfortable in the offensive zone, and when they’re on the ice there’s an uptick in scoring chances on a team that traditionally struggles to score. For example, it took Hutson exactly one shift to set up Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki in high-danger scoring areas, but unfortunately neither capitalized on their early chances.

Le PREMIER en carrière pour Logan Mailloux dans la LNH 🤩 pic.twitter.com/stYr1x1oRY

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) October 20, 2024

The Habs did lose in the shootout, but rookies Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen did a great job when they were called upon. Heineman, in particular, used his great release to find the back of the net. That’s exactly what you want to see from the offensively-inclined rookie. He is quietly enjoying a great start to the season.

SNIPE by Heineman in the shootout: pic.twitter.com/5hibiP0cCI

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 20, 2024

More Montreal Canadiens Notes

– Full marks to the penalty kill, even if the Islanders opened the scoring with a powerplay goal. New York was given six power plays, while the Habs enjoyed five seconds on the man advantage.

– Saturday’s game was a step in the right direction for the Canadiens. They were far from perfect, but they held a healthy share of the high-danger chances.

– Cayden Primeau did not have a great first period, but he responded well to getting a little run support from the team. That’s been quite rare during his sporadic starts he’s been given in the last half a decade.

– The Matheson – Barron pairing had the best stats by a country mile on Saturday night. There was a certain risk involved in putting both puck-moving defencemen together, but it worked out from a statistical standpoint. While Justin Barron was on the ice, the Canadiens controlled 70 percent of the 5v5 shots.

Unfortunately, Barron was caught during what originally appeared to be the Islanders’ game-winning goal, and while there was some contact before the play, you want to see him adopt much safer positioning with the game on the line.

Tough shift for Barron here. Gets caught/hit, and can’t keep up with the play. pic.twitter.com/zePN4EhffE

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 20, 2024

Canadiens vs. Islanders Heat Map

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Tuesday. They will face the Rangers in New York, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted. Via Natural Stat Trick.