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Canadiens Wrap

Habs Wrap: Anderson Resurgence, Playoffs, Demidov, Xhekaj

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Montreal Canadiens forward JOsh Anderson

MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens news to be absorbed on a daily basis, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sundays, we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Canadiens loop.

Monday

Before we get to the playoff results, we have to send some praise Pascal Vincent’s way. Not only did the new head coach of the Laval Rocket guide his team to the top spot in the AHL standings, he used key prospects in important roles, thus combining winning with development, the perfect situation for any affiliate. Laval will receive a bye into the second round of the playoffs, which means they will face the winners of the Toronto-Cleveland series, but in the meantime they can celebrate the fact that Vincent was named the most outstanding coach in the AHL. [Canadiens News: Pascal Vincent Named Coach Of The Year]

The Washington Capitals started the series on the right foot, dominating the physical battles before establishing a well-deserved 2-0 lead. However, the Canadiens, as per tradition, fought back.

A goal from Cole Caufield lifted the team when it needed it most, giving captain Nick Suzuki a perfect opportunity to tie the game late in the third period. Unfortunately, Alex Ovechkin scored the overtime winner, but all things considered, it wasn’t a terrible game when we consider the discrepancy in the standings between both teams. [Montreal Canadiens Comeback Effort Cut Short By Ovechkin Dominance]

Lane Hutson and Co. did not blame the referees, even if there were ample opportunities to do so. Let’s be honest, poor officiating is a topic for fans, not players. Hutson was quick to point to his own issues against the Capitals.

Brendan Gallagher took some lumber to the jaw early in the game, but he was also quick to dismiss any sort of criticism in regard to the calls. Or rather, the lack of calls in some cases.

Tuesday

Before we get to the playoff results, we have to send some praise Pascal Vincent’s way. Not only did the new head coach of the Laval Rocket guide his team to the top spot in the AHL standings, he used key prospects in important roles, thus combining winning with development, the perfect situation for any affiliate. Laval will receive a bye into the second round of the playoffs, which means they will face the winners of the Toronto-Cleveland series, but in the meantime they can celebrate the fact that Vincent was named the most outstanding coach in the AHL. [Canadiens News: Pascal Vincent Named Coach Of The Year]

The Washington Capitals started the series on the right foot, dominating the physical battles before establishing a well-deserved 2-0 lead. However, the Canadiens, as per tradition, fought back.

A goal from Cole Caufield lifted the team when it needed it most, giving captain Nick Suzuki a perfect opportunity to tie the game late in the third period. Unfortunately, Alex Ovechkin scored the overtime winner, but all things considered, it wasn’t a terrible game when we consider the discrepancy in the standings between both teams. [Montreal Canadiens Comeback Effort Cut Short By Ovechkin Dominance]

Lane Hutson and Co. did not blame the referees, even if there were ample opportunities to do so. Let’s be honest, poor officiating is a topic for fans, not players. Hutson was quick to point to his own issues against the Capitals.

Brendan Gallagher took some lumber to the jaw early in the game, but he was also quick to dismiss any sort of criticism in regard to the calls. Or rather, the lack of calls in some cases.

Wednesday

The Canadiens may have lost Game 1, but there are several positives the team can build on as they head into Game 2. Most notably, the team’s top line, led by captain Nick Suzuki, had a fantastic game from an offensive standpoint. [Montreal Canadiens Playoff Positives To Build On Vs. Washington]

Even though the Canadiens did well to find their rhythm in Game 1, the early dominance from Washington in physical battles was cause for concern. Arber Xhekaj would certainly improve the team’s physicality, but more importantly, he has a healthy track record alongside Jayden Struble. David Savard, on the other hand, struggled in the regular season, but his play in the first game of the series was far from a problem. [Montreal Canadiens Roster Talk: The Arber Xhekaj Debate]

It’s hard not to appreciate Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery, especially since he’s done nothing but compliment the Canadiens in the last week.

Thursday

The Canadiens lost Game 2 of the series versus the Washington Capitals, but not for a lack of trying. Samuel Montembeault held the fort long enough for the Habs to find their rhythm, but it was too little, too late. Incidentally, head coach Martin St-Louis benched Patrik Laine, however, you’d be hard-pressed to argue he was bringing much to the table at 5v5. [Montembeault Holds Fort, Laine Benched, Canadiens Fall Short]

Let’s make one thing clear, officials aren’t biased, and they’re not the reason the Habs are down 2-0 in the series. That being said, some of the ugly cross-checks that have gone uncalled are hard to ignore.


The cross-check on Cole Caufield in the dying minutes of the third period wasn’t necessarily as vicious as the one on Brendan Gallagher, but it was clearly a penalty, and the referee was staring at the play.

Speaking of Montembeault, he’s been very good, but statistically speaking, Logan Thompson has been better. Thompson is giving up some second-chance scoring opportunities, and he’s been caught out of position a few times, but he’s doing a great job stopping every clean shot.

montreal canadiens stats

ICYMI: Even though the Canadiens did well to find their rhythm in Game 1 and Game 2, the early dominance from Washington in physical battles was cause for concern. Arber Xhekaj would certainly improve the team’s physicality, but more importantly, he has a healthy track record alongside Jayden Struble. David Savard, on the other hand, struggled in the regular season, but his play in the first game of the series was far from a problem. [Montreal Canadiens Roster Talk: The Arber Xhekaj Debate]

Friday

The Montreal Canadiens are excited to be back home, where the Bell Centre faithful can help them set the tone. The Canadiens maintained a 23-12-6 record at home throughout the regular season. Regardless of what happens on Friday night, having a little playoff hockey will do the city good as it starts to stretch its legs before the summer arrives.

Head coach Martin St-Louis was coy as he discussed the officiating in the first two games of the series versus the Washington Capitals.


No one is expecting the Canadiens will win the Stanley Cup, but that doesn’t mean they can’t steal a game or two by looking to new line combinations. A late-game change by head coach Martin St-Louis on Wednesday night offered some evidence to suggest Ivan Demidov, Jake Evans, and Alex Newhook work well together. [A New Playoff Hope Emerges For Canadiens and Ivan Demidov]

Game 3 may feature Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas, who usually plays on a line with Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Oh, and that lines is usually one of the most dominant in the league. It remains to be seen if Protas has fully recovered from the laceration on his foot, but he did make the trip to Montreal.

Why does it not surprise me that someone complained about the word ‘go’?

Saturday

The first big news of the day was defenceman Arber Xhekaj returning to the lineup, while Jayden Struble made his way to the press box.  Xhekaj lined up alongside David Savard on the third pairing. [Canadiens Defenceman Arber Xhekaj Returns To Lineup]

Friday’s game wasn’t just the most entertaining of the playoffs so far, it was also a statement game by the young Montreal Canadiens lineup. The Habs out-hit, outshot, and outplayed the Washington Capitals by a wide margin. As per tradition, the first line did most of the heavy lifting from an offensive standpoint, but it was Josh Anderson and Co. that set the physical tone, which swung the momentum firmly in Montreal’s corner. Unfortunately, both Samuel Montembeault and Logan Thompson were injured in the 6-3 Canadiens win, something that was overshadowed by the brawl that saw Anderson and Tom Wilson spill into the Capitals bench. [Canadiens Win Crazy Game Full Of Goals, Fights, And Injuries]

The main event was clearly Anderson and Wilson getting into the type of situation that will be replayed in playoff promos for years to come. For the record. Wilson went looking for Anderson, and if we’re being honest, it probably wasn’t a great idea, seeing as the Canadiens took over the game after the wild brawl came to an end. [MUST SEE: Canadiens Anderson Fights Wilson On Capitals Bench]

Lost in all the chaos was linesman Kyle Flemington doing a hell of a job trying to separate two angry players while navigating the bench.

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