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Canadiens Set Unenviable Record As They Crash And Burn Late
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- Canadiens Set Unenviable Record As They Crash And Burn Late
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the poor Winnipeg Jets at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night. The visitors came to town having lost their last nine games, making them, at least on paper, easy prey for the Sainte-Flanelle, but the match is played on the ice as Montreal found out. The game also gave us a chance to see the new Hometown Remix jerseys in action, as the hosts wore them for the first of 10 times this year.
As has been the case lately, a lot of scouting staff were in the press gallery. Most notably, the Anaheim Ducks sent director of pro scouting and former Quebec Nordiques player Tony Hrkac; the Calgary Flames sent head of pro scouting Steven Pleau; the Dallas Stars sent head pro scout Craig Bonner; and the Philadelphia Flyers sent assistant GM Alyn McCauley. Given how close to a crash landing the Jets were, though, it's a real possibility that they were the team being scouted.
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Skinner In A Spot Of Bother
The Jets may have three netminders on their roster, but they keep going back to Stuart Skinner for reasons unknown. He has been in net for six of the Jets' last nine losses and surrendered five goals in each of his last two starts, being yanked out of the game both times.
In the first frame, the Habs tested him only seven times, but that was enough to score twice. Owen Beck beat him from the defensive-zone left faceoff circle, and Josh Anderson beat him on a backhand from the high slot. That made the Bell Centre crowd start chanting his name with the same energy as Superintendent Chalmers, A.K.A. Hank Azaria, whenever Seymour Skinner messed up on The Simpsons.
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In the next two periods, the Habs had seven more shots, but they could add only one goal in each. That was a 4-0 lead that should have been enough for the Canadiens to skate away with the two points, but it wasn't. Skinner had the last laugh and won a game for the first time since October 13.
A Proud Moment For the Xhekaj Family
By now, the Xhekajs are used to playing together, but on Tuesday night, for the first time, they both had a hand in the same goal. Each brother got an assist on Beck's tally. They became the ninth set of brothers in Canadiens' history to get a point on the same goal. The last pair to do it was the Kostistyn brothers in 2009, but Odie and Sprague Cleghorn first accomplished the feat more than 100 years ago, on March 5, 1925. Unfortunately for the Xhekajs, though, that won't be what their night will be remembered for.
Fowler Power
While the Canadiens were heavily favoured to win, they led for 58 minutes, but as Martin St-Louis said, they were winning, but they weren't beating the Jets. If the youngster looked human in his last start against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was in top form on Tuesday, multiplying the saves and throwing in some spectacular ones as well. After 40 minutes, he had already made 30 saves, and it looked like he was getting to the Jets, but they didn't give up.
Although Fowler gave up five goals on the night, the loss wasn't on him at all. After the game, Jets coach Scott Arniel said:
"...that young Fowler kid? Wow... that's twice now I've seen him, and I don't want to see him again..."
- Arniel on Fowler
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That illustrates how well Fowler played, and the Jets coach will be happy to know that was the last game between the two teams this season.
An Historical Collapse
With a 4-0 lead in the third frame, Arber Xhekaj dropped the gloves against Winnipeg's tough guy Tyrel Bauer, a tilt most people had predicted before the puck dropped. Although he hadn't fought in nearly 10 months, Xhekaj won his bout and received an ovation from the crowd on his way to the box. In the very next shift, the Canadiens dominated puck possession in the Jets' zone, and it looked like the fight had given them momentum. However, a little over two minutes later, Florian joined him in the box for roughing while Neil Pionk suffered the same fate for the Jets.
As soon as their penalty ended, the younger Xhekaj jumped on Pionk and tried to get him to fight, but the defenseman had none of it. Captain Adam Lowry took over, threw his mitts against number 63, and made short work of the bout. With 4:58 left in the game, it was a big momentum swing.
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With 2:40 left in the game, the Jets got on the board and added another 42 seconds later. A minute later, with six skaters on the ice, they scored a third and then, on a power play, a fourth at 19:27. They finished the job in overtime on a Lane Hutson turnover, point, set, and match Winnipeg. No matter how you look at it, the better team on the night won.
Speaking after the game, St-Louis refused to blame either Xhekaj for the loss:
We got what we deserved if you look at the whole game. Forget about the score or anything else; Winnipeg was the better team tonight. But it was 4-0, and they scored with 2:40 to go; it's how you let that game slip away…it's a shame, and it's hard to explain how it happened. I've never been part of a game like that. […] The first fight was ok; in the second, we led 4-0 with five minutes left. I don't think that, at that point, you think it will affect the game.
- St-Louis refused to throw Florian Xhekaj under the bus.
The Canadiens will need to bounce back from that tough loss, but as Kaiden Guhle said, it's similar to the loss against the San Jose Sharks and, just like then, the sun will come up in the morning. Still, the NHL confirmed that this four-goal comeback was the latest in league history. No team had ever been down by four with 2:40 left and managed to win the game. That's hardly a record the Canadiens wanted to be a part of.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains .
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