For the first two periods on Thursday night, there wasn’t much separating the Montreal Canadiens and the Los Angeles Kings except a 3-0 scoreline. The Canadiens didn’t start the game slow, they didn’t lack effort, they weren’t even very undisciplined.
They just saw a very good effort get beat by a very good team that is simply better than they are. The Kings don’t have the best roster on paper, they don’t have the best players, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better combination of team and system in the entire league. They are well coached, and they execute their plan to perfection. It’s not an accident that they have not lost a road game this season. It’s hard to win on the road in the NHL, despite how easy the Kings make it look sometimes.
In the third period, the Kings really poured it on, but the Canadiens should be proud of their effort. If they play like that most nights, they will win a lot more than they lose.
There were some bright spots despite what was a lopsided loss. Juraj Slafkovský played another very good game. Obviously there were no points to show for it, as evidenced by the Canadiens not scoring a goal, but he looked like the team’s best forward for most of the night. There are two main things that lead to production: strong play and strong opportunity. Slafkovský is combining both of those things right now, and even though it hasn’t always shown up on the scoresheet, long-term if he keeps doing what he’s doing, the production will follow.
Even though the two games against the Kings ended 4-0, Thursday’s game was nothing like their performance in Los Angeles. That’s something to build on for this rebuilding group that is still struggling to put together consistent efforts.
It may have not ended the way they wanted, but the focus should be on repeating this performance on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, and if they do that it’s very likely the result will be different.
