- It’s a big game today, with several more on the schedule at the same time. There could be a lot of movement in the NHL standings when the dust settles.
First period
- A good start for Jake Evans’s line, then Cole Caufield launches a puck from mid-range to get a faceoff in Ottawa’s zone.
- Patrik Laine walks into the slot and fires a shot that knocks the stick right out of Linus Ullmark’s hand and to the side boards.
- Christian Dvorak collects the puck at the blue line, goes in a Ullmark (who is still stickless about 30 seconds after the Laine shot), and scores one of the nicest goals a Canadiens player has scored this season.
Christian Dvorak with goal #101 and it's 1-0 Habs!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
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- Montreal could be in for a good final month if Dvorak is going to suddenly become an offensive player.
- Ottawa is (literally) hanging on right now as they desperately attempt to slow the Canadiens down.
- Yes, referee, the flow of this game clearly suggests that Ottawa should have the first power play. You truly have a handle on things. Juraj Slafkovský is in the box for attempting to establish body position in a puck battle.
- Brady Tkachuk misses a swinging bunt of a mid-air puck, because hand-eye coordination isn’t really his thing. He’s more of a whack-at-the-puck-until-it-goes-in type.
- The power play comes to an early end, because the officials seem to have realized what they’d done.
- Lane Hutson sends a 12-foot pass to Laine that the sniper isn’t really prepared for, but he still gets the puck on net with an abbreviated wind-up.
- Samuel Montembeault gets bumped and knocked a foot out of the crease, but still makes an incredible glove save to deny a goal that would have been scrubbed out on a video review.
SNACK TIME
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 8:31 PM
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- Juraj Slafkovský has his jersey tucked. I think that’s a new thing.
- The crowd’s anticipation grew as Hutson wound up through the neutral zone. He surprised everyone with a lob pass.
- Drake Batherson ties the game as neither David Savard for Arber Xhekaj can decide how to defend a player coming right down the middle of the ice.
- Artem Zub sends a point shot off the post. That close to a surprising lead for the visitors.
- Laine is getting involved physically along the boards trying to win battles. He could be really good if he had more of a hand in creating the offence rather than just finishing it off.
- A very high-energy period ends in a 1-1 tie. You could say both teams deserve a goal, but the Senators scored theirs a bit too easily.
Second period
- Slafkovský no longer has his jersey tucked in to start the second.
- Xhekaj swings at the puck it goes off Savard’s stick, then potentially Savard’s head and over the glass. The officials discuss it, but it’s a delay of game penalty on #72, and that doesn’t make a lot of sense.
- Xhekaj is out of the box, and the score is still tied.
- Every Canadiens player is elevating his level on this recent run. Savard is standing out for the wrong reasons as it’s clear he doesn’t possess a higher gear.
- This period has mostly belonged to the Senators. Montreal needs to find a way to get the puck back in their zone.
- Joel Armia very nearly does that with a backhand saucer pass to the top of the crease on a three-on-three, but Ullmark stops Evans as he tries to stab it in.
- Batherson runs Hutson into the boards from behind. Montreal will be on the power play after the mid-period break.
- Slafkovský is going to the box for putting his hand on Zub after the Senators defenceman initiated the contact.
- Michael Amadio scores in the brief four-on-four period as the puck bounces over Montembeault and sits open in the crease.
- Zub pulls down Laine, and Montreal gets another power play. Hopefully one that ends early after a Canadiens goal and not another penalty.
- The top unit puts on 75 seconds of pressure and has several good chances, but it doesn’t result in a goal.
- Newhook goes on an end-to-end rush in the final seconds of he power play, but his shot goes high.
- Ottawa ices the puck for a third time in about a minute. Travis Green complains about the last one, and refs give in and have a faceoff at centre ice.
- Ottawa won that period, and has the lead to show for it. Montreal will need to come back to claim these two points.
Third period
- The Canadiens are fighting hard for every inch they get in this third period. Ottawa is playing a suffocating defence so far.
- Hutson fakes out his man at the point, speeds down the wall, and rips a shot off the far post and in.
LANE HUTSON WITH THE SOLO EFFORT GOAL
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 10:08 PM
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- Sometimes what you need is a gamebreaker.
- Slafkovský get the puck in space, but Ullmark just gets a piece of the puck with his arm as Slafkovský tries a far-side shot from the right side.
- Another long-distance shot gets past Montembeault, on a harmless-looking shot from Travis Hamonic. I’m running with my theory that Monty is near-sighted and can’t pick those long shots up. That shot just can’t go in on an NHL goalie. Honestly, it shouldn’t beat a Junior goalie.
- Brendan Gallagher sticks out his stick and knocks down a breakout pass from Ottawa. Moments later, a point shot comes from Alexandre Carrier, and Josh Anderson pots the rebound.
Josh Anderson buries the loose rebound and we're tied up at the Bell Centre!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 10:20 PM
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- I bet the player who enjoyed that goal the most was Montembeault.
- Laine hesitates and sends a perfect pass to wide-open Newhook, but Newhook can’t handle the puck. A golden opportunity missed.
- Ottawa turns the puck over in Montreal’s zone, and Shane Pinto has to chop Anderson down to prevent a three-on-one. Probably not a bad split-second decision on his part.
- We’ll just forget that shift from the top unit ever happened.
- But we will remember what happened with two seconds to play on it. Ullmark makes the initial save but can’t corral the rebound, which Brendan Gallagher pokes free. Nick Suzuki is there to sling it into the open net to put Montreal up 4-3.
NICK SUZUKI FOR THE LEAD
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 10:29 PM
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- That’s 15 goals for Montreal in the last four games.
- Now the Habs just need to survive the inevitable Sens power play before the end.
- Anderson hits the empty net with 1:44 to play. The game isn’t over yet, but the Habs can take a breath.
- Four third-period goals for Montreal, who came into it down 2-1.
- The crowd is confident enough to start singing “Olé!”
- They can do the wave now. Gallagher adds another empty-netter.
- That’s a massive regulation win for Montreal. Now just an 8-4-3 record required to reach 92 points.
- The Rangers lose 2-1 to the Flames, and Montreal is now in a playoff spot.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) He played a good, physical game toight
2) And that wasn’t even his best period
1) The best game of Dvorak’s Habs tenure
