Thing were not going well for the Canadiens during the first period of Tuesday night’s game in Utah.
They took two penalties in the first 1:04 of the game — Michael Pezzetta for holding the stick and Mike Matheson for tripping — and the Utah Hockey Club went up 1-0 when Josh Doan scored on the ensuing five-on-three power play.
After Matheson tied the score 1-1 at the 3:18 mark on the Canadiens’ first shot, they took two more penalties before the first period was over — Patrik Laine for cross-checking and Kirby Dach for tripping. One second after Dach got out of the penalty box and with 54 seconds left in the period, Nick Bjugstad scored to put Utah up 2-1
The Canadiens were lucky to only be trailing by a goal after the first period, during which they were outshot 14-3, with goalie Samuel Montembeault keeping them in the game.
After Bjugstad’s goal, Canadiens defenceman David Savard was captured by TV cameras skating up and down in front of the bench appearing to blast his teammates.
While Martin St. Louis is head coach of the Canadiens and Nick Suzuki is the captain, Savard is the father figure and his kids were letting him down. The 34-year-old defenceman, in his 14th NHL season, is a highly respected veteran on this team and his words carry a lot of weight.
The Canadiens responded by outshooting Utah 23-11 over the final two periods to win the game 5-3, improving their record to 21-18-4 and staying within two points of the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens are 10-2-1 in their last 13 games.
After the game, St. Louis said he didn’t have to say much to his players during the first intermission because they were able to handle the situation themselves.
“We had to repair quick and the locker room handled it,” St. Louis told reporters in Utah. “We came out and we looked like ourselves again in the second period.
“I didn’t have to say a whole lot,” St. Louis added. “It’s fun when you have that.”
This is probably Savard’s last season with the Canadiens since he’s in the final year of his contract and can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. If the Canadiens are still in the mix for a playoff spot when the March 7 NHL trade deadline comes around, GM Kent Hughes will have a tough decision to make on whether to keep Savard or trade him.
Either way, the impact Savard has had on this young, rebuilding team will be felt for years after he eventually leaves.
In Year 3 of the rebuild, St. Louis says he has reached the point as a coach where he is now steering the team in the right direction but it’s the players who are driving the bus. Savard is definitely one of the drivers.
“He does everything for this team,” Dach said about Savard after the veteran defenceman played in his 800th career NHL game in mid-October. “Blocks shots, he scores big goals at times, he makes great plays. He’s kind of been a father figure to most of us in this locker room.
“He’s been a great friend to me and helped me out a lot last year and definitely got me through some tough times,” Dach added about his recovery from a major knee injury he suffered during the second game last season. “I’m appreciative of that. He’s just such a great human being. … He’s definitely a role model for us younger guys in this room.”
Savard has helped 23-year-old Arber Xhekaj solidify his game since being put with him on the third defence pairing this season. Matheson is a 30-year-old offensive-minded defenceman in his 10th NHL season, but said he can still learn things from Savard.
“The way he operates, especially in the D zone, is so reliable,” Matheson said earlier this season. “I remember playing with Rob Schremp in the minors (with the AHL’s Portland Pirates in 2015-16) and he always said to me: ‘Try to take one thing from each one of your teammates and kind of add that to your game as much as possible.’ (Savard’s) definitely an easy guy to look to, whether it’s blocking shots, he’s got a great stick, he uses his body really well. Positionally he’s so sound, so I try to look at what he does and try to implement that into my game.”
Josh Anderson had Savard as a teammate for six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets before they were reunited with the Canadiens. Anderson said leadership is the first thing he thinks about when it comes to Savard.
“We’re very fortunate to have Savvy,” Anderson said earlier this season. “He’s one of the happiest guys in the locker room. If it’s not Cole (Caufield), it’s Savvy. He always brings a smile to our locker room and a positive attitude. He definitely lightens the mood around here, for sure.”
That’s why when Savard gets upset — like he did Tuesday night — it can have a big impact.