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Canadiens Postgame

Habs Highlights: Patrik Laine Can’t Stop Scoring Powerplay Goals

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The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night, a battle of two teams hoping to take the next step in their respective rebuilds.



The game was decided in the shootout, where the newest member of the team once again found a way to make an impact, leading to a 3-2 shootout win for the Canadiens.

Before we get going with the instant recap, I wanted to drop a note regarding Amazon Prime’s handling of the broadcast. I tend to watch French feeds, especially if Pierre Houde is on the call, but several fans had mentioned they were impressed with the new Monday-night presentation, so I decided to give it a shot.

It was fantastic, and it wasn’t only the broadcast itself that impressed, but I must say it was the highest quality feed I’ve ever seen for a hockey game. The presentation was top-notch, and the analysis was excellent. It also felt like there were fewer ads, which led to more of their exceptional highlight packages. Full marks to the video editors for producing such high-quality replays in such a short time frame, not to mention everyone else that worked on the broadcast, both in front and behind cameras.  I’ll certainly make an effort to watch their feed next time the Canadiens are on the docket.

Alright, let’s dive into the highlights!

Laine Impact

On Sunday, we discussed a few things to expect once newcomer Patrik Laine has a chance to find his rhythm. But if there’s one thing that’s already improved significantly, it’s the team’s powerplay.

The Habs had put together a serviceable powerplay prior to Laine’s arrival, but their low shooting rate was a symptom of a situation that could collapse at any moment. With Laine on the ice during the man advantage, the Canadiens have managed to generate almost twice the high-danger chances than their season average.

It’s not rocket science. Laine simply likes shooting whenever the opportunity arises, a nice change of pace compared to most forwards in the lineup. The 26-year-old sniper scored his third powerplay goal in four games, with assists being given to Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson. With the assist, Hutson extended his point streak to seven games, setting a Canadiens record in the process. It should be noted the Habs were on the powerplay because Kirby Dach drew a penalty less than three minutes into the first period.

What’s Up Dach?

The other Laine-related issue we discussed was the underwhelming 5v5 numbers produced by the second line, which also features Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky. It’s too early to panic about early 5v5 stats, and thanks to Laine’s penchant for scoring on the powerplay, the team can afford to give the three big men more time to find their rhythm, and hopefully form a little more chemistry.

Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal helped in that regard when he coughed up a puck five minutes into the second period, leading to Dach’s second goal of the season, not to mention a much-needed dose of catharsis for the 23-year-old forward. It was perfect timing, not only because Dach was desperate to score, but also due to the fact that the Habs had allowed the Ducks to score twice following Laine’s powerplay goal.


The second line still isn’t at the point where you’d suggest they should be kept together for the foreseeable future, but they did seem to have a little more pep in their step following the early Christmas gift from Dostal.


Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Losing against the Washington Capitals after an honest effort is one thing, but being outshot by the Ducks is another. Monday night’s game was far from embarrassing for Martin St-Louis’ troops, as the high-danger chances at 5v5 were almost evenly split (8-9), but you’d like to see the Canadiens approach winnable games with a little more vigor.

Thankfully, Samuel Montembeault made big saves in the final moments of the third period, a recurring theme for the Team Canada netminder. After the Ducks failed to score on several quality scoring chances in overtime, the game went to a shootout, the first of the year for Montembeault.

Patrik Laine opened things up by scoring thanks to his excellent release, and Cole Caufield follow it up with a nice goal of his own. Combined with Montembeault’s two saves, the Canadiens earned their first shootout win of the year.


The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday, they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET. All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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