First period
- I high-energy start as both teams came to play tonight.
- Montreal is doing the same good work in transition as they did on Saturday. No forwards blowing the zone looking for long passes, just a five-man breakout unit.
- One such breakout is executed by the top line, and a wrist shot from Jayden Struble gets deflected by Juraj Slafkovský to increase his goal streak to two games.
Juraj Slafkovsky is on a roll. Tips home the Jayden Struble shot, 1-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 8:23 PM
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- That’s another double-digit goal-scorer for the Canadiens, giving them 10 in total.
- Mikko Rantanen loses the puck in the corner and looks around to see where it went. It was on the stick of Lane Hutson who picked his pocket perfectly.
- Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were already working well on the forecheck. Now that the biggest player on their line is at the same level, they’re making all kinds of things happen on the ice.
- Arber Xhekaj got too aggressive while forechecking deep in Carolina’s zone, and ends up with a hooking penalty as far away from his net as he could possibly be.
- That was just a two-minute showreel from Jake Evans for all the scouts in attendance.
- Xhekaj gets a breakaway out of the box, but his shot goes off the post. That would have been a popular goal.
- Owen Beck comes down the wall and takes a shot that Frederik Andersen stopped. Moments later, Beck does help get the puck in the net with a screen in front as the puck bounces off a Canes defenceman and in for a 2-0 lead. He picks up his first NHL point on the play.
Patrik Laine with a tip from far out, and het gets a member's bounce as well to make it 2-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 8:38 PM
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- Patrik Laine gets credit, and he’s looked good in this first period. I wonder if he’s been listening to the comments from Slafkovský recently and trying to make something similar happen for himself.
- Brendan Gallagher gets held while trying to skate the puck into the zone, and Laine now has a chance to double up.
- The power play had some chances, with some nice skill on display from Hutson and Suzuki, but the Habs will have to settle for a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Second period
- The structure is breaking a bit to start the middle period as players get too spread out on the breakouts.
- They do survive the short flurry from the Hurricanes, and then go right back on the power play as Shayne Gostisbehere trips up Christian Dvorak after losing the puck.
- Caufield takes a stick in the face, and it will be a long five-on-three for the Habs.
- Too much passing and not enough shooting from the top unit, not helped by every player playing in a position they don’t normally patrol on the power play. Laine quarterbacking? Just stick to the regular plan.
- Carolina is a good penalty-killing team, but Montreal made that easy on them.
- Slafkovský picks up the puck at the blue and as he gets below the goal line he fires it off the back of Andersen, and nearly puts it in.
Slafkovksy almost snipes one from the goal line. Gotta love his newfound shooting confidence.
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 9:16 PM
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- Just as Carolina starts to mount some pressure, Mikko Rantanen cross-checks Mike Matheson to the ice, and he’ll go the box.
- That was the second time I’ve noticed Rantanen tonight, the first being Hutson robbing the puck from him. I wonder how many times a day general manager Eirc Tulsky wishes he could get a do-over.
- The Hurricanes think they’ve cornered Hutson to go on a short-handed break, but Caufield backs him up to get the puck up to Laine with Carolina caught out of position. The Finn finds Suzuki for a on the opposite side of the ice for a snipe as the Habs go up 3-0.
Nick Suzuki RIPS one short side, top corner on the power play, 3-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 9:19 PM
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- Martin St-Louis is talking and both Caufield and Slafkovský are actually turned around on the bench listening to him. I guess it was some good advice.
- The Canadiens withstand another long shift with the puck in their zone, but they kept it to the perimeter and there was only one actual scoring chance from about 80 seconds with the puck.
- With under three minutes to play, the Hurricanes get their 10th shot on Montembeault. The Habs also only have 10, but they aren’t a Stanley Cup contender.
- Carolina held the puck in the zone for the final couple of minutes, but again it was mostly to the outside. the Habs not only survive the long-chance period versus a well-structured team, but extend their lead by a goal. A great game from them so far.
Third period
- Now how do they close it out?
- Almost with a fourth goal off more good work from Slafkovsky to a) play the puck out of the corner with one hand while being pinned and b) going to the net for a screen and possible tip.
- Xhekaj takes his second penalty of night the give the Hurricanes another power play.
- Sebsatian Aho fires the puck off the post.
- Carolina is already up to 15 shots. It’s going to be a wild final 15 minutes for Montreal.
- Dvorak gets a warning in the faceoff on n icing for having his foot over the line. He points out that the Canes player also has his foot over the line. The linesman turns to remind him that for these five seconds, he’s the most powerful man in the city of Montreal.
- A 3:33 shift for Matheson comes to an end with Gallagher hiding the puck in his equipment to get a stoppage. He’ll do anything to win.
- Emil Heineman spins and fires the puck off the post from 30 feet. Montreal missed that shot while he was gone.
- Anderson gets held while rushing into the zone, get thrown off balance and ends up crashing face-first into the dasherboard. He’s clearly dazed from the collision and is bent over as he skates off.
- Hutson makes them pay with a power-play goal, his fourth goal of the season … through another Slafkovský screen.
Lane Hutson makes it 4-0 #Habs with a quick shot from distance
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) February 25, 2025 at 10:17 PM
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- The crowd finally feels confident enough to get some “Olés!” going.
- Heineman hits his second post of the period. Then gets called for holding as he got his body in front of his man with a loose puck in the area. It was a call you only make if you’re looking for one.
- Montreal kills off the power play, and it looks like the Hurricanes are looking ahead to their next game. This will be a fifth loss in six games for them.
- Montembeault earns the shutout as the Canadiens win 4-0, beating the Hurricanes for the first time in 10 tries.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) A rarity against the Hurricanes
2) I think we know what Tkachuk is. Let’s see what Slafkovský becomes.
1) Nice work, Waddell
