Habs Weekly: Two Crucial Wins
The Habs had three crucial games in the standings this past week. They won two of them to continue to hold onto a playoff spot but the way they lost the other one will be a source of frustration for them for a while.
The Week That Was
Mar. 17: Canadiens 3, Bruins 2 (OT) – The Habs didn’t get off to a great start to this one as they trailed early following a power play goal but Nick Suzuki got it back before the end of the frame. Pavel Zacha’s second of the night gave the Bruins the lead in the second but Josh Anderson erased that before the end of the period as well. After a goalless third period, Cole Caufield picked a good time to get his 40th of the season, tipping home a Suzuki shot to give Montreal the critical extra point.
Mar. 19: Red Wings 3, Canadiens 1 – One thing with this edition of the Canadiens is that they like to play a high-octane, free-wheeling game. That’s not how the playoffs generally go. Instead, things are much tighter. This game was a good reminder of how the Habs are going to have to win if they make the postseason. They couldn’t muster up much offensively but played a good enough defensive game. However, a late giveaway from Mike Matheson put Alex DeBrincat on a mini breakaway and he potted the winner with 3:25 remaining, denying the Habs a shot at getting at least one point.
Mar. 21: Canadiens 7, Islanders 3 – The first 40 minutes of this showed how strange hockey can be. The Habs played great in the first period but were losing after 20 minutes. They could barely get over centre for most of the second period but two late goals gave them the lead. After Matthew Schaefer tied it early in the third, the top line went to work and simply took over. The end result was a five-goal game from that trio (including power play markers) and a victory in a game that was closer than the score would suggest.
StatPack
Skaters:
| # | Player | GP | G | A | +/- | PIMS | SOG | ATOI |
| 8 | Mike Matheson | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 2 | 6 | 22:14 |
| 11 | Brendan Gallagher | 3 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 2 | 6 | 11:46 |
| 13 | Cole Caufield | 3 | 4 | 4 | +2 | 0 | 10 | 18:18 |
| 14 | Nick Suzuki | 3 | 1 | 6 | +2 | 10 | 6 | 21:30 |
| 15 | Alex Newhook | 3 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 5 | 10:53 |
| 17 | Josh Anderson | 1 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 0 | 3 | 13:21 |
| 20 | Juraj Slafkovsky | 3 | 3 | 3 | +1 | 0 | 12 | 18:53 |
| 21 | Kaiden Guhle | 3 | 1 | 2 | +3 | 16 | 6 | 18:25 |
| 24 | Phillip Danault | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 2 | 2 | 14:46 |
| 45 | Alexandre Carrier | 3 | 0 | 1 | +2 | 6 | 0 | 19:44 |
| 47 | Jayden Struble | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 2 | 0 | 13:48 |
| 48 | Lane Hutson | 3 | 0 | 2 | E | 2 | 5 | 22:27 |
| 53 | Noah Dobson | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 | 9 | 22:50 |
| 71 | Jake Evans | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 8 | 17:08 |
| 76 | Zachary Bolduc | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 10 | 14:38 |
| 85 | Alexandre Texier | 3 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 5 | 13:00 |
| 90 | Joe Veleno | 2 | 0 | 0 | E | 0 | 2 | 11:39 |
| 91 | Oliver Kapanen | 3 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 12:14 |
| 93 | Ivan Demidov | 3 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 | 4 | 13:37 |
Goalies:
| # | Player | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
| 32 | Jacob Fowler | 1-0-0 | 3.00 | .864 | 0 |
| 75 | Jakub Dobes | 1-1-0 | 1.95 | .927 | 0 |
Team Leaders:
Goals: Cole Caufield (43)
Assists: Nick Suzuki (61)
Points: Nick Suzuki (85)
+/-: Nick Suzuki (+27)
PIMS: Arber Xhekaj (108)
Shots: Cole Caufield (208)
News And Notes
– Josh Anderson suffered an upper-body injury against Boston and is believed to be day-to-day. Meanwhile, Kirby Dach’s injury will keep him out for two to four weeks, giving him a chance at returning before the end of the season.
– Nick Suzuki surpassed his assist total from last season (59) with his four-assist game versus the Islanders.
– For a brief moment, it looked like Zach Bolduc had snapped his goalless drought against New York but his goal was called back for offside. As a result, his slump now sits at 30 games; he has nine assists in that stretch.
Last Game’s Lines:
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov
Bolduc – Evans – Texier
Veleno – Danault – Gallagher
Matheson – Dobson
Struble – Hutson
Guhle – Carrier
The Week Ahead
Tuesday vs Carolina, Sunday at Carolina – The Hurricanes have been in the driver’s seat in the Metropolitan for most of the year and haven’t been pressured too much, hovering around a points lead between eight and 12 for most of the year. They’re one of the top-scoring teams in the league and one of the stingier defensive ones, although their goaltending has been a bit shakier as of late with Brandon Bussi starting to crack a bit. They’re a high-volume team when it comes to shots on goal. They’re first in the conference in that department, nearly 400 ahead of the Habs.
Thursday vs Columbus – On top of Boston and Detroit being right in the thick of things, the Blue Jackets have been even hotter since Rick Bowness took over as head coach (18-3-4). They’re more of a score-by-committee team with only Kirill Marchenko and Zach Werenski having 20 goals or more; Werenski leads the way offensively with 75 points. Jet Greaves has become a legitimate starting goaltender, giving them some reliability between the pipes which is something they were lacking in recent years.
Saturday at Nashville – Although the Predators sold at the trade deadline (including moving former Hab Michael McCarron), they find themselves right in the thick of the Wild Card race now. Juuse Saros missed time this week but has since returned to the lineup, giving them their top starter back. Steven Stamkos has found his scoring touch again, potting 33 to lead the team while he leads the league in game-winners. Very quietly, Luke Evangelista has bounced back significantly this year and is in a battle for the team lead in assists despite not being a top-liner.
Final Thought
There has been a clear and defined big three on Montreal’s back end this season – Lane Hutson, Noah Dobson, and Mike Matheson. But there is another player who should be making that a big four and is being paid to have that type of impact, Kaiden Guhle. That hasn’t been the case too often, however.
Another long-term injury derailed what was a decent start to his campaign and for a while, he looked a step slow and a bit tentative. Along the way, his usage has varied considerably, with Martin St. Louis trying to take advantage of early-game momentum if things are going well and holding him back if there are some early struggles. But with Alexandre Carrier not having the type of impact he did a year ago and the duo of Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble not being trusted on a period-to-period basis at times, the Habs don’t have the luxury of not relying on Guhle as much as they need to.
While a few games aren’t enough to make any definitive conclusions, this past week certainly felt like a step in the right direction. Anchoring the third pairing with Carrier and not being counted on as much to log over 20 minutes a night, Guhle has responded with some of his best hockey of the season. If the Habs are going to get to the playoffs and attempt to have some success, they’re going to need more than three blueliners leading the way. Guhle giving them a fourth reliable option would be huge for the Canadiens as a result. Here’s hoping he can keep it up.