First operiod
- Nick Suzuki gets pulled down seconds into this game, and the power play has a chance to get things off to a good start.
- The top unit put on a clinic, but didn’t get a goal. The players get a nice cheer as they head off the ice regardless.
- It’s Anaheim’s turn to test its man advantage, as Kaiden Guhle gets called for holding, which was really just leaning on the side of his man.
- Jake Allen isn’t in net, and suddenly there are penalty-killers above the top of the circles.
- The Canadiens look like the better team in this game, Which is good. Because they are.
- Montreal missed a neutral-zone pass so I was expecting an icing, but for some reason Cole Caufield was camping at the offensive blue line and got to the puck first. It resulted in a scoring chance eventual, but I don’t think that’s a breakout strategy you want to use often.
- The Ducks’ assistant coach also sees the Canadiens playing better than his club, so it’s not just me.
- Brandon Gignac has his stick broken by Max Jones, and that’s going to be another Habs power play.
- Jones has eight points in 35 games. I’m always surprised to see he’s still playing in the NHL. A total of 55 points in six NHL season.
- When Montreal tries to set up that triangle passing play to the left side of the net, Alex Newhook moves back higher into the slot and the opportunity disappears. He needs to hang in his down-low spot to keep that play open.
- Joshua Roy pulls a contested puck off the faceoff dot and slings it off the post.
- I bet David Reinbacher wouldn’t have been stopped by Cayden Primeau on a two-on-one.
- A pretty good period from Montreal, if a little disjointed. They could have been up by a couple of goals, but who wants to watch them try to defence that for 40 minutes?
Second period
- Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský break out of their zone on a two-on-one. Caufield decides to keep and is stopped by Lukas Dostal. Slafkovský is wondering how he’s supposed to answer all these calls for him to shoot when no one will pass him the puck.
- Jake Evans does pass the puck to Tanner Pearson, then gets it back, skates across the top of the crease, and backhands it in. Great execution by the third line. Josh Anderson even got a point!
- The goal all started thanks to a backcheck by David Savard to break up a two-on-one for the Ducks.
- Joel Armia took a stick in the face from Leo Carlsson and will get a penalty. You will note Reinbacher hasn’t been the box once this game.
- Stéphane Robidas credits the neutral-zone play and forecheck for the momentum of this game, keeping the Ducks out of the offensive zone. With shots 18-7, it’s hard to argue with him.
- Matheson just about took the head off of Caufield with a slapshot, so it isn’t just Slafkovský that he doesn’t like on the power play.
- There just isn’t the same killer instinct on the power play the last couple of games.
- Another great defensive play from Savard leads to another goal. This time it’s a breakout pass from Jayden Struble, and then a patient play from Slafkovský to corral the puck before setting up an easy tap-in for Suzuki.
- Arber Xhekaj and Ross Johnston fight, though it was more of a jersey tie-up than actual fisticuffs.
- The Ducks are tired of constantly defending and flip the puck out of play. Unbeknownst to them, there is a whole stash of new pucks, and now they have to defend with only four skaters.
- Newhook stays at the top of the crease to play his bumper role perfectly, “bumping” the puck across to Slafkovský, who whips it to the opposite side for Suzuki to fire home.
- That’s 50 points for Suzuki on the season, who has goals in his last four games.
- That’s also a 3-0 lead, so watch out.
- They’re singing “Olé!” just to test things even more.
- And, with the score at 3-0, the Ducks spend a full shift in the offensive zone, and head to the power play.
- The second period comes to a close with shots 29-9 in Montreal’s favour.
Third period
- Suzuki lets out a yelp as he blocks a shot, but the puck bounces out of the zone, and the penalty is killed.
- He’s smiling on the bench at the first TV timeout, so I assume he’s fine.
- While the left-side players do their thing, Slafkovský just hangs out and waits for the puck to come to him to make it 4-0. A three-point night for him.
- Cole Caufield has started a new streak after having his 11-gamer ended on Sunday.\
- It’s a bit less wince-inducing when the Olés start with 10 minutes to go in a 4-0 game.
- The refs must be enjoying the power-play movement as much as we are, because they’ve imprisoned another Duck.
- I looked something up during the break. If you just take the records of Samuel Montembeault and Primeau (I’ve given him this win already), the result is a .557 points percentage. That would rank just behind the Detroit Red Wings for the final wild-card spot.
- I heard one guy boo the power play after a failed zone entry. He has high standards of what’s acceptable.
- Brandon Gignac has his first NHL goal to cap off a fun night at the Bell Centre.
- He got a little scruff rub back at the bench.
- Johnny Kovacevic didn’t like a hip-check thrown late in the game. For a second straight match, he gets to have his shower early. He does get an instigator penalty, however, giving Primeau one final test.
- Cayden Primeau tries to protect the puck to pick it up for his first NHL shutout. The Ducks are upset about it. I think The Code may have more pages than the official rulebook.
- Montreal wins 5-0.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) He’s feeling 82.
2) That tertiary scoring makes for a great night
!) Total bust
