- The Ivan Demidov era begins.
First period
- Brendan Gallagher drives right through the slot, gets within six feet of the net … and shoots it too high. Please not this again.
- A cheer erupts as Demidov steps onto the ice. Ten seconds later, there’s a “Demidov!” chant.
- Six minutes in, the fans get brought to their feet for the first time by Demidov, He works himself off the wall with possession and down to the crease. As all of the Blackhawks defenders wait to see what he does, he tosses the puck to the slot and Alex Newhook just has to get his aim right.
IVAN DEMIDOV FIRST NHL POINT
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 8:18 PM
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- The puck slowly trickles toward the blue line and Kaiden Guhle can’t decide whether he should jump up to play it or get back on defence. He ends up caught in between, and a four-on-one develops. Samuel Montembeault lunges across the crease to deny the Blackhawks a goal on the play.
- Demidov is helping the Newhook line look like the best one on the ice tonight, and that’s very encouraging.
- Before the first period is up, Demidov scores his first NHL goal! This time it’s goaltender Arvid Soderblom who is hesitant to play the puck, and Demidov pounces, quickly pulling it across the crease to his backhand and tucking it in.
FIRST NHL GOAL IVAN DEMIDOV
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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- Every shift something good happens with Demidov on the ice.
- Guhle throws a massive hit on Oliver Moore, but the rookie had yet to touch the puck. For a second game in a row Guhle is forced to fend off some angry opponents, but this time it was more warranted.
- Chicago does have a much better power play that their general season stats would indicate, and it makes this a one-goal game.
- The top line has its first noticeable shift with one minute to play. It almost results in a goal, but Nick Suzuki’s shot went through Soderblom and out the side of the crease.
- Montreal did get outshot, which still isn’t good, but the effervescent Demidov has his new team in the lead.
Second period
- Just watching Demidov’s positioning in the defensive zone. If you didn’t know he was a rookie, you would never guess with the way he’s scanning all his surroundings. He didn’t allow much chance to see his defensive play in the first period.
- Christian Dvorak spins the puck to the slot to allow chances for each of Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher, but neither one can capitalize.
- Chicago is all over Montreal in the opening minutes.
- The pressure results in another penalty, and a chance for Chicago’s power play to tie the game.
- Montreal is very scrambly in its defence, but does manage to draw a hooking call when David Savard was hauled down.
- Montreal’s first four-on-four shift features Demidov and Newhook.
- A very creative power play, with Demidov at its centre. I think we might have a player here.
- All the momentum has shifted to Montreal since that penalty.
- Moore knocks Samuel Montembeault to a knee as the goalie plays the puck behind his net, and will sit for tripping.
- Nick Foligno crunches Lane Hutson behind the net and centres the puck, but Frank Nazar hits the crossbar with the shot.
- Demidov makes a great pass across the crease on a counter-attack, but Newhook can’t connect on the other end. Demidov could have a fistful of points in this game.
- Alexandre Carrier has to trip up Ilya Mikheyev on a breakaway. Another advantage for the Blackhawks.
- Nazar scores on the power play. Montreal needs to stop taking penalties.
- All of Demidov’s good work now erased.
- Montreal has had about a dozen great scoring chances in this period but been unable to convert on any of them.
- Juraj Slafkovský draws a late slashing penalty, so Montreal will have a chance in the third period to restore the lead.
Third period
- Montreal’s top unit can’t find the one open player at five-on-four, and heads off the ice with nothing created. Everyone on that unit is looking completely gassed.
- Demidov makes another cross-crease pass to Newhook, who again can’t convert.
- The power play ends, and the score is still 2-2.
- Montreal pushes for a third goal, but Demidov doesn’t have the energy to get back up the ice on the backcheck, and his man, Lukas Reichel, makes it 3-2. The Canadiens’ season is slipping away here.
- At this point, you have to put Demidov and Suzuki together and hope they can come up with something.
- Chicago is winning every battle. The Habs players are all just using there hands because their legs no longer work.
- Montreal gets a power play with under four minutes to play. These will be the most important two minutes of Montreal’s season. What is Martin St-Louis’s response?
- “Stay the course,” he said after last game. He stick with the regular top unit, and Cole Caufield’s shot off Slafkovský’s stick ties the game with a squeaker.
LIVE SLAF LOVE Tied up 3-3!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) April 14, 2025 at 10:28 PM
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- The Bell Centre erupts in a loud exhalation.
- Again, a regulation win isn’t critical here, just the second point.
- Suzuki goes in on a rush, and gets taken into the end boards hard. but he bounces back up.
- With that point Columbus would have to win its final two games in regulation. But with a win in extra time, they can do nothing to catch the Habs.
Overtime
- The crowd is trying to instill some energy in the home team with a loud cheer before three-on-three begins.
- Newhook looks at an open Demidov, but can’t figure out how to get him the puck, and Nazar makes the interception in the neutral zone.
- Off to a shootout.
Shootout
- If Montembeault can be better than Soderblom versus three shooters, Montreal makes the playoffs.
- Caufield goes first. He’s stopped.
- Nazar dekes himself out more than Montembeault. On to round two.
- Soderblom makes a glove save on Patrik Laine.
- The officials have gone to a video review, and see that Nazar’s shot actually went in. So they’re going to count that goal, even though Laine took his shot afterward.
- Teuvo Teravainen is stopped on Chicago’s second attempt.
- Suzuki goes out trying to keep the shootout going.
- He bakchands the puck off the post. It bounces up in the air. It stays out.
- Montreal gets just one point. A shootout to get the shot at the final point might end up being their best opportunity.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Plenty to be excited about
2) You’ll both be able to tell your grandkids you were there for his first
1) Two for the price of one?
