Another weekend, another back-to-back for the Montreal Canadiens, and they were starting this time in Illinois to take on the lowly Chicago Blackhawks. In what felt like the most winnable game of the two for them, the Habs fell 4-2 despite putting 40 shots on goal for the first time this season. Arvid Soderblom was the difference, handing the Habs a rare loss where their output deserved a far better result.
It felt a lot like a taste of what Samuel Montembeault has served opposing teams over the last two seasons.
Soderblom frustrated the Habs, essentially from pillar to post. The first period was close, but the Habs started taking over the game during the second period, and it didn’t look particularly close from there. Some defensive lapses allowed the Blackhawks to get the goals they needed, but they were heavily reliant on their goaltender to make sure those were enough.
Montreal didn’t just hit the 40-shot mark for the first time, they held a significant advantage in scoring chances, high-danger chances, and expected goals. They were the better team by virtually every statistical margin in terms of output, and they ran into a hot goaltender. It is a story they’ve been on the other side of enough times to understand, and while it may be frustrating to watch, we can take solace in the fact that replicating that effort should end in wins for them more often than losses.
This wasn’t a bad game. There were certainly some issues in the defensive zone to clean up, but it was a win-worthy effort overall. All they can do is figure out how to play a similarly strong offensive game against Colorado tonight, as they’ll likely need it against a team with plenty of talent in their forward group.
The Habs have seen enough superior teams fall to Montembeault’s exploits to know what the other side of a game like that feels like. If they are now becoming the kind of team that can be the aggressor in these games, it’s a good sign.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. It’s a back-to-back, so we’ll have another episode tonight after the Habs take on the Colorado Avalanche, still on the road.
