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Key Moments from Canadiens' Defeat Against Kings
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- Key Moments from Canadiens' Defeat Against Kings
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Los Angeles Kings at the Bell Centre, hoping to string together a pair of wins in a bid to solidify their position atop the Atlantic Division standings.
It was far from a banner night for Montreal, as the Kings emerged with a well-deserved 5-1 win.
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Let's dive into the highlights!
Questionable Officiating
It's always important to remember the referees don't target any specific team, but it's also key to acknowledge they make their fair share of bad calls.
The first period featured two fairly questionable decisions, with forward Kirby Dach being the same player penalized on both plays. He was initially called for tripping, which led to a confused reaction by Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis , as no one actually fell on the play.
As soon as Dach was out of the box, the referees called him for high-sticking, however, it was actually the puck that struck Quinton Byfield , not Dach's stick.
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It was not an auspicious start for the 24-year-old forward, especially when we consider he's found his goal-scoring rhythm in recent games.
Timely Scoring
It's very easy to blame the referees, but the fact remains that the Kings were the better team in the first period, as evidenced by their 5-0 advantage in high-danger chances at 5v5.
The Habs were quite lucky to head to the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, via a great Josh Anderson shot, and yet another fantastic Lane Hutson pass.
With the pass, Hutson registered his 82nd point in his 100th NHL game, somehow obliterating all the high expectations put into place prior to his ascension to the best hockey league on earth.
Montreal Canadiens Collapse
The Kings did not waste any time taking advantage of their superior play, scoring three goals in the first five minutes of the second period.
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Former Hab Joel Edmundson scored his first goal of the season, scoring via a heavy shot from the point.
At the risk of being overly critical, Joe Veleno has to do a better job blocking that shot, rather than offering a half-hearted block attempt that simply makes life more difficult for his goalie.
Veleno brings nothing to the table from an offensive standpoint, which means he must provide some value defensively. So far, that's definitely not the case.
Once again, netminder Samuel Montembeault took centre stage, and not for the right reasons. The Kings were clearly dominating the Canadiens once the score was 2-1, but they were gifted an insurance goal by Montembeault when we decided to pass the puck to Kevin Fiala , instead of covering it up.
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I don't want to pile onto the criticism already send Montembeault's way, but there's no denying he's having a hard time with the mental side of the game, and that can take some time to fix.
Martin St-Louis has gone to bat for his starter, which is admirable, and exactly what you want to see from a head coach, however, we've reached the point where you simply can't overlook Montembeault's struggles, even more so when we consider Jakub Dobes is one of the best netminders in the league.
Montembeault has absolutely no confidence in his game, and the rest of the team is mirroring his energy, a common occurrence in hockey.
Too Little
To their credit, the Canadiens offered a better effort in the third period, but they simply could not dial-in their accuracy. Their shots were awful, and their passing was atrocious.
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And it was not a matter of just one or two players struggling. Almost everyone on the roster had a rough outing, including when Lane Hutson lost a puck battle to former Hab Joel Armia , who scored his third goal of the season to give the Kings an unsurmountable 4-1 lead.
Coaching Impact
Not only did all the players have a hard time versus the Kings, so did the Canadiens coach.
St-Louis failed to call a timeout when the Kings held all the momentum on their side, and he insisted on using a goaltender who seems to be making mistakes every night.
The Habs were outchanced 13-5 at 5v5, a clear sign that everything went awry, including the preparation via the head coach.
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On that note, St-Louis did make one interesting lineup modification midway through the third period, placing rookie Ivan Demidov alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on the first line. We'll see if this is a permanent change, but at the very least, St-Louis tried to make a difference, albeit way too late.
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Thursday, facing the Dallas Stars at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick .
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