Thursday afternoon, traffic is heavy in Montreal. A mixture of snow, accidents and cones that create the “winning conditions” explaining the series of empty benches at the Bell Center in the evening.
This is where the good Yves Desautels, the eyes and ears of motorists at CBF, warned listeners that they were going to arrive late “for the defeat of the Canadian”.
It is unknown whether or not Mr. Desautels follows hockey. But in this specific case, he saw what everyone who watched the Kings-Canadian two weeks ago feared. These two teams do not breathe the same air and, apart from the exceptional evening here and there where the underdogs will give everything and will benefit from a generous opposing goalkeeper, the result will be quite predictable.
This time, it was settled 4-0, like two weeks ago, in favor of the Californians.
Once again, the famous 1-3-1 of the Kings – formation which aims to leave very little space in the neutral zone – was on everyone’s lips after the game.
“We all know that they wait for the opponents at 1-3-1. Few teams do it, noted forward Brendan Gallagher. […] They don’t want to draw too much attention to it, because they know that eventually, the league will adjust. »
One team had the talent to take advantage of the opponent’s rare errors, the other had bad luck (two posts), missed the net or gave rivals chances as a gift. So when Josh Anderson and his team deployed a freeway in the neutral zone to Drew Doughty in the first period, the defender wasn’t asking for that much. A few seconds later it was 1-0.
“It’s a very organized team in all areas and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” noted defender Mike Matheson. Their coverage is good, their execution is good. »
In fact, it was a duel between two clubs which are at very different stages.
The Kings rose to fame 10 years ago; as evidenced by their two Stanley Cups. But then came a slump, marked by three consecutive exclusions from the playoffs, from 2019 to 2021. They obtained three top 10 picks, namely Alex Turcotte, Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke.
Turcotte is still waiting, but Byfield, three years later, is showing why he deserved to be selected 2nd overall. Kaiden Guhle is an excellent defender, so when he turns into a turbine like he did in front of Byfield at the end of the first period, it says a lot about the quality of the opponent.
Comparisons between Byfield and Juraj Slafkovsky come up often, mainly because they are two colossi who were drafted early. Slafkovsky continues to play with poise and was dominant along the boards again on Thursday, but he remains stuck at 7 points in 26 games.
Byfield, two years older than Slafkovsky, now has 21 points in 23 outings. It seems to be the big outbreak. The year where the value of a player is no longer measured only by the proverbial little things.
At 19, Slafkovsky isn’t there yet. “I know Q a little, I know he had a hard time at the beginning,” recalled Canadian captain Nick Suzuki. It’s a tough league at 18. He’s had his time in the American League and has some good players to learn from in LA. We see his game evolve this season. Because of Connor and what the other Connor does, it seems like people expect players to be good at 18. But it takes time. »
An interesting reflection in light of the identity of one of the visitors on Thursday. Pierre-Luc Dubois, at the risk of rehashing bad memories for some, monopolized the headlines in June when it became clear that the Jets would trade him. Even if it was a transaction, Winnipeg had every interest in sending him where he wanted to sign a contract extension, which he did with the Kings, for eight years. “My dream is to win the Stanley Cup. I look at the staff, the players, and I see this opportunity,” he said at the time of the trade.
Whether Montreal simply served as a negotiating lever or not matters little. One fact remains: He aspired to great honors and the Kings play like a team that aspires to them. Meanwhile, the other head coach in this flirtation consoles himself by reminding himself that his team is “learning to play hockey.”
To be continued once summer comes, when other players in their prime will also arrive at choice time.
