Habs Highlights: Big Fight, Poor Refereeing, Frustrating Result

The Montreal Canadiens were at the most famous arena on Earth to face the struggling New York Rangers in a rare matinée game.

Even though they’re still ahead of the Habs in the standings, the Rangers have struggled this season after capturing the President’s Trophy in 2023-24. Coming into Saturday’s game, the Blueshirts had lost five straight.

The Canadiens held a huge advantage in high-danger chances at 5v5 (15-6), but thanks to some questionable calls from the referees and a lack of discipline from players who know better, the game was much closer than it should have been.

In the end, the Rangers emerged with an undeserved 4-3 win.

If you want to discuss the Montreal Canadiens after reading this recap, make sure to join me for a fun post-game chat by following this link.

Taking Care Of Business

There was some unfinished business on the docket, as the Canadiens did not forget the ugly hit that knocked out Justin Barron in a previous matchup. Consequently, Josh Anderson quickly invited Trouba to dance, and then proceeded to unload a series of angry punches.

It was a one-sided fight by any measure, and while some may criticize that type of fight, it’s important to remember no one in trying to win a morality contest. That’s just something people on social media do when they want to pat themselves on the back.

The NHL doesn’t protect its players and Trouba has a long history of headshots. Thus, the Habs took matters into their own hands.

Josh Anderson feeds Jacob Trouba his lunch in a rather fun fight. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fa4zju2QOS

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 30, 2024

Matheson Impact

The Rangers took an early lead thanks to Artemi Panarin’s 13th goal of the season, but the Habs responded a little over two minutes later. Mike Matheson’s second goal of the year was assisted by Brendan Gallagher and Juraj Slafkovsky, though Christian Dvorak deserves some credit for his strong work in the crease.

Mike Matheson ties the game after some solid work by Gallagher and Dvorak down low. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/3s5C7zntiu

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 30, 2024

Here Come The Zebras

I’m not even going bother with my usual pre-amble regarding the difficulty involved in NHL refereeing, because Saturday’s game featured one of the worst call I’ve seen in decades, and it immediately impacted the game, as the Rangers scored seconds after the unwarranted penalty was called.

Kelly Sutherland decided to give Anderson a roughing call for the following play:

The roughing penalty on Anderson, lol

In my day we just called that a hit. #GoHAbsGo pic.twitter.com/cL4nJWVTYi

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 30, 2024

If you watched the replay and still can’t quite figure out where the penalty took place, that’s because it clearly was not a penalty, but keep an eye on Anderson at the top of the screen. He barely makes contact with a Rangers player, however, Sutherland decided it was roughing.

It was an awful call by a veteran referee that knows better, and it completely changed the momentum of the game. Most employees have to shoulder responsibility when they make a mistake, but not referees. Their poor work influences so much more than just the game, as there’s betting, playoffs, and other factors in play.

Simply put, it was an embarrassing decision by the referees that deserves to be discussed.

More Zebra Fun

The game devolved from there, yet another result of the referees fumbling their assignments. In a scrum mostly started by Rangers’ goaltender Johnathan Quick, the Habs once again managed to end up with the additional penalty.

Juraj Slafkovsky was given a double minor for getting his helmet ripped off, or at least that’s what seemed to happen, as you’d have a hard time justifying a double minor based on Slafkovsky’s actions.

I genuinely respect NHL referees, and mistakes are bound to happen, but on Saturday we were treated to a master class in incompetence that directly influenced a close game. And it wasn’t just poor calls against the Habs. They weren’t saints on Saturday, but they certainly got the short end of the stick.

The Canadiens controlled the high-danger chances, and it wasn’t even close, but their strong work at 5v5 was severely mitigated given the terrible calls.

Here’s what set off the festivities. Quick was quite angry. pic.twitter.com/OycKV6HP0e

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 30, 2024

The Habs responded well to the adversity, which led to Cole Caufield’s 14th goal of the season after he managed to beat Quick with a…fast shot that found the five hole.

Cole Caufield’s 14th goal of the year cuts the Rangers lead to just one. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/1tKvJTAnH7

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 30, 2024

The Canadiens would not go quietly in the night, as they proceeded to tie the game after Lane Hutson made a perfect pass to Suzuki in a high-danger area. It was Suzuki’s ninth goal of the season, not to mention the second time in two games that Hutson set up the team’s captain for a crucial goal.

A perfect pass by Lane Hutson leads to this Nick Suzuki goal. Tie game. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/trh5cbi4RX

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 30, 2024

Unfortunately, Kirby Dach managed to take a double-minor penalty in the dying minutes of the third period, a continuation of what has been a very difficult season for the 23-year-old centre. You could argue Martin St-Louis shouldn’t have sent him on the ice with very little time remaining, and you’d have a point, but it was yet another poor decision from Dach that put the Canadiens in a very difficult situation.

The Rangers scored a powerplay goal shortly afterwards, sealing Montreal’s fate after what was a genuinely strong effort.

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action immediately, facing the Boston Bruins on Sunday, at 3 pm ET. All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.