- The Canadiens lost this game in the third period
The Canadiens have had good starts in their games this year, being first to pucks, getting shots on net, and doing the little things right. It worked for about 40 minutes on Wednesday, but it didn’t take long until the defence let the Habs down and ultimately lost them the game. Allowing four goals in a period, especially when you’ve fought hard for most of the game is unacceptable by any standard.
Adrian Kempe scored a hat-trick and former Hab Michael Cammalleri scored twice to sink the Canadiens.
2. All Filler, No Killer from the Pacioretty-Drouin-Galchenyuk line
The Canadiens’ offence wasn’t up to par against the Kings, and the top line of Max Pacioretty-Jonathan Drouin-Alex Galchenyuk line bears some blame.
Galchenyuk played 15 minutes had one shot on goal, but he also took two penalties in the first period. He had a one-timer saved in the third period by Jonathan Quick. Since Saturday night’s game against Toronto, he’s done his best to be a bit more noticeable, but that confidence isn’t all the way back yet. Drouin was even quieter with just the one shot. And Pacioretty…
3. Pacioretty had another quiet night, again: MaxPac had three of his line’s five shots, but ultimately he had another scoreless night. While the Canadiens’ defence has taken a ton of heat at the beginning of the season, Pacioretty being held to one goal should also be magnified. But how much of that falls on him, and how much of it falls on the lack of a quality puck-moving defenceman getting him the puck?
You have to be disappointed that the line of Pacioretty-Drouin-Galchenyuk didn’t result in any offence.
4. Paul Byron’s got a nose for the net: You’ve got to love those goals where the scorer is hungry and will stop at nothing to go to the net. That’s exactly what Paul Byron did in the first period. It ended up being the Canadiens’ lone bright spot in the loss.
5. Al Montoya did the best he could:
Al Montoya ate his Wheaties today.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 19, 2017
For two periods, the Wheaties worked. Montoya made 30 saves and only one goal, a puck batted out of mid-air by Michael Cammalleri.
In the third, Montoya allowed four goals leading to the loss. The backup can’t take full blame for the goals thanks to his defence and non-existent offence. A real shame considering he held the fort in place of Carey Price otherwise. The netminder made 37 saves in the loss.
Bonus takeaway: TSN broadcaster John Bartlett trudged through the game with a bad cold, gravely affecting his voice, and still completed the game. Not sure if he had tea or a family pack of lozenges at his disposal, but kudos to him for powering through.
