There are unfair defeats. For example, the one suffered in a shootout two weeks ago at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. Then there are those that are fully deserved. Like that of Thursday evening, against the same team.
And again, the score of 6-5 is very far from reflecting the pace of the meeting. Because the Habs offered one of their worst defensive efforts of the season. Perhaps his worst.
From the start of the match, at the end of a moving ceremony marking the death of singer Karl Tremblay, the Knights invaded Montreal territory with disconcerting ease and began shelling the locals’ net.
In total, the Knights made 93 shot attempts, signing one of the most sustained volleys in the entire league this season. At five on five as well as on the power play, we saw a perfectly oiled machine at work. That, in short, of a reigning Stanley Cup champion team.
At the Habs, we mainly tried to survive… and it didn’t work. Like the vulnerable club that it ultimately is.
The worst part is that, for a rare time in a long time, the puck was finally rolling for CH at the start of the game. At one point in the first period, Vegas had a 13-4 advantage in shots on goal, but still trailed 2-0.
“We were probably lucky, because it’s not like we played to lead 2-0,” noted Nick Suzuki at the end of the evening. It could have been 4-0 for them. »
“We were even lucky that it was 4-4 after two periods,” added Johnathan Kovacevic.
According to the defender, we were perplexed in the locker room during the second intermission. At the same time, against the Flames, the day before, everyone kept the knife between their teeth, despite a one-goal deficit. “We knew we played better than them. »
However, against the Knights, with an equal score, we tried “to take the positive and change the trend”. “Unfortunately, we were unable to,” Kovacevic noted.
“They were stealing space from us everywhere, on the forecheck and in the neutral zone,” he continued. It was hard to progress with the puck. It was a difficult match. »
Indeed.
Martin St-Louis, as usual, did not distribute the blame after the meeting. But he had to be “honest”, as he himself emphasized.
“We played with fire and we got burned,” he summed up. We helped them create attack. We did some great things, but too many bad ones. »
In these circumstances, “against a similarly good team […], it’s hard to win.”
Among the “beautiful things”, there is, it must be admitted, this offensive touch displayed at the exit of the blocks. Alex Newhook ended a 13-game drought. Johnathan Kovacevic got his first point of the season. Jesse Ylönen had a strong game offensively despite limited ice time. His trio, however, struggled as much as the others defensively.
St-Louis certainly formulated its clearest criticism of Brendan Gallagher, who received, for the second time in two games, a penalty at the very end of the third period. Casually, 14 of his 18 minutes spent in the cell this season were imposed on him in the last engagement. Three times he was caught at fault during the last four minutes of play.
“This can’t be happening,” his coach said succinctly. Especially when the opponent is one of the best clubs in the league and they take the opportunity to score two goals.
Finally, many things that cannot happen happened on Thursday evening. Missing your departure, offering the enclave as a gift, abandoning your guardian…
“There is a lot to learn from this match,” said Johnathan Kovacevic, who expected a tough video session this Friday.
Players better bring some snacks. Because there will be a long film to watch.
