The undefeated Montreal Canadiens took their talents to Michigan on Friday night to face the Detroit Red Wings, putting their conference-best 1-0-0 record on the line in the process. That record is no more, but I wanted to be able to type that last sentence at least once while it was still possible.
Though they lost, Jake Allen channeled every bit of his inner Carey Price, and almost permitted the Canadiens to find their way back into the game in the later stages.
The first period was all Detroit, ending with a shot tally that favoured the home side to the tune of 25-10. Allen was positionally sound, making even the tougher saves look easy, and probably sent the Wings to the dressing room questioning their choice of profession altogether.
It allowed for the Canadiens to get to the room and make some adjustments, and the game was considerably closer thereafter. There could easily have been three or four on the board for Detroit after 20, but we were instead watching a tie game all the way into the third period.
And though the shot tally was evening out, Detroit still had some quality chances, and Allen turned in an early candidate for save of the year.
JAKE ALLEN WE ARE NOT WORTHY pic.twitter.com/qdGRjkwvtX
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) October 15, 2022
The 3-0 final is somewhat deceitful, given that two of the goals were scored with Allen on the bench for the extra attacker. He was only beaten once on the night, and it took a 6’8” forward parked in the low slot to get it done. It was a masterful performance, and on a night where he gets any run support at all, it is likely enough for a win.
This season may be a tough one for Montreal as a team, but if Allen can turn in performances like that with regularity, at least they know they can be close enough for the games to be competitive.
BONUS HIGHLIGHTS TIME!
I’ve only got two for you from this game, but the first one is a real knee-slapper. Here’s Dylan Larkin’s oscar-worthy performance to draw a penalty on Nick Suzuki.
Absolutely comical dive by Dylan Larkin here. What a joke. pic.twitter.com/crSVyMQBWA
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 15, 2022
There is also some comedy in Kirby Dach shoving Moritz Seider into his own bench.
This should probably be penalties on both sides, but since the refs are donkeys let’s just laugh at Dach shoving Seider into his own bench pic.twitter.com/2DwboZ9s9Z
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) October 15, 2022
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available on your podcast platform of choice. We have a quick turnaround this weekend, and will be dropping another episode after tonight’s game against the Washington Captials.
