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Canadiens Postgame

Habs Highlights: Juraj Slafkovsky Leads The Charge In Big Win

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montreal canadiens hutson suzuki slafkovsky laine caufield

The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Carolina Hurricanes at the Bell Centre, looking to build on the momentum they created during their dominant win against the Ottawa Senators.

Historically, the Hurricanes have carried the play in most games against the Habs, but Montreal flipped the script on Tuesday night, emerging with a well-deserved 4-0 win against a very tough opponent. Samuel Montembeault made 21 saves in the shutout effort, while veteran Mike Matheson played a big role in shutting down the Canes’ offence.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

Flying Out Of The Gate

The Canadiens weren’t particularly dominant in the first period, as both teams took 15 shot attempts at 5v5, but they did do a much better job than the Hurricanes when it came to capitalizing on scoring chances.

Juraj Slafkovsky got the party going by using his size advantage to create chaos in front of Frederik Andersen. His superior strength gave him an opportunity to tip the Jayden Struble point shot, leading to the opening goal of the game.

It’s a continuation of his strong play in recent games, an encouraging sign for the youngest player in the lineup. And yes, there’s a reason why I almost always mention Slafkovsky is the youngest player in this lineup. It usually leads to fans

We should probably give credit to Nick Suzuki for the zone entry, not to mention his decision-making that kept the play alive long enough for some of his teammates to complete their line change.

Secondary Montreal Canadiens Scoring! (In This Economy?)

While it’s not exactly surprising to see the first line open the scoring, the second line following suit is a rare event. Thanks to some strong play from Owen Beck, which featured his relentless work on the forecheck, the second line managed to score an even-strength goal. You’ll note they did so without Kirby Dach, who missed Tuesday’s game with an injury.

I’m not saying the only reason they scored was because Dach was absent, but it was nice to see someone on the second line skate with purpose and intensity. Beck doesn’t hesitate to head to the dirty areas of the ice, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need to get a line going.

Oh Captain, My Captain

Every time the Habs and Hurricanes play, one team ends up taking an unreasonable number of penalties because they’re forced to chase the puck. That’s exactly what happened on Tuesday, however, it was the Habs that forced the Hurricanes to chase the play, which is definitely a reversal of fortune for Martin St-Louis’ team.

Suzuki made Carolina pay for their lack of discipline by scoring a clean powerplay goal midway through the second period. Cole Caufield assisted on the play, marking his 200th point in the NHL. He’s the fastest Habs player to reach that mark in the last three decades.

Shooting Lane

Lane Hutson scored his fourth goal of the year while the Habs were on the powerplay, and though Slafkovsky did not register his name on the scoresheet, he did put his frame to good work by quickly making his way to the crease. Perhaps I’m not remembering correctly, but I don’t think I’ve seen Slafkovsky head to the net with such ferocity and frequency since he entered the league.

We should also note Laine earned his third point of the game, his second three-point effort since his season got underway in December. Say what you will about his 5v5 play, but there’s no doubting Laine adds a crucial element to the man advantage. Just the threat of a Laine shot is enough to draw most of the opposing team’s attention.

Not With A Bang, But With A Whimper

Before we end this recap, I wanted to drop a quick note about former Hab Jesperi Kotakniemi. Much has been said about the entire offer sheet fiasco, but when we look at the result, which is Kotkaniemi getting paid way too much to play on the fourth line, I can’t help but feel no one had his best interest in mind. Yes, he got paid a lot of money, but he now holds little to no value on the trade market, which means the Hurricanes are on the hook for his cap hit until 2030, and his self-esteem surely took a hit given his current usage.

It’s a very difficult situation for the 24-year-old forward.

As Karl Alzner once made very clear to me, sometimes big contracts end up being a curse rather than a boon.

What’s worse, fans in Montreal don’t even bother to boo Kotkaniemi anymore, giving us ample evidence to suggest the fans have already moved on. That’s not Montreal’s usual modus operandi. Habs fans hold onto grudges for decades, or longer.

Damn you, Clarence Campbell! You are a snivelling coward. May the fleas of a hundred camels infest your underwear drawer!

Anyhow, no one seems to care about the offer sheet anymore, which is probably a fitting end to an emotion-driven event that seemed world changing at the time, but ended up being fairly inconsequential in the long run.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday. They will host the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre, 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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