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Habs Earn Point Despite Tough Start Against Flyers
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- Habs Earn Point Despite Tough Start Against Flyers
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, aiming to maintain their momentum built in the previous few wins.
It was a shaky start, with the Flyers quickly earning a 3-0 lead, but there's no quit in the Canadiens, as evidenced by them pushing the game to overtime.
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In the long run, the Flyers emerged with a 4-3 shootout win, but the Canadiens should count themselves lucky to at least put one point in the bank.
Let's dive into the highlights!
Goalie Situation Resurfaces
The Habs found themselves chasing the lead from the very get-go, with the Flyers scoring three goals on five shots. The conversation was always going to lead to the goaltender debate following such a tough start, but it's only fair to say the entire team failed to show up in the first period.
Montreal managed just two shots in the first frame, painting an accurate representation of their lack of preparation prior to puck drop.
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It was easily the worst team-wide effort since the start of the season.
That being said, goaltender confidence, or a lack thereof, has a funny way of spreading throughout the lineup.
Montreal's indiscipline and poor defensive coverage was the true catalyst to the first period debacle, however, at some point, Montembeault is going to have to start making some key saves, or Martin St-Louis will have no choice but to make rookie Jakub Dobes his de facto starter.
They're Aliiiiiive
The Habs began the second period with much more enthusiasm, though it would have been rather difficult to do otherwise, considering how they started.
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Kirby Dach offered some much-needed secondary offence, using a fortuitous bounce to score his second goal of the year. It was perfect timing, for both Dach and the Habs. Without trying to put too much pressure on the 24-year-old centre, he needs to quickly find his rhythm, just in case the first line doesn't manage to drive the offence for 82-straight games.
Momentum Switch
The goal seems to have inspired the Canadiens, as they quickly took control of the game with the help of their renewed powerplay prowess.
Once again, it was Ivan Demidov who provided the primary assist, further proving his initial impact on the top powerplay unit was not a coincidence. Nick Suzuki scored his third goal of the year on the play, extending his scoring streak to an impressive 12 games in the process.
Another One
Dach doubled his goal scoring tally midway through the second, making it one of his best efforts of the year, though we do have to give some credit to Lane Hutson . He used his classic shake-and-bake to create time and space in the offensive zone, while Dach made his way to a high-danger scoring area.
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I don't want to spoil his secrets, but it's always funny to see a defending player skate in a straight line while Hutson has the puck. That's a recipe for disaster, as Jacob Gaucher learned on this play.
Montreal Canadiens Super Rookie
With the momentum firmly in their corner, the Canadiens established a 4-3 lead thanks to Demidov, though he was the one finishing the play rather than setting it up, which is his usual modus operandi.
It was also quite interesting to see him take a shot in mid-stride, which is a new weapon in his offensive toolkit.
I know we've hyped the Demidov train with as much coal as the North American market can supply, but I'm not sure if it was enough, as the rookie is clearly and quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the NHL.
Extra Time, Again
This is going to shock Canadiens fans, but the team needed overtime to settle the score.
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It was the third-straight overtime period for the Habs, not to mention their sixth since the start of the year.
Such is life when you are the Cardiac Kids.
After a rather entertaining back-and-forth in overtime, the teams moved on to the shootout, where Trevor Zegras secured the win for the Flyers.
Additional Montreal Canadiens Notes And Statistics
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Even though the Flyers scored three times in five shots to open the game, we have to give credit to Montembeault for some solid goalkeeping in the second period. On top of stopping an important breakaway opportunity, he maintained the one-goal lead in the dying seconds of the second.
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I'd argue Montembeault actually had his best 40 minutes of the year following the rough start.
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Arber Xhekaj is definitely a tough customer, but I'm not sure many NHL players hit harder than Nicolas Deslauriers does with his right hand.
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I have no numbers to back this up, but I am almost certain every single NHL player scores his first goal versus the Habs, just as Nikita Grebenkin did in the third period
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Most of the damage was done on the powerplay, but at 5v5 the Flyers were clearly the better team. They generated 11 quality scoring chances, while the Habs managed just 4.
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The people who wear fluorescent jackets behind the Canadiens net are also the type of dolts who have conversations on speakerphone while taking public transit, or eating in a restaurant.
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The Canadiens may not be perfect. In fact, there's a lot of work to be done before we can consider them contenders, but they may be the most entertaining team in the league.
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As much as the second line has been fun to watch, they're getting outplayed by a wide margin at 5v5. It's probably time to return Zachary Bolduc to the second line, while also considering a promotion for Dach. It would make life a little easier on Demidov.
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Even though it may not last, the Brendan Gallagher , Dach, and Bolduc line did a great job controlling the play versus the Flyers, making them the only trio to tread water at 5v5 on Tuesday.
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It's perfectly normal for rookies to force passes, but we're starting to see Demidov gaining more confidence every game, which is leading to a lot more shots from the rookie.
The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday. They will face the Devils in New Jersey , 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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