First period
- A quality start for Montreal. They know they can’t spot Winnipeg a couple of early goals and expect to come back.
- David Savard tries to kidnap Morgan Barron by dumping him into the Canadiens’ bench. He must miss Justin.
- It’s early, but it seems the Habs are making the effort to thwart offensive rushes at their blue line.
- A hearty boo for Mark Scheifele. The crowd won’t forget his hit on Jake Evans.
- Kaiden Guhle isn’t just going to be the defensive safety valve for Lane Hutson. He was just below the Jets’ goal line battling for a puck.
- Samuel Montembeault tries to stop the puck behind his net, but just pops it out in front of it instead. Fortunately, the angle is too sharp for Rasmus Kupari to capitalize.
- Winnipeg has three shots through the opening 10 minutes. That’s more like what we saw when they were knocking down all the best teams
- It really shouldn’t be surprising that it’s the top line that comes through. They were playing well even when the team as a whole was not. A great shot by Juraj Slafkovský from the slot (and it better have been after he barked at both Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki for the puck).
Nick Suzuki sets up Juraj Slafkovsky from behind the net Habs up 1-0!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) January 28, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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- We haven’t had a chance to see much of it, the the players are anticipating plays on defence more rather than just reacting when the puck switches hands. They’ve intercepted several passes so far.
- The last shift looked more like the Habs of the previous week as they couldn’t get to the puck fast enough. Kyle Connor beat Mike Matheson across the top of the crease, and it’s a tie game.
- Now the Canadiens are off to the box. A couple of rough shifts in a row, and now they may not get out of the period on even terms.
- I guess it’s going to take more than one practice to fix all the defensive issues that have crept back in.
- They killed the penalty off well, allowing no great chance for Winnipeg.
- Caufield looks off a potential pass on a quick two-on-one, and fires his shot just beyond his target of the far corner.
- The period ends with a shot block for Caufield. A good period for #13, who very nearly had two points.
- Being tied after 20 minutes is a win for Montreal after how the past few games have gone. They don’t need to be significantly better that their opponent in the final 40 just to claim a point tonight.
Second period
- Montreal just spent a long shift in their zone, but the Jets never got the puck off the boards. Lots of good battles from all five players.
- The Jets have been doing the same thing to Montreal this period. No shots through six minutes to add to the 15 they had in period one.
- The Jets draw a penalty on with 6:30 played, and spend another minute with possession looking for a goal. It’s Savard for slashing, and now both members of the third pairing have taken penalties tonight.
- Great work by Josh Anderson prevent Winnipeg’s top unit from generating anything.
- Montreal is laser-focused on prevent cross-crease passes, with three players lined up 10 feet in front of the goal line.
- The shots are now even after Montreal went into the first intermission with a 15-7 edge. Still no shots on Connor Hellebuyck through 10:36.
- Another of those low-slot passes that the Canadiens can’t prevent, neither taking the body or the stick of the most dangerous player. Matheson decided to chase his man behind the net, and that left an open pass from Gabriel Vilardi to Mark Scheifele for the 2-1 goal.
- Now it is a game that requires a comeback.
- You leave Jake Evans alone, Scheifele, even if his shot was a second after the whistle for offside
- Hellebuyck kicks a rebound over to Michael Pezzetta at the side of the net, but Pezzetta can’t get his blade on the puck to send it into the empty cage.
- Montreal goes offside. Slafkovský falls off the boards to the ice in the background. That might be on Emily Agard’s misplays of the month.
- That same pass from behind the goal line to the slot results in a third Jets goal, while Montreal was holding the momentum with the period ending. Guhle went for a hit behind the net instead of just tying up his man for the final two seconds of the period, and the Canadiens go into the second intermission down a couple of goals.
Third period
- Montreal is getting the puck in the zone, but they can’t get a look they need to really test Hellebuyck.
- Looks like Guhle caught a rut while pinching up in the offensive zone, and he hobbles off right to the dressing room. That doesn’t look promising.
- This isn’t the first time since the Canadiens returned from their long road trip that the ice hasn’t been up to the Bell Centre’s league-best standard.
- Martin St-Louis’s reaction to getting the update on Guhle’s condition was … not encouraging.
- Montreal finally gets a puck to beat Hellebuyck, but Hutson’s shot clangs loudly off the post. Almost his second goal on the NHL’s top goalie this season.
- The Canadiens are really pushing since Hutson’s post to find a second goal. That ping inspired them.
- Carrier goes to collect a pass back to the blue line on the boards. The man he skates past to get there goes down, and he’s off to the box for tripping. Penalties are now 3-0 against Montreal. Expected goals in the game at five-on-five are dead even.
- Suzuki tries the same quick pass from the end boards to the slot that the Jets have had so much success with, but Alex Newhook can’t convert.
- Josh Anderson gets a breakaway, but can’t get his backhand to go.
- It’s an admirable fight from the Canadiens, but they should have been able to turn on this switch at some point in the second period.
- Kupari hits the empty net to make this a 4-1 final.
- Now we wait for an update on Guhle.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Someone write these things down on some cue cards he can reference in the off-season
2) Need to work on that consistency
1) No one to blame but himself
