- It is somewhat concerning that Martin St-Louis doesn’t recognize that David Savard is the weak leak on his blue line, scratching Arber Xhekaj off that pairing instead. But he also isn’t the one in charge of the defence on his team.
First period
- Sergei Bobrovsky goes to play the puck behind his net but drops his on the way. He might need another shot of espresso in his water bottle.
- This is the most structured the Canadiens have looked on this trip. Good support all over the ice.
- Alex Newhook yanks his man down and gets away with it, but he can’t turn that into a goal as he drifts too far to the side before releasing his shot on the two-on-one he helped create.
- Brendan Gallagher heads to the box for high-sticking. This is a big penalty kill five minutes into the game.
- Samuel Montembeault doesn’t look confident early. He’s already misplayed a hand-off behind his net and had a point-blank shot go off the post, now he looks behind him after barely getting a piece of a slot shot.
- Anton Lundell hits Joel Armia in the face, so everyone is having difficulty controlling their sticks today.
- Jake Evans gains body position in front of the net and is able to deflect an incoming puck on goal, but Bobrovsky is there.
- Panthers fans boo as Nick Suzuki lays a bodycheck on Anton Lundell after Lane Hutson’s drop pass got intercepted.
- Hutson fakes a drop-pass in the neutral zone moments later and doesn’t miss a step on his rush. He races right past the Panthers’ penalty-kill setup and gets in on Bobrovsky, but can find an angle to put the puck past the goaltender.
- Who knows how many points Montreal would have on this road trip if they’d been able to play like this every game. At least the two in Philadelphia.
- It’s Dvorak’s turn to take a stick in the face. Oprah’s giving those away today.
- Suzuki find Hutson who send a pass to Patrik Laine’s wheelhouse, and the Canadiens have a 1-0 lead.
C'est dimanche, mais Patrik Laine est dans son bureau 👨💼
— LNH (@lnh-fr.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 2:40 PM
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- That’s Hutson’s 57th point, and now he’s only six back of Cole Caufield for second on the team.
- As has happened way too often on this trip, the Canadiens give the goal right back. they just can’t bear down on the shift after a goal. Both Alexandre Carrier and Christian Dvorak go to collect the puck behind the goal line, and Sam Reinhart is left alone to put the puck in the net.
- Another high stick, this one from Kaiden Guhle.
- Montreal kills off 90 seconds of the minor before the period ends, so they will go to the intermission in a 1-1 ties.
Second period
- Montreal catches Bobrovsky out of position, but Suzuki is too close to the goal line to turn it into a goal.
- Florida whacks at Montembeault, who had the puck but was again looking around to see where the puck was. That leads to a post-whistle scrum, and now two minutes of four-on-four.
- Florida has a bit more jump in the second period, but Montreal isn’t allowing them much. No one looks tires, this is just a better team looking slightly better than the Habs right now.
- Lundell sets a pick on Alexandre Carrier to help his teammate take the puck out from behind the net, and the ref informs him he can’t do that.
- Just seconds into the power play, Juraj Slafkovský gets a birthday present from Seth Jones as the Panthers defenceman deflects his cross-crease pass into the net
Slafkovsky gets a favourable bounce off of Seth Jones and gets a birthday goal!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 3:27 PM
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- Another point for Hutson.
- Laine goes power-forward mode on a rush as he pulls the puck across Bobrovsky, but can’t get a good shot off.
- Well the latest lead lasted a bit longer (almost five minutes!), but, once again, Montembeault gets beaten from mid-range, by a slapshot from Seth Jones.
- Each team adds another goal, and the game is in a tie for the second intermission as well. It’s as close to a win as Montreal have been after 40 minutes on this road trip, and they need to find a way to grab these two points.
Third period
- Florida has a strong shift to start the period, getting a great chance when Montreal gets caught with both Matheson and Carrier below the goal line and no one covering the front of the net, leaving a man open to walk right out in front. It’s the same error over and over again, but this time Montreal doesn’t pay for it.
- Cole Caufield tries to bank one off the head an Bobrovsky and in, knocking off the goalie’s helmet. It seems like a lot of Caufield shots in recent game are coming from poor angles.
- Slafkovský is checked as he tries to tap the puck into an open net, but it isn’t long before Hutson sets up Suzuki for the go-ahead goal on a cross-crease pass.
Lane Hutson is an absolute madman, Nick Suzuki makes it 3-2
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) March 30, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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- Three points for each of the best forward and the best defenceman today. Suzuki needs five more points to hit 82 on the season.
- Montreal is stuck in its own zone following the goal. Just testing fate to see if they can get this game into a tie again.
- The next shift for the top line gets the puck back in Florida’s zone, and creates another Habs scoring chance.
- Josh Anderson and Jake Evans work themselves down the ice, off the boards, and into an open position, but Anderson’s shot from the slot is stopped. For some reason those two just work well together, and it’s probably because Evans is one of the faster players who can most closely match Anderson’s pace
- Slafkovsky someone makes a perfect backhand pass through a check to Caufield, but Caufield is denied by Bobrovsky’s pad.
- Gallagher has the stick plucked form his hands just before he gets the puck for a shot, and has to kick the puck ahead instead. The refs don’t want to get involved in a tight game, but they may have just prevented Montreal from putting this away and allowed the Panthers to stay in it.
- Anderson has his stick held while trying to skate the puck into the zone. The refs aren’t going to call anything at this point … on Florida at least.
- Maybe Florida should try robbing the stick from a player like Suzuki or Hutson if they’re so desperate for some offence.
- No one can steal Gallagher’s stick away as he collects the puck in his zone and fires it down the ice and into the vacated net. Montreal has a 4-2 lead, and that should be enough.
- Montreal wins the game, but the Panthers have one final word with some post-whistle shenanigans. That will set the tone for Tuesday when the teams meet for the final time.
- Montreal moves back into a playoff spot with this critical two-point effort.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) What a player
2) There are going to be some no-trade lists modified this summer
1) The winds of change are blowing
