The dreaded California road trip continued for the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night – a late-night affair for fans in the east against the San Jose Sharks. It was perhaps much closer than they’d hope a game against the last-place team in the west would be, but they got the job done with a 4-3 win, giving them a chance at a winning record on the road trip if they can pull off another one tonight.
Special teams dictated the score of this game in the end, and it was Joel Armia coming in absolutely clutch for Montreal while shorthanded in the third period.
The penalty kill rewards Samuel Montembeault for his save. Jake Evans sets up Joel Armia, and the #Habs are up 4-3.
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) February 5, 2025 at 2:05 AM
[image or embed]
A late third period power play with the score tied at three could have been a back breaker for Montreal. Samuel Montembeault made a massive save on Macklin Celebrini, and shortly after the ensuing faceoff, Jake Evans and Joel Armia went up ice for the above back breaker of their own. It was quite the turnaround given how dangerous the Sharks’ power play had looked overall in the game.
This wasn’t Armia’s only stellar shift on the PK. In the second period, he single-handedly killed about 30 seconds of another penalty by skating around with the puck in the offensive zone. We know his limitations at five-on-five, but there is no denying just how effective he is for this team on the kill. In fact, when the deadline rolls around, it just might help him find a shot with a contender.
Arpon Basu had floated the idea yesterday that the Habs could package Evans and Armia to a team in need of bottom-six help and penalty killing. Any contending team that struggles on the kill would have to be interested, and at least in Armia’s case, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be back in Montreal next season no matter what happens at the deadline. If Kent Hughes decides to be a seller, he may be able to leverage performances like this one to find more value for the rebuild.
If Hughes doesn’t decide to sell, at least he knows he has some aces up his sleeve on the penalty kill for the stretch run.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We will be back tonight as the Habs will finish their California swing against the Los Angeles Kings.
