First period
- Cole Caufield gets the Molson Cup for November. We had chosen Alex Newhook for the monthly honours here based on his five-on-five production.
- I’m expecting an energetic start to this one.
- The Kraken do get the first two shots. Samuel Montembeault turns them aside.
- A big hit from Juraj Slafkovský on the puck-carrier keeps an offensive-zone shift alive for several more seconds.
- Some great board work by Mitchell Stephens sets up a slot shot for Joel Armia.
- Jamie Oleksiak turns the puck over after an aggressive forecheck right to Josh Anderson, who is apparently a playmaker now because he set up a tap-in for Sean Monahan.
- Penny would never do such a thing.
- Slafkovský slams his stick on the ice wanting a breakout pass from Nick Suzuki. He’s in line for a great game.
- A “Gally!” chant begins after Brendan Gallagher is honoured for his 700th NHL game.
- Anderson makes another great pass to set up a chance for Jake Evans. He’s looking good on this line.
- Caufield fires a shot off the crossbar.
- Philipp Grubauer comes four feet outside his crease to make a save. Mike Matheson hits him on the way by and gets called for goaltender interference.
- I just don’t think the Habs want to knock a goaltender with an .882 save percentage out of the game on purpose.
- Christian Dvorak heads to the dressing room. Does Montreal need to bring up another centre?
- The top line is really having some fun, but the plays are made with purpose. Let’s keep these players together for a while, shall we?
- The more varied breakout plays are still happening in this game. A necessary adjustment made ahead of the match with the Red Wings.
- Slafkovský hunts down a Kraken defenceman and steals the puck. The only thing that would have made the play better is he had taken the lane in front of him to shoot the puck himself rather than passing back to Suzuki. Grubauer had moved over anticipating a pass as well, so there was room.
- That type of physical play is just what the duo of Suzuki and Caufield needs.
- Montembeault makes a blocker save, drops a rebound in front of him, and stops the follow-up shot with his left toe.
- “Let’s Go, Monty!” is the chant now.
- I don’t think he’s experiencing a letdown with his new contract in hand.
- Slafkovský is the only Canadiens player in the TV frame, holding the puck on the end boards versus four Kraken players.
- A fun high-event period that saw big saves from both goalies and has the Canadiens on top. Forty more minutes of that would be great.
Second period
- Another long, cycling shift in the offensive zone for the top line.
- Imagine if the Canadiens moved the puck around the zone like that on a power play?
- Tanner Pearson ends a long stretch of constant pressure with the 2-0 goal, Dvorak, who has returned to the game obvious;y, got the assist with a long-range shot that created a rebound.
- Slafkovský dances through the defence and draws a penalty. What a game he is having.
- A really assertive first wave wins battles along the boards, and ultimately it’s a passing sequence from Caufield to Suzuki to Monahan in a down-low play that results in a goal,
- Suddenly the Habs have power-play goals in back-to-back games.
- The pressure is just beginning to slip a bit here and allowing the Kraken to gain a bit of possession.
- Now the Canadiens have been trapped in their own zone for two minutes.
- A three-minute shift.
- And the Kraken score.
- Top line? Still has it. They enjoy an offensive-zone shift. And Cole makes a great defensive play to prevent Seattle from setting up in the zone again.
- The Canadiens have now seen what happens when they let up, so the intermission is a good time for everyone to be reminded of how good they were in the opening 30 minutes.
Third period
- Sean Monahan gets a bit too cute trying to pass the puck bach behind his own net. The Kraken intercept and nearly make it a one-goal game.
- Juraj Slafkovský gets the stick knocked out of his hands and wonders why it isn’t a penalty now after he was called for exactly the same thing earlier this season.
- Mike Matheson heads back to the box for ‘hooking.’ The Kraken have been the better team, and they have a chance to make it count on this power play.
- It is now 3-2 thanks to a blast from once-rumoured Habs target Vince Dunn.
- Slafkovský makes a great move to get to the net, but can’t get his stick free of a hook for a shot. For a second time this period, he has some words for the official.
- The Kraken hit the post. That close to a tie game.
- Montreal has turned the tables a bit in the latter half of the period, starting to get some chances again. Slafkovský is at the centre of the most dangerous ones.
- Josh Anderson puts the puck in the empty net. He gets swarmed by every teammate on the ice, including Montembeault. The bench erupts in jubilation.
- It’s a 4-2 final. Back to .500.
- Slafkovský should have had a star.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Our version of The Hockey Sweater
2) He’s really turning into a player
1) Make it two slices
