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Canadiens Analysis

Montembeault Holds Fort, Laine Benched, Canadiens Fall Short

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3 weeks ago

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The Montreal Canadiens were in Washington on Wednesday night, looking to even-up the series versus the Capitals before returning to the Bell Centre.

Prior to puck drop, Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis made one change that saw Joel Armia promoted to the ‘second line’ (or whatever you want to call it), while rookie Ivan Demidov was relegated to the fourth line, alongside Jake Evans and Emil Heineman.

It may not be a popular decision, but things are moving very quickly out there, and it’s difficult to learn on the fly, even more so in the playoffs, where open ice is at a premium.

The Capitals ended up emerging with a 3-1 win, though the scoreline was fairly flattering, as they scored an empty-net goal while the Canadiens applied immense pressure in the dying minutes of the third period.

It may not provide much solace to fans, but we have to admit very few of us would have expected the Canadiens to be involved in hard-fought games, in the playoffs, versus the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

Low-Even First

It’s hard to get upset when Alex Newhook doesn’t necessarily live up to the billing of a No.2 centre.

Yes, he flubs a lot of chances, but let’s be perfectly honest, he’s playing above his station. He’s paid like a No.3, and he produces like a No.3, it’s as simple as that.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the missed chances aren’t painful to watch, especially when they could have led to an early goal.

In this case, it probably looks worse than it really was, because connecting on quick passes is not the easiest proposal in hockey, but the Habs can’t afford to keep wasting their rare chances.


Physical Battle

If we’re being honest, the lack of physicality, or rather, the perceived lack of physicality from the Canadiens was mostly an issue in the first period of Game One.

That doesn’t mean Arber Xhekaj doesn’t have a role to play in this lineup, but I strongly believe the issue has been overblown.

On that note, Josh Anderson is doing a fairly good job leading the charge in that regard.

Capital Response

The Canadiens’ top line played quite well against Pierre-Luc Dubois and Co. on Monday night, but it was the Capitals’ shutdown line that struck first on Wednesday, thanks to Connor McMichael’s first goal of the playoffs.

It was a very difficult shift for Jayden Struble and David Savard, and when we isolate it, it’s clear one of the two is having a hard time keeping up with the pace of the game, but overall, they’re not currently sinking the Habs. At least not single-handedly. The problem is they’re also being sheltered, which means all the pressure is on the top two pairings.

The Habs could make life easier on themselves by re-uniting Struble and Arber Xhekaj, as the numbers clearly prove they’re a much better pairing, but Savard is one of the few veterans in the lineup, and it’s doubtful he’ll skip his turn, even if he has already announced his retirement once the playoffs are over.

It also must be said that the first line was caught on the ice for an extended shift, leaving them exhausted by the time the Capitals scored.

For the most part, the Habs did a better job defending the rush than they had in most regular-season games, but the Capitals really started to pour it on early in the second period, culminating with Dylan Strome’s first of the playoffs.

If not for Samuel Montembeault’s excellent play, the Montreal Canadiens would have been facing more than a one-goal deficit in the third period. He held the fort when the Habs needed it most, much like he did throughout most of the regular season.

Roster Issues

The second line didn’t magically improve just because Armia replaced Demidov. They struggled all night long. The fact of the matter is the second line has been a disaster all year.

And that includes before Patrik Laine joined the team.

It struggled with Kirby Dach.

It struggles with Newhook.

It struggles with anyone else who ended up as the spare parts used by St-Louis to plug the gaping holes in the lineup.

But again, I have a hard time criticizing the coach or the players in this case. It’s a roster construction issue, and even then, I’m not throwing any daggers towards management.

The Canadiens simply don’t have the personnel in place to match-up with top teams in the NHL, at least not yet.

And we knew that coming into the series.

Modifications

St-Louis addressed the second-line issue in the third period, by benching Laine, and cobbling together a line featuring Demidov, Newhook, and Evans. Mid-game adjustments are definitely not St-Louis’ strong point, but I do like that he attempted to rectify the issue without waiting for the final whistle of the game.

The change seemed to give the Canadiens legs, as they did take over the momentum mid-way through the third period.

Unfortunately, the best chance lacked accuracy, as Evans failed to capitalize on a prime scoring chance.

Game 3 of the Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals first-round series will take place on Friday, at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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Mikeysl

Savard now has a goal in 2 straight games… And we lost both by a goal… I guesz if xhekaj was out there we would lose by 5…right

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Marc Dumont

Things are moving very quickly out there, and Savard is potentially a few days away from retirement. It’s not all that surprising. On that note, he’s not the only defenceman struggling.

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Tony

Huh? So we play to give Savard a nice send off into retirement? I thought we played the game to win.

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Marc Dumont

No, I’m saying it’s not surprising that Savard is struggling. He’s literally at the end of his career.

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Tyrone

I have to say, I was in full support of the Laine benching in the 3rd. His defensive effort was extremely poor in the first 2 periods. Marty has made it clear from day one of the rebuild, long before Laine arrived, some things are non-negotiable. Effort is definitely at the top of that list. You can see why 2 teams have already given up on a guy that’s usually a premier offensive weapon.

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Tony

Sorry to disagree, but the Xhekaj issue has not been overblown. The Caps continued their team aggression again tonight. Cheap shots, slashes, hacks and cross checks to the face. Tag teaming Suzuki after the whistle. Dubois pushes Matheson around after the whistle and Struble just sheepishly watches. And because this team is so soft, poor Anderson has to do all the heavy lifting. This team is not capable of team toughness. It doesn’t have it in them. Not even its big guys (again except for Anderson) can dish out a decent hit. At best, they nudge their opponents. Armia, Laine, Dvorak, can’t hit. The small guys don’t (Gallagher excepted). So there’s that.

And if we’re talking about Xhekaj and his propensity for “mistakes” can we just please acknowledge that the pairing of Savard and Struble is a complete disaster? On the first Cap goal Savard was out of the play nearly in the corner, then he fell down, and by the time he got to the front of the net, McMichael scored (off Savard’s foot no less). Meanwhile, Struble, for the second game in a row took the wrong man in front of the net and left the goalscorer all alone. Two bonehead “mistakes” leading to goals and I didn’t see any consequences. But Xhekaj makes mistakes. As an aside, how many games has Montreal lost because of “mistakes” by the faux quebecois coach? More than one, I suspect.

Maybe what this brief stint in the playoffs is revealing is that the duo of Gorton and Hughes may not really be that smart. The composition of this team is not built for success when it matters. Too many small, soft players. And the selection of St Louis as coach is turning out to have been a monumental mistake.

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Peter

I would like to see Florian Xhekaj be called up as he is on a roll for Laval.

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Mario

You sound like a fan of somebother team…..why mention Quebec coach? He never played for Quebec…..unilingual are so transparent that light doest deviate when light shines on them..🐀

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Peter

Officiating is a disgrace – no powerplays for blantant cross checks to the face!!! So apparently it is open season provided by Bettman to assault players on Canadian teams without any consequence.

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mikey_sl

Must be your first playoffs ever… this happens every year.The rulebook is apparently only a suggestion
HOWEVER, I guarantee they call the puck over the glass and the high stick penalties cause those are more impactful than the cross checking and interference

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