Last season, the Montreal Canadiens struggled playing the latter half of back-to-backs.
On Thursday night, that trend continued with a 6-4 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
Brendan Gallagher scored twice, while Lane Hutson added a pair of assists in another impressive performance for the rookie rearguard.
Netminder Cayden Primeau did not follow up Sam Montembeault’s shutout on Wednesday with a similarly stellar goaltending performance. Primeau allowed six goals on 29 shots in a rocky season debut.
Oliver Kapanen made his debut as a Hab wearing number 91. He had an assist in 10:22 of ice time.
Gallagher opened scoring with a power-play goal, with Hutson getting his first of two assists. 1-0 Habs.
Then six seconds into a power play of their own, Boston tied it up 1-1 thanks to a Charlie McAvoy blast.
Montreal regained the lead 2-1 with Cole Caufield notching his second goal of the season.
Boston received goals from two off-season acquisitions, Mark Kastelic and Elias Lindholm, to exit the opening frame with a 3-2 lead.
The game got away from Primeau and the Habs in the second period. On the plus side, Hutson continued to carry the puck with the poise of a seasoned veteran.
Boston added another two goals to their total in the final five minutes of the second period. David Pastrnak and Cole Koepke gave the home team a 5-2 lead headed into the third.
Despite being outshot 23-11 in the first 40 minutes, the Habs made a game of it in the final 20. Unlike last season, Josh Anderson didn’t have to wait 25 games to score his first of the 2024-25 campaign. He deflected a Kaiden Guhle to make it a 5-3 game.
With less than five minutes to play, Gallagher potted his second of the night to pull Montreal to within one. His early play so far is proving that his mini-renaissance in the second half of last season was no fluke.
Just 17 seconds later, Kastelic scored from behind the net with the help of Primeau’s stick to deliver the 6-4 dagger. And just like that, whatever momentum the Habs were building was extinguished.
After watching Montembeault stand on his head on Wednesday, it was a comedown to watch Primeau struggle with his glove hand all night against the Bruins.
It also took five periods before coach Martin St. Louis sent a message to his club with a shakeup of the lines. Anderson upgraded to top duty with Nick Suzuki and Caufield, while Juraj Slafkovsky took some reps on the Kirby Dach line. Hutson also played with Guhle en route to having the second most ice time of any defenceman with 22:48.
And let’s be honest, it’s not hard to envision Hutson eventually surpassing minute-man Mike Matheson before too long. The Boston University product has so far been the most electrifying Hab on the ice, and not just among defencemen.
The Liveblog commenters aren’t entering the season with the most confidence in Primeau. He might’ve made Jake Allen expendable a year ago, but his game and glove remain inconsistent. This time around, he won’t spend the first couple of months glued to the press box gathering rust.
3. “I mean, sure they got outplayed, but it wasn’t domination. If your goalie stops only 2 of those goals, nobody complaining. It’s game 2 and Montembeault, according to coach, can’t play 2 in a row??? He hasn’t played games in 6 months! I think the guy can take it!” -Kyle Davidson
2. “Why are the Habs so soft EVERY year. Any real answers. ? It has to be an organizational philosophy that I can’t figure out.” -Jon Robb
1. “Gallagher had a good game. Slafkovsky was invisible, but so was most of the team. I was disappointed with Kapanen, but he needs work. Work ethic is a problem with this team. MSL is going to have to discipline those who do not want to play 60 minutes of hockey. Until they break this bad habit, nothing good will happen.” -Max Gray